2007 in Australian television
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 15 January – Channel Nine, NBN Television & WIN Television relaunch their on-air presentation.
- 22 January – Monique Wright was then crowned Sunrise's new weather presenter. A year later Monique Wright left Sunrise and the prize went to Fifi Box. On that day, SBS's World News is revamped with a 1-hour format.
- 29 January – Former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host and CEO of the Nine Network, Eddie McGuire, returns to screens as the host of Nine's new game show 1 vs. 100. Also debuting on the same night, but at a different time, is the Seven Network's big money game show The Rich List hosted by Andrew O'Keefe. National Nine News nearly relaunch their news graphics, but on that day, this never happened.
- 9 February – The Australian Football League signs a five-year broadcasting contract with the Seven Network, Network Ten and pay TV provider Foxtel, in a controversial deal that will see half of the AFL matches played each week broadcast on Foxtel instead of free-to-air television.
- 12 February – Jodi Power, a family friend of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, made allegations in a paid interview on Channel Seven's Today Tonight that Corby's sister Mercedes had previously asked Power to transport drugs to Bali and that Mercedes had confessed to smuggling compressed cannabis concealed inside her body into Indonesia. Mercedes is interviewed by Tracy Grimshaw on Channel Nine's major rival program A Current Affair on 14 February.
- 30 March – The Seven Network broadcasts its first AFL premiership match since the 2001 AFL Grand Final, for another long-indefinite run.
- 1 April – The Seven Network signs a $3 million a year for the broadcast rights to the fourth series of Kath & Kim, a popular sitcom which had previously aired until their final appearance on the ABC in 2005 as Da Kath & Kim Code.
- 7 April – Australian music program Rage celebrates 20 years on air is over 4 weeks in 20 Years Of Rage.
- 9–13 April – The fourth season of The Mole is replayed during the afternoon period, during the NSW school holidays.
- 16 April – Australia's Leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd and Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Joe Hockey discontinue their weekly appearances on Seven's breakfast news program Sunrise after four years. The decision follows possibly politically damaging accusations that Sunrise had requested that Rudd appear at a dawn service for ANZAC Day in Long Tan, Vietnam, with the service held an hour early to accommodate the time difference for live television.[1]
- 28 April – 12-year-old singer Bonnie Anderson s the first season of Australia's Got Talent
- 1 May – Singer Kate Ceberano and her partner John-Paul Collins the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars.
- 18 May – After a tumultuous 15-month reign, the CEO of the Nine Network, Eddie McGuire, resigns.
- 18 June – Seven Network's The Morning Show is introduced, marking a new millennium in daytime television.
- 2 July – National Nine News nearly tipped to relaunch their news graphics, this also never happened as it lost it to Seven News.
- 11 July – American educational animated series WordGirl debuts on ABC. The series wouldn't debut in its home country of the USA until 3 September of the same year.
- 23 July – Long running soap opera Neighbours has a major cast revamp to try to improve its struggling ratings, and continue its long-run on the Network Ten.
- 29 July – Seven Network claims 20th record-breaking ratings win of the year to secure ratings year.
- 19 August – Fourth series premiere of Kath & Kim at 7 – 30pm, now on the Seven Network, attracts an audience of 2.521 million nationally,[2] making it the most watched television programme so far in 2007[3] and the highest rating ever for a first episode in the history of Australian television.[2]
- 26 August – Veteran journalist, TV legend and former A Current Affair host Ray Martin announces he is leaving the Nine Network after thirty years, citing disillusionment with the network's management.
- 6 September – Julian Morrow and Chas Licciardello from The Chaser's War on Everything along with nine other production crew members are arrested in Sydney during the APEC summit for entering a restricted area. Those arrested were travelling in a fake Canadian motorcade and Licciardello was dressed up as Osama bin Laden.
- 9 September – Seven Network journalist Ben Davis is attacked outside Melbourne's Olympic Park Stadium by a gang of drunken Brisbane Broncos supporters during a live cross to Seven's Brisbane bulletin.
