Media
Nine ‘preparing’ for Today’s the next chapter
The Australian’s Steve Jackson reports that Nine is quietly lining up a post Karl Stefanovic future on Today, with this ratings run alongside Sarah Abo widely seen as the last one before a handover gets real.
Names being floated include Tom Steinfort, Joel Dry, and even a cheeky poach of Matt Shirvington.
The news comes just over a week after Stefanovic launched his own podcast, ‘The Beast‘. A sign of things to come?
Podcasts
Mia’s Unleashed targets Gen X Women
The Australian Financial Review’s Lauren Sams reports that Mia Freedman is rolling out ‘Unleashed’ on February 3, a new Mamamia podcast built specifically for women in their 50s and early 60s.
It’s a clear pivot away from treating Gen X as just another menopause market.
Mamamia already reaches nearly eight million people a month, but Freedman says this audience wants more than hormone talk, reflecting a generation juggling work, family, ageing parents and a big midlife rethink.
Social Media
Snapchat’s teen ban reality check
The Australian Financial Review’s Paul Smith reports that Snapchat tried to pitch Canberra on a softer way through Australia’s under-16 social media ban, but the eSafety commissioner knocked it back and let the full restrictions bite.
The fallout is big.
Since the rules kicked in on December 10, more than 415,000 Australian Snapchat accounts have been locked or disabled, a brutal reset for a platform that used to own the teen market.
Radio
Late bid clouds Nine Radio sale
Nine Entertainment is pushing back on claims it ignored a last-minute rival bid before selling its radio network to Arthur Laundy.
According to The Australian’s Steve Jackson, sources say a fully funded offer landed by email late Wednesday, worth more than $50 million in cash, just hours before Nine’s board signed off on the $56 million Laundy deal at its AGM.
Nine says every proposal was properly considered, but the late timing has added a fresh wrinkle to an already spicy sale.
Brands
AO crowds and Brands hit a new high
The Australian Open has just smashed its own attendance record, with more than 1.35 million people through the gates as Melbourne Park leaned harder into being a full-blown summer festival.
The Australian’s Danielle Long writes that new elements like an opening ceremony, live music and the One Point Slam pulled in a surge of first-time visitors, who made up about 60 per cent of the opening week crowd and helped push multiple days past 100,000 fans.
For sponsors like Kia, ANZ, Emirates and Rolex, the bumper turnout is a marketer’s dream, locking in the AO as one of the country’s most powerful brand platforms.