Upfront season: Nine unveils Olympics ad ‘ecosystem,’ spearheaded by 9Now refresh
This is part of Mumbrella’s coverage of the 2024 upfront season. Click here to see other articles in the series.
With ten months to go until the Paris Olympics, Nine Entertainment has revealed its “ecosystem” of content and commercial offerings across TV, streaming, audio and publishing, spearheaded by the refresh of 9Now’s advertising products, where the company is expecting significant live and catch-up traffic.
Announced at its upfront last night, Nine reiterated that 9Now has been undergoing a multi-year program of improvement.
Anna Meares, Ally Langdon and James Bracey at Nine’s upfront last night
The revamped product system will see interactive ads planned across 9Now, providing a way for brands to capitalise on “shoppable moments.”
After the scheduled 9Now homepage transformation this October across connected TV, Nine will integrate brands into the new experience with logo placements on the new homepage when the viewer hovers over the content tile for that show, with sponsors of a content genre having a similar presence.
At the same time, Nine will also utilise the start-over functionality introduced earlier this year to 9Now, giving brands the opportunity to deliver solus brand messages with 15 and 30-second ads injected into the start-over of the live stream from early next year.
The whole platform is set to bear lower ad loads from next year, while advertisers are promised “new audiences and incremental reach.”
The Olympics timeline
Advertisers and audiences can expect Olympics content to trickle in from as early as 19 January, when the Winter Youth Olympic Games kicks off.
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Nine currently boasts 20 million signed-in users, 68 different segments of first-party data and nine Games verticals. The upfront announcement also coincided with the launch of a new set of 9Tribes segments.
There are opportunities present across Total Audio, Total TV and Total Publishing.
The broadcast will feature two dedicated Olympics channels on Channel 9 and 9Gem filled with 24-hour Olympics content. 9Now will run 40 individual channels live and on-demand and will also feature an extensive curation of VOD highlights and full replays.
Around the periphery, there will be documentary series showcasing the stories of athletes and sports, as well as special editions of Good Food, Traveller, 9Podcasts and WWOS radio, and extension opportunities across Domain, Drive and Pedestrian.
Nine’s news and entertainment formats will also have Olympic-themed programming running through them.
The Wide World of Sports will establish a studio in the centre of Paris at the Trocadero with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. Additional cameras inside the main venues and within the Olympic Village will capture behind-the-scenes action and provide exclusive access to athletes and the Australian team.
Brands can access premium integration within the medal tally, in-studio branding, multiview and split view, as well as leveraging Nine’s assets for Home Page takeovers and radio Outside Broadcasts. This is in addition to an Hour of Power from 7pm to 8pm during the 16 days of Olympic competition, delivering partners exclusive access to the first hour of live Olympic coverage.
“We don’t use words like ‘global first’ or ‘unrivalled’ lightly – Nine is the only media company in the world with a suite of assets that covers every facet of mass media matched with an enviable first-party data offering, and a long-term vision for brands to make their Olympic journey a marathon,” said Matthew Granger, Nine’s director of sales of sport.
“The Olympics and Paralympics are no longer just a two-week event for brands.
“The Games provide a year’s worth of activity where clients can lay out their marketing strategy with a clear vision and an objective to reach audiences and share stories to spread the Olympic spirit.”
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Darcy Song was a reporter at Mumbrella, covering media owners, adtech and social platforms. She left in October 2023.
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