Network 10 has achieved its biggest first half commercial shares in nine years, capturing a bigger share of total viewers and viewers aged under 50 and in the key demographics since 2011.
Network 10’s prime time commercial shares as at 27 June, 2020 were:
The network has grown its year-on-year commercial share every week this year and its audience in the last 23 consecutive weeks.
Network 10 and Channel 10 experienced the biggest growth across the first half of any network or channel in Australia year-on-year.
Across the period, Network 10 grew 18 per cent and Channel 10 grew 19 per cent year-on-year while 10 Bold was up 19 per cent (the biggest audience increase of any commercial multichannel) and 10 Peach was up 13 per cent.
10 Bold was the number one commercial multi-channel in total people and number one in its target market of over 40s and 10 Peach was number one in its target market of 16 to 39s. Network 10 continued its audience growth story from the second half of 2019 and has achieved 10 consecutive months of year-on-year commercial share growth.
Chief content officer and EVP of ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand Beverley McGarvey said: “We are continuing to grow strongly.
“Our 50 weeks of general entertainment programming strategy this year is paying off. It began in the very first week of 2020 with the launch of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! on 5 January, a week earlier than 2019.
“The success of our refreshed first quarter this year continued the success and momentum we had at the end of 2019, with Australian Survivor: All Stars, Ambulance Australia, Gogglebox Australia and Dancing With The Stars all collectively lifting 10’s timeslot audiences this year.
“In March, like the rest of the world, we had to navigate the challenges of a global pandemic and adapt our production methodologies to ensure we could overcome the specific issues we faced as a news, production and entertainment business.
“Therefore, it was especially encouraging to see Australians turn to 10 to be informed and entertained with 10 News First, The Project and MasterChef Australia: Back To Win attracting big audiences.
“Our laser focus on the under 50s and key age groups is also reaping benefits, with 10 securing five of the top 10 shows in under 50s, 25 to 54s, 16 to 39s and 18 to 49s so far this year – more than any other network.
“We have seen some incredible competition in this first half across the commercial free-to-air TV networks, which is great news for the overall TV landscape. The competition is set to heat up when we launch our fourth channel later this year. The channel will strengthen our under 50s programming and boost our network share.”
Network 10’s digital audiences are also surging this year with 10 Play having its biggest year ever, up 25 per cent year-on-year. The growth can be attributed to additional exclusive content being added to the platform, but also record broadcast video ondemand (BVOD) audiences for 10 shows.
Beverley continued: “The success of our shows this year meant strong digital audiences on our digital platforms too, with 10 Play recording its biggest year so far. The great thing about this result is that it also reflects the additional investment in exclusive content we have made on the platform. We will continue to look for opportunities to boost our digital proposition for audiences.”
Network 10 and ViacomCBS chief sales officer Rod Prosser said: “Our growth this year has truly been remarkable. It’s clear – audiences are switching to 10.
“The success of our programming has also been reflected in our revenue. Since October 2019, Network 10 has seen eight consecutive months of year-on-year revenue share growth. When you look at BVOD, our average revenue growth over the last 10 months exceeds 40%, the biggest of any network.
“In 2020, we are delivering consistent, brand-safe and highly integratable environments for advertisers across all our platforms,” he said.
“We are also continuing to strengthen our commercial proposition with the addition of MTV, Nickelodeon – the #1 kids brand – and Nick Jr. to our brand portfolio, all of which have seen audience growth since March 2020. The new MTV music channels which go live on 1 July will also expand our offering into the music genre.
“In addition, over the last few months, we have supercharged the opportunities available for advertisers with the launch of Effect, a premium, integrated marketing solutions business, a dedicated direct and independent agency team and a whole new digital experience including a Premium Pause product on 10 Play, a nonintrusive, high-impact way for brands to integrate online.
“There is so much more to come as we reap the benefits of the ViacomCBS integration in Australia and New Zealand. We can’t wait to have you all along for the ride,” Prosser said
