Nine Network

Background

The Nine Network (commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network, founded in 1956 as the National Television Network, becoming known as the Nine Network in the late 1960s. Nine adopted their famous "dots" logo in 1970. In 1975, Nine Network along with all other Australian TV channels switched to full time colour broadcasts. The Nine Network is one of three main free-to-air commercial networks in Australia, the others being Seven and Ten.

1st (known) Logo (1972-1975)

Provided ID could not be validated.

Logo: Same as the ABC 1978 "We're the One!" ID but with the Channel Nine logomark switching to the dots and back to number throughout the logo

FX/SFX: Same as the ABC logo at the time.

Music/Sounds: An synth trumpet fanfare ending with three notes (likely to represent the Still the One slogan).

Music/Sounds: A different, more electronic version of the music exists.

Availability: Same as before.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo (1980-1981)

Logo: Same as the end of the ABC 1979 "Still the One!" ID but with the Channel Nine logomark.

FX/SFX: Same as the ABC logo at the time.

Music/Sounds: Same as the last part of the ABC ID.

Availability: Same as before.

Editor's Note: None.

7th Logo (1981-1982)

Perth variant
South Australia variant

Logo: We zoom across white buildings on a yellow-orange grid map of Australia in a space background. We then zoom out to see the full map to then see the words "STILL THE ONE" in a yellow golden font. The text zooms in as the Channel Nine logomark appears.

FX/SFX: The scanimated-like animation.

Music/Sounds: An orchestrated fanfare ending with three notes (likely to represent the Still the One slogan)

Availability: Same as before.

Editor's Note: This was the first in a long line of similarly styled idents which would last until 1994.

8th Logo (1982-1984)

Logo: On a space background, lines form a similar grid map of Australia to the previous one in blue. We then pan across the buildings (again) on the blue grid map in first person view. The camera then pans upwards and the words "STILL THE ONE!" appear by glowing in blue. The Channel Nine number then appears in the same way.

FX/SFX: The panning and glowing.

Music/Sounds: A synth fanfare.

Availability: Same as before.

Editor's Note: None.

9th logo (1983-1984)

Nicknames: "Come on Along"

Logo: We zoom out from a neon city background, similar in style to the previous logo, to reveal a boulevard rendered in the same style in which we see Channel 9 personalities dancing and having fun. The personalities seen include Paul Hogan (later known for Crocodile Dundee), Humphrey B. Bear, cricket commentators Richie Benaud and Tony Greig, presenter and comedian Bert Newton and journalist Ray Martin, among others. As the fanfare crescendoes, we pan up and see the 9 logo, in gold and sans dots as per the previous logo, rise up from behind the city background. The logo shines.

FX/SFX: Live Action and CGI

Music/Sounds: A reorchestrated version of the "Come on Along!" song from ABC's idents at the time.

Availability: Extinct. Check those tapes.

Editor's Note: None

10th logo (1984-1987)

Adelaide variant, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the local 9 station.

Logo: A similar concept to the 8th logo, only this time done with full 3D animation and with the "Still the One" slogan floating past in 3D at the beginning as opposed to showing up at the end. The final logo is shinier and in a lighter blue than the previous logo.

FX/SFX: All CGI.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 8th logo, albeit slightly enhanced.

Availability: Same as the previous logos. Though, parts of this were used in a special 80s-themed ident to promote The Amazing 80s in 2013.

Editor's Note: None

11th logo (1987-1988)

Logo: We start in a CGI city before panning out of the city and over a map of Australia, where the camera turns around and enters a second CGI city facing backwards as three bars come from one of the cgi striuctures in the distance. The camer follows the bars as they streak past a building face, leaving the dot-less 9 logo in orange on the side of the building.

FX/SFX: All CGI.

Music/Sounds: A bubbly synth and woodwind tune culminating in the "Still the One" jingle.

Availability: See the previous logos.

12th Logo (1988-February 1992)

WIN variant, seen in the Illawarra region
Perth variant

Provided ID could not be validated.

