ABC, ABC ME & ABC News reached 3.7 million viewers in metro & regional markets across its Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) 2017 – Wonder broadcast coverage from 8:34pm last night.

In addition, a total of 46,000 live streams were recorded via iView across the night & the coverage had a further 2.2 million views across social media platforms.

Audiences peaked at 11:59pm for the ABC’s Midnight Fireworks broadcast (combined metro & regional audience).

Television (TV) & iView Audiences

• Last night, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) was the leading network in the metro markets with a 5 city metro prime-time share of 23.2% (2016 result was 20.4%). The highest share was in Sydney with a prime-time share of 33.5%;
• ABC TV’s Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’: Midnight Fireworks was the #1 program of the night. Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’: 9pm Family Fireworks ranked #2;
• Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’: 9pm Family Fireworks achieved an average audience of 1.2 million across ABC, ABC News & ABC ME (Combined metro & regional audience);
• Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’: Midnight Fireworks achieved an average audience of 2.1 million across ABC & ABC News (Combined metro & regional audience);
• ABC’s Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’ coverage was live streamed 46,000 times via ABC iView.

Sources: OzTAM & Regional TAM Preliminary Overnight Data; Webtrends 

Social Audiences

ABC’s Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’ coverage was live streamed directly to ABC TV’s Facebook page & YouTube channel.  The Midnight Fireworks were also streamed on Periscope.

On Facebook, the live streams & highlights packages amassed a combined total of 1.7 million views across ABC TV & partner pages.

On YouTube, ABC TV’s live stream & highlights packages had 340,000 views. The live stream trended during the broadcast & remains trending at number 1 this morning.

The Midnight Fireworks live stream on Periscope had a further 152,000 views.

#NYEABC trended number 2 on Twitter during the broadcast. There were 5,300 #NYEABC tweets in the last 24 hours, reaching 8.9 million people.

Sources: Facebook Insights, Hashtracking, Periscope, YouTube. Numbers correct as at 9am the 1st of January.

David Anderson, ABC Director Of TV said: “The ABC is thrilled to once again have hosted the broadcast of the iconic Sydney New Year’s Eve event. It truly is a night of celebration & family friendly entertainment that brings the nation together.  Across Australia, wherever you were, the ABC brought the fireworks to you live across TV, iView, YouTube & Facebook”

People from all over the world joined Zan Rowe & Charlie Pickering as they counted down the biggest night of the year with the Sydney NYE2017 – ‘Wonder’ broadcast, which included the Countdown Live Concert, on ABC TV, iView, YouTube & Facebook.

Presented from the Sydney Opera House, Charlie & Zan took us through an evening jam packed full of unmissable entertainment from an all-star line-up including Jimmy Barnes, Phil Jamieson, Marcia Hines, John Paul Young & Kate Ceberano with plenty of fun for all ages including the Family Fireworks at 9pm with it all culminating in the world-famous Midnight Fireworks.

At 9pm, the winner of ABC ME’s Design Your Own Firework competition, 10-year-old Lucia from Adelaide, set the Sydney sky alight with the Family Fireworks display featuring her own unique firework design.

Audiences watched the full broadcast in high definition on the ABC & live streamed celebrations on ABC iView. The Welcome To Country – A Day In The Life Of Country, the 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks were also available on the ABC TV YouTube channel. The 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks were also streamed live on the ABC TV Facebook page.

Media Release: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Sydney has once again earned its place as the New Year’s Eve (NYE) capital of the world with the biggest & most spectacular fireworks display to welcome in 2018.

A rainbow waterfall cascaded from the Harbour Bridge during the Midnight Fireworks for the 1st time while glittering fireworks designed by Hollywood superstar, Hugh Jackman, shot across the night sky.

“With more fireworks than ever before, the awe-inspiring Sydney NYE fireworks displays captivated Sydneysiders & audiences across the globe” Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said.

“More than 1 million people watched the 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks from vantage points across the city with images & vision shared around the world on television & social media”

“Having a world-renowned Australian actor like Hugh Jackman join us in creating fireworks effects was fantastic for Sydney & for Australia, combined with the beautiful designs on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons by our Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder creative artist, Nadia Hernández”

Sydney’s biggest NYE celebration required a mammoth clean-up effort to get the city moving again once the festivities were over.

