Tuesday July 15, 2025

Campsie newsagency
Magazine health check: What the industry has to say about the current state of mags

By Natasha Lee

With Are Media for sale, Mediaweek spoke with Mark Fletcher, Jackie Frank, and Nate Vella to consider the health of the local magazine industry.

Fifteen years ago, Mark Fletcher predicted that magazine publishing in Australia would face such a steep and sustained decline that newsagents would need to diversify quickly or risk shutting down altogether.

Fletcher, who is the CEO of newsagency marketing group NewsXpress and has been at the coal face of what he describes as print’s “slow and steady decline”, was anything but surprised when Are Media officially went up for sale last week.

With prospective buyers now kicking the tires on Are Media, Mediaweek took the opportunity to consider the health of the local magazine industry. Along with Fletcher, Mediaweek also spoke with Bench Media Head of Strategy Nate Vella and the vocal Jackie Frank, founding editor of marie claire Australia.

 

Unit sales continue downward trend

According to Fletcher, overall magazine sales in newsagents have dropped significantly in 2025.

“What we’re seeing so far in 2025 is that we’re sitting at around a 10% unit sale decline across the board. A lot of that decline is occurring in high-volume weeklies and monthlies.”

While many mass-market titles are losing ground, he says niche and puzzle magazines are proving more resilient.

“Special interest titles, such as Victorian Railroad Lines or Model Railway, are selling well… crossword year-on-year decline is sitting at around 2% or 3%.”

 

TikTok and portfolio overlap among key pressures

Fletcher sees digital platforms—particularly TikTok—as a major challenge to general-interest and entertainment-led print brands.

“Because Are Media is producing mass titles, they’re facing the challenge because that’s where you’ve got the biggest competition from TikTok and elsewhere.”

He also highlights a misalignment between Are Media’s focus and the categories showing the most growth:

“Special interest titles generally account for 20 to 25% of all magazines sold… women’s weeklies… account for about 8% now. 20 years ago, they would have accounted for easily 35 to 40%.”

He argues Are’s current magazine portfolio is too crowded: “Part of the challenge for the portfolio is how do they rationalise the portfolio rather than creating so much content that’s similar across different mastheads?”

“Right now, in terms of weeklies, you’ve got New Idea, Woman’s Day and Who, and for our marketplace, that’s probably at least one too many titles.”

 

Format stability and retail strategy shifts

Fletcher contrasts the volatility of lifestyle magazines with the reliability of formats like puzzles and established brands.

“You’ve got a tentpole product like Women’s Weekly, which is fantastic… but it’s so much cover-dependent.”

Meanwhile, puzzle publications attract steady buyers: “If people enjoy doing crosswords daily, they’ll likely continue… They can use their backpack, handbag, or whatever, and just do it whenever they’re on the train, tram, or road.”

Newsagents are adapting by shifting store layouts and diversifying offerings.

“Previously, a typical news agency would have prime real estate taken up by magazines and newspapers. Now that prime real estate is for gifts and homewares.”

“Magazine customers are still satisfied, and the news agency can diversify… Intelligent news agents have adapted their businesses… less competent news agents have ended up closing as a result.”

 

Advertisers shifting focus to measurable, multi-channel campaigns

Nate Vella, Head of Strategy at Bench Media, says Are Media’s second sale in five years—following its 2020 acquisition by Mercury Capital from Bauer Media—reflects deeper market instability.

“The sale of Are Media… signals continued instability for traditional publishers as both advertisers and consumers shift their focus towards digital channels.”

Future strategy will likely be driven by profit.

“Title consolidation and shrinking editorial teams” are expected, Vella notes, unless the buyer takes a more holistic view.

While magazine brands still carry weight with advertisers, print is no longer a go-to channel.

“‘Hunger’ may be too strong a word – but there is still respect for the trust, tone, and tightly targeted audiences that magazine environments offer. That said, print is no longer a default line item on the media plan.”

He says brands are instead redirecting spend into influencer marketing, drawn by its ability to provide trackable return on investment.

“We’re also seeing magazine dollars start to leak into influencer marketing… both rely on authority and trust. The added advantage of influencer is measurability.”

Vella notes that advertisers want integrated campaigns with consistent messaging across touchpoints, but publishers often fail to deliver.

