Gossip Queen: Sam Newman’s Nine lives continue at the network

SAM Newman’s adventure in TV land with Channel 9 are set to continue with the outspoken, headline magnet being offered a lifeline by the network.

SAM Newman’s adventure in TV land with Channel 9 are set to continue with the outspoken, headline magnet extending his contract with the network.

Newman’s current contract technically expired last Wednesday, but the network has extended their deal with The Footy Show stalwart and lightning rod for controversy until the end of the year.

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Nine and Newman have started constructive discussions about what role he would play with the network next year. He met with Nine CEO Hugh Marks and Nine Melbourne Managing Director Matt Scriven late last month to look at future options.

“I am still at the network and we agreed to continue until the end of the calendar year and we will see if anything evolves in the meantime to our mutual satisfaction,” Newman said.

“I hope to be part of something that the network is doing but if that is not the case, so be it.”

Nine is still working on options for its refreshed Thursday night footy offering.

One complicating factor is the just released AFL fixture which has scheduled Thursday night games for the first five rounds of the 2019 season.

There are matches scheduled for eight Thursday nights during the season.

Thursday night games have traditionally pushed footy programs like The Footy Show and The Front Bar in Wednesday night timeslots, disrupting regular viewers and delivering softer ratings.

A long run of Thursday night games at the start of the season simply adds to the degree of difficulty for those at Nine trying to create a new Footy Show type program for that traditional timeslot.