''Nine's Wide World of Sports'' is a long running sports anthology brand on Australian

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

that airs on the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television ne ...

and streaming service Stan. All major sports, events and series covered by the network are broadcast under this brand, the flagship sports being

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

(

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnershi ...

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

(

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

and Wallabies international matches) and Grand Slam

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

(

Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...

French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...

, Wimbledon and the US Open). Previous sporting rights include the

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by ...

(

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

Australian Cricket Team The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket. As the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing in the first ever Test match in 1877, the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) ...

home season, spring and autumn

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

until 2008, and golf ( U.S. Masters) since 2018.

History

1981–1990s – Creation and contract competition

Wide World of Sports (WWoS) is a long-used title for Nine's sport programming. All sports broadcasts on Nine air under the WWoS brand. It was also the name of a popular sports magazine program that aired most Saturdays and Sundays. This program filled many of the summer daytime hours. It was first pitched by Gordon Carr who went on to hold a broad portfolio in WWoS. The program premiered at 1:00 pm on Saturday, 23 May 1981, and was initially hosted by Mike Gibson and

Ian Chappell Ian Michael Chappell (born 26 September 1943) is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation. Bor ...

, before being hosted in the 1990s by

Max Walker Maxwell Henry Norman Walker (12 September 1948 – 28 September 2016) was an Australian sportsman who played both cricket and Australian rules football at high levels. After six years of balancing first-class cricket in summer, professional f ...

and Ken Sutcliffe. Ian Maurice was the regular anchor at the WWOS Update Desk. The show ended in 1999, due in large part to the rise of

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...

(which Nine's owner owned half of) and other subscription sport channels, but the show returned in 2008 on Sunday mornings. It was unrelated to the series "Wide World of Sports" aired by ABC in the United States, which started in 1961."Wide World of Sports - Some Hits, Some Errors"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 19 April 1981 From the early 1970s, the main sport aired nationally under the WWoS brand was cricket. Nine's majority owner

Kerry Packer Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer (17 December 1937 – 26 December 2005) was an Australian media tycoon, and was considered one of Australia's most powerful media proprietors of the twentieth century. The Packer family company owned a controllin ...

created

World Series Cricket World Series Cricket (WSC) was a commercial professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 which was organised by Kerry Packer and his Australian television network, Nine Network. WSC ran in commercial competition to established ...

in part because he couldn't obtain the rights to Australian test matches at home, even though he offered the

Australian Cricket Board Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...

a $1.5 million 3-year contract which was rejected by the ACB who signed a 3-year deal with the ABC to broadcast test matches. This led to Packer signing in secret some of the world's best cricket players for a breakaway competition. In 1978, 35 of the "world's best players" had signed with Packer's

, which was broadcast in competition with ABC's cricket coverage of the ICC. Nine's ''Wide World of Sports'' was the "first broadcaster to put a microphone on the players for an international cricket match," which later became common practice in the industry."Cricket and the Media"
'' International Cricket Hall'', 2010 ABC and Nine then signed a truce after a long dispute in 1979, with Nine securing the exclusive rights to telecast Australian cricket. From that point until 2006, Nine based its summer schedule around broadcasts of cricket internationally and domestic. Its cricket broadcasts in that era revolutionized the way the sport was covered, featuring cameras placed at both ends of the field (after Packer famously complained about seeing "cricketer's bums" every second over), instant replays, and other innovations. World Series Cricket made many other changes to cricket, having a huge impact on the game. David Hill was among the early executives that developed WWoS."David Hill, the Australian who changed the face of sports TV, is doing the same for the Oscars"
'' Perth Now'', Andrew Fenton, 26 February 2016 In the early 1980s, well-known hosts and presenters on Wide World of Sports included Mike Gibson"Mike Gibson, veteran sports presenter and commentator, dies aged 75"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Australian Associated Press, 23 September 2015"Mike Gibson's ability to empathise with punters made him a storyteller without peer
, '' Perth Now'', Christian Nicolussi, 23 September 2015 and

, both the inaugural hosts of the Saturday afternoon program in 1981. Billy Birmingham in 1984 released a comedy album that satirized cricket "and in particular Channel Nine's iconic commentary team with

Richie Benaud Richard Benaud (; 6 October 1930 – 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer who, after his retirement from international cricket in 1964, became a highly regarded commentator on the game. Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending ...

the central figure," which became popular in Australia,"Billy Birmingham to retire 'The 12th Man'"
'' The Roar'', Benjamin Conkey, 9 November 2015 called ''The Wired World of Sports.'' Among the hosts satirized were his friend Mike Gibson."Legendary sports commentator and journalist Mike Gibson dies aged 75"
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', 23 September 2015 Birmingham went on to release a series of albums ridiculing all aspects of Wide World of Sports, calling the show "Wired World of Sports". From the first to the most recent (2006), all have reached number one on the Australian album chart. David Hill helped establish Nine's Wide World of Sports early on, and was a "sounding board when the billionaire famously sold the network to

Alan Bond Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s, and what was at the time ...

and then bought it back three years later for less than a quarter of the price." Writes the ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', "Packer's decision to sell Nine to Bond in 1987 for $1.2 billion - before buying back the network in 1990 for $250 million - is legendary in Australian television." Other early broadcasters at WWoS included Ron Casey."Ron Casey, sports journalist and talkback radio presenter, dies at 89"
''

'', 1 October 2018 January 1995 saw the beginning of Premier Sports Network, the channel that was to become

. It secured the rights to Australia's cricket tour of the West Indies, Nine's first challenge since winning its World Series war. Nine tried to stop the broadcast under Australia's "anti-siphoning" rules, which exist to stop certain popular sporting events being screened exclusively on pay television. But it failed when Premier Sports Network came to an agreement to broadcast the tour free to air on Network 10. WWoS's other main sport was and is

. This was challenged in 1997 by the establishment of

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of w ...

