In a bold move to redefine the media landscape in Australia, Nine is set to launch a trio of innovative initiatives designed to enhance consumer engagement and deliver premium content across various interests. This strategic expansion includes Nine Audio: Finance, the Good Food app, and a partnership with BBC Studios for new FAST channels on 9Now. Each of these offerings promises to not only meet the growing demands of audiences but also provide advertisers with valuable opportunities to connect with consumers in meaningful ways.
Nine Audio: Finance
Nine has announced the launch of Nine Audio: Finance, a new premium short-form advertising solution adjacent to the network’s finance reports that will enhance the Nine Audio offering and allow for brands to connect with audiences during crucial “lean-in” moments.
With finance content never being in more demand, Nine Audio: Finance is designed to meet growing demand in the finance category and will provide an additional 10-second high-frequency, standalone audio advertising solution and prominently feature across Nine’s audio assets.
It builds on the success of the Nine Traffic Network (NTN) to expand the range of premium advertising contextual opportunities and create a compelling solution for clients. Contextual advertising has proven to increase purchase intent by up to 37 per cent (Nielsen Catalina 2024) and, allows Nine Audio’s highly-respected finance reports to provide a premium environment for brands to tap into the daily finance conversation.
This new initiative will debut alongside existing premium finance content, with reports airing hourly. Brands will be able to leverage the Nine Audio: Finance reports, which include:
- Finance updates airing hourly from 6 am to 7 pm, and from 5:30 am to 8:30 am during Breakfast.
- Adjacent 10-second short-form ad spots, complementing 30-second ads and other finance assets such as Money News. Additionally, Nine Audio: Finance will offer a range of content under its umbrella, including:
- Sponsorship and integration opportunities with the Money News Show.
- Money News Catch Up and Market Wrap podcasts.
- Finance updates in key programs across the day, including “UNPACKED,” a segment focused on finance topics such as investing.
- Digital audio coverage across news, business, and finance categories, targeting relevant audience data segments.
- Further premium ad products in finance, with upcoming extensions into sport and weather.
“Nine Audio: Finance is a game-changer for advertisers in the finance sector,” said Nine’s director of sales – total audio, Ashley Earnshaw. “It’s a premium, brand-safe environment that allows brands to leverage the higher trust and credibility associated with finance content while connecting with audiences during moments of high engagement”.
The Good Food App
Nine has announced a new era in Australia’s food and drinks culture with the launch of the Good Food app, a premium subscription-based digital offering that promises to enhance the
dining experiences of food lovers.
Drawing on the trusted expertise of the Good Food brand, the app will be available from November as a standalone subscription and as part of Nine’s Premium Digital packages for subscribers of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
For the first time, Australia’s annual bible for restaurant reviews and the home of the Hats, the Good Food Guide, will be available in interactive digital form housed on the app. Featuring 10,000 recipes by Australia’s best and most trusted chefs, the Good Food app is designed to cater to the needs of food enthusiasts, whether they are preparing meals at home or seeking out the perfect restaurant. With a focus on utility and ease, the app offers an array of features that take the guesswork out of meal planning and dining decisions.
Become a better cook with Good Food’s Masterclass series by Adam Liaw, and tap into cooking tips and tricks from big-name chefs and recipe creators including Recipe TinEats, Rick Stein, Karen Martini, Neil Perry and Julia Busuttil Nishimura. Edited by Erina Starkey, the Good Food app will allow users to discover their next favourite dining experience by searching trusted and independent reviews across various cuisines, price points, styles and suburbs. Good Food Guide reviews can be discovered via a dynamic map and a location-based “nearby” function, meaning that wherever a reader is, there is always something new to discover.
Readers can also browse venues through signature Guide collections, including one hat, two hat and three hat recommendations, Critics’ Picks, and lists of the best cafes, bars and pubs.
The Good Food app will include regular weekly reviews and with a daily feed of Good Food stories, there’s also a constant update of restaurant news, including what’s just opened and Good Food columns such as Eat streets and Sandwich watch.