- 1 October – Seven News Perth journalist Chris Mainwaring dies from a drug overdose. Just the day before, Mainwaring was preparing for a boxing duel with cricketer Justin Langer, parts of which appear on the Seven News bulletin on the day of his death.
- 15 October – Seven HD launches.
- 21 October – The Nine Network includes the "worm" audience reaction graph in their broadcast of the election debate between John Howard and Kevin Rudd, despite agreements to the contrary. The National Press Club cut Nine's transmission feed, and the ABC cut their backup feed. Nine continued to transmit by adding the worm to the Sky News broadcast.[4]
- 22 October – After 18 months off the air, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? makes a brief return to Australian television; lasting just five weeks of more poor ratings.
- 29 October – Seven HD and Prime Television service a new regional multi-channel, Prime HD.
- 2 November – Perth-based Network Ten's news anchorperson Charmaine Dragun is found dead near Sydney, apparently due to a suicide.
- 25 November – Natalie Gauci becomes the last woman to win the fifth series of Australian Idol, then months later her singing career tanked.
- 27 November – McLeod's Daughters actress Bridie Carter and her partner Craig Monley win the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars.
- 30 November – Daryl Somers announces he is quitting the hosting job of the Seven Network's high-rating reality show Dancing with the Stars.
- 3 December –
- Seven's Melbourne news bulletin defeats its Nine and Ten counterparts in the ratings for the first time in nearly 30 years. Seven won 20 weeks, Nine won 19 and the other week was tied.[5]
- American science fiction sitcom The Big Bang Theory created by Chuck Lorre, the creator of Two and a Half Men premieres on the Nine Network at 7:30 pm.
- 16 December – Ten HD launches.
- December – The Seven Network wins the ratings year for the first time since 1978 (excluding 2000, the year of the Sydney Olympics),[6] thanks to their "Seven in '07" campaign which aired at the start of the year.[7]
- December – Network Ten broadcasts Sony Pictures movies for the final-ever time, before handing the television rights to the Nine Network. Ten later revived the Sony Pictures output deal 6 years later.
- The 2004 romance film The Notebook starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams premieres on the Nine Network.
Ratings – network shares
| Market | Network shares | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | Ten | SBS | |
| 5 cities | 16.7% | 29.1% | 26.9% | 21.9% | 5.5% |
| Sydney | 17.5% | 28.8% | 27.7% | 19.9% | 6.0% |
| Melbourne | 16.4% | 28.6% | 27.1% | 22.4% | 5.5% |
| Brisbane | 16.5% | 28.6% | 28.1% | 21.4% | 5.4% |
| Adelaide | 15.5% | 28.9% | 26.3% | 24.3% | 4.9% |
| Perth | 16.7% | 31.5% | 23.5% | 23.3% | 5.0% |
New channels
Debuts
| ABC TV debuts | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 February | Difference of Opinion | [11] | |
| 21 April | The Sideshow | [12] | |
| 15 May | Choir of Hard Knocks | [13] | |
| 11 June | Dorothy the Dinosaur | [14] | |
| 26 June | Carbon Cops | [15] | |
| 18 July | Bindi the Jungle Girl | [16] | |
| 7 August | South Side Story | [17] | |
| 5 September | Summer Heights High | [18] | |
| 7 October | Rain Shadow | [19] | |
| 14 October | The Abbey | [20] | |
| 16 October | Not Quite Art | [21] | |
| 31 October | The Librarians | [22] | |
| SBS TV debuts | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 February | Podlove | [23] | |
| 19 March | Wilfred | [24] | |
| 11 April | Eco House Challenge | [25] | |
| 6 June | Bluelist Australia | [26] | |
