9Now
Type of site
Video on demand, OTT, Catch up, live streaming
Available inEnglish
Predecessor(s)9Jumpin (2014–16)
HeadquartersNorth Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia
Area servedAustralia
OwnerNine Entertainment Co.
CEOMike Sneesby
Servicesstreaming service
URL9now.com.au
CommercialYes
RegistrationFree
Launched27 January 2016; 8 years ago (2016-01-27)
Current statusActive

9Now is a live stream, video on demand and catch-up TV service run by the Nine Network in Australia. The service launched on 27 January 2016, replacing Nine's previous service 9Jumpin. 9Now offers online live streaming of Channel 9, 9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life and 9Rush, as well as live news via nine.com.au.[1][2]

In 2016, 9Now was at the centre of a legal challenge by then Nine regional television partner WIN Television, which helped contribute to an affiliation swaps for Nine and competitor Network 10.

As of January 2019, Nine claims to have more than 7m signups to its platform.[3]

History

2010–2013: FIXPlay

On 12 April 2010, as a part of its online entertainment brand TheFIX, the Ninemsn Company released FIXPlay, an online video on demand catch-up TV service for the Nine Network, incorporating locally produced programs from Nine and GO! along with back-catalogue content from local and international distributors.[4][5] FIXPlay became the second catch-up TV service released by a commercial Australian network, the first being PLUS7 from Yahoo7 and the Seven Network.

2012–2013: Jump-in

On 26 July 2012, Nine released Jump-in, a trial social television app on iPhone and iPad for its coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The app allowed users to view information on the television broadcast, set reminders and comment on events, view the full Olympic schedule, latest medal tally, event results, news coverage and other video highlights.[6] After its success throughout the Olympics, Jump-in was commercially launched on 4 February 2013 as an interactive television app that allowed viewers a behind-the-scenes insight into select television series, voting and posting live comments on select television series (that would appear on-screen), and entering competitions.[7]

2013–2016: 9Jumpin

On 8 November 2013, FIXPlay was merged into Jump-in, later renamed to 9Jumpin in May 2014, integrating catch-up TV with interactive social media.[8] The app's original interactive TV features were integrated into its new website, while new catch-up content was now available on mobile devices. The 9Jumpin website was closed on 28 January 2016, one day after the silent launch of 9Now.

2016–present: 9Now

In October 2015, with the upcoming launch of 9Life and relaunch of 9HD and looming network-wide rebrand, Nine announced that 9Jumpin would be replaced with an entirely new service called 9Now. Pete Wiltshire, chief revenue officer of Nine Entertainment Co., stated that "[9Jumpin] was never designed to be streaming product and it isn't" and announced that the purpose-built 9Now service will replace 9Jumpin as Nine's on-demand catch-up TV service with a wider range of content, while also delivering live streaming of Channel 9, 9Gem, 9Go! and 9Life.[9] 9Now was described as "a premium destination for live streaming, catch-up and on-demand content for all of the Nine Network's linear channels".[1] The 9Now website and app were launched on 27 January 2016 along with live streaming for Nine, with live streaming for the multichannels to launch on a later date.[10][11] However, unlike competitors 7plus, ABC iview, SBS on Demand, and 10Play, 9Now requires users to create an account before allowing access to catch-up content and live streaming.[2] Livestreams for 9Go!, 9Gem and 9Life were launched on 17 May 2016.

Following the launch of 9Now, Nine's main regional affiliate WIN Television sued Nine Entertainment Co., alleging that the service violated its program supply agreement by broadcasting Nine programming into territories where it held exclusive rights.[12][13] Justice Hammerschlag of the NSW Supreme Court dismissed the case on 28 April 2016, ruling that Nine had the right to stream its programming nationally because the affiliation agreement's definition of "broadcasting" did not cover live internet streaming.[14][15] Nine's victory prompted network executives to revoke WIN's affiliation with the network beyond June 2016, and enter into a new regional affiliation with Southern Cross Austereo (WIN would concurrently switch to Network 10).[16][17][18]

On 4 August 2017, 9Now received a new logo, further confirming the service's relationship with the Nine Network, as the platform received 4 million signups.[19][20][21]

On 30 June 2022, 9Now was discontinued for the PlayStation 4.

