9Now is streaming the 2026 Australian Open swimming comp live from the Gold Coast. The three day event began yesterday. Did Nine promote it to viewers at all?
A post was merged into an existing topic: Nine Tennis Coverage
Netball back on Nine
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If only the heads at Supercars understood where âgrowthâ comes from; âNetball Australia chair Liz Ellis said the move from the pay TV operator to a free-to-air broadcaster was critical for the sport to increase its exposure.â
As wonderful and exciting as PayTV is for sporting organisationâs cause itâs a windfall of quick cash, it doesnât grow B rated sports, it hinders their growth, and causes longer term damage.
well done netball listening to the fans and placing it back on FTA!!
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Next yearâs Netball World Cup overlaps with the closing weeks of the NRL and NRLW seasons, so Nine will be very busy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
My early prediction is that some Netball World Cup will go to Stan.
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NINE GROUP WINS NETBALL RIGHTS, BUILDING THE HOME OF AUSTRALIAâS BIGGEST PARTICIPATION SPORTS AND WOMENâS SPORT
FIVE-YEAR DEAL DELIVERS BIGGEST FREE-TO-AIR FOOTPRINT IN NETBALL HISTORY
Nine Group has announced a new five-year partnership with Netball Australia, securing all broadcast and streaming rights to Suncorp Super Netball, all Australian Diamonds matches and the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027, from 1 January 2027.
The agreement further strengthens the Groupâs position as the home of Australiaâs biggest participation sports and reinforces the Groupâs continued investment in womenâs sport.
The partnership adds one of the countryâs most played and most loved sports to a growing portfolio spanning rugby league, rugby union, football, basketball and tennis - the games Australians grow up with, follow passionately and pass through generations.
The agreement comes as audience demand, attendance and commercial investment in womenâs sport continue to gather momentum in Australia and globally.
Nine Group Managing Director, Streaming and Broadcast, Amanda Laing said: âWeâre building a portfolio around the sports Australians care most deeply about, and netball belongs in that company. It is woven through schools, suburbs and regional towns across the country, with passionate fans and strong community roots.
"For viewers, this means more access, broader reach and premium coverage across 9Network, 9Now and Stan Sport - from Suncorp Super Netball through to every Diamonds match and a home World Cup in 2027.
"We believe womenâs sport is one of the strongest growth stories in media, and this partnership is another important step in our commitment to back it with real platforms, real visibility and real ambition.
"Weâre looking forward to helping grow the game and bringing more Australians closer to it than ever before.â
Under the new agreement, fans will be able to watch matches live on 9Now and Stan Sport, with a significant slate of premium coverage also available free-to-air across the 9Network, including some Super Netball matches each round, all Finals Series matches, all Diamonds internationals, and key matches from the Netball World Cup 2027, including Diamonds matches, the semi-finals and final.
This broadcast deal creates a bigger platform for the sport, its athletes and commercial partners as netball enters a defining growth phase.
Netball Australia Chair Liz Ellis AO said: âThere is tremendous synergy between our vision to showcase an Australia that is Made in Netball and Nineâs corporate vision that Australia Belongs Here. Nine has leveraged the opportunity to make a real and meaningful investment into netball when the competition for womenâs sport is intensifying. We are so excited about the future ahead and what this partnership can deliver for the entire ecosystem.â
Netball Australia CEO Stacey West said: âNine was the foundation broadcaster of the Suncorp Super Netball League ten years ago and itâs wonderful for us to partner once again to showcase the best netballers in the world, playing in the worldâs best netball league. We have heard consistently from our fans that they want to see more netball content.
"This sport matters to fans right across our country and for them to be able to watch it together and celebrate their heroes is what creates the magic moments that deepen connections with our game. On behalf of Netball Australia, we thank Nine for their belief and trust in us and we look forward to delivering strong business outcomes for each other.â
This also positions Nine as a leading destination for womenâs sport, with the Groupâs rights portfolio already including the recently announced WTA Tour, NRLW, WNBL, WSL, womenâs rugby including Super W, swimming and athletics - showcasing some of the worldâs best female athletes.
The agreement adds Netball to one of Australiaâs strongest live sport portfolios across the Group, spanning the NRL, State of Origin, Wallabies and Super Rugby, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, premium year-round Grand Slam tennis, the Olympic Games, and a growing suite of womenâs sport.
This is the latest step in Nineâs strategy to build Australiaâs leading Sport and Entertainment company. Further coverage details and broadcast schedules will be announced closer to commencement.
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That will be the case - Nine promises the bare minimum of FTA exposure.
Donât know where the âbiggest FTA footprintâ comes from - itâs still the same expected matches.
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Back to the future
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The 2023 edition only had both semi-finals and the final broadcast on SBS (Fox had the full tournament), and both 2015 and 2019 saw just the Australian matches broadcast on FTA, so guaranteeing all Australian matches, both semi-finals, and the final is actually an increase in previous coverage. Plus the word âincludingâ may further suggest other matches could be broadcast as well.
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From Netball Australia and Sunshine Coast Lightning
Netball Australia secure five-year broadcast deal
Netball Australia has today announced a five-year media rights partnership with Nine, paving the way for netballâs largest ever free-to-air footprint.
Under the five-year agreement from 2027 to 2031, Nine will broadcast every Suncorp Super Netball match and all Australian Diamonds matches across one or more of the 9Network, 9Now and Stan Sport.
