NBCUniversal has inked a new long-term program supply deal with market-leading Australian free-to-air broadcaster the Nine Network, which kicks off Dec. 1, Nine said Monday.
Under the new deal, financial terms of which weren’t disclosed, Nine gets broadcast premiere rights to all newly commissioned shows from Bravo from 2020, with some premiere rights for new Bravo shows shifting from News Corp. pay TV service Foxtel to Nine, while key programming also shifts from Nine’s free-to-air rival Ten Network, owned by CBS Corp.
The deal also means Nine’s video on demand platform, 9Now, will expand its unscripted reality library to include E! and Bravo shows, as well as hundreds of hours of scripted comedy and drama from the NBCUniversal catalogue. It will help shift 9Now from simply being a catch-up TV service to a premium video on demand service, according to Nine CEO Hugh Marks.
“Over the past four years, we have established 9Now as the leading commercial broadcast video on demand platform in Australia, but this deal with NBCU helps us not only ensure the consistency of 9Now audience throughout the year, it also helps us better compete with the digital giants with a premium video product, which is unmatched in this market,” Marks said announcing the deal Monday.
As part of the content slate in the agreement, Nine will be the free to air TV broadcaster for shows including The Real Housewives franchise, Below Deck, Million Dollar Listing New York, as well as upcoming globally exclusive new titles from Bravo such as Family Karma and Below Deck Sailing Yacht, alongside content from E! including Botched, Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry.
The deal will also see Nine and 9Now secure first run of shows for premium NBCU scripted comedy and drama for 2020 including Resident Alien, Bluff City Law and anticipated new animated series, Duncanville, co-created and executive produced by Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning producer, actress and director Amy Poehler and producers, Mike and Julie Scully (The Simpsons).
9Now will also launch new territory premiere programming exclusively to the platform, including Suits spinoff Pearson, The Arrangement, The Enemy Within and Reverie.
Shows from the NBCUniversal back catalogue that Nine has secured include Magnum P.I., Miami Vice, Friday Night Lights, The Mindy Project and Royal Pains, amongst others.
“We have had a longstanding partnership with Nine and are delighted to expand our relationship with them through this monumental deal that highlights the diverse offering across the entire NBCUniversal portfolio,” said Belinda Menendez, president and chief revenue officer, global distribution and international, NBCUniversal.
Nine has been the home of new and classic feature films from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation and will remain so under the new deal.
Foxtel and Hayu retain subscription TV and SVOD rights as well as some premiere rights to NBC Universal content, with Foxtel renegotiating a new content supply agreement with NBCU earlier in November.
Related Stories
