Qvest has successfully completed a significant upgrade of Nine Network’s Channel 9 station in Melbourne, Australia. This collaboration, which expands on earlier projects, involved a complete overhaul of the station’s news, sports, and post-production infrastructure, along with a full renewal of the playout systems. The result is a streamlined workflow, enhanced security, and an agile production environment designed to support rapid response to live events and diverse content production across multiple platforms.

Following the successful remodeling of Nine Network’s Sydney headquarters, the broadcaster extended its collaboration with Qvest, appointing them as their trusted advisor and master systems integrator for the Melbourne metro station. As part of this project, Qvest took charge of the design, commissioning, and ongoing support of the revamped facilities. In addition to modernizing the infrastructure, Qvest provided extensive training to newsroom and production staff, ensuring they were well-equipped to operate within the new workflows and technology tools.

A key priority of this upgrade was aligning the workflows and technology between Nine Network’s two largest hubs—Sydney and Melbourne. This integration not only enhances operational efficiency but also enables Melbourne to function as a Disaster Recovery facility. This means that in the event of an operational disruption in Sydney, control can seamlessly transition to Melbourne, ensuring uninterrupted broadcasting.

The new infrastructure was designed to meet the strict security standards required by a major broadcaster like Nine Network, while also delivering a flexible production environment. This agility is crucial for producing news and sports content that can be distributed across multiple linear and digital touchpoints. The technology choices were guided by two primary objectives: to ensure reliable delivery of major events, such as the Australian Open and the Olympic Games, where Nine Network serves as the primary broadcaster, and to do so with cost-effective and efficient tools.

Vendor partners Avid, EVS, and Woody were once again instrumental in the project’s implementation, continuing the successful collaboration that began with the Sydney headquarters upgrade.

Geoff Sparke, Director of Broadcast Operations at Channel 9, expressed satisfaction with the partnership: “With Qvest, we have found the ideal long-term partner, bringing international expertise and supplier knowledge to the Australian market. The project in Melbourne was a successful continuation of this partnership, and it was clear that Qvest would handle the planning, procurement, commissioning, and support of the entire Nine production system at both sites to our full satisfaction.”

Thomas Grandoch, Principal at Qvest in ANZ, echoed this sentiment: “Modern technology and agile, efficient processes are essential for media companies to thrive in today’s landscape. We’re proud to continue driving technological innovation at Channel 9—it’s a strong vote of confidence.”

With the completion of this project, as both companies stated, Nine Network is now equipped with a more robust and future-ready infrastructure capable of handling the demands of Australia’s largest live broadcasts, ensuring the network remains at the forefront of media production and delivery.