Sunshine Coast Lightning Chief Executive Justin Pascoe endorsed the deal, noting the positivity it will bring for Netball.
âThis new broadcast deal announced today will be enormous for the growth of Netball not only on the Sunshine Coast but around the country,â he said.
âThe more eyeballs on the game helps the game across a broad spectrum of areas but in particular, the athletes and corporate sponsors, who will enjoy increased exposure thanks to the Nine network.
âWe at the Sunshine Coast Lightning are excited for what the new broadcast deal will bring for the game of Netball.â
Nine will also showcase the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027. Netball Australiaâs partnership with a leading Australian free-to-air commercial broadcaster and multi-asset media business delivers a significant platform for visibility to power netball strategically and commercially to promote players, partners, and the game.
The commercial elements of the deal span across Nineâs media ecosystem which includes the 9Network, 9Now, Stan Sport and publishing as well as its recently acquired outdoor media division, QMS.
Each year of the deal includes a clear and shared commitment to grow the sport and evolve its delivery model, so it remains responsive to media innovation.
Netball is the leading sport for women and girls in Australia, Suncorp Super Netball is the most attended female sports league in the country, and the Australian Diamonds are the No.1 ranked team in the world.
Netball Australia CEO Stacey West said the new deal not only sets up a strong foundation for growth, but it is also a major win for netball fans.
âNine was the foundation broadcaster of the Suncorp Super Netball League ten years ago and itâs wonderful for us to partner once again to showcase the best netballers in the world, playing in the worldâs best netball league,â Ms West said.
âWe have heard consistently from our fans that they want to see more netball content.
âThis sport matters to fans right across our country and for them to be able to watch it together and celebrate their heroes is what creates the magic moments that deepen connections with our game.
âOn behalf of Netball Australia, we thank Nine for their belief and trust in us and we look forward to delivering strong business outcomes for each other.â
Netball Australia Chair Liz Ellis AO welcomed the announcement.
âThere is tremendous synergy between our vision to showcase an Australia that is Made in Netball and Nineâs corporate vision that Australia Belongs Here,â Ms Ellis said.
âNine has leveraged the opportunity to make a real and meaningful investment into netball when the competition for womenâs sport is intensifying.
âWe are so excited about the future ahead and what this partnership can deliver for the entire ecosystem.â
Nine Group Managing Director, Streaming and Broadcast, Amanda Laing said: âWeâre building a portfolio around the sports Australians care most deeply about, and netball belongs in that company.
It is woven through schools, suburbs and regional towns across the country, with passionate fans and strong community roots.
For viewers, this means more access, broader reach and premium coverage across 9Network, 9Now and Stan Sport â from Suncorp Super Netball through to every Diamonds match and a home World Cup in 2027.
We believe womenâs sport is one of the strongest growth stories in media, and this partnership is another important step in our commitment to back it with real platforms, real visibility and real ambition.
Weâre looking forward to helping grow the game and bringing more Australians closer to it than ever before.â
Netball Australia also thanked broadcast partner the Foxtel Group for their partnership and investment into netball over the past five years.
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Perfect timing for Netball to be in the Olympics at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics with SSN on the Olympic Broadcaster
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This part is interesting.
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Happy with the deal. Netball was on Nine a few years ago with some matches on the now-defunct Telstra TV streaming service and the Netball Live App. Currently every match is only on Fox Sports and Kayo until this year
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Maybe my memory fails me, but didnt ONE HD broadcast every Netball game?
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They got the ANZ Championship and Diamonds test matches - does that count as âeveryâ?
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Iâm going to assume that maybe Super Netball on 9network & 9Now maybe Saturday nights with the rest on Stan. All finals probably on 9network & 9Now.
While itâs clear which matches will air on TV, itâs unclear whether every Super Netball & 2027 Netball World Cup match will air on both 9Now and Stan Sport or whether some matches will only air on Stan Sport. Iâll be surprised if itâs not the latter since you would think Stan would need to have some exclusivity in order for Nine to be able to fully spread out the cost of and monetize the rights deal.
Speaking of Nine, this is yet another significant sports rights deal theyâve entered into. Iâve said it before and Iâll say it again - something is eventually going to have to give for them. Networks that aggressively acquire sports rights ultimately reach a point whereby a correction inevitably occurs. Considering the various rights packages which are coming up to renewal over the next few years for Nine, itâll be very surprising if their correction point doesnât occur sooner rather than later and that might just occur with their most important rights in the NRL.
Assuming the current model of two freely accessible SSN games per round continues, Sunday afternoons would probably make more sense for the Nine games since they could have a 1pm game leading into NRL followed by a second game afterwards on Nine or 9Gem (depending on the market).
Itâs been confirmed all Super Netball finals games will air on TV.
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For Super Netball, the wording is âsome matches each roundâ.
That means it will be at least 2 - so the easiest target is Saturday night doubleheader where they can get a headstart on Sevenâs 8 weeks of no AFL.
Or could be all 4 matches if Nine loses NRL. I mean, they canât air Sunday arvo fillers week in week out all year long.
In any case, itâs a decent backup if the second situation comes to pass.
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Remember they are not just FTA theyâre also a subscription service so they can monetise more than the likes of seven.
These are the only types of rights deals that should be signed. One ecosystem for all the rights. Works a lot better than the mish mash of hybird and simuclast deals.