, the repercussions of which led to Nine's parent company owning half of Fox Sports that year, and ultimately Nine's move away from popular live sport. This partial purchase of Fox Sports roughly coincided with the end of Nine's traditional Saturday and Sunday daytime schedule of sports programming. What had once filled it now filled subscription channels, mainly Fox Sports. Old movies and other low rating programs filled much of the space. Between the late 1970s and 1997, when Australians had wanted to watch continuous sport at home on a summer weekend, they had largely done so by tuning to Nine. Those in NSW, Queensland and the ACT did this all year round, due to rugby league's popularity in those areas. Now Fox Sports had that mantle, and gave viewers continuous sport all week long. In 1990s, the Wide World of Sports marketed sports paraphernalia such as signed and framed bats, and items from the

Australian Rugby League The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footba ...

."The road to riches down memory lane"
''

Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New So ...

'', Charles Wright, 15 May 1999 Paul Sheahan hosted Nine's ''Wide World of Sports'' program until 1999."‘Tangles’ was all heart"
''MCC News'', November 2016 Max Walker hosted until it ended in 1999."Former Australian cricketer Max Walker dies at 68"
''Stuff.co'', Joe Pierek, 28 September 2016"Max Walker dies aged 68"
''

Sunshine Coast Daily The Sunshine Coast Daily is an online newspaper specifically serving the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, Australia. It is owned by News Corp Australia. It was originally founded as a print newspaper, however since 2020 the publication is ...

'', 28 September 2016

2000–2008 – Changing broadcasting deals

In 2001, The Nine Network acquired broadcast rights for Friday night and Sunday afternoon games in the

, the elite

competition in 2001. Seven had previously held the TV rights for 44 years prior. They shared the rights with

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of fiv ...

and

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

from 2002 through to 2006, but the deal assigned exclusive rights for the finals series to Ten, a deal which reportedly flabbergasted Nine boss

. As it also had the rights for all major swimming competitions until 2008, major swimming competitions were shown in

primetime Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

. During the early to mid-2000s, Nine for the first time had the FTA rights to the highest competitions of Australia's four biggest spectator sports: rugby league, Australian rules (shared with Ten), cricket and swimming. While Nine no longer had the volume of sport it once had, during the 2000-2006 period it dominated non-Olympic sport broadcasting in Australia. With existing agreements then set to expire in 2006 and 2007, in 2005, Channel Nine secured a deal to air NRL games until the end of 2012."NRL secures $500m rights deal"
ABC, 1 July 2005 Eddie McGuire was named CEO of Nine Network with oversight of the ''Wide World of Sports'' brand in 2006. In January 2006, the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

and Network Ten exercised their "first and last" rights agreement with the AFL to trump the Nine Network's $780 million bid for broadcasting rights for the years 2007 to 2011. If Seven and Ten were unable to match the AFL's "quality of coverage" demands by 5 May 2006 (better coverage into regional areas, northern states and on pay television, as promised in the Nine bid) the AFL would have been allowed to award the broadcasting rights back to Nine. The Seven/Ten consortium, however, obtained the rights,"Seven, Ten win AFL broadcasting rights"
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', 5 January 2006"Seven, Ten win AFL rights"
''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'', 6 January 2006 with Nine broadcasting its last AFL match on Sunday 3 September 2006. The match was hosted by Tony Jones with a guest appearance from Nine's then

chief executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

and former AFL commentator Eddie McGuire. In 2004, it was making an annual income of around $30 million on broadcasting Australian cricket, with the television rights expiring at the end of the 2006. Around 2004, Cricket Australia began negotiating for a higher price."Cricket's battle over TV rights"
Crikey, 6 December 2004 In 2005, Nine Network bid on cricket for $45 million a year, winning the contract and signing a seven year deal with Cricket Australia.
''

'', 12 May 2005 From the beginning of the 2006-2007 cricket season, Nine no longer broadcast Australian domestic cricket. In 2012, Nine Network had a $1 billion contract for NRL rights and a $300 million cricket rights deal set to expire the following March. Instead, it replaced the coverage with delayed National Basketball League matches in October, with weekly one-hour highlight shows and full games."Hoops back on free-to-air"
''

'', 5 October 2006 The domestic cricket matches, long a mainstay of Nine's summer programming, moved exclusively to

2008–2020: return of ''Wide World of Sports''

After a ten-year hiatus, it was announced that the ''Wide World of Sports'' weekly television program would return to Nine on 16 March 2008, using the same theme song as the old version, as well as accessing old footage for replays. This show was hosted by the previous host Ken Sutcliffe, with footy show star James Brayshaw as well as former Australian cricketer

Adam Gilchrist Adam Craig Gilchrist (; born 14 November 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer and captain of the Australia national cricket team. He was an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keep ...

. Revolving co-hosts included former swimmers

Giaan Rooney Giaan Leigh Rooney, OAM (born 15 November 1982) is an Australian former competitive swimmer and television personality. As a member of the Australian team in women's 4×100-metre medley relay, she won an Olympic gold medal and broke a worl ...

, Nicole Livingstone and former cricketer Michael Slater."Returning: Wide World of Sports"
'' TVTonight'', David Knox, 11 March 2008 That year, it broadcast the Australian Open with its own team of commentators."John McEnroe, Todd Woodbridge sign on Nine's Australian Open team."
''

TV Tonight TV Tonight is an Australian-based website which features reviews, news and programming information related to television in Australia as well as OzTAM ratings information. The site was started by television critic David Knox in 2007 after list ...

'', David Knox, 9 August 2018 The show originally aired for 90 minutes but was recently extended to two hours. It aired on Sunday mornings at 9am till 11am. In 2008, the Nine Network and Microsoft joint venture ninemsn had a section dedicated to the ''Wide World of Sports.'' In 2009, Grant Hackett"Profile: Grant Hackett"
''

'', Lucinda Schmidt, 20 July 2011 and Michael Slater joined the team as co-hosts alongside Sutcliffe and Rooney. Livingstone did not return, as she joined

as a commentator. Rooney resigned from the Nine Network at the end of 2012 to join the Seven Network. It was thought that the Seven Network would continue its tradition of airing the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. However, Nine in joint partnership with

, has secured broadcasting rights which the network has described as the most comprehensive coverage of the Olympics. The partnership also won the rights to the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy Greene Wayne Gr ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. T ...

