“We always sat there very, very envious of the Australian Open tennis as a promotional platform and how it works so well just because of the demographic composition.

“That profile lends itself to our broader entertainment programming. We were very happy we were able to chase the tennis and secure it. It has definitely paid dividends from both a performance perspective and a platform for the rest of our shows.”

Hamish Turner

Turner recalled for us how the Married At First Sight franchise has grown to the audience magnet it is now:

“It is obviously is a show that started in a very different place. We had three series that followed the more traditional ob doc format, which came from Red Arrow. We took four couples over six to eight episodes, married them, sent them on honeymoons, and then worked out whether they wanted to stay together or not.”

That version of the format built an audience, but it was not a big enough crowd to start Nine’s year as advertisers would have liked up against Seven’s then all-conquering My Kitchen Rules.

“We had a real issue at the beginning of our year. We looked around [at alternatives] and our director of television Michael Healy said, ‘Look, we’ve got Married At First Sight there, is there something we can do with that?’

“The series was originally produced internally and we took it to Endemol Shine Australia to develop and see what they could do.

“They increased the episode numbers and turned it into more your traditional strip show. That included dinner parties and commitment ceremonies.

“It’s been a three year journey with that show. We saw it take a big jump last year and it’s continued on its way this year. It is very noisy and has really captured the national conversation and has continued on a growth trajectory.

“Married has now taken over from My Kitchen Rules as the number one show all people. I know I did it that last year, but it has done it much earlier this year.

“From a demographic breakdown, it is just absolutely thumping the competition and delivering some amazing streaming numbers on 9Now.”

Turner noted how the show generates much chatter on socials, fills much airtime on breakfast radio and online, including maybe 20 articles daily at the Mail Online!

Listen to the podcast to be published later today.

By James Manning

The Pacific title goes head-to-head with Bauer’s Take 5. The good news for both publishers is there a big audience still consuming their growing stables of regular titles and special editions.

See also: New monthly – That’s Life! brand continues to thrive 25 years after launch

Linda Smith (pictured), editor of That’s Life!, has updated Mediaweek about the launch following our recent report.

“This is an absolute testament to the power of the That’s Life! brand. We see that share only growing as we head into issue two and beyond.”

Pacific launched the new monthly title in the lead up to the Australia Day long weekend and according to Smith, “sales have exceeded all expectations”.

“Our weekly magazine has dominated our rivals and led in copy sales for 25 years. That absolutely still continues today, so I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised that we would lead with the monthly as well,” she said. “We continue to win where it matters to us, and our partners, and are always innovating to ensure that stays the case.”

Louisa Hatfield, general manager for family and entertainment at Pacific, told Mediaweek: “Recently there has been misinformation in-market about the real-life category with some pretty outlandish claims. Some brands are adding together their weekly and monthly readership and claiming that as an overall readership. Obviously, that is a nonsense as it doesn’t allow for any duplication.

“The reality is that there is no comparison between That’s Life! and any other brand.”

See also: How Bauer’s Take 5 keeps its growing audience entertained

Across print, digital, social and audio, That’s Life! now has a footprint of 2.5 million, well ahead of its competitors. On Facebook alone, 870,000 followers engage with content created specifically for the platform.

One of the brand’s recent extensions is the How I Survived podcast, now in its second season, which each fortnight shares a shocking true story of a person who has survived against the odds.

“Our audience is absolutely loving How I Survived. We’ve had around 70,000 downloads, which is easily the best performing in the magazine category,” said Smith. “Like all of our successes, we’re looking at ways to capitalise on this so stay tuned.”

In a longstanding exclusive relationship, Bauer partnered with British forecasting consultancy The Future Laboratory, to present a luxury trend forecast on the global perspective and a unique Australian view. Events in Sydney and Melbourne explored a new era of luxury and a marked shift in the consumer mindset.

The study, presented by Christopher Sanderson (pictured above), co-founder of The Future Laboratory, explored how expressions of wealth are becoming less overt and positioning products into everyday life is key.

Sanderson said consumers have an increasing desire to be part of a brand that is contributing to a better future. In addition, the report highlighted how buying power will soon be in the hands of the younger generation, with 85% of luxury spending to be controlled by this demographic by 2025. We are in the age of “luxury with purpose”, he said.

Arby Li, editor-in-chief of online men’s fashion destination Hypebeast, was in conversation with Elle’s editor, Genevra Leek, and spoke to the power of the “new wealthy” generations of X, Y and Z, and discussed the way Hypebeast continually evolves its audience comms via cross platform diversification.

