Nine Entertainment
| Company type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mass media, radio and television broadcasting, publishing, digital platforms |
| Predecessor | Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) |
| Founded | October 2006 (as PBL Media) |
| Founder | Packer family (original PBL) |
| Headquarters | North Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Mike Sneesby (CEO, 2021–2024), Catherine West (Chairman, 2024–present) |
| Products | Television broadcasting (Nine Network), radio (Nine Radio), newspapers (The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Australian Financial Review), digital portals (nine.com.au, 9Honey, Pedestrian), streaming platform (Stan), real estate classifieds (Domain Group) |
| Website | www |
Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited is an Australian publicly traded corporation with interests spanning mass media, radio and television broadcasting, publishing, and digital platforms. It operates under the unified brand name Nine.
The company primarily evolved from the former Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL), originally founded by the Packer family, who withdrew from the business in 2008. In 2010, the company adopted the Nine brand and experienced substantial growth following its merger with Fairfax Media in December 2018, diversifying its holdings across television, video-on-demand, print media, digital content, radio, and real estate classifieds.
Among Nine's principal assets are the Nine Network and Nine Radio; leading newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Australian Financial Review; digital properties such as nine.com.au, 9Honey, and Pedestrian; the streaming platform Stan; along with a controlling interest in the real estate website Domain Group.
History
The company traces its lineage to the well-established Australian media entity Australian Consolidated Press (ACP), founded by Sir Frank Packer, whose Channel 9 became Australia's inaugural commercial television station. Upon Sir Frank’s passing in 1974, control passed to Kerry Packer. In 1994, ACP merged with the Nine Network to establish Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd (PBL).
PBL Media
After Kerry Packer’s death in 2005, PBL was divided into two entities, transferring ownership of PBL Media—previously under PBL—to Consolidated Media Holdings (CMH).
PBL Media was launched in October 2006 when PBL contributed its media assets—including ACP Magazines, Nine Network, and ninemsn—to form a joint venture with CVC Asia Pacific. This $5.5 billion recapitalisation positioned it as Australia's largest diversified media conglomerate.
In June 2007, CVC acquired an extra 25% stake in PBL Media for $515 million, with the transaction completing at roughly $526 million by September 2007.
On 27 October 2008, representatives of James Packer and CMH resigned from PBL Media’s board, marking their exit from financial involvement. Subsequently, James Packer divested all his media holdings.
Nine Entertainment
Starting 2 December 2010, PBL Media rebranded itself as Nine Entertainment Company, consolidating Nine Television, Nine Magazines (ACP), Nine Digital (including ninemsn, Carsales, Cudo, Sky News), and Nine Events (such as Ticketek and Acer Arena) under a single corporate identity. In December 2011, following Tim Parker’s resignation, former McDonald's Australia CEO Peter Bush was appointed chairman. February 2013 saw David Haslingden—former President and COO of Fox Networks Group—join as an independent non-executive director and chairman.
Nine Entertainment was listed on the ASX in December 2013 as . Key shareholders at listing included Apollo Global Management, Oaktree Capital, and Goldman Sachs, who replaced CVC following a refinancing arrangement in 2012 when Nine faced potential receivership.
In 2014, Nine partnered with Fairfax Media to launch Stan, an online streaming service backed by a $50 million investment.
On 16 April 2015, to reduce debt and improve capital structure, Nine sold its Nine Live division to Affinity Equity Partners for $640 million. Later that year in October, WIN Corporation purchased a 14% shareholding in Nine Entertainment from Apollo.
Hugh Marks (2015–2020)
Hugh Marks was named CEO in November 2015, succeeding David Gyngell, who continued to serve on the board. In February 2016, Peter Costello assumed the role of chairman.
In March 2016, Nine Entertainment Co purchased a 9.9% share in Southern Cross Media Group from Macquarie Group. On 29 April 2016, Nine concluded its 27-year partnership with WIN Corporation and instead allied with Southern Cross Austereo across regional Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. This new arrangement granted Nine a 50% share of revenue, an increase from the prior 39% with WIN. Nine divested its stake in Southern Cross in September of the same year.
On 26 July 2018, Nine Entertainment Co and Fairfax Media announced a merger that formed Australia's largest media enterprise. Following the merger, Nine shareholders held 51.1% ownership while Fairfax shareholders controlled 48.9%. After completion in December 2018, WIN Corporation's ownership was diluted to 7.76%, later rising to 15.24%, resulting in an overall economic interest of 25% by September.
On 25 May 2020, Nine sold its New Zealand subsidiary Stuff, which had been acquired through Fairfax, to CEO Sinead Boucher for NZ$1. The transaction closed by the end of May, returning Stuff to New Zealand ownership. As part of this deal, Nine retained proceeds from the sale of Stuff Fibre to Vocus Group and maintained ownership of Stuff’s printing facilities in Wellington.