| 9 June | Kick | [27] | |
| 8 July | The Circuit | [28] | |
| 28 July | Great Australian Albums | [29] | |
| 6 August | Marx and Venus | [30] | |
| 24 August | HotSpell | [31] | |
| 26 September | Parent Rescue | [32] | |
| 10 October | Newstopia | [33] | |
| 17 October | Is Your House Killing You? | [34] | |
| 6 December | East West 101 | [35] | |
| Seven Network debuts | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 January | The Rich List | [36] | |
| 18 February | Australia's Got Talent | [37] | |
| 18 April | Last Chance Learners | [38] | |
| 6 May | Live 'N Local Up Close | ||
| 11 June | Dorothy the Dinosaur | [14] | |
| 18 June | The Morning Show | [39] | |
| 9 July | Surf Patrol | [40] | |
| 17 July | RSPCA Animal Rescue | [41] | |
| 29 July | Australia's Best Backyards | [42] | |
| 27 August | City Homicide | [43] | |
| 21 October | National Bingo Night (Axed after 6 weeks) | [44] | |
| Network Ten debuts | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 February | The Con Test | [69] | |
| 18 February | Celebrity Dog School | [37] | |
| 15 February | Saving Babies | [70] | |
| 31 May | Teen Fit Camp | [71] | |
| 26 September | Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? | [72] | |
| 26 October | Friday Night Download | [73] | |
| 11 November | Animalia | [74] | |
| Regional and Community television debuts | |||
| Date | Program | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 June | Susie | WIN Television | |
| 20 July | Our Melbourne | C31 Melbourne | |
Subscription television
| Program | Channel | Debut date |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous[75] | Fox8 | 16 January |
| The Lair | MTV | 26 January |
| The Pub With One Beer[76] | The LifeStyle Channel | 12 March |
| Freestyle | Channel [V] | 21 March |
| NRL Teams | Fox Sports 3 | 23 March |
| Erotic Star[77] | Arena | 24 March |
| Before the Bounce | Fox Sports 1 | 30 March |
| Eco Report | Sky News | 1 April |
| Neil Perry: High Steaks[78] | The LifeStyle Channel | 21 May |
| Cash Cab[79] | Channel [V] | 5 June |
| Confidential[80] | Fox8 | 6 June |
| The Best In Australia[81] | The LifeStyle Channel | 16 June |
| Fish Out of Water[82] | Fox8 | 5 July |
| The Singing Office[83] | Fox8 | 9 September |
| Chandon Pictures[84] | Movie Extra | 10 November |
| Thanks for Listening - The History of Australian Radio[85] | The History Channel | 18 November |
| Runway to LA | Fox8 | 21 November |
| Chefs Christmas[86] | The LifeStyle Channel | 3 December |
| Satisfaction[87] | Showcase | 5 December |
| Stuart MacGill Uncorked[88] | LifeStyle Food | 8 December |
New international programming
| SBS TV new international programming | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 April | [95] | ||
| 14 May | [96] | ||
| 3 June | [97] | ||
| Seven Network new international programming | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January | |||
| 31 January | [98] | ||
| 5 February | [99] | ||
| 15 February | |||
| 17 February | |||
| 18 February | [100] | ||
| 18 February | [100] | ||
| 27 March | [100] | ||
| 19 May | |||
| 12 July | [101] | ||
| 22 July | |||
| 23 July | [102] | ||
| 6 August | |||
| 6 August | [103] | ||
| 7 August | |||
| 15 August | |||
| 18 August | |||
| 4 October | [104][105] | ||
| 12 November | |||
| 2 December | [106][107] | ||
| 2 December | [106][107] | ||
| 3 December | [106][107] | ||
| 4 December | [106][107] | ||
| 5 December | [106][107] | ||
| Seven HD new international programming | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March | [100] | ||
| 22 December | |||
