Barely a month after Skydance Media’s $8.4 billion takeover of Paramount Global closed, fresh talk is swirling in Hollywood: Paramount Skydance is weighing a bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD).

If the deal goes ahead, it would reshape the global media and entertainment industry, pulling two of Hollywood’s most storied studios – Warner Bros and Paramount – under the same roof.

Reports from the Wall Street Journal suggest Paramount, who is the owner of Network 10, is preparing a majority cash offer for WBD, backed by the Ellison family.

Neither company has confirmed the talks, but the speculation sent WBD shares soaring by almost 30% in late trading.

Why Warner, why now

WBD, led by chief executive David Zaslav, was created in April 2022 through the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery.

The combined company has struggled under heavy debt and shifting consumer habits, with Zaslav recently announcing plans to split Warner Bros from Discovery’s cable and global television assets.

The studios, franchises and channels at stake cover some of the best-known names in entertainment – Warner Bros’ film division, CNN, HBO, the DC Comics universe, and Paramount’s portfolio of CBS, Channel 5, Comedy Central, MTV and Paramount Pictures.

A merger would unite Superman, South Park, CNN and 60 Minutes under one corporate umbrella.

Ellison’s rapid moves

David Ellison, son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, wasted no time after completing the Skydance-Paramount merger in August.

In quick succession, he secured a $7.7 billion rights deal making Paramount the exclusive US broadcaster of UFC, signed Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers to an exclusive contract, and struck a film development partnership with Activision for a Call of Duty movie.

Ellison has also put his stamp on Paramount’s news operations. CBS News has been a flashpoint, particularly after its settlement with Donald Trump over a contested 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.

Earlier this week, Paramount appointed Kenneth Weinstein – a conservative policy veteran and Trump’s onetime pick for US ambassador to Japan – as ombudsman at CBS News.

Meanwhile, Ellison is reportedly close to acquiring The Free Press, the online outlet co-founded by Bari Weiss, with Weiss herself tipped for a role at CBS News.

Regulatory and political hurdles

While an acquisition of WBD would not require Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval – WBD doesn’t own broadcast licences – any tie-up would draw scrutiny from the US Department of Justice on antitrust grounds.

Mike Proulx, vice-president at Forrester Research, told The Guardian that such a move would “redefine the streaming landscape” if it materialised.

“This could be good for consumers in the form of cost savings, but it also would reduce marketplace choice,” he noted.

“What’s clear is that as the streaming market matures, it’s looking a whole lot like the OG television industry – all the way back to when there were just a few big networks and studios.”

However, consumer advocacy voices are already warning against consolidation. Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, told the same publication that any Paramount-WBD merger “should plainly be struck down” on antitrust grounds.

“But there’s grave reason to worry that the Trump administration would rubber-stamp such a merger, giving a pass to a corporate marriage that would advance its ideological agenda,” he said.

What it means for CNN and CBS

The fate of major news brands could prove politically charged. CNN, owned by WBD, has long been a target of Trump’s criticism.

CBS News, already under scrutiny following its Trump settlement, would sit in the same group if the companies combined.

That intersection of politics, media power, and entertainment brands is likely to intensify the regulatory debate.

The bigger picture

The Paramount–Skydance merger already marked one of the most significant shake-ups in US media in years.

As Mediaweek reported at the time, the deal placed Paramount – home to CBS, Showtime, and Paramount Pictures – under the control of Skydance, a younger but increasingly influential Hollywood studio.

By bringing in Ellison family capital, the merger was pitched as a way to better compete with streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+.

Now, less than a month later, the prospect of adding Warner Bros Discovery raises the stakes even higher.

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Foxtel Media, the sales house for Foxtel Group, has announced a suite of new advertising formats and platform upgrades across Kayo Sports and BINGE, set to launch from early 2026.

Revealed at the Foxtel 2026 upfront event in Sydney, the developments include fresh digital ad opportunities, a major revamp of BINGE, and the debut of Kayo Buddy – an AI-powered personal streaming companion for sports fans.

A focal point of the presentation was the announcement of a partnership that shifts Foxtel into the world of online gaming.

Connecting brands with gaming audiences

Foxtel Media has announced a new multi-year partnership with global gaming marketing company Livewire, aiming to create fresh opportunities for Australian advertisers to reach gaming audiences. The partnership is designed to help brands engage with gamers across platforms such as Roblox through immersive activations and high-impact campaigns.

As part of the arrangement, Foxtel Media’s audience segmentation tool Characters will be integrated into Livewire’s ecosystem. It also includes a data partnership powered by Livewire’s Gamer.ID identity solution, which anonymises and encrypts gamer data collected via SDKs, APIs, and active campaign engagement. The platform complies with GDPR, CCPA, and global privacy regulations, enabling advertisers to target audiences with precision across gaming environments.

Foxtel Media will extend its sports streaming brand into the metaverse with Kayo Sports Stadium on Roblox from February 2026, the experience will feature multi-sport mini-games, co-play options for families, and opportunities to interact with sporting personalities in real time.

In a conversation with Mediaweek, Foxtel Media CEO Mark Frain was bullish on the move, looking at it as inevitable when you consider media consumption behaviour changes: “When you look at it globally, there’s an ongoing convergent collision between sports and entertainment, gaming… sports stars and gaming. You’re just seeing these worlds kind of overlap and cross over. And given where we sit from a sports perspective, we’ve gone: ‘we know there’s an opportunity, how do we play in that sphere?’ And that’s where we kind of kicked off the conversations with Livewire, which have actually been ongoing for quite some time.”

Usually gaming partnerships between traditional media and game platforms have focused around integrating IP into game environments. But with a branded in-game Kayo stadium and a focus on back-end data convergence, the move by Foxtel Media to enter the gaming space is more about creating an opportunity for clients to cross-buy across Foxtel into game environments.

“The one thing that we haven’t seen done well, probably from a wholesale perspective, is how do the advertisers actually play in this environment? And even in the last few weeks, talking to my advertisers, there’s many of them that know that’s the audience that they want to reach, and that includes Kayo as an advertiser too. Clearly from a gaming perspective, having brands that are authentic, i.e. a Kayo stadium, it has that level of authenticity in the gaming environment.

“So by placing that in first, we can then bring advertisers on that journey. We’re talking then about a partnership that spans Foxports, Kayo, and into the Kayo stadium within a Roblox environment. It gives those advertisers a kind of almost guaranteed opportunity to engage that new set of customers in a very, very different infrastructure.”

Frain added that all of this will be done with brand safety consideration: “A lot of the work we will do will be age-based targeting, and there’ll be a lot of considerations to work through on brand safety – that’ll probably be the utmost in our planning moving forward.”

