9HD
| File:Nine Network logo.svg Logo used since 2015 | |
| Company type | Commercial free-to-air television network |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting, Television |
| Founded | September 16, 1956 in Sydney, Australia |
| Founder | Frank Packer |
| Headquarters | Docklands, Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Hugh Marks (CEO, from November 2015) |
| Owner | Nine Entertainment |
| Website | 9now |
Nine Network (commonly referred to as Channel Nine, Nine, or styled as 9Network) is a commercial free-to-air television broadcaster in Australia, owned by Nine Entertainment. It stands as one of the country's five principal free-to-air television services.
Between 2017 and 2021, the network operated under the slogan "We Are the One". In 2021, it reinstated its classic slogan from 1977 to 2006, "Still the One".
As of 2024, Nine Network holds the position of Australia's second most-watched television network, ranking just behind Seven Network and ahead of ABC TV, Network 10, and SBS.
Founding
The inception of Nine Network began with its initial station, TCN-9, which commenced broadcasting in Sydney on 16 September 1956. This station was owned by The Daily Telegraph owner Frank Packer. The launch was introduced by John Godson, and the first Australian television program, This Is Television, was hosted by former advertising executive Bruce Gyngell. Later that year, Melbourne's GTV-9 aired coverage of the 1956 Summer Olympics, and by 1959, stations QTQ-9 Brisbane and NWS-9 Adelaide had joined to form the National Television Network, which laid the groundwork for today's Nine Network. Initially, TCN-9 was linked with HSV-7 while GTV-9 partnered with ATN-7.
By 1967, the network adopted the name National Nine Network, later shortened to Nine Network Australia in 1987. Following the death of Sir Frank Packer in 1974, ownership transferred to his son, Kerry Packer. The network was an early adopter of colour television in Australia, broadcasting colour programming regularly from 1971—several years before Australia's official transition to colour broadcasts in 1975.
A notable milestone occurred in 1967 when Nine secured national live rights to broadcast the New South Wales Rugby Football League grand final for $5,000, marking a key development in sports broadcasting.
STW-9 Perth began operations in 1965 and became an owned-and-operated station after businessman Alan Bond purchased Nine Network for A$1 billion in 1987. However, due to federal regulations restricting cross-media ownership across the nation, Bond sold STW-9 to Sunraysia Television for A$95 million in 1989. After Bond's financial collapse in 1992, control of Nine reverted back to Kerry Packer.
On 1 March 2011, GTV 9 Melbourne transitioned from its long-standing location at 22 Bendigo Street, Richmond—a site notable for its industrial legacy including the Wertheim Piano and Heinz Soup factories—to a contemporary facility at 717 Bourke Street in Docklands. The original Bendigo Street premises have since been converted into luxury residential apartments.
1977–2006
In 1977, Nine introduced the slogan "Let Us Be The One," inspired by The Carpenters' song and a similar campaign by ABC in the United States. This period saw Nine become Australia's leading free-to-air network, with National Nine News establishing itself as the top news program. The following year, the slogan changed to "Still the One," influenced by ABC’s US campaign and Orleans' song of the same name. Throughout the 1980s, this branding helped maintain strong audience ratings. Between 1999 and 2001, Nine experienced a decline against Seven in both news and entertainment sectors but regained prominence following its extensive coverage of the September 11 attacks in 2001. By 1991, the network had adopted its current branding style. The passing of CEO Kerry Packer in 2005 marked a challenging era for the company. Digital terrestrial television services were launched on 1 January 2001.
2006–2008
During 2003–04, Nine dominated the ratings, securing victories in 77 out of 80 weeks. However, in 2005, the network encountered challenges when Seven revamped its programming lineup; despite this, Nine maintained an overall lead. For the first time, Seven News overtook National Nine News, and Today lost audience share to Seven's Sunrise. In 2006, Nine’s ratings declined further, barely clinching the year thanks to its coverage of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Nine introduced a new logo that eliminated its signature nine dots, a change that was met with negative feedback. By May 2007, the network brought back the dots through a redesigned rotating 3-D cube logo displaying them on alternating faces.