“This often results in under-resourced teams, blunt bundled offerings, and incentives that prioritise volume over strategic fit – selling for selling’s sake.”

 

Digital survival depends on reinvention

Asked whether legacy titles can transition to digital, Vella says survival is possible—but only with innovation.

“Short answer: yes – but only if it reinvents, not just repackages print content for the web.”

He cites Mamamia, CHOICE, and Junkee as examples of strong digital models, and contrasts them with Dolly and Cleo, which failed to adapt.

Vella argues that investment in digital versions should be driven by real engagement data.

“If the brand has successfully migrated its audience online and engagement is high, then yes, investing in the digital version makes sense… But if the print audience hasn’t followed… advertisers may be better off finding alternative ways to reach them.”

“Brand equity alone doesn’t guarantee digital success. Advertisers need to lead with what they know about their audience, not assumptions based on editorial legacy.”

 

A question of brand purpose, not format

Jackie Frank, founding editor of marie claire Australia, says the future of magazine brands won’t be determined by whether they appear in print, digital, or events—but whether they stand for something meaningful.

“They have to stand for something. They have to resonate. They have to be meaningful, and they have to be current… It’s just about having that emotional engagement with a customer.”

She stresses the importance of viewing brands holistically, rather than dividing print from digital.

“It’s not about dissecting, picking off mags versus online presence, social, et cetera, et cetera. I think it’s about looking at a brand in its totality.”

Frank believes the right buyer could reposition the business for success if they see the opportunity beyond traditional publishing.

“This sale was always going to happen. It was just a matter of when this was going to happen.”

“Someone with money who’s smart, who understands publishing and publishing being content as opposed to publishing something, print on ink on paper… can pick the eyes out of the best brands that work. And I feel that they’ll have a fabulous business.”

While print still plays a role—particularly for prestige advertisers—Frank says the value is in building brand ecosystems across multiple touchpoints.

“Good marketers will know it’s really important to have multiple touch points and engage ways to engage their audiences. And I think that magazine people are really savvy at doing that because we’ve always had to do that.”

She adds that those skills are transferable beyond publishing.

“I use the magazine… knowledge and training for brands. Because we, the magazine people, have had to learn how to engage.”

 

What comes next

As Are Media’s ownership changes hands, the business will face pressure from two sides: a fragmented retail market and increasing demands for accountability and innovation in content delivery.

Fletcher hopes the next chapter for the company is led by someone who values the role of print while embracing what comes next.

“All we would hope is that Mercury finds a buyer who understands and respects print media and helps it have a soft landing, which it’s coming in for, like newspapers are too.”

For both retailers and advertisers, the challenge—and the opportunity—lies in marrying brand legacy with changing consumer behaviour, clearer audience propositions, and modern media strategy.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

SCA
SCA’s Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron to exit company

By Natasha Lee

SCA will take time to assess the future of the role before commencing a formal recruitment process later this year.

After more than 30 years at the helm, Southern Cross Austereo’s (SCA) Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron, will be leaving the company.

The announcement was made by SCA CEO John Kelly in an email sent to all staff on Monday afternoon.

In the email, which was obtained by Mediaweek, Kelly acknowledged Cameron’s decades-long contribution to the company, praising a career that spans more than 30 years and multiple roles across the network.

“Dave’s journey with SCA has seen him build an exceptional career that has spanned more seasons, markets and roles than anyone else in the company’s history – from an on-air announcer to senior management and everything in between,” Kelly wrote.

“No matter his role, Dave has always brought a relentless passion for the medium of radio, a clear brand of strong leadership and an undeniable skill in identifying new and upcoming talent.

“Dave has had a hand in mentoring and shaping the careers of so many of SCA’s announcers and on-air teams, and many of those that his peer set employs today.

“Our listeners everywhere have benefited from his powerful ability to create magic content moments for many decades. Dave, you should be immensely proud of your career to date, and I know that the future will hold wonderful things for you.”

John Kelly SCA

John Kelly SCA

 

‘Immensely proud’

Reflecting on his departure, Cameron said: “I’m immensely proud of the new leaders, new talent, and teams that I’ve built and brought through over many years to keep the broadcast and podcast industry vibrant and new audiences coming in. This deeply personal ambition to keep developing fresh leadership and talent means that the time has rightly come for me to now step away and watch those remarkable people continue the exciting momentum.”