Next generation ad formats

From next year, Kayo Sports and BINGE will introduce new digital ad products designed to integrate seamlessly into the viewing experience. These include L-Bars, which wrap brand messaging around live content without interrupting gameplay, and Pause ads, which activate when a viewer halts content, creating a full-screen, uncluttered placement.

Kayo Sports will also offer three to six-second solus bumper ads immediately before live matches, giving brands exclusive exposure during high-attention moments such as the opening round of the NRL or AFL.

Kayo Buddy and platform upgrades

A key highlight for 2026 is the launch of Kayo Buddy. The AI-assisted feature will provide real-time insights, including fixture updates, player statistics, and highlights, with functionality expanding over time to become what Foxtel Media calls the “ultimate viewing companion.”

Kayo Sports will also see a connected TV (CTV) upgrade, featuring new carousel integrations and sliding drawer sponsorships. On social, Kayo plans to scale its YouTube presence, leveraging its 14 million followers across Kayo and Fox Sports to deliver long-form, brand-safe content for younger audiences.

BINGE will undergo its own refresh, with updates to navigation, a redesigned interface, and a new TV guide aimed at helping viewers discover content more easily. The BINGE upgrade was signalled to Mediaweek in July when Kayo upgraded its mobile apps.

Subscriber momentum

The announcements follow strong growth across Foxtel’s streaming services. Kayo Sports has recorded a 9 per cent lift in subscribers year-on-year, and 20 per cent over the past two years. Viewing time rose 8 per cent in 2025, led by a 29 per cent increase in CTV usage this year and an 82 per cent jump over two years.

BINGE has also grown subscribers by 9 per cent year-on-year.

A new retail media division

Foxtel Media unveiled Retail Plus, a new retail media division that connects premium video content with e-commerce. It is designed to help brands reach audiences with smarter targeting, seamless retail integration, and measurable outcomes. 

Launching first in pharmaceuticals and beauty through a partnership with Chemist Warehouse, Retail Plus will expand to categories including grocery, hardware, electronics, and fashion. Retail partners will collaborate with Foxtel Media to develop new retail products and content-led brand experiences for suppliers and customers.

Second-screen retail advertising experiences

As part of Retail Plus, Foxtel Media has partnered with allt.tv to introduce second-screen retail advertising. The technology, being trialled in Australia for the first time, links mobile apps with TV content in real time, making offers instantly actionable.

Examples include food delivery offers appearing during live sport or a grocery app pre-filling a shopping cart with ingredients from a cooking program. This removes friction from traditional QR-code-driven engagement and turns entertainment into immediate commerce.

Brand funded narrative storytelling

Narratv is a new branded storytelling division designed to create premium, brand-funded content for prime time television. It will produce both episodic series and short-form branded content, aiming to build deeper audience connections beyond traditional advertising.

Recent brand collaborations have demonstrated the impact of this approach. Health and wellness series Gen Well, created with Amcal Pharmacy, delivered a 3.6x lift in brand health. Research found 92 per cent of viewers reported a more positive perception of Amcal, and 69 per cent said they were more likely to shop there.

Travel content also continues to play a role. Luxury Escapes returns with a new season following strong performance across its first two, generating more than 4.8 million stream starts and 1.1 million hours viewed.

Alexandra Hazlehurst, Head of Brand Solutions at Foxtel Media, will lead the new division. “Five years ago, branded content was seen as surface-level because it lacked the key ingredients that make content engaging: storytelling, narrative, and emotional connection. But we’ve come a long way since then, and our story-first formats have fundamentally changed the way brands connect with audiences and are backed up by the research metrics that matter, beyond reach and
frequency.”

She added: “Narratv is something we truly believe in. It brings storytelling craft and commercial clarity together, backed by Foxtel’s broadcast expertise. This is for brands that want to go beyond spots and dots, but rather bring their brand’s story to life, building deeper trust and resonance with consumers.”

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There’s always considerable weight put behind a Foxtel upfronts due to its influence on the local industry, especially when it comes to sports. With new owners DAZN having taken over mid-year, interest in the event this year was larger than usual with many interested in what the future of the business would look like going forward.

With DAZN on everyones minds, it was a little unexpected that we didn’t hear from anyone at DAZN on the night, nor was Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany present as he was in London attending a meeting with the new owners. Regardless, he filmed a video for the event and the spotlight was firmly handed over to the Foxtel Media senior leaders.

The next morning, some thoughts linger about last night’s event.

It’s an incredible venue

The White Bay Power Station is a heritage listed former coal-fired power station that has since been turned into an arts space. While not especially easy to get to by public transport and the bathrooms were a little less than ideal, there was a considerable wow factor to the venue.

Both outside the venue…

… and inside where the music was blaring and the drinks were flowing. Owing to Foxtel leaning in to sports and gaming, the venue felt like a mix between a rave and a very cool Timezone arcade. The top floor was filled with skill tester game machines (I missed out on a Kayo shirt, but did win a fold-away shopping bag) and sport-focused skill games like indoor cricket nets and arcade basketball hoops.

The presentation was a bit long

Clocking in at around 90 minutes, one can’t imagine that there was a bottom in that room that wasn’t feeling a bit sore from sitting in those plastic seats for so long.

There were three clear agendas being met with the event:

• Foxtel, perhaps more than ever, is THE destination for sports in Australia by way of Fox Sports, but particularly Kayo.
• Entertainment hasn’t been forgotten.
• Foxtel is doing a lot in terms of technological innovation and creative client-focused outcomes supported by platforms.

A little less might have been more with those first two concerns as both sports and entertainment felt more than covered by the event. When host Tom Walker from The Great Australian Bake Off joked about the show reaching half time and serving cut oranges out to the crowd, the joke felt like it was met with concern that he was serious. He was.

There was a lively drum show that was cool, but, again, my bottom was very sore by that stage.

The best section of the night was the pitch at media buyers

Ultimately, most media buyers in the room aren’t hugely interested in the overall vision for the business, they want to know what Foxtel will do in the year ahead to deliver a strong return of investment on clients money. AKA “Show me the metrics”.

Foxtel did a great job on this with a direct sell from the Foxtel media team delivered with considerable clarity and with conviction.

Alex Hazlehurst, Head of Brand Solutions at Foxtel Media, sold the audience on the branded content opportunities of Foxtel with travel show Luxury Escapes held up as an example of what is possible. Joined on stage by Luxury Escapes head of social engagement Eugene Loane (and series host Cameron Daddo), the sell from Hazlehurst was strong.

Loane talked about the impact of amplification on Foxtel’s platforms: “From broadcast to Binge, encore runs 10 times a week to collaborative social pushes across our accounts, their accounts, and talent channels. together we build a full-funnel ecosystem around every episode.”

Hazlehurst then, ironically enough, amplified the sentiment: “It really is all covered. Paid social, precision retargeting, on-screen
call-to-actions to limited-time, exclusive deals, we don’t just create content, we engineer outcomes.”

