Nine streamlines digital brands in nine.com.au relaunch

Nine is relaunching nine.com.au, moving away from a fragmented network of digital brands toward a simpler platform built around six core content pillars.

The rebuild organises the site around news, sport, lifestyle, travel, entertainment and shopping, with Nine positioning the change as the biggest evolution of the platform since it moved from ninemsn to nine.com.au in 2016.

Nine.com.au reaches nearly 10 million Australians each month and generates 270 million page impressions and 15 million short-form video streams monthly, according to the company.

The platform currently reaches more than 45% of the Australian internet population, but Nine said its digital ecosystem had become too fragmented, with more than 150 sub-brands built up over time.

The relaunch is also supported by a new-look app, with the 9News app being updated into a nine.com.au branded app. The move brings news together with sport, entertainment and lifestyle content in one mobile destination.

The new homepage will be able to showcase live blogs, explainers and video alongside breaking news, while the broader content slate will include vodcasts, video-led series and social-first content across the six pillars.

Katie Davies, executive editor of nine.com.au, said the relaunch was designed to reflect changing reader and advertiser needs.

“We are defining a new direction that stands for something clear: fast, free, and for you. Australians don’t just want the news - they want to know what it means for their family and where the conversation is going next,” Davies said. 

Marc Dodd, editor of nine.com.au, added the relaunch gives Nine’s digital reporting team a stronger platform across formats.

“We know the media landscape is changing quickly - but the desire for trusted, breaking news will always stay the same. And our team is the best in the business at delivering that,” Dodd said.

The shift to a single domain will also allow Nine to launch focused micro-newsletters around major news and cultural moments, including elections, budgets and major events.

As part of the relaunch, 9Honey will no longer sit as a standalone destination in the same way, with the brand folded into nine.com.au’s new Lifestyle pillar as Nine pares back its sprawling digital ecosystem. Wide World of Sport brand will now sit under Sport while retaining Wide World of Sport and Stan Sport branding on the site.

Ashleigh Thomas, commercial director, publishing sales at Nine, said the redesign was also built around creating a stronger digital environment for advertisers.

“When Katie and the nine.com.au team looked at redesigning the site, their absolute priority was creating a premium digital environment where brands can truly perform,” Thomas said.

The relaunch comes as publishers continue to consolidate digital products, simplify audience journeys and build more direct relationships with readers through newsletters, video, apps and clearer content verticals.