Category: ‘Flagship’ Sydney Spectaculars

ABC and ABC News 24 reached 4 million viewers in metro and regional markets across its New Year’s Eve 2014 coverage from 8:30pm last night, up from 3.7 million last year.

In Sydney, more than 1 in 4 tuned into ABC TV during the coverage.

Program Audiences:

• The combined metro and regional audience for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: Welcome (20:30-20:55) was 782,000 on ABC.
• The combined metro and regional audience for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: 9pm Family Fireworks (20:55-21:10) was 1.4 million on ABC and ABC News 24.
• The combined metro and regional audience for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: Party (21:10-23:55) was 1 million on ABC.
• The combined metro and regional audience for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: Midnight Fireworks (23:55-00:22) was 2 million on ABC and ABC News 24.

Metro Audiences

• Last night, ABC was the leading channel in the metro markets with a 5 city prime-time share of 19.7%.
• ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve: Midnight Fireworks was the No.1 program of the night with a 5 city audience of 1.4 million followed by the 9pm Family Fireworks with an audience of 1 million.
• In Sydney, ABC also achieved a share of 27.9%.

Justin Holdforth, ABC Head of Sport and Events says: “The Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks are an iconic and much loved event. I’m delighted that the ABC was again able to deliver a spectacular night of family entertainment to audiences across Australia”.

Top 10 programs – 5 City Metro

Rank	Program	Channel	Audience	Share %
1	New Year’s Eve: Midnight Fireworks	ABC	1,372,000	53.2
2	New Year’s Eve: Family Fireworks	ABC	1,007,000	29.4
3	Nine News	9	889,000	27.5
4	Nine News 6:30	9	834,000	25.8
5	New Year’s Eve: Party	ABC	768,000	26.8
6	Seven News	7	702,000	21.8
7	A Current Affair	9	636,000	19.5
8	Seven News/Today Tonight	7	604,000	18.7
9	New Year’s Eve: Welcome	ABC	567,000	17.9
10	ABC News-Ev	ABC	545,000	16.8

Source: OzTAM & RegionalTAM overnight data. Reach is based on 5 minutes consecutive viewing.

A brilliant light bulb illuminated Sydney Harbour last night as huge crowds gathered around the foreshore to welcome in 2015, while millions more watched around the world.

Celebrating the International Year of Light, the 12-storey-high Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect was the centrepiece of the Midnight Fireworks display – one of the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world.

The light bulb design, which remained top-secret until midnight, followed an animated image of the New Holland Seahorse, which appeared on the Bridge during the 9PM Family Fireworks.

The New Holland Seahorse – commonly known as the Sydney Seahorse – is native to Sydney Harbour.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Sydney’s world-famous fireworks displays provided the perfect welcome to the New Year.

“Sydney is known as the New Year’s Eve Capital of the World and last night’s celebrations were no exception,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Spectacular images from the 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays have already been shared around the world – on television, online and via social media – shining a spotlight on our magnificent harbour and inspiring audiences worldwide to visit Sydney.”

“Our New Year’s Eve celebrations have allowed us to showcase our fantastic city to the rest of the world, reinforcing that Sydney is and always will be a welcoming, inclusive, harmonious and multicultural community.”

Master pyrotechnician Fortunato Foti of Foti International Fireworks was responsible for the fireworks displays for the 14th consecutive year.

The displays used approximately 7 tonnes of fireworks, including 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects.

The Lord Mayor praised the City of Sydney crews who worked throughout the night to ensure Sydney was sparkling this morning.

“With huge crowds gathering around the harbour foreshore and at vantage points across Sydney, the clean-up of New Year’s Eve is an enormous task,” the Lord Mayor said.

“A fantastic team of 350 City staff worked tirelessly throughout the night, collecting between 48-50 tonnes of waste.”

“Within hours, our staff had transformed the City’s streets and parks, clearing truckloads of rubbish to reveal a pristine setting in time for sunrise.”

The $290,000 clean-up operation involved the use of 60 trucks, sweepers and compactors and 600 mobile garbage bins to support the City’s 720 street litter bins, which were filled with plastic bottles, food containers and food scraps.

90% of the waste collected will be recycled courtesy of SITA Australia.

The Lord Mayor also thanked everyone who made the event possible, including the City’s Sydney New Year’s Eve team and Creative Ambassador Jack Thompson.

“After more than 15 months of planning, it was wonderful to see Sydney at its best last night, as the 1st major global city in the world to ring in 2015,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Thank you to everyone who worked throughout the year – and all those who dedicated their time last night – to ensure the celebrations ran smoothly.”

