• Matty Acton to host weekly iHeartRadio Countdown
• Nova’s Andy Sinn moves to Emotive as commercial director
Last night Sydney enjoyed Grammy-nominated artist Hozier rocking iHeartRadio Live, presented by KIIS and Optus at The X Studio in Kings Cross. The gig comes after Hozier performed for both hit101.9 Fox FM and Nova 100 in Melbourne last Friday.
An Optus exclusive, the Sydney iHeartRadio Live event was designed not only as a major music event but also to produce multiple content pieces that are being amplified across the social media universe, including being picked up by a number of social influencers in the music space.
Prior to the performance, ARN and Emotive announced a number of initiatives designed to engage even more audiences and brands with the iHeartRadio platform in Australia with a presentation to media, music and entertainment industry guests.
Guests at the function included executives from many parts of the APN News & Media group including chief executive and Emotive board member Michael Miller and Adshel chief executive Rob Atkinson. ARN executives included national content director Duncan Campbell and national marketing director Anthony Xydis. The major music labels were all represented while Optus social media and content marketing exec Nigel Lopez–McBean was checking on the company’s branding at the Hozier event. Many of the new Emotive team were at the event, with founder Simon Joyce officially welcoming new commercial director Andy Sinn to the team as he moves across from Nova Entertainment.
The announcements included the launch of the iHeartRadio Countdown with Matty Acton and an additional live event property iHeartRadio on the Verge which is designed to jumpstart new talent and new genre-specific channels.
ARN’s CEO Ciaran Davis said: “ARN’s commitment is to engage audiences with unique content from the country’s most-loved entertainment brands and personalities, along with the world’s best entertainers.
“We recognise that iHeartRadio is more than a digital platform, it’s an entertainment brand and a key part of ARN’s growth strategy is leveraging the power of entertainment culture to create unforgettable experiences for audiences.
“We’re excited to be working with Emotive on the evolution of iHeartRadio, not only hosting an international star like Hozier as part of our Live series, but also introduce a new suite of branded properties. These include the iHeartRadio Countdown with Matty Acton airing weekly across our KIIS network, iHeartRadio on the Verge, and new genre channels, aiming to provide brands even more targeted commercial opportunities while giving audiences more of what they love.”
Simon Joyce, CEO of Emotive, who represent ARN’s iHeartRadio, added: “We are working with ARN to take the art of great radio content creation and apply it to the iHeartRadio platform through new channels, big name hosts, exclusive interviews, live events and a killer social media strategy. For us it’s about offering consumers content with real depth that gets them closer to their favourite music genres. iHeartRadio delivers brands the opportunity to be part of what people love. From major sponsorship and live events partnerships to custom channel creation, brands can be at the heart of this passion point entertainment platform 24/7.”
iHeartRadio Countdown with Matty Acton begins on iHeartRadio and across the KIIS FM network from this Sunday April 5th at 4pm. More updates on other channels and properties to follow.
Photo [L-R]: Emotive’s Simon Joyce, ARN’s Ciaran Davis, Hozier and ARN’s Duncan Campbell