Nine Names New Director Of Sport

Australian commercial broadcaster, Nine, has named Brent Williams as its new director of sport, after Tom Malone left the position earlier this month.

Williams has worked on Nine’s sport coverage for 25 years, serving as Nine’s executive producer of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, as well as the head of cricket and tennis.

Along with the announcement of William’s new position, he discussed Nine’s plans for broadcasting the 2020 NRL season and further strengthening the work Nine has done with the NRLW in 2020.

These plans are coming off the back of record-breaking audience figures for the NRL Women’s competition in their second official season.

“This year, the women’s premiership and State of Origin series delivered the highest audience of any women’s sporting code,” Mr Williams said.

“In 2020, Nine will continue to support the women’s game as it goes from strength to strength, and as part of a broader women’s sport opportunity we are bringing it to market across all of Nine’s assets.

“In 2020, we will bring NRL fans closer to the action than ever before.

“With the aid of crossbar cam and corner post cam and the new player mic that we will be trialing in 2020, in partnership with NRL and NRL players associations, we will give our viewers a new perspective on the game they love to follow,” he said.

In the announcement, Williams promised an expanded and enhanced cross-platform presence for its television, radio, digital and publishing assets under the banner of ‘Your Footy, Your Way’.

Nine is currently under a five-year deal with the NRL for broadcast rights which began in 2018 and is worth approximately $185 million per season.