Howard Rees, who has been widely credited for growing audiences on Optus Sport before it recently folded, is joining Nine as the chief strategy officer for broadcast and streaming.
Rees joins from Optus Sport, which was recently shut down by its parent company Singtel after selling its Premier League and FA Cup rights to Nine.
At Nine, Rees will be responsible for strategic development and business planning; driving our strategic decisions regarding content strategy and innovation; the monetisation and value proposition of the streaming and broadcast brands; and market intelligence and insights.
In an internal memo seen by B&T, Nine’s managing director of streaming and broadcast, Amanda Laing described Rees’ role as a critical part of the division’s leadership team. “In an increasingly competitive and rapidly changing industry, Howard has a unique skillset that makes him the perfect fit for this newly created position, and we are incredibly fortunate to have his expertise at Nine,” Laing said.
As our Chief Strategy Officer, Howard will be responsible for strategic development and business planning; driving our strategic decisions regarding content strategy and innovation; the monetisation and value proposition of the streaming and broadcast brands; and market intelligence and insights. Howard will work closely with the Nine Group Strategy division, ensuring collaboration and coordination in our decision-making.
Rees hails from a strategy background and at Optus Sport, where he has worked since 2022, led a team of more than 100 staff. This included streaming the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which delivered the largest audiences in Optus Sport history.
Prior to Optus Sport, Rees was the director of strategy for content at Foxtel for five years, and previously held a similar role at Sky in the UK.