In October 2007, David Gyngell returned as CEO, replacing Eddie McGuire amid ongoing struggles with ratings. Although Nine had some successful programs, Seven won 38 weeks of ratings compared to Nine’s two during 2007.
Expanding its reach into Northern New South Wales, Nine acquired NBN Television in May 2007 but continued to operate it as an independent affiliate. Deborah Wright was appointed CEO of NBN following the acquisition.
2008–2014
In 2008, Nine Network underwent a rebranding that introduced a new CGI logo incorporating nine dots while removing the blue box element. After losing viewers to Seven News, Nine revamped its news division under the name Nine News, which helped regain lead weeks early in the year. The network launched the popular drama series Underbelly, drawing over 2.5 million viewers during its debut season. Focusing on younger audiences, Nine ranked first among key demographics aged 18–49 and 25–54 despite Seven leading in total audience numbers.
March 2008 saw the introduction of a high-definition channel, Nine HD, broadcasting on channel 90 until its closure in 2010.
Starting strong in 2009 with Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities and Twenty20 Cricket coverage (which it lost in 2018), Nine faced stiff competition from Network Ten's MasterChef Australia. The network’s scheduling became erratic, and reality programs such as Ladette to Lady, Wipeout Australia, and The Apprentice Australia failed to meet expectations. Despite expanding news programming with late-night bulletins and longer morning shows, flagship evening news at 6:00 pm declined except in Melbourne where it remained competitive against Seven News.
In August 2009, digital multi-channel GO! launched on Channel 99 targeting younger viewers and contributed to multiple weekly ratings victories. The following month, Nine adopted the slogan "Welcome Home" alongside refreshed graphics. Strengthened by programs like Nine News, Today, 60 Minutes, and shows such as Hey Hey It's Saturday, Underbelly, and Sea Patrol, ratings improved.
In 2010, Nine secured exclusive broadcast rights for Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks. GO! led digital market shares throughout the year. On September 26, 2010, Nine introduced its third digital channel GEM, focusing on general entertainment and movies on Channel 90. The "Home of Comedy" lineup in 2011 featured sitcoms including Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, complemented by live comedy show Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth—which was canceled after three episodes—and a brief revival of This Is Your Life. Ratings improved late in 2011 with shows like The Block, Underbelly: Razor, and The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. New episodes of Two and a Half Men attracted approximately 2.3 million viewers weekly, dominating ratings similarly to The Big Bang Theory. Nevertheless, Nine finished second in total ratings for the year with a share of 19.6%, behind Seven Network’s 23.1%.
On November 24, 2011, Nine revealed its 2012 schedule emphasizing reality programming including Australian editions of The Voice, the return of Big Brother, as well as shows like Excess Baggage and The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. The network also broadcasted the 2012 Summer Olympics. A new morning program titled Mornings (now known as Today Extra) replaced Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s long-running show.
On March 26, 2012, Nine launched Extra, dedicated to home shopping plus brand-funded religious, community, educational, and multicultural content produced by advertisers. This launch led to a reduction in quality on sister channel 9Gem. Extra’s timeshift channel Extra 2 debuted on March 28, 2013 in NBN areas on channels 95 and 85 as a five-hour delayed feed.
On April 15, 2012, Nine updated its corporate logo adopting lighter blue tones with white gradients as part of ongoing brand evolution since its initial redesign in 2003.
By mid-2012, Australian telecom company Telstra along with WIN Television CEO Bruce Gordon contemplated a takeover bid for Nine Entertainment amid concerns over the network’s debt exceeding A$3.3 billion.
Between June and July of 2013, Nine reacquired Adelaide affiliate NWS-9 and Perth affiliate STW-9 from WIN Corporation, reinstating these stations as owned-and-operated entities for the first time since the late 1980s.
On November 8, 2013, FIXPlay merged into Jump-in—later rebranded 9Jumpin in May 2014—combining catch-up television services with interactive social media features.