. For more than 40 years, the Nine Network had also broadcast the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament before ultimately dropping it after the 2010 tournament, citing declining ratings. The last Wimbledon match televised by Nine was the men's singles final played between

Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (, ; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 2 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked world No. 1 for 209 weeks, and has finish ...

and

Tomáš Berdych Tomáš Berdych (; born 17 September 1985) is a Czech former professional tennis player. His most notable achievement was reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, causing consecutive upsets by defeating top seed and six-time champ ...

, which Nadal won. The

have since picked up the broadcasting rights to Wimbledon, from

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who Assassination of Muammar Gaddafi, was killed tha ...

onwards.Seven snatches Wimbledon tennis coverage , Herald Sun
Colin Vickery, 4 April 2011 The

Australian Rugby League Commission The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footbal ...

in August 2012 agreed to a five-year broadcast deal in Australia with Nine Entertainment to air on its ''Wide World of Sports'' brand, and for $1.025 billion, was the "most lucrative agreement in rugby league history.""Smashes $1 Billion Barrier in New Broadcast Deal"
'' AusLeisure'', 22 August 2012 In 2013, the ''Wide World of Sports'' brand was facing challenges from other television networks its broadcast rights to

Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...

. Nine had a contract clause, however, so that if it were to "match the highest offer means it is still expected to retain the rights, despite its exclusive window for negotiations having closed." With Nine Network's cricket coverage winning in 1982, the television show won "Most Popular Sports Program" at the Logie Awards in 1986."TV WEEK Logie Award Winners "
Now To Love, 1 January 2010 It was nominated for the "Most Popular Sports Coverage" award at the 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015

Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

, being beaten by '' The NRL Footy Show'' on all occasions. Until 2016, Steve Crawley was the rugby league boss at ''Wide World of Sports'', when he was hired by

FOX Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...

."Fox Sports hires Nine executive Steve Crawley in new rugby league TV shake-up"
'' News Corp Australia Network'', Holly Byrnes, 5 February 2016 He was replaced by Tom Malone as Director of Sport."Nine appoints new Head of Sport and exec producer of 60 Minutes"
''

'', David Knox, 6 February 2018 After she was fired in 2014 as a cost-cutting measure, in 2016 Emma Freedman again signed up with Channel Nine's ''Wide World of Sports'' as an announcer."Emma Freedman is back at Channel Nine 14 months after being sacked"
''

News.com.au news.com.au is an Australian website owned by News Corp Australia. It had 9.6 million unique readers in April 2019 and covers national and international news, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, technology, finance, and sport. Staff The organiza ...

'', Andrew Bucklow, 3 March 2016 The weekly show was no longer airing as of 2017. ''

Sports Sunday ''Sports Sunday'' is an Australian sports television program currently broadcast on the Nine Network at 10.00am Sunday mornings. The show is hosted by journalist Roz Kelly, with a roster of rotating panelists including former Australian cricket c ...

'' replaced the show in the Sunday 10am time slot. In 2017, the ''WWoS'' channel was featuring the Netball World Series, hosted by Erin Molan and with commentators Liz Ellis, Sharelle McMahon, Cath Cox and Anne Sargeant."Nine's Wide World of Sports launching FAST5 Netball World Series"
''

Mediaweek ''Mediaweek'' is an online trade website serving the Australian media industry. It provides news regarding the Australian newspaper, television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting mov ...

'', 27 October 2017 In 2017, the channel signed Ray Warren for five more years, for as long as they retained their rugby league rights."One of the greats: Wide World Of Sports signs Ray Warren for five more years"
''

'', 5 May 2017 Also that year, WWoS announced a GPS player tracking system into its rugby broadcasting."Nine's WWoS launching GPS player tracking at State Of Origin"
''

'', 26 May 2017 WWoS relinquished the rights broadcast cricket in 2018 to

Seven West Media Seven West Media Limited is an ASX-listed media company and is Australia's largest diversified media business, with an extensive presence in broadcast television, print and online publishing. Seven Group Holdings Ltd (SGH), a company contro ...

, instead picking up the Australian Open tennis broadcast for that summer."'No crying in television': Packer would be pragmatic about switch"
''

'', Chris Barrett, 13 April 2018 In 2019, the WWoS was streaming rugby on its digital platform, with a rugby commentary team led by

Ray Warren Raymond Warren OAM (born 11 June 1943) is a retired Australian sports commentator, known for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. He is known as the "Voice of Rugby League", and called 99 State of ...

."Nine announce exciting plans for NRL and rugby league coverage in 2018"
Nine, 28 February 2018 In 2018, WWoS announced had secured "free TV and streaming rights" for the Masters Tournament to be played at

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does no ...

."Nine Secures Broadcast Rights For The US Masters"
''Bandt'', B&T Magazine, 10 January 2018 The ''Wide World of Sports'' studio was set up in Melbourne for the

2019 Australian Open The 2019 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park from 14 to 27 January 2019. It was the 107th edition of the Australian Open, the 51st in the Open Era, and the first Grand Slam of the year. The tour ...

for tennis, with a commentary team headed up by

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court behavi ...

"John McEnroe to headline Channel Nine's Australian Open commentary team"
''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'', 8 September 2018 and

Jim Courier James Spencer "Jim" Courier (born August 17, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He won four major singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open. He was the youngest man to reach the singles finals ...

."Nine reveals strategy for Australian Open"
''Ad News'', Josh McDonnell, 9 August 2018 Originally ''Wide World of Sports'' had been set to air it for 2020 until 2024, but they were sold the 2019 broadcast rights by Seven Network. Nine's ''Wide World of Sports'' in 2019 included the Australian Open, "the Sydney International, Brisbane International and Hopman Cup tennis tournaments, the Holden State of Origin, the

Cricket World Cup The Cricket World Cup (officially known as ICC Men's Cricket World Cup) is the international championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), e ...

