Rebecca Maddern ‘signs with Channel Seven’ after abruptly quitting Nine

Rebecca Maddern won’t be a free agent for long after quitting Channel Nine last month, with rumours swirling she’s set to sign a contract with Seven any day now.

The TV presenter, 44, is said to be ‘on the verge of’ inking a deal with Seven, where she previously worked in various roles from 2002 to 2016.

Her homecoming will likely coincide with a promotion to newsreader for Melbourne’s 6pm weekend news team alongside co-anchor Mike Amor, reports The Australian.

The pairing of Maddern and Amor will match the ‘male-female’ formula that has proved successful for Seven News Sydney’s weekend news with Angela Cox and Michael Usher at the helm.

Seven is reportedly hoping Maddern will attract female viewers after its Melbourne weekend news bulletin slipped behind Nine’s offering hosted by Alicia Loxley.

Maddern will also likely be involved in Seven’s sports and current affairs coverage.

It comes days after Maddern’s former Australian Ninja Warrior co-host Ben Fordham said he knew exactly where she was headed. 

Christmas bonus! Maddern, 44, is said to be ‘on the verge of’ inking a deal with Seven, where she previously worked in various roles from 2002 to 2016. Pictured with Natalie Barr (right) and the Cash Cow (centre) on Sunrise

Prediction: It comes days after Maddern’s (right) former Australian Ninja Warrior co-host Ben Fordham (left) said he knew exactly where she was headed

Speaking on the You Cannot Be Serious podcast on Thursday, Fordham wagered that Maddern will return to her old stomping ground at Seven.

‘I’ll make this prediction, and I want to stress that she did not tell me this, but I’d say she’ll turn up at Channel Seven,’ he said. 

‘She’ll return to Channel Seven. That’d be my tip. It’ll be Channel Seven… or Channel 10. I can’t imagine Bec at the ABC or SBS,’ he added.  

Fordham also said he believed it would ‘only take a very short period of time’ before Maddern was snapped up by another television network. 

‘She’ll return to Channel Seven. That’d be my tip’: Speaking on You Cannot Be Serious podcast on Thursday, Fordham wagered that Rebecca will return to her old stomping ground at Seven 

‘Rebecca’s not going to be sitting there on the sidelines for too long. She’ll turn up somewhere else,’ he said. 

Maddern began working at Seven in 2002, serving as a news reporter on programs such as Seven Afternoon News and Sunrise. 

She departed Seven in 2016 and immediately signed with Nine. 

‘Not going to be sitting there on the sidelines for long’: Fordham said he believed it would ‘only take a very short period of time’ before Maddern was snapped up by another network

Fordham’s prediction comes after the radio star spoke candidly about an argument he once had with Maddern on the set of Australian Ninja Warrior.  

Posting to Instagram following the news that Rebecca had quit Nine, Fordham wrote: ‘We were thrown together on Ninja Warrior and became instant buddies. She said ”if you’re married to Jodie you can’t be that bad” and we just hit it off.’

Ben went on to say the pair had an argument on set before resolving it with minimal fuss – illustrating Rebecca’s no-nonsense attitude.  

Blast from the past: Maddern began working at Seven in 2002, serving as a news reporter on programs such as Seven Afternoon News and Sunrise 

‘We worked some really crazy hours and both had the odd meltdown,’ Ben said. 

‘One day we had an argument and I left in a bit of a huff. About 8 mins later she called me and said, “Okay this has gone on long enough” and we laughed ourselves silly,’ he added.   

Last week, Maddern confirmed she had walked away from Nine after almost six years at the network. 

Jumping ship: She departed Seven in 2016 and immediately signed to Channel Nine 

‘We worked some really crazy hours and both had the odd meltdown’: Fordham’s prediction comes after the radio star spoke candidly about an argument he once had with Maddern on the set of Australian Ninja Warrior

She is believed to have quit following lengthy contract negotiations with Nine after allegedly being ‘unable to agree to terms on a new deal’.

The Herald Sun reported on Monday that Maddern had parted ways with Nine after being offered a ‘lower pay deal’ to reflect the fact she was stepping down from Weekend Today in 2022.  

Leaving Weekend Today would have meant her duties at Nine would be limited to Australian Ninja Warrior and hosting tennis coverage, including the Australian Open. 

Maddern, who was apparently on a six-figure salary, is said to have rejected the offer.

Quit: Last week, Maddern confirmed she had walked away from Nine after almost six years at the network

Farewell: Channel Nine said a statement, ‘Bec has been a great contributor to Nine since she joined us and we wish her well for the future’