Seven West Media
| Company type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Kerry Stokes (Chairman), Don Voelte (former CEO), Tim Worner (former CEO) |
| Products | Broadcast television, radio, print, digital publishing |
| Owner | Seven Group Holdings Ltd (largest shareholder) |
Seven West Media Limited is a media corporation listed on the ASX and stands as Australia's most extensive diversified media entity, with major interests spanning broadcast television, radio, print, and digital publishing.
The company owns the Seven Network, which ranks as the nation's second-largest commercial television network in terms of audience reach and advertising revenue. Its portfolio of print publications features The West Australian, The Sunday Times, along with the Community Newspaper Group.
Seven Group Holdings Ltd (SGH), under the control of Australian Capital Equity, holds the position of the largest shareholder in Seven West Media, possessing shares valued at over $1 billion as well as $250 million in convertible preference shares (CPS).
The West Australian
From the 1920s, the newspaper was under the ownership of West Australian Newspapers Ltd (WAN), a publicly traded company. In 1969, WAN was acquired by Melbourne-based The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd (HWT), which managed its publication until 1987. That year, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation took control of HWT. Subsequently, News Corporation sold WAN to Bell Group, owned by Robert Holmes à Court. In 1988, control shifted to Alan Bond's Bond Corporation after it acquired Bell Group. Following Bond Corporation's collapse, a new entity named West Australian Newspapers Holdings purchased the paper from receivership and launched an oversubscribed public offering worth $185 million.
In September 2007, WAN divested a 50% interest in the Hoyts Cinemas Group.
Kerry Stokes became chairman of West Australian Newspapers in 2009 after acquiring a 14.9% stake through Seven Network. He appointed Chris Wharton as CEO and Brett McCarthy as Editor.
Seven Media Group
Seven Network (Channel 7) commenced broadcasting on 4 November 1956 with stations in both Melbourne and Sydney, becoming one of Australia's primary five free-to-air networks.
Origin
Initially, Seven operated as independent stations across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. The first to broadcast on VHF7 was HSV-7 Melbourne, owned by The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, launching on 4 November 1956. Sydney's Amalgamated Television Services ATN-7 followed shortly after on 2 December.
TVW-7 Perth began transmissions in October 1959 as Perth’s inaugural commercial station, licensed to TVW7—a subsidiary of West Australian Newspapers. Shortly thereafter came Brisbane’s BTQ-7. In 1969, when Herald and Weekly Times acquired WA Newspapers, media regulations necessitated selling TVW 7; consequently, TVW Enterprises Pty Ltd was listed on the Perth Stock Exchange.
ADS-7 Adelaide also launched in October 1959 as the final capital city VHF7 station. In 1971, TVW Enterprises expanded by acquiring Adelaide's SAS 10. A frequency swap occurred in 1987 between ADS 7 and SAS-10, resulting in SAS-7.
Ownership transitions during the 1980s
In 1982, Perth entrepreneur Robert Holmes à Court, through Bell Group, assumed control of TVW Enterprises. Meanwhile, The Herald and Weekly Times—owners of HSV-7 and ADS-7—were sold to Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited in December 1986. Subsequently, News Limited sold HSV to Fairfax for $320 million and ADS-7 to Frank Lowy’s Northern Star group (owners of Network Ten stations).
Under Fairfax’s ownership, local programming decreased in favor of networked content from Sydney’s ATN-7. In 1987, Fairfax divested its stations to Qintex Ltd., controlled by Christopher Skase, who had previously consolidated Queensland stations before taking full control of the network.
Qintex introduced a new brand identity in 1988 alongside launching Home and Away and updating Seven News. Skase further expanded the network by acquiring Bell Group’s two stations for $130 million, establishing Australia’s first fully owned national Channel 7 network covering five mainland metropolitan areas.
Following Qintex’s unsuccessful $1.5 billion bid for MGM Studios, it entered receivership in 1989. Skase fled Australia in 1990 to avoid extradition proceedings. The network’s assets were reorganized into Seven Network Limited in 1991.
Kerry Stokes' Entry
In 1993, the network returned to the stock market, with News Limited owning 14.9% and Telstra holding 10%. Two years later, Kerry Stokes purchased a 19.9% stake and was appointed chairman, subsequently naming Alan Jackson as CEO in the late 1990s. Following the acquisition of Sunshine Television, a Seven affiliate serving regional Queensland, the stations fully adopted Seven Network's branding and programming. By 1998, Seven Queensland had secured top position in annual audience ratings for the first time.
The year 2000 saw Seven serve as the official broadcaster for the Sydney Olympics and unveil a refreshed logo. In 2003, Stokes appointed David Leckie as CEO and Peter Meakin to lead News and Current Affairs. January 2006 marked the formation of Yahoo!7, a collaboration between Seven Network, Pacific Magazines, and Yahoo! Australia/New Zealand that merged their online platforms into Australia's premier internet portal. This partnership expanded into online and IPTV services. Seven also invested in broadband initiatives such as wireless broadband provider Unwired, VOIP service Engin, and acquired Australian rights to TiVo, which launched in 2008. Additionally, it holds a strategic 20% ownership in West Australian Newspapers Ltd.
