This is a special edition of Inside Media covering the 7th annual event for media writers and advertisers.
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It’s a big week here at Seven as the network holds its annual ‘Upfront’ event – a showcase of its 2025 programming line-up. It has been rebranded this year and is called ‘7 Degrees’.
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It’s been a gangbuster year for the network in terms of ratings, so much of what you’ll see next year is pretty much the same as this year — with a few notable exceptions.
Here are the main headlines:
- Comedian Shaun Micallef has been announced as the first cast for the new series of Dancing with the Stars.
- Stranded on Honeymoon Island is an extreme dating show where couples are matched by experts after a speed dating event, but they do not find out which partner has been chosen for them until they take them to an intimate commitment ceremony. I can’t see. Things take an unexpected turn when they are left on their own deserted tropical islands for a dramatic ‘adventure of a lifetime’.
- Jim Jefferies will lead a new comedy show called Jim Jefferies & Friends. It will include comedy legends Dave Hughes, Jimin, Arj Barker, Tommy Little, Nikki Osborne, Mel Buttle, Felicity Ward and many more. “It’s an entirely adults-only affair that will feature Jim as master of ceremonies,” says PR Guff.
- The morning show is being expanded to 30 minutes and will now run until noon, followed by a new hour-long news bulletin.
- Dr. Chris Brown will star in a new series called Once in a Lifetime. This is a global wildlife trip where Chris is joined by renowned veterinary assistants including Mick Molloy, Amanda Keller, Kate Ritchie and Matt Preston.
- Working Class Man is a documentary based on the best-selling book by Jimmy Barnes.
- The story of an iconic Australian band will be told in a “hilarious and touching documentary” called Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story.
There are some good ideas in Stranded on Honeymoon Island. It’s a big new reality show at 7.30pm and I’m sure Seven executives have high hopes for it.
“Australian manufacturing is at the heart of everything we do. We spend more than $700 million across our three content pillars of news, sports and entertainment to reach massive audiences and every single day of the year,” says Angus Ross, Seven Group’s managing director, television.
That’s a lot of money!
Returning shows include Farmer Wants a Wife, Australian Idol, My Kitchen Rules, The Voice, Dancing with the Stars, Home and Away and the most successful new entertainment show in recent years, The 1% Club.
To find out more about Seven’s 2025 line-up, I spoke to Chief Content Officer, Brooke Hall, who told me that 2025 is about continuity and building on the success of 2024.
“One thing I will say this year is probably the most consistent we’ve been in a while,” Hall says.
“We were probably in a rebuilding phase from the time we lost the tennis and coincidentally, MKR dropped off a bit at that time, but since that period we’ve obviously launched a lot of new ones and I’d say That this has been our most stable.”
This is certainly true. While some media writers will find the lack of new announcements disappointing, viewers will appreciate the return of their favorite shows and know what to expect, especially in a world filled with content clutter.
According to Hall, it is this consistency that has led to ratings growth in the Australian free to air TV sector:
“We will have two years of audience growth and yes, both our streaming and digital are growing rapidly around the world and we are no different here. Our streaming services for Seven Plus are growing by 40%. The whole market is buzzing. This is not a big deal. What gets lost is that the Seven Network and Nine Network broadcast audiences are having a second year of series audience growth and a total TV perspective. This is an amazing story. ,
He is right.
While many seem to ignore linear television, big shows can still attract up to two million viewers. These are huge numbers by any standards.
Inside Media is published every Monday and Thursday.
Rob McKnight is co-owner tv blackbox
