Business Agenda SA
| File:Nine Network logo.svg Logo used since 2012 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | September 16, 1956 in Sydney, Australia |
| Founder | Frank Packer |
| Headquarters | Docklands, Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Hugh Marks (CEO) |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
| Owner | Nine Entertainment |
| Website | 9now |
Nine Network (branded as 9Network and frequently referred to as Channel Nine or simply Nine) 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 channels.
Between 2017 and 2021, the network used the slogan "We Are the One". From 2021 onwards, it reinstated its iconic tagline 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 but ahead of ABC TV, Network 10, and SBS.
Origins
The inaugural station of Nine Network, TCN-9, commenced transmissions in Sydney on 16 September 1956. This station was owned by The Daily Telegraph publisher Frank Packer. John Godson played a key role in launching the channel, while former advertising professional Bruce Gyngell hosted This Is Television, recognized as Australia's first television program. Later that year, Melbourne's GTV-9 began broadcasting to coincide with the 1956 Summer Olympics. Brisbane's QTQ-9 and Adelaide's NWS-9 joined in 1959 to establish the National Television Network, which formed the basis for what is now known as Nine Network.
By 1967, the network adopted the name National Nine Network, later shortened to Nine Network Australia in 1987. Control passed to Kerry Packer after he inherited the company in 1974. Prior to Australia's official introduction of colour television on 1 March 1975, Nine was a pioneer in regular colour broadcasts beginning in 1971—the same year that NTD-8 Darwin started operations.
In 1967, Nine secured exclusive broadcasting rights for the New South Wales Rugby Football League grand final with a $5,000 deal, marking the first live nationwide telecast of any football grand final.
Perth’s station STW-9, which launched in 1965, became part of Nine’s owned-and-operated group after Alan Bond acquired the network for A$1 billion in 1987, effective from 1988. However, due to federal cross-media ownership restrictions limiting national coverage, Bond sold STW-9 to Sunraysia Television for A$95 million in 1989. Following Bond's bankruptcy in 1992, control of Nine—including Brisbane’s Channel 9—was restored to Kerry Packer.
On 1 March 2011, GTV 9 Melbourne transitioned from its previous location at 22 Bendigo Street, Richmond—a building formerly home to the Wertheim Piano Factory and Heinz Soup Factory—to new premises at 717 Bourke Street, Docklands. The original Bendigo Street site has since been converted into luxury residential apartments.
1977–2006
In 1977, Nine introduced the slogan "Let Us Be The One" and solidified its status as Australia's leading free-to-air network with National Nine News becoming the highest-rated news program. The following year, it adopted "Still the One" as its tagline, which remained until ratings declined around 2006. The network experienced peak viewership during the 1980s but faced competition from Seven between 1999 and 2001 before regaining momentum after its coverage of the September 11 attacks. By 1991, Nine had established its current brand identity. The passing of CEO Kerry Packer in 2005 marked a difficult phase for the network. Digital terrestrial television was launched on 1 January 2001.
2006–2008
During 2003–04, Nine held a commanding lead in ratings, securing victory in 77 out of 80 weeks. However, challenges emerged in 2005 when Seven revamped its programming lineup. Although Nine maintained an overall lead that year, Seven News surpassed National Nine News for the first time, and Today was overtaken by Seven's Sunrise. The decline continued into 2006, with Nine's ratings dropping further and only managing to prevail due to its broadcast of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Nine unveiled a new logo that eliminated the signature nine dots; this decision was partially reversed in 2007 by introducing a rotating three-dimensional cube featuring the dots.
In October 2007, David Gyngell returned as CEO, taking over from Eddie McGuire. Despite some successful programs, Seven dominated most weeks in 2007, winning 38 compared to Nine’s two. That same year, Nine expanded its reach into Northern New South Wales through the acquisition of NBN Television, which continued operating as an independent Nine affiliate under CEO Deborah Wright.
