Nine has named Brent Williams as the company’s new director of sport, replacing Tom Malone who recently left to head up Nine’s radio assets at Macquarie Media.
Starting his career on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Williams has also been the executive producer of the Logies for the past eight years, the executive producer of Carols by Candlelight, the London Summer Olympics and the Vancouver Winter Games, the head of Tennis for Nine and the head of Cricket.
He has also run the AFL Footy Show, the Sunday Footy Show, Footy Classified and was the match producer of AFL when Nine had broadcast rights in the early 2000’s.
In a note to staff, Nine’s national director of news and current affairs Darren Wick said: “His experience and passion for live sport will enable Brent to add another dimension to the extensive coverage and prominence in our schedule of the NRL, with the biggest moments of State of Origin and Rugby League’s Grand Final annually among the most watched events on TV.
“In an exciting, changing and challenging environment for sport on free to air television, we’re looking forward to the fresh ideas and energy he’ll bring.”
On his new role, a self-proclaimed “sports tragic” Williams said: “I’m excited to be taking on the role as director of Sport,” calling it a “dream job:”
He added: “Wide World of Sports is an iconic brand in broadcasting, thanks to the incredibly talented and dedicated WWOS family over many years. I’m lucky to already be a member of that family and know first-hand the pride, passion and responsibility that comes with any product branded with the famous WWOS logo.
“It’s an honour to be leading the team and I look forward to driving the evolution of Nine’s sports broadcasting and broader sports strategy into the future.”
Williams’s appointment takes effect immediately.