Seven Network employees are bracing for a significant round of job cuts this week, with nearly 200 positions expected to be eliminated across the company. Three insiders have revealed that staff are preparing for a bloodbath, with some already being informed that their roles are affected.
Mass redundancies loom
Rohan Lund, who took over as chief executive of Southern Cross Media just a month ago, has been vocal about the need to stabilise the brand amid a declining television advertising market. His plans for a "lean" business structure are now coming to fruition, according to three well-placed sources who spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Some employees within the television newsroom have already been notified that their jobs will be impacted. Around 200 people across the company are expected to be made redundant, the sources said. The board is understood to have met today to approve the decision, which is said to mostly affect the Seven West Media side of the company.
Voluntary redundancy offer falls short
A separate insider revealed that a brief consultation period for voluntary redundancies within Southern Cross Media's newspaper sector closed on Monday. Employees at West Australian Newspapers, which includes publications such as The West Australian and The Nightly, were asked last Wednesday for indications of interest regarding voluntary redundancy packages.
However, with only a five-day consultation period, the offer failed to attract enough applicants in the small amount of time. As a result, forced redundancies are predicted to hit the newspaper division soon.
CEO hints at 'resetting'
Last week, Lund hinted at a "resetting" of Seven's cost base in an interview with Mumbrella, dubbing redundancies "the nature of the business" and noting significant cost-cutting within the radio sector. "There's a natural resetting of your cost base, and responding to cyclical conditions. And it's hard, and it's awful when that happens, but I can definitely see radio has gone through it more than anyone else in media, from what I can see at the moment," Lund said.
Advertising market downturn
News of redundancies at Seven comes a week after new data was published by advertising insights agency Guideline SMI, which revealed that ad spending in the television sector was down 25 per cent in April compared to the year before. Across the board, Australia's media agency advertising market was down 11.6 per cent compared to 2025.
Seven West Media and Southern Cross Media Group merged earlier this year to create one of Australia's biggest media powerhouses. It owns mastheads across broadcast television, audio, and newspapers, including Seven Network, the Hit Network, Triple M, LiSTNR, and West Australian Newspapers.
SkyNews.com.au has approached Seven for comment.
