Sport is the connective tissue that binds brands and fans, and 2021’s lineup is looking stronger than ever

The world of sport was turned upside down in 2020. With a postponed NRL season, Wimbledon cancelled, and both the French and US Opens postponed, fans began the year facing an unusually empty

sporting calendar. Thankfully, Australia’s various sporting codes fought hard to overcome the odds in record time.  The NRL proved its nimbleness by becoming the first code to return to

stadiums – not just here in Australia, but anywhere in the world. Broadcasting norms were broken in order to make the viewing experiences enjoyable and as normal as possible for the viewers,

including new camera angles and augmented crowd effects. [embedded content] PREVIEW NINE’S SPORT STRATEGY FOR 2021 The Suncorp Super Netball season moved up to Queensland, ultimately

delivering one of its strongest and most exciting seasons ever. Plus, who could forget the magic of three Origin matches across three different states in just three weeks? ADVERTISEMENT As

recently revealed by Menulog CMO Simon Cheng, Wednesday orders for the takeaway delivery service were the ‘best he’s seen’ during this year’s State of Origin. Speaking to Nine’s Erin Molan,

he explained: “TV is a really important part of our mix. We are a brand that’s all about reaching as many people and eyeballs as possible. TV and sport plays a really big part of that. “It’s

no coincidence that we chose the State of Origin because it’s pretty much the top three programs every year. For us, it’s a marriage made in heaven.” Looking to 2021, the Australian Open is

set to ensure that tennis remains Australia’s summer sport of choice, with Roger Federer and Serena Williams already confirmed to attend. From there, we’ve got the NRL launching with the

all-stars in February, right the way through to the Grand Final in October and everything in between. THE NEW NORMAL When it comes to security around COVID-19, there are some great lessons

learned from the AFL, netball, and rugby league, putting Nine’s sporting partners in the very best place to launch us into 2021 and a new world of COVID-safe sport. For the Australian Open,

set to take place early next year, biosecurity bubbles are being put in place, allowing international players to arrive safely into the country, with enough time to warm up and prepare

before the tournament starts. Across all sporting codes, crowds will be managed in new, COVID-safe ways. Reduced numbers, social distancing, and no overseas spectators will keep the event as

safe as possible – for the fans, the athletes, and the brands associated with the events. With potentially less on-ground activity, the importance of media assets to engage audiences around

the country is amplified. Nine’s role becomes an enabler to connect the brand halo essence that they might normally have received on the ground and to bring that connection to Australians

in different ways. A CROSS-PLATFORM APPROACH This year demonstrated the need for content providers to help people consume sport across multiple platforms and multiple access points. The Wide

World of Sports ecosystem has enabled Nine to keep the conversation going with audience across radio, digital, print, and sport entertainment shows like Sports Sunday, Footy Classified,

Sunday Footy Shows, providing incremental value and engagement that continues long after the match is over. Adding to the existing broadcast lineup in 2021 is Stan Sport, a groundbreaking

live streaming television opportunity on Australia’s leading local SVOD service. All rugby matches and all matches from both Wimbledon and Roland-Garros will be available to Australian

sports fans live, ad-free, and on-demand. Stan Sport allows Nine to deliver a whole of television approach across Nine’s ecosystem with commercial opportunities across all platforms. By

combining its free-to-air assets with Stan, Nine will cater to audiences’ evolving viewing habits like never before. In 2021, Nine’s focus is to enable brands to create a deeper connection

with sporting fans by digging into this essential fan experience. Fans and brands alike are looking forward to the new  year with a sense of optimism. For brands, sport is the perfect place

to kickstart their marketing activity. In the face of adversity, this year has made one thing especially certain: Australians can’t live without sport. The role sport plays for brands will

only continue to grow in 2021. It’s authentic, it’s real, and as we have seen this year, it connects and binds us together like nothing else can. Got a tip? SPONSORED BY Nine At Nine, we

don’t just serve up the main game, we connect Australia with a whole Wide World of Sports. From television, digital, print, radio, video on demand and live streaming, there’s no place like

Nine to reach and engage more Australians through Sport.