Cameron will remain with the company in an advisory capacity over the coming months, supporting a smooth transition.

 

Timing

Cameron’s departure comes as the company works to stabilise its position in the market. In the latest GfK radio ratings survey, SCA held onto a leading share of the 25–54 demographic, but overall audience growth was been modest.

New shows like The Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma, 2DayFM’s breakfast offering, showed meagre signs of progress, posting a 3.9% Breakfast share, up 0.5 points, with cume growing by 8,000 to 310,000.

But much of the network’s lineup is still rebuilding following several programming changes.

Triple M Sydney also faced challenged last survey, with its overall share dropping to 4.9% from 6.4%, and a decrease of 41,000 in cumulative audience, bringing it to 732,000 listeners.

The station’s Breakfast offering of Beau, Cat & Woodsy recorded a 4.4% share, down from 5.9%.

Meanwhile, in Melbourne, Triple M maintained a steady overall share of 6.9%, with a consistent cumulative audience of 778,000.

However, the network’s Breakfast show offering featuring Mick Molloy on Mick in the Morning with Roo, Titus & Rosie experienced a decline, dropping to a 5.9% share from 7.3%.

In an interview with Mediaweek following the release of the survey results, Cameron at the time urged critics to take a longer-term view, particularly for newer lineups still in early stages.

“We’re realistic about what a single book means,” he said. “Surveys may be based on six weeks of data, but they’re more accurately a reflection of six months of audience sentiment.”

The Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma

The Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma

 

Interim changes to content leadership

As part of the leadership restructure, SCA has confirmed that Matthew O’Reilly will step into an expanded interim role as Head of Broadcast Content, reporting directly to Kelly. O’Reilly will continue to lead the Triple M Network while also assuming oversight of Radio Content Leaders.

To support this expanded scope, SCA will recruit a new Triple M Content Director in Adelaide, with internal candidates encouraged to apply.

Kelly also confirmed he will work more closely with Sam Cavanagh, Head of Podcast Content, along with LiSTNR’s content leadership team, to maintain focus across both broadcast and digital.

 

Recruitment process to begin later this year

SCA will take time to assess the future of the Chief Content Officer role before commencing a formal recruitment process later this year. In the meantime, Bridie Jones will continue to support the content leadership group during the transition.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

lg ad solutions
LG Ad Solutions launches in accelerating Australian CTV market, names Commercial Director

By Tom Gosby

LG Ad Solutions has officially launched in Australia, with Alex Blundell Jones appointed as Commercial Director to lead its Sydney-based team.

LG Ad Solutions has formally entered the Australian market, appointing Alex Blundell Jones as Commercial Director to lead its local operations from Sydney.

Blundell Jones brings nearly 15 years of media and advertising experience in the UK, including senior roles at adtech firm Captify and LG Ad Solutions in the UK and Europe. He reports to Ed Wale, Vice President of International at LG Ad Solutions.

Owned by LG Electronics, LG Ad Solutions is the company’s advertising technology division, delivering data-driven campaigns across the LG Smart TV ecosystem. With millions of active LG TVs in Australian households, the company sees strong growth potential in a mature, high-consumption market.

“CTV is no longer emerging—it’s essential—and Australian advertisers are looking for smarter, more accountable ways to reach engaged audiences on the biggest screen in the home,” said Blundell Jones. “With LG’s scale, premium audiences, and deterministic viewing data, we’re offering something truly differentiated.”

The company said its arrival brings new opportunities for brands to connect with viewers across the full LG TV experience using native, video, and interactive ad formats powered by first-party viewership data.

Industry partners welcomed the launch. Ashton De Santis, Director, Inventory Partnerships ANZ at The Trade Desk, said: “This presents a valuable opportunity for brands to connect with viewers on the biggest screen in the home, while contributing to a more open, data-driven, and accountable ecosystem for premium video.”

Hari Caulfield, Programmatic Lead at Foxtel Group, added: “LG Ad Solutions has been a critical partner in launching the Kayo footy season and keeping Binge front and centre as a destination for premium content in a highly competitive streaming market.”