“Sydneysiders have gone through a period of trauma and mourning over the past weeks, and last night we all spared a thought for the families of the Martin Place siege victims.”

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’ acknowledges the support of Leadership Partner – Telstra, Charity Partner – Engineers Without Borders Australia & NSW Government agencies and landholders including the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Sydney Opera House Trust.

Spectacular aerial footage from inside tonight’s Midnight Fireworks display will be captured by drones and broadcast live for the 1st time anywhere in the world.

The drones will fly up to 1,000 feet above Sydney Harbour, recording high-resolution footage of the fireworks as they launch from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and barges on the water.

Live footage from 2 drones will feature in the ABC’s TV broadcast and Sydney NYE Telstra YouTube Show.

A 3rd specially-built drone equipped with six cameras will capture amazing 360-degree views of the fireworks that audiences can view after the event via the Sydney NYE Telstra App.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the celebrations to welcome in 2015 were shaping up to be Sydney’s best yet.

“Our Sydney New Year’s Eve team and pyrotechnic experts are busy putting the finishing touches on tonight’s displays, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us,” the Lord Mayor said.

“We’re expecting large crowds tonight, so if you’re coming into the city, make sure you arrive early to secure a good spot and download the Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire‘ app to receive live updates about the event.”

“If you’re staying at home, tune in to our fantastic broadcasts, which will include never-before-seen drone footage of the fireworks – giving you the chance to be part of the event without having to leave the house.”

“Wherever you are, and however you celebrate, there’s no doubt that Sydney will be at its best tonight as we countdown to the dawning of the New Year.”

The 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays will feature 7 tonnes of fireworks, including 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects.

More than 1.6 million people are expected to line the harbour foreshore to view the displays, which are recognised as one of the largest and most technologically advanced in the world.

The centrepiece of tonight’s displays will be the Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect – the top-secret, 12 storey high LED design that will be revealed at midnight.

The Bridge Effect ties into this year’s Sydney New Year’s Eve theme, Inspire. After debuting tonight, it will continue to shine brightly above the harbour from 8pm to midnight on Thursday and Friday night.

Pre-Show Entertainment will begin at 6pm when former fighter pilot Matt Hall performs daring aerial displays above the harbour. At 7pm, tug boats will blast tonnes of water into the sky from Millers Point to Fort Denison and back again.

Following the 9PM Family Fireworks, the Harbour of Light Parade will see more than 50 illuminated boats carry over 8,000 people on a majestic passage around Sydney Harbour.

A 3rd mini-fireworks display, known as the ‘Inspire moment’, will also feature at 10:40pm to keep crowds entertained during the countdown to midnight.

Audiences around the harbour and at home are being encouraged to become part of the celebration by using the hashtag #SydNYE to tweet messages about how Sydney will inspire them in the New Year.

The tweets will appear live on the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylons throughout the night, and will be seen by millions of people across Australia and more than a billion worldwide.

For up-to-the-minute information on tonight’s celebrations, follow the hashtag #SydNYE and @cityofsydney on Twitter.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

6pm & 8pm	Air Displays above Sydney Harbour Flying ace Matt Hall performs flyovers with aerial displays
7pm	Fire Tug Water Display on Sydney Harbour  Tug boats blast tonnes of water into the sky from Millers Point to Fort Denison and back again.
8:30pm	Pylon Projections on the eastern side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Projections will come to life on the pylon’s surfaces after sunset and huge images will be projected throughout the night.
8:40pm	Acknowledgement of Country Ceremony on Sydney Harbour A ceremony that reflects a respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and honours the relationship between traditional custodians and the land.
8:45pm	Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect The Sydney Harbour Bridge lights up in a design that features over 13 kilometres of spectacular LED rope lighting.
9pm	9PM Family Fireworks display An 8-minute fireworks display at a family-friendly time, complete with a soundtrack appealing to young children.
9:15pm	Harbour of Light Parade® Features more than 50 illuminated boats that carry over 8,000 people on a majestic passage within and around Sydney Harbour.
10:40pm	The Inspire Moment An inspirational mini-fireworks display to keep crowds entertained during the countdown to midnight.
Midnight	Midnight Fireworks Display A show-stopping grand finale display on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, barges along the harbour and city buildings.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com