Logo: We see an updated version of the previous ident's animation. The stripes then overlap the Channel Nine logomark, already formed in gold against a glass background reflecting the skyline of whatever city the particular station was broadcasting from.

FX/SFX: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A more orchestrated version of the previous ident's music.

Availability: Extinct. Although, this ID was re-aired as part of the premiere of The Amazing 90's in 2015.

Editor's Note: None.

13th Logo (February 1992-October 1994)

Original Variants (1992-1993)

Melbourne variant
Sydney variant
Perth Variant
Adelaide variant
Brisbane variant
WIN variant
VIC Television variant, seen in regional Victoria
VIC Television alternate variant

Updated Variants (1993-1994)

Perth Variant
Adelaide Variant
Brisbane Variant
Alternate Brisbane Variant
Melbourne Variant
Sydney Variant
WIN Variant
VIC Television Variant
TasTV variant from Tasmania

Provided ID could not be validated.

Nicknames: "Dot Matrix Nine"

Logo: There are several idents.

"News": The nine dots appear in the middle of the screen before more dots appear spreading horizontally across the screen, then vertically in strands, eventually filling the screen with strands of dots animating in a Matrix-esque manner, before a swoosh appears, revealing the 9 logo on the bottom right of the screen with a white rectangle on the left and the "still the one" slogan on the right as well as a white rectangle. A world map appears behind the logo.

"Lifestyle:" We see a silhouette of a woman dancing with chinese fans though a kaleidoscope effect. Eventually, two rectangles appear and split apart to reveal the 9 logo.

"Urban:" A gold-clad woman is shown through various kaleidoscope effects.The 9 dots then appear and move to the side as the rest of the logo and the slogan appear.

"Sport:" TBA

"Entertainment:" We see various angles of a woman dancing with a shining shroud against a background of CGI light streaks. The logo animates in in the same manner as in "Urban"

Variant: Sometimes the ninemsn url will appear in place of the slogan.

FX/SFX: CGI, with live action in some cases.

Music/Sounds:

"News": A rousing string orchesration leading into the "still the one" jingle" with a female vocalist singing "still the one" to the three-note jingle.
"Lifestyle:" A contemporary beat.
"Urban:"

Availability: See the previous logo. "News" was the main ident and so is the easiest to find. The "Lifestyle" ID has cropped up on YouTube, though the others are much harder to find.

Editor's Note: None.

18th Logo (2002-2004)

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Logo: We fly around inside the 9, in a similar manner to the Pickwick logo before flying out of the side towards one of the nine dots. We then zoom out rapidly to reveal the 9 logo with the ninemsn URL below.

Variants:

The ident would be a different colour every day of the week.
Sometimes, there would be no url below
sometimes the "stil the one" would appear below.

FX/SFX: CGI

Music/Sounds:A calm beat leading into a modern version of the "still the one" jingle.

Availability: Extinct, check those tapes.

Editor's Note: None.

19th Logo (2004-2006)

Logo: An updated version of the previous IDs. We see the inside of the nine logo again, but this time, the words "STILL", "The", and "One" appear one by one in white as we transition to different "walls" in the logo. The rest of the id plays out as per the previous IDs.

FX/SFX: CGI

Music/Sounds: A redone version of the previous theme.

Availability: Per the previous logos.

Editor's Note: These would be the last IDs to use the "Still the One" slogan after 27 years. It would be used one final time in a 2006 promo for the rebrand in which the original "Still The One" song was performed by Nine personalities. They would also be the last to feature the original 9 logo after 44 years. The long standing jingle would also be retired, though it would return without the slogan with the 2009 "Welcome Home" package.

20th Logo (2006)

Nicknames: "9 Box", "Dotless 9"

Logo: On a grimy, warehouse like background, we see two panels at a diaginal angle facing inwards and the new 9 logo, a white 9 (an updated version of the original logo's 9) in a blue box, in the middle.

Variants:

Initially, a cloud background was used instead of the "warehouse"
One variant, made to mark 50 years of Australian television has a clip of Nine's founding boss, Bruce Gyngell, saying "Good Evening and Welcome to Television" reflected on the panels. This clip was the first moment of Australian Television in 1956.
An updated version has the box rotating as a cube with every second face showing the iconic dots.