Arby Li and Genevra Leek

At the conclusion of the events, Bauer Media GM of publishing and digital operations Sarah-Belle Murphy outlined a number of upcoming initiatives from Bauer’s luxury brands and announced the publisher’s 2019 agenda.

Murphy announced a unique new brand for Gen Z, the “consumers-with-purpose” of the future. Currently in development, the brand will be created by a Gen Z steering committee for Gen Z  audiences, and will live as a digital destination supported with two collectible print volumes.

In the coming months, Bauer will launch “The Luxurians network” to leverage the power of Bauer’s brand’s reach across emerging luxurians.  The Luxurians Networks will aim to connect advertisers with the luxury consumer and unlock valuable data and insights.

Harper’s Bazaar will launch the Beauty Festival, a consumer experience showcasing how technology and a global mentality is shaping consumption. This will bring leading experts and the latest innovations together to the brand’s beauty community.

In the Homes and Food category, Bauer Media will present Live Life Luxe, a content series sharing the lives of creative couples and their take on mindful living, which will come to life in digital and broadcast formats.

Murphy also discussed women’s wealth. Following on from last year’s successful No Gender Selective Tax campaign, Bauer Media is soon to announce an action plan to champion for change that supports a more equal financial future tackling issues such as financial abuse.

Launching to celebrate LGBTQ people and support their communities on Facebook and Instagram, the campaign includes exclusive new tools for Australians to express themselves and share the spirit of Sydney Mardi Gras.

Instagram will also make its first appearance at the Parade with a show-stopping float, in partnership with Facebook, showcasing how the platforms support Australians to connect with the moments, people, and local communities they care about.

Beginning today, Australians will have access to new features launched specifically for Sydney Mardi Gras, to help everyone express themselves, celebrate their communities, and Share Your #FearlessStories.

On Facebook, a new Coming Out Life Event is now available to share these significant and ongoing moments, find support, or celebrate your pride. And because everyone’s experience is different, Facebook is making it easier to create custom Pride Life Events. From “Marched in my first Mardi Gras” to “Celebrated Australian Marriage Equality”, you can share a special moment to express yourself and inspire others with an animated rainbow flag and customisable titles.

On Instagram, the platform has partnered with Sydney Mardi Gras to identify 50 LGBTQ hashtags used by Australians, and has transformed them into rainbow hashtags throughout Sydney Mardi Gras.

From #SydneyMardiGras to #SydneyRainbowCrossing, whenever you use one of the hashtags in a feed post, it will turn a rainbow gradient, to encourage more people to discover and explore the photos and videos from people throughout the community.

In Instagram Stories, the platform will continue the rainbow versions of the Location, Hashtag, and @Mention Stickers to turn any moment into a Mardi Gras celebration.

Instagram is also sharing details to provide greater understandings into how LGBTQ communities are sharing and connecting on Facebook, with new findings showing there are over one million Australians who like at least one LGBTQ page on Facebook, and that in the last year, the size of LGBTQ groups on Facebook more than doubled in membership.

Instagram has also shared new details on how people are interacting throughout Sydney Mardi Gras on the platform, with posts about Sydney Mardi Gras receiving over six million likes throughout the 2018 season.

Instagram saw rainbow emojis spike 150% over Sydney Mardi Gras parade and party weekend, and discovered Victoria Park was the top check-in location of last year’s festival.

Continued at mediaweek.com.au.

By Andrew Mercado

It all kicks off Monday on Nine with Bad Mothers being described as “Desperate Housewives meets Big Little Lies”. They wish – it’s more like “House Husbands meets Bite Club”. Following Australia’s number-one show, Married At First Sight, will deliver a huge audience to Bad Mothers but will viewers be disappointed that none of the male characters are as sleazy as the douchebags on MAFS? And with one “wife” being described as the c-word by her “husband”, surely bad mothers acting not very bad is a cop-out.

Badness in Bad Mothers means one steals a puppy while two others get drunk in the middle of the day. Melissa George is “very very bad” and has done just one interview about the show, so good on TV Week for refusing to ignore her infamous “croissant in Paris” tantrum about being “constantly associated with a show she left 16 years ago.” Apparently she is over that now, which must be why TV Week “re-lives her biggest Home And Away moments”. Bless.

Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries screens Thursday on Seven with Phyrne’s niece Peregrine (Geraldine Hakewill, pictured) moving into her aunt’s house – and discovering that everything in the wardrobe fits her perfectly! Seven wants you to believe she is a thoroughly modern girl, but apart from the mod 1960’s era, this show is as old fashioned as they come, and the killings are borderline ludicrous. What is fresh, though, is the crackling chemistry between Geraldine Hakewill and Joel Jackson, who plays the dopey detective/unrequited love interest. Seven has always been good at finding new talent and then keeping them in the family, and these two are keepers.