City Of Sydney staff worked through the night to collect around 43 tonnes of waste & ensured the City streets were clear of rubbish and thoroughly cleaned following last night’s celebrations.

The clean-up operation involved over 205 City Of Sydney workers along with 55 trucks, sweepers & compactors.

An additional 128 mobile rubbish bins were collected filled with recyclable plastic bottles, paper & food containers.

“City staff worked tirelessly to clear truckloads of rubbish & leave the City sparkling clean in time for sunrise on New Year’s Day” the Lord Mayor said.

“It was an enormous task requiring nearly 3 times the number of cleansing staff on duty on an average day. We thank each & every one of them for their incredible efforts”

All waste collected overnight was transported to the SUEZ Artarmon facility for processing.

Destination New South Wales estimates that the Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder event contributes more than AUD$133 million to the local economy.

“It was the biggest & most spectacular fireworks displays yet with more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects & more than 8 tonnes of fireworks” the Lord Mayor said.

“The spectacular Midnight Fireworks featured a rainbow waterfall with red, yellow, purple, green & blue fireworks cascading from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate Australians saying ‘Yes’ to marriage equality & the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras in 2018”

Fireworks Director, ‘Forch’ (Fortunato) Foti, who has (co-)directed the fireworks for the past 20 years, spent more than 5,000 hours to create the remarkable Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder fireworks displays.

The effects were inspired by the work of Sydney-based artist, Nadia Hernández, who created eye-catching paper-cut designs with a bright colour palette.

Sydney-born superstar, Hugh Jackman, created unique fireworks for the Midnight Fireworks including a glittering gold brocade & waterfall shells that launched from barges on the Harbour & from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The stunning fireworks were set to the track, Wiyathul, by famed Indigenous artist, Dr G Yunupingu.

Australia’s First Peoples were recognised throughout the night with special pylon projections & the Welcome To Country – A Day In The Life Of Country which included lighting effects & the traditional smoking ceremony on the Harbour.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

For the 1st time, fireworks in the shape of numbers have led the countdown to Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE)’s spectacular Midnight Fireworks.

As well as the traditional countdown on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons from 90 to 1, the numbers 10 to 1 lit up the night sky to the east of the Bridge this time. 

At the stroke of Midnight, the word, ‘SYDNEY’, was emblazoned across the Harbour Bridge to mark the beginning of the biggest & best Midnight Fireworks ever that was enjoyed by 1 billion people across the globe.

City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said Sydney had shown once again that it is the best place in the world to celebrate NYE.

“More than a million people gathered around Sydney Harbour for tonight’s Sydney NYE celebrations & more than a billion watched from around the world” the Lord Mayor said.

“This truly spectacular start to the New Year is only possible because of the many thousands of hours of hard work by our City Of Sydney team & the Foti International Fireworks family. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the many volunteers, event professionals, sponsors & partners who make this the biggest free public event in Australia”

“I hope you have time to relax with friends and family & return invigorated for the rest of the new year, 2018.”

Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder Fireworks Director, Fortunato Foti, said his team has, this year, gone that little bit further to make the Sydney NYE show even more spectacular.

Apart from the 6 barges, Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House, the Midnight Fireworks were also fired from an array of individual pontoons instead of 1 Bridge barge allowing the display to reach a wider audience than ever before.

The 12-minute spectacular featured a rainbow waterfall of red, yellow, purple, green & blue to help celebrate Australia voting ‘Yes’ for marriage equality & to mark the 40^th anniversary of the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras in 2018.

Sydney-born superstar, Hugh Jackman, created unique fireworks for the Midnight Firewoks including glittering gold brocade & horsetail shells that launched from barges on the Harbour & from the Bridge.

The stunning fireworks were set to the track Wiyathul by famed Indigenous artist, Dr G Yunupingu.

There were more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects on the night, setting a new record for the annual event’s 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks with:

• 8 tonnes of fireworks – 1 tonne more than in 2016
• 13,000 shells – 1,000 more than in 2016
• 30,000 shooting comets – 5,000 more than in 2016

There were more than 3,000 individual lighting effects choreographed to the fireworks displays & music soundtrack – 1,000 more effects than last year.