FX/SFX:

Music/Sounds: A contemporary beat

Availability: Extinct

Editor's Note: This rebrand was recieved very poorly due to it's abandonment of the 9 dots and the apparent cheapness of its associated on-air graphics, which were said to resemble a PowerPoint presentation.

21st Logo (2007)

Nicknames: "9 Box II", "9 Cube", "Personalities", "Dotless Nine II"

Logo: We see a number of Channel 9 personalities pan past the frame, some of them interacting with the 9 logo, taking it away, putting it back or moving it. As this happens, the 9 logo occasionally rotates in a cubic fashion.

Later Variant: Starting May 2007, the dots are revealed on two opposite sides with the number "9" intact on the other way.

FX/SFX: CGI and live action.

Music/Sounds: An intense score.

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: None.

22nd Logo (2008-2009)

dotless variant used on STW-9 in Perth and NWS-9 in Adelaide, which were under seperate ownership to the rest of the network.

Nicknames: "We love TV", "We heart TV" "Smile" "Return of the dots"

Logo: On a sky background, we see a translucent rendering of the new slogan, "we heart (the heart being an actual heart symbol) TV" as a series of CGI circles fly around it. The slogan rotates and turns into the 9 from the previous logo as the dots settle into place next to it to form an updated version of the classic 9 logo.

Variants:

FX/SFX:

Music/Sounds: The new network song, a cover of "Smile" by the Supernaturals.

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: This ident marks the full return of the famous 9 dots, 2 years after their apparent retirement, and a year after they were used as a secondary element of the "rotating cube".

23rd Logo (2009)

Adelaide/Perth variant

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Nicknames: "Choose 9" "Circles"

Logo: We see a green dot zoom out and explode into many dots. This leads to a cascade of other dot "explosions". The explosions rotate, changing colour with each turn from greens and yellows to pinks and purples to blues and whites. Finally, we see 9 of the dots rotate in to fill about halfthe frame. the word "Choose" appears in one of the dots, next to which the Nine logo appears.

Variants: There are two short variants, one with only the pink section leading into the end of the ident and one with only the green portion leading into the end of the ident.

FX/SFX: CGI.

Music/Sounds: An upbeat tune with male singers vocalising throughout then singing what sounds like "smile" at the end.

Availability: Extinct

Editor's Note: Given the short lifespan and apparent cheapness of these idents, it's possible they were a placeholder for the next ident

24th Logo (2009-2012)

Nicknames: "Welcome Home" "The Big Blue 9"

Logo: We see a blue structure from various angles, as streaks of light pass through the logo. We pan through one of the walls to reveal that the structure is actually the Nine logo. We then see the logo from various close-up angles a-la Columbia Showcase Theatre. We finally cut to a front-on angle as the logo zooms into place and the new slogan, "Welcome Home", writes itself in in a cursive font

FX/SFX: Impressive CGI.

Music/Sounds: A grand, rising orchestration leading into the classic "Still the One" jingle.

Availability: Extinct. Check those recordings.

Editor's Note: This ident marks the return of the classic Nine jingle, three years after it's apparent retirement.

25th Logo (2012-2017)

Nicknames: "The Swoosh", "Colourful 9" "Welcome Home II"

Logo: We see various shots of a "swoosh" passing the frame in variouys colours, sometimes weaving around spheres in the same colour as the swoosh and the background. The colours are as follows: blue, red, green, purple, yellow, green. Eventually we cut to a shot of the swoosh moving up the left side of the frame as the Nine logo appears on the right with "Welcome Home" below it. As this ha[ppens, the colour changes three more times from purple to yellow to blue

FX/SFX: Again, impressive CGI.

Music/Sounds: An upbeat tune with vocalising, leading into the "Still the one" jingle"

Availability: Extinct. While elements of this branding are still used, albeit in a slightly updated form, the ident itself is no longer used.

Editor's Note: This is Nine's final regular ident to date. As of 2017, only holiday-themed idents are used as well as some made for special occasions and significant events.