For those interested, have a listen to the latest TV Blackbox podcast (after the 30min to go mark) and Rob McKnight talks about the “premiere” debacle when it comes to movies/shows.
Rob said when he worked at Seven promotions many years ago, they all cracked up laughing when they apparantly signed a new content supply deal and listed a 1980 movie as premiere and then decided on the phrase first time on 7, which as we know and Steve Molk pointed out, they still use today (as recently as a few days ago for “Avatar” cap shown above).
Remember the cap @TelevisionAU got when they called “Willy Wonka” a premiere a year or two ago? Though Seven have changed the EPG since then, as before any movie that hadn’t aired on Seven before got listed as “premeire”.
Rob also mentioned it was something to do with the way programming and promotions passed the details onto one another.
I’ve mentioned this before but it’s completely meaningless to the average viewer when a network labels it ‘first time on 7/9/10’. Viewers don’t care. It’s network posturing at its worst.
Viewers might care if it’s a premiere, or a critics’ favourite or a box office success but they don’t care if this is the first occasion they can watch the movie with the 7 watermark rather than the 9 one.
It actually premiered last year in August on Ten, even though their 20C Fox deal was terminated, obviously were still able to run it. Whoops.
Nine and Ten do not do it. Only Seven for some reason.
Actually, Ten did say “first time on Eleven” for the movie “I Am Number Four” earlier this year, but only time I’ve seen.
Nine and Ten’s guides instead just don’t say “Repeat” and should be easy to figure out that it’s aired on another network before if it’s say a decade or more old.
If Seven are running the National Lampoon movies in this week, I reckon Christmas Vacation will keep with Nine’s old tradition (as Seven got rights last year) of Christmas night. The Polar Express and any other Christmas network premieres from 20C Fox/Warner Bros will probably be in the following week leading-up to Christmas, Home Alone 2 and Home Alone 3 haven’t aired yet, after Seven ran the first one a week or two ago.
Seven, again, this is not a FTA premiere (getting their own wording wrong, seeing as they love to often use “first time” which they should’ve in this case)
“Paper Towns” premiered on Eleven on 21st of August last year.
Australian movie What If It Works, starring Luke Ford and Anna Samson, has its FTA premiere on 10 Peach at 8.30pm tonight. Here is a review of the movie from last year.
Seven’s Christmas movies will primarily be airing on 7flix this year, due to cricket commitments.
There’s already been European Vacation, Vegas Vacation and Frozen (not sure if any of those are actually Christmas) on main channel and 7flix. From tonight over the next couple of weeks on 7flix:
Fred Claus
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
Home Alone 3
The Polar Express
Love Actually
Jingle All The Way
Jack Frost
Plus a bunch of made for TV ones on 7flix too (like you’d see at midday) and Christmas Vacation will again be on Christmas night.
Nine have been airing some on weekends already and Ten nothing sadly.
