Let’s be realistic here: Nine will NEVER completely dump their current logo because of the debacle that was 2006-08 not just in branding, but also programing/ratings.
Maybe Nine could do with an On-Air Presentation refresh next year to keep things fresh since their current branding is almost three years old, but any speculation about a logo change at Nine (or Seven, the ABC or SBS for that matter) is a non-starter IMO. Just not going to happen.
On a programing note, I think we’ll see a mostly unchanged lineup except for things like the non-return of The NRL (and possibly also AFL) Footy Show. Probably the last year for The Voice due to declining ratings. The upcoming 2nd season will be a crutial one for Family Food Fight. If FFF rates like it did last year, it won’t be on our screens in 2019.
The sporting lineup is reasonable enough, but the questions that need to be asked most about Nine in 2019 are related to news & current affairs:
*Does Karl Stefanovic need to be shown the door?
*Does Georgie Gardner enjoy her role on Today or would she prefer to be the 2nd in-line presenter for Nine News Sydney again?
*Will 2019 be Peter Hitchener’s final year? If so, who’ll be the lead presenter of Melbourne’s #1 news in a new decade?
*Does Nine News need to appoint a meteorologist as their lead forecaster in Sydney & Melbourne if the 6pm bulletins are to remain #1 in the long run?
*How much of an effect are the “Sponsorship” segments (Officeworks, Vodafone, Suncorp, Industry Fund Services) having on the credibility of the Nine News brand?
*Does Tracy Grimshaw need to be doing more regular interviews for A Current Affair? Despite the promises made in previous years, you could probably count on one hand the number of major interviews (which to be fair, are generally of a higher standard that ACA’s usual content) we’ve seen Trace do in a year.
*Is the current promotional strategy for Nine’s news/current affairs department effective enough? Nine have long been very good at promoting their news & current affairs lineup, but we haven’t seen the same amount of “major promo launches” that we did even a few years ago. Sure, the “chatting up Peter Overton” series of promos (the spots with Brian Henderson were a stroke of genius) for Nine News Sydney which aired back in February was great, but there hasn’t really been much else since. You’d think with Overton marking 10 years in the Sydney newschair next year, TCN would be smart enough to capitalise on this in their “Peter Overton Returns” Promos for 2019?
And perhaps most importantly…
*Is Nine at risk of losing any of its best news/current affairs talent (whether it be veterans or up and comers) to a rejuvenated Ten?
Those points (and more) are things I’d be bringing up if I was in a Nine Network board meeting and the subject of news/current affairs came up.