WIN Corporation
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media, Broadcasting, Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Bruce Gordon |
| Headquarters | Wollongong , Australia |
Area served | Regional Australia |
Key people | Bruce Gordon (major shareholder) |
| Products | Free-to-air and subscription television, television content production, radio broadcasting, telecommunications |
| Owner | Bruce Gordon (majority owner) |
WIN Corporation is a privately held Australian media enterprise that owns various assets, including the WIN Television network, Crawford Productions, and multiple regional radio stations. Based in Wollongong, New South Wales, the company operates within sectors such as free-to-air and subscription television, television content production, radio broadcasting, and telecommunications.
Origins
The WIN brand began with the free-to-air channel WIN-4 in Wollongong, originally under the ownership of Television Wollongong Transmissions (TWT). In 1979, Rupert Murdoch divested his 76% share in TWT to Oberon Broadcasters, a private investment consortium that included Bruce Gordon. This transaction facilitated Murdoch’s acquisition of Sydney’s TEN-10. TWT was publicly listed on the Sydney Stock Exchange in 1985 as TWT Holdings Limited, with Gordon controlling 70% of shares. By 1992, Gordon took the company private again, establishing WIN Corporation.
Growth through aggregation and consolidation
During the late 1980s, the government’s regional television equalisation initiative (aggregation) allowed Gordon to expand by purchasing stations across regional Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania. By the end of the 1990s, WIN had incorporated a South Australian station and launched one in Western Australia, consolidating these into the WIN Network, which currently serves approximately 4.842 million viewers in regional Australia.
Throughout the late 1990s and into the 2000s, under Bruce Gordon's guidance, WIN acquired interests in Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL), Network Ten, and TPG Telecom (formerly SP Telemedia), which owned Nine affiliate NBN Television.
In August 2005, WIN secured a controlling 50.1% share in satellite subscription provider SelecTV; however, due to stagnant subscriber numbers and significant debt burdens, SelecTV entered voluntary administration in February 2011.
In 2007, WIN expanded by acquiring Channel Nine Perth for $163 million and Channel Nine Adelaide for $105 million. The Adelaide station was sold back to Nine Entertainment Co. for $140 million in June 2013, while WIN later repurchased the Perth station. In October 2015, WIN acquired a 14% equity stake in Nine Entertainment from Apollo Investment Fund.
WIN also ventured into other media areas, holding a 50% interest in the Australian Poker League from 2008 until divesting in 2012. In digital media investments, WIN increased its shareholding in Quickflix to 18.4% in 2009 but reduced its stake to 3.5% by 2014 before Quickflix entered voluntary administration in 2016.
Furthermore, WIN maintained a long-standing partnership with Village Roadshow through a joint venture operating a Tasmanian cinema chain until 2013; this collaboration managed four cinemas under the 'Village Cinemas' brand.
Current status
In early 2006, WIN Corporation purchased a 25% interest in the St. George Illawarra Dragons from the Illawarra Steelers for $6.5 million. By August 2018, WIN acquired the Steelers’ remaining 25% stake for an undisclosed amount, thereby increasing its ownership to half of the club.
On 23 May 2016, WIN Television entered into a five-year affiliation agreement with Network Ten commencing on 1 July 2016. Prior to this arrangement, WIN was affiliated with Nine Network, which in April 2016 established a revenue-sharing partnership with Southern Cross Austereo.
WIN continues to maintain strong connections with local communities through long-term naming rights agreements for the Dragons’ Wollongong home venue, WIN Stadium, as well as the adjacent WIN Entertainment Centre, which hosts basketball team Illawarra Hawks.
In June 2019, WIN Corporation closed several regional news bureaus across New South Wales and Queensland locations including Orange, Wagga Wagga, Albury, and Hervey Bay.
On 13 February 2025, Network 10 announced intentions to acquire NRN from WIN Television as part of ongoing regional media realignment.
Television
- WIN Television
- RTQ in Queensland
- WIN serving Southern New South Wales
- VTV located in Victoria
- TVT based in Tasmania
- AMN/MTN Griffith, covering Seven Griffith, Nine Griffith, and 10 Griffith
- STV in Mildura
- SES/RTS and MGS/LRS in South Australia, broadcasting Seven SA, Nine SA, and 10 SA
- WOW operating in Western Australia
- Mildura Digital Television, a 50% joint venture with Seven West Media
- Tasmanian Digital Television, co-owned equally with Seven West Media
- West Digital Television, held as a 50% partnership with Seven West Media
- A 15.24% ownership stake in Nine Entertainment Co.
Radio
WIN Corporation possesses two FM radio outlets within New South Wales:
- i98FM serving the Wollongong and Illawarra regions (call sign 2WIN, frequency 98.1 MHz)
- C91.3FM broadcasting to Campbelltown (call sign 2MAC, frequency 91.3 MHz)
Other assets
- Ownership of Crawford Productions
- Digital Distribution Australia under their portfolio
- A 15.6% equity interest in Broadcast Services Australia
- Holding a 1.5% share in TPG Telecom
- A 50% ownership stake in the St George Illawarra Dragons rugby league team