Southern Cross Media Group has appointed Chris Jones to the newly created role of Director of Sport – TV, Audio and Streaming, effective immediately.
The company-wide position will see Jones lead sports strategy across the group, overseeing the combined sport portfolios of Seven and Southern Cross Austereo (SCA).
He will also lead sports rights negotiations on behalf of the entire group.
Timely, given yesterday’s monumental $5.3bn NRL rights broadcast deal between Foxtel and Nine.
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The new role
Jones will be responsible for a unified sport strategy spanning broadcast television, audio, digital, publishing and social platforms. The role brings together 7Sport, Triple M and LiSTNR under a single structure.
Southern Cross Media Group said cross-promotion on Seven had already delivered scale for Triple M and LiSTNR, while Triple M’s audience had fuelled year-on-year streaming growth on 7plus across cricket, the AFL and horse racing.
Jones was most recently Seven’s Director of Network Sport, having spent more than 16 years with the network in senior leadership and production roles, including six years as executive producer of 7Cricket.
He has managed broadcasts for the AFL, the Australian Open, the US Masters, the Rio Olympic Games and the Spring Racing Carnival.
Reporting lines
Jones will report to Seven’s managing director, TV and Streaming, Angus Ross, while working closely with managing director and CEO Rohan Lund, managing director, Audio, John Kelly, and SWM WA CEO Maryna Fewster. Head of Sport Content – Audio, Ewan Giles, will report directly to Jones.
Talent and resource share
“It’s a privilege to lead this merged team of some of the country’s most talented on- and off-air broadcasters,” Jones said.
“Working closely with Ewan Giles and the SCA sport team, we now have an incredible opportunity to capitalise on our strengths, allowing us to share talent, resources, and ideas seamlessly while protecting what makes each brand distinctive.”
“Sport audiences want great coverage whenever and however they consume it,” he said.
“By bringing together 7SPORT, Triple M and LiSTNR sport, we are building Australia’s most complete sports media operation, delivering engaging content wherever you are, throughout the whole day.”
Ross said the appointment extended Jones’s expertise across audio to lead negotiations across all pillars.
“Chris has live sport in his DNA and has spent over 20 years delivering every major sporting code across the country,” Ross said.
“He has the deep respect of the sporting codes and a proven history of delivering great outcomes for the game, and bringing all these assets together under one sports strategy is a massive win for our audiences and advertisers.”
Angus Ross
Kelly said the unified strategy delivered “a massive competitive advantage.”
“By working closer with Seven under Chris’ leadership, we are unlocking a powerful cross-medium ecosystem,” Kelly said. “For our audiences, it means the country’s most comprehensive sports coverage, and for our clients and partners, it provides an unprecedented scale to reach highly engaged fans at every hour of the day.”
Beyond dedicated sports programming, the unified sports division will also support, promote and launch entertainment and news assets across the company, including 7NEWS, Sunrise, The Morning Show and Seven’s Western Australian assets.
Main image: Chris Jones