Nine has used its annual Upfront event in Sydney to remind advertisers of its solid line-up of sporting event for 2020.
Nine’s year will once again begin with the Australian Open, an event that guarantees the network two weeks of consistently high audiences.
Nine will also continue as the free-to-air home of Rugby League, including State of Origin. This years first match will be the No. 1 program of 2019 after securing an average national audience of 3.23 million viewers.
Sport on Nine in 2020 – Media Release
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
This year we saw the dawning of a new era in tennis broadcasting in Australia with Nine, your new home of tennis. And when the Australian Open begins on January 20, viewers will see the world’s greatest players battling it out in the tournament’s best matches, across Nine, 9Gem and 9Now.
Our comprehensive coverage will ensure Australians get the best tennis experience available, anytime, anywhere, on a device of their choosing. Returning as hosts of Nine’s broadcast are Rebecca Maddern, James Bracey and Tony Jones. They will be supported by an all-star roster of commentators: John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Sam Smith, Todd Woodbridge, Lleyton Hewitt, Alicia Molik, Jelena Dokic, Sam Groth, Dylan Alcott and Casey Dellacqua.
Will Serena Williams succeed in her quest to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 major singles titles? Can Rafael Nadal equal Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles? And could Ash Barty become Australia’s first women’s singles champion since Christine O’Neil in 1978?
Don’t miss one serve of Nine’s summer of tennis. It all begins on January 3 with the brand- new ATP Cup, which will see 24 countries competing for the new world title.
NRL
The 2020 NRL Premiership kicks off in March, bringing with it Nine’s commitment to the best-in-class coverage and leading innovations.
2019 saw a nailbiting Grand Final finish as the Sydney Roosters outlasted a gritty Canberra Raiders side in a match filled with drama to become the first team in 26 years to win back-to- back premierships. They will be looking to win a historic third straight trophy in 2020, but plenty of teams will be primed to knock them off.
Fans will be able to watch and stream every one of Nine’s NRL games, across Nine and 9Now, with supplementary streams for feature matches plus blogs, highlights and social takeovers all available through the Wide World of Sports digital and social channels.
In the commentary box will be the best rugby league experts in the business, including Phil Gould, Andrew Johns, Billy Slater, Brad Fittler, Johnathan Thurston, Paul Vautin,
Ruan Sims, Darren Lockyer, Wally Lewis, Peter Sterling, Allana Ferguson, Sam Thaiday and Paul Gallen.
Three of the top games in every NRL round will be shown live on Thursday, Friday and Sunday – before Nine adds a fourth game on Saturday nights in the run to the finals.
The NRLW will also return for its third season, where the Brisbane Broncos will be aiming for a three-peat after taking out the women’s title in 2018 and 2019.
STATE OF ORIGIN
The biggest event on Australian TV each year, State of Origin, returns exclusively to Nine in 2020. This year Game I was the most watched and streamed program in Australia, with Games II and III also in the top four.
Following the huge success of State of Origin’s first match in Perth in 2019, this national sporting phenomenon will continue to make its way to new markets, with the world-class Adelaide Oval hosting Game I on June 3 next year for the first time. Games II and III will follow in Sydney and Brisbane respectively.
The State of Origin rugby league series has always been a titanic mate versus mate, state versus state rivalry, and after a decade of dominance by Queensland, NSW has finally won two series in a row, thanks to a thrilling last-minute try in the Game III decider this year.
Women’s State of Origin will also return in 2020, following a record TV audience – and a record crowd – for this year’s game in which NSW defeated Queensland.
With a proven track record for excitement and an audience reach of 10 million Australians across the series, State of Origin will be must-see TV in 2020.
CRICKET T20 WORLD CUPS
The 2020 Men and Women’s Cricket T20 World Cups make their way to the host nation of Australia next year, with both tournaments live on Nine.
The top men’s and women’s international sides will converge on Australia’s best cricket grounds to compete for the greatest prize in the short form of the game.
The women’s World Cup commences on February 21, with the men’s World Cup starting later in the year, on October 18.
The Australian women will go in as hot hometown favourites, fielding a team packed with superstars of world sport including Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning.
The final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be a great opportunity to set a new world record for attendance at a women’s sporting fixture.
The Aussie men will be fired up after a great showing at this year’s ODI World Cup – and also retaining The Ashes – and they rank among the favourites to win the trophy.
Both the ODI World Cup and The Ashes proved to be huge ratings successes for Nine, breaking records and featuring some of the most gripping finishes to cricket matches in history.
Steve Smith, Dave Warner and Mitchell Starc will be three of the superstars leading Australia as we aim for our first ever men’s T20 World Cup victory.
NETBALL
SUNCORP SUPER NETBALL
Suncorp Super Netball, the best netball competition in the world, returns to Nine in 2020 following another successful season. Australian netball Hall of Famer, Liz Ellis, spearheads Nine’s coverage of two live games per week, with all games available on 9Now.
QUAD SERIES
The annual international Quad Series returns to Nine in 2020 with Australia taking on England, New Zealand and South Africa.
CONSTELLATION CUP
The Australian Diamonds will again play the New Zealand Silver Ferns in the Constellation Cup, in October 2020 – continuing the hottest netball rivalry in the world. The Aussies and Kiwis always meet in tight contests and this one promises to be another thriller.
THE 2019 PRESIDENTS CUP
Nine will bring The President’s Cup to life when the International team captained by Ernie Els and the United States team captained by Tiger Woods meet in this unique tournament at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club from December 9 to 15.
There will be 32 hours of live competition broadcast across Nine, 9Gem and 9Now.
The 2019 Presidents Cup will bring golf fans the very best in tournament play, with the top 12 players from the United States taking on the top 12 from across the globe, excluding Europe.
World No.1 Brooks Koepka and world No. 3 Dustin Johnson have been selected for the USA team, while Australian viewers will get to watch local heroes Cameron Smith, Adam Scott and Marc Leishman playing for the International team
Both team captains have selected eight players so far, with their last four picks to be made in the coming weeks.
Nine’s broadcast will be headed up by James Bracey, with Wayne Grady, Alison Whitaker and Stuart Appleby commentating on play and Todd Woodbridge roaming the course to bring viewers all the big stories from the tournament.
Please stop Jim Courier from talking all the time. He hardly ever shuts up, knows what every player is going to do and when they don’t do so he just rants on. It is so unnecessary as we are watching TV.