The sell was direct and, in another setting, might have been a bit on the nose, but for this room it was a strong pitch.

Soon after, Toby Dewar, Director of Customer Engagement of Foxtel Media, took to the stage to talk about the Video Futures Collective. I’m not sure this was an audience that needed to be sold on the value of streaming video, but Dewar was there to bring the point home regardless, telling the crowd that “ROI for digital video was +76% above the average of all other media
channels; SVOD alone drove a further +19% uplift in sales outcomes. Simply Put: streaming drives sales.”

The direct sell just kept on coming. Chief Sales Officer Nev Hasan then joined Perth Sales Director Karen Papalia on stage where they delivered case studies to further land the point. Hasan spoke about Kaboodle Kitchen, a client who ditched demo targeting to focus instead on ‘character targeting,’ telling the audience “They found audiences who actually care about renovating. The result? 201% uplift in brand recognition, 28% lift in awareness, 59% jump in consideration. That’s what happens when you target people, not boxes.”

It was a hugely overt sales pitch, but it absolutely works for the room.

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YouTube’s Brandcast doubled up as a celebration for the video platform’s 20th birthday and showcase of its continued evolution as a platform for culture, creators and commerce.

More than 600 industry representatives packed Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday to hear what’s new in store for YouTube in the year to come.

Mel Silva, Managing Director of Google Australia and New Zealand, told attendees that YouTube’s strength lies in combining cultural relevance with platform scale.

“YouTube’s not just engaging for fans, it’s incredibly effective for brands,” Silva said. “Great content attracts passionate fans, creating a trusted environment where your brands can achieve incredible growth.”

Mediaweek caught up with media buyers to get their reaction and thoughts on the presentation, and find out what the biggest selling points were for them.

Caitlyn Grant, performance lead at This is Flow, likened Brandcast to a 20-year birthday party for YouTube that was a mix of nostalgia and future-gazing.

“The biggest ‘wow’ for me was just how large YouTube’s viewing hours are per day: over 1 billion globally, and mighty Kiwi’s alone are racking up 1 million hours!

“The other surprise was how much emphasis there was on long vs short – CTV for the long game, Shorts for those quick wins. A way of YouTube saying: don’t put all your ads in one basket, spread them across screens.”

Grant noted the 60-second non-skip ads a highlight, calling the updated “the most effective for action” that flips the short-is-always-better myth.

The ongoing theme of YouTube saying that it’s an “Ocean of video” also stuck with Grant and highlighted the need to learn to swim or risk sinking.

She also noted how YouTube broke down long-term vs short-term strategy by device as useful.

“Big screen = brand-building marathon, small screen = sprint to short-term action. The combination of both is the sweet spot and should be considered during media planning.

For Mark Zala, Digital Partner at Avenue C, Brandcast was a glitzy smorgasbord of familiar buzzwords (“unmatched reach, soaring watch times, CTV’s unstoppable rise, and a parade of stats proving YouTube’s business impact”) teamed with cringeworthy choreographed fireside chats.

He highlighted YouTube’s kingdom of content creators, a pointed jab at short-form rivals as the message that cut through the noise.

“They backed it up with stats—500 Australian creators boast 1M+ subscribers, and a staggering 54% of viewers prefer creators’ breakdowns of cultural moments over the real thing. (This grizzled millennial sighed at that one.)”

The new product reveals were slightly underwhelming for Zala. He called the 60-second non-skip ad format as “hardly a surprise”.

“What wasn’t said screamed loudest. The elephant in the room—YouTube’s creeping ad load—was conspicuously absent. It’s a hot topic in agency land, and the silence on stage was deafening.”

Zala said that media investors will be doubling down on YouTube next year as its reach and attention is unmatched.

“YouTube’s betting big on revenue but ignoring viewer tolerance could push users to competitors. We’re watching closely.”

For Jacquie Alley, Chief Operating Officer of The Media Store, the biggest selling point YouTube’s mass reach of 96% of Australians 18+ and deep engagement with the content from Ipsos iris data.

“It can be strategically used by marketers as a brand building tool as well as a conversion tactic, particularly now with the CTV Shoppable ads, powered by DV360, becoming available in ANZ. It now offers a full-funnel solution for a plethora of highly engaged audiences.”

Alley said the investment in CTV shoppable ads, AI Peak Points, partnership ads, the Creator Partnership Hub, and Attributed Brand Search go far in helping brands connect with the right creators and moments to reach their audiences with authenticity.

“Being able to drive more consideration for brands through connecting their YouTube viewing with their Google search behaviour is an exciting evolution.”

She called the platform’s pragmatic approach to AI a refreshing shift on the tools and ecosystems brands/agencies should focus on in the next year.

“Their steady approach makes sense considering their platform houses creators and promotes authenticity.”

Alley revealed the announcement of the 60-sec non-skippable format got a gasp from the audience near her at the presentation.

She said that while the Analytics Partners research showed that attention is at its highest for video viewing post the 60-second mark, “we can’t forget the caveat to this being content chosen to watch.”

“Brands will need to invest heavily into ensuring these formats are well tested with the desired audiences and the ad content contextually relevant, for risk of driving negative brand impact.

“Considering the same Analytics Partners research quoted six seconds as the next ad format for driving attention, aligning with declining attention spans, it will be interesting to see what early results are of the 60-second non-skippable format. Perhaps it is a commercial strategy to drive more Premium subscribers.”

For Alley, YouTube’s focus on measurement and connecting brands with creators will drive more conversations between agencies and clients who have been unsure where to start in immersing themselves into the creator economy and what ROI it can offer.

She called YouTube claim to being #1 streaming platform makes it as “essential channel for media mixes to reach audiences on both the big and small screens in and out of the home.”

Stew Hansen, EssenceMediacom Implementation & Activation Group Director, called the presentation: “A reliably informative yet rather safe local upfront overall.”

He noted the positioning of CTV as the new “living room” battleground and the strategy to capture premium, lean-back viewing, and associated marketing dollars.

Hansen also highlighted the push on creators as the heart of culture and driving substantial influence in consumer perceptions.

“Their message was simple: YouTube is the ‘one place’ that consolidates reach, diverse formats, and cultural relevance, offering a powerful solution to fragmentation. YouTube’s ability to exist as both a Social and Streaming content platform is indeed unique.”

Hansen said he was surprised that AI was largely absent, except for one example of AI-Powered Innovation, Peak Points (powered by Gemini). He noted that the tech will help their clients “deliver ads at moments of peak emotional receptivity in a genuinely innovative step beyond simple demographic or contextual targeting, helping increase ad recall and effectiveness.”

