Apparently New Zealand hasn’t run out of talent just yet, because not long after MediaWorks’ big talent show wound up, TVNZ’s big talent show gets set to start.
To launch the second season of New Zealand’s Got Talent, which is scheduled to kick off in September, TVNZ Blacksand hit the road to show the vast array of Kiwis hoping to show their stuff on stage (and to get in a few Toyota money shots) and it’s just released a promo featuring the line ‘Every age, every talent, everywhere, everyone’.
Last year’s series averaged an 18.2 rating and a 36 share in the channel’s 25-54 target demo, making it the biggest show of the year and the highest rating show in a decade. US choreographer Cris Judd has tagged in as a judge this year, taking over from Ali Campbell.
“People came from everywhere to watch it – New Zealand’s Got Talent was genuinely a shared experience,” says Tim Aitken, TV One’s marketing manager in a release. “It was something parents watched with their kids, kids watched with their grandparents and friends of all ages watched together. It’s the biggest entertainment show on television. In terms of being an environment that people enjoy and celebrate together, there’s nothing better than New Zealand’s Got Talent.”
Toyota is back again as the main sponsor and the Toyota Talent Tour has been holding auditions around the country. Classic Hits is also involved, but while X Factor NZ had McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Samsung and Ford, Toyota is the only sponsor of New Zealand’s Got Talent.
In coming weeks, TVNZ will be rolling out a nationwide radio and online marketing campaign to support the local series.
“From a marketing perspective we wanted to capture the excitement by putting an exclamation mark on the campaign and drive people to the first few episodes, ensuring they don’t miss out.”
Speaking of talent shows, MediaWorks has got out the abacus and found that 553,976 votes were cast via text and for free on Facebook to choose the winner of X Factor NZ.
1,326,000 Kiwis tuned into the final episode on Monday 22 July (5+ cume) and it had an average audience of 598,100 (5+). And during the series, 3,285,500 Kiwis (80 percent of the population) tuned into the show (5+ cume).
It won a 32.8 percent share of TV3’s target 25-54 audience, and a 39.3 percent share of the Main Household Shopper with children demographics.
In comparison, last year’s New Zealand Got Talent final earned a 44.5 percent share (20.5 rating) in the 25-54 demo.
Added to that, the top three are currently hogging the top three spots in NZ’s Top 40, the first time The X Factor format has produced the top three singles in any territory in the world, according to international format holders FremantleMedia.
Nielsen recently released a study in the US that showed Twitter activity can affect ratings. And, increasingly, talent shows like these are trumpeting the level of online and social engagement they inspire.
Both NZ’s Got Talent and X Factor NZ trended globally on Twitter at times. And MediaWorks says the X Factor NZ “has become the most socialised television show in New Zealand”.
“The show’s Facebook community numbers 109,000 fans (and counting), with up to 70,000 people actively talking about the programme at any one time, and individual status updates having an organic reach of 300,000 users … Online, the fan zone at TV3.co.nz has had 6.3 million page impressions, with video on demand (VOD) content hugely popular. There have been over 839,000 streams of full episodes since the series launched, and over 800,000 streams of individual song performances.”
MediaWorks TV chief executive Paul Maher says The X Factor has rated incredibly well for TV3, but it’s also lived on its radio brands, social media platforms and websites.
“Its success across the board shows the power of MediaWorks’ broader assets. That’s the kind of ‘lean forward’ engagement that creates value for our brands, viewers and partners.”
Credits for NZ’s Got Talent promo:
Blacksand Creative Director: Jens Hertzum
TV One Creative Director: Matt Goodwin
Director: Simon Mark-Brown
Producer: Travena Addenbrooke
Production Manager: Rebecca Rowe
Editor: Drew Pollock
TV One Marketing Manager: Tim Aitken