LG Ad Solutions is now available in over 30 countries. The local launch continues its international expansion strategy, aimed at unifying performance and brand marketing through advanced CTV capabilities.

“Australia is a mature, agile, and media-savvy market where CTV adoption is accelerating fast,” said Wale. “With Alex’s leadership and a deeply experienced team on the ground, we’re excited to bring our differentiated, premium CTV offering to brands across the region.”

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

Harry Potter and HBO Max logos
First look at HBO Max’s new Harry Potter

By Dan Barrett

HBO Max has revealed the first-look at new Harry Potter actor Dominic McLaughlin in-costume for the new TV series.

Production has begun on the highly-anticipated, much-hyped Harry Potter TV series. Filming began today at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the east of England, the same studio that was home to the filming of all of the previous Harry Potter films.

The show has been confirmed to debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max. Filming on the first season is expected to last until autumn 2026 (the UK spring) before resuming production on season 2 after a short break.

There will be no speculation on what new star Dominic McLaughlin will look like as the titular boy wizard, with HBO revealing a first-look photo of him in costume.

Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry Potter

Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry Potter

Starring alongside McLaughlin is Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. All three actors are newcomers, with Stanton having some minor name recognition following roles on stage in West End productions of Matilda: The Musical and Starlight Express.

They were cast in their roles following a casting call that saw more than 30,000 actors audition.

Cast photo for the new Harry Potter HBO series

Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin, and Alastair Stout

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson starred in the original film series, which had eight films released across ten years. It is not believed that any of the three actors will play a role in the new TV series.

Actors announced for the new TV series include John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy.

Succession director-producer Mark Mylod is directing the pilot for the new series, with writer Francesca Gardiner serving as Showrunner. Gardiner is best known as a writer on the BBC-HBO co-production His Dark Materials, but was also credited as a consulting producer on HBO’s Succession.

It is understood that each season of the new HBO Max Harry Potter TV show will adapt a book from the JK Rowling book series. There were seven books in the series, each previously adapted in the film series with the final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows split into two movies. It is still too early in the production to know whether the TV series will split any of the books into multiple TV seasons.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

AFLW Melbourne Demons X Polestar - Laurissa Mirabelli (1)
Why Polestar felt its progressive brand has a home with AFLW’s Melbourne Demons

By Alisha Buaya

Laurissa Mirabelli: ‘Women’s sport is the right fit for our brand, as we share the same transition.’

The alignment between Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer Polestar’s progressive and innovative values and the AFLW’s Melbourne Football Club’s mission sealed as both parties inked a sponsorship deal last week.

This deal is the first time the car brand has ever sponsored a sports team globally; it is also the first and only automotive partnership in the league, which is marking its tenth year of competition.

Laurissa Mirabelli, Polestar Australia’s Head of PR & Communications, told Mediaweek that the sponsorship deal will help boost its profile in Australia, while helping elevate the AFLW.

“It’s a new way of elevating the Polestar brand awareness and leaning into this opportunity to shine a bit more light on women’s sport and that journey that they’re on at the moment as they’re building up grassroots football and through to professional sports level.”

Laurissa Mirabelli: ‘Polestar is all about challenging the status quo. That’s where we look to the AFLW and identify Melbourne Football Club as being another pioneer.’

“Polestar is all about challenging the status quo. That’s where we look to the AFLW and identify Melbourne Football Club as being another pioneer.

“The two brands were aligned on this transition, and it made perfect sense for us to combine on this journey together.”

AFLW Melbourne Demons X Polestar

Laurissa Mirabelli: ‘It’s a new way of elevating the Polestar brand awareness.’

With popularity in women’s sports continually on the rise, Mirabelli noted that it was important for Polestar to lean into its stance on inclusivity.

“Women’s sport is the right fit for our brand, as we share the same transition.”

Melbourne Demons fans can expect to see the players don their uniform and training gear with the Polestar logo, as well as spot the brand featured on signage at the home ground of Casey Fields.

Mirabelli added that Polestar will engage with fans on match days by leaning into the technology and innovation of the brand and the sustainability of electric vehicles.

“We’ll have opportunities to work with the club in activating at both the home ground and away.

“But there’s also the opportunity to engage with the Melbourne Football Club fans, who we know are a passionate bunch.”

