A New Era for Netball in Australia
The 2027 Netball World Cup is set to be a major event in the Australian sports calendar, with the tournament set to be broadcast on Nine as part of a new five-year rights deal with Netball Australia. This agreement, which begins in January, will cover all Super Netball matches, Australian Diamonds games, and the World Cup itself, which will be hosted in Sydney.
Under the terms of the deal, fans will have access to live matches through 9Now and Stan Sport. Additionally, select Super Netball matches each round and all finals, along with every Diamonds match, will be available free-to-air across the 9Network. Key World Cup matches and finals will also be shown on free-to-air channels, ensuring that a wide audience can enjoy the action.
Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis expressed her excitement about the partnership during an appearance on Nine’s Today program on Thursday. “The technical term is, we are pumped,” she said. “It puts the sport front and centre. So, for little girls and increasingly little boys who are looking at a multitude of choices for what sport they want to play, they’ll see netball’s athletes on the big stage and the big stage is coming at us pretty quickly.”
Super Netball is already the most attended women’s sport in Australia, and the upcoming World Cup in Sydney will bring together the best nations from around the world. “Next year we’ve got the world cup right here in Sydney, where we’ll have the best nations from around the world competing on the world stage and live on Nine,” Ellis added.
Nine has been a key player in the development of Super Netball since the league began a decade ago. “It’s wonderful for us to partner once again to showcase the best netballers in the world, playing in the world’s best netball league,” said NA chief executive Stacey West.
West emphasized that the demand for more netball content is clear. “We have heard consistently from our fans that they want to see more netball content. This sport matters to fans right across our country and for them to be able to watch it together and celebrate their heroes is what creates the magic moments that deepen connections with our game.”
Nine Group streaming and broadcast managing director Amanda Laing highlighted the significance of the deal, stating that netball joins “a portfolio around the sports Australians care most deeply about.” “And netball belongs in that company,” she said. “It is woven through schools, suburbs and regional towns across the country, with passionate fans and strong community roots.”
The agreement also positions Nine as a leading destination for women’s sport. Netball joins a growing list of events and leagues, including the recently announced WTA Tour, NRLW, WNBL, WSL, women’s rugby including Super W, as well as swimming and athletics. This move underscores the network’s commitment to showcasing a diverse range of sporting events and providing fans with high-quality coverage.
