Nine Network

Nine Entertainment Co (formerly PBL Media, rebranded in 2010). Until recently, its largest shareholder was New York-based private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC with a 22 percent holding. However, it was announced in October 2015 that the equity firm is selling most of its stake to regional Australian broadcaster WIN Corporation. The sale relates to approximately 13 percent of Nine’s shares. As a result WIN’s related entity, Birketu Pty Ltd ("Birketu") becomes Nine’s biggest shareholder with 14.95 per cent. WIN Corp.’s owner, billionaire Bruce Gordon, also owns just under 15 percent of Ten Network Holdings, thus having significant holdings in two of Australia’s three national free-to-air networks.



In 2015, Nine Entertainment Co. reported revenue growth of 2.6 percent to AU$1.6 billion (US$1.1 billion). It also has interests in Sky News Australia and Daily Mail Australia.

Nine Network (commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is a free-to-air broadcaster. Along with Seven, Nine is one of the two highest-rating television networks in Australia.

David Gyngell is the son of Australian television pioneer Bruce Gyngell, who was credited with creating the ’sofa format’ of breakfast television in the UK and was the first man to appear on Australian television in 1956, saying "Good evening, and welcome to television." Gyngell was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Nine Entertainment Co. in November 2010, having served as the Chief Executive Officer of Nine Network from September 2007.

Prior to that, he served as the CEO of Nine Network and resigned in 2005 after 11 months in the position, over PBL meddling in the running of the network saying "I was simply not prepared to allow my position to be rendered untenable by what I regard as increasingly unhelpful and multi-layered management systems between Nine and PBL."


He returned two years later, following a slide in Nine’s ratings which saw competitor network Seven take the top rated spot in Australia.

Gyngell and his friend of over 30 years, billionaire gambling tycoon James Packer, made international headlines in 2014 after a dramatic street brawl outside Packer’s Bondi Beach home. The two traded punches and wrestled on the ground. Packer was later seen leaving his home with a bruised and swollen left eye.

The pictures and video clips taken by a paparazzi photographer were later bought by Murdoch’s News Corp for over AU$200,000 (then-US$180,000)

It was widely speculated that Packer and his former best man Gyngell fell out after the casino magnate split with his wife, Erica, the mother of his three children. Other reports said Packer was annoyed that a truck, bearing a Nine logo, was parked outside his home. Police later fined both $500 for "offensive behavior."


The joint statement issued through Nine said: "We have been friends for 35 years and still are. In that time we have had our fair share of ups and downs. We respect each other and neither of us will be commenting further."

The son of the late media baron Kerry Packer and grandson of Sir Frank Packer, James Packer is one of Australia’s wealthiest people. The family company used to own the Nine Network, but sold their final stake in 2008. Gyngell’s father Bruce had a long association with Packer’s father.

In November 2015, David Gyngell announced he is stepping down and television guru Hugh Marks has been chosen as his replacement. Gyngell will remain on the Nine board as a non-executive director.

Co-host of the prominent ’Today’ breakfast program since February 2005, Stefanovic is one of Australia’s most-beloved TV presenters thanks to his cheekiness. He is famous for what some call "loveable larrikin behavior" and his ‘Karlesque’ stunts.

Stefanovic gained a reputation as a journalist who "treads the line between controversy and likeability with ease." His fans have plenty of moments to remember.

One of the highlights was when he appeared on-air drunk the morning after the Logies (Australia’s TV awards) in 2009.

"We all get smashed at the Logies and go to work the next day; we’d done it for years and years. But this was the first Logies when stuff really started working on the internet," he said later.

There have been cases when Stefanovic has walked off set due to a laughing fit while live on air, or played tricks on his colleagues. Late in 2014, he broke down saying farewell to his friend, sports presenter Ben Fordham, who left the ‘Today’ show after four years.

Recently Stefanovic has publicly admitted occasional marijuana use, saying that "the jury’s still out on the long-term medical effects of it, but a joint with friends, I’ve always thought, is just great fun."

Viewers usually love his stunts. However he sparked social media anger in March suggesting that New Zealand cricket fans should be called the "dole bludger army" (implying they are all on unemployment benefits) and asked an Indian cricket fan "who’s going to be manning the 7-Elevens today?" (implying that all of the franchise’s outlets are staffed by Indians).

You know, you just start to think that maybe Karl Stefanovic isn't that bad after all and then...

— Megan Maurice (@meganmaurice) March 25, 2015

Can't believe @karlstefanovic this morning. I cringed so hard. Good to see the Indian cricket supporters give some back to him. #AUSvsIND

— S00TS (@S00TS420) March 25, 2015

Karl Stefanovic, you racist twat. Probably best if you show up to your show drunk/hungover. At least you'll have something to blame it on.

— Nehad Kenanie (@nehadk) March 25, 2015

Stefanovic later apologized — in his own way. Though not everyone was convinced. 

Stefanovic made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he tried to tell a joke about the Dalai Lama... to the Dalai Lama.