“It takes a village to build an experience like this and over the past year, our product, design, UX, technology, editorial, audience, commercial, brand and marketing teams have worked together to build an experience deserving of Australia’s authority on food,” said Stu Fagg, director of product, Publishing.
“We have a long-term strategy for this product – the launch in November will be just the start. The Good Food app will be continuously improved with regular updates and new features that will bring delight and utility to our customers and leverage emerging technologies.”
Nine’s Head of Good Food, Sarah Norris, said the Good Food app is a gamechanger for accessing Australia’s most premium food content. “If you’ve ever thought it would be handy to have a Good Food Guide reviewer on speed dial, this app is for you,” said Norris. “The Guide has been Australia’s most respected restaurant bible for more than 40 years, and now, for the first time – and in an exciting evolution for the Good Food brand – its 900 plus reviews are available in interactive digital form in the Good Food app.”
“The app’s functionality, including dynamic map and a location-based “nearby” function, means there’s always trusted advice on hand (and in your hand). With money tighter than ever, having guidance on what’s worth your dollars in a sea of options, and be able to trust those recommendations, makes the Good Food app essential.”
The launch of the app marks a significant step forward for Nine as it expands its digital offerings, further integrating its authoritative food content into an intuitive, personalised platform.
“Nine aims to continually evolve the app, adding new features and deeper integration with commercial partners,” said Jo Clasby, Nine’s director of sales – total publishing. “These include exclusive sponsorship opportunities, giving brands the chance to connect with users in meaningful ways while being associated with the most premium food brand in the country.”
9Now and BBC Studios Partnership
The final piece of this transformative media puzzle is Nine’s partnership with BBC Studios, which is set to bring six exclusive FAST channels to 9Now. 9Now will house more than 300 titles across the dedicated channels available for free, showcasing BBC’s huge depth and breadth of factual, lifestyle, comedy shows and more.
BBC Comedy
From talk shows, to uproarious sketch shows and timeless sitcoms, serving laughter from every era of British comedy including Bottom, Famalam, Uncle, Moone Boy, Are You Being Served, Allo Allo, plus many more.
BBC Food
Step into the kitchen with some of the finest chefs in the British Isles, including Jamie Oliver, Nigel Slater, Rachel Allen, Hairy Bikers, Rachel Khoo, and more. Where culinary creativity meets tradition, something wonderful is always cooking.
BBC Home & Garden
Bringing you the very best in British home remodelling and garden renovation, all day, every day, inspiring you to transform your living space into a dream haven.
BBC Earth
This pop-up natural history channel brings you heart-pounding action, mind-blowing sights and the wonder of this amazing planet we call home. Journey from the ocean’s depths to the world’s tallest peaks and explore the incredible creatures that shape our world. Some of the titles featured include Natural World, The Life of Mammals, Wild Africa, Wildlife on One, and more.
Top Gear
Fuel your passion with Top Gear UK and other motoring-related shows. From sliding around racetracks in shiny supercars, diving into epic challenges, to buying an old banger for an ill-fated road trip with your mates, experience and celebrate everything that’s brilliant about cars.
Antiques Roadshow UK
Discover hidden treasures and priceless stories, visiting Britain’s most sumptuous and unusual locations and discovering riches and remarkable stories in back-to-back episodes of Antiques Roadshow, as experts unveil the rich history behind cherished items.
Hamish Turner, director of 9Now and programming, said: “We’re excited to announce the arrival of six new channels on 9Now, showcasing iconic titles like Top Gear and Antiques Roadshow alongside four genre-themed channels including BBC comedies. This marks another great step in our partnership with BBC Studios, as we work together to expand our live channel offering. By combining Nine’s market leading platform with BBC Studios world-class content, we’re delivering even more of what our audiences love, whenever they want it”.
Deborah Tod, director of content partnerships and sales, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand, said: We have a longstanding relationship with the 9Network and I’m delighted that we can build on that relationship to create a new partnership, giving us new ways to bring so much fantastic British content across multiple genres to Australian audiences through these FAST channels”.