AFLW Melbourne Demons X Polestar (1)

Mirabelli added that Polestar will engage with fans on match days by leaning into the technology and innovation of the brand and the sustainability of electric vehicles.

With the sponsorship deal secured, Mirabelli hopes fans and Australians see the AFLW as a great initiative to follow and for brands to invest more in.

“For example, if you look at F1 Academy, they’re trying to generate more grassroots support for women in motorsport. You’ve got some great brands coming on board to support on that journey as well.”

“It’s a great way just to shine more focused light on the huge talent we have in Australia in the female code and work with the team to help elevate that in the process.”

Melbourne’s 2025 AFLW campaign kicks off on August 16, with a season-opening clash against the Western Bulldogs at Mission Whitten Oval.

Top image: Laurissa Mirabelli

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

Wrexham Lager
Wrexham AFC brings fanfare to Australia to connect with fans and lager

By Tom Gosby

Ahead of its Sydney FC clash, Wrexham AFC is hosting a fan meet-and-greet at BWS Paddington to celebrate the launch of Wrexham Lager in Australia.

Wrexham AFC is kicking off its first Australian tour with a one-off fan event at BWS Paddington, marking the local arrival of the club’s official beer, Wrexham Lager.

From 4–5pm, Tuesday 15 July, the Oxford Street store will transform into a hub for club supporters ahead of Wrexham’s match against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium.

Fans will have the chance to meet Welcome to Wrexham favourites Wayne Jones, publican of The Turf Hotel; Ben Foster, ex-Manchester United and England goalkeeper; and Ben Tozer, the club’s former captain known for his trademark long throw.

The first 10 attendees through the door will receive a double pass to the match and a supporter pack valued at $215, including a 2024/25 Wrexham home shirt and official scarf. The next 10 in line will walk away with club merchandise.

The event marks the limited-time availability of Wrexham Lager at BWS stores across New South Wales and Victoria. With a 4% ABV and heritage dating back to 1882, the beer is a cult favourite among supporters and has become a symbol of the club’s grassroots revival.

Sarah Chegwidden, Head of Retail Marketing & Planning at BWS, said: “Wrexham AFC’s rise has captured the hearts of fans around the world, and we’re thrilled to help bring that excitement to Aussie shores.”

“This activation is about more than a product on the shelf, it’s about connecting fans with the culture, energy and spirit of the club they love,” she added.

Wrexham Lager is now on sale at select BWS stores and online, priced at $5 per 330mL bottle, $26 per six-pack, and $78 per case. The activation is the club’s only public fan event scheduled in Sydney during the tour.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

Improving purchase intent: With 2.4 billion behaviour transactions per quarter, carsales turned to AI

By Dan Barrett

2.4 billion behaviour interactions every quarter are recorded by carsales. The online car marketplace explains how it used AI to improve use of that data.

Like most publishers, carsales.com.au wants to know more about its audience. And, obviously, for the digital auto marketplace, audience insights have a very direct relationship to sales. AI has just turbocharged those efforts.

“It’s about really identifying where they are in that buying journey. Are they ready to buy?” Stephen Kyefulumya told Mediaweek. He is carsales.com.au’s General Manager of Media – Product and Technology and is very passionate about the opportunities AI is affording his team.

The team at carsales mediahouse, the media arm of carsales.com.au, were able to use Adobe’s Customer AI to determine customer intent, better refine its audience segmentation, and deliver to site visitors smarter targeted advertising.

It put the new Adobe’s AI functionality to work within Adobe Real Time CDP, delivering some impressive data insights. Adobe’s Customer Data Platform (CDP) is built on the Adobe Experience Platform, using known and pseudonymous customer data to create real-time, actionable B2B and B2C customer profiles.

With this greater audience data, carsales mediahouse were able to achieve:

• 20% improvement in identifying purchase intent
• 23% increase in push notification engagement
• AI-powered audience segmentation using real-time behavioural data

Stephen Kyefulumya profile photo

Stephen Kyefulumya – Carsales.com.au General Manager of Media – Product and Technology

 

There’s a very short ‘ready to buy’ window

“You come on Carsales.com.au to do multiple things, to look around, to assess prices, to do a lot of research,” Kyefulumya said.

