TEN stars and execs were out in force last night for the network’s Winter Party -a glitzy mid-year “Upfronts” to promote the remainder of its upcoming 2013 shows.
TEN CEO Hamish McLennan and Executive GM Russel Howcroft were joined by various stars from The Living Room, Wonderland, Recipe to Riches, Wake Up, Puberty Blues, A League of Their Own, This Week Live, Offspring, Wanted, TEN News, The Bachelor, The Project, Secrets and Lies, Bondi Vet, The Loop, Neighbours and TEN Sport.
It was a who’s who of TEN execs including Beverley McGarvey, Rick Maier, Stephen Tate, Lisa Fitzpatrick, Anthony Flannery, Adam Boland, David Barham, Rebecca Horne and production industry execs from Shine Australia, FremantleMedia, Roving Enterprises, CJZ, ITV Australia plus sponsors and media.
The Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney was turned into a winter wonderland with billowing fog, “falling snow,” a Husky dog and snow bunny roller bladers.
But the push was all about TEN’s new drive to win back more viewers through upcoming shows, all of which has already been announced.
Russel Howcroft talked through some of TEN’s recent achievements including new Sochi Winter Olympics, Big Bash League, new sports commentators, new show announcements, hiring Adam Boland, new morning hosts, Gold Logie win and the shift to 25-54 audience target.
“As some of you know, I was the acting CEO for two and a half weeks. So maybe it’s a bit rich for me to take all the credit. There is one highlight of the year thus far that I failed to mention, the appointment of Hamish McLennan as the CEO. Hamish and I do go a long way back and I can safely say that it looks to me like he’s sitting in a seat that was absolutely made for him.”
Hamish McLennan jokingly told the crowd their “regular Thursday night staff drinks” had grown to “something bigger than Ben Hur.”
“We want you to have a good time, we want you to see what we’re doing and to feel the energy we’ve got here at TEN. Any good network is only as good as the talent we have. We’ve got a lot of good talent in front of the camera but there’s also a lot of great people who sit behind the camera.
“If anyone wants to sponsor a show tonight we’ve got Louise Barratt up the back!” he joked.
“We’re also launching our new TEN Play catch-up platform led by Rebecca Horne who’s an absolute genius. She’s here tonight and they’ve done a great job.”
Whilst there were now new shows confirmed, there was an optimistic mood surrounding youthful drama Wonderland and dating show The Bachelor.
Osher Gunsberg (the artist formerly known as Andrew G) interviewed The Bachelor‘s Tim Robards.
“I spoke to my mum and dad and told them I had this opportunity and I was quite hesitant to start with. But they said ‘Stay true to yourself and you can’t really do much wrong.’ Basically, it’s going to be a good opportunity for me to grow as a man, and I guess to express myself,” Robards said.
International shows included Ripper Street, The Americans, Homeland and Under the Dome .
But TEN also overlooked previously announced 2013 shows Batavia, Shock of the Now and Come Date with Me.
Details of TEN Play are due to be revealed, allowing viewers to watch TEN content “anywhere, anytime” on smart devices.