, the Ashes, The Masters and the NBL.""Erin Molan's career unharmed after Footy Show disaster"
'' News.com'', author, 25 October 2018 Macquarie Media in 2020 began airing an hour-long ''Wide World of Sports'' radio broadcast hosted by Mark Levy."Nine to bring Wide World of Sports to radio"
''Ad News'', Mariam Cheik-Husein, 16 December 2020"Wide World of Sports coming to 2GB and 4BC in 2020"
''

'', 17 December 2019 Also in April 2020, WWoS introduced a new show on the Australian Open, hosted by

Todd Woodbridge Todd Andrew Woodbridge, OAM (born 2 April 1971) is an Australian former professional tennis player and current sports broadcaster with the Nine Network. Woodbridge is best known for his successful Doubles partnerships with Mark Woodforde ...

and

Sam Groth Samuel Groth OLY, MP (born 19 October 1987) is an Australian politician and a former professional tennis player. Sitting as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Groth represents the Liberal Party in the seat of Nepean. He is als ...

, titled the ''Greatest Australian Open Matches''."Nine Network Launch New Tennis Television Show"
'' Tennis.com'', 2 April 2020 In 2020, the National Rugby League and Nine resolved a contract dispute over scheduling."NRL to fulfil obligations to Nine Network"
'' Wide World of Sports'', 9 April 2020

2020–present: rugby and tennis expansion, Stan Sport

In November 2020, Nine Entertainment Co. acquired rights to Rugby Australia, as well as the

and

The Championships, Wimbledon The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...

, with plans for pay-television coverage (ad-free and on-demand) to migrate to a new sport-oriented package on its subscription streaming service Stan, and selected matches/events to be broadcast free on the Nine Network.

Events

''Nine's Wide World of Sports'' holds broadcast rights to the following events:

Current

Past

¹ The Nine Network televised the 2011 US Open final between

Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) fo ...

and Samantha Stosur in its entirety.

Programs

''Nine's Wide World of Sports'' has presented the following recurring programs:

Presenters and commentators

''Nine's Wide World of Sports'' has hosts and commentators for a variety of sporting events. The following is a list of past and present personalities featured:

Sports Sunday

Roz Kelly Roz Kelly (born Rosiland Schwartz on July 29, 1942) is an American actress, perhaps best known for playing Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli's (Henry Winkler) girlfriend Carol "Pinky" Tuscadero on the television series ''Happy Days''. Career Before ' ...

(2022–present) * James Bracey (host, 2018–2022) * Liz Ellis *

Peter FitzSimons Peter John Allen FitzSimons (born 29 June 1961) is an Australian author, journalist, and radio and television presenter. He is a former national representative rugby union player and has been the chair of the Australian Republic Movement sinc ...

* Mark Taylor * other assorted guests

''Wide World of Sports''

Past

* Michael Slater"England in denial over Super League's trade deficit"
''

'', Andy Wilson, 16 November 2008 * Emma Freedman * John Steffenson * Clint Stanaway *

Sally Fitzgibbons Sally Jayne Fitzgibbons (born 19 December 1990) is an Australian professional surfer on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour (2009–2013). In June 2019, she was ranked No. 1 in the world for women's surfing after winning the R ...

* Lisa Curry * Ian Maurice * Mike Gibson *

Tony Greig Anthony William Greig (6 October 194629 December 2012) was a South African-born Test cricket captain turned commentator. Greig qualified to play for the England cricket team by virtue of his Scottish parentage. He was a tall () all-rounder ...

* Yvonne Sampson * Ken Sutcliffe * Richie Calendar * Kerryn Pratt * Bill Lawry

''Any Given Sunday''

* James Brayshaw (2005) * Nicole Livingstone (2006) * Garry Lyon (2005) *

Mick Molloy Michael Molloy (born 11 July 1966) is an Australian comedian, writer, producer, actor and television and radio presenter who has been active in radio, television, stand-up and film. He currently hosts '' The Front Bar'' on the Seven Network. ...

(2006) * Sam Newman (2005)

2012 London Olympics

Various Nine programs including ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...

'', '' Mornings'', '' Millionaire Hot Seat'', '' The Footy Show'', ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

'' and '' Australia's Funniest Home Videos'' went on hiatus during Nine's broadcast of the 2012 London Olympics. A daily two-hour highlights package ''London Gold'' aired at 9am weekdays following the live overnight coverage. * Eddie McGuire * Ken Sutcliffe *

* James Brayshaw *

* Garry Lyon * Karl Stefanovic * Leila McKinnon * James Tomkins * Kerri Pottharst * Scott McGrory * Debbie Watson * Melinda Gainsford-Taylor * Michael Slater * Andrew Gaze *

Andrew Voss Andrew Voss (born 7 September 1966) is an Australian rugby league commentator and radio and television personality who works for Fox League. Voss previously worked for the SKY Network Television as a commentator, and at the Nine Network, inc ...

* Grant Hackett * Jane Flemming *

Mark Nicholas Mark Charles Jefford Nicholas (born 29 September 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer and broadcaster. He played for Hampshire from 1978 to 1995, captaining them from 1985 to his retirement. Nicholas was born in West ...

* Cameron Williams * Phil Liggett *

Simon O'Donnell Simon Patrick O'Donnell (born 26 January 1963) is an Australian former cricketer, VFL footballer, and horse racing and cricket commentator. He is currently a horse breeder and enabler. He is a former record holder for the fastest One Day Inter ...

* Billy Brownless * Tony Jones * Daley Thompson *

Steve Ovett Stephen Michael James Ovett, (; born 9 October 1955) is a retired British track athlete. A middle-distance runner, he was the gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, and set 5 world records for 1500 metres and t ...

Rugby league

Current

* James Bracey (Host, 2017–present) * Danika Mason (Host, 2021–present) * Mathew Thompson (Chief Commentator, 2012–present) * Peter Psaltis (Chief Commentator, 2019–present) * Paul Vautin (commentator, 1992–present) * Phil Gould (Commentator, 1994–present) *

Wally Lewis Walter James Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a commentator for television coverage of the sp ...