2008–2014
In 2008, Nine Network underwent a rebranding with the introduction of a new CGI logo incorporating the nine dots while removing the blue box. After losing audience share to Seven News, Nine revamped its news service as Nine News, regaining viewers early that year. The network achieved significant success with Underbelly, attracting over 2.5 million viewers during its initial season. Focusing on younger audiences, Nine ranked first within key demographics aged 18–49 and 25–54, despite Seven leading in total viewership numbers.
March 2008 saw the launch of Nine’s high-definition channel, Nine HD, which aired on channel 90 until its closure in 2010.
In 2009, strong ratings were driven by Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities and coverage of Twenty20 Cricket (with rights lost in 2018), although Nine struggled against Network Ten’s MasterChef Australia. Efforts to enhance local content through reality shows such as Ladette to Lady and The Apprentice Australia failed to meet expectations. The network broadened its news offerings with late-night bulletins and weekend editions of Today, though flagship evening news at 6:00 pm declined in all markets except Melbourne.
In August 2009, Nine introduced digital multi-channel GO! on Channel 99, targeting younger viewers. GO! contributed to multiple weekly ratings victories. The network adopted the slogan "Welcome Home" and refreshed its on-air graphics, benefiting from renewed success with programs like Nine News, Today, 60 Minutes, as well as revivals such as Hey Hey It's Saturday and Sea Patrol.
The year 2010 saw Nine secure exclusive rights for Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks coverage, with GO! leading digital channel shares that year. On 26 September 2010, the network launched its third digital channel GEM (General Entertainment and Movies) on Channel 90.
In 2011, Nine positioned itself as the "Home of Comedy," airing popular shows including Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, alongside live comedy series like Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth, which was canceled after three episodes due to poor ratings. Attempts to revive shows such as This Is Your Life also failed to maintain audience interest. Nevertheless, ratings improved in the latter half of the year with programs like The Block, Underbelly: Razor, and The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. The ninth season of Two and a Half Men attracted approximately 2.3 million viewers, dominating weekly ratings alongside strong performances from The Big Bang Theory. Despite these successes, Nine finished second in overall ratings for 2011 with a 19.6% share behind Seven Network’s 23.1%.
On 24 November 2011, Nine revealed its 2012 programming slate emphasizing reality television, including an Australian edition of The Voice, the return of Big Brother, along with shows like Excess Baggage and The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. The network also covered the 2012 Summer Olympics. A new morning program titled Mornings—now known as Today Extra—replaced Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s long-running show.
On 26 March 2012, Nine launched Extra, focusing on home shopping along with brand-sponsored religious, community, educational, and multicultural content from advertisers. Its timeshift service Extra 2 was introduced on 28 March 2013. This expansion came at the expense of programming quality on sister channel 9Gem.
Nine refreshed its visual branding on 15 April 2012 with an updated logo featuring lighter shades of blue and increased white gradients while preserving brand colors established since 2003.
By mid-2012, speculation arose regarding a possible takeover bid for Nine Entertainment by telecommunications firm Telstra and WIN Television CEO Bruce Gordon amid the network’s financial difficulties involving over A$3.3 billion in debt.
In June and July of 2013, Nine regained ownership of Adelaide affiliate NWS-9 and Perth affiliate STW-9 by purchasing them from WIN Corporation, marking their first time as owned-and-operated stations since the 1980s.
On 8 November 2013, FIXPlay merged into Jump-in, which was rebranded as 9Jumpin in May 2014; this platform combined catch-up television services with interactive social media features.
As of 10 December 2013, analogue transmissions were discontinued by Nine as it fully transitioned to digital broadcasting platforms.
On 27 January 2014, Nine replaced the Supertext closed captioning logo with its own branding. [[File:Nine Network, Docklands.jpg|thumb|Nine Network headquarters located in Docklands]
2014–2019
In November 2015, Nine reintroduced 9HD, a high-definition simulcast of its main channel on channel 90, alongside the launch of the lifestyle channel 9Life on channel 94. Concurrently, GEM was rebranded as 9Gem, downgraded to standard definition, and shifted to channel 92; GO! became 9Go! and moved to channel 93. On 16 December 2015, Nine refreshed its on-air branding to establish a cohesive look across all channels while preserving the Nine News/9news.com.au identity. That same month, Hugh Marks succeeded David Gyngell as CEO.
