Following Southern Cross Austereo’s acquisition and subsequent merger with Seven West Media, LiSTNR is accelerating its shift beyond audio, pushing deeper into video, creators and adtech as it adapts to changing audience behaviours and a more competitive digital landscape.
The platform’s latest move into influencer-led campaigns and video formats signals a clear next phase, as LiSTNR expands how it reaches audiences and how it delivers for advertisers across platforms.
That strategy was reflected in SCA’s annual showcase on Thursday night, where the company outlined how LiSTNR’s expansion into video, creators and cross-platform campaigns is being operationalised.
More than 250 clients and industry partners attended the event, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Harbourside Room in Sydney.
The showcase centred on LiSTNR’s evolving role within SCA’s broader offering, with a focus on how the platform is combining broadcast, podcasting and creator-led content to deliver both scale and engagement for advertisers.
A panel, hosted by SCA’s Georgie de Visser, and featuring Beau Ryan, Tommy Little and Britt Hockley, highlighted how talent is now extending across radio, podcasting and social platforms.
While a second panel, hosted by SCA’s Head of Sports, Ewan Giles, and Seven’s Director of Network Sport, Chris Jones, focused on the opportunities created by SCA’s merger with Seven West Media, particularly in sport and premium video. The session also included James Brayshaw and Aaron Woods.
The event concluded with a performance by Kelli Holiday.
SCA’s Georgie de Visser, Beau Ryan, Tommy Little and Britt Hockley
Influencer push signals next phase
The podcasting platform has announced it is extending its offering into the creator economy through its Influencer Extender, powered by Fabulate, adding a social layer to campaigns bought across broadcast and audio.
The product reflects a broader evolution of audio as an influencer medium, enabling campaigns to scale across radio, streaming, social and now video.
SCA said it is the only media organisation in the market offering a unified TV and audio solution with a built-in social extension, allowing advertisers to extend campaigns across channels while maintaining measurement and reach.
At the same time, LiSTNR said it is deepening its focus on video podcasting, testing formats with multiple creators to unlock incremental reach and engagement.
Campaigns combining host-read ads with video content have already delivered more than 4,300 in incremental organic reach across platforms, highlighting the upside of multi-format strategies.
LiSTNR said its approach remains platform-agnostic, giving audiences flexibility in how they consume content while providing advertisers with clearer measurement across both audio and video.
Executive head for LiSTNR commercial, Olly Newton, said the expansion marks the next stage of growth.
“LiSTNR’s expansion into multi-format audio, video, creator-led content and influencer collaborations signals our next phase of growth, extending beyond audio to connect with audiences wherever they are, in the formats that suit them best.”
Aaron Woods, Kate McCarthy, and James Brayshaw
Strategy meets execution as digital drives growth
The shift into creators and video aligns closely with the direction SCA flagged just weeks earlier, when it positioned digital, and LiSTNR in particular, as its long-term growth engine.
The newly merged company’s H1 FY26 results showed that LiSTNR delivered revenue growth and positive EBITDA, while Seven’s 7plus posted double-digit revenue growth in the half, reinforcing the growing importance of digital assets across the combined business.
Speaking to Mediaweek following the results, CEO John Kelly pointed to the scale opportunity still ahead.
“The reality is there’s 15 million signups in 7plus, only 2.5 million in LiSTNR,” he said.
He described the opportunity to “cross-pollinate not only the signups, but the activity on platforms” as “massive,” adding that digital assets will “clearly be the growth engine of the company moving forward.”
The latest expansion into influencer-led campaigns, video formats and cross-platform delivery shows how that strategy is now being executed, with LiSTNR increasingly positioned as a key commercial driver within the business.
Adtech investment enters next phase
Alongside its content expansion, LiSTNR is advancing its AdTech Hub, introducing Precision+, an AI-powered product built on first-party data.
The company said the technology delivers deeper audience intelligence, real-time optimisation and more effective digital audio strategies for advertisers.
The AdTech Hub, now entering its second year, also supports dynamic creative optimisation and privacy-first data matching through clean room solutions.
These developments build on LiSTNR’s continued investment in data, technology and content as it strengthens its commercial offering and measurement capabilities.
Building a multi-format audio ecosystem
Five years after launch, LiSTNR has grown into an integrated platform spanning live radio, podcasts, music, news, sport and entertainment.
The platform now reaches an estimated ten million Australians each month across streaming, podcasting and music consumption, supported by more than 2.5 million signed-in users.
Its content slate includes titles such as Hamish & Andy, The Howie Games, The Imperfects, Happy Hour with Lucy & Nikki, Life Uncut and The Inspired Unemployed, alongside broadcast simulcasts and digital-first formats.
SCA said its early investment in podcasting, original content and creator partnerships has underpinned LiSTNR’s growth in audience, premium content and monetisation capabilities.
Main image: Nathan Roye, Kelli Holiday, and Emma Chow