Seven Network’s Angus Ross

Angus-Ross-Seven-716Seven Network has been the top-rated free-to-air network in Australia for the past nine years. As director of programming, Angus Ross is responsible for Seven and its bouquet of digital channels—7TWO, 7mate and the recently launched 7flix. He explains how Seven has maintained its leadership position and discusses some of the highlights of Seven’s 2016 schedule, including coverage of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this August.

WS: What types of shows and programming genres is Seven focusing on in 2016?
ROSS: Investing in local content is Seven’s mantra, and in 2016 Seven will launch more new local shows than ever before.

Seven has also just launched a new digital channel called 7flix. It is driven by movies and U.S. series content.

The key programs for the first quarter of 2016 were launched out of Australia’s best program launch platform—the Australian Open tennis championships. The tentpole program for Seven in the first quarter is My Kitchen Rules. This multi-night reality program has been the number one program on television for several years and has again dominated the ratings at the start of 2016. The success of this franchise has helped to successfully launch First Dates (the Australian version of the U.K. format), Wanted (a new drama series) and Molly (an event drama miniseries), and it has also driven the final season of Downton Abbey to new highs.

The second quarter of 2016 is underpinned by another local format, House Rules. We will also be launching Australian versions of Kiss Bang Love, Seven Year Switch and Cannonball. A number of new local formats will be launched out of the Rio Olympic Games in August.

WS: Australia has a long tradition of quality drama. Tell us about Seven’s drama; what series have been particularly successful? And are you premiering new ones this year?
ROSS: Seven’s most successful drama series is Home and Away. It is a worldwide success story and has been running for 28 years. It anchors the 7 p.m. slot on Seven Monday to Thursday, and its numbers are up year-on-year—bucking worldwide trends for multi-night drama series.

Seven launched the new drama series 800 Words in 2015, which became the highest-rated drama on Australian television (averaging 1.32 million metro viewers). Another drama series, Winter, also averaged more than 1 million metro viewers.

Seven also has a rich tradition of creating event miniseries, with Catching Milat and Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door topping the list of events in 2015. Seven has kicked off 2016 with the hugely successful miniseries Molly and the event series Wanted, which is currently the number one new drama on television. A second series of 800 Words is coming, and the new drama The Secret Daughter will launch out of the Rio Olympics.

WS: How do 7TWO and 7mate complement Seven’s offering?
ROSS: Seven’s main channel targets adults 25 to 54, with a female skew. Seven’s three digital channels are designed to complement, not cannibalize, the main channel. 7mate targets men 16 to 39, 7TWO targets the 40-plus audience and the newly launched 7flix targets women 16 to 39.

WS: How do you use acquired programs in the schedules of Seven, 7TWO, 7mate and 7flix?
ROSS: Seven’s digital channels are all driven by acquired content only. Examples of 7TWO’s acquired programming include Escape to the Country, A Touch of Frost, Lewis, Inspector Morse, The Last Detective, Bargain Hunt and The House That 100K Built. 7mate’s acquired shows include Family Guy, American Dad, Tattoo Nightmares, Pawn Stars, Ice Road Truckers, American Pickers, Baggage Battles, The Big Bang Theory and Hardcore Pawn, while 7flix’s imported content includes Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, The Muppets, The Mindy Project, The Amazing Race and movies.

On the main Seven channel, acquired programming includes The Blacklist, Criminal Minds, Blindspot, Hotel Hell, Bones, Downton Abbey and Kitchen Nightmares.

WS: What coverage are you providing of the Rio Summer Olympics?
ROSS: The Olympic Games in Rio are the first Games for Seven as part of a historic, long-term agreement for all-encompassing coverage of the Olympic Games over the coming decade.

Seven will create and deliver the most comprehensive, technologically advanced, multiplatform coverage of the Olympic Games to all Australians on any communications device. Seven will broadcast every single moment of the Olympic Games in Rio live across three broadcast channels on Seven, which can also be streamed live to any connected device. Beyond this, Seven will also be streaming to any connected device live coverage of every moment in the Olympic Games across an expanded portfolio of new channels focusing on online and streaming delivery to Australian audiences.

Seven’s agreement with the Inter­national Olympic Committee delivers free broadcast-television and subscription-television rights, and it expands beyond television to Seven’s online, mobile and social platforms. Seven has also secured radio broadcasting rights. Under the unprecedented new agreement, Seven will broadcast the Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018 and the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2020. Underlining this new partnership is an option, which, if exercised, extends the rights to include the Winter Games in 2022 and the Summer Games in 2024.