Australia’s Seven Reveals 2018 Highlights

Australia’s Seven Network has unveiled its plans for development across all screens for the year ahead, which includes Andrew Denton making his long-awaited return to the channel.

In 2018, Denton will lead Interview, in which he will sit opposite a range of people and try to find out what makes them tick. Also coming to the network is Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You, a two-parter celebrating the career and life of the Australian icon. Australian Spartan features a test of strength, speed, agility and endurance that only a truly unified team can conquer. In The Mentor, Australian entrepreneur Mark Bouris turns around small businesses on the brink of collapse. The Rich House is a family-friendly competition series giving everyday Australians the chance to live the life of the super rich. Another original format, Dance Boss is a dance competition in which the best workplace crews battle it out to win a cash prize of $100,000.

Seven will become the home of The Doctor Blake Mysteries in 2018. Also new for the network are Australian Gangster, a crime drama; Undercurrent, a true-crime show; the relationship-themed The First Wives Club and Back with the Ex; and Emergency Call, going behind the scenes at emergency call centers. The U.S. format The Wall is getting a local treatment, and those are just some of the highlights the network revealed for its upcoming schedule.

Angus Ross, Seven’s director of network programming, said: “We are looking forward to the coming 12 months. We have the biggest sports events and we have secured some outstanding new franchises—with more announcements to come. We move into 2018 with The Australian Open, the Olympic Winter Games and a suite of programs that will drive home our leadership.”

Seven also unveiled further details on 7plus, which is launching next month. 7plus will be more than a catch-up service; it will encompass live and on-demand, as well as an extended content library from some of the world’s largest studios, exclusive original commissions and features allowing “binge-stacking.” Seven is planning to deliver original content for 7plus. It has commissioned Seven Studios to produce the next seasons of Yummy Mummies, which was a breakout success online, as a 7plus original.

Clive Dickens, Seven’s chief digital officer, said: “We’re very excited to introduce this new, world-class OTT service to Australian consumers and advertisers, offering all you love from the Seven Network, plus so much more. More than live. More than catch-up. More effective for our partners. Consumer behavior is evolving rapidly and the growth of connected devices demands we take a fresh approach to matching great content to the right device and the right audience, creating a myriad of new opportunities for brands to connect through video in ways like never before.”