“The events business has a quick timeline. We’re pretty close with a couple of key bidders,” he said.

Nine began discussing pricing with advertising tycoon John Singleton – who has a 32 per cent stake in Macquarie – in December.

“It’s very early in ... We’ll be very disciplined about the steps we take. Part of that is capital management,” Mr Marks said.

For the regional publications (including The Canberra Times) and New Zealand publishing division Stuff he said there was a “really broad group of companies interested” and a formal sale process would begin in the next few months.

“It doesn’t fit in with the overall strategy so we’re happier to let them grow with another company,” he said. “As part of a large media company it is really hard to give them the time and investment they need.”

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Part of the rationale for the Fairfax-Nine deal was to allow for cross-platform growth, such as using Nine’s television channels to promote Domain or allowing advertisers to book cross-media campaigns for newspapers and television.

Mr Marks said a buyer of the regional business could replicate this strategy.

“We’re just in the process of forming long term plans for both of those businesses ... Then we’ll kick off the [sale] process in the first quarter,” he said. “You’re taking a longer-scale proposition to market.”

The future of Disney and Stan

One part of the business Mr Marks is particularly confident about is Stan, which has just had its strongest subscription growth period since launch on the back of a content deal with Disney for the rights to its movies and shows ahead of the Christmas period.

“Stan’s had a phenomenal summer period in terms of subscriber acquisitions,” he said.

“It’s the early days of January, but it’s [due to] a combo of Disney and local shows. I think it shows a great confidence in that model.”

Disney will be launching its own subscription platform Disney+ this year, however the entertainment giant is yet to share its plans for the Australian market and there has been speculation Nine and Stan will look for a longer-term partnership with the US giant.

Mr Marks said he hoped Stan could be the “home of Disney in Australia”.

“The Disney relationship is one we look at to build on and we’ve also built a relationship between Nine and Disney. It’s a great complement between what they’ve been doing and what we can bring to the mix,” he said.

ACCC vs FAANG

Disney isn't the only US-based behemoth Mr Marks will be focused on over the quarter, with submissions due on the competition regulator’s digital platform inquiry, which has been investigating the impact of companies like Facebook and Google on advertising revenues for traditional media businesses.

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A preliminary report was released in December with suggestions for a range of changes to the way social media and search companies are regulated and managed, including a new ombudsman and an authority to review algorithms.

“Positive things came out of the digital platform report,” Mr Marks said. “It was excellent in its analysis and depth.”

While he said he was not supportive of “extra regulators” he welcomed additional incentives for journalism, such as allowing Australians to claim tax deductions for newspaper subscriptions.

“Ultimately, it is about how to find a way news and journalism can use [digital platforms] as a tool to reach audiences and commercialise them,” he said. Nine has an advertising partnership with Google.