“Most people will come to carsales.com.au to do a level of research, but irrespective of whether they eventually submit a lead within car sales, they’ll do research on the ground.

“That 20% was more around identifying how close are people to really buying within that two to eight week period.”

Car buying journey infographic

The carsales mediahouse team already had great first-party data on its audience. There are 2.4 billion behaviour interactions every quarter recorded by carsales.com.au. Every interaction is seen by the team as a signal surrounding user intent. A customer may search for a car, then search for specific models, and go deeper on information as they search for a price. Each of those steps is registered by the system as a signal.

What the team needed from the AI functionality is to take all of those 2.4 billion behaviour transactions and apply that to customer journeys.

That information could then be applied to the broader marketing eco-system that carsales.com.au has developed.

“When we overlaid the buying journeys to the marketing messaging, we saw a 23% uplift in engagement,” Kyefulumya explained. “What that tells you is we delivered the right message to the right person at the right time.”

Buyer journey flowchart

 

Why Adobe Customer AI?

carsales mediahouse has been using Adobe CDP for around four years. It began with a consolidation project. “That was the first part – is we made a CDP investment,” he said.

“We made the investment so that we could have our first party data in a single well-governed platform where we do have a sense of that single customer view, consolidating all those signals.”

Once that was in place, the team was in a better position to take advantage of the AI benefits Adobe offered.

“AI is about data. AI is about how good your data is,” Kyefulumya said.

“Using their customer AI feature on top of the data that we’ve already inputted was a case of the right tool at the right time to give us speed to value.”

 

Advice for others looking to use AI

When asked if he had any advice for others looking to take advantage of AI to better make use of the data that the business already has, Kyefulumya kept coming back to data quality and integrity:

“Obviously it changes industry-to-industry and it’s very broad. But there are some consistent themes.

“The quality of your data is a consistent theme. Without good quality data, good quality first-party data coming in, you’re not going to be able to do AI. You need data, you need it well-governed, and you need to be able to create scale out of that.

“And I think once you have that, sieving through the noise is also, I think, picking the right enablers. Pick enablers that are going to give you speed to value. Then iterate from there. would be my advice” he said.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

QMS X Mediaworks
Now NZ’s biggest OOH company, QMS-backed MediaWorks wins Auckland Transport

By Alisha Buaya

Barclay Nettlefold: ‘This win is a game changer and re-shapes the way OOH will be planned and bought by advertisers in New Zealand.’

QMS has announced its subsidiary MediaWorks will expand its out-of-home (OOH) presence in New Zealand after winning the long-term agreement with Auckland Transport.

From 16 October 2025, MediaWorks will have exclusive rights to Auckland Transport’s street furniture, transit media, transport hubs, and billboards, making it the largest OOH company in New Zealand.

The new partnership gives MediaWorks exclusive rights to represent Auckland Transport’s street furniture network, encompassing an existing asset base of almost 2,000 advertising panels across the greater Auckland region, with plans to add more digital assets to the network.

Barclay Nettlefold, QMS and MediaWorks Chairman, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been appointed as Auckland Transport’s partner to develop and grow Auckland’s most prestigious and important OOH assets. This win is a game changer and re-shapes the way OOH will be planned and bought by advertisers in New Zealand.

“We are proud to be entrusted to operate the coveted Auckland Transport street furniture concession and are excited about the development plans that we have for the network.

“Renewing our existing Auckland Transport portfolios of transit, transport hubs and billboards enables MediaWorks to build on the past 10 years of partnership with Auckland Transport and firmly establishes us as the #1 OOH operator across New Zealand,” he said.

The partnership builds on MediaWorks’ local expertise and QMS’ trans-Tasman experience, including its operation of Sydney’s digital street furniture network.

John O’Neill, Chief Executive Officer, QMS, said: “This is a great win for MediaWorks and we congratulate the team in New Zealand.

“With the growing trend towards trans-Tasman trading, our shared expertise between QMS and MediaWorks will provide greater opportunities for our media agency partners and their clients to plan and buy across both markets.

“Combined with the City of Sydney, this win further strengthens QMS as the pre-eminent digital out of home operator, the first in history to hold the two marquee street furniture contracts in the ANZ region simultaneously.”

