Nine Network down under sets up longform current affairs and investigations unit

Australia’s Nine Network is launching a unit dedicated to longform investigative documentary-style current affairs content.

Kirsty Thomson

The longform current affairs and investigations division will be headed by 60 Minutes executive producer Kirsty Thomson, who will retain both roles.

The network said the initiative will deliver “more groundbreaking investigations and compelling documentaries” that will be delivered across its linear, digital and streaming services.

“By leveraging the company’s unrivalled scale and diversity, we can access ideas and content from our award-winning journalists across both 9News and Nine’s publishing mastheads and deliver it to our audiences across our streaming and broadcast platforms,” said Fiona Dear, Nine’s director of news and current affairs.

The network added that as part of its broader “news transformation project,” it would also focus on leveraging the broadcaster’s vast archives of historical footage and resources and making it more accessible for future projects.

The new unit has been producing content on a trial basis, including a 20-episode digital-first series called The Brief, which takes an investigative approach to global current affairs stories, and 10 one-hour docs in collaboration with Stan, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Further projects are in production.

“With the incredible skillset of our producers, camera operators and editors and our proximity to the greatest news brands in the world, I believe the possibilities for expansion and ownership of the news longform space are enormous,” Dear added.