# Nova Entertainment

NOVA Entertainment is an Australian entertainment company that operates commercial radio networks (and associated digital brands) in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia.
NOVA Entertainment is owned by Lachlan Murdoch's Illyria Pty Ltd which purchased the remaining 50% it did not own from Daily Mail and General Trust in September 2012.

## History

Nova Entertainment was formed in early 1996 under the name DMG Radio Australia, followed later in the year with the A$46M acquisition of 85% of the Broadcast Media group of regional stations. This was shortly followed by FIVEaa on 26 September 1996. The founding Chairman and CEO were Charlie Cox and Paul Thompson respectively.
In September 2004, DMG Radio Australia sold most of its regional radio stations to Macquarie Bank, keeping only Hot 91 Sunshine Coast (later sold in early 2005) and Star 104.5 in Gosford.
On Monday 21 May 2012, after poor ratings, 91.5 FM Melbourne and 95.3 FM Sydney were rebranded again to [smoothfm with a new smooth, easy listening format to aim for women aged 35+.
In December 2013, DMG Radio Australia launched a 24-hour Australian pay television music channel, Smooth available via Foxtel satellite and cable services. The pay television music channel extends from the smoothfm radio brand. It was shut down on 30 June 2020.
In February 2014, DMG Radio Australia rebranded under the name Nova Entertainment to reflect the company's increasingly diversified interests in radio and the media and entertainment industries. The new company name has been developed to encapsulate both the pride and heritage of the company’s original and successful FM launch brand, Nova, with its recent evolution into the broader media and entertainment space.

## Current operations
### Radio

NOVA Entertainment owns two national radio networks and numerous independent radio stations with a presence across Australia through terrestrial, digital and online. All stations can be streamed online or via the Nova Player.

#### NOVA

The Nova Network is a commercial radio network with an adult contemporary format. All network stations are owned and operated by NOVA entertainment and each FM station has its own local Breakfast show with daytime, drive and night shifts networked across all stations.
| Station | Callsign | Frequency | Location | Format | Notes |
| Nova 96.9 | 2SYD | 96.9 MHz DAB+ | Sydney, New South Wales | Top 40 (CHR) | |
| Nova 100 | 3MEL | 100.3 MHz DAB+ | Melbourne, Victoria | Top 40 (CHR) | |
| Nova 106.9 | 4BNE | 106.9 MHz DAB+ | Brisbane, Queensland | Top 40 (CHR) | |
| Nova 93.7 | 6PER | 93.7 MHz DAB+ | Perth, Western Australia | Top 40 (CHR) | Joint venture with Australian Radio Network |
| Nova 91.9 | 5ADL | 91.9 MHz DAB+ | Adelaide, South Australia | Top 40 (CHR) | |
| Nova 90s | N/A | DAB+ | Brisbane | 90s music | |
| Nova Nation | N/A | DAB+ | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane | EDM | Replaced Nova Noughties |
| Nova Throwbacks | N/A | DAB+ | Adelaide | Rhythmic AC | |
| Nova Fresh Country | N/A | Nova Player | N/A | Country | |

#### smoothfm

smoothfm is a commercial radio network originally launched in 2012 as a rebrand of the Classic Rock network. Since 14 February 2020 the network's primary format is Hot-Adult Contemporary providing feel good and dance music.
| Station | Callsign | Frequency | Location | Format | Notes |
| smooth 95.3 | 2PTV | 95.3 MHz DAB+ | Sydney, New South Wales | Easy listening | Formerly branded as Vega 95.3 (2005–10) & Classic Rock 95.3 (2010–12) |
| smooth 91.5 | 3PTV | 91.5 MHz DAB+ | Melbourne, Victoria | Easy listening | Formerly branded as Vega 91.5 (2005–10) & Classic Rock 91.5 (2010–12) |
| smooth Brisbane | N/A | DAB+ | Brisbane, Queensland | Easy listening | |
| smooth Perth | N/A | DAB+ | Perth, Western Australia | Easy listening | |
| smooth Adelaide | N/A | DAB+ | Adelaide, South Australia | Easy listening | |
| smooth Relax | N/A | DAB+ | Sydney and Melbourne | Soft Adult Contemporary | |
| smooth 80s | N/A | DAB+ | Adelaide, South Australia | Easy listening (80s) | |
| smooth vintage | N/A | DAB+ | Sydney and Melbourne | Oldies | |

#### Non-network radio

In addition to its network-based assets, NOVA also operates the following radio stations.
| Station | Callsign | Frequency | Location | Format | Notes |
| Coles Radio | N/A | DAB+ | Metro capital cities (DAB+) and all Coles stores | Adult Contemporary | Branded station for Coles Supermarkets |
| Star 104.5 | 2GOS | 104.5 MHz FM DAB+ | Central Coast, New South Wales | Top 40 (CHR) | Previously part of the Star FM radio network (now Hit Network) |
| FIVEAA | 5AA | 1395 kHz AM DAB+ | Adelaide, South Australia | Talkback radio | Shares some resources with Nine Radio stations, including news and sport (primarily Australian Rules football). |
| KIIS 97.3 | 4BFM | 97.3 MHz FM DAB+ | Brisbane, Queensland | Hot adult contemporary | 50/50 joint venture with ARN |
| Priceline Radio | N/A | DAB+ | Sydney and Melbourne (DAB+) and all Priceline stores | Adult Contemporary | Branded station for Priceline |
| Sky News Radio | N/A | DAB+ | Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane | News talk | Audio simulcast of Sky News Australia |
NOVA Entertainment also rebroadcasts News-owned British station talkSPORT locally via its website and NOVA Player app.

### Other

* novafm.com.au, online news, music & lifestyle portal
* smooth.com.au, online news, music & lifestyle portal
* fiveaa.com.au, online news portal
* star1045.com.au, online news, music & lifestyle portal

## Former operations
### Foxtel Smooth

Foxtel Smooth was an 18-hour pay television music channel (time-shared with Foxtel Arts) available via Foxtel satellite and cable services. It launched on 3 December 2013, dedicated to easy listening adult contemporary music. The channel ceased broadcasting on 30 June 2020.

### GOAT

GOAT was a pop culture, news and entertainment website aimed at a millennial audience. It has been dormant since 2018.