SYDNEY -- Oz TV executives and programmers no longer get much of a break over summer as the traditionally sleepy non-ratings period has turned into a fierce battleground with networks bowing new product ahead of the official ratings period, which begins Feb. 12
Most of the free-to-air networks are already out of the starting gate with big-name Stateside preems.
Seven pioneered this strategy last year when it brought forward the bow of "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" to late January to leverage off the boffo auds for the Australian Open tennis.
Nine followed suit, shifting its series preem of "Cold Case" to before the official ratings race.
"Summer is now just another few weeks in the year," Seven's Simon Francis tells
Variety.
"We've taken the opportunity to launch 'Ghost Whisperer' and nurture that program into a top ten hit and we've strengthened our news, public affairs and breakfast television programming. We're not into handing over our audience to someone else just because it's summer."
"Ghost Whisperer" drew auds of 1.3 million and skein will now become a feature of primetime, teamed with Seven's reality hoofer heavyweight "Dancing With the Stars."
Seven also preemed its latest hit U.S. import "Prison Break" to an aud of 1.9 million on Jan. 31, a 50% share; "Prison" encore screening drew 1.1 million a week later.
Last year's hits "Lost" and "Housewives" bowed new series on Feb. 2 and 6, respectively. "Lost" grabbed an aud of 2.1 million while "Housewives" drew 2.2 million eyeballs.
Other key wins for Seven came in the hotly contested area of news and current affairs. Seven's weekday news bulletin drew 1.4 million last week beating Nine.
Indeed, some industryites reckon Seven could take the top spot from perennial winner Nine.
Nine had few drama preems over the non-ratings period but it scored well with cricket including a new, stripped down version of the game called "Twenty20."
Nine will bow its new season of "C.S.I." and "C.S.I.: N.Y."
Network Ten also had a summer sked full of new programs, many of which will end up as ratings fixtures.
"This has been one of the strongest summers ever with a clear win for us in the target 16-39 demographic, helped by a strong line up including some great first-run product," says a spokesperson for the Ten Network.
Ten's line up included preems for "Veronica Mars," "Surface," "Threshold" and hit "Supernatural."
"We deliberately launched 'Supernatural' on Jan. 19 to allow it to bed in over summer," the spokesperson adds.
And bed down it has, with an aud of 1.5 million for the frightener.
One surprise summer hit for the youth-oriented web is repeats of "Futurama," which scored auds of over a million and will now head into the official ratings period.
And if intense free-to-air rivalry was not enough, paybox Foxtel added to the summer heat with some of its best ratings.
Foxtel scored a record 21.2% share of all homes in the metropolitan market at the conclusion of the ratings period last year and used this win to launch an aggressive "Incredible Summer 2006" ad campaign aimed squarely at drawing in jaded free-to-air viewers.
Paybox launched the second series of popular reality skein "Australia's Top Model," its new series "Crown Australian Celebrity Poker" and the second outing of its critical drama hit "Love My Way."
International preems included Steven Bochco's war drama "Over There" and HBO laffer "Entourage."
With summer coming to an end, it appears things are just heating up.
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com