One of Australia’s top media agency executives has commended Nine on leading the charge in the broadcast video on demand (BVOD) market while also innovating in the way advertisers can reach those audiences watching content outside of the traditional TV market.

Speaking after the Nine 2019 Upfront event at Fox Studios, Nickie Scriven, CEO of Zenith Media, welcomed the strength of Nine’s overall schedule. 

“Consistent formats, tried and tested, like The Block and The Voice, are coming back again, and the key content platforms of sport, news and reality TV are really exciting,” she said.

Nine set out its content slate at Upfront 2019, featuring new dramas such as Bad Mothers and a revived SeaChange, along with Hamish Blake as host of the new Lego Masters, and a revamped sports offering which will see the year begin with the Australian Open, and a commentary team that includes John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Lleyton Hewitt.

Scriven was most enthusiastic for Nine’s innovations around the broadcast video on demand (BVOD) platform 9Now, which will see it integrated into its programmatic platform 9Galaxy, allowing linear TV and 9Now to be traded in one seamless transaction using one technology platform.

“Some of the innovations around 9Now with addressable TV and being able to buy through 9Galaxy for 9Now are super exciting,” she said.

Scriven also praised Nine for leading in BVOD and allowing people to view content when and where they like, saying: “Nine is leading in that space at the moment.” While acknowledging the consistency of Nine’s content slate as “pretty important”, Scriven stresses the importance of re-energising existing programs.

“You want to go with tried and tested formats but it’s also important to keep re-energising them so you bring people back and the ratings are consistent,” she said. “We need the eyeballs, and the advertising dollars follow the eyeballs. You want consistency, you want the top performers, but you want to see them being refreshed to keep bringing people back.”