• Young: “Nine must innovate how and where we deliver our content”
Nine has announced the promotion of Lizzie Young to the newly created role of group content strategy director.
Nine CEO Hugh Marks said Young would be charged with driving Nine’s approach to the distribution and commercialisation of Nine’s content assets across all the platforms now available to Nine as a business. This will ensure that Nine can continue to invest in the Australian news, sport, entertainment and lifestyle content that audiences are engaging with.
“The facts are that Australians are consuming more television content than ever before,” Marks said. “However, as audiences change the way they consume our content we too need to continue to innovate how we both create and distribute the unique premium Australian content that we invest more than $700 million every year on.
“Lizzie has played a key role at Nine over the past eight years, which has helped us bridge the gap between content and our commercial partners. She has the background, across both our content and sales divisions, to help drive not only greater effectiveness in our current business model, but also how we innovate the way we create, distribute and commercialise our content assets to adapt with changing audience behaviour.”
Young said she was excited about her new role and the challenge of finding new ways to engage both audiences and advertisers.
“We must innovate how and where we deliver our content,” Young said. “In a fragmenting media landscape, we have to work harder to grab consumer attention. Nine must continue to be at the forefront of our audience’s mind, and when they come to us we must deliver them an amazing experience.”
In the new role Young will report directly to Hugh Marks. Nine’s CEO said the appointment was a sign of the company’s emphasis on ensuring it is focused on building new revenue streams and exploring partnerships in key areas of audience growth.
“My challenge as CEO is to ensure our management team is fully equipped and ready to embrace change and the evolution of our business model,” he said.
“We must constantly adapt the business to address and commercialise the way people are consuming our content. Lizzie understands our content, the creators and the audience, as well as having a deep knowledge of our advertisers, and is more than equipped to build out what will be an important role in Nine’s future.”