“Importantly, this will need to be tactfully implemented, as audience receptiveness may be impacted if it’s deemed too jarring or disruptive to content if not balanced right.”

Hansen said the Creator Marketing via the Creator Partnerships Hub should simplify the process of finding and managing creator collaborations for advertisers and discovering creators.

He noted the 60-second Non-Skippable Format within YouTube Select will give advertisers a canvas for more narrative-driven brand building in a lean-back environment but said that uptake for the format is yet to be seen.

“Many advertisers have moved away from even the 30-second formats in recent years in favour or shorter ads. Currently, longer ads feel few and far between – but this could provide an opportunity for more.”

Hansen also said that Google has also joined Shoppable CTV format and is leveraging QR codes but noted that the impact is yet to be seen.

“They can be effective at driving incremental purchase points but also the potential risk of taking consumers out of their lean-back viewing experience.”

Top image: Caitlyn Grant, Mel Silva (centre), Mark Zala, Jacquie Alley and Stew Hansen

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Kayo Sports has unveiled its 2026 sports slate at the Foxtel Media Upfront, highlighting a wide-ranging mix of domestic and international rights that reinforce its positioning as “Australia’s home of sport.”

Foxtel Group chief executive Patrick Delany said the platform’s scale and coverage remains unmatched: “We are Australia’s home of sport, bringing together an extensive breadth and depth of tier-one sports with world-class live game and show production with no ad breaks in play and 4K coverage. This powerful combination is further enhanced by Fox Sports News – our dedicated sports news channel – and foxsports.com.au, the leading sports news portal, creating a sports experience that is truly unmatched anywhere in the world. “We are the place to watch Australia’s biggest sports live – every game of every round of AFL and NRL, every Formula 1®, Supercars and MotoGP race, all four Golf majors, and every major cricket event on home soil this summer. Add to that over 50 of the most popular sports from around the world and Kayo SPORTS’ line-up is unparalleled.”

Expanded golf and motorsport coverage

Kayo Sports confirmed new partnerships with The Open Championship, DP World Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, and WPGA, securing coverage of all four majors, the PGA Tour, USLPGA, Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour. Fans will also have access to domestic events including the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship.

A new multi-year Supercars agreement begins in 2026, delivering an expanded Championship Season with more races and teams. Motorsport fans will continue to have access to every Formula 1 and MotoGP event, alongside the World Superbike Championship.

Cricket blockbusters

This summer features an eight-match white-ball series between Australia and India in October, followed by The Ashes starting in November. The 2026–27 summer will see England return for another white-ball series, followed by a Trans-Tasman clash with New Zealand. Kayo will also carry all BBL and WBBL matches.

AFL, NRL and US sports

In 2026, Kayo will continue to stream every AFL and NRL match live and ad-break free during play. Super Saturday LIVE returns for its second AFL season, with Fox Footy exclusively showing all Saturday matches for at least the first eight rounds. Fox League will broadcast every game of the 280-match NRL season, starting with the Rugby League Las Vegas Festival and including Magic Round.

Kayo also renewed its long-running ESPN partnership, ensuring access to the NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA and NHL. The deal also includes coverage of Australia’s NBL and WNBL.

Additional coverage

Subscribers will also be able to stream every Suncorp Super Netball match, AFLW, NRLW, UFC pay-per-views, Main Event Boxing, and every VIC, SA and WA thoroughbred race via Racing.com.

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At the Foxtel 2026 upfronts event, streaming service BINGE revealed its 2026 content lineup, showcasing a broad mix of Australian originals and international titles spanning drama, comedy, reality, and true crime.

The upcoming slate, presented today, includes new local commissions such as Run, The Postcard Bandit, and Tough Love, alongside returning hits like Colin From Accounts and High Country.

Director of Scripted Originals at The Foxtel Group Lana Greenhalgh spoke to Mediaweek about the line-up, expressing enthusiasm around the slate, but particularly Run, which is a scripted drama inspired by the story of bank robber Brenden Abbott:”The drama series is based on the five years that he was on the run and really sets up this amazing premise of cat and mouse as he’s on the run from the cops and the relationships that are there to both torment him and support him through that process. It’s starring George Mason, with this amazing cast around him.

“I’m very, very, very excited about this show because it’s unlike anything we’ve really commissioned before. I’m really hoping it attracts a whole new demographic to the platform. I’m very excited for Run.”

New Warner Bros Television series Tough Love is another show that has Greenhalgh speaking animatedly. It’s a comedy about a woman diagnosed with breast cancer who starts teaching her adult kids tough love (it’s right there in the title) because she’s concerned the dysfunctional siblings will not survive without her.

While the show isn’t rhythmically the same as hit BINGE show Colin From Accounts, Greenhalgh thinks it’ll pair nicely with the show.

“In terms of our commissioning strategy, both shows do fall into that comedy area and I’m really proud that there’s similarities between them, because given the success of Colin from Accounts, why would we not explore more comedies in that vein? But they could sit alongside each other on the slate and not sort of be too similar,” she said.

And speaking of Colin From Accounts, with the series leads and co-creators in-demand in Hollywood, what is the likelihood of ever seeing more of the show past this third season?

“Globally, it’s very rare to see shows go beyond two or three seasons. In saying that, Colin, I believe it will be three and done based on not only the characters’ trajectories across the three-season arc, but also Paddy and Harry wanting to spread their wings as well. And they should do that.

“They might bring us another hit immediately after, which would be amazing. But in saying that, if there’s an appetite after the end of season three, not only from audiences, but from Paddy and Harry as well, it would be remiss of us not to seriously consider that. And we’d always be open to that conversation.

“So the door’s never completely closed. And it is one of our most successful shows to date. And I’d be very proud if we continued it,” she said.

Howard Myers-Rifai is Head of Unscripted Originals and is very focused on documentary series The Postcard Bandit. It is also based on bank robber Brenden Abbott and is the first time Foxtel has commissioned a scripted series and unscripted documentary about the same subject.

“The scripted show kind of came first, but as we started to dig into the story, we realised there was so much more to tell and that it would make an amazing two-part documentary,” Myers-Rifai explained. “Because the scripted version follows just a small portion of Brenden Abbott’s life on the run, the Postcard Bandit is the full documentary of his life from young teenage years right through literally to the present day where we’re waiting to hear whether he’ll get his early release.”

Foxtel has also joined Channel 4 in the UK on reality format Apocalypse. Myers-Rifai said that he was attracted to the accessibility of the premise: “It’s a question we all ask ourselves. What would you do? The way I talk about it is, if something happened right now, where are you sitting? Your apartment block, the houses, the office building you’re in, the supermarket… the 10 people or more around you – they could be anybody. It could be the hairdresser who lives below me, the nurse who lives in the apartment next door, or the mechanic across the road.

