7two is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 1 November 2009.
The channel broadcasts a variety of programs, targeting a 25-and-over audience. 7two offers a broad selection of programs covering a variety of genres including lifestyle, drama, adventure, reality observational-documentaries and comedy.
History
The channel was officially announced by the Seven Network on its breakfast program, Sunrise, at 7:45am AEDT 23 October 2009. Earlier, speculation suggested that Seven would launch its secondary channel around November 2009, with possible names including 7PLUS, PLUS7, Channel Mate and 7TWO. Seven's then-programming chief Tim Worner stated after the reveal that some of the potential names were red herrings to keep details of the channel a secret. PLUS7 and Channel Mate (as 7mate) were later used for Seven's internet TV catch-up service and Seven's second digital multi-channel, respectively.
The channel launched with the airing of a promotional video called "It's Time", featuring Seven Network personalities and clips of shows and movies intended to be broadcast on the channel, followed by normal programming. This video was also launched on the multi-channel's website and received cross-promotion on the primary Seven channel. The Seven Network continues its policy of cross-promoting each channel's content across all four channels (Seven, 7two, 7mate and 7flix) to this day. Seven presenters Tom Williams and Johanna Griggs initially served as the "face" of the channel and were seen presenting 7two's Friday and Sunday night lifestyle line-ups in early 2011.
The channel did not launch on the same day to many regional areas. 7two was launched for Southern Cross Television viewers in Tasmania and Darwin on 1 December 2009, and for Prime Television viewers in Regional Victoria, Northern & Southern NSW and the ACT on 23 December 2009 from 9am. From launch, Prime broadcast the channel as '7TWO on Prime'.
In January 2011, regional broadcaster Prime Television changed the name of its primary channel to 'Prime7', to reflect its strong relationship with its metropolitan partner, Seven. This led to Prime's transmission of 7two being rebranded as simply 7two, like the metropolitan counterpart.
In July 2020, 7TWO underwent a major rebrand, its first since its inception. The logo applies the same orange 7 ribbon logo but with TWO in lower case and the channel now referred to as 7two.
Programming From launch, premiere seasons of previous Seven shows including Lost, Ugly Betty, Heroes and 24 were broadcast, along with a mix of other new and classic programming along with movies sourced from Disney.
Prime-time programs used to screen under themed nightly blocks such as 'Action Time' and 'Movie Time', however these disappeared as the focus of the channel changed in 2010. The revised channel included 'Best of British' content such as thrice-weekly British murder/mystery (Heartbeat and Jonathan Creek), British comedy (Are You Being Served? and Keeping Up Appearances), and British lifestyle (Escape to the Country and Bargain Hunt). The launch of male-skewing sister channel 7mate in September 2010 led to a number of programs moving across from Seven's already existing channels, including 7TWO, to the new channel. 7TWO's target audience was also refined to people 55-plus. Programs that made the move from 7TWO included Air Crash Investigations, Scrubs, NWA: On Fire, Whacked Out Sports, Lost, Last Comic Standing, That '70s Show, AFL Game Day, Gary Unmarried, Club Reps, Fifth Gear, Monster Garage, and The Sopranos.
The weekday daytime schedule has seen numerous changes since launch as channel executives tried to find the right mix with viewers. At launch, 'Kid's Time' broadcast a block of children's programs each morning such as Yin Yang Yo! and Digimon Data Squad, soap operas aired in the early afternoon and 'Kitchen Time' featured in the late afternoons with Essence of Emeril and The Martha Stewart Show among the programs broadcast. In 2010, soap operas including Shortland Street, Coronation Street and, briefly, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks joined classic Australian soap Sons and Daughters and early years of Home and Away into its mid-morning schedule along with early episodes of quiz show Deal Or No Deal. In early afternoon, a mix of repeated fare such as Mistresses, Murphy Brown, Doctor Finlay, and movies from the Sony Pictures library are shown. Occasionally, shows which first aired the previous night on the main Seven channel are encored on 7TWO during the day. While initially, dramas such as Grey's Anatomy were encored, more recently this has remained true only for Seven's local reality shows such as The X Factor and My Kitchen Rules. An early morning weekly omnibus of the previous week's new episodes of Home and Away airs on Sundays.
