Australian audiences have voted with their feet – going to the movies remains a popular pastime.

The Australian box office closed out 2018 up 3.6% at $1.245 billion. That makes it the second-best year ever after $1.259b in 2016.

Joel Pearlman, chairman of the MPDAA and CEO Roadshow Films, said: “Australian audiences confirmed their love of cinema in 2018 with the year’s diverse line up demonstrating that cinema continues to provide a great value out of home experience for a broad audience.”

Disney’s Avengers: Infinity Wars took line honours, closing 2018 at $61.8m, followed by Incredibles 2, also from Disney, at $45.7m.

Still playing into its 12th week in cinemas at the end of 2018, the 2018 cume for Bohemian Rhapsody (Fox) was $42.4m, with Black Panther (Disney) at $40.8 and Deadpool 2 (Fox) at $36m.

The other top performing films of the year were Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Universal $35.5m), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Sony Pictures $32.9m), A Star is Born (Warner Bros $32.8m) and The Greatest Showman (Fox $27.5m4). Rounding out the Top 10 films was Sony Pictures’ Australian collaboration Peter Rabbit ($26.7m).

While cinema operators continued to install comfy reclining seating, to invest in the latest in hi-tech picture and sound and to increase the range and quality of food and beverage choices, audiences also benefited from a drop in average ticket prices: from $14.13 in 2017 to $13.86 in 2018.

Several Box Office records were broken during the year, notably Anzac Day became the highest grossing single day ever at the Australian Box Office with $11.2m taken that day.

758 films were released in Australian cinemas in 2018 – more than ever before – giving audiences a choice of films from over 39 countries.

2018 has been a great year for Australian films headed by Peter Rabbit (Sony Pictures $26.7m) and Ladies In Black (Sony Pictures $12m). Australian films represented a notable 4.5% of the total box office. Simon Baker’s Breath and Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country were stand-outs, garnering both critical and audience approval.

Australian documentaries have again proven their appeal. Two insightful biographical films, Gurrumul and Working Class Boy, were the second and third highest grossing of the 67 documentaries released in cinemas in 2018.

A research survey by SARA (Screen Audience Research Australia) shows that cinema visits by frequent cinema-goers (once a month or fortnightly) have not declined. Importantly, these patrons have increased the average number of films they see each year – from 13 visits per year in 2016 to 16 visits in 2018.

The rise in cinema revenue is mirrored by the downturn in movie piracy, which is showing a decline in both the number of pirates and the frequency of activity for both teens (12-17yo) and adults (18-64yo). Creative Content Australia’s 2018 research study confirms that consumer behaviours and attitudes have changed.

Significantly, piracy is no longer perceived to be the prevailing social norm. For many years, the belief that “everyone is doing it” was one of the key excuses given for piracy activity. In 2012 66% of Australian adults agreed that “accessing pirated content is something that everybody does nowadays”. In 2018, that agreement has fallen to 32%.

Telstra remains Australia’s most valuable brand despite its brand value subsiding 7% to $14.7 billion, according to the latest report by Brand Finance.

Woolworths (brand value up 23% to $11.2 billion) and Coles (brand value up 31% to $11.0 billion) both jumped two places to 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The two Australian retail giants have grown their brand values strongly this year despite the threat of online competition from Amazon.

Telstra’s fall in brand value was primarily driven by a decrease in brand strength as the telco giant continues to face many challenger brands in its key service areas of mobile, internet and landline telecommunications. Despite this fall in brand strength, it remains Australia’s 5th strongest brand, and clearly continues as Australia’s dominant telecommunications carrier. On the other hand, Optus (brand value up 6% to $5.3 billion) increased its brand strength this year, overtaking Telstra to become the country’s strongest telecommunications brand, and Australia’s 4th strongest brand overall.

Mark Crowe, managing director of Brand Finance Australia, commented:

“Telstra remains Australia’s most valuable brand, with its key customer segments delivering high quality and reliable operations right across its entire portfolio of telecommunications services. However, the brand continues to face domestic challenges from a variety of competitors in its core services, putting downward pressure on its overall brand value. Looking ahead, management will need to ensure that they are able to leverage Telstra’s existing brand strength to ensure that the brand does not merely become a dumb pipe to carry smart services: this offers Telstra the opportunity to grow commercial revenue by extracting greater value from online supply chains.”

Qantas soars to become Australia’s strongest brand

In addition to measuring overall brand value, Brand Finance also evaluates the relative strength of brands, based on factors such as marketing investment, familiarity, loyalty, staff satisfaction, and corporate reputation. Alongside revenue forecasts, the brand strength index (BSI) is a crucial driver of brand value.

