Thousands have flocked to Melbourne to catch a glimpse of their tennis heroes. This sheer excitement and buzz around the Australian Open has been reciprocated in the ratings Nine has been receiving through its coverage of the biggest tennis tournament in Australia.
This has given the broadcaster a fantastic platform to bring on more partners and sponsors. “It is growing year-on-year. Commercially, we’re growing in line with how the Australian Open is,” Andrew Cann, Nine’s National Commercial Director of Sport told B&T.
Reflecting this is the suite of partners and sponsors Nine has unveiled for the Australian Open 2026, headlined by three new major signings, returning brands and world-class broadcast integration technology.
This year’s broadcast of the 15 day Grand Slam sees a significant range of brands signing on as sponsors and partners including the three new signings of realestate.com.au, Qantas, Amazon Prime and the returning brands of Uber Eats, Chemist Warehouse, ANZ, Bupa, Chubb Insurance, Peters Ice Cream, Google, Haier, Journey Beyond, Kia, L’Oreal, Visit Victoria to create a dominant commercial environment across the Summer of Tennis.
Touching on the commercial growth, Cann gave insight into how Stan Sport has opened up more opportunities for brands to get on board.
“For the first time ever we’re taking ads on Stan sport for our Australian Open coverage. And that’s opened up our ability to talk to new brands and brands that are trying to reach that unique subscription audience that they haven’t been able to reach before. And they [Stan subscribers] are what you would really call a core tennis fan.”
Tech-Led Integrations
Nine is redefining the broadcast experience with several tech-led integrations that move beyond traditional placements. In a major partnership debut, realestate.com.au will utilise new ‘Ball Tracking’ statistical technology providing audiences at home more matchplay insights, broadcast live in play in-between points.
Similarly, Amazon Prime will make a high-impact debut by owning the ‘Fast Ace of the Match’ and ‘Fast Moments’ to highlight its delivery speed, while Google Pixel returns with contextually relevant ‘Time to Switch’ creative that aligns with players changing ends.
Nine has highlighted that these integrations are about “adding to the viewers experience, but then also aligning with the brand messaging at the same time.”
Fan favourites also return with fresh iterations, notably the ANZ Falcon Cam which will utilize 4D drone and Fly Cam technology to give viewers a birds-eye view of the precinct while highlighting ANZ’s 24/7 fraud protection.
Meanwhile, Peters Ice Cream will deepen its cultural relevance through a major content integration with The Hundred with Andy Lee, featuring branded questions and the popular Ace Tally ticker to drive valuable in-program reach.
“The Australian Open remains the undisputed heavyweight of the summer, offering our partners an unmissable opportunity to connect with millions of emotionally engaged Australians. For 2026, we have taken our integrated ecosystem to a new level, blending world-class broadcast innovation with deep storytelling across our Streaming and Broadcast, Publishing and Audio assets,” added Cann.
It’s no secret that sporting is a major pillar for Nine and over the next couple of months the broadcaster is starting the year off big with The Australian Open, Winter Olympic Games and the NRL season.
Cann concluded the chat with the importance of Sport for Nine. “We sign on to sports and secure their respected sporting rights because of the significant proven ability to talk to audiences, but then also the proven ability that brands get on and want to be in those highly engaging and highly successful platforms. One of the biggest learnings for us this year is just the sheer demand around those platforms.
“What we’ve seen this quarter is actually the sheer scale of brands that have come on board with us for the Australian Open and then some of those brands also then extend into the Winter Olympics themselves and into the NRL season at the same time.”
Cann is referencing Chemist Warehouse who sponsor the Australian Open, Winter Olympics and the NRL; BUPA who sponsor the Australian Open into Milano Cortina; Harvey Norman who sponsors both the Winter Olympic Games and the NRL; and KIA who are involved with the AO and the NRL.