(Commentator, 2006–present) * Andrew Johns (Commentator, 2007–present) *

Brad Fittler Bradley Scott Fittler (born 5 February 1972), also known by the nickname of "Freddy", is the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, a commentator and a television presenter. Fittler has previously coached the Sydney Roosters i ...

(Commentator, 2010–present) * Allana Ferguson (Commentator, 2018–present) * Ruan Sims (Commentator, 2018–present) *

Johnathan Thurston Johnathan Dean Thurston (born 25 April 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the National Rugby League (NRL). Thurston was an Australian international, Queensland State of Origin and Indigenous All ...

(Commentator, 2019–present) *

Darren Lockyer Darren James Lockyer (born 24 March 1977) is an Australian television commentator and former professional rugby league footballer. Lockyer was an Australian international and Queensland State representative captain, who played his entire profes ...

(Sideline Commentator, 2012–present) *

Billy Slater William Slater (born 18 June 1983), is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and one-time captain of the Queensland State of Origin team, he played his entire ...

(Commentator, 2019–present) * Sam Thaiday (Sideline Commentator, 2019–present) * Paul Gallen (Sideline Commentator, 2020–present) *

Sonny Bill Williams Sonny Bill Williams (born 3 August 1985) is a New Zealand heavyweight boxer, and a former professional rugby league and rugby union player and as of recently is working for Stan Sports. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand ...

(Commentator, 2021–present) * Cameron Smith (Commentator, 2021–present)

NSW Cup

* Peter Psaltis (commentator, 2019–present) * Jamie Soward (commentator, 2018–present) * Danika Mason (host, 2019–present)

QLD Cup

* Mark Braybrook (commentator, 2019–present) * Scott Sattler (commentator, 2013–present) * Peter Badel (sideline commentator, 2016) * Adam Jackson (sideline commentator 2016–present)

The NRL Footy Show

=Current

= * Andrew Johns (co-host, 2018–present) *

(co-host, 2018–present) * Ryan Girdler (co-host, 2018–present) * Darryl Brohman (small talk segment, 2010–present) * Beau Ryan (regular appearances, 2010–present) * Joel Caine (Sportsbet updates, 2014–present)

=Former

= * Peter Sterling (1992–2007, 2010, co-host) * Steve Roach (1992–1999, co-host) * Ray Hadley (1995–1997, co-host) * Paul Harrogan (2001–2003, co-host) * Matthew Johns (2003–2009, co-host) *

Laurie Daley Laurie William Daley AM (born 20 October 1969), also known by the nicknames of "Lozza" and "Loz", is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and a former player who played as a and in the 1980s and 1990s. He represented Aus ...

(2008, co-host) *

(2009) *

Benji Marshall Benjamin Quentin Marshall (born 25 February 1985) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played at or . He previously played for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Brisbane Bro ...

(2010–2013, 2015) *

(2010–2011, co-host) * Michael Slater (2012–2014, co-host) *

Gorden Tallis Gorden James Tallis (born 27 July 1973), also known by the nickname of "Raging Bull" for his on-field aggression, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin and ...

(2013–2015) *

Erin Molan Erin Molan (born 24 August 1984) is an Australian television sports presenter. She is currently a Primetime Contributor on Sky News Australia, radio presenter on 2Day FM and columnist on The Daily Telegraph. Molan previously worked with the ...

(host, 2018–2021)

The Sunday NRL Footy Show

* Peter Sterling (panelist) *

(panelist) * Allana Ferguson (panelist)

Former

, (Chief Commentator, 1988–1989, 1991–2021) *

Darrell Eastlake Darrell Eastlake (11 July 1942 – 19 April 2018) was an Australian radio and television presenter, commentator and sports journalist, best known for his long association with the Nine Network. Prior to his media career, Eastlake worked as a Qan ...

(1983–1993) * Jack Gibson (1983–1989) * Mick Cronin (1988) * Warren Ryan (1989) * Michael Cleary (1989) * Ellery Hanley (1989, 1992) * Peter Sterling (1991–2021) *

Gavin Miller Gavin John Miller (born 4 January 1960) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1970's and '80s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played the majority of his c ...

(1991) * Gene Miles (1993–1994) * Matthew Johns (2003–2009) * Gary Belcher (1992–1997) * Steve "Blocker" Roach (1992–1998) *

(1994–2012) (host/commentator) *

Paul Harragon Paul William Harragon OAM (born 12 October 1968) nicknamed Chief or Chief Harragon is an Australian rugby league football identity. A former Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played rug ...

(2000–2008) * Mark Coyne (2001–2002) * Mark Geyer (2007–2008) * Kevin Walters (2007) (Qld Matches Only) * Steve Walters (2001–2002) * Ben Ikin (2006–2009) Qld Cup (2012) * Wendell Sailor (2007, 2009–2010) * Jason Taylor (2002, 2010) *

(2008) * Mark Gasiner (2007) (Guest Commentator) * Adam MacDougall (2007) (Guest Commentator) * Tim Gilbert (chief commentator, 2006–2015) *

(sideline commentator, 2013–2015) * Yvonne Sampson (host, 2013–2016) *

Brett Finch Brett John Finch (born 20 August 1981) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative half back, he played in the National Rugby League for Austr ...

(sideline commentator, 2014–2016) *

(2016–2021) * Ray Hadley (Chief Commentator) (2012–2018)

Tennis

Australian Open

* Tony Jones (Host, 2018-present) * James Bracey (Host, 2018-present) *

(Host, 2022-present) * Rebecca Maddern (Host, 2018-2021) * Seb Costello (Host, 9Gem, 2018-present) * Sam McClure (Host, 9Gem, 2021-present) *

Nick McArdle Nick McArdle is an Australian TV sports presenter with a career spanning 20 years in the media industry. He was previously weekend sports presenter for ''Seven News'' in Sydney for a number of years. Career McArlde began his career in sports ...

