There’s far more to launching a television show than a few TV commercials, with Network 10 lifting the lid on the campaign behind the return of The Traitors Australia.
Following a two year break, the broadcaster backed the reboot with a network wide roadblock premiere, an early streaming release, playable mobile ads, city street activations and live second screen trivia, in what it says was the biggest launch in the Australian franchise’s history.
The Traitors Australia debuted to an overnight audience of 636,000 viewers across Network 10’s broadcast channels after the network roadblocked the premiere across its linear free-to-air channels in a bid to boost sampling of the launch episode.
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Episodes 2 and 3 followed with 539,000 and 561,000 viewers respectively, while Network 10 says the launch doubled the audience of the previous season premiere and delivered the franchise’s biggest streaming audience to date.
The campaign began weeks before launch by promoting international versions of The Traitors to Australian fans, while collecting first party audience data to support targeted digital activity ahead of the new season.
It also included an early release of the premiere episode on 10 Streaming and YouTube before its television debut, giving fans the opportunity to discover the series early and build word of mouth ahead of launch.
Andreana Walton, National Marketing Director, Broadcast & Digital at Paramount ANZ, said the campaign was designed to capture the strategy, gameplay and surprises at the heart of The Traitors, with the audience response demonstrating the impact of bringing creative and media planning together.
“Seeing audiences turn up in record numbers, both on broadcast and streaming, shows that when creative and media work hand in hand, the results speak for themselves.”
Beyond traditional television advertising, the campaign extended across digital, social and experiential marketing. The cast’s combined social media following of more than 3.8 million helped generate over 10 million campaign impressions, while cloaked Traitors appeared in major cities handing out branded silver bar chocolates inspired by the show’s in-game currency.
Network 10 also introduced what it says is the first real-time second-screen activation used by any version of The Traitors globally, allowing viewers to answer live trivia synced to each episode for the chance to win a share of $20,000 in cash prizes while encouraging greater engagement with the 10 Streaming app.
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The extensive campaign accompanied a major refresh of the format itself. The Traitors Australia returned with Gretel Killeen taking over hosting duties, production relocating to New Zealand and a cast of Australian reality television and entertainment personalities, marking the franchise’s first season since 2024.
The Traitors Australia continues Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7.30pm on 10. Episodes drop from midday on broadcast days on 10, with catch up available on Paramount+.
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