As of December 10, 2013, Nine completed its transition from analogue to fully digital broadcasting.
On January 27, 2014, Nine replaced the Supertext closed captioning logo with its own branded version. [[File:Nine Network, Docklands.jpg|thumb|Nine Network office located in Docklands]
2014–2019
In November 2015, Nine brought back 9HD, an HD simulcast of its main channel on channel 90, and introduced the lifestyle channel 9Life on channel 94. At the same time, GEM was rebranded as 9Gem, downgraded to standard definition, and relocated to channel 92, while GO! became 9Go! and moved to channel 93. On 16 December 2015, Nine refreshed its on-air presentation with a cohesive design across all channels, maintaining the Nine News/9news.com.au branding. Hugh Marks took over as CEO from David Gyngell in November 2015.
On 27 January 2016, Nine replaced its catch-up platform 9Jumpin with 9Now, broadening its content library and enabling live streaming of Nine’s multicast channels. Live streaming for 9Gem, 9Go!, and 9Life commenced on 19 May 2016. Subsequently, affiliate WIN Corporation initiated legal action against Nine Entertainment Co., claiming that live streaming into regional markets violated their affiliation contract. The NSW Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit on 28 April 2016, determining that live streaming did not constitute broadcasting under the terms of the agreement.
Following this legal success, Nine secured a $500 million five-year affiliation contract with Southern Cross Austereo on 29 April 2016, replacing WIN Television as Nine’s principal regional partner starting 1 July 2016. Southern Cross adopted Nine’s metropolitan branding across its stations. Additionally, Nine negotiated affiliate agreements with Mildura Digital Television (a WIN-Prime joint venture) in June 2016 and finalized deals with WIN for South Australia, Griffith, and the Tasmanian joint venture TDT (TV station) by late June. A Western Australia agreement with West Digital Television was completed on 2 July 2016 after missing the initial deadline. Moreover, after ten years operating independently, NBN was fully integrated into the Nine Network; the NBN logo was retired while its independent news bulletin continued under the Nine News banner.
In June 2018, Nine partnered with Australian News Channel (ANC) to launch Your Money, a dedicated business news channel replacing Sky News Business Channel on Foxtel channel 601 and free-to-air channel 95, which took over from Extra. However, due to weak ratings and insufficient advertising revenue, Your Money ceased broadcasting on 17 May 2019.
2019–present
In 2019, Nine Network achieved the ratings crown for the first time since 2006, ending Seven Network's twelve-year dominance from 2007 through 2018. This success was largely driven by strong ratings from shows such as Nine's Married At First Sight, which consistently outperformed Seven's My Kitchen Rules, helping Nine secure its first quarterly victory since 2009. The network's annual audience share rose to 29.4% in 2019—a rise of 2.1% compared to the previous year—while Seven's share declined to 29.0%.
Despite disruptions to programming caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Nine maintained a substantial lead in ratings. On 5 April that year, Nine launched 9Rush, a collaboration with Discovery Inc., targeting young adult male viewers with action and adventure reality series. Later in the year, on 1 October, Nine revived Extra following the closure of Your Money.
On 21 November 2020, Nine shifted its Sydney production facilities from Willoughby to North Sydney after real estate developer Mirvac purchased the Willoughby site for a residential project comprising 460 homes.
In March 2021, Nine was hit by a ransomware attack involving MedusaLocker malware that disrupted live broadcasts in Sydney and Darwin. This cyberattack coincided with similar incidents affecting Australia's parliament and Taylors Wines; however, any direct connections remain undetermined.
On 12 March 2021, Nine announced a strategic return to WIN Television as its regional affiliate effective from 1 July 2021 for a minimum term of seven years. This agreement reversed the prior affiliation with Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), which switched back to Network 10. Under this arrangement, WIN commits half of its regional advertising revenue to Nine Entertainment Co., allocates advertising space for Nine’s assets across radio and television platforms, and manages ad sales for owned-and-operated stations NBN and NTD. CEO Hugh Marks emphasized that expanding reach for premium content and collaborating on regional news services were key motivations behind this partnership.
