Last month it was revealed that Network 10 is bringing back the iconic show, Australian Gladiators after a 12 year hiatus.
The popular reality TV show was initially adapted from the American Gladiators for two seasons in 1995 and had another reboot in 2008. After 12 years off the air, the show returns to Australian television in 2024 with a stellar cast of gladiators.
B&T spoke to Network 10’s Rod Prosser, chief of sales, about the new format and what the market could expect from the reboot.
B&T: What prompted Network 10 to bring back the Gladiators after 12 years off the air?
Rod Prosser: We’ve seen this resurgence in a lot of 90s content as a real revival. And mostly that revival and viewership is coming from Gen Z. So we’re seeing this brand new generation come in and engaging with a lot of our shows that we had on in the 90s. And part of that’s due to the broadening out of our channels through our vast offering. We’re really seeing a nice mix of different demographics, and younger ones coming to our platform.
B&T: How is Gladiators differentiating itself from similar shows?
RP: I think the greatest thing about Gladiators is that it’s a wonderful mash up of a couple of genres. It’s obviously got sporting tones to it, and then it’s really good family entertainment. So I think the the wonderful thing is that the tone of the show really lends itself to co-viewing and family viewing. And obviously through that summer period, which is quite noisy with sport, this offers up a really wonderful alternative.
B&T: So the primary audience you’re targeting is families?
RP: We typically go broader than just one one sort of demographic or set of demographics. But we not we know from history, because we’ve had I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in that slot, that it is very family friendly.
B&T: Why is it exciting for advertisers to jump in and get involved with Gladiators?
RP: I think the opportunity to really immerse their brands in a really seamless way in a raft of integrated opportunities. But every time that we go out and pitch and talk to a client, it feels very seamless, which creates a nice experience for the brand, and a really important UX for viewers. So that’s that’s number one. And then that’s coupled with a lot of innovation that we’re bringing to market around our connected devices. So we’ve complemented it with a lot of ad product. It’s not necessarily brand new, but it’s new over the 12 months. So, sponsorships are really popping across multiple screens. It’s not just obviously the linear screen, which brands are very excited about.
B&T: Are you able to tell us which brands have signed up?
RP: So not just yet, but we will have a wonderful collection of brands and advertisers over that period that will get involved. And if you think about that time of year, it’s often quite noisy was sport. And often, big QSRs and autos are looking for an alternative because they don’t have the same access into some of the sporting events that are on the other networks. So we’re having some good conversations with a lot of categories.
B&T: What’s the audience’s pulse on the show? Are they excited?
RP: The promo will drop shortly. So the telly watchers will see that very soon. Certainly from a market point of view where we’ve announced the Gladiators and the wonderful Liz Ellis and Beau Ryan who in their own right are huge personalities but also great sporting stars, so that traction has been picked up on social at this point and the conversation is really positive.
The new Gladiators set to appear include:
• Sandor Earl
• Jaymi Morris
• Harriet Roberts
• Kwame Duah
• Chanique Greyling
• Blessings Chilufya
• Damien Rider
• Alethea Boon
• Katelin van Zyl
• Khan Porter
• Tatyanna Dumas
• Jett Kenny
Gladiators is coming to 10 and 10 Play in 2024.