On 27 January 2016, Nine discontinued its catch-up platform 9Jumpin and introduced 9Now, which broadened content availability and incorporated live streaming for 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 violated their affiliation contract; however, the court dismissed the case in April 2016, ruling that live streaming did not constitute broadcasting under the agreement.
Following this legal success, Nine secured a $500 million, five-year affiliation agreement with Southern Cross Austereo on 29 April 2016. Effective from 1 July 2016, Southern Cross replaced WIN Television as Nine’s primary regional partner, adopting metropolitan-style branding consistent with Nine. Additional affiliate agreements were reached with Mildura Digital Television (a WIN-Prime joint venture), WIN for South Australia and Griffith, and TDT in Tasmania after negotiations concluded. A contract with Western Australia’s West Digital Television was finalized soon after the July deadline. Meanwhile, NBN was fully integrated into the Nine Network after ten years operating as an independent affiliate; while retiring the NBN logo, it retained its distinct news bulletin under the Nine News banner.
In June 2018, Nine partnered with Australian News Channel (ANC) to launch Your Money, a business-focused channel replacing Sky News Business Channel on Foxtel channel 601 and free-to-air channel 95, taking over from Extra. The channel ceased operations on 17 May 2019 due to insufficient advertising income and low viewership.
2019–present
In 2019, Nine Network ended a 12-year drought by winning the annual ratings for the first time since 2006, interrupting Seven Network's consecutive streak. This shift was largely due to Seven’s disappointing ratings and underwhelming new shows, with Married At First Sight outperforming My Kitchen Rules, which experienced its lowest audience figures ever. Consequently, Nine achieved its first quarterly ratings victory since 2009. The network’s annual audience share rose to 29.4%, an increase of 2.1% over the previous year, while Seven’s share declined to 29.0%.
Despite disruptions in programming caused by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020, Nine sustained a commanding lead in ratings. On 5 April 2020, Nine debuted 9Rush, created in partnership with Discovery Inc., targeting young adult male viewers through action and adventure reality content. Later that year, on 1 October 2020, Nine relaunched the channel Extra, following the closure of Your Money.
On 21 November 2020, Nine transitioned its Sydney production facilities from Willoughby to North Sydney after Mirvac acquired the Willoughby property for a residential development project comprising 460 new homes.
In March 2021, during live broadcasts in Sydney and Darwin, Nine experienced a ransomware attack involving MedusaLocker malware that disrupted programming schedules. This cyber incident coincided with attacks on Australia’s parliament and Taylors Wines; however, any direct connections remain unconfirmed.
On 12 March 2021, Nine announced it would renew its affiliation with WIN Television starting from 1 July 2021 under a minimum seven-year contract. This marked a reversal from its prior partnership with Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), which reverted to Network 10 affiliation. As part of this agreement, WIN commits half of its regional advertising revenue to Nine Entertainment Co., allocates advertising slots for Nine’s media properties across radio and television platforms, and manages ad sales for Nine’s owned stations NBN and NTD. CEO Hugh Marks emphasized the strategic advantages of extending premium content distribution and collaborating closely on both national and local news operations.
On 4 September 2024, the Today Show replaced the updated Nine Network logo introduced in 2012 (3D version) with the original flat (2D) logo used since 2008.
Australian-based programs
The Nine Network presents prominent annual occasions such as the ARIA Music Awards and Carols by Candlelight. Its News and Current Affairs division produces several bulletins alongside weekday morning shows like Today, Today Extra, and the weekend version, Weekend Today.