• The City of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display is recognised as one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced New Year’s Eve fireworks displays.
• The 9pm Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays are watched by 1.6 million people on Sydney Harbour, millions across Australia and more than a billion worldwide.
• Sydney’s celebrations draw larger crowds than New York City (1 million), Berlin (1 million), London (700,000) and Paris (100,000).
• The fireworks are designed by Foti International Fireworks, led by Fireworks Director Fortunato Foti, and require a pyrotechnic crew of 45 people. This is the 17th consecutive year the company has been involved in Sydney New Year’s Eve.
• Approximately 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects will be used in the display, which is made up of 7 tonnes of fireworks.
• 14 shipping containers of equipment, weighing 120 tonnes, are needed for both the 9pm Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays.
• 12 computers will digitally launch the fireworks from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, barges and buildings, shooting 10,000 cues. The computers will be used to fire the show and will ensure the fireworks are synchronised to the music.
• More than 60 kilometres of wire and cables link the launch computers, and there are 130 firing points on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
• The 9pm Family Fireworks will go off from 4 fireworks barges, while the Midnight Fireworks will launch from 7 barges, jet-skis, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
• Each year the top-secret Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect is a highly anticipated part of the night and is only revealed at the end of the Midnight Fireworks display. The Effect has been a highlight since the mid-1990’s when a smiley face appeared on the Bridge.
• This year, the Bridge Effect will be made from more than 13 kilometres of LED ropelight, and measure 12 storeys high.
• Previous Bridge Effects have included the word ‘PEACE’ and a dove (2002), 3 concentric hearts (2005), a mandala (2007) and an all-seeing eye (2013).
• The Harbour of Light Parade® features more than 50 illuminated boats, which make a majestic passage within and around the Sydney Harbour Exclusion Zone after the 9pm Family Fireworks, building up excitement before the countdown to midnight.
• The boats carry over 8,000 people and join more than 3,000 other vessels celebrating New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour.

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com.

Master pyrotechnician Fortunato Foti is preparing to inspire Sydneysiders and visitors with his most colourful fireworks displays yet this Sydney New Year’s Eve.

Fortunato – a 7th-generation pyrotechnician whose family has been making fireworks since 1793 – has created a series of stunning new colours and shapes for this year’s displays, including silver and gold palm trees.

To mark his 15th year involved in the event, multicoloured fireworks and a special red glitter effect will also feature in the displays, which are recognised as one of the largest and most technologically advanced in the world.

A pyrotechnic crew of 45 will launch 7 tonnes of fireworks throughout the night – including 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and over 100,000 individual effects.

A 3rd mini-fireworks display, known as the ‘Inspire Moment’, will also feature at 10:40pm to keep crowds entertained during the countdown to midnight.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said 1.6 million people were expected to gather around the Harbour on Wednesday night to enjoy Sydney’s world-famous fireworks displays.

“For 15 years now, Fortunato Foti and his crew at Foti Fireworks have made Sydney New Year’s Eve a night to remember with their imaginative, innovative fireworks displays,” the Lord Mayor said.

“This year’s celebration promises to be just as spectacular, with new colours, shapes and a special 90-second show at 10:40pm that will build anticipation before the main event at midnight.”

Over the years, Fortunato and his crew have created dozens of original fireworks for Sydney New Year’s Eve, including shells in the shape of hands, musical notes, koalas, bees and birds.

Fortunato said his lifelong passion for fireworks means he is not daunted by the challenge of creating something exciting and new each year.

“We started working on Sydney New Year’s Eve back in 1999, and we quickly learnt what works best – and what doesn’t work so well – for a show of this size and scale,” Fortunato said.

“We’ve reached a point now where each year we walk away thinking ‘that was the best show we’ve ever done’ – and that just spurs us on to do even better the following year.”

“This year we’ve focused on making the displays as colourful as possible – you’ll see a lot of metallics, as well as bright reds, greens, blues and purples – and some fun new shapes, including palm trees with shimmering centres and multicoloured ends.”

“The displays will also have a lot of variety – because they’re synchronised to a specially curated soundtrack, the fireworks change as frequently as the music does, keeping audiences entertained and surprised.”

“For us, fireworks are truly inspirational, so we hope that the displays reflect our love and passion, and that they inspire everyone watching – both around the Harbour and across Australia and worldwide.”

For more information, visit sydneynewyearseve.com.

Sydney New Year’s Eve 2014 – ‘Inspire’ acknowledges the support of Leadership Partner – Telstra, Charity Partner – Engineers Without Borders Australia, & NSW Government agencies and landholders including the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Sydney Opera House Trust.