Network 10 is set to unveil its new and improved content slate and deeper data offerings in 2021 at its annual Upfronts today.
Sadly, there will be no Osher, Masked Singer performance by Rob Mills or Angie Kent sighting (it’s a virtual event – thanks, COVID) – but no doubt it will be an exciting one hour spectacular of what to expect from 10 next year.
Luckily for you, B&T has all the press releases in advance, so in case you’re not invited to the event today, here’s everything you need to know.
All the fun shows (including three new ones)
In 2021, 10’s biggest franchises will be returning along with premiere series Making It Australia, The Dog House Australia and The First Inventors.
From executive producers Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, Making It Australia is a crafting series features a diverse range of talented ‘makers’ showcasing their artistic skills.
The Dog House Australia is set inside a rescue shelter, this heart-warming new show will set out to find the perfect match for canines looking for their fur-ever families.
Meanwhile, The First Inventors, will take Aussie viewers on a journey back through time – somewhere between 70,000 and 120,000 years ago – to a community in the midst of developing sophisticated stone tools, art, agriculture, irrigation and much more.
Beverley McGarvey, Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President of ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand said: “We promise a strong, consistent line-up of premium content for all audiences, across all channels and platforms.”
“Not only are we the only commercial network growing its audience, but we have also had the biggest prime time commercial shares in key demographics since 2011.
“We have cemented our position as leaders in escapist entertainment and delivered a 50-week schedule to our key target market of under 50s.
“Our established suite of shows has seen our linear free to air channels enjoy an incredible 11% growth and generated more top regular programs in key demographics than any other broadcaster.”
Nex on the plate, on January 3 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will return. Next up, The Amazing Race Australia, a show whose name in 2021 is now more literal than anyone could have imagined. That’s right, the show is staying home to proudly present Australia at its most amazing.
Meanwhile, the whackiest and wildest show on TV – The Masked Singer Australia – returns for a new series of spectacle and speculation.
Host Osher Günsberg and panel of super sleuths Jackie O, Dave Hughes, Dannii Minogue and Urzila Carlson will all be back on deck in 2021 as the guessing games begin anew and the chant rings out once more to ‘Take it off!’
MasterChef Australia served up a ratings smash hit with three new judges, and Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen will be overseeing more magic in the MasterChef Australia kitchen just after Easter.
Once hung up our MasterChef aprons, we’ll be launching a brand-new television format in Australia. What MasterChef has done for this country’s culinary skills, this show will do for upcycling!
Australian Survivor will also return in 2021 with Jonathan LaPaglia once again presiding over another series of jaw-dropping challenges, bold blindsides and unlikely alliances.
And, love guru Osher Günsberg will be back at the helm in a brand-new mansion for all the romance, drama, roses and twinkling fairy lights of The Bachelor Australia and The Bachelorette Australia.
Kat Stewart, Stephen Peacocke, Doris Younane, Katie Robertson and Roy Joseph are back as a surrogate family of lovable misfits in the second season of the breakout Aussie drama hit, Five Bedrooms.
While Amanda Keller, Chris Brown, Barry Du Bois and Miguel Maestre – return for a fresh new season of The Living Room with more food, more renovation, more inspiration and more laughs.
Gogglebox will also return in 2021, as will a brand spanking new season of Hughesy, We Have A Problem and Have You Been Paying Attention?.
What else? More Bondi Rescue, Territory Cops, The Project, 10 News First, Studio 10, Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, MotoGP World Championship, Melbourne Cup Carnival, and The Gilded Age.
From other corners of the globe there are new seasons from Jamie Oliver, Ambulance UK, The Dog House, Toddlers Behaving (Very) Badly, The Royals Revealed, The Savoy, NCIS, Bull, FBI: Most Wanted and The Graham Norton Show as well as the 2021 Grammy Awards.
deeper data offering
ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand has bolstered its data stack with the addition of Flybuys.
Its combination with RedPlanet, Quantium and Smrtr (formerly Greater Data) gives brands even sharper targeting and measurement capabilities across its broadcast video on-demand platform, 10 Play, and across more industries, interests and behaviours.