(Host, 9Gem, 2022-present) *

(Host, 9Gem, 2018-2020) * Alicia Loxley (Host, 9Gem, 2020-2021) *

(Commentator, 2018-present) *

Dylan Alcott Dylan Martin Alcott, (born 4 December 1990) is an Australian former wheelchair tennis player, former wheelchair basketball player, radio host and motivational speaker. Alcott was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball t ...

(Commentator, 2018-present) * Jelena Dokic (Commentator, 2018-present) *

(Commentator, 2018-present) *

Alicia Molik Alicia Molik (born 27 January 1981) is an Australian former professional tennis player. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 6. Molik won a bronze medal in singles for Australi ...

(Commentator, 2018-present) *

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

(Commentator, 2018-present) *

Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He is the most recent Australian man to win a major singles title, with two at the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon Championships. In November 200 ...

(Commentator, 2018-present) * Casey Dellacqua (Commentator, 2019-present) * Darren Cahill (Commentator, 2022-present) *

(Commentator, 2018-2020)

French Open

(Host and Commentator, 2021-present) * Brett Phillips (Late Night Host, 2021-present) * Jelena Dokic (Commentator, 2021-present) *

(Commentator, 2021-present)

Wimbledon

(Host and Commentator, 2021) * Brett Phillips (Late Night Host, 2021-present) * Jelena Dokic (Commentator, 2021-present) *

(Commentator, 2021-present) * Roz Kelly (Host, 2022-present) * Tony Jones (Correspondent, 2022-present)

US Open

(Host and Commentator, 2022-present) * Brett Phillips (Early Morning Host, 2022-present) * Jelena Dokic (Commentator, 2022-present)

Cricket

Current * Roz Kelly (host) * Mark Taylor (analyst) * Callum Ferguson (analyst) * Steve O'Keefe (analyst)

Cricket World Cup 2019, Women's Ashes 2019, Ashes 2019

* Rebecca Maddern (host - Cricket World Cup) * James Bracey (host - Cricket World Cup) * Clint Stanaway (host - Cricket World Cup) * Alicia Muling (host - Women's Ashes) *

(host - The Ashes) * Mark Taylor (host/analyst - Cricket World Cup, Women's Ashes, The Ashes) * Lisa Sthalekar (host/analyst - Cricket World Cup, Women's Ashes, The Ashes) *

Ian Healy Ian Andrew Healy (born 30 April 1964) is an Australian former international cricketer who played for Queensland domestically. A specialist wicketkeeper and useful right-hand middle-order batsman, he made an unheralded entry to international c ...

(analyst - Cricket World Cup, Women's Ashes, The Ashes) * Mel Jones (analyst - The Ashes) * Rob Canning (reporter - Cricket World Cup)

2018 (most recent) Home Summer of Cricket

, (host/commentator, 2004–2018) * Michael Slater (host/commentator, 2005–2018) *

(commentator, 1980–2018) *

(commentator, 1999–2018) * Bill Lawry (commentator, 1972–2018) * Mark Taylor (commentator, 1999–2018) *

Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Austral ...

(commentator, 2000, 2003, 2008–2011, 2013–2018) * Michael Clarke (commentator, 2014–2018) * Tom Moody (commentator, 2010–2018) * Lisa Sthalekar (commentator - women's matches) * Mel Jones (commentator - women's matches)

Past

(host/commentator, 1972–2013) * Stephanie Brantz, (boundary commentator, 2006–2007) * Greg Chappell (commentator, 1989–1997) * Mike Hussey (commentator, 2013–2016) * Tony Cozier (commentator, 1972–1992) * Kate Fitzpatrick (commentator, 1983) *

(commentator, 2008–2011) * Peter Sterling (commentator, 1993/94) *

(commentator, 1979–2012) * David Hookes (commentator, 1986–1987) * Brendon Julian (commentator, 2003) * Geoff Lawson (commentator, 1989, 1993) *

Rod Marsh Rodney William Marsh (4 November 1947 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian professional cricketer who played as a wicketkeeper for the Australian national team. Marsh had a Test career spanning from the 1970–71 to the 1983–84 Australian ...

(commentator, 1985–1990, 1996–1998) *

, (commentator/''Cricket Show'' host, 1988, 1993–2011) * Greg Ritchie (commentator, 1995–1997) *

Brett Lee Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) is an Australian former international cricketer, who played all three formats of the game. During his international career, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in the world. In each of his first two ...

(commentator/''Cricket Show'' co-host, 2011–2016) * Keith Stackpole (commentator, 1972–1986) *

Jeff Thomson Jeffrey Robert Thomson (born 16 August 1950) is a former Australian cricketer. Known as "Thommo", he is one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket; he bowled a delivery with a speed of 160.6 km/h against the West Indies in Perth ...

(commentator, 1989) * Frank Tyson (commentator, 1979–1986) *

(commentator, 1985–1991) * Doug Walters (commentator, 1986–1989) *

Mark Waugh Mark Edward Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, after previously making his One Day International (ODI) de ...

(commentator, 2002) * Mike Whitney (commentator, 1993–1994) *

Glenn McGrath Glenn Donald McGrath (; born 9 February 1970) is an Australian former international cricketer who played international cricket for 14 years. He was a fast-medium pace bowler and is considered one of the greatest international bowlers of all ...

(commentator, 2012–2013) * James Brayshaw (host/commentator, 2009–2016) * Yvonne Sampson (boundary commentator/women's matches host, 2014-2016)

Guest international commentators

* Michael Atherton (2002–2003) Ashes tour to Australia * Fred Trueman (1982/83) Ashes tour to Australia *

Bob Willis Robert George Dylan Willis (born Robert George Willis; 30 May 1949 – 4 December 2019) was an English cricketer, who represented England between 1971 and 1984. A right-handed fast bowler, Willis is regarded by many as one of the greatest ...

(1986–1987) Ashes tour to Australia * Geoff Boycott (1990/91) and (1994/95) Ashes tours to Australia *

Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as on ...

1998/99 Ashes tour to Australia * Colin Croft (1995/96) and (1996–1997) *

Sunil Gavaskar Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (Marathi pronunciation: uniːl ɡaːʋəskəɾ ; born 10 July 1949), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented India and Bombay from 1971 to 1987. Gavaskar is acknowledged as one of the grea ...

