9HD_0001The Nine Network has revealed its plans for 2016, including a raft of new shows and returning titles — but there are some announcements that are set to shake things up.

Firstly, Nine’s primary channel is returning to High Definition broadcast. From 26 November, Nine will resume the HD simulcast of its primary channel for the first time since 2010 — when GEM took over the HD slot.

Viewers without access to a high definition tuner will still be able to see Nine in standard definition on channels 9 and 91. The high definition broadcast will take over the Channel 90 spot, while HD channel GEM (to be re-branded 9Gem) will switch to Standard Definition on Channel 92.

GO (to become 9Go) will now be available on Channel 93 as well as its existing channel 99. Shopping channel Extra will be available only on Channel 95.

The next big announcement is that Nine will be launching a new lifestyle channel, 9Life, on 26 November on Channel 94.

9Life_00019Life will feature various lifestyle and reality brands, some of which not currently seen in Australia, through a supply deal secured with Scripps Network Interactive. (Scripps is also a key supplier of content to SBS‘ upcoming channel, Food Network)

Programs to feature on 9Life include The Bachelor, Million Dollar Listing, The Real Housewives, Flip or Flop, House Hunters International and Tiny House, Big Living.

Nine will also relaunch its online portal Jump-In as 9Now, promising streaming, catch up and on-demand viewing of all its channels. This comes after Seven‘s recent announcement that it will be streaming its channels online.

Nine’s primary channel line-up for 2016 will include returning programs Love Child, House Husbands, The Voice, Australia’s Got Talent, The Block, Reno Rumble, The Farmer Wants A Wife, Married At First Sight, The Embassy, Kings Cross ER, The Footy Show, Hot Seat and Getaway.

New titles include dramas Hide And Seek and House Of Bond, sitcom Here Come The Habibs, game show You’re Back In The Room (to be hosted by Daryl Somers), reality show The Rookie and factuals Prison: First And Last 24 Hours and This Time Next Year.

Nine will again cover the TV Week Logie Awards, Carols By Candlelight and the NRL State Of Origin.

It is unclear at this stage if Nine’s channel reshuffle and switch to HD for the main channel will be emulated by regional affiliates WIN, NBN (which Nine owns) and Imparja.

 

 

12 thoughts on “Nine launches 9HD and 9Life

  1. I’m hoping like mad this does not adversely affect regional stations like NBN-Newcastle. I do NOT live in Sydney! I live in a regional centre. Call me parochial I’ll wear the tag with pride but when I watch REGIONAL TV I expect the station to promote its REGIONAL roots and to keep faith with its REGIONAL audiences, not to allow the capital city affiliate to trample it into the ground as Prime has allowed ATN to do. Prime should be actively promoting itself and rebranding itself as “PRIME REGIONAL TELEVISION” and doing its own half-hour comprehensive news bulletins out of its Orange AND Tamworth studios. Canberra should be nothing more than a sales office.
    This goes for ANY regional stations that have allowed themselves to be SWAMPED by their capital city affiliates.

    1. @Andrew M, sorry, that explanation just doesn’t “cut it” with me, I’m afraid. It does not matter what era we’re in, regional TV should ALWAYS retain its own LOCAL identity and strive to remain AUTONOMOUS as much as possible. The Regional Market Aggregation “brain-fart” of Robert James Lee Hawke, has done much to totally ruin regional TV in Australia.

  2. Neil if you go America,United Kingdom,New Zealand or Canada they would have a similar set up as the moderator Andrew would agree with me I’m only here for a nastogic trip down memory lane I am not here to have a debate so let’s keep those posts coming in that nostalgic theme that’s why I come on here and nothing else keep up the good work andrew you’re doing a fantastic job

  3. @Andrew M,
    I do INDEED look back at the history of Australian TV and how the regional markets were well-and-truly “STUFFED UP” from the mid-1980s and through the 1990s. We can all remember the classic TV shows, ranking top of the list for me was Young Talent Time. But in the history of Australian TV there is the good, and the extremely BAD… And regional market aggregation falls smack-bang into the latter category.

    1. @Andrew M. I ask you this one question: Do you live in any of the mainland capital cities or are you from a regional centre? If you’re from any of the capitals, you’ve lost nothing beyond the quality of shows on offer. If you’re from regional Australia, you’ve lost locally-relevant news, local “personalities” and locally-produced variety. Remember “Traveling Out West”, hosted by John Williamson in the early-to-mid 1970s? That show was produced and packaged for regional television by Station NBN-Newcastle! All NBN does now is an hour-long comprehensive news bulletin out of its Mosbri Crescent, Newcastle studios… nothing else! The days of Traveling Out West, Here Tonight(hosted by Neville Roberts) and shows like that are gone and regional Australia is a thousand times the poorer for that loss.

    1. @Andrew M., be careful, Your job could vanish tomorrow with the stroke of a pen if your station’s metropolitan affiliate decides to take your station over.

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