| Nine Network new international programming | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 January | |||
| 29 January | [36] | ||
| 3 March | |||
| 4 March | [108] | ||
| 5 March | [108] | ||
| 28 April | [109] | ||
| 15 May | [110] | ||
| 29 May | [111] | ||
| 9 September | |||
| 10 September | [112] | ||
| 10 September | |||
| 16 September | [113] | ||
| 22 October | [114] | ||
| 3 December | [115] | ||
| 11 December | |||
| 12 December | [116] | ||
| 15 December | |||
| 31 December | [117] | ||
| 31 December | [117] | ||
| Network Ten new international programming | |||
| Date | Program | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 January | |||
| 1 April | [118] | ||
| 18 June | [119] | ||
| 21 June | [120] | ||
| 27 August | [121] | ||
| 23 September | |||
| 3 October | [122] | ||
| 28 November | [123] | ||
| 2 December | [124] | ||
| 4 December | [123] | ||
| 5 December | [125] | ||
| 6 December | [123] | ||
| 8 December | [126] | ||
Subscription television
Specials
| Program | Channel | Debut date |
|---|---|---|
| |
Seven Network | 8 April |
Other debuts
| Telemovies | |||
| Date | Program | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | |||
| 18 March | Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback | Network Ten | |
| 22 April | Curtin | ABC TV | |
| 20 May | The King | TV1 | |
| 26 August | Nine Network | ||
| International | |||
| 25 March | Nine Network | [160] | |
| 18 December | Nine Network | ||
| 23 December | ABC TV | [161] | |
| Miniseries | |||
| Date | Program | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | |||
| 13–14 May | Bastard Boys | ABC TV | |
| 28 Oct – 18 Nov | Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery | ABC TV | |
Documentaries
International
Programming changes
| Changes to Network Affiliation | ||||
| Date | Program | To | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | ||||
| 23 May | Vasili's Garden | SBS TV | Channel 31 Melbourne | [179] |
| 19 August | Kath & Kim | Seven Network | ABC TV | |
| International | ||||
| 2 April | W. | Nine Network | ||
| 30 April | Network Ten | Nine Network | ||
| 2 April | ABC2 | ABC TV / ABC Kids (now defunct) | ||
| 3 July | ABC2 | ABC TV / ABC Kids (now defunct) | ||
| 24 October | ABC2 | Network Ten | ||
| Early 2007 | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | Nine Network | Network Ten | |
| Late 2007 | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Network Ten | Seven Network | |
| Late 2007 | Universal Studios Home Entertainment | Seven Network | Network Ten | |
| 2 December | Network Ten | Nine Network | [180] | |
| 20 December | ABC2 | SBS TV | ||
Below is a list programs which made their premiere on free-to-air television that had previously premiered on Australian Pay TV; a program may still air on the original network.
| Free-to-air premieres | ||||
| Date | Program | FTA | Pay TV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 January | Fashion House | Seven Network | W. | [36] |
| 3 April | I Shouldn't Be Alive | Nine Network | Discovery Channel | |
| 4 April | The Catherine Tate Show | ABC TV | UK.TV | |
| 15 May | Hell's Kitchen | Nine Network | UK.TV | |
| 4 June | Bargain Hunt | Nine Network | UK.TV | |
| 14 August | Crime Investigation Australia | Nine Network | ci | |
| 2 December | Who Do You Think You Are? | SBS TV | UK.TV | [181][182] |
| 13 December | Nine Network | The LifeStyle Channel | [116] | |
Subscription premieres
This is a list of programs which made their premiere on Australian subscription television that had previously premiered on Australian free-to-air television. Programs may still air on the original free-to-air television network.