On 4 September 2024, Nine replaced the Today Show’s existing three-dimensional logo introduced in 2012 with its original two-dimensional logo from 2008.
Australian-based programs
The Nine Network features prominent annual events such as the ARIA Music Awards and Carols by Candlelight. Its News and Current Affairs division produces several bulletins along with weekday morning shows including Today, Today Extra, and the weekend edition, Weekend Today.
The channel presents a wide range of entertainment content sourced both locally and internationally. Notable Australian productions encompass Getaway, 60 Minutes, The AFL Sunday Footy Show, Footy Classified, 100% Footy, The NRL Sunday Footy Show, RBT, Emergency, Paramedics, The Block, Tipping Point Australia, Australian Ninja Warrior, Travel Guides, Lego Masters, Married at First Sight, and Love Island Australia among others.
International programs
Nine acquires American programming through agreements with leading studios such as Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, Sony Pictures Television International, DreamWorks Animation, CBS Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Pixar, Lucasfilm, 20th Television, Regency Enterprises, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television International.
Among its prominent international offerings have been the sitcoms The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. Additional US titles broadcast on Nine include the medical drama Chicago Med, the documentary series The First 48, and crime dramas like Law & Order True Crime and Law & Order: Organized Crime. British imports feature game shows such as Pointless and Tipping Point. Sony Pictures daytime soap operas air on 9Gem, including Days of Our Lives and The Young and The Restless.
In earlier years, Nine aired talk shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show until 2021 and The View until 2013, alongside programs such as Extra and the adaptation of Lethal Weapon.
In 2015, Nine concluded its collaboration with Warner Bros. Television, surrendering local rights to series like Arrow, Gotham, and 2 Broke Girls.
On 11 March 2015, Nine secured a content agreement with Nickelodeon, extending these rights through to 2023. Subsequently, on 2 April 2017, an additional deal was reached with NBCUniversal.
On 22 February 2020, Nine obtained exclusive broadcasting rights to films from DreamWorks Animation, ending an eight-year period during which these rights were held by Network 10 and Seven Network. This change occurred after NBCUniversal reestablished its relationship with DreamWorks, while Network 10 was acquired by Paramount Australia & New Zealand, providing access to content from brands including Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon.
The shared American content broadcast on Nine and Seven, including their digital subchannels, is acquired through partnerships with DreamWorks Animation, NBCUniversal Global Distribution, Warner Bros. Television Distribution / Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, Sony Pictures Television International / Sony Pictures Animation, and 20th Television / 20th Century Studios.
Similarly, the US programming shared between Nine and 10 is sourced via agreements with CBS Studios, United International Pictures, DreamWorks / DreamWorks Animation, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and Warner Bros. Television Distribution.
Nine and ABC also share US shows obtained from NBCUniversal Global Distribution / DreamWorks Animation, Warner Bros. Television Distribution, 20th Television, 20th Century Studios / Regency Enterprises, and Sony Pictures Television International.
Discontinued programs
In the past, the network aired content from Nickelodeon (2015–2022), Miramax (2016–2024), Paramount (2016–2024), Illumination (2017–2025), and NBCUniversal (2017–2025).
Background
Nine Network's news division, known as Nine News (previously National Nine News), held the position as Australia's leading news broadcaster for many years until Seven overtook it in the mid-2000s. By late 2013, Nine had reclaimed its status as the nation's top news provider.
The network delivers a variety of news programs including Today, Today Extra, Weekend Today, Today Early News, 9News Morning, 9News Afternoon, 9News: First at Five, local nightly editions of 9News, regional bulletins under the banner NBN News serving Northern New South Wales and the Gold Coast, and since March 2020, national late-night newscasts titled Nine News Late.
Its current affairs schedule includes weekday and Saturday editions of A Current Affair, Monday’s investigative series Under Investigation, as well as Sunday night’s flagship show 60 Minutes. Up until mid-2018, Nine also aired ABC's Good Morning America during weekday overnight hours and Sunday mornings.
