Channel 7 owner Southern Cross Media puts Seven Media Group name to vote – After months of discussion, Southern Cross Media Group has put a name change to its shareholders. The company’s 2026 annual meeting notice proposes renaming the listed parent of Channel 7 to Seven Media Group Limited.
The move is not final. Shareholders will vote at the 5 November annual general meeting. At least 75 per cent of votes cast must support the special resolution. If it passes, the change will take effect only after the Australian Securities and Investments Commission updates the company’s registration.
That distinction matters for viewers and investors. The notice proposes a new legal name and ASX code for the merged company. It does not announce changes to the Channel 7, 7plus, Hit, Triple M or LiSTNR consumer brands.
Seven Media Group moves from rumour to AGM resolution
The name surfaced publicly in May. At the time, AdNews reported that a Southern Cross spokesperson rejected Seven Media Group as the official new name at that point. The spokesperson said shareholders would vote on any replacement. The board has now named that exact choice in Item 11 of the meeting notice and unanimously recommends that shareholders vote for it.
The resolution would also amend the company’s constitution. In its explanation, the board says the name would better represent the combined business to investors, commercial partners and employees. It points to the group’s reach across television, audio, publishing and digital following the combination with Seven West Media.
Southern Cross says it has reserved Seven Media Group Limited as a company name. After a successful vote, Southern Cross would lodge documents with ASIC. Shareholder approval alone would not immediately rename the company. The group also proposes replacing its ASX ticker SXL with SMG in conjunction with the name change. The company would announce the ticker change after the new name takes effect.
The merger gives the proposed name its significance
Southern Cross completed its acquisition of Seven West Media on 7 January 2026. The enlarged company brought together the Seven Network and 7plus with Southern Cross’s radio and audio operations, alongside publishing and digital businesses including The West Australian, PerthNow and The Nightly. The AGM proposal is the clearest formal step yet towards aligning the listed parent company’s identity with its Seven assets.
SCA remains in use as an umbrella name for the group’s radio and audio activity, and Southern Cross Austereo Pty Ltd appears separately in legal documents. The AGM resolution concerns Southern Cross Media Group Limited, the listed parent. It does not say whether the SCA trading identity or any subsidiary names will change later.
Other AGM votes concern board composition, but they do not signal fresh appointments. Ryan Stokes became chair in September, while Mark McGowan and Karen Stocks joined the board later that month. The notice puts their director elections before shareholders as part of the annual meeting process.
What happens next
Southern Cross will hold the AGM on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 11.00am AEDT at Level 6, 8 Central Avenue, Eveleigh, New South Wales. Shareholders can also follow a live webcast. TV Central will watch the vote and any subsequent ASIC and ASX announcements before treating Seven Media Group as the company’s operative new name or SMG as its trading code.
For the background to the combined company, read TV Central’s report on the completed Seven West Media–Southern Cross merger. The official Southern Cross Media AGM notice sets out the proposed name-change resolution and voting conditions.
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