At its annual upfronts media event earlier this week, Channel Seven has revealed that a brand new multichannel, 7Bravo, will launch on January 15, joining 7Mate, 7Two, and 7Flix on free-to-air television.
The brand-new channel will be home to a slate of global reality franchises such as The Real Housewives, Below Deck, Love Without Borders, and Southern Hospitality.
It will also be home to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and Judge Jerry, as well as all the red carpet specials courtesy of Live From E!, previously of which was only available for viewing for Foxtel subscribers.
Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Office James Warburton said that the partnership would bring the “big moments” to more Australians.
“7Bravo is about connecting with Australians, our entire mantra and motto is ‘bringing Australians closer to the moments that move us’ so that is exactly what we are doing,” Warburton shared.
In what is being described as a “fundamental game changer” for free-to-air streaming in Australia, an additional 2000 hours will be added to the 7Plus on-demand library, which has been redeveloped for a more user-friendly experience in line with Netflix.
“Channel Seven is the superior and unmistakable network in the market and we are thrilled to be bringing the biggest reality content in the globe to Australian audiences,” Warburton shared at the upfronts event.
In an interview with 7Entertainment, Warburton said 7Bravo would be “as strong” for women aged under 50 as “7Mate is for men under 50”.
“It’s a very, very strong channel,” Warburton said.
“I think when you look at the quality of those shows – it’s all reality – and how they are being watched across a whole range of platforms, including streaming, it will be a very, very strong network.”
Reality content from the American basic cable television network is currently housed on the subscription streaming service Hayu in Australia. It remains to be seen if the content will be migrated across to 7Bravo and 7Plus, or if audiences will have a paid and free streaming option for watching their favorite reality shows.
One thing for certain, reality TV fans across Australia are set to benefit in a MAJOR way – January 15 can’t come fast enough!