New light-emitting diode technology also meant the City’s Sydney NYE lighting display was achieved using less power than ever before.

Visit sydneynewyearseve.com for event details.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 – Wonder’s 9pm Family Fireworks display lit up the sky in an array of new, vibrant colours designed to excite revellers of all ages.

The fun-filled 8 minute display at 9pm followed 2 daring aerial shows above Sydney Harbour at 6pm & 8pm.

At 8:38pm. a stunning animation featuring a grandfather & grandson’s journey along the warerways of the Eora Nation was projected onto the pylons of the Harbour Bridge as part of the night’s Welcome To Country –  A Day In The Life Of Country ceremony.

The Welcome To Country –  A Day In The Life Of Country ceremony featured water flares & flares off the Bridge.

“Sydney New Year’s Eve is one of the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world & it just gets better every year” City Of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said.

“Our bright & colourful 9pm Family Fireworks display means that families with young children can come down to one of the many free vantage points around Sydney Harbour & beyond or tune in on Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television/iView (ABC TV/iView) from home before tucking the kids into bed”

“It was a great way to kick off our always spectacular Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations & I am looking forward to ringing in the New Year in a few hours”

The winning entry from the ABC’s Design Your Own Firework competition featured in the 9pm Family Fireworks display. Competition winner, 7-year-old Lucia from South Australia, designed a multi-coloured umbrella with a palm cross.

From sunset, video projections of the popular designs by Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 – Wonder Creative Artist, Nadia Hernández, were projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons.

Central to her Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 artwork were the words ‘wonder’, ‘radiate’, ‘hope’, ‘dance’ & ‘together’.

“These are words that are celebratory but also capture the essence of Sydney” Miss Hernández says.

“There is a great sense of unity about New Year’s Eve & this is a message of hope for the future. It starts with everybody coming together to celebrate a new beginning with friends, family and complete strangers & wish each other a Happy New Year. It is very powerful & very special”

Nadia’s artwork also inspired a new colour palette for the 9pm Family Fireworks & light shows with bright orange, pink, lime green & light blue featuring for the 1st time.

The 9pm Family Fireworks featured shells off the barges that created a magnificent waterfall effect.

The 9pm Family Fireworks were synchronised to a soundtrack created by Alex Gooden which was simulcast on KIIS 106.5FM & broadcast on ABC TV/iView.

Visit sydneynewyearseve.com for event details.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

Note: All times are in Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

Sydney NYE has lots of announcements from the waterfall types and the fireworks soundtrack to special guests and fireworks designs. So much news that you may not have noticed some things sometimes. So here are some things you may have missed being announced before the big show begins at 6pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time…

The TV Broadcast Is Global

We’ve been trying to get clarification so apologies in advance if this one is wrong but we believe for the 1st time in Sydney NYE history, the whole television broadcast can be watched internationally.  This is via the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television’s YouTube & Facebook live streams. However, we are definitely uncertain still about whether the fireworks soundtracks on the Internet live streams will be copyright-free or not. So if you live internationally, spend 4 hours with the rest of Australia as we celebrate Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 – ‘Wonder’. Australians frequently wake up in the middle of the night to watch major sporting events held in Europe/the Americas so now begin an Aussie tradition while it lasts & wake up to watch Sydney New Year’s Eve – the world’s greatest party!

You can find the live streams via our Watch LIVE page.

The Return Of The Pontoons

Pontoons return to the Midnight Fireworks for the 1st time in 10 years. We believe they will be placed in a north-south direction in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They were last used in the finale of the Midnight Fireworks of Sydney NYE2007 – The Time Of Our Lives (skip to 12:56 to see them in action):

This year, 6 pontoons will feature and in the Midnight Fireworks, will at least appear during the 20-second segment set to Dr G Yunupingu’s Wiyathul co-designed by Fortunato Foti & actor, Hugh Jackman.

‘9 To 5’

The 9pm Family Fireworks expand to 5 barges this year. We believe this 5th barge will be located in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and will fire only occasionally (very similar to the barge in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge during Midnight Fireworks since 2010). However, this ‘5th barge’ could also be the 6 pontoons referred to earlier.