Those are the people you’re going to end up with and have to survive. Are you going to get on with them? What skills are they going to bring? What skills do you have? And I think it’s a really fascinating question.”

Myers-Rifai is pretty certain he’d fare very well in the apocalypse.

“I actually am quite a renaissance man. Not only do I have a dream in film television drama, but I am a qualified carpenter. I’m a musician. I used to gig. I’ve been a magician,” he revealed.

Mediaweek understands that Myers-Rifai did not pull any rabbits out of his hat during the upfronts, but there’s always 2027.

New Australian commissions

Four original local series will premiere in 2026:

• Run, a crime drama based on Brenden Abbott’s life, stars George Mason, Robyn Malcolm, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Ashleigh Cummings

• The Postcard Bandit, a companion documentary series produced with WBITVP Australia, delves deeper into Abbott’s real-life exploits

• Apocalypse, a social experiment reality format developed with Channel 4 in the UK, challenges participants to survive a simulated end-of-the-world scenario

• Tough Love, a dark comedy about adult siblings dealing with loss, is another WBITVP Australia collaboration

Returning favourites

Several successful local titles will return:

• Colin From Accounts season three, with Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer back as creators and stars

• High Country season two, with Leah Purcell reprising her role as Sergeant Andie Whitford in the Curio Pictures series

• Billion Dollar Playground, from Ronde Media, also returns

• Selling Houses Australia enters its 18th season, with Andrew Winter, Wendy Moore, and Dennis Scott also featuring in spin-off Inside Selling Houses Australia: New Beginnings

• The Great Australian Bake Off returns for its ninth season with Rachel Khoo, Darren Purchese, Tom Walker, and Natalie Tran

International premieres

BINGE will also debut several high-profile global shows:

• DMV, a workplace comedy starring Harriet Dyer.

• All Her Fault, a thriller with Sarah Snook, Jake Lacy, and Dakota Fanning.

• Film Club, a romcom featuring Aimee Lou Wood and Suranne Jones.

• Amadeus, starring Will Sharpe and Paul Bettany, shines a light on the legacy of Wolfgang ‘Amadeus’ Mozart.

• The Five-Star Weekend with Jennifer Garner, Regina Hall, Gemma Chan, Chloë Sevigny, D’Arcy Carden, and Harlow Jane.

• The Death of Bunny Munro with Matt Smith based on the novel of the same name by Nick Cave

• The Lady, starring Natalie Dormer

• The Burbs, a new series adaptation of the 1989 Tom Hanks film of the same name with Keke Palmer

• Ponies featuring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson

• Dear England, starring Joseph Fiennes

• The Other Bennet Sister with Ella Bruccoleri

• The Copenhagen Test starring Simu Liu

Returning global hits

BINGE will also stream new seasons of:

• Marquee titles including Outlander (final season), Ted (season two), Taskmaster, Grand Designs UK, The Great British Bake Off, and Next Level Chef.

• Ongoing reality franchises like The Real Housewives (Orange County and Beverly Hills) and Below Deck Mediterranean.

• Other returning favourites include Sweetpea, Saturday Night Live, Chicago P.D., Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Amanda and Alan’s Greek Job, The Great British Sewing Bee, Animal Control, and I Love a Mama’s Boy.

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“You can’t reach everyone in Australia if you don’t understand everyone in Australia. That’s the gap that we solve,” Costa Vasili, founder and CEO of Ethnolink, told Mediaweek.

He launched Ethnolink in 2011 initially as a specialist translation provider to help establishments translate reading material into the top spoken languages.

Vasili said the catalyst for the transition into a full-service agency happened during a project where the client requested a 72-page booklet translated into the top 10 languages spoken in Victoria.

“The problem with being a translation agency is that people come to you right at the end when they’re ready to translate, and they just need to get it done as fast as possible.

“I was really frustrated by our inability to make a big impact with the multicultural communities because we weren’t working at a more strategic level with our clients.

“That was the catalyst for wanting to go end-to-end, basically start at the insights level and the strategy, and then move into the translation later down the track.”

How Ethnolink bridges cultural gaps mainstream agencies can’t

Vasili noted that there are many communications professionals in Australia from native English-speaking and Anglo-Saxon may not have the communication skills or cultural competency to translate into communications for migrant and First Nations audiences.

“The gap we fill is that our organisational capability and team’s experience, including their lived experience, enables us to bridge that communication gap.

“We have been from the beginning a multicultural and First Nations communications specialist agency. We consult with the community, so our campaigns, projects, and insights are derived from the community and augmented with the strategic mindset of our communicators and our team.

“So, we listen to the community and then we translate that into something that’s going to work for a campaign.”

The core of the team is made up of 50 full-time staff based in Melbourne, along with handful of team members working remotely across the country.

“We have a variety of skill sets as well, people who come from a translation or interpreting background.

“We’re augmenting those skill sets, which have been our historical agency background, with new talent who bring diverse perspectives and diverse experiences with different strengths in strategy, research, copywriting, creative, and media planning.”

How Ethnolink leads with cultural insight

Ethnolink was recently appointed as the multicultural communications agency for the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, working alongside Taboo and Snack Drawer.

Vasili said working in an agency village is a positive experience that allows them to deliver a nuanced campaign that meets the needs of specific audiences.

“Our experience has been really positive, and that’s supported by a really great client who had the vision to establish the village and is really working well with the agency village to deliver those campaigns.”

The agency is currently developing a natural hazards campaign for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.

He explained the campaign was a true co-design with multicultural communities that began with robust focus groups and engagements across the country to understand the needs of multicultural communities, levels of hazards awareness, communication preferences, and formats.

“The first is that some migrant communities come to Australia and may not have experience with the types of natural hazards that we experience in their home country. An example of that may be bushfires, if the place in which you’ve migrated doesn’t really experience bushfires or wildfires, depending on where you’re from in the world.

“The second reason is that some migrant communities may settle in specific local communities in which they may not be aware of the natural hazards that occur specifically around them.

“For example, if you’re in far north Queensland and you’re more susceptible to hurricanes, or if you settle in an area that’s more flood-prone prone and you may not literally have any awareness of that.

“I’m really excited because this is the type of campaign that actually can make a huge difference, and we’re doing it with a very rigorous methodology and designing it with the community.”

Community consultation key to delivering authentic multicultural campaigns

Vasili said it was pleasing to see the number of specialist multicultural agencies in the industry continue to elevate the space, but noted that improvements should be made to the level that multicultural communities need.

He said more mainstream agencies approach us to be their multicultural specialist agency to work collaboratively on campaigns in the early stages.

“Where things don’t work particularly well is when we get brought in right at the end, and it’s we need to have this campaign go live in a few weeks.

“Often what we see is a really inappropriate slogan or campaign tagline that is witty in English and might have some alliteration or play on words, and that just simply doesn’t translate. Or the campaign creative could be really inappropriate, and it needs to be fully reworked.