By the end of Summer 2010/11, 7TWO had proven itself to become the most watched multi-channel in the country dominating primetime slots with a total 6.4% audience share via the network across the 5 major cities and winning 9 weeks over 9Go!'s two weeks (one joint with 7TWO) which is largely attributed to the channel's increased broadcast of British-originated content across the week. In 2011, following 9Go!'s ratings share success (for digital channels) in 2010, 7TWO has stolen their crown as the number one multi-channel and the number one most-watched multichannel of the decade and century in Australia.
In 2012, the Seven Network introduced new weekday morning blocks of children's programming to air on both 7TWO and 7mate. Branded as Total Girl, the 7TWO block featured female-skewing Disney series such as Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, Sonny with a Chance and Good Luck Charlie, while the 7mate block aired male-skewing programs branded as K-Zone. Saturday Disney aired on 7TWO between 2012 to 2016, for two hours of its weekly episode. From 2013 onwards, local Australian children's programs from the Seven Network were moved to air weekdays on 7two. These titles included game shows such as Match It, animated series such as The Deep, The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill and Beat Bugs, and programs for preschoolers including Pipsqueaks.
7two broadcast a wide range of both classic and new films that were sourced from RKO Radio Pictures, Icon Productions, Entertainment One, StudioCanal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists, Orion Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures.
Current programming Comedy
Kath & Kim Mrs. Brown's Boys The Vicar of Dibley
Documentary
Air Crash Investigations Cities of the Underworld Coastwatch Oz RSPCA Animal Rescue This Rugged Coast
Drama
A Touch of Frost Doc Martin Downton Abbey Endeavour Father Brown Foyle's War Heartbeat The Indian Doctor Inspector George Gently The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Inspector Morse Judge John Deed The Last Detective Murdoch Mysteries Rosemary & Thyme Wire in the Blood
Game shows The Chase UK Million Dollar Minute
Lifestyle
60 Minute Makeover Auction Squad Bargain Hunt Best House on the Street Best Houses Australia Better Homes and Gardens Creek to Coast Escape to the Continent Escape to the Country The Great South East Harry's Practice Homes Under the Hammer The Lucky Country Melbourne Weekender Mighty Cruise Ships Queensland Weekender Selling Houses Australia Sydney Weekender WA Weekender
Lottery
Monday Lotto Oz Lotto Tuesday Wednesday Lotto Powerball Thursday Saturday Lotto
News NBC Meet the Press NBC Today
Religious Amazing Facts David Jeremiah It Is Written Michael Youssef
Sport The Cricket Horse Racing on Seven
Former programming
Adult animation King of the Hill
Children's
Action Man A.T.O.M. (2009–10) A.N.T. Farm (2012–15) Austin & Ally (2013–16) Avenger Penguins (2009–11) Beat Bugs (2016, 2018, 2020) The Book Place (2010–11) Bottersnikes and Gumbles (2015–16, 2018–20) Bubble Town Club (2010–12) Castaway (2014) Combo Niños (2009–11) Count Duckula (2009–11) Danger Mouse (1981) (2009–11) The DaVincibles (2013–15) The Deep (2015–17, 2019) Digimon Data Squad (2009–11) Dive Olly Dive (2013–14) Dog with a Blog (2014–15) Drop Dead Weird (2017–19) The Emperor's New School (2010) Erky Perky (2013) Flipper (2009–11) Flushed (2015–20) Get Arty (2017–20) Get Clever (2018–20) Ghosts of Time (2013–15) Good