Watermarks

[JohnsonTV]

Special 50th anniversary watermark for Hong Kong network TVB. The network began transmission on November 19, 1967. The watermark on top right is of TVB Jade, the Cantonese language station.

[EyewitnessTV]

@WAtvVideos

Yeah, gotta say SC7 is a pleasure to watch. No watermarks and no promo “marks” or promo supers either.

Would be even better if in HD and not upscaled SD. If it wasn’t for the lack of a proper HD service on offer they would easily be the best out of the FTA networks in this regard IMO. No screen clutter to mention with a crisp clean image!

@Mitchell_Nock

But how would you know what channel you are on if you are watching SC7? That’s what I have always been annoyed by whenever I’m in Southern Cross territory…

Serious? There’s a number of ways to figure that one out.

@Appen

You could press the “i” button on your remote?

Exactly. Amongst others.

@AustralianAerial

@Mitchell_Nock

Plus I like seeing the Seven watermark all the time, reminding me of my favourite network…

Excuse me while I vomit

@SydneyCityTV

@LukeMovieMan

So Seven actually originally had the rights before Ten & now they’ve had it again the last 7 years (probably on Nine soon).

Yes, I believe Seven had the Australian FTA premiere of Jurassic Park in November 1996.

Although the cap posted by TV Cynic above was probably from a 1999 repeat of the same movie.

I actually have a recording of the 1996 premiere somewhere still. Will have to dig it out.

[EyewitnessTV]

@WAtvVideos

GWN’s first watermark was very similar to this. Same position, size and slightly embossed too. Surprising as Prime had already purchased the network by then.

The only watermark that I can think of that SC ever used featuring their logo on its main channel for a long duration were the times when the yellow tiger was used on a number of occasions during their live broadcasts of the Hobart and Launceston Cups in the very early 2000s (back when they broadcast them unlike now). There’s also one used to this day for their Give Me 5 For Kids telethons which features the GM5FK logo and the number to call to donate.

Apart from them I can’t think of any others they ever used unless @ando9185 can?

[Sully]

Didn’t they literally have a “SCTV” watermark a few years ago?

That was at least what I saw on SCTV Darwin (well, it was technically Alice Springs I suppose - at it said “South” or something). That was also via VAST.

Have they ever just used their ‘star’?

[WAtvVideos]

@LukeMovieMan

Have they ever just used their ‘star’?

Yes, for a short period on SC Ten Gold Coast. Otherwise not on any of their Seven channels as far as I remember.

[EyewitnessTV]

Southern Cross Tasmania doesn’t use the ‘SCTV’ watermark (actually the only time it was used here is mentioned below).

Forgot to mention that they also used the ‘SCTV’ mark during only the live AFL broadcasts in 2010-2011. Was only used for a short period before the Seven logo was used.

[ando9185]

Yeah, there’s been very little watermarking from SCTV over the years. There was a period during the tiger logo era though where they used that watermark on their news footage when they had exclusive stories, it popped up a couple of times on Seven then. I don’t think they really make much of a fuss about Exclusives these days.

[Sully]

Yeah I’d imagine Seven’s legal team wouldn’t be happy if SCTV didn’t put some watermark on during the AFL.

[hopejr]

I was watching a movie my mum taped off Seven Perth back in May '92, and every so often through the movie, a Seven Perth logo would appear in the lower left of the screen for about 10 seconds. So, while not on the whole time, they still put bugs up back that far. I’d forgotten about that.

[EyewitnessTV]

Not aligned properly.

[Mitchell_Nock]

Shocking!!

[EyewitnessTV]

Noticed lately that SC has been switching to the Prime feed on 7TWO and 7mate during the early morning infomercials block for some reason:

[Aurora]

Haven’t seen that ‘7mate lookalike’ version of the 7TWO watermark before.

[SydneyCityTV]

Before settling on the current “stacked” versions, I think the metropolitan/regional versions of 7TWO and 7mate used the same/similar watermarks to what Prime7’s versions of the channels are running with now?

[TV.Cynic]

I would say that the first watermarks that Australians were exposed to on FTA for an extended period were during the coverage of the first Gulf War where the networks were keen to brand their content. The coverage was 24 hours and most of the time there was a watermark present. Ironically this was only days after the introduction of Ten’s new watermark on 13 Jan 1991.

[Aurora]

Looking in the second cap, the ‘7’ in 7TWO is from the 7mate logo. 7TWO branding/watermarking has always officially been filled in.

[TV.Cynic]

Of course Foxtel viewers should have been familiar with watermarks.

[TV.Cynic]

Left out one of their worst

[EyewitnessTV]

@Aurora

Haven’t seen that ‘7mate lookalike’ version of the 7TWO watermark before.

SCA uses the outline watermark on its 7TWO feed. With 7mate, SCA uses a faded version compared to Prime. Comparing both of them, SCA has their watermarks a bit higher and further to the left and their ‘PG’ logo is lower and further to the right.

[SydneyCityTV]

@TV.Cynic

I would say that the first watermarks that Australians were exposed to on FTA for an extended period were during the coverage of the first Gulf War where the networks were keen to brand their content. The coverage was 24 hours and most of the time there was a watermark present. Ironically this was only days after the introduction of Ten’s new watermark on 13 Jan 1991.

Channel Nine simulcasting CBS News coverage…oh how times have changed.

As for the Ten logo on top of the CNN one, apparently things looked even odder on screen in the Capital Television viewing area:

@'Switching Channels' with Mark Wallace - The Canberra Times TV Guide (via Trove) - 28th January 1991

CNN puts its logo up on screen as a matter of course, then the network puts its stamp there too, just so that there will be no confusion among those metropolitan viewers who don’t know what station they’re watching, and then, just so that we in Southern NSW won’t be confused into thinking we’re actually in Sydney or Melbourne, Capital has its (old) mark there too. Pretty soon we won’t be able to see the presenter’s face for all the logos.

Of course if TV history enthusiasts haven’t already, I’d recommend reading the rest of that column on Trove because the first half of that section talks about Capital getting a new logo. Oh, and there’s an article a few pages back from that previewing the (then) new look to ABC News which was to launch that night!