“It could be showing people in certain attire which may be inappropriate for certain communities and made for the generic, mainstream Australia, which doesn’t represent me.”

To ensure the campaigns Ethnolink works on offer authentic cultural impact and are not just cringe-worthy and tokenistic is through discovery sessions with the communities they’re trying to reach, understand, and gain insights on.

When there is progress on strategy and creative, the agency moves into concept testing, additional consultations with communities for guidance on their thoughts, ideas, and perspectives.

He explained that once in-language assets are produced, communications should be checked again by people language.

“The important part is that monolingual review, meaning if it was in Filipino, Greek, Italian, then a community member who hasn’t seen the campaign is then provided with the assets in their language only, and they provide independent feedback.

“Theoretically, if we’ve gone through that process and we’ve done true co-design at the end, we should come up with the end product, outputs, and a campaign that feels authentic and real, and at that final check, if there’s something that’s been missed still, then we know we’ve got a problem.”

“It really leans into the methodology of consulting with the community. Sometimes clients want us to shortcut and cut to the chase, but you’re missing the vital opportunity to make it feel authentic, real, and that it is not tokenistic for your audience.”

From purpose-driven roots to broader industry impact

Vasili is optimistic that Ethnolink will continue to expand its work beyond government and not-for-profit sectors with clients that have a positive impact.

“Often that aligns with certain government programs and government priorities, as well as the interests and priorities of not-for-profits.

“We do work in certain commercial spaces as well, particularly where organisations in commercial settings are trying to reach migrant audiences or international audiences that are coming to Australia, such as tourists.

“Our focus is on working with government and not-for-profit and other organisations that have a very strong purpose for why they exist.”

Vasili said that the industry is taking note of how significant a player they are in the industry.

“We are Australia’s largest specialist multicultural communications engagement agency, but we’ve been very much flying under the radar for many years, not really caring about the press and beating our own chest.”

Looking ahead, he said the industry can expect them to continue to do the same work they are doing now and focus on authentically helping organisations reach multicultural communities.

Vasili also noted they hope to continue working in partnership with other agencies that want to help their clients reach multicultural communities in integrated end-to-end campaigns, village arrangements.

The agency has also seen growth with the acquisition of Sydney-based agency Language Professionals, which had worked on translation projects for the 2000 Sydney Olympics bid.

“We’re still currently actively scoping different acquisition opportunities in the industry. So long as we have the opportunity to continue working on great, impactful projects, then I will continue to grow the agency.”

Top image: Costa Vasili

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PubMatic has announced a new collaboration with ad-supported streaming service Tubi to offer programmatic access to its connected TV (CTV) inventory in Australia.

The partnership gives advertisers access to Tubi’s growing local audience through PubMatic’s sell-side platform, unlocking premium CTV placements with advanced buying options including private marketplaces and programmatic guaranteed deals.

Tubi, which is owned by Fox Corporation and distributed exclusively in Australia by News Corp Australia, offers close to 135,000 TV episodes and movies, the largest streaming content library in the region. The service has gained momentum locally for its free-to-watch, low-ad-load model catering to cost-conscious viewers.

“With the cost-of-living crisis top of mind for many Aussies, ad-supported services like Tubi are becoming a clear favourite,” said Jessica Gilby, General Manager – Digital at News Corp Australia. “Tubi gives audiences their entertainment fix without the price tag. As we supercharge the Australian expansion with fresh content and strategic collaborations like this one with PubMatic, we’re enabling advertisers to reach incremental audiences on CTV delivered with one of the lightest ad loads in the market.”

Targeting hard-to-reach audiences with flexibility

The integration with PubMatic provides advertisers with tools for enhanced targeting, real-time performance data, and customisable buying structures. According to James Young, Regional Director, Australia and New Zealand at PubMatic, the move aims to bridge the gap between traditional TV buyers and digital-first advertisers.

“With a massive content library and the ability to reach exclusive streaming audiences, we’re thrilled to help brands access Tubi’s inventory in a seamless, programmatic way,” Young said. “This initiative opens Tubi’s premium streaming environment to a broader spectrum of advertisers — including those new to TV via diverse demand sources such as mid-tier and performance DSPs.”

Through PubMatic, advertisers gain access to:

• End-to-end transparency and auction dynamics to maximise media value
• Audience personalisation and optimisation capabilities tailored for CTV
• Advanced deal types, including PMPs and programmatic guaranteed
• Real-time performance insights to guide agile campaign planning

The announcement comes as Australian advertisers increasingly seek scalable, measurable alternatives to traditional broadcast TV, with Tubi was recently named one of TechRadar’s best free streaming services of 2025.

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This week’s Meeting of the Minds sees Kristy Barclay-Allen and Lucinda Bauermeister from Meta reveal their leadership heroes, current streaming binge, and career goals.

The Mediaweek series showcases diverse perspectives, thoughts and opinions by bringing together two different points of view from an industry rookie and an experienced expert.

Kristy Barclay-Allen, Industry Head, Independent Agencies, Meta ANZ

Favourite podcast/read – The Diary of a CEO podcast. I can’t get enough of Stephen Bartlett. I find his authenticity and vulnerability compelling. And for my guilty pleasure listening, a friend of mine makes podcasts and his latest is brilliant! Talk 90s To Me, which dives into the wild decade of chaos, creativity and hedonism that were the 90s in Britain… as someone who grew up in that decade, it gives me all the feelings!

Current streaming binge – The White Lotus ; I’m late to the party but now totally hooked. I started with season 3 and have jumped back to season 1, so am being treated to the delights and antics of Jennifer Coolidge.

Misconception about your role – That I also work for RayBan Meta because I am OBSESSED with our AI-enabled glasses! It’s fascinating hearing from advertisers and creators about the ways they are already integrating wearable technology into their work, from wearing them to shooting creative to enabling work calls on the go. I own two pairs myself and already have my eye on the new Oakley Meta models! Wearables also represent an exciting new opportunity in the world of advertising, which I am always here for.

Best career advice – Surround yourself with brilliant people who you admire and respect and do the same in return.

Leadership hero – Impossible for me to call out just one! I feel fortunate to have worked with some brilliant leaders. The current leadership team at Meta with whom I have the privilege of working with are next level. They lead with authenticity and direction, yet with such care. We see great examples of leadership in our day to day. I try to learn a little bit from everyone and apply to my own role as a leader.

How do you stay motivated – I have the privilege of engaging regularly with independent agencies from all over the country. When I hear and see first hand how Meta has transformed their businesses and lives, that is the true motivation for me to keep doing what I do everyday.
Outside of work, my kids are my number one motivation – they inspire me to be the best person I can be and to set roots in this beautiful country, having moved to Sydney from Singapore two years ago.

