I don't know about you, but whenever I hear the name Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, or PBL, I immediately think Packer, whether it be Robert (R.C), Frank, Kerry or James.
And while PBL was split in 2007 into a gaming division (Crown Limited) and media interests (Consolidated Media Holdings which held a stake PBL Media), the PBL name still existed.
But not anymore.
Today, management at PBL Media have rebadged the company with a new name: Nine Entertainment Company.
The brand encompasses new brands including Nine Television (Channel Nine), Nine Magazines (ACP) Nine Digital (ninemsn, Carsales, Cudo and its interest in Sky News) and Nine Events (Ticketek and Acer Arena).
Its new chief executive, David Gyngell, says the move was in recognition of the Nine Network being one of Australia's most enduring brands. But it's also a move to distance itself from one of the most powerful names in television, Packer.
PBL was born in 1994 by Kerry Packer's merger of The Nine Network Australia and Australian Consolidated Press (ACP). ACP incidentally was formed in 1936 by Kerry's father, Frank Packer.
Late this year, James Packer stunned the investment and media community by purchasing a near 20 per cent stake in rival Network Ten despite selling down his interests in PBL Media three years ago.
So it comes as no real surprise to hear that any Packer association with Nine has been wiped, as competition in the sector intensifies.
It's become a real battlefield with some of the biggest business names in Australia now behind the country's television stations: Kerry Stokes at Seven and now James Packer, Lachlan Murdoch, Bruce Gordon and Gina Rinehart at Network Ten.
And despite Nine being held by private equity company CVC Asia-Pacific, that too may change soon. There's now intense speculation the name change could be a precursor to the company floating, with CVC scouting reactions to a move to the boards on the ASX.
Watch this space.