Domestic
| Program | Subscription network | Free-to-air network | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Footsteps[135] | The LifeStyle Channel | ABC TV[citation needed] | 2 April |
| The Great Outdoors[81] | The LifeStyle Channel | Seven Network[citation needed] | 4 June |
| What's Good For You[154] | The LifeStyle Channel | Nine Network[citation needed] | 25 November |
| The Real Seachange[86] | The LifeStyle Channel | Seven Network[citation needed] | 14 December |
International
| Program | Subscription network | Free-to-air network | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UKTV | ABC TV[183] | 5 April | |
| UKTV | ABC TV | 30 April | |
| The LifeStyle Channel | [citation needed] | 2 March | |
| UKTV | ABC TV[186] | 13 May | |
| UKTV | [citation needed] | 2 May | |
| UKTV | Nine Network | 7 June | |
| UKTV | ABC TV[188] | 3 September | |
| UKTV | ABC TV[189] | 27 September | |
| UKTV | ABC TV[90] | 22 October | |
| UKTV | Ten Network[119] | 11 December |
Ending this year
| Ending this year | ||||
| Date | Program | Channel | Debut | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | The Master | Seven Network | 16 August 2006 | |
| 15 February | Storyline Australia | SBS TV | 18 March 2004 | |
| 19 February | Podlove | SBS TV | 5 February 2007 | |
| 23 February | Kings of Comedy | Nine Network | 16 February 2007 | |
| 3 March | Celebrity Dog School | Network Ten | 18 February 2007 | |
| 4 March | Fishcam | C31 Melbourne | ? | |
| 19 March | Love My Way | Fox8 / W / Showtime | 22 November 2004 | |
| 11 April | The Con Test | Network Ten | 7 February 2007 | [192] |
| 7 May | Wilfred | SBS TV | 19 March 2007 | |
| 16 May | Eco House Challenge | SBS TV | 11 April 2007 | |
| 1 June | Bert's Family Feud | Nine Network | 13 February 2006 | [193] |
| 10 June | The Lost Tribes | Nine Network | 6 May 2007 | |
| 12 June | Choir of Hard Knocks | ABC TV | 15 May 2007 | |
| 15 June | The Catch-Up | Nine Network | 26 February 2007 | [194] |
| 24 June | Quizmania | Nine Network | 25 July 2006 | [195] |
| 27 June | Bluelist Australia | SBS TV | 6 June 2007 | |
| 28 June | Hotline | SBS TV | 17 February 1991 | [196] |
| 4 July | Last Chance Learners | Seven Network | 18 April 2007 | |
| 17 July | Crime and Justice | Nine Network | 5 February 2007 | |
| 31 July | Carbon Cops | ABC TV | 26 June 2007 | |
| 12 August | The Circuit | SBS TV | 8 July 2007 | |
| 29 August | The Nation | Nine Network | 5 June 2007 | |
| HotSpell | SBS TV | 24 August 2007 | ||
| Things To Try Before You Die | Nine Network | 17 July 2007 | ||
| 11 September | South Side Story | ABC TV | 7 August 2007 | |
| 13 September | Ralph TV | Nine Network | 7 June 2007 | |
| 16 September | Backyard Blitz | Nine Network | 9 April 2000 | [197] |
| 23 October | Surprise Surprise Gotcha | Nine Network | 18 September 2007 | |
| 24 October | Summer Heights High | ABC TV | 5 September 2007 | |
| 28 October | The Abbey | ABC TV | 14 October 2007 | |
| 31 October | Not Quite Art | ABC TV | 16 October 2007 | [21] |
| 31 October | Parent Rescue | SBS TV | 26 September 2007 | |
| 18 November | Rain Shadow | ABC TV | 7 October 2007 | |
| 25 November | Going Places | Nine Network | 7 October 2007 | |
| 25 November | National Bingo Night | Seven Network | 21 October 2007 | |
| 28 November | Is Your House Killing You? | SBS TV | 17 October 2007 | |
| 30 November | Temptation | Nine Network | 30 May 2005 | |
| 1 December | The Sideshow | ABC TV | 21 April 2007 | [198] |
| 5 December | The Librarians | ABC TV | 31 October 2007 | |
| 25 December | The Panel Christmas Wrap | Network Ten | 25 December 2003 | |
| 26 December | Comedy Inc | Nine Network | 19 February 2003 | |
| ?? | Code Blue | Nine Network | February 2007 | |
| Returning this year | ||||
| Date | Program | Channel | Debut | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 October | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Nine Network | 1999 | |
Sporting rights
| Sport | Network/s | Games per Week | Breakup of Games | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel Seven Channel Ten Fox Sports – Pay-TV |
8 |
Channel Seven – 2 Games
Channel Ten – 2 Games
Fox Sports – 4 Games (All LIVE)
|
| |
| Fox Sports Channel Nine |
8 |
|
||
| Nine Network Fox Sports – Pay-TV |
8 |
Nine Network – 3 Games
Fox Sports – 5 Games
|
|