ABC’s new serial drama, The Heights, is a fascinating melting pot of multicultural characters, some of whom live in a troubled public housing tower, and others who live around it in more gentrified surrounds. The mix between older and younger characters is perfect and I am immediately hooked by it because it’s authentic and brave.

Unfortunately, the ABC has a terrible history of ruining its Aussie soaps by fiddling with the time slots, but at least Bellbird and Something In The Air got the chance to find an audience before clueless programmers ruined them. The Heights is being dumped onto Fridays, with two half hour episodes airing back to back. Never mind that that it has been written and edited as separate instalments with cliffhangers, instead the ABC will give it the kiss of death from night one. Why the ABC commissioned a nightly soap to then screen weekly is a mystery only Ms Fisher could solve.

In the weekly data, nine.com.au sits at #2, swapping places with ABC News websites, which drops a spot to third.

The other change is MSN News slipping into the top 10 at #10, replacing The West Australian.

In the Travel category for the week ending February 10, news.com.au Travel is way ahead of the pack. Nine’s publishing vertical Traveller sits at #2, yet some distance behind.

Seven West Media’s fledgling 7travel.com.au makes the top five of the category.

Adapted by the award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace), the landmark drama has gone back to the novel and delved deep into the many layers of Hugo’s story, revelling in Jean Valjean’s and Javert’s cat-and-mouse relationship against the epic backdrop of France at a time of civil unrest.

The star-studded cast includes Golden Globe nominees Dominic West (The Affair, Tomb Raider, Appropriate Adult) as Jean Valjean, David Oyelowo (Selma, Gringo, Spooks) as Javert and Lily Collins (The Last Tycoon, Rules Don’t Apply) as Fantine.

Lily Collins is Fantine – the tragic central character

Golden Globe and BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Crown) plays Madame Thénardier with BAFTA winner Adeel Akhtar (The Night Manager, Unforgotten) as her husband. Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) is Cosette, Josh O’Connor (The Durrells, Ripper Street) is Marius and Erin Kellyman (Raised By Wolves) is Eponine.

Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict unable to escape the shadow of his past life. His future is threatened by his nemesis, the chilling police office and former prison guard Javert, who is determined to bring him to justice.

Olivia Colman and Adeel Akhtar as the greedy owners of the village inn

Meanwhile Fantine, a working class woman abandoned by her rich lover, is driven to increasingly desperate measures to provide for her young daughter. Their stories collide and as revolutionary violence ignites on the streets of Paris, Jean Valjean begins an epic journey towards self-acceptance, redemption and love.

The Lookout Point and BBC Studios production, which does not feature any songs, is adapted by Andrew Davies from the French novel by Victor Hugo and directed by Tom Shankland. Produced by Chris Carey, filming for Les Misérables took place in Belgium and Northern France.

—

Top photo: Dominic West as Jean Valjean

By James Manning

Thursday: Week 7 2019

FTA TV news/current affairs

• Seven News 873,000/806,000
• Nine News 749,000/741,000
• A Current Affair 646,000
• ABC News 595,000
• 7.30 504,000
• 10 News First 334,000
• The Project 211,000/323,000
• SBS World News 94,000

Breakfast TV

• Sunrise 281,000
• Today 189,000

Seven

It has been a while since we have been able to note it took the channel until the fifth night of the new survey year to rank #1 either primary channel or combined channel share.

Seven did both last night with the first of the Big Bash League semifinals.

The match between Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars was a good contest until Glenn Maxwell arrived at the crease and blasted Melbourne to victory.

The first session audience was 458,000, which grew to 527,000 for session two.

Nine

With no Married At First Sight last night and the NRL season a few weeks away, Nine was back in second place.

A Current Affair slipped under 650,000 and then two episodes of Young Sheldon did 475,000 and 411,000.

The 2016 movie Jason Bourne then did 312,000.

10

Share improved significantly from Wednesday night, but it wasn’t close to the previous Thursday’s winning 18.2% with Celebrity in the schedule.

The channel’s Thursday best was Gogglebox with 565,000 pushing it into the top 10 and making it #1 show for the night under 50 and in all key demos. Gogglebox debuted a week ago with 701,000.

The second episode of Changing Rooms improved, but not enough to find it a place in the top 20. After just over 200,000 on Wednesday, the Thursday episode did 298,000.

The network and its advertisers are really going to be hoping the Dancing With The Stars and Sunday Night Takeaway debuts find an audience in the next 10 days.

ABC

The most watched “property porn” program last night was Escape From The City which did 447,000 with Jane Hall helping the house hunters around Margaret River.

Grand Designs Australia then did 345,000.