The channel features a broad range of entertainment drawn from both Australian and global sources. Notable Australian titles include 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, Snackmasters, Love Island Australia, and Jeopardy! Australia.
International programs
Nine acquires its international offerings through collaborations with leading studios such as Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Television, DreamWorks Animation, CBS Studios, Disney, MGM Television, among others.
Key American series broadcast on Nine have included sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and its spin-off, Young Sheldon. Other US dramas featured are the medical series Chicago Med and crime dramas such as Law & Order True Crime and Law & Order: Organized Crime. British imports include game shows like Pointless and Tipping Point. Soap operas from Sony Pictures, including Days of Our Lives and The Young and The Restless, are aired on Nine’s 9Gem channel.
Past US daytime talk shows that aired on Nine include The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2008–2021) and The View (2013–2021). The network also previously broadcast the adaptation of Lethal Weapon and the entertainment news series Extra until its 26th season.
In 2015, Nine concluded its partnership with Warner Bros. Television, which led to series such as Arrow, Gotham, and 2 Broke Girls migrating to other broadcasters.
Strategic content agreements encompass a 2015 deal with Nickelodeon securing programming rights through 2023, a 2017 contract with NBCUniversal Television Distribution, and in 2020, exclusive rights to DreamWorks Animation films following NBCUniversal’s renewed alliance with DreamWorks. This exclusivity resulted in DreamWorks content moving from Network 10 and Seven Network to Nine, influenced by Paramount Australia & New Zealand’s acquisition of Network 10.
Certain US programming shared between Nine and Seven, including their digital subchannels, is obtained through agreements with DreamWorks Animation, NBCUniversal Global Distribution, Warner Bros. Television Distribution, Sony Pictures Television International, and 20th Television/20th Century Studios.
Likewise, US content jointly broadcast on Nine and Network 10 stems from partnerships with CBS Studios, United International Pictures, DreamWorks/Animation, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and Warner Bros. Television Distribution.
Programs co-aired by Nine and ABC are sourced via collaborations involving NBCUniversal/DreamWorks Animation, Warner Bros. Television Distribution, 20th Television/20th Century Studios/Regency Enterprises, and Sony Pictures Television International.
Past programming
The channel formerly aired content from Nickelodeon (2015–2022), Miramax (2016–2024), Paramount (2016–2024), Illumination (2017–2025), and NBCUniversal (2017–2025).
Background
For many years, Nine Network's news division, known as Nine News (previously National Nine News), held the position as Australia's highest-rated news service until the mid-2000s when it was surpassed by Seven. By late 2013, Nine had reclaimed its status as the nation's leading news provider.
The network offers a variety of news programs such as Today, Today Extra, Weekend Today, Today Early News, 9News Morning, 9News Afternoon, along with regional nightly editions of 9News. Local bulletins for Northern New South Wales and the Gold Coast are broadcast under the name NBN News. Since March 2020, a national late-night bulletin called Nine News Late has been introduced.
In terms of current affairs, Nine airs weekday and Saturday editions of A Current Affair, the investigative series Under Investigation on Mondays, and the Sunday night program 60 Minutes. Up until mid-2018, the network also re-aired ABC's Good Morning America during weekday overnight hours and on Sunday mornings.
Starting in 2008, Nine expanded its news lineup with weekend editions of Today, extended weekday morning coverage from 05:30 to 09:00, launched Nine Early News, rebranded from National Nine News to simply Nine News in response to ratings challenges, introduced a late-night bulletin titled Nine Late News (later renamed Nightline), and revamped its 11 am news segment into a half-hour format from 2015 onward.
Significant investments were made to broaden news teams across the country and increase reporter numbers for both A Current Affair and state-specific editions of Today. Additionally, a dedicated weather presenter was appointed for Weekend Today.
In 2014, Nine News established an independent website at 9news.com.au, transitioning away from the ninemsn platform (now nine.com.au).
