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Channel 7 Southern Cross tasks CHRIS JONES to lead group sports strategy Kyle Laidlaw 9 July 2026 Chris Jones has been appointed Director of Sport for TV, Audio and Streaming across Southern Cross Media Group (image - supplied) Chris Jones has been appointed Director of Sport for TV, Audio and Streaming across Southern Cross Media Group (image - supplied) - Advertisement - Latest Audio KIIS tanks without Kyle and Jackie O – Survey 5 Radio Ratings Robert McKnight - 31 minutes ago KIIS breakfast continues to fall without the former number 1 team NITV NITV lands landmark Optus deal for First Nations media Kevin Perry - 5 hours ago Optus has struck a two-year partnership with NITV that will direct 3 per cent of its consumer brand spend towards First Nations media. Channel 9 RECAP | Has THE BLOCK’s biggest budget spender gone too far? 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SBS SBS Upfronts: What to expect as SBS unveils its 2027 plans Kyle Laidlaw - 1 day ago First cab off the rank for the 2027 upfronts, SBS will unveil its plans for the year ahead tomorrow, including new and returning programming. - Advertisement - Share Facebook X Pinterest ReddIt Southern Cross Media Group has elevated Seven sport executive Chris Jones into a newly created leadership role, placing him in charge of the company’s sports strategy across television, audio and streaming. The appointment brings Seven, Triple M and LiSTNR under a unified sporting structure as Southern Cross continues integrating its media assets and cross platform sports offering following its acquisition of Seven earlier this year. Supplied: - Advertisement - Southern Cross Media Group has announced the appointment of Chris Jones to the newly created role of Director of Sport – TV, Audio and Streaming. Effective immediately, this company-wide position will lead sports strategy across the group. In this new position, Jones will oversee the strategic direction of Seven and SCA’s combined sport portfolios. He will be responsible for driving a unified sport strategy that scales and grows the group’s footprint across broadcast television, audio, digital, publishing and social platforms, establishing an unmatched competitive advantage in the Australian media landscape. In addition, Jones will lead sports rights negotiations on behalf of the entire group, creating cross-platform deals that maximise value across the entire network. A highly accomplished sports media executive, Jones brings more than two decades of industry experience to the position. Most recently serving as Director of Network Sport at Seven since July 2024, Jones has spent more than 16 years with the network in senior leadership and production roles, including six years as Executive Producer of 7Cricket. Throughout his career, Jones has been instrumental in delivering ratings successes and managing broadcasts for major sporting events, including the AFL, the Australian Open, the US Masters, the Rio Olympic Games and the Spring Racing Carnival. This role brings together the respected assets of 7Sport, Triple M and LiSTNR under a single aligned structure establishing a combined sports content powerhouse. The complementary audience reach of the business is already delivering massive results. - Advertisement - Cross-promotion on Seven has unlocked historic scale for Triple M and LiSTNR, while Triple M’s unique audience has fuelled year-on-year streaming growth on 7plus across Cricket, the AFL, and Horse Racing. Uniting these operations unlocks significant scale and resource efficiencies, driving more original programming and snackable content across all platforms to meet the needs of the modern sports consumer. Chris Jones said: “It’s a privilege to lead this merged team of some of the country’s most talented on and off-air broadcasters.” “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.” “Bringing our sports offering together marks a major evolution in content consumption.” “By elevating digital and social media alongside traditional TV and audio broadcasts, we will capture fans who engage with content far beyond our traditional assets. Every platform matters, every audience matters, and everyone on our team plays a role across all assets.” “This team will heavily support, promote and launch our diverse scale of assets across the merged company – including our Western Australian products, 7NEWS, Sunrise and our entertainment slate across audio and TV, into every market around Australia.” “Sport audiences want great coverage whenever and however they consume it. 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.” Managing Director – TV and Streaming, Angus Ross said: “Seven and SCA’s dominance in sport is unmatched, and bringing both businesses together has provided a massive opportunity to maximise our footprint across broadcast and audio.” “Chris has an incredible track record with Seven and the broader sporting industry. Having worked closely with Triple M over the years, it makes perfect sense to extend his expertise across audio to lead negotiations across all pillars.” - Advertisement - “Chris has live sport in his DNA and has spent over 20 years delivering every major sporting code across the country. 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.” Managing Director – Audio, John Kelly said: “Sport holds an unrivalled power to connect Australians, and this unified strategy delivers a massive competitive advantage.” “The SCA sports team already drives strong engagement through Triple M and LiSTNR, built on a legacy of passion, expert insight, and unmatched talent. By working closer with Seven under Chris’ leadership we are unlocking a powerful cross-medium ecosystem.” “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 programs, the unified sports division will play an active role in supporting, promoting, and launching entertainment and news assets across the entire company including 7NEWS, Sunrise, The Morning Show, Seven’s Western Australian assets, and the broader audio and TV platforms. For advertisers, the combined entity provides substantial scale and cross-platform synergy, offering the unique ability to reach diverse, highly engaged audiences at every hour of the day. In his new role, Chris Jones will report to Seven’s Managing Director, TV and Streaming, Angus Ross, while working closely with Managing Director and CEO, Rohan Lund and the business’ core strategic pillars including Managing Director – Audio, John Kelly and SWM WA CEO, Maryna Fewster to drive the joint strategy. Head of Sport Content – Audio, Ewan Giles will report directly to Jones, driving seamless operational synergy across the unified SCA and Seven sports teams. - Advertisement - Know more about this or another Australian media story? Call/Text 0428 275 111 or use the contact button below. Search Search Contact Us Subscribe Tags Channel 7 LiSTNR SCA Seven Southern Cross Media Group Triple M Kyle Laidlaw Co-Owner and News Editor at TV Blackbox, Kyle Laidlaw is an avid media enthusiast with over 10 years of experience. Kyle regularly follows all things TV related, both in Australia and overseas with a particular interest in local free-to-air scheduling and new show commissions. Comments LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply Comment: Please enter your comment! Name: Please enter your name here Email: You have entered an incorrect email address! Please enter your email address here Website: Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ - Advertisement - View All Latest Stories KIIS tanks without Kyle and Jackie O – Survey 5 Radio Ratings KIIS breakfast continues to fall without the former number 1 team Audio Robert McKnight - 31 minutes ago 0 Gravity Media locks in STAWELL GIFT production deal to 2031 The production company behind Seven’s Stawell Gift coverage has extended its partnership with event organisers for another five years, through to 2031. Television News Kyle Laidlaw - 2 hours ago 0 ACMA finds Aussies are increasingly letting news find them A new ACMA report has identified seven types of Australian news consumers, revealing how social media, television, trust and convenience shape news habits. 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Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: tvblackbox.com.au