Nine locks in Matt James as chief sales officer across TV, publishing and audio

Nine has confirmed the appointment of Matt James as chief sales officer, with a focus on expanding its digital strategy across TV, publishing and audio. James, who stepped into the acting role in December 2024, will now lead the sales strategy across Nine’s Total Television, Total Publishing and Total Audio assets.

He reports directly to Nine’s chief executive officer Matt Stanton.

A media veteran with more than 35 years’ experience, James was previously CEO of Zenith Media UK, Group CEO of Publicis Media and held leadership roles at Zenith Australia and New Zealand. Earlier in his career, he also served as managing director of Mi9, Nine’s former digital arm.

James rejoined Nine in 2020 as managing director of Nine Melbourne, overseeing key properties including Channel 9, The Age, 3AW and the Australian Financial Review, and later moved into Nine’s Transformation team to help develop long-term digital growth initiatives.

His permanent appointment signals Nine’s renewed focus on advanced digital video, as the company looks to compete more directly with global platforms and lead a new era of collaboration across Australia’s streaming and broadcast sectors.

“I’m excited to lead one of the most talented sales teams in Australia,” James said. “We’ve spent the last several months re-arming and re-organising ourselves to execute an advanced digital strategy across TV, publishing and audio. Nine is well-placed for a strong future and is now at a pivotal point in becoming a digital video leader.”

CEO Matt Stanton added James was a high-calibre media executive with global experience and a strong vision for Nine. “With experience on both the media and agency sides, and a strong digital background, I can’t think of a better person to re-invigorate Nine’s strategy in this space.”