Nine Network

Nine Network
Launched	16 September 1956
Owned by	PBL Media
Picture format	576i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV)
Audience share	28.7% Nationally (2008, )
Slogan	We Heart TV[1]
Country	Australia
Broadcast area	Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Darwin
Affiliates	Perth, Adelaide
Website	ninemsn.com.au
Availability
Terrestrial
Analogue	Normally tuned to 9
SD Digital	Channel 9
Nine HD	Channel 90
Nine Guide	Channel 99
Satellite
Foxtel Digital	Channel 100
Austar Digital	Channel 008
Cable
Foxtel Digital	Channel 100
Foxtel HD+	Channel 209

The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. One of three major free-to-air commercial networks in Australia, its retired slogan the long-running "Still The One" refers to the network's past ratings success, being the most popular television station on a national basis since the introduction of television in Australia. Nationally, the network has consistently proven itself the most watched television network, defeated only twice by its main rival, the Seven Network, (in 2000 and 2007).^[2][3]

History

Origins

TCN-9, the first regularly transmitting television station in Australia, launched on 16 September 1956. John Godson introduced the station and Bruce Gyngell presented the first programme, This Is Television and in doing so becoming the first person to appear on Australian television. Later that year, GTV-9 in Melbourne began testing transmissions to telecast the 1956 Summer Olympics later forming the National Television Network alongside QTQ-9 in Brisbane and NWS-9 in Adelaide, the basis of the current Nine Network.

In the late 1980s, STW-9 Perth became a Nine Network owned-and-operated station when Bond Media purchased the network. However, in 1989, Bond Media sold the Perth-based station to Sunraysia Television for AU$95 million, due to the Federal cross-media ownership laws, which restricted the level of national reach for media owners.^[4]

2000s

The network's Melbourne headquarters on Bendigo Street in Richmond, Victoria.

Digital television was introduced to all of the network's owned and operated stations on New Year's Day 2001 - this was soon followed by the gradual introduction of widescreen and high definition programming.^[5]

Darwin station NTD-8 was integrated into the network on New Year's Day 2003. Following the rebrand to Nine Darwin (NTD-9), the station decreased Network Ten programming from their line-up.

On 30 January 2006, the network and its affiliate stations relaunched to coincide with Nine's 50th year of broadcasting. The decision to relaunch was made by interim CEO Sam Chisholm and late PBL Deputy Chairman Kerry Packer early in 2005. The new logo designed by Bruce Dunlop Associates lacked Nine's distinctive Nine dots, which had been an Australian television icon since 1970. Nine News, A Current Affair, Today, Nightline, Wide World of Sports, and Sunday also received new designs. The rebranding lasted less than two years - as on 14 January 2008, the Nine Network went back to using the dots on all television, website, watermark and other materials.^[6]

On 18 October 2006 James Packer sold 50% of the network's parent company PBL Media to CVC Asia-Pacific, in a deal valued $4.6 billion.^[7]

PBL Media later purchased regional network NBN Television, on 1 May 2007 for an estimated $250 million^[8].

A further 25% of PBL Media was sold to CVC on 1 June 2007 for $515 million, effectively forgoing control of the day-to-day operations of the network.^[9]

On 27 September 2007, PBL Media announced their intention to start a high definition multichannel, Nine HD^[10][1] It was announced on 10 March 2008 that the channel will be launched on 17 March 2008.^[11]

Programming

Further information: List of programs broadcast by the Nine Network

The Nine Network broadcasts a range of programming from Australian and overseas sources, which include American television network CBS. Nine's current Australian programming lineup consists of television shows including; Australia's Funniest Home Video Show, Getaway, McLeod's Daughters, The Strip,Sea Patrol, Missing Persons Unit, Mornings with Kerri-Anne, The Footy Show, What's Good For You,Underbelly, Battlefronts, Domestic Blitz, The Chopping Block, RPA, Amazing Medical Stories, 60 Minutes, Hole In the Wall, 20 to 1, Postcards & RPA.

