Wide World of Sports' new deals with David Middleton and The Mole

Nine's Wide World of Sports has announced new deals with the guru of rugby league David Middleton and the sport’s most mysterious oracle The Mole to provide content across its digital and social platforms.

David Middleton – or “Middo” as he’s known to viewers and fans alike – will provide readers with pre-match analysis of every game, deep statistical previews before all the big clashes, historical and quirky stats across the NRL, and fast facts on Nine’s live matches.

Nine’s head of sport digital Patrick Effeney said: “No one knows more about rugby league than David Middleton, and now we’ll be able to show our digital readers and viewers just how much he knows. He’s called the Guru for good reason.”

David Middleton said: “I have been privileged to work with Nine for the past 20 years, preparing statistical information for the NRL commentary team. I’m really excited to be able to use this data for the WWOS Digital team, which will be great for fans of rugby league, and I feel honoured and grateful to be part of such a wonderful team here at Channel Nine.”

Nine has stepped in to rescue The Mole following the closure of Rugby League Week. Moley’s unique brand of reporting and tipping will now appear exclusively on Wide World of Sports.

Nine’s director of sport Tom Malone said: “We’re thrilled that both Middo and The Mole are joining WWOS as we push ahead with creating great content across all platforms to engage with both audience and advertisers.”

The Mole’s first exclusive column will appear this coming Tuesday on wwos.nine.com.au.

Middleton’s columns will appear on Tuesday and Thursday.