Luck Charlie (2012–15) Gravity Falls (2015–16) Hairy Legs (2014–18) Hannah Montana (2012) Harry's Mad (2010) History Hunters (2013–15) I Didn't Do It (2015) I'm in the Band (2012–13) In Your Dreams (2013–17) It's Academic (2013–19) Jessie (2013–16) JONAS (2012) Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (2013) Kickin' It (2014–15) Kitty is Not a Cat (2017–20) Lab Rats (2015–16) Lab Rats Challenge (2013–15) Larry the Wonderpup (2018–20) Legend of Enyo (2013) Liv and Maddie (2014–15) Match It (2013–19) Motown Magic (2019) News of the Wild (2018–19) Mighty Med (2015) Oh Yuck! (2017–19) Pair of Kings (2012–13, 2016) Phineas and Ferb (2012–16) Power Rangers: Jungle Fury (2010–11) Power Rangers: Mystic Force (2009–10) Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive (2009–10) Power Rangers RPM (2010–11) PrankStars (2013–15) Press Gang (2010) Pucca (2009) The Replacements (2010–11) Sally Bollywood: Super Detective (2013–17) Saturday Disney (2012–16) Sea Princesses (2013–14) Shake It Up (2012–16) Sonny with a Chance (2012–13) So Random! (2012, 2014–15) Spit It Out (2013–15) Stitch! (2012) Tashi (2014–15) Teenage Fairytale Dropouts (2013–17) Trapped (2013) Treasure Island (2010) Ultimate Spider-Man (2014–15) Victor and Hugo: Bunglers in Crime (2009–10) The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill (2016–18, 2020) The Wind in the Willows (2009–11) Win, Lose or Draw (2015) Wizards of Waverly Place (2012–14) The Woodlies (2013–16) Woof! (2010) Yin Yang Yo! (2009–10, 2012) Zeke and Luther (2012–16) Zeke's Pad (2013) ZooMoo (2016–20)
Preschool
All for Kids (2013) The Fairies (2012) Handy Manny (2010–12) Jay's Jungle (2015–19) Lah-Lah's Adventures (2014–16) Larry the Lawnmower (2015–18) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2009–12) Pipsqueaks (2013–20) Raggs (2011–12) Toybox (2013–20)
Comedy
Alf Are You Being Served? As Time Goes By The Benny Hill Show Bewitched Big Bite Bless Me, Father Citizen Khan Dad's Army Designing Women Doctor at Large Doctor at Sea Doctor in Charge Father Ted Fawlty Towers The Fenn Street Gang Fortysomething Full House Gavin & Stacey (Season 1 only) George and Mildred Growing Pains Head of the Class I Dream of Jeannie Keeping Up Appearances Kingswood Country Love Thy Neighbour M*A*S*H Mad About You Man About the House Men Behaving Badly Mother and Son Murphy Brown One Foot in the Grave Perfect Strangers Please Sir! Samantha Who? Scrubs Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Step By Step That '70s Show Ugly Betty Who's The Boss?
Documentary
10 Things You Didn't Know About... Beyond Tomorrow Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways Coastwatch NZ Country Calendar The First 48 Forensic Investigators Globe Trekker The Great Australian Doorstep I Shouldn't Be Alive In The Bush with Malcolm Douglas India with Sanjeev Bhaskar Infamous Assassinations Inside Maximum Security Life Inside the Markets Man Made Marvels Michael Palin's New Europe Olympians – Off the Record SCU: Serious Crash Unit Super Factories
Drama
24 (final season) A Place to Call Home All Saints Band of Brothers Between The Lines The Bill Black Sheep Squadron Blue Heelers Body of Proof Brothers & Sisters Castle Chicago Fire Cold Case Columbo Commander in Chief Criminal Minds Dangerfield Desperate Housewives Dirty Sexy Money Doctor Finlay Down to Earth Eli Stone Empire Five Mile Creek For Life Fortysomething Grey’s Anatomy Hart to Hart Heroes HolbyBlue How to Get Away with Murder In Justice Jonathan Creek Kingdom