7mate is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010.^[1][2]

The network stated that 7mate would contain sport and regular programs aimed primarily at a male audience, with programming drawn from a combination of new shows and other shows previously aired on its sister channels Seven and 7Two.^[1] The channel replaced Seven HD as the Seven Network's high-definition channel, but broadcasts on channel 73.^[1][3] The first program broadcast on 7mate was the drawn 2010 AFL Grand Final in high definition.

Launch[link]

The channel began airing as a separate channel on 25 September 2010. The channel's first program was the drawn 2010 AFL Grand Final, which was simulcast with an SD broadcast on the Seven Network. Following AFL coverage, the channel began airing breakaway programming, with a promotional sneak peek of upcoming programming on 7mate. The first full program to air was an episode of That '70s Show.

Programming[link]

The channel is targeting a demographic of 16- to 49-year-old males, after the success of the Seven Network with 7Two with females 35+ and 25+ demographics respectively. Programs aired on the channel are a mix of repeated shows that moved from the Seven Network or 7Two, programs that would make their free-to-air debut and brand new shows to Australian television.

Shows that moved from other Seven channels include new seasons of Family Guy, American Dad! and The Amazing Race (although this has since moved back to the main channel). Repeated seasons of Scrubs, Last Comic Standing, Air Crash Investigations, 30 Rock, That '70s Show, Lost and How I Met Your Mother also moved to 7mate. Mighty Ships, of which three episodes aired as one-off specials on the Seven Network, moved as a regular series to 7mate.

Programs making their free-to-air debut include Monster Garage, Jersey Shore, Gene Simmons Family Jewels and Punk'd. Brand new series include The Equalizer, Warehouse 13 and Caprica. Additionally, the channel will feature a number of sporting events.^[4][5] All the AFL games in 2012 will be broadcasted on 7Mate in New South Wales, Australia and Queensland, Australia.

It was announced on 28 April 2011 that, from 2012–2016, 7mate will air a minimum of four live AFL matches each round into the NSW/ACT and Queensland markets,^[6] thus going head-to-head with the Nine Network's NRL live coverage on Friday nights.

News[link]

7mate airs all national Seven News updates that air on the main Seven channel and from 7TWO, usually two commercial breaks afterwards. They air weekdays 12pm-3:45pm, and each night from 7pm-11pm. All national news updates are produced from Seven's Sydney news studio.

Sport[link]

7mate televises live AFL coverage into New South Wales and Queensland, where rugby league is the more dominant sport. Some matches may be televised after midnight as the current AFL contract requires the local teams (i.e. Sydney Swans/GWS Giants and Brisbane Lions/Gold Coast Suns) to be televised live into their respective states. During the AFL season, 7mate televises most rounds of the V8 Supercars season into the southern states, to allow for the AFL to be broadcast on the primary channel.

Previously, prior to 2012, occasionally the V8 Supercars were aired through 7mate if there was an AFL match that was to be televised at the same time. 7mate also televised some AFL matches live into Sydney and Brisbane, regardless of which teams were playing.

Availability[link]

7mate is available in high definition in metropolitan areas and regional Queensland through Seven Network owned-and-operated stations including ATN Sydney, HSV Melbourne, BTQ Brisbane, SAS Adelaide, TVW Perth and STQ Queensland, as well as via regional affiliate Prime7 in regional NSW/ACT and Victoria.^[7]

However, unlike Prime7, affiliate Southern Cross Television delayed the introduction of the channel to Tasmania and Darwin until 24 October 2010, due to required technical upgrades. It is currently broadcast on logical channel number 60 in Tasmania and 70 in Darwin.^[8]

References[link]

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Kerry Matthew Stokes AC (born 13 September 1940) is an Australian businessman. He holds business interests in a diverse range of industries including electronic and print media, property, mining, and construction equipment. He is most widely known as the chairman of the Seven Network, one of the largest broadcasting corporations in Australia. He was awarded Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC) in recognition of his contributions to Australian business. He was ranked 785th on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2008.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Kerry Stokes was born John Patrick Alford on 13 September 1940 in Melbourne, and was adopted out to Matthew and Irene Stokes. In June 2000, Stokes told the ABC,^[2] "My background was very difficult, very hard and I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I had lots of different occupations and obviously lots of different experiences. I had some time on the street, and sometimes, work was very difficult. Australia, in that period of time, wasn't a place where you could actually easily go and get a job, it was difficult, and we went where there was work available".

Career[link]

Stokes' first reported job was to install TV antennas in Perth, followed by a sustained period in property development throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He also developed a range of shopping centres in Perth and regional Western Australia with partners Jack Bendat and Kevin Merifield.