10 ViacomCBS, Head of Data and Digital Audience, Josh Slighting, said: “In just 18 months, we have built best-in-class addressable advertising and analytics capabilities across 85% of our platforms.
“We have the capability and acumen not just to compete effectively, but to win, with 75 per cent of total digital sales now powered by data. Backed by ViacomCBS, we are able to push the boundaries of innovation when it comes to targeting.
“We are invested in building something truly premium, with technology that gives us future optionality and removing any reliance on third party data and changing identifiers like cookies,” Slighting said.
10 has successfully accelerated its data capabilities in 2020 alongside the transformation of 10 Play which has recently launched a number of exclusive premium ad formats. This acceleration will continue in 2021.
Slighting said: “In 2021, we will move into more cutting-edge data-driven strategies, with confidence in the foundation we have established for ourselves. We have a durable data and technology setup, with some of the brightest and most talented people in the industry at the helm. We will be advancing insights about our audience and will continue to the pursuit of being the easiest, most accessible and transparent television network to work with.”
With respect to the partnership with Flybuys, Slighting said: “The partnership with FlyBuys makes accessible to our clients premium targeting from one of Australia’s leading loyalty providers.
“The market is hungry for transparency and for better ways to measure and optimise investment in media, and with the advancements both Network 10 and Flybuys have made in the past 12 months, we feel confident this partnership is going to deliver very positive results for our clients.”
FlyBuys Chief Porduct Officer, Harley Giles, said: “Through this partnership, we’re offering advertisers the ability to access insights from the shopping baskets of 8.6 million active Flybuys members across all of Network 10’s digital assets. Unpacked by Flybuys was created to give marketers better access to tangible data and transparent results, so we couldn’t be happier to partner with Network 10, one of Australia’s leading media companies, and offer marketers another way to achieve better results from their marketing spend.”
The combination of 10 ViacomCBS data and deep partnerships with Flybuys, RedPlanet, Quantium and Smartr solidifies 10’s competitive position when it comes to reaching audiences that matter. These will underpin further innovation and acceleration of 10 ViacomCBS capabilities in 2021.
The Curated Content Carousel
If your brand is looking for premium homepage prominence that aligns with programs that bring the most eyeballs to the yard, 10 Play’s Curated Content Carousel is the snazzy new ad product for sponsored content that connects and effects.
Following on from the success of 10 Play’s Premium Pause ad product, the Curated Content Carousel is a fresh addition coming in 2021 to 10 Play’s evolving website and connected TV app ecosystem.
The Curated Content Carousel allows brands to seamlessly blend into 10 Play’s homepage through the art of editorial curation, placing brands front and centre on the web and new connected TV apps.
Network 10’s General Manager – Digital, Liz Baldwin, said: “As we continue to roll out our world-class 10 Play app experience on connected TV, we want to continue to drive innovation around ad products that complement the viewing experience.
‘”Whether that’s targeted, non-intrusive formats like Premium Pause or editorially adjacent placements within our service like the Curated Content Carousel, we’re favouring new formats that consider the user experience first and foremost.
“The Curated Content Carousel is the perfect pairing to our successful Premium Pause ad product, with both products offering advertisers an innovative, impactful and non-intrusive way to engage with audiences with key brand messages on 10 Play.”
Network 10’s Digital Sales Director, Sophie Hicks Lloyd, said: “The appetite for new branded opportunities that guarantee premium placement and ensure a lasting impact is strong in the market.
“When it comes to BVOD integration and sponsorship amplification, the union of Premium Pause with the Curated Content Carousel positions 10 Play as a trailblazer.
“In 2020, we have soared from 10% to 85% addressability on mobile and connected TVs. In 2021, we are tracking to hit 100% in the first quarter.
“With 10 Play having its biggest year ever once again, it is time to pounce for prime position on 10 Play.”
Click here for a preview of the Curated Content Carousel product on the 10 Play homepage, combined with the Premium Pause product within show.