Sponsors ace Australian Open as Nine kicks off its ‘biggest year of sport’ yet
Mumbrella’s Kalila Welch speaks to Nine’s Anne Gruber about the tentpole sports moment kicking off Nine’s “biggest year of sport” to date.
The 2024 Australian Open (AO) is officially underway, opening for the first time on a Sunday in a bid by organisers to mitigate the impacts of late finishes with an extra day of competition.
The crowning jewel of Nine’s summer programming, the tournament has proved a major success for the network since its first took over the broadcast rights from Seven in 2019. The move ended the latter’s 40 year relationship with Tennis Australia, with Seven quickly snapping up Nine’s cricket rights in a shared deal with Foxtel that has since been extended to 2031.
Happily for Nine, the AO tournament has remained immune to broader trends in linear audience, bringing in over 11.7 million Total TV viewers last January, proving the value of the network’s $60 million annual investment. That investment will jump next year to $85 million per year in an extended deal that will see Nine hold onto the rights until 2029.