In November 2020, Hugh Marks stepped down following disclosure of a relationship with a former colleague. Subsequently, Nine Entertainment relocated its headquarters from Willoughby, where it had been based for 64 years, to new premises at 1 Denison Street, North Sydney in December 2020.
Mike Sneesby (2021–2024)
Mike Sneesby was appointed CEO of Nine Entertainment in March 2021, commencing his role on 1 April after Hugh Marks’ departure. On 12 March 2021, Nine announced it would restore its regional affiliation with WIN Television, ending a five-year partnership with SCA. Under this renewed agreement, WIN pays Nine half of advertising revenues and provides airtime for Nine’s content across its television and radio networks. This affiliation reverted on 1 July 2021. WIN’s distinct branding was gradually replaced by Nine’s metropolitan branding; however, WIN News maintained its original name and format.
On 15 September 2021, WIN’s advertising division merged into Nine’s sales team. From July 2022, Nine expanded its advertising platform 9Galaxy into regional markets, enabling advertisers in these areas to book directly through Nine for the first time.
In June 2024, Peter Costello resigned as chairman and was succeeded by Catherine West.
In September 2024, amid reports concerning a toxic workplace culture, Mike Sneesby announced his resignation as CEO, departing Nine Entertainment by the end of that month.
Television
- Nine Network, Australia’s leading commercial free-to-air broadcaster
- 9HD, high-definition simulcast of the main channel
- 9Gem, digital multichannel offering sport and entertainment content
- 9Go!, targeting viewers aged between 14 and 39
- 9Life, focusing on lifestyle and reality shows
- 9Rush, male-focused multichannel aimed at the 25-54 demographic (joint venture with WBD)
- 10 Darwin (50% joint venture with Seven West Media; affiliated with Network 10)
- 9Now, on-demand streaming and catch-up service for Nine’s channels
- Stan, subscription-based streaming platform
News, Talk, Sport
| Callsign | Frequency | Location | Debut Date | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2GB | 873 AM DAB+ 9B |
Sydney | Template:Launch date and age | News talk |
| 3AW | 693 AM DAB+ 9B |
Melbourne | Template:Launch date and age | News talk |
| 4BC | 882 AM DAB+ 9B |
Brisbane | Template:Launch date and age | News talk |
| 6PR | 882 AM DAB+ 9B |
Perth | Template:Launch date and age | News talk |
Music
Stations managed under lease agreements by Ace Radio:
| Station | Frequency | Call-sign | Location | Debut Date | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2UE | 954 AM DAB+ 9A |
2UE | Sydney | Template:Launch date and age | Oldies |
| Magic 1278 | 1278 AM DAB+ 9B |
3EE | Melbourne | Template:Launch date and age | Oldies |
| 4BH | 1116 AM DAB+ 9B |
4BH | Brisbane | Template:Launch date and age | Oldies |
Nine Digital
- News portal: 9News.com.au
- Web portal: Nine.com.au featuring brands such as:
- 9Entertainment
- 9Finance
- 9Honey (targeted at women)
- 9Product Review
- 9Travel
- Future Women platform
- Pedestrian Group digital media company
- Online sports brand: Nine's Wide World of Sports
Nine Publishing
- Australian Financial Review, a newspaper with subscription-based website and magazine supplements:
- The Australian Financial Review Magazine
- BOSS
- Life & Leisure
- Luxury
- Brisbane Times, a subscription news website
- The Age, newspaper and subscription-based website
- The Sydney Morning Herald, newspaper with subscription website and magazine inserts:
- Good Weekend
- Good Food
- Traveller
- Sunday Life
- WAtoday, subscription news platform
Other businesses
- Financial services platform: 9Saver
- Advertising buying platform for SMEs: 9Voyager
- Property listings and services through majority ownership (59.2%) of Domain Group
Former assets
- Magazine publisher Australian Consolidated Press (Australia, NZ, Asia, UK); divested to Bauer Media Group in 2012
- Newspaper publisher Australian Community Media; sold in 2019
- Group buying site Cudo, co-launched with Microsoft; sold to Deals.com.au in 2013
- Fairfax Events and Entertainment division; transferred to Ironman group in 2019
- Find a Babysitter website; ownership transferred to co-founders in 2021
- RSVP online dating platform; management buyout completed in 2021
- New Zealand publisher/digital company Stuff Ltd; sold in 2020
- Sydney Super Dome entertainment venue; sold to Affinity Equity Partners in 2015
- Event ticketing company Ticketek; divested to Affinity Equity Partners in 2015
- Minority stake (33%) in Sky News Australia; sold to News Corp Australia in 2016
- Divestment of Southern Cross Media Group shares (9.9%) completed in 2016
- Weather information provider Weatherzone (75% stake); sold to DTN in 2019
External links
- Articles with short description
- Nine Entertainment
- 2013 initial public offerings
- Companies based in Sydney
- Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange
- CVC Capital Partners companies
- Mass media companies of Australia
- Television broadcasting companies of Australia
- Australian companies established in 2006
- Mass media companies established in 2006