Since 2007, Seven Network has consistently outperformed competitors Nine Network, Network Ten, ABC, and SBS in Australian television ratings. In 2011, it achieved an unprecedented sweep by winning all 40 weeks of the ratings season since OZtam's inception in 2001. By 2014, Seven ranked as the second-largest network based on population reach.
As of 2014, Kerry Stokes controlled 68% of Seven Network, which operates commercial free-to-air stations in major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, regional Queensland, and Perth. Combined with a 33% share in Sky News Australia, the network reaches approximately 98% of Australians. Seven also owns Pacific Magazines, representing over one-fifth of magazine sales nationwide as of that year.
In 2006, Seven Network partnered with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) to establish Seven Media Group—a diversified media enterprise encompassing broadcast television, magazines, and digital platforms.
On 15 September 2007, Seven Media Group announced the launch of 7HD, a high-definition multichannel service. By the end of that year, Seven Network had become Australia's most-viewed network, dominating both morning and prime-time viewing periods.
Seven West Media
On 21 February 2011, Seven Media Group revealed plans to merge with West Australian Newspapers Holdings Limited (WAN), which acquired Seven Media Group from Seven Group Holdings and private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. The combined company was named Seven West Media. WAN shareholders approved this acquisition on 11 April 2011. In May 2013, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts divested its remaining 12% interest in Seven West Media.
In May 2020, Seven West Media divested Pacific Magazines to Bauer Media Group, including prominent lifestyle publications such as Marie Claire, Women's Health, Who, New Idea, and Home Beautiful.
Following Australian government legislation mandating payments from technology companies to news providers for content use, Seven West Media secured content agreements with Google and Facebook in February 2021 to support the viability of Australia's news sector.
On 18 August 2022, through its subsidiary Seven West Ventures, Seven West Media invested in View Media Group, expanding its footprint into real estate media businesses.
In June 2024, Seven West Media announced a reorganization into three core divisions—Television, Digital, and Western Australia—accompanied by workforce reductions of up to 150 positions aimed at improving operational efficiency.
In May 2025, Seven West Media agreed to purchase Southern Cross Austereo’s regional Seven Network affiliate stations covering Tasmania, Darwin, Spencer Gulf, Broken Hill, Mt Isa, and Remote Central and Eastern Australia for $3.75 million. The acquisition was finalized in July 2025.
Key people
Kerry Stokes AC serves as the Chairman of Seven West Media and simultaneously holds the chairmanship at Seven Group Holdings.
On 26 June 2012, Seven West Media revealed that former Nine Network executive David Leckie would shift from his role as CEO of Seven West Media to become executive director, media at Seven Group Holdings.
Don Voelte, previously CEO of Woodside and a director at Seven West Media, was appointed as CEO and managing director of Seven West Media. He subsequently transitioned to lead Seven Group Holdings, with Tim Worner taking over as CEO.
Television
- The Seven Network operates as an Australian commercial free-to-air primary television channel with stations located in:
- Sydney (ATN)
- Melbourne (HSV)
- Brisbane (BTQ)
- Adelaide (SAS)
- Perth (TVW)
- Tasmania (TNT)
- Darwin (TND)
- Regional Queensland (STQ)
- Southern New South Wales and ACT (CBN)
- Northern New South Wales and Gold Coast (NEN)
- Regional Victoria (AMV)
- Mildura (PTV)
- Regional Western Australia (GWN)
- Spencer Gulf South Australia and Broken Hill NSW (GTS/BKN)
- Mount Isa (ITQ)
- Remote Central and Eastern Australia (QQQ)
- Their digital multichannel offerings include:
- 7HD, a high-definition simulcast of the main channel
- 7two, designed for audiences aged 55 and over
- 7mate, targeting males between 16 and 54 years old
- 7Bravo, showcasing reality and true crime content
- 7flix, providing children’s programming, family shows, and films
- Racing.com, a standard definition channel co-owned alongside Racing Victoria
- 7plus, the network’s on-demand video and catch-up television platform
News and other
- Bloo, a business directory and website advertising service based in Western Australia
- Community Newspaper Group
- A 67% stake in Hybrid Television Services, the exclusive licensee of TiVo for Australia and New Zealand since 2008
- A portfolio of newspapers including The West Australian, The Nightly, and The Sunday Times
- Wjobs, an employment listings platform
- 23 regional newspapers and magazines under ownership
- Four statewide business directories
- Streetsmart and Travellers Atlas street directory publications
- Quarterly periodicals: Vita and Habitat & Lifestyle
- Two commercial printing facilities
- A regional radio network serving northern Western Australia