Channel 9 are reportedly set to make a big broadcast change after axing Eddie McGuire’s Footy Classified show.
McGuire hosted the Tuesday edition of the show but it is understood a change is coming.
Channel 9 will keep the Monday version of the show but plan to expand their Footy Furnace show, according to the Herald Sun.
Footy Furnace, which has been hosted by Jimmy Bartel and James, is reportedly set to expand.
It will reportedly air on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Hird was enticed back to TV by the prospect of working on the show in 2025, and he also appeared on McGuire’s Footy Classified show.
McGuire was also joined by the likes of Dermott Brereton, Cal Twomey and a rotation of current AFL coaches, including Sam Mitchell and Luke Beveridge.
According to Code Sports, the Monday night edition of Classified, which features Sam McClure, Matthew Lloyd, Jimmy Bartel and Damian Barrett, will return in 2027.
The popular Sunday Footy Show, featuring Lloyd, Tony Jones, Nathan Brown and Barrett, will also return next year.
McGuire will reportedly continue to have a role at Nine, including hosting the network’s Melbourne Cup Carnival coverage.
He will also continue to be involved in football “special events”.
It is the latest shake up to a footy media landscape that has been on a rollercoaster since Seven’s aggressive push to carve out a larger piece of the pie, spearheaded by Channel 7 sports director Chris Jones.
Footy Classified was launched in 2007 with SEN media mogul Craig Hutchison and veteran news reporter Caroline the faces of the experiment.
Having spent years hosting The Footy Show and serving as Nine Network CEO, McGuire took a featured seat on Footy Classified in 2020 to host the Wednesday night edition of the show.
Footy Classified was moved from Wednesdays to Tuesdays in an attempt to avoid going head to head with Seven’s Front Bar, hosted by Mick Molloy and Sam Pang.
Originally published as Channel 9 set for big broadcast change after axing Eddie McGuire’s footy show