Auckland Transport’s Media Partnerships and Experience Lead, Simon Soulsby, said the contract award is an exciting step for New Zealand’s largest OOH media portfolio.

“After an incredibly competitive process, we are very pleased with the outcome,” he said.

“We look forward to working closely with QMS and MediaWorks to deliver innovative out of home media solutions. This new partnership brings certainty for the industry and great outcomes for Auckland residents.”

The agreement follows QMS’ acquisition of Oaktree Capital Management’s stake in MediaWorks in June. MediaWorks reaches up to 3.5 million New Zealanders weekly across radio, digital, and OOH.

QMS and MediaWorks form one of the largest media networks in the Asia Pacific region.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

Michele Levine
Why audience quality is the next frontier in media planning

By Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan

“It’s not just about how many people you reach, but how you reach them – and who they really are when they encounter your message.”

For years, the media industry has fixated on scale – bigger reach, broader awareness, more impressions. But as the advertising landscape becomes more fragmented, and audiences more selective in how they consume content, one thing has become increasingly clear: not all exposure is equal.

It’s not just about how many people you reach, but how you reach them – and who they really are when they encounter your message.

This growing realisation has triggered a shift in the way marketers and planners think about campaign effectiveness. Today, attention is turning to audience quality: how audiences behave within a media channel, how they feel about it, and how receptive they are to advertising within that environment.

 

The problem with traditional media metrics

Traditional media planning models have long prioritised reach and frequency. While these metrics are useful, they’re ultimately blunt instruments. They ignore the nuances of attention, loyalty, and media context – factors we now know to be critical in determining how well a message is received, remembered, and acted upon.

For example, consider the difference between an ad seen passively while scrolling through a social feed and one viewed in full-screen at a cinema before a film. Both may count as impressions, but they are not equivalent experiences – and their impact on brand outcomes will differ dramatically.

Yet until now, our planning tools haven’t adequately accounted for these differences.

 

Introducing the Media Allocation Engine

This is the thinking that led to the development of Roy Morgan’s new Media Allocation Engine – the first platform in Australia to systematically embed media channel attributes and audience behaviours into the planning process.

Built on our AI Workspace and powered by the depth of Roy Morgan Single Source data, the engine allows planners to define target audiences using:

• Over 100,000 pre-built consumer profiles,
• First-party customer data, or
• Our Helix Personas segmentation.

Once an audience is selected, the engine evaluates media channels against a richer set of criteria than conventional planning tools allow. It moves beyond generic reach and CPM metrics, factoring in three key dimensions that drive true media effectiveness:

1. Addressable Reach
This is a truer measure of who can actually be reached – excluding users on premium, ad-free platforms. It provides a more realistic picture of a channel’s deliverable audience.

2. Loyalty
This dimension examines how frequently and deeply audiences engage with a channel. High loyalty often correlates with higher trust and greater responsiveness – especially important when building long-term brand equity.

3. Engagement
Perhaps the most critical of all, engagement considers how focused and attentive audiences are when exposed to advertising – and whether those ads are perceived as additive or intrusive to the experience.

 

From insight to action

What makes the Media Allocation Engine powerful is its ability to translate these insights into actionable strategies. After analysing the audience and channel dynamics, the platform generates an optimal media mix, complete with budget allocation recommendations.

This allows advertisers to make smarter, evidence-based decisions – aligning media investment with how real people interact with media in the real world.

In doing so, it supports a more nuanced and effective approach to media planning: one grounded in human behaviour, not just media math.

 

A new standard for strategic planning

We believe the Media Allocation Engine represents a significant step forward for the industry. It offers a practical solution to a long-standing gap in campaign planning – giving planners the ability to quantify and compare media quality, not just quantity.

Steve Allen, Director of Strategy & Research at Pearman Media says of the Media Allocation Engine:

A revolution in corralling a considerable amount of disparate data into a unified and simple planning tool, which optimises both target audiences and product category.

To this it subsumes revolutionary consumer media preference insights of engagement or loyalty metrics. It takes what a Research based, or Statistical Planner would take hours to compile and assess, in mere minutes. Then able to overlay with other considerations, like creative strategy, messaging and executional assets”

As Vanessa Lyons, CEO of ThinkNewsBrands, observed:
“This is