Starting in 2008, Nine broadened its news coverage by introducing weekend editions of Today, extending the weekday program to air from 05:30 to 09:00, launching Nine Early News, rebranding National Nine News to simply Nine News following a decline in ratings against Seven News, debuting Nine Late News which was later renamed Nightline, and renaming its 11am bulletin to Nine's Morning News, eventually shortened to a half-hour format from 2015 onward.
The network has enhanced its reporting teams across Australia while expanding correspondent roles for both news bulletins and current affairs shows such as A Current Affair and state-specific versions of Today.
In 2014, Nine transitioned its news website from ninemsn (now nine.com.au) to a dedicated platform at 9news.com.au.
After closing its European bureau in late 2008, Nine assigned journalists abroad to cover major European events while relocating its final European correspondent back to Melbourne. Reporters including Simon Bouda, Allison Langdon, Chloe Bugelly, Eddie Blake, Tim Arvier, and Brett McLeod have contributed to international coverage in countries like Greece, the United Kingdom, France, South Africa, Thailand, and the Czech Republic.
Since the 1980s, Nine News has used an adapted version of the "Eyewitness News" theme from the film Cool Hand Luke as its official theme music nationwide across all seven owned-and-operated stations. Until November 2021, NBN News employed a distinct theme but subsequently adopted the Nine News theme. This musical theme is also featured by Nine's radio division Nine Radio.
Sport
Channel Nine presents sporting content under the Wide World of Sports banner. Its premier sports coverage features the Australian Open Tennis and the National Rugby League (NRL). In New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, and Queensland, NRL matches are broadcast during prime time on Nine every Friday night. Meanwhile, in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, these prime time NRL fixtures are simultaneously aired on the multichannel 9Gem.
Additional significant events covered by Nine include the State of Origin series and netball. Since 2017, Nine has served as the primary broadcaster for netball in Australia, delivering two live Super Netball games each Saturday evening along with all Australia national netball team matches live on 9Gem.
In 2018, Nine lost the rights to cricket broadcasts, including Gillette Twenty20, Gillette Series Cricket, and Test cricket. The network previously held broadcasting rights for the Australian Football League until 2006 and for the Australian Swimming Championships until 2009. It also covered the 2006 Commonwealth Games and collaborated with Foxtel to broadcast both the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Notably, in 2010, Nine became Australia's pioneer free-to-air channel to transmit in 3D during the 2010 State of Origin series.
Nine secured exclusive rights to the Australian Open from 2020 through 2024 and extended this agreement until 2029 in 2022. In February 2023, Nine regained Olympic broadcasting rights spanning from the 2024 Summer Olympics to the 2032 Summer Olympics scheduled in Brisbane.
On 20 February 2024, Nine announced a major agreement to televise the Melbourne Cup along with the entire Melbourne Cup carnival from 2024 through 2029, significantly broadening its sports offerings.
Availability
The Nine Network is broadcast simultaneously in both standard definition and high definition digital formats. Its core programming is delivered via fibre from GTV Melbourne to affiliated stations and sister channels. Since 2012, national news and current affairs have been provided by TCN Sydney. Local news segments and advertisements tailored for metropolitan regions and Northern New South Wales are inserted by owned-and-operated stations including TCN Sydney, GTV Melbourne, QTQ Brisbane, NWS Adelaide, STW Perth, NTD Darwin, and NBN Northern NSW & Gold Coast. Regional audiences across Australia access programming through affiliates such as those owned by WIN Television, Seven West Media (GDS/BDN Spencer Gulf & Broken Hill), and Imparja Television. Additionally, Nine is accessible via satellite and cable platforms including Foxtel.
In 2013, Nine transitioned its captioning services from Red Bee Media to Ai-Media.
9HD
On 1 January 2001, coinciding with Australia's digital terrestrial TV launch, Nine introduced a high-definition simulcast of its main channel on channel 90. The channel was rebranded as a separate multichannel called 9HD on 17 March 2008 but reverted back to a simulcast format on 3 August 2009. This was later replaced by GEM on 26 September 2010. The 9HD simulcast was reinstated as a full 1080i HD broadcast on channel 90 starting from 26 November 2015, with 9Gem moving to standard definition on channel 92.