David Gower David Ivon Gower (born 1 April 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 T ...

* Sir Richard Hadlee (1990/91) and (1993–1994) *

Michael Holding Michael Anthony Holding (born 16 February 1954) is a Jamaican former cricketer and commentator who played for the West Indies cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pace bowlers in cricket history, he was nicknamed "Whispering D ...

(1992–93 - 2004–2005) * Waqar Younis (2004/05 & 2016/17) * David Lloyd (2006–2007, 2013–2014, 2014–2015 and 2015 Ashes in the UK) *

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 t ...

(1997–1998, 2001–2002, 2004–2005, 2007–2008, 2011/12 and 2015/16) *

Michael Vaughan Michael Paul Vaughan (born 29 October 1974) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who played all forms of the game. He served as England captain for the test team from 2003 to 2008, the one-day international team from 200 ...

(2010/11, 2013/14, 2015, 2017/18 Ashes tours) *

Kevin Pietersen Kevin Peter Pietersen (born 27 June 1980) is a cricket commentator, conservationist, and former England international cricket player. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who played in all three formats for England bet ...

(2016–2018) * VVS Laxman (2016) * Russell Arnold (2017)

Netball

* Clint Stanaway (host, 2017–2021) *

(host, 2021–2021) * Jayne Azzopardi (host, 2018–2021) * Aislin Kriukelis (host, 2018–2021) * Warren Tredrea (host, 2018–2021) * Sue Gaudion (host/commentator, 2016–2021) * Anne Sargeant (commentator, 2016–2021) * Liz Ellis (commentator, 2016–2021) *

Sharelle McMahon Sharelle Jane McMahon (born 12 August 1977) is an Australian former netball player who captained the Australia national netball team. She played in the goal attack and goal shooter positions. Domestic career Born in Bamawm, Victoria, McMahon ...

(commentator, 2016–2021) * Catherine Cox (commentator, 2017–2021) * Clare McMeniman (commentator, 2018–2021) * Julie Snook (courtside reporter, 2017–2021) * Jack Berketa (courtside reporter, 2017–2021) * Paddy Sweeney (courtside reporter, 2017–2021) * Alexis Daish (courtside reporter, 2018–2021) * Carrie-Anne Greenbank (courtside reporter, 2018–2021) * Michael Atkinson (courtside reporter, 2018–2021) * Kim Green (commentator, 2019–2021) * Seb Costello (host/commentator, 2017-2021) *

(host - Fast5 World Series, 2017) * Laura Geitz (expert analysis, 2016 Fast5 World Series) * Sharni Layton (expert analysis, 2016 Fast5 World Series) * Sylvia Jeffreys (host, 2016–2017) * Tom Mitchell (courtside reporter, 2017) * Christine Ahern (courtside reporter, 2017)

Association Football

* Clint Stanaway (host, 2015–2017) *

Michael Bridges Michael Bridges (born 5 August 1978) is an English professional football manager and retired former player. As a player, he was a striker who notably played in the Premier League for Sunderland, Leeds United and Newcastle United, as well a ...

(expert analysis, 2015–2017) * David Zdrilic (expert analysis, 2015–2017) * Harry Kewell (expert analysis, 2017) * Craig Moore (expert analysis, 2017) * Brenton Speed (commentator (via Fox Football, 2015–2017)

Tour Down Under Cycling

* Tim Gilbert (host, 2012–2018) * John Steffensen (co-host, 2016–2018) * Phil Liggett (commentator, 2012–2018) * Paul Sherwen (commentator, 2012–2018) *

Robbie McEwen Robbie McEwen (born 24 June 1972) is an Australian former professional road cyclist. McEwen is a three-time winner of the Tour de France points classification and, at the peak of his career, was considered the world's fastest sprinter. He la ...

(commentator, 2012–2018)

Rugby union

* Ken Sutcliffe (host) * Cameron Williams (host) *Bill Baxter (host) * Brendan Cannon (expert analysis) * Benn Robinson (expert analysis) * Phil Waugh (live ground reports & expert analysis) * Nathan Sharpe (live ground reports & expert analysis) * Andrew Swain (Secondary Caller), 2021–present * Sean Maloney (Main Caller), 2021–present * Nick McArdle (Host), 2021–present * Roz Kelly (Host), 2021–present * Tim Horan (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Drew Mitchell (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Andrew Mehrtens (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Allana Ferguson (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Morgan Turinui (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Justin Harrison (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * David Campese (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Michael Cheika (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Sonny Bill Williams (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Sera Naiqama (Expert Analysis), 2021–present * Paddy Sweeney (Sideline), 2021–present * Michael Atkinson (Sideline), 2021–present

National Basketball League

*Bill Baxter (host, 2015–2016) *Brad Rosen (expert analysis, 2015–2016)

Australian Rules Football

AFL

* Eddie McGuire (2002–2005) (Friday Night Football - all games and Sunday Football commentator - Victoria Games - 2002–2004) * Garry Lyon (2002–2006) (Friday Night Football - all games and Sunday Football expert commentator - Victoria Games) *

Dermott Brereton Dermott Hugh Brereton (born 19 August 1964) is an Australian former professional Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League (AFL) who is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent (his p ...

(2002–2006) Friday Night Football - all games and Sunday Football expert commentator - Interstate Games) * Dennis Cometti (2002–2006) (Friday Night Football - all games and Sunday Football commentator - Interstate Games) * James Brayshaw (2002–2006) (Sunday Football commentator - Victoria Games - 2002, 2005–2006 and Interstate Games - 2003–2004, 2006) *

Gerard Healy Gerard Healy (born 1 March 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer and commentator. Healy attended St Bede's College in Mentone, where he was the senior football captain. Gerard is a trained physiotherapist. VFL career Melbourne Demo ...