This will be the most spectacular 9pm Family Fireworks since 1998.

The Midnight Countdown

Apart from the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projections, the 10 second countdown to Midnight will be done using pyrotechnics in the shape of numbers on the Bridge. At the stroke of Midnight, like last year, the word ‘Sydney’ will appear in pyrotechnic form too on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This should give an indication of what the numbers will look like on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in pyrotechnic form. If don’t remember seeing the word ‘Sydney’ in pyrotechnic form during the Midnight Fireworks last year, here is a photo to jog your memory:

Most Sydney Harbour Bridge Fireworks Ever

3000 more fireworks will fire off the Sydney Harbour Bridge this year. A record.

Hugh Jackman Fireworks At 12:08am

The City Of Sydney advised on Twitter that to see Hugh Jackman & Fortunato Foti’s co-designed display set to Dr G Yunupingu’s Wiyathul, tune in before 12:08am. This should mean it happens at 12:08am.

 

And that is it! Enjoy Sydney NYE2017 – Wonder & Happy New Year!

Dramatic lighting displays beaming from the Sydney Harbour Bridge in time with 8 tonnes of fireworks will be seen by the naked eye further across Sydney this New Year’s Eve than ever before.

3,000 individual lighting effects will be choreographed to the fireworks displays & music soundtrack – 1,000 more effects than last year.

Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said the awe-inspiring event would reinforce Sydney’s position as the New Year’s Eve capital of the world.

“Sydney New Year’s Eve is renowned as one of the largest & most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world” the Lord Mayor said.

“This celebration will be enjoyed by more than 1 million people around the Sydney Harbour foreshore and a global audience of more than 1 billion & we are doing it responsibly, using new light-emitting diode (LED) lighting effects that will allow us create a phenomenal show using less power than ever before”

Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 – Wonder Lighting Director, Ziggy Ziegler, credits advances in computer technology & new LED lighting for being able to produce an even more eco-friendly show.

“We are using a quarter of the amount of power that we used 4 or 5 years ago & are still getting more light out of it” Mister (Mr) Ziegler said.

With more light beams on top of the Bridge this year, the lighting effects will also be seen by more Sydneysiders this year.

“Because they will be higher & more concentrated, more people will be able to enjoy the fantastic light show across Sydney than ever before” Mr Ziegler said.

Sydney-based Sydney New Year’s Eve 2017 – Wonder Creative Artist, Nadia Hernández, created eye-catching paper-cut designs with a bright colour palette that has inspired new fireworks effects, lighting designs & pylon projections.

“This year, the lighting displays have a warm, inviting feel based on Nadia’s bright designs. Her use of pastel colours creates an almost fluorescent effect, which have been great to work with from a lighting perspective” Mr Ziegler said.

For Fireworks Director, ‘Forch’ (Fortunato) Foti, the challenge was to create never-before-seen displays.

“With such a striking colour palette to work with & bigger and bolder lighting effects, we have created some great new effects that I am looking forward to sharing with the people of Sydney & the world” Mr Foti said.

Not to be outdone, the fireworks displays this year will also be the biggest Sydney has ever seen.

There will be more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects on the night, setting a new record for the annual event’s 9pm Family & Midnight Fireworks with:

•      8 tonnes of fireworks – 1 tonne more than in 2016
•      13,000 shells – 1,000 more than in 2016
•      30,000 shooting comets – 5,000 more than in 2016

The Midnight Fireworks will feature a spectacular gold & silver shooting fireworks display designed by Mr Foti & Sydney-born superstar, Hugh Jackman.

Mr Jackman approached the City Of Sydney to fulfil a lifelong dream to design a firework for his hometown’s world-famous Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations & the City was delighted to accept.

“Having a Hollywood star like Hugh Jackman offer his talents to help showcase Sydney New Year’s Eve to the world is a fantastic coup for Sydney & for Australia” the Lord Mayor said.

For the 1st time, the Midnight Fireworks will feature a rainbow waterfall of fireworks cascading from the Sydney Harbour Bridge in celebration of Australians saying ‘Yes’ to marriage equality & as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras in 2018.

Visit sydneynewyearseve.com for detailed information on the event.

Media Release: City Of Sydney