9Now
9Now serves as the Nine Network's on-demand and catch-up television platform, introduced on 27 January 2016 as the successor to 9Jumpin. The service also provides live broadcasts for Channel 9, 9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life, and 9Rush.
Logo and corporate identity
The Nine Network's emblem—a "9" numeral paired with nine dots arranged in a 3x3 matrix—is one of the most iconic logos in Australia.
In 1997, the dots were transformed into spheres but returned to their original dot form with a refreshed on-air look designed by Velvet mediendesign in 2001.
The logo has seen several revisions: spheres made a comeback in 2002 with a three-dimensional "9"; in 2006, to mark the network’s 50th anniversary, a blue square replaced the dots; partial dot reintroduction occurred in 2007; and by January 2008, the nine dots were fully restored along with the "we♥TV" tagline. This branding was initially launched in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Darwin but only reached Perth and Adelaide by March 2010 due to WIN Corporation’s ownership.
A short-lived rebrand in 2008 featured a completely 3D logo with translucent discs accompanied by "Smile" from The Supernaturals as the theme music. By February 2009, the dots reverted to a flat design until September when spheres returned alongside the original "Welcome Home" slogan and the renowned "Still The One" theme. The smaller dot arrangement from 2001 was reinstated across all regions by March 2010.
On 4 September 2024, Nine transitioned back from the three-dimensional logo to its original two-dimensional version during Today Show Australia.
Slogans
- Summer 1971/1972: Have a Happy Summer (exclusive to GTV-9)
- 1972: Get the Channel 9 Feeling!
- 1973: This is the Place to Be in '73
- Winter 1974: Come Home to Us This Winter (only on GTV-9)
- 1975–1976: Living Color
- 1977: Let Us Be The One (adapted from American Broadcasting Company's 1976 slogan)
- 1978, 1980 – December 2006, and from 7 November 2021 onwards: Still The One (also utilized by American Broadcasting Company in 1977 and 1979; WIN Television between 1989 and December 2006; NBN Television from 1994 to December 2006; and by GMV6, BTV6, VTV, and TasTV during the 1990s)
- 1979 – 14 May 2006: This is Channel 9
- 1979: We're The One (borrowed from American Broadcasting Company's 1978 campaign)
- 1980: The National Nine Network, First in Australia
- 16 September 1981: 25 Years of Television
- 1982: Number One For Me (used by GTV-9 / TCN-9 only)
- 1983: Come On Along (originated from American Broadcasting Company's 1982 slogan)
- 1985: Now is the Time, Channel Nine is the Place (exclusive to STW-9)
- 1985: Nine's For You (used by QTQ-9 exclusively)
- 1986: You'll Love It (limited to GTV-9, TCN-9, QTQ-9, and NWS-9)
- 1995: I am... We are Channel Nine People
- 1996: Celebrating 40 Years of Television, This is Channel Nine
- 1999–2000: New Millennium Television
- Summer of 2004/05 – until 29 January 2006: Feel Good Summer
- From 14 May 2006 to 30 November 2007: Channel Nine
- Between 1 December 2007 and 31 January 2009: we♥TV
- From February to September of 2009: Choose Nine
- Between late September 2009 and December 2017: Welcome Home
- Since 2014: Love This City (specific to QTQ-9)
- On its sixtieth anniversary, dated 16 September 2016: Celebrating 60 Years of Television, Happy Birthday, Channel Nine
- Christmas and New Year promotional campaigns spanning from 2016 through to 2018
- From October of 2016 onward: We Lo♥e It (exclusive to NBN)
- Between Christmas Eve of 2017 and early November of 2021: We Are The One
Incidents
In March 2021, Thomas Sewell, who leads a neo-Nazi organization, along with an accomplice recorded an event at the Channel Nine studios in Melbourne during which Sewell assaulted a security officer. He faced legal charges including affray, reckless injury, and assault.