His private company, Australian Capital Equity (ACE), is the holding company for Stokes' interests in a diverse range of Australian and international businesses and ventures covering property, construction, mining and petroleum exploration.

He invested in the Caterpillar franchise in Western Australia (Wigmores Ltd) in 1988, and the company now called WesTrac, has equipment dealer franchises in Western Australia, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and nine provinces across China, with the total number of employees close to 4,000 people, as well as 500 apprentices in Australia.

In 2007, Stokes formed a joint venture with The Carlyle Group to acquire the equipment hire group Coates Hire Ltd from National Hire Ltd (over 50% owned by WesTrac)

Personal life[link]

Stokes has been married four times. His first marriage was to Dorothy "Dot" Ebert, who is the mother of two of his children. In an interview with the Bulletin, it was implied that Stokes was estranged from his first family. His second marriage was to his receptionist, Denise, with whom he had two sons. Denise walked out of the marriage and went overseas, and Stokes became a single father. His third marriage was to Australian television actress Peta Toppano in 1992. This marriage lasted for three years. He is currently married to his fourth wife, Christine Simpson née Parker, who was a newsreader for rival station Channel 10 when they first met.

Media Interests[link]

Stokes's commercial interests in the media sector commenced in Western Australia, with the development of the Golden West Network, a regional television network based in Bunbury in partnership with Jack Bendat. In 1979 Stokes acquired Canberra's local TV station Seven Canberra, subsequently acquiring Seven Adelaide from Rupert Murdoch and won the TEN licence in Perth, as well as acquiring radio stations in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, through a vehicle called BDC. These assets were sold to Frank Lowy in 1987.

In 1996 Stokes acquired a strategic 19 per cent stake in the Seven Network (now about 43 per cent), a network of commercial free-to-air television stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, as well as regional Queensland & Perth. The platform, as well as a 33 per cent stake in Sky News Australia, now reaches 98 per cent of Australians. Seven has also established a major magazine publishing business, Pacific Magazines, which now accounts for more than 20 per cent of all magazines sold in Australia.

Also under Stokes's leadership, Seven has established a leading online venture, Yahoo!7, combining Yahoo!'s search and online capabilities with Seven's content and cross marketing. This venture now is Australia's most popular internet portal and the joint venture is driving a range of online and IPTV businesses. Seven is building and acquiring a range of broadband businesses, including wireless broadband group Unwired, VOIP operator Engin and has become the Australian licensee for TiVo,^[3] due to be launched in 2008. The group has also established a strategic 20 per cent shareholding in West Australian Newspapers Ltd.

In 2006, Seven Network and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR)^[4] created a new joint venture, Seven Media Group, a multi-faceted media company combining a presence in broadcast television, magazine and online applications.

Stokes's private company, in conjunction with Shanghai People's Press, is no longer running a business after five years in Shanghai. and a second joint venture in mobile television with the Oriental Pearl Group in Shanghai. Seven held the Australian broadcasting rights for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and provided the broadcast feeds for the swimming and diving events for the rest of the world. The International Olympic Committee awarded Seven the Gold Medal for its TV coverage of the Athens Summer Olympics in 2004.

Other achievements[link]

Stokes is the recipient of Australia's highest civilian honour, Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC). His passionate interest in art coincides with his long association with the National Gallery of Australia, where he served as chairman for several years and has made multi-million dollar donations.

He has also been awarded the Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Award by Rotary International and holds a life membership of the Returned and Services League of Australia, on whose behalf Stokes has acquired three Victoria Crosses, as well as other medals. These medals have been added to the collection of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. He now sits on the council of the War Memorial.

In 1994, Stokes delivered the Boyer Lectures, a series of five lectures broadcast annually on ABC radio. His series was entitled "Advance Australia Where?" on the topic of the Information Superhighway.^[5] He delivered the Andrew Olle Media Lecture in October 2001.^[6]

Victoria Cross[link]

Kerry Stokes has taken an active role in preserving Australian ownership of significant military heritage; he has now purchased three Australian Victoria Cross medal sets, and a George Cross medal set. Stokes has purchased all four sets via auction from Bonhams & Goodman of Sydney, Australia. The first was the VC medal set of Captain Alfred John Shout, paying a world record price of A$1.2 million on 24 July 2006.^[7] In the same auction, he purchased the GC medal set of Lieutenant Commander George Gosse for A$180,000.^[8] On 28 November of the same year, Stokes purchased the VC set of Lance Corporal Bernard Gordon for A$478,000.^[9] He donated all three sets to the Australian War Memorial.

On 20 May 2008, Stokes, in conjunction with the South Australian Government, purchased the Victoria Cross medal set of Major Peter Badcoe for A$480,000.^[10] The Badcoe medals were on public display in the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, and on tour in South Australia, for twelve months before going on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.^[11]

References[link]