What’s New January 27, 2026
Will SEN boss Craig Hutchison be adding Nine’s radio assets to his burgeoning media empire – and for a bargain price to boot?
The answer could come as early as this week.
Staff at Nine Entertainment are expecting a sale announcement any day now.
According to the The Australian (subscription required), Hutchison’s Sports Entertainment Group (SEG) – up against two rival consortiums – is the frontrunner to snap up Nine’s talk stations, which include Sydney’s 2GB, Melbourne’s 3AW, Brisbane’s 4BC and Perth’s 6PR – and for substantially less than the rumoured $50 million price tag. Try $28 million.
His reported bid partner is Viburnum, which holds a majority stake in the Global Traffic Network, owner of traffic report provider ATN.
In September last year, Hutchison’s Sports Entertainment Group officially completed the acquisition of Melbourne sports station RSN 927.
The deal – worth $3.25 million – made SEN the sole audio broadcaster of racing in Victoria, and added to Hutchison’s stable of AM stations, following the purchase of Brisbane’s 4KQ and Sydney’s 2CH.
Obviously industry speculation is just that, and there are some ownership issues that impact a deal like this. It does, however, demonstrate that Hutchison is a major player with financial clout behind him.
History would tell us that many a media empire was built on less.
Watch this space.