Nine has appointed Matt James as its chief sales officer on a permanent basis.
Reporting to Nine’s chief executive officer, Matt Stanton, James will be responsible for growing the revenue of Nine’s Total Television, Total Publishing and Total Audio assets.
James was appointed as acting chief sales officer in December 2024 when the group’s previous chief sales officer, Michael Stephenson, left to take up a role at ARN.
James has 35 years of experience in the industry and has previously been CEO of global media agency Zenith Media based in London, the inaugural Group CEO of Publicis Media, and CEO of Zenith Australia and New Zealand.
His appointment as chief sales officer amid a wide field of candidates signals a new era for Nine Sales, with James set to “sharpen a reinvigorated digital video strategy to ensure the company can compete with the global platforms, and to drive collaboration within the streaming and broadcast industry.
Early in his career, James held senior roles at Nine including managing director of the company’s then-digital media division Mi9, and after his global role at Zenith, James returned to Nine in 2020 as managing director of Nine Melbourne.
In that role, he oversaw major operations including Channel 9, 3AW, The Age, and The Australian Financial Review, as well as flagship productions which contributed significantly to strengthening Nine’s position in the Melbourne market.
Since November last year, James has held a senior strategy role across the Nine Group as part of the company’s transformation team focusing on initiatives to drive growth and innovation, including a renewed vision to accelerate an advanced digital strategy that will cement Nine’s leadership position over the next five years.
“I’m excited to lead one of the most talented sales teams in Australia. We have spent the last several months re-arming and re-organising ourselves to be able to execute an advanced digital strategy across TV, Publishing and Audio, and Nine is well-placed for a strong future,” James said.
“We are now at a pivotal point where Nine is ready to be a leader in the digital video market. With clients and brands at the centre of everything we do, our move to accelerate our VOD strategy and to drive a new era of collaboration within the TV industry, will ensure Nine positions itself as a market leader.”
Nine CEO Matt Stanton added: “Matt James is a high-calibre media executive with impressive global experience who has a strong vision for Nine. With experience on both the media and agency sides, a strong background in digital, and extensive knowledge of Nine, I can’t think of a better person to re-invigorate Nine’s strategy to be the leader in the digital video market.”