On 14 September 2022, at Nine Entertainment's 2022 upfront, Nine announced some changes to the platform, including Full HD channels, FAST channels, and an innovative new homepage that allows users to dive straight into the live content stream.[22][23][24] On 6 December 2022, 9Now added a start over feature that will go back to the very beginning of a show.[25][26] The Start Over feature was meant to be launched in October 2022.[27] The new homepage of the platform was launched in August 2023. On 25 October 2023, Pedestrian TV a dedicated FAST channels launched on 9Now.

Content and programming

9Now provides on-demand access to almost all the TV programs that are broadcast on the Nine Network linear broadcast channels (Channel 9, 9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life and 9Rush).

Programs are categorised by these genres:

Live Sports

Further information: Nine's Wide World of Sports

Logos and screenshots

Logos

Screenshot

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Reilly, Claire (29 October 2015). "Nine Network to live stream all channels and revamp HD". CNET. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b Knox, David (28 January 2016). "9Now ready for Live streaming". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  3. ^ Samios, Zoe (9 January 2019). "Nine integrates 9Now into 9Galaxy tool, offers dynamic ad insertion ahead of Australian Open". Mumbrella. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  4. ^ "NINEMSN LAUNCHES FIXPlay". Mi9. 12 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  5. ^ Knox, David (12 April 2010). "Nine launches FIXPlay, video catch-up". TV Tonight. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Jump-in to London 2012 Olympics". Mi9. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Mi9 announces full commercial Launch of Jump-in". Mi9. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  8. ^ "State-of-the-art app for Origin viewers - 9jumpin to stage first ever "Tweet of Origin" battle". Mi9. 27 May 2014. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  9. ^ Mason, Max (29 October 2015). "Nine to launch new lifestyle channel 9Life and stream all channels 24/7". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Nine begins roll-out of catch-up and streaming service 9Now and registration system My9". mUmBRELLA. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Nine catch-up site 9Now quietly launches". mediaweek. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  12. ^ Mason, Max (10 February 2016). "Bruce Gordon's WIN takes Nine to court over streaming". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  13. ^ Christensen, Nic (10 February 2016). "WIN takes Nine to court to try and block its live streaming service 9Now in regional areas". mUmBRELLA. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  14. ^ McDonald, Philippa (28 April 2016). "Regional broadcaster WIN loses bid to stop Channel Nine streaming programs". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  15. ^ Knox, David (28 April 2016). "Nine victory in 9NOW streaming lawsuit filed by WIN TV". TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  16. ^ White, Dominic (29 April 2016). "Nine and Southern Cross in multi-year affiliation deal". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  17. ^ Mitchell, Jake (29 April 2016). "Nine win shows media law absurdity: WIN chief Andrew Lancaster". The Australian. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Jake; Davidson, Darren (2 May 2016). "Nine, Ten to swap affiliate partners". The Australian. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  19. ^ "9Now Rebrands As Platform Passes Four Million Sign-Up Mark". Nine for Brands. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  20. ^ Samios, Zoe (4 August 2017). "Nine tweaks 9Now logo ahead of marketing push". Mumbrella. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  21. ^ Christensen, Nic (4 August 2017). "Nine Rebrands BVOD Platform 9Now After Passing Four Million Sign-up Mark". B&T. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  22. ^ Perry, Kevin (14 September 2022). "High Definition and more streaming channels revealed as 9NOW gets an upgrade". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  23. ^ Shepherd, Emma (14 September 2022). "Nine's Upfront TV: 9Now refreshed, live sport goes full HD, shoppable interactive ads on CTV". Mumbrella. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Most significant transformation for 9Now since its launch". Nine for Brands. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  25. ^ Knox, David (7 December 2022). "9Now launches Start Over feature". TV Tonight. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  26. ^ Kelly, Vivienne (6 December 2022). "Nine Introduces 'Start Over' Function to 9Now". Variety Australia. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  27. ^ Knox, David (20 September 2022). "9Now in Full HD, "Start Over" feature coming in October". TV Tonight. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

External links

Nine Entertainment
Australian streaming companies
Video on demand services
Online video and sharing platforms
Categories