American programming on Nine includes; The Mentalist, Fringe, Two and a Half Men, Cold Case, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, ER, Men in Trees, Nip/Tuck, Survivor, The Closer, Weeds, Moonlight, Damages, Without a Trace, Gilmore Girls, Close to Home, Cashmere Mafia, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Days Of Our Lives, Entertainment Tonight and Seinfeld

In an attempt to attract advertisers, as they are more interested in programmes for younger audiences, new programming will be targeted towards the younger generation in 2008^[12].

Among the new programs in Nine's 2008 line-up are: Wipeout, Hole In the Wall, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, The Return of Jezebel James, Pushing Daisies, Canterbury's Law, Hidden Palms, New Amsterdam, Gossip Girl, Big Shots, Chuck^[13] and Aliens in America.

News & Current Affairs

Further information: Nine News

The Nine Network's news service is called Nine News. For decades Nine News has traditionally been the top rating news service nationally for Australians, however the Seven Network has overtaken them in the past few years.^[14]

Nine News produces several news bulletins and programs including; Today, Nine News (Early Morning, A.M, P.M and Evening editions). As well as this, the news service also assists in production of; A Current Affair, and 60 Minutes. During the early hours of weekdays and Sunday mornings, Nine rebroadcasts some of American television network ABC's news and current affairs programming, including Good Morning America and 20/20.

Sport

Further information: Nine's Wide World of Sports

Channel Nine broadcasts all sporting events under the Wide World of Sports brand. The flagship sports of the brand are National Rugby League, Cricket and formerly Australian rules football until Nine lost the rights in 2006. NRL games are broadcast in prime time in New South Wales and Queensland on Friday nights, however are usually screened after midnight (or not at all) in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.

Nine's other popular recurring sporting events include the Rugby League State of Origin, Telstra Swimming Championships, British Open, US Golf Open, US Tennis Open, Wimbledon, Commonwealth Bank Series Cricket, and Test cricket. As well as this, the Nine Network, in joint partnership with subscription television provider Foxtel, has broadcast rights for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics.^[15]

Availability

The Nine Network is simulcast in analogue, standard definition and 1080i high definition. Nine is broadcast in metropolitan areas via Nine Network owned-and-operated stations, including TCN Sydney, GTV Melbourne, QTQ Brisbane and NTD Darwin, and by affiliate Channel Nine stations NWS Adelaide and STW Perth. Nine Network programming is also carried into regional Australia by affiliate networks WIN Television, NBN Television, and Imparja Television. Nine is also broadcast via satellite and cable on Foxtel and on Austar Digital on the cable pay TV service in Darwin.

Logos

The Nine Network became a nationalised network in 1970, with a shared logo produced and used across the metropolitan stations, featuring the numeral nine beside nine dots.^[16] The first set of identities was a "Dots TV" set. This logo has remained in use on the network, in differing forms across the decades, with various exceptions. In 1980, the nine dots were removed from the logo.^[16] This lasted eight years until 1988, when Bond Media purchased the network and reinstated the nine dots, with STW Perth becoming a Nine Network owned-and-operated station.^[4] In 1998, the dots were changed to spheres. Three-dimensions were added to the numeral nine in 2002, coinciding with a revamp of the network's on-air identity.^[16]

On 30 January 2006, the network and its affiliates relaunched their logo's to coincide with Nine's fiftieth year of broadcasting. The new logo designed by Bruce Dunlop Associates saw the removal of the nine dots, with a non-solid blue coloured square added to behind the numeral nine. In 2007 this was modified to become a solid blue colour and also a cube, not the 2006 2D square. The rebranding of Nine also saw Nine News, A Current Affair, Today, Nightline and the Wide World of Sports receive new designs. However, on 19 May 2007, the Nine Network reintroduced the nine dots, visible when the logo animated. In addition to this in 2008, the nine dots were reinstated into the static logo and modified from spheres to discs.^[17]

1970 - 1979	1980 - 1988	1988 - 2006	2006 - 2008	2008 to present[17]

See also

• Nine HD

References

Further reading

• Stone, Gerald (2000). Compulsive Viewing: the inside story of Packer's Nine Network. Ringwood, Victoria: Viking. ISBN 0-670-88690-4. 
• Stone, Gerald (2007). Who Killed Channel Nine?: The death of Kerry Packer's mighty dream machine. Sydney Australia: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9781405038157. 

External links

• Official Site
• Channel Nine at Aus TV History