Swimming Australia And Nine Network Australia Launch Landmark 10-year Broadcast Deal
SWIMMING Australia and Nine Network Australia have today announced a landmark 10-year, multi-platform media rights and sponsorship agreement through to 2034 – swimming’s longest and most wide-ranging broadcast deal in the sport’s history.
Locking in Australia’s premier Olympic sport into its existing LA28 and Brisbane32 rights deals with the International Olympic Committee for the next two Olympic and Paralympic Games – a perfect fit for all parties.
The decade-long arrangement follows Nine’s Wide World Of Sports coverage of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials in Brisbane that saw a record audience of 5.7 million.
A meet that created the platform for Nine’s blanket swimming coverage of the Paris Games that provided the most watched golden moments of the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
Coverage that started with the most anticipated race of the Paris swimming program with Aussie golden girl Ariarne Titmus defending her 400m freestyle crown in an Olympic showdown featuring Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh and the world’s greatest female freestyler Katie Ledecky.
Aussie fans were then glued to their television sets as the Australia v USA battles continued to unfold – with Kaylee McKeown, Mollie O’Callaghan, Cameron McEvoy and Australia’s all-conquering female freestyle relay swimmers joining the gold rush.
Before the inspirational stories of Alexa Leary and Ben Hance drew record audiences to the Paralympic coverage.
It will be a partnership that will continue to grow both brands and enhance the profiles of Australia’s swimmers and The Dolphins National Team – and a partnership that first came to the fore leading into the Sydney 2000 Games – playing a crucial broadcast role as Australia under Don Talbot defeated the Americans for the first time at the 2001 World’s.
Nine’s coverage will come to life across streaming, broadcast and publishing platforms – including the 9Network and 9Now – for the Swimming Australia calendar that includes Australian Swimming. Trials, Australian Short Course Championships, Australian Age Championships and Australian Open Championships.
The comprehensive agreement will ensure meets featuring Australia’s top swimmers will be available in every household nationally, cementing Nine as the home of swimming, starting with this week’s Australian Open Water Championships and OceanSwim Festival in Busselton, Western Australia.
Looking ahead, viewers can watch elite international racing on Nine including the Pan Pacs in 2026 and 2030.
CEO of Swimming Australia, Rob Woodhouse described the landmark agreement with Nine as a pivotal moment for the sport.
“It brings unprecedented exposure to our National teams and to the next generation of athletes that will be household names by LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032,” Woodhouse said.
“We are always looking to enhance fan accessibility and ensure the visibility of our Dolphins inspires all Australians to swim, to improve their own wellbeing and to be part of our swimming community.
“This is a great win for fans old and new of swimming, and for the Dolphins, with such incredible access to the sport we love.”
Nine’s Acting CEO Matt Stanton, said his network was proud to provide Swimming Australia with an unrivalled multimedia platform to showcase its sport and success for the next 10 years.
“Sport is part of our DNA at Nine and this partnership ensures Swimming Australia has the backing and support of Nine as we head towards Brisbane 2032 and beyond,” Stanton said.
Nine’s Director of Sport Brent Williams, said The Dolphins had provided some of the most iconic moments in Australian sporting history.
“This inspiring team of fighters and superstars continues to deliver time and time again on the global stage,” Williams said.
“This deal lays the platform for Wide World of Sports to showcase the many fiercely competitive race meets, allow viewers to follow the progress of our big-name athletes, and bring to the forefront the rising stars of swimming who will be our future Olympic champions all the way to Brisbane 2032.”
EGM Commercial at Swimming Australia Jodie Hawkins, thanked Swimming Australia’s commercial rights agency SportFive “ for its role in the development of what she described as “an exciting partnership.”
It was the partnership between Swimming Australia and Australia’s original Olympic agency, Sports Marketing And Management (now SportFive) that heralded that golden era of the 1990s and 2000s that featured superstars like Susie O’Neill, Kieren Perkins, Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett, Michael Klim, Geoff Huegill, Jodie Henry and Petria Thomas.
SWIMMING AUSTRALIA PARTNERS WITH SPORTFIVE TO EXPAND COMMERCIAL FOOTPRINT