Based on the published timetable, 7 will take ownership on 31/12 but I doubt they’ll be making any practical decisions until January.
There will be a decent amount of work needed to integrate Prime’s operations into Seven (especially “back of house”) - that may take priority over anything on air
Agree. Don’t expect any major on air changes until mid 2022.
Why would QLD, NSW and WA get local bulletins but statewide for Victoria? Victoria needs one, as the closest we have to local is statewide WIN News with local inserts.
I just have a hunch Victoria will be viewed as a Secondary market compared to Queensland and NSW.
Canberra and Newcastle are 500k and 750k in their own right. I think the largest market in VIC is around 300k. I just have a feeling they’ll do one for Victoria. Could be wrong - it’s just a gut instinct
Their local news makeup will likely depend on what additional local content requirements are triggered (if indeed they are triggered, we’ve already seen other triggers be waived for other ownership changes in the past), that said I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t bother with bulletins in places like Newcastle and Wollongong (despite the population)
Here’s what I think will happen:
Once Seven takes over, current bulletins by PRIME will be renamed to 7 NEWS (insert region here). Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle will also get new bulletins to be in line with the rest of the state.
Sets will be changes in Canberra and WA to look like QLD.
Victoria will get a new set in Ballarat or Bendigo. 4 New Bulletins will be launched: Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland and Mildura. Shepparton will get the Albury bulletin.
Could also be a business decsion:
Local news at 6 helps 7 QLD absolutely dominate
7s CEO James Warburton has stated a few times prime 7 local News helps prime7s primetime
They might want to take on Nine in Newcastle with a local news
Wouldn’t that be the largest market in Australia with no competition?
I’m finding Victoria is now counted as one market as whole. Although, Ballarat and Bendigo have a combined market of around 600k.
Last I heard, 7 we’re looking at the same model as 9 News Regional. Downsizing existing facilities and presenting all the (NSW) bulletins out of Sydney on the short lived Facebook news set.
I think they would do the same in VIC with a similar looking set. Also, when did you see this?
Tend to agree. I think the Nine News Regional formula (the 5:30pm state-wide incarnation) worked well and was financially viable for Nine and SCA at the time. The only reason it was discontinued was obviously because of the affiliation switch.
So I would think Seven would aim do something similar once it takes over the Prime News production and have production operating out of HSV and ATN.
This is what I’ve heard. 7 News Sydney also rates its socks off in Prime7’s NSW / ACT markets where it currently airs.
this is what i suggested earlier this week, but it caused a little ripple of disagreement, having worked for a metro news channel, i would have thought the model you have suggested is quite probable. Not a certainty, but likely.
Nothing would be decided (yet) on what 7 is going to do with local news. It’s all just speculation at the moment.
No way! How did you guess?? 
I can’t see Canberra, Wollongong or Newcastle coming back as 30 minute bulletins. It would be a major investment to restore.
And Victoria bar Albury will stay as is, again, would be a huge investment. Why do a Victoria wide bulletin when the Seven Melbourne bulletin does essentially that mostly now. As Victoria is more compact than NSW and QLD, Seven Melbourne usually get a reporter within the same day to any location in Victoria now.
How does it do in Newcastle against NBN?
From what I’ve read and heard 7News Sydney does well in Canberra but weaker in Newcastle and Wollongong, although WIN News when WIN was a 10 affiliate was rating appallingly so perhaps Prime7 made up ground there.
7 could spend a fortune on a Newcastle bulletin but it would have to be compelling enough for rusted on NBN viewers to switch.
Like would Novacastrians tolerate a possible pre-recorded bulletin from Sydney or Canberra? Especially when they’re competing with a live n’ local bulletin.
It would probably be like the Gold Coast situation where 7 has shed the budget to try to compete against long standing Nine.
Rates about 1/4 of NBN
I can’t see Canberra, Wollongong or Newcastle coming back as 30 minute bulletins. It would be a major investment to restore.
Seven seems to understand the investment in local news at 6 brings significant ad revenue throughout the primetime schedule as a result of increased ratings and halo effect. James has stated this is why 7 QLD dominates and why Prime7 performs so well (in some) areas.
looking at the QLD market: Channel 7’s primetime share is around 80% higher than 9’s In a market of 1.9 million people - that is significant revenue. That’s the 7 local news effect.
In NNSW (which includes Newcastle) Channel 9’s primetime share is about 25% higher than Prime7’s. Thats the NBN News effect.
Newcastle market alone is 825,000 - and if we could see sub market ratings I would imagine Channel 9 absolutely kills Prime7 in the largest market after Perth in primetime share thanks to NBN News
Closing that huge gap in Newcastle and the NNSW market as a whole with Channel 9 would be worth 10s of millions in ad revenue to Seven.
At a time when ad revenue is falling across the board, a market with significant upside potential is an appealing investment. Newcastle would by far be the largest TV market in the country with no competition. NBN has dominance there - it would not be without an uphill battle, but one with significant growth opportunity.