The shake-up at Nine continues, with Stan Sport’s founding director Ben Kimber announcing his departure after five years at the helm.
In a post shared to LinkedIn this week, Kimber confirmed he is “hanging up the boots” as the Stan Sport business is absorbed into the broader Nine structure, a move that has seen several roles across the company evolve as part of a wider operational rethink.
Joining as Stan Sport’s foundation employee, Kimber built the platform from the ground up, assembling a full team and steering Stan’s expansion into live sports streaming.
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During that time, he helped deliver a profitable subscription business for Nine and reshape Stan’s position in the market by launching with Rugby Union and later renewing its deal with Rugby Australia for a further five years.
The platform went on to secure a host of major rights including the UEFA Champions League, Grand Slam Tennis, Premier League, WSL and IndyCar, helping position Stan Sport as a genuine player in the local live sports market.
Kimber pictured (middle) at Stan’s renewal of its Rugby Australia deal, marking another five years in partnership (image – LinkedIn)
The team also developed PPV offerings, established a Commercial Venues division and contributed to Nine’s continuing Olympics coverage, described internally as the most comprehensive Australia has ever seen.
Kimber also paid tribute to former Nine CEO Mike Sneesby and Stan Sport executive director Dan Taylor, crediting both for their support and leadership over the past five years.
He described Sneesby as a leader who “truly understood performance, culture, and living and breathing the customer experience,” while calling Taylor “a great boss and friend” who he believes will take Stan Sport “to even greater heights.”
The post prompted warm responses from both. Sneesby recalled the rush to launch live sport on Stan, saying:
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“When the opportunity to partner with Rugby Australia became a real possibility, I recall thinking we were still a year away from being ready to launch live sport… I’m very grateful that person was you.”
Taylor also reflected on Kimber’s legacy, noting how rare it is to leave such an imprint on a business:
“Starting from scratch and building a high quality team, a high quality sport portfolio, a passionate audience and a scale, profitable and growing business is a massive achievement… I’ll miss your energy, leadership and counsel.”
Kimber’s exit arrives during a period of change for Nine, following structural shifts across both its broadcast and streaming divisions this year.
In early 2025 the company introduced a new executive framework to align Stan, 9Now and the traditional television network under a clearer strategy.
That was followed this month by a 100 million dollar restructuring program that reshaped departments, reduced headcount and consolidated decision making across content, digital and commercial operations.
The integration of Stan Sport into the wider Nine business fits within that broader plan, with Kimber’s former remit now moving into newly created roles under the updated structure.
As for what comes next? Kimber simply ended his note with: “See you somewhere new next year!”
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