After closing its European bureau in 2008, Nine has continued to deploy correspondents internationally for major stories across Europe and other regions. Journalists including Simon Bouda, Allison Langdon, Chloe Bugelly, Eddie Blake, Tim Arvier, and Brett McLeod have reported from locations such as Greece, the United Kingdom, France, South Africa, Thailand, and the Czech Republic.
Since the 1980s, an adapted version of the "Eyewitness News" theme from the film Cool Hand Luke has served as Nine News' signature music across all its owned-and-operated stations nationwide. Until November 8, 2021, NBN News utilized a different theme but then adopted the standard Nine News theme. This theme is also used by Nine's radio network Nine Radio.
Sports
Channel Nine delivers sports content under the Wide World of Sports banner. Its key sports coverage includes the Australian Open Tennis, National Rugby League (NRL), previously cricket until rights were lost in 2018, and formerly Australian Football League (AFL) until 2006. NRL matches are broadcast in prime time on Friday nights in New South Wales, ACT, Northern Territory, and Queensland; in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, prime time NRL coverage is available on multi-channel 9Gem.
Other significant events covered include the State of Origin series and netball. Since 2017, Wide World of Sports has been Australia's home for netball, airing two live Super Netball games every Saturday evening plus all matches involving the Australia national netball team, including tournaments like the Constellation Cup and Netball Quad Series, all broadcast live on 9Gem.
Previously held rights included Gillette Twenty20 and Gillette Series Cricket up to 2018 and the Australian Swimming Championships until 2009. The network also broadcasted the 2006 Commonwealth Games and co-broadcasted with Foxtel for both the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics.
In 2010, Nine became Australia's first free-to-air broadcaster to transmit in 3D during the State of Origin series.
In 2018, Nine secured rights to air the Australian Open from 2020 through to 2024 and extended these rights until 2029 in a deal finalized in 2022. In February 2023, Nine regained Olympic broadcasting rights starting with the 2024 Summer Olympics through to the Brisbane Games in 2032.
On February 20, 2024, Nine announced exclusive broadcasting rights for the Melbourne Cup and associated carnival from 2024 through to 2029, marking a notable expansion within its sports portfolio.
Availability
The Nine Network broadcasts simultaneously in both standard and high-definition digital formats. Key programming is transmitted via fibre optic links from GTV Melbourne to its affiliated stations and partners, while TCN Sydney has been responsible for delivering national news and current affairs content since 2012. Local news segments and advertisements are inserted by affiliates, which serve metropolitan regions and Northern New South Wales through owned-and-operated outlets such as TCN Sydney, GTV Melbourne, QTQ Brisbane, NWS Adelaide, STW Perth, NTD Darwin, and NBN Northern NSW & Gold Coast. The network’s programming also reaches regional Australia via affiliates owned by WIN Television, Seven West Media (GDS/BDN Spencer Gulf & Broken Hill), and Imparja Television. Additionally, Nine is accessible through satellite and cable platforms including Foxtel.
In 2013, the network transitioned its captioning services from Red Bee Media to Ai-Media.
9HD
On 1 January 2001, coinciding with the introduction of digital terrestrial television in Australia, Nine Network launched a high-definition simulcast on channel 90. This was reintroduced as a separate multichannel named 9HD on 17 March 2008 but reverted back to a simulcast format on 3 August 2009. Subsequently, it was replaced by GEM on 26 September 2010. The 9HD channel was revived once more as a 1080i HD simulcast on 26 November 2015, with 9Gem moving to standard definition on channel 92.
9Now
Launched on 27 January 2016 as the successor to 9Jumpin, 9Now serves as Nine Network’s video-on-demand and catch-up television platform. It provides live streaming access for Channel 9 along with 9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life, and 9Rush.
Logo and corporate identity
The Nine Network’s emblem—a numeral "9" accompanied by nine dots arranged in a three-by-three grid—is among the most iconic logos in Australia.
In 1997, the dots were redesigned as spheres but reverted to their original dot form in 2001 with a new digital-era identity crafted by Velvet mediendesign.
