Here are some of my Australian TV predictions for 2023:
The ABC takes over as the FTA test cricket broadcaster from Seven, with Seven retaining the rights to the BBL.
Nine signs a multi-year output deal with 20th Century Studios, judging by the recent appearance of 20th Century Studios titles such as 24, MAS*H and Homeland popping up on 9Now
FOX8 and/or FOX Showcase become free-to-air channels
The return of Neighbours results in Amazon Freevee launching in Australia
10 Shake comes to Northern NSW on Channel 56
Stan launches a new ad-supported free or reduced-price tier
ABC Kids and ABC ME are merged into one channel, with ABCTV Plus becoming a 24-7 channel
Sunday-Friday 10 News First is cut to one hour with The Project moved to 6pm and either Neighbours or a new local game show at 7pm
SBS On Demand introduces a swathe of FAST channels
Why do people keep suggesting this when ABC Kids provides that channel with it’s highest audiences of any digital service and ABC Me has good ratings with older viewers when it’s up against it?
There’s no way Win would launch 10Shake in Northern NSW. It would be nice if they did this. I would like to see 9gem HD and 9Rush launch in regional areas. I also wouldn’t be surprised if SCA merges with Seven prior to the end of there affiliation agreement.
Majority of multichannels available in MPEG4 and/or HD
No changes to existing multichannels otherwise and no new channels (not counting Bravo which has already been announced)
Consolidated look for all Nine News + affiliate bulletins
In regards to 10:
Major changes to 10 News department end of next year, especially cuts.
10 Adelaide bulletin will underperform
Network will look into producing timezone based bulletins under a “national” brand (combined Syd/Melb, QLD in Winter months), trimmed to an hour. Adelaide shown on delay. Perth still dedicated via Sydney
The Project axed
10 Breakfast:
Studio 10 axed
10 may attempt a new “low cost” breakfast show (perhaps a show broadcast on radio too like The AM Show NZ used to be. They could perhaps even partner with a breakfast show in each state and simulcast these as “local” shows)
If you haven’t guessed, I think 10 will go through a lot of changes or announcements by the end of next year - looking at cutting costs in many ways now that they’ve missed out on key sports
(1) ABC launches a Channel dedicated to telecasting Parliamentary proceedings, running as a simulcast of either ABC News or Radio National (webcam) on non-sitting weeks.
(2) Sky News to be discontinued as an FTA Channel in regional areas
(3) Racing.com to be exclusively Victorian/Hong Kong racing with selected Harness and Greyhound meetings on Saturday Nights
(4) With the failure to gain Cricket rights, Paramount to withdraw from the Australian streaming market with A-League (Men’s and Women’s) to go onto 10Play for the remainder of the contract
(5) Either the NRL or the AFL start making plans to produce matches in house rather than having 7 or Fox produce starting on the next telecast deal
(6) a commercial news service in the capital cities to be reduced from 1 hour to 30 minutes to allow for a SERIOUS (as opposed to half baked like The Project is) news panel discussion show to dissect the main stories of the day
(7) FOX Footy to find a SE Qld and Adelaide based Play-By-Play caller and boundary reporters (not necessarily male) in order to have matches in those areas called by locally based callers rather than having Melbourne based callers call off tube (they have a Sydney and Perth based caller, expect more Brenton Speed doing Sydney/GWS games)
(8) expect a discussion about informercials during programs to come about, but nothing comes of this until after the next Federal Election
(9) A Current Affair to have one day per week (possibly Friday) break into state based shows (6 states including Tasmania, ACT blend into NSW, NT blend into Qld) as opposed to a national show, to give the impression of not being Sydney centric with their national news services.
(10) a return of cross promotion between SCA and 10 regionals to have video versions of podcasts and musical shows being shown on weekends, not necessarily on the primary channel.
My predictions for 2023: Nine:
NBN News and WIN News are rebranded as 9 News, with NBN News now airing weekdays at 5:30 PM, and is split into 5 different bulletins, with the Newcastle being the only live one. The Gold Coast edition is axed due to 9’s Gold Coast bulletin also airing at 5:30. No anchors will lose their job.
The National Nine News brand is relaunched, and 9 News Late becomes Nightline, and starts to air every weeknight, and the Sunday edition is axed.
Deborah Knight leaves the network, and the Saturday edition of A Current Affair is axed. Allison Langdon will now also present on Fridays. Seven
Nightly News 7 Spencer Gulf and Nightly News 7 Tasmania are rebranded to 7 News, ending regional branding in Australia forever.
7 launches a 5:30 PM bulletin in Newcastle and the Hunter with Paul Lobb as host.
The regional Queensland bulletins are moved to 5:30 PM.
There will be a special tribute show for the Martin Place studio before the final 7 News Sydney bulletin from there presented from when it is retired by 7.
Susannah Carr retires, Rick Ardon will continue to present solo until his retirement. Ten
Channel 10 axes The Sunday Project and launches a reboot of Sunday Night with Chris Bath being the host.
Mike Larkin returns as weather presenter for the Melbourne’s News.
Local Production for News returns to Queensland with Jonathan Uptin as presenter for news and sport, with weather still presented from Sydney. (Alison Ariotti returns as weekend anchor at 9 News).
10 News First becomes just 10 News. ABC
Juanita Phillips retires, with Jeremy Fernandez to take over Sunday to Thursday, and the ABC’s Matt Doran becomes the weekend anchor on ABC News New South Wales.
ABC TV Plus and ABC Me convert to 24/7 broadcasting.
Leah Sales leaves the ABC.
Rage becomes its own channel.
Fresh Blood returns, but on ABC Me rather then ABC TV Plus (it was still ABC Comedy when Fresh Blood started). ABC Me will start airing adult programing during the hours it would stop broadcasting during the night. SBS
Melissa Doyle becomes an anchor for SBS World News.
A lot of this is just fantasy predictions which barring any significant shock in the media industry will never happen. Not sure why any of these theories are being cooked up when there’s no credible evidence that most of them will or could happen.
