Peter Stefanovic departing Nine after 15 years

Journalist Peter Stefanovic is parting ways with Nine, after 15 years with the network.

The news comes at the end of a turbulent year for Stefanovic, who was involved in the infamous Ubergate scandal with his brother Karl in March and has since kept a relatively low profile.

A Nine spokesperson said Stefanovic's departure was a mutual decision between him and the network, and that he is "a respected member" of the teams he worked with.

"Peter has decided to explore new opportunities and is looking forward to spending weekends with his wife," the statement said. "He has been a respected member of the Nine News team and Weekend Today, and we wish him all the best for the future."

Stefanovic, 37, who married fellow Nine journalist Sylvia Jeffreys in April last year, paid tribute to his friends at the network.

Peter Stefanovic with wife Sylvia Jeffreys in March this year. Credit: Brook Mitchell

"I’ve had an amazing time at Nine being a foreign correspondent, news reporter and covering some amazing stories for 60 Minutes," he said. "I'll miss my friends at Nine very much, it has been a huge privilege to work alongside so many great people."

Stefanovic's departure from the network won't be a surprise to many, as it caps off a strained year of Stefanovic-Nine relations.

Since Ubergate in March - for which both Peter and Karl were raked over the coals by Nine executive Darren Wicks - and endless headlines about Karl's off-screen relationships over the course of the year, most of the network's woes have been focused on the older brother, and the declining viewership of his morning breakfast show, Today.

But Peter has been enduring similar struggles, with ratings for his Weekend Today program, which he co-hosts with fellow 60 Minutes reporter Allison Langdon, getting beaten consistently by rivals Weekend Sunrise.

Stefanovic first joined Nine in 2004, as a reporter for Nine News and A Current Affair. He spent a number of years based in Los Angeles and London, serving as foreign correspondent for the network, before returning to Australia in 2015. In 2017, he spent a number of months covering Langdon's role on 60 Minutes, while she was on maternity leave.

Stefanovic and Jeffreys famously first met when they bumped into each other in the Nine carpark in Sydney's Willoughby. They became engaged a few years later, in July 2016, and were married at Ooralba Estate in Kangaroo Valley the following year.

News of Stefanovic's departure follows a string of rumours of high-level shakeups at Nine's flagship breakfast programs. On Monday, the network was forced into denials that Today's entertainment editor Richard Wilkins was being shown the door, with a spokesperson offering a vague statement to quell the storm.

"Richard is a valued member of the Nine and Today family," she said. "He will remain with Today in 2019 and beyond."

In September, Nine CEO Hugh Marks made clear that the team at Today will need to lift its game in order to "regain the trust and loyalty" of their audience. With the exit of executive producer Mark Calvert in early December, former A Current Affair  executive producer Steven Burling has stepped in to take the lead on the embattled program.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age are owned by Nine.