Nine and WIN merger under discussion


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Rebecca Hawkes

| 29 December 2015




Australian free-to-air broadcasters Nine Entertainment and WIN Corp are reportedly considering a merger following the culmination of their existing partnership agreement.



WIN currently re-broadcasts Nine’s three metropolitan channels in regional Australia, in an affiliation deal that expires on 31 December 2015.

The networks are now discussing extending their affiliation for six months, after which time a merger could be legally possible if, as expected, the Australian Government scraps the ‘reach rule’, which prohibits metropolitan and regional broadcasters from combining.

Nine is open to a number of options, which includes a takeover of Bermuda-based billionaire Bruce Gordon’s WIN to achieve greater scale and cost savings, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

WIN, which broadcasts to about a quarter of Australia’s population, reportedly pays Nine about A$80 million a year for Nine’s feed, which equates to 39% of the advertising revenue it makes on Nine’s content.

Gordon currently holds a 14.95% stake in Nine, as well as a 14.95% stake in the lower-rating Ten Network.