Election 2025
Election ad blackout kicks in, but only on your TV and radio
From 12.01am today, election ads vanished from Aussie airwaves under a decades-old media blackout.
As Cam Wilson reports in Crikey, but while free-to-air TV and radio go quiet, the internet keeps shouting, because the 33-year-old rule doesn’t cover anything digital.
Streaming platforms, social media, and messaging apps are all fair game, and so are video-on-demand services, despite their similarities to traditional broadcast.
Albanese calls for social media reform while critics cry hypocrisy
In the final stretch of the election campaign, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reignited debate over social media’s role in youth violence.
As Jenna Clark reports in The Australian, while promising increased domestic violence support services, he warned about the toxic content young people face online.
Critics have pounced, accusing the PM of double standards for condemning online harm while actively campaigning on those same platforms.
Legal
McKenzie admits pressure and persistence in Roberts-Smith case
Journalist Nick McKenzie has fronted court for the first time in Ben Roberts-Smith’s appeal, after the ex-soldier won the right to use a secretly recorded phone call as part of his bid to overturn a major defamation loss.
According to Michaela Whitbourn and Amber Schultz, who are covering the case for The Sydney Morning Herald, McKenzie said he was “extremely anxious” during the trial and driven by a need to prove Roberts-Smith had committed war crimes.
He admitted feeling his “career was on the line,” recalling how he’d described the pressure as having his “balls in a vice”.
Television
Hugh Marks lands an early win in ABC power shuffle
Media Watch’s spotlight on Kim Williams may have put him under pressure, but it handed new ABC boss Hugh Marks a timely advantage.
As Calum Jaspan writes in The Sydney Morning Herald, host Linton Besser exposed Williams’ alleged interference to help old mate Austen Tayshus land ABC radio interviews, some of which overruled local editorial calls.
For Marks, it was a chance to show who’s in charge. He backed his newsroom publicly and made it clear that editorial independence won’t be compromised on his watch.
Paramount locks in Northern NSW TV licence as regional push continues
Paramount Australia has officially taken control of WIN’s Northern NSW TV licence, extending its direct reach into key markets including Newcastle, Lismore and the Gold Coast.
As Kyle Laidlaw writes in TV Blackbox, the deal, first flagged in February, is understood to be worth around $7 million, though the final figure will hinge on future earnings.
This marks the second major regional buy for Paramount in recent months, following its March completion of the Southern Cross licence acquisition across Queensland, southern NSW and Victoria. With both deals done, Network 10 has now cut ties with all affiliate partners in the east.
Streaming
Foxtel unveils sweeping executive restructure under DAZN ownership
Following Foxtel’s announcement about sweeping job cuts, CEO Patrick Delany has unveiled a major leadership restructure aimed at positioning the company for its next phase, under new owner DAZN.
Delany made the announcement in an internal email to all staff on Wednesday afternoon.
In the announcement, Delany acknowledged the company’s history of reinvention and framed the changes as essential for continued relevance in a competitive media landscape.
Social Media
TikTok’s Aussie boom may hit pause as youth ban looms
TikTok has more than doubled its Australian revenue and nearly tripled its profit in just 12 months, but the party might not last.
As Sam Buckingham-Jones writes in The Australian Financial Review, with political pressure mounting to restrict social media access for under-16s, the platform’s explosive growth could soon face its first real slowdown.
The company pulled in $679 million locally in 2023, up from $375 million, and posted $31.2 million in profit. Most of its cash came from advertising, with the rest billed to its global parent ByteDance.
Retail
Shein launches first Australian-designed label with focus on visuals
Photography is key to selling clothes on Shein, according to Tara Skene Haygarth, the company’s first director of product in Australia.
As Jessica Yun and Lauren Ironmonger report in The Sydney Morning Herald, Skene Haygarth is leading Shein’s launch of Aralina, its first house brand designed in Australia and manufactured for the platform.
New styles are released weekly, with product photography shot on location to help differentiate Aralina from other in-house brands.
Woolworths boosts sales with price cuts, but Big W disappoints
Woolworths outperformed sales expectations, driven by price cuts that helped the supermarket giant stay competitive against Coles.
As Carrie LaFrenz writes in The Australian Financial Review, the grocery business saw a 3.6% sales increase, reaching $13.05 billion, with strong online growth and a successful Minecraft collectibles campaign.
However, the bright performance was overshadowed by Big W’s poor clothing sales, which led to an unexpected rise in second-half losses.
Companies
CoStar to shake up Australian property market with Domain takeover
CoStar’s CEO Andy Florance is set to make a big splash in the Australian property market, pledging heavy investment in Domain to challenge market leader REA.
According to Sam Buckingham-Jones who writes in The Australian Financial Review, Florance criticised the lack of investment in both Domain and its majority shareholder, Nine Entertainment, calling the company underfunded despite being “very profitable.”
In his first public comments on the proposed $2.8 billion takeover, Florance revealed CoStar’s ongoing due diligence, which has been extended by two weeks.