Karl also carried out an experiment in order to highlight hypocrisy within the media about the differing standards of appearance to which men and women are held. He did this by wearing the same suit on air for an entire year, which apparently no one noticed. He noted that if a female anchor wore the same outfit two days running, critics would be merciless.

In late October reports emerged that Stefanovic could be stepping down from hosting duties on ‘Today’ after a decade as he allegedly was "exhausted." Nine’s Director of News and Current Affairs Darren Wick said negotiations were underway, but he was "confident Karl will stay with Nine."

In August 2015, Seven Network attempted to have the first season of Nine’s cooking show ‘The Hotplate’ suspended from air over claims that it was a rip-off of Seven’s show ‘My Kitchen Rules.’ The Federal Court rejected an injunction attempt. Justice John Nicholas said Seven did have a "reasonably arguable" case for copyright infringement, but not "a particularly strong case."

"I’m satisfied that Seven has a reasonable case for showing there has been an infringement of its copyright by Nine," he said but added that if Seven wants to pursue the action against Nine over this, a trial should take place before a second season of ‘The Hotplate’ goes on air.

Nine’s reality TV series based on a Danish program of the same name premiered in May 2015. It featured four couples matched by experts based on their personalities. They would first meet each other at the ‘altar’ and then live together for a month trying to figure out whether they are really a perfect match.

The reality show sparked criticism even before it was first aired. An online petition on change.org calling for its cancelation was launched in March and gathered over 21,000 signatures. The petition’s initiator April Murphy called the show "a disgrace" and "morally unsound," adding that "it is appalling that we live in country that will not support marriage equality but will support a television show such as this."

Internet users also took to social media to express their disproval.

"Married at First Sight." Well done Australia, we've finally plummeted to the bottom of the reality television pool.

— Shane McInnes (@shanemcinnes) May 18, 2015

Nine had to respond to the criticism, admitting that the wedding ceremonies in the six-episode show were not marriage in the legal sense as it was impossible under Australian law.

"In order to comply with the Australian Marriage Act (1961) which requires one month and one day notification, a marriage in law was not conducted," a Nine spokesperson told news.com.au.

"Each participant embarked on a commitment ceremony with a wedding celebrant with all due intention to commit fully to this union for the duration of the experiment. At the end of the experiment they are given the option to continue with the relationship or go their separate ways."

At least three of four couple on the show’s first season later split. Nine has announced that the second season is in the works.

In 2013, racing industry scion Tom Waterhouse became the face of Australia’s live sports betting industry. From a famous bookmaking dynasty, he became a member of Channel Nine’s rugby league commentary team in early 2013. His role included updating the changing odds and giving his opinion during sports broadcasts.

However it provoked public outcry, with one petition on change.org saying that "the recent deal between Channel Nine and Tom Waterhouse means that a gambling odds are constantly promoted during prime time games, games which children and families watch. I do not want my children to become exposed to gambling at such a young age..."

Many parodies were posted online taking aim at Waterhouse’s advertising blitz.

Waterhouse wrote a column apologizing and saying he has "listened to the PM and Australia" and "made the call with Channel 9 to dramatically cut back" on his advertising.

In May 2013, then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced new rules banning the promotion of live odds and restricting gambling advertisements during sporting matches. The Australian television industry was forced to acquiesce to the demands.

"From the moment the players step onto the field from the moment they leave the field there will be no live odds," Gillard said. "Families have become increasingly frustrated about the penetration of live odds into sporting coverage, and worried that their son or daughter is now talking about the game, not through the prism of what’s happening on the field but through the prism of the associated betting."


Greenpeace reportedly paid Nine AU$22,000 to show an advertisement attacking Coca-Cola over its opposition to a container recycling scheme during the network’s Friday night NRL telecast. The environmental activists reportedly hoped to grab the attention of then-NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell.

The ad’s message was that plastic bottles are killing sea birds and Coca-Cola is fighting against the national recycling scheme. Nine pulled the ad before it was due to go to air.

Greenpeace suggested that Coca-Cola’s influence could be behind Nine’s decision.

"They took the money and now they’ve bottled it," said Reece Turner, a senior campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific. "Coke has been accused of bullying politicians into blocking cash for containers. It’s a reasonable assumption their influence is behind Channel Nine’s last-minute choking."

However Nine said that after consideration it deemed the ad offensive.

"We had no issue in taking the original booking from Greenpeace, but on reviewing the content we deemed it to be offensive to our viewers and so advised the client we would not proceed with the placement on the Network," Nine’s Director of Sales and Marketing Peter Wiltshire said. "We have refunded the original deposit."

Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart sued Channel Nine and production company Cordell Jigsaw over the February broadcast of TV mini-series ‘House of Hancock.’ She accused them of injurious falsehood, misleading and deceptive conduct, and invasion of privacy, despite editing out parts of the second episode under an out-of-court settlement with Nine before its airing.

‘House of Hancock’ is, in part, based on the relationships between Gina Rinehart, her late father, iron ore magnate Lang Hancock and his Filipina housekeeper-turned-wife Rose.

Rinehart said there are "glaring errors" in the mini-series.


In September, NSW Supreme Court ordered Rinehart provide an affidavit evidence by the end of next January to support her claims.