Discovery & Nine to Launch New Free-to-Air Channel in Australia

Discovery Inc. and Nine Entertainment Co. have teamed up to launch a brand-new Australian free-to-air channel, 9Rush, arriving on April 5.

9Rush is skewed for a young male audience and will feature adrenaline-charged content from Discovery’s global pipeline, showcasing real-life stories of epic adventure and survival, larger-than-life characters risking it all and some of the fastest cars on the planet. The channel will feature international series Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, Street Outlaws, Naked and Afraid and Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail, as well as local Australian show Dirty Jobs Down Under.

The launch of 9Rush extends Discovery and Nine’s existing partnership, in which Discovery is a content partner for 9Life.

“At Discovery we’re dedicated to powering the passions of our audiences with the best real-life entertainment,” said Rebecca Kent, general manager for Discovery Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. “Action and adventure is a huge part of our DNA and we’re proud to be bringing some of our globally renowned and loved programming to 9Rush. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Nine and connecting new viewers to some of Discovery’s powerhouse programs.”

Nine’s program director, Hamish Turner, said, “Nine is thrilled to partner with Discovery to deliver premium, free-to-air first content. As a global leader in real-life entertainment, Discovery’s dedication to serving audiences with content that inspires, informs and entertains is second to none.

“The deal will deliver Nine and 9Now thousands of free to air premiere episodes. 9Rush audiences will be spoilt for choice, with an extensive range of high action and adventure programming, available on Australia’s latest channel and available free on 9Now.”