Best training course/session – I’d recommend Blueprint for anyone wanting to upskill on Meta! LifeHikes offer great soft-skills training which I have taken great value and learned from.

I wish someone had told me – That you don’t have to achieve everything in your twenties. I keep getting served content on Instagram where people are reading out a beautiful poem about an 83 year old woman who wakes up in her 30-something year old body. It makes me cry every time. Life is precious so I encourage my fellow peers to live in the moment and try not to be too concerned about the future, especially when it comes to pursuing career goals.

Something that’s surprised you about the industry – There is a disproportionate number of independent agencies founded by men, which highlights the need for more female leadership in this industry. If you are a female agency founder and we aren’t connected – please reach out on LinkedIn!

What is your hot take on the industry – We are at a pivotal moment marked by rapid technological change, economic uncertainty and evolving consumer behaviors, with independent agencies evolving and growing at speed. Not only are they winning business and talent from the traditionally dominant agencies, they are adapting their offerings, business models and ways of working to meet our industry’s changing needs. I am grateful to be a part of this movement.

Favourite way to switch off from work – It takes me a while to completely switch off from work, but my favourite way to do it – and do it properly – is a holiday! On a snowy mountain, beautiful beach or exploring a new city. When I am physically away and surrounded by family and friends, I will fully engage the off button! I am very grateful to have an incredible team that enables me to return to work refreshed.

Career goal for 2025 – Continue to raise the profile of the incredible independent agencies we collaborate with at Meta and continue to be the best leader I can be for my team.

Lucinda Bauermeister, Agency Partner, Meta ANZ

Favourite podcast/read – Business of Fashion – I’m an economics nerd so love tapping into that side of an industry that I’m deeply passionate about!

Current streaming binge – Love is Blind UK! I’m a reality TV tragic ; I find after a long day of work I often want to disassociate a bit and relax and reality TV never lets me down.

Misconception about your role – That I am able to provide tech support, this one really gets me! I find strength in deep thinking and developing strategic marketing approaches, so am definitely the last person to ask when it comes to tech issues and always rely on our capable team as needed.

Best career advice – This is a very simple one: focus on what’s important, both in work and life. The sub-text here is to ruthlessly prioritise, both within your role and also when it comes to work and life balance. If you strip everything back, whatever remains is always priority number one.

Leadership hero – Emma Grede, who is the CEO and co-founder of Good American, and a founding partner of Skims. I recently heard her story on a podcast and fell in love with her bold style and ongoing commitment to her family. A little closer to home is Naomi Shepard, Director at Meta ANZ. What they both have in common is that they’re mothers first, but unapologetically intuitive and strong leaders in their respective businesses. As a single mother, I admire their leadership philosophy so much.

How do you stay motivated – By connecting with agency founders and their teams! The best part of my job by far is building relationships with the agencies I work with. From founder to practitioner level, I thrive on building personal connection first and everything flows from there. I’m so lucky to work with the best group of agencies (unbiased, obviously!)

Best training course/session – Own the Room; I first did this training in 2018 when I started at Meta and did a refresher a couple of years ago. If you’re someone that struggles to present to any crowd size, do yourself a favour and sign up for this course! It’s the best training I’ve done.

I wish someone had told me – That everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. I was working in an extremely toxic environment in my previous company and didn’t see any way out. My beautiful mother (who is loving but ‘firm’) pushed me to stick with it until I found a better opportunity. Thankfully this led to my first role at Meta and my life changed for the better. The old adage, ‘good things come to those who work hard’ is certainly true for me.

Something that’s surprised you about the industry – How genuinely kind everyone is! I’m always taken aback by my peer’s willingness to share insights and connect, and the insane level of humility of those t who are at the top of their game.

Favourite way to switch off from work – A salt-water session! My son and I head down to the beach after work on most days and I find it’s the best way to re-connect with what’s really important.

Career goal for 2025 – Dive deeper with all my agency clients. I’m in the privileged position to hold the title of agency partner for nine of ANZ’s most innovative independent media agencies and I want to give them every possible nugget of knowledge and tips from our team so they thrive. I started this role last year and spent the first twelve months finding my feet, so 2025 has truly been the year of turbo-success!

Top image: Kristy Barclay-Allen and Lucinda Bauermeister

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Mediaweek has teamed up with the IMAA to give its indie leaders a platform to talk about their work, thoughts about the industry and their interests outside of their 9 to 5.

MAK Media, based in Townsville, joined the industry body in 2022. Digital director Matt Huppatz told Mediaweek, the agency proudly wants to show that “world-class work doesn’t have to out of Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne – it can (and does) come from regional Queensland.”

What sparked your interest in launching your indie agency and what sets your agency and its offering apart from others?

As one of the longest-standing full-service agencies in Queensland, MAK Media has been serving our clients for over 45 years.

Coming out of COVID, we knew we needed to evolve as a business to stay relevant. We saw clients facing the same problems time-and-time again – larger metro agencies often weren’t the right fit for their businesses, whether because of budget, scale, or a lack of flexibility. On the other hand, smaller shops sometimes struggled to offer the depth of service or technical capability clients desired.

We made the decision to pivot to serve this gap.

We doubled-down in digital, investing heavily into developing our own audience and targeting software, as well as data platforms, ad tech and training for our staff. We wanted to continue to ensure that all of our services were delivered in-house, with no offshoring or outsourcing.

Several years later, and this has paid dividends. We regularly win pitches against bigger agencies. And our investment in systems and processes means that we can continue to be a quick, nimble and dependable partner for our clients. Our clients recognise this – we have a significant portion of our client book who have been with our business for over 10 years (some for 30 years+), and our annual churn is less than 15%.

Indie agencies are increasingly seeing success with major pitches. What differentiates your pitch approach from that of larger agencies?

Our history in regional media gave us a great foundation in the importance of audience. There’s no margin for error in the regions. While larger agencies lean on third party tools or one-size-fits-all approaches, we built our own audience identification platform from scratch. It means that no matter what the postcode, we can provide relevant insights, hyper-local context, and ultimately a data-driven media plan that is tailored exactly to the local market.

Who have been your latest Agency account wins?
• Townsville Enterprise (major tourism/economic body for North Queensland)
• Great Barrier Reef Masters Games (with Cairns Regional Council)
• Northern Australian Festival of Arts

With 77% of indie agencies expecting ad spend to rise or remain stable in FY26, according to the IMAA Indie Census, how are you preparing for that growth?

We’ve overhauled our project management from the ground up in the last 12 months. We made a significant investment into a purpose-built project management system tailored to our agency needs, and have set up processes and training pathways to ensure we are set up for sustainable growth,

What’s another indie agency that you see is crushing it and why? (Whether it’s their work output, client relationships or culture/DE&I policies)

Vetta Creative in Townsville. They consistently deliver award-nominated creative that puts regional talent on the national stage

What’s a piece of work you’re most proud of?

