Nine (WIN)

Being such a short term deal, very doubtful WIN HD will happen now, too much money to spend for such a limited lifespan. Meantime the WIN main channel cheapskate picture quality which is the worst in the country will continue. WIN GEM HD might be split up into WIN GEM SD and WIN LIFE SD now, as there is no requirement for mandated HD anymore if I am correct.

Cue WIN cutting more of their 30 minute News bulletins now and blaming increased cost demands from NINE.

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True.
I’d dare say by June 30 that the Reach Rule will be abolished and Nine and WIN would have merged by then.

I personally think that the reach rule is unlikely to be dropped until at least after the Federal Election, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens!

In any case, it’ll be very interesting to see what happens with both WIN and SCA in mid-2016.

I’m guessing we will now see 9Life pop us soon by the sounds of that agreement.

Wouldn’t it be silly to spend money prior to an acquisition ?

It will probably be on 9Now before it gets to free to air ?

WIN would have to either drop one of the GOLD channels or make GEM an SD station to fit 9Life in

This looks like a set up to switch affiliation with both ending in June or merger plans. Wonder if WIN will get the new channel and graphics now.

now that a agreement has been made much to be my relief I don’t think there will be any changes to the IDs for the time being until something more concrete is worked out 6 months down the track Basically things will probably stay the same for the time being. Maybe a few local news services will be axed in the meantime.

Until things are set in concrete six months down the track, I am not expecting WIN to launch a HD channel or Life until more permanent arrangements are set in stone. I warn that Nine can still restart discussions with SCA if they want to. But the biggest game changer is the scrapping of the reach rule so until the legalisation s changed I don’t think anything will change in the mean time.

P.S I admitted I was extremely disappointed earlier before the announcement was made because i thought the bosses of both WIN and Nine were behaving like children who had lots of opportunities to negotiate in good faith, but left it to the last minute.

business negotiations are never guaranteed to run smoothly or come to a tidy conclusion. That’s business, it’s nothing to do about “behaving like children”, if the businesses can’t come to a mutually agreeable solution then sometimes deals fall over. We saw it many years ago with Nine and QTV. Stuff happens.

It’s rather odd - because a 6 month deal backs WIN into a corner in 6 months time. Unless the outcome is Nine purchasing/merging with WIN, it’s hard to see it not resulting in a deal with Southern Cross - if WIN were prepared to pay Nine’s asking rate, they’d have done a multi-year deal.

I wouldnt be surprised if there is an option to extend for a similar period in the eventuality that whatever Nine and/or WIN are waiting for in regards to ownership changes doesnt eventuate.

I’d have thought that 6 months wouldnt be enough time to sort the mess that is likely to eventuate with a NEC/SCA deal and the trickle down impacts

Thank god I’m moving to Sydney! :laughing: I won’t have to deal with that! :stuck_out_tongue:

I hope they sort something out that doesn’t involve allowing SCA access to anything. WIN is the lesser of two evils. Can you see SCA doing local news to the levels that WIN does at the moment? Because I can’t!

WIN News Illawarra’s report on the affiliation deal:
WIN News Illawarra - WIN/Nine Affiliation Deal extended

I can. Their news service is fine in Tasmania, and they do one they aren’t required to do in the GTS/BKN area - it comes down to the viability of the affiliation and the amount of competition.

I think the best model would be if Nine in the metro areas would put in windows for local news - like the NBN bulletin, just using the metro bulletin as the base. Fewer resources needed compared to WIN style bulletins, and something more watchable for the viewer.

Very disappointed, I was looking forward to the blackout.
AS MIL says, “dont expect justice, just hope for a little mercy!”

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Some details of the discussions have emerged in this Fairfax report

Nine Entertainment managing director Amanda Laing, WIN’s Mr Gordon and its chief executive Andrew Lancaster held tense talks throughout Wednesday night at Sydney’s Quay Grand hotel until an agreement was reached at 1am and a contract signed on Thursday morning.

“The six-month agreement extension provides a continuing program supply for our viewers and advertisers as we explore business opportunities,” said WIN’s Mr Lancaster said in a statement.

The Australian is also reporting

It’s understood the new arrangement consists of a TV revenue fee, plus a lump payment, which helps protect Nine from weakness in the regional advertising market.

“It’s a relief in that there a lot of people who rely on Nine to supply programming and a whole lot of people who have jobs that rely on this programming,” Nine (NEC) chief executive Hugh Marks told The Australian.

Mr Marks said the shorter six-month agreement provided Nine with “breathing space” and time to focus on its long-term options, which could include mergers and acquisitions.

Mr Marks said this would include working with WIN on news and current affairs to avoid duplication between metro and regional services, as well as joint marketing initiatives for premium sport, including the National Rugby League.

That is the first information I have seen outside the media release and various reprinted AAP reports.

I’m referring to the aggregated areas in NSW, Queensland and Victoria. Not Tassie or SA - which I’m surprised they haven’t cut yet.

SCA could have used their radio resources to start a TV news service of substance, but have chosen not to. That is what I am getting at.

What exactly does Hugh mean by that?

That quote had me intrigued too.

I assumed it meant if a merger went ahead, WIN would chop the Wollongong news and just run with Sydney’s, for example.