Nine lures Swift back from ABC

Australian commercial broadcaster Nine Network has brought senior executive Adrian Swift back into the fold after poaching him from public rival the ABC.

Swift will return to Nine 18 months after leaving his “spiritual home” for the ABC, and will be head of content production and development.

He will responsible for non-scripted production across the Nine broadcast and digital platforms, overseeing both in-house and third-party productions. His remit also includes programme development and format acquisitions.

During his first stint at Nine, he oversaw series such as The Voice of Australia and Big Brother.

At the ABC, Swift had been head of content and creative development. He joined the pubcaster in July 2014 after a three-year spell as director of development and digital at Nine.

His arrival at Nine comes soon after former Southern Star Entertainment boss Hugh Marks replaced David Gyngell as CEO.

“Nine is my spiritual home and I’m very excited to be returning,” said Swift. “With so many great shows commissioned for 2016, it’s a huge job and I’m looking forward to working alongside Hugh Marks, Michael Healy and [managing director, programming] Andrew Backwell.

“I have loved my time at the ABC and salute the brilliant team with whom it’s been a privilege to work.”

Nine’s director of television, Healy, said Swift had a “a great knowledge” of the broadcaster and would be a “welcomed member of our team”.