There is plenty – but the work I’m particularly proud of the work that the team does that benefits the communities we live and work in. We work with various local councils, community and cultural groups on promoting projects and events that are vital to regional Queensland.

To give a specific example, we recently worked with Townsville Enterprise on a hydrogen campaign, with potential to massively impact the future of regional Queensland industry, jobs and sustainability.

As a leader, how do you switch off from work and unwind after a busy week?

I’m a member of my local community garden. It’s a great way to switch off, and it’s also a great way to get to know my neighbours and participate in the local community.

What does success look like for you over the next 12 months?

Success means deepening our partnerships and embedding even deeper into our client’s business. Our best work for our clients comes when we act as an extension of their marketing team, and if we can continue to do this we should see positive outcomes all around.

What can the industry expect from your agency?

We want to show that world-class work doesn’t have to out of Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne – it can (and does) come from regional Queensland.

See here for past editions of IMAA Spotlight.

Top image: Matt Huppatz

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Visual Domain, News Corp Australia’s video production agency, has produced a new television campaign for TCL featuring AFL commentator Brian Taylor.

The campaign, launched to coincide with the 2025 Toyota AFL finals, was awarded to Visual Domain following a competitive pitch.

The TVCs draw on Taylor’s well-known “Roaming BT” format to link AFL culture with TCL’s product range, which spans televisions, soundbars, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners.

Rafael Mayen, TCL National Marketing Manager, said: “As a proud AFL partner, it was important to work with an agency that truly understood our brand and could seamlessly integrate our products into authentic footy culture.

“This marks the beginning of our partnership with Visual Domain and we look forward to seeing how we continue partnering together.”

Visual Domain handled end-to-end production, including talent selection, creative development, and approvals, with the work rolling out across broadcast and digital platforms during the finals series.

Adam Connolly, Visual Domain Creative Director, said: “We wanted to capture the energy and personality of AFL and bring it into the home in a way that feels fun, memorable and authentic.

This campaign shows that TCL can be part of the action, whether you’re cheering on your team in the living room or tackling the laundry.

This is our first project working with TCL and we are looking forward to building on this relationship and delivering more impactful campaigns together.”

The campaign launches today and runs throughout the 2025 Toyota AFL finals series.

Credits:
Creative & Production: Visual Domain
Client: TCL
TCL National Marketing Manager: Rafael Mayen
Producer: Arna Toffolo
Director: Adam Connolly
Assistant Director: Zidd Aziz
Account Manager: Stephenie Leamy
Director of Photography: Darren Wertheim
First Assistant Camera: Bailey Quinn
Second Assistant Camera: Alex McLaren
Gaffer: Peter Stockley
Lighting Assistant: Sheree Knox
Production Designer: Garth Ernstzen
Set Assistant: Candice Nelson
Child Supervisor: Joseph Gardner
Sound Recordist: Brendan Muller

Top image: Brian Taylor

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Repco and independent agency Thinkerbell are taking fans for a ride, literally, with their latest campaign, Bathurst Bus Tours, created to celebrate the legacy of the iconic Bathurst 1000 motor race.

Now in its fifth year as naming rights sponsor, Repco is bringing the campaign to life with a comedic take on guided tours of Mt Panorama. The work leans into nostalgia and fan service, featuring celebrity cameos, re-creations of classic V8 Supercars crashes, and cheeky nods to race day culture, complete with the scent of cooked sausages and burnt rubber.

Launched with a hero film and 15-second cutdowns available via Vimeo and YouTube, the campaign features unsuspecting tourists being taken on a full-throttle tour of the track, with famous faces such as Marcos Ambrose and Greg Murphy along for the ride. The films are backed by a full media rollout across TV, out-of-home, digital, print, and social.

Mitch Wiley, Executive General Manager of Marketing at Repco, said: “The Bathurst 1000 has such an enormous legacy and we wanted to celebrate it in a way that was both high octane, and full of nuggets for the fans. Our Bathurst work takes it to the limit every year and this time we’re proud to say we’ve left it all on the track.”

Ben Couzens, Executive Creative Tinker at Thinkerbell, added: “Bathurst is iconic for a reason. Hundreds of reasons, in fact. And Bathurst Bus Tours is our way to pay homage to those iconic moments of Australian racing folklore, all while keeping our foot to the floor where it should be.”

The campaign will be active in the lead-up to and throughout the Repco Bathurst 1000 in October. Fans are encouraged to look, and listen, for the bus both at the track and in the broadcast. On-site activations and fan giveaways are also planned across the event window.

The campaign was developed by Thinkerbell, with production by Sedona and direction by Matt Murphy. Media planning and buying was handled by Initiative, with post-production by The Editors and Manimal. Music and sound design were created by Electric Sheep Music.

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Havas Media and Havas Red have been appointed agencies of record for telco brands Tangerine and More.

The remit covers earned media, content production, partnerships, brand communications, social and digital, and sponsorship amplification. The account will be led from Melbourne with support from Sydney and Brisbane teams.

Tangerine, which launched in 2014, has grown into one of Australia’s challenger internet and mobile providers. The company is ramping up its brand and sports partnerships as part of its national growth strategy.

“At Tangerine and More, we’re growing fast and investing in bold brand-building initiatives that reflect our challenger spirit,” Andy Branson, CEO of Tangerine and More.

“We needed an agency partner who not only understands the competitive telco landscape but also brings the creativity and strategic depth to help us stand out. Havas impressed us with their national reach, integrated capabilities, and clear passion for what we’re building, and we’re excited to partner with them on this next chapter.”

The telco is the official internet partner of the National Basketball League, and also backs the Melbourne Renegades men’s and women’s teams. Its female-focused sports strategy includes Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan and rising cricket player Milly Illingworth.

“Partnering with Tangerine and More has been a natural alignment from the beginning,” Matt Hearn, Managing Partner Havas Media Melbourne, said.

“A challenger brand that matches our energy for pushing boundaries. It’s one of those rare collaborations where you can feel the synergy from day one, where both teams are genuinely excited to see what we can build together.”

Shane Russell, CEO of Havas Red Australia: Tangerine and More is a truly modern Australian brand – agile, ambitious, and customer-focused. We’re proud to partner with them at such an exciting stage of growth, bringing together our national footprint, our ‘CorpSumer’ PR approach, and our proven strength in sponsorship and partnership storytelling.

“We look forward to helping them build even stronger connections with their customers and communities across Australia.”

Havas’ appointment follows the group’s track record in sport and culture partnerships, with existing clients including Toyota, Lexus, Bundaberg Rum, Puma, and Thirsty Camel.

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