Nine has relocated to the heart of Perth’s CBD in a huge $10 million statement of intent the network wants to become number one in Seven West Media’s home state.
Last night, West Australian premier Colin Barnett, foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop and a host of dignitaries helped open the new building at a launch event AdNews attended (see a photo gallery of the event below).
It places Nine right in the middle of Perth’s CBD - the only TV network to be based within touching distance of key clients and agencies.
Nine’s managing director Ray Wardrop describes the facility as “by far the most modern broadcast facility in the country”. At the heart of it is a fully-digitised studio containing Nine’s new-look news set. The set features fully-automated cameras that are operated from the control room and is viewable to pedestrians on one of Perth's busiest streets. The design and technology of the set will eventually be rolled out across Nine’s other state HQs early next year.
Nine’s HQ occupies about 2,500 sqm of office space across three buildings for 130-plus staff and sits at the top of St George's Terrace, Perth's major CBD artery.
Kate McMahon, Nine's sales director in Perth, tells AdNews the new facility shows West Australians a big television network is investing in Perth at a time when the local economy is struggling. She says this also provides Nine with greater market presence.
“A lot of our clients and media agencies are based in the city whereas [previous HQ] Dianella is half an hour away," she explains. "This gives us a presence to have more conversations and be doing more for our clients.”
Local media agency bosses tell AdNews the new HQ will improve Nine's capability and lift competition in the TV market.
“It will enable Nine to start delivering on the promise that Seven have been doing for quite a while, which is integrated thinking. They’ve now got a premise here which they can activate. And as well as that, through people like Kate, they’ll be able to activate a lot more effectively,” says Clive Bingwa, managing director of IPG Mediabrands and Initiative Perth.
“Really importantly, it makes a consumer connection back to Perth. It gives them visibility on the ground, which is really important in Western Australia. We need a strong television market, a strong advertising industry and good competition, and this is another step towards that.”
Marketforce chairman and CEO John Driscoll says the new facility is overdue and great for the local TV industry.
"There's still a mystique of entertainment that goes with television and Channel Nine's decision to position themselves at the top of the terrace with a clearly visible news broadcast facility there creates a bit of old nostalgia and magic about television, which I think is really important," he tells AdNews.
"Channel Nine now has a good modern facility and I think that is good for competition and for the local television market. They've invested heavily in their technology, that was long overdue, but Seven West have also invested heavily in their broadcast facility at Herdsman."
Photos courtesy of Channel 9 Perth.
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