According to these criteria, Qantas (brand value up 45% to $3.8 billion) improved its BSI to 86.6, achieving a brand rating upgrade from AAA- to AAA to become Australia’s strongest brand.

Meanwhile, last year’s strongest brand, Commonwealth Bank, fell to seventh, with its brand rating shifting from AAA to AA+. This reflects the high-regard that Australians have for the Qantas brand as it continues to lead the Australian aviation industry, on both domestic and international routes.

Crowe commented:

“Qantas’ brand performance is quite exceptional given that enterprise value has decreased by 8%. This result highlights the importance of the iconic brand to the company as it deals with increasing competition on its domestic and international routes. Brands in the airline sector have been to the fore in Australian aviation with both Jetstar (28%) and Virgin Australia (16%) also recording strong increases in value.”

Contestants Shane Crawford, Dermott Brereton, Justin Lacko and Sam Dastyari put their gag reflex into overdrive in a very nauseating Tucker Trial, before Ajay Rochester farewelled her African home.

Meal Of Fortune saw Trial master Justin, besties Shane and Dermott, and a very nervous Sam play Russian Roulette with a round table full of revolting dishes.

Justin and Dermott dominated through repulsive cuisines including chicken intestine broth, fermented offal, sheep’s eye, lamb kidney and bull’s testicles, while Shane and Sam spluttered, gagged and vomited their way along. Demott couldn’t resist some obvious and “distasteful” gags about the testicles.

Later in the show, Dr. Chris Brown and Julia Morris announced that veteran reality television host Ajay Rochester was the first celebrity to be voted out of the jungle.

Unapologetically honest and open, Ajay did not hold back with sharing stories.

Within hours of arriving into camp, Ajay told her jungle family that she hadn’t had a shag in nine years. From the welfare fraud case that plagued her in the press to her very public spat with Michelle Bridges, no topic was off limits.

Ajay and Yvie Jones bonded over the pain that comes with being overweight and talked about fat shaming in the media. The women discussed using their weight as a defence mechanism and were proud that two larger women were being represented on the show.

In perhaps her most candid camp conversation, Ajay spoke of the incredible journey to find her birth mother, who turned out to be her co-worker in a Sydney restaurant.

Ajay competed in two trials, the most memorable being Flying Blind, where she had to keep her heart rate down on a tumultuous helicopter ride around Africa.

The network is now promoting a bold-Hollywood A-lister is on the next flight out of LAX and headed for South Africa. There is some speculation it could be Pamela Anderson.

Returning to his home of Perth, Lowe is joining 96FM hosts Paul Hogan and Lisa Fernandez.

Lowe comes to 96FM breakfast with 20 years of radio and television experience, most recently in Adelaide where he spent almost a decade hosting Nova 919 Adelaide breakfast as part of several teams including Maz Compton and Dan Debuf (Action Battle Team) and later co-hosting with Dylan Lewis (Lewis & Lowe).

Lowe’s first radio gig was hosting the Hot 30 night show at 96FM in the early 2000’s before making a move to pursue his career in the eastern states.

96FM content director Rob McCasker said: “96FM is proud to welcome Shane Lowe to the breakfast team as Anchor. Shane brings a wealth of radio experience to his new role and, being a Perth boy, is the perfect addition to join Paul and Lise in delivering local news and fun content that’s relevant to our listeners. We’re excited by the additional energy Shane brings to the show and are looking forward to an excellent year on the Paul & Lise breakfast show.”

Shane Lowe added: “In 2019 I really am coming ‘home’ in every sense of the word – not only to Perth, but to 96FM where I started my radio career all those years ago.

“I’m loving being a part of the breakfast show with Paul and Lise each day, and look forward to delving into what is really important to our Perth listeners…and of course sharing lots of laughs along the way!”

—

Top Photo: Shane Lowe with Paul Hogan and Lisa Fernandez

Music’s biggest night, The 61^st Annual Grammy Awards, will be broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Monday February 11 at 12:00pm AEDT on Foxtel’s FOX8.

Following its broadcast on FOX8, the annual event will be available to stream on Foxtel as well as encore screenings on FOX8 at 6:00pm and Channel [V] at 9:30pm AEDT. Plus, catch all the red carpet coverage from 9:30am AEDT with E!’s Live From the Red Carpet.

Hosted for the first time by fifteen-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys, the awards will feature performances by some of the biggest names in the music industry right now and nominees Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Dan + Shay, Post Malone, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monáe and Kacey Musgraves.