On 1 September 2002, the logo again featured spherical dots alongside a three-dimensional numeral as part of the "7 colours for 7 days" campaign.
For its golden jubilee on 30 January 2006, Nine refreshed its logo by removing the dots entirely and enclosing the numeral within a blue square; this design was created by Bruce Dunlop Associates. The blue square became solid in January 2007; although the dots were partially reintroduced in May of that year, they were fully restored only in Perth and Adelaide by March 2010.
On 14 January 2008, Nine reinstated all nine dots with an updated design and adopted the tagline "we♥TV". This version initially launched across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Darwin but reached Perth and Adelaide only in March 2010 due to WIN Corporation ownership in those markets.
Later that year, a significant rebranding introduced a translucent three-dimensional version of the nine dots used briefly in four metropolitan areas. By February 2009, the dots returned to a flat appearance until September when they once again became spherical to align with the "Welcome Home" campaign and the revival of the "Still The One" theme. From March 2010 onward, smaller dots were deployed uniformly across all regions.
On 4 September 2024, Nine officially retired the three-dimensional logo variant during a broadcast of Today Show Australia, reverting to the original flat design introduced in 2008.
Slogans
- Summer 1971/1972: Enjoy a Happy Summer (exclusive to GTV-9)
- 1972: Experience the Channel 9 Vibe!
- 1973: The Place to Be in '73
- Winter 1974: Return Home to Us This Winter (exclusive to GTV-9)
- 1975–1976: Living Color
- 1977: Let Us Be Your Choice (adapted from American Broadcasting Company in 1976)
- 1978, 1980 – December 2006, 7 November 2021 – present: Still The One (also adopted by American Broadcasting Company in 1977 and 1979, WIN Television from 1989 until December 2006, NBN Television from 1994 to December 2006, and GMV6, BTV6, VTV, and TasTV throughout the 1990s)
- 1979 – 14 May 2006: This is Channel Nine
- 1979: We're The One (originated from American Broadcasting Company in 1978)
- 1980: The National Nine Network, Australia’s First
- 16 September 1981: Celebrating 25 Years of Television
- 1982: Number One For Me (used by GTV-9 / TCN-9 only)
- 1983: Come On Along (borrowed from American Broadcasting Company in 1982 and NBC’s song lyrics)
- 1985: Now is the Time, Channel Nine is the Place (also used by American Broadcasting Company in 1982) (exclusive to STW-9)
- 1985: Nine's For You (specific to QTQ-9)
- 1986: You'll Love It (from American Broadcasting Company in 1985) (applied to GTV-9, TCN-9, QTQ-9, and NWS-9)
- 1995: I am... We are Channel Nine People (inspired by CBS’s I am CBS Everyday People from 1994)
- 1996: Marking 40 Years of Television, This is Channel Nine
- 1999–2000: New Millennium Television
- Summer 2004/05 – 29 January 2006: Feel Good Summer
- 14 May 2006 – 30 November 2007: Channel Nine (also featured at promotional conclusions from January 2007 through January 2008)
- 1 December 2007 – 31 January 2009: we♥TV
- 1 February – 27 September 2009: Choose Nine
- 27 September 2009 – 23 December 2017: Welcome Home (adapted from CBS slogan used between 1996 and 1999)
- Since 2014: Love This City (exclusive to QTQ-9)
- On 16 September 2016: Celebrating Six Decades of Television, Happy Birthday Channel Nine
- Christmas seasons from 2016 to 2018: Merry Christmas
- New Year’s Day in both 2017 and 2018: Happy [Year]
- From October 2016 onward: We Lo♥e It (used only by NBN)
- Between 24 December 2017 and 7 November 2021: We Are The One
Incidents
In March of 2021, Thomas Sewell, who leads a neo-Nazi organization, along with an accomplice, recorded an event at the Channel Nine Melbourne studios during which Sewell assaulted a security officer. He faced charges including affray, reckless injury causing, and assault.