(2002–2003) (Sunday Football expert commentator) * Tony Jones (2002–2006) (Friday Night Football boundary rider, Sunday Football studio host) * Dr. Peter Larkins (2002–2006) (Friday Night Football boundary rider) * Anthony Mithen, boundary rider (2002–2003) (Sunday Football boundary rider - Interstate Games) * Michael Roberts (2002–2006) (Sunday Football boundary rider - Victoria Games - 2002–2003 and Interstate Games 2004–2006) *

Dwayne Russell Shane John Russell (born 4 March 1965) known as Dwayne Russell is a former professional Australian rules footballer and currently a commentator of the sport. Born in Adelaide, Russell made his senior football debut as a sixteen-year-old in 198 ...

(2002–2006) (Friday Night Football - 2006 and Sunday Football commentator - Interstate Games) * Brian Taylor (2002–2006) (Sunday Football commentator - Victoria Games)

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

* Ken Cunningham (Host) * Kym Dillon (Commentator) * Ian Day (Commentator) * Graham Campbbell (Commentator) * Brian Cunningham (Field Commentator)

EJ Whitten Legends Game

* Garry Lyon (Host/Commentator) * James Brayshaw (Commentator) * Brian Taylor (Commentator) * Billy Brownless (Commentator) * Tony Jones (Field Commentator) * Shane Crawford (Field Commentator) *

Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...

(Commentator) * Craig Hutchison (Commentator) * Nathan Brown (Field Commentator) * Clint Stanaway (Field Commentator)

The Footy Show panellists

* Eddie McGuire (1994–2005, 2017–2018) (host) * Sam Newman (1994–2018) (regular) * Trevor Marmalade (1994–2008) (regular) * Garry Lyon (2006–2015) (host) * James Brayshaw (2006–2016) (host) * Rebecca Maddern (2016–2018) (host) * Craig Hutchison (2007–2011, reporter) (2017, host) * Neroli Meadows (2019) (host) * Anthony Lehmann (2019) (host) * Damian Barrett (2010–2018) (reporter) * Billy Brownless (2009–2018) (panellist) * Shane Crawford (2009–2019) (panellist) * Matthew Lloyd (2012–2013) (panellist) * Brendon Fevola (2017–2018) (panellist) * Dane Swan (2017–2018) (panellist) * Chris Judd (2018) (panellist) * Dave Hughes (2015–2017) (panellist)

'' The Sunday Footy Show'' panellists

Current panelists

* Tony Jones (2006–2008, 2017–present) (host) * Damian Barrett (2010–present) (reporter) * Nathan Brown (2010–present) * Matthew Lloyd (2012–present) * Kane Cornes (2017–present)

Former panelists

(1993–1998) (original host) *

Mal Brown Malcolm Gregory "Mal" Brown (born 26 October 1946) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League and West Australian National Football League. He is described as "one of the most colourful and controversial characte ...

(1993–1998) * Doug Hawkins (1994–1997) * Sam Kekovich (1993–1998) *

(1993–1996, 2012) *

Lou Richards Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards, (15 March 1923 – 8 May 2017) was an Australian rules footballer who played 250 games for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1941 and 1955. He captained the team ...

(1993–2008) *

Ted Whitten Edward James Whitten Sr. OAM (27 July 1933 – 17 August 1995) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Born and raised into a working-class family in Footscray, Whit ...

(1993–1995) * Dr Peter Larkins (1996–2010) * Brian Taylor (1995–2010) * James Brayshaw (2009–2011) * Danny Frawley (2005–2008) *

(1993–2011) *

Simon Madden Simon Madden (born 30 December 1957) is a former Australian rules footballer who played his entire 19-season career with the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. Madden is one of the most decorated players in the club's history and wi ...

(1993–1998) *

David Rhys-Jones David Rhys-Jones (born 16 June 1962) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Rhys-Jones's reputation as a footballer is somewhat sullied by ...

(1993–1998) * Nathan Thompson (2009–2011) * Garry Lyon (1999–2005) * Sam Newman (1993–1998) * Billy Brownless (1998–2021) * Craig Hutchinson (2013–2016) *

Mark Bickley Mark Alan Bickley (born 4 August 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Bickley was a player for the Crows from 1991 until 2003, captaining the team to ...

(2003–2007) * Luke Ball (2014–2016)

Swimming

* Tony Jones (2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Host) *

Ian Thorpe Ian James Thorpe, (born 13 October 1982) is an Australian retired swimmer who specialised in freestyle, but also competed in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian along with ...

(2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Expert Commentator) *

Ariarne Titmus Ariarne Elizabeth Titmus, (born 7 September 2000) is an Australian swimmer. She is the reigning Olympic champion in the women's 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle, having won both events at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the world record holder in t ...

(2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Expert Commentator) *

Seb Costello Sebastian Costello (born 1987 ) is an Australian television and radio journalist. Radio Early radio work Costello began his radio career at Melbourne community radio station SYN in 2007 while studying at RMIT University.(26 February 2007Costell ...

(2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Host/Reporter) * James Bracey (2022 FINA Aquatics Championship Host)

References

External links

*
Wide World of Sports
entry at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{Sports television channels in Australia * 1956 establishments in Australia Sports divisions of TV channels Australian sport websites

History

1981–1990s – Creation and contract competition

2000–2008 – Changing broadcasting deals

2008–2020: return of ''Wide World of Sports''

2020–present: rugby and tennis expansion, Stan Sport

Events

Current

Past

Programs

Presenters and commentators

Sports Sunday

''Wide World of Sports''

Past

''Any Given Sunday''

2012 London Olympics

Rugby league

Current

NSW Cup

QLD Cup

The NRL Footy Show

=Current

=Former

The Sunday NRL Footy Show

Former

Tennis

Australian Open

French Open

Wimbledon

US Open

Cricket

Cricket World Cup 2019, Women's Ashes 2019, Ashes 2019

2018 (most recent) Home Summer of Cricket

Past

Guest international commentators

Netball

Association Football

Tour Down Under Cycling

Rugby union

National Basketball League

Australian Rules Football

AFL

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

EJ Whitten Legends Game

The Footy Show panellists

'' The Sunday Footy Show'' panellists

Current panelists

Former panelists

Swimming

See also

References

External links