Making her Grammy performance debut, Cabello received two nominations for Best Pop Solo Performance (Havana [Live]) and Best Pop Vocal Album (Camila). Cardi B is nominated for Record Of The Year (I Like It), Album Of The Year (Invasion Of Privacy), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Maroon 5 (Girls Like You), Best Rap Performance (Be Careful), and Best Rap Album (Invasion Of Privacy).

First-time Grammy nominees Dan + Shay are up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (Tequila). Also a first-time Grammy nominee, Post Malone received four nominations, Record Of The Year (Rockstar with 21 Savage), Album Of The Year (Beerbongs & Bentleys), Best Pop Solo Performance (Better Now), and Best Rap/Sung Performance (Rockstar).

Taking the Grammy stage for the first time, Mendes is nominated for Song Of The Year (In My Blood) and Best Pop Vocal Album (Shawn Mendes). Current two-time Grammy nominee Monáe is up for Album Of The Year (Dirty Computer) and Best Music Video (PYNK).

Two-time Grammy winner and current nominee Musgraves is up for four Grammy Awards, Album Of The Year (Golden Hour), Best Country Solo Performance (Butterflies), Best Country Song (Space Cowboy), and Best Country Album (Golden Hour).

Host and master of ceremonies, Alicia Keys, is a modern-day Renaissance woman—a 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/musician/producer, an accomplished actress, a New York Times best-selling author, a film/ television and Broadway producer, an entrepreneur, and a powerful force in the world of activism. Since the release of her monumental 2001 debut album, Songs In A Minor, Keys has sold more than 30 million records and built an unparalleled repertoire of hits and accomplishments.

The 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for the Recording Academy.

Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Ben Winston is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, Chantal Sausedo is the talent producer, and David Wild and Ehrlich are the writers.  

The 61^st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live on FOX8 from 12.00pm with an encore primetime screening at 6:00pm that evening.

Following its broadcast on FOX8, the 61st Annual Grammy Awards will be available to watch from Foxtel’s on demand library on internet enabled iQ set top boxes.

There will be an additional encore screening on Channel [V] at 9:30pm and red carpet coverage from 9:30am with E!’s Live From the Red Carpet.

Active members of the Academy are now eligible to vote for the winners in all 24 categories beginning Tuesday, February 12, through Tuesday, February 19.

The winners will be announced via the annual Academy Awards telecast which will again be shown live on Nine this year on Monday February 25.

Among the Oscar nominees, The Favourite and Roma received the most nominations with 10, including nominations in the categories of Best Picture, Actress in a Leading Role, and Actress in a Supporting Role. Other Oscars 2019 nominees with multiple nominations include A Star Is Born and Vice with eight nominations, Black Panther with seven, and Blackkklansman with six.

Netflix has become Hollywood’s hottest new Oscar studio with 15 Academy Award nominations. Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma secured 10 while the Coen Brothers’ The Battle of Buster Scruggs got three plus another two for short documentaries.

20th Century Fox claimed the most nominees for any one studio though – 20. Disney and Universal were close behind with 17 each. Paramount only received one nomination.

Major category Oscar nominations:

Performance by an actor in a leading role nominees:

• Christian Bale in VICE
• Bradley Cooper in A STAR IS BORN
• Willem Dafoe in AT ETERNITY’S GATE
• Rami Malek in BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
• Viggo Mortensen in GREEN BOOK

Performance by an actor in a supporting role nominees:

• Mahershala Ali in GREEN BOOK
• Adam Driver in BLACKkKLANSMAN
• Sam Elliott in A STAR IS BORN
• Richard E. Grant in CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
• Sam Rockwell in VICE

Performance by an actress in a leading role nominees:

• Yalitza Aparicio in ROMA
• Glenn Close in THE WIFE
• Olivia Colman in THE FAVOURITE
• Lady Gaga in A STAR IS BORN
• Melissa McCarthy in CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?

Performance by an actress in a supporting role nominees:

• Amy Adams in VICE
• Marina de Tavira in ROMA
• Regina King in IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
• Emma Stone in THE FAVOURITE
• Rachel Weisz in THE FAVOURITE

Best animated feature film of the year nominees:

• INCREDIBLES 2- Brad Bird, John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle
• ISLE OF DOGS- Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson
• MIRAI- Mamoru Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito
• RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET- Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Clark Spencer
• SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE- Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Best motion picture of the year nominees:
• BLACK PANTHER- Kevin Feige, Producer
• BLACKkKLANSMAN- Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee, Producers
• BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY- Graham King, Producer
• THE FAVOURITE- Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos, Producers
• GREEN BOOK- Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga, Producers
• ROMA- Gabriela Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón, Producers
• A STAR IS BORN- Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell Taylor, Producers
• VICE- Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, Producers

That three quarter of a million readers now have another chance to engage with the brand via a monthly print edition now being published in addition to the weekly print magazine.

Those readers have been enjoying their weekly dose of amazing real life stories mixed in with recipes, puzzles and the chance to win prizes. The new monthly That’s Life! delivers on all fronts. In the first monthly edition of the magazine there are over 30 competitions with chances to win a new Mazda, $15,000 in cash in addition to many other cash and gift prizes, some for less than $100.

The magazine competes in a small category that is also home to Bauer Media’s Take 5, which has also recently launched a monthly version. That’s Life! editor for 13 years, Linda Smith, is confident her Pacific title outsells its Bauer competition.

The magazines no longer release circulation figures. The latest emma readership data (for the 12 months ending October 2018) has That’s Life! with 764,000 readers to Take 5’s 710,000.

Smith indicated That’s Life!’s share of the real life magazine sector had been stable for the past four years. “We have remained #1 in the category for 25 years,” she told Mediaweek.

Reflecting on her time editing the title, Smith calculated she has written over 600 weekly editors letters to readers. She insists she doesn’t recycle them either! “That gives me a close connection to the readers because they always generate responses. They feel like they know me because of what I write about my life and my family. It helps to personalise the magazine.”

With the new launch, Smith said she strived to make it clear it was a new title, not a replacement. “The weekly is not changing and will continue to publish weekly. The new magazine looks very different apart from the use of the same masthead. The format is noticeably bigger which helps ensure there is no confusion about our two titles.”

Retailers should love this magazine because it continues to sell in both newsagents and supermarkets and it remains strong too in regional and metro areas.

The new monthly is priced at $4.95, just a small increase on the $3.60 Pacific charges for the weekly.

The magazine was originally launched by pioneering Aussie independent publishers Steve Bush and Deke Miskin back in 1995 when they teamed with publisher John Motion when Attic Press and Southdown Press became Pacific Publications.

It’s not just all puzzles and prizes that have kept the readership strong for quarter of a century. The editorial mix is key.

“And it’s not all good news they want,” said Smith.

“They do want to read crime and sad stories. If anything the monthly might have a little more editorial warmth than the weekly. We have reader tributes to people plus we have someone revealing their personal diary.

“There continues to be hunger for real life stories. The success of something like The Teacher’s Pet podcast is proof of that.”

Week 4 2019 – Summer schedule – Tuesday

FTA early evening TV news

• Seven News 957,000 and 874,000
• Nine News 869,000 and 885,000
• ABC News 636,000
• 10 News First 422,000
• SBS World News 120,000

Breakfast TV

• Sunrise 272,000
• Today 218,000
• ABC News Breakfast 110,000

Seven

Closer finish last night in the cricket, yet it was no match for the Australian Open.

The first innings of the game from Sydney’s Spotless Stadium saw 351,000 watching which grew to 409,000 for the second innings.

Nine

The Australian Open had its second-best night with an early evening average of 953,000.

The Late night audience was 384,000, ahead of the daytime average audience on 333,000.

The big tennis attraction on Day 9 was Ash Barty fighting to stay in the competition with a metro average of 1.18m.

See separate features at mediaweek.com.au this week with a deeper dive into the Australian Open TV ratings from both weeks of the tournament.

10

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! was split in two again last night for the first elimination episode. 793,000 tuned in to learn that Ajay Rochester was being sent home, while 717,000 saw the rest of the episode.

These numbers allowed 10 to claim to be #2 channel ahead of Seven under 50 last night 6pm to midnight.

The Project featured heartbreaking interviews with Aiia Masarwa’s father and cousin and rocker Joan Jett was a guest in the studio. The audience was on 421,000.

Later in the night NCIS: Los Angeles was on 357,000.

ABC

On Foreign Correspondent reporter Adam Harvey had a metro audience of 295,000 for story from Madagascar.

Part three of The Human Body did 246,000.

The second episode of Fake Or Fortune? was on 151,000. The busy co-host Fiona Bruce is creating controversy in the UK as the new host of the BBC’s Question Time, a similar show to the ABC’s Q&A.

SBS

Great American Railroad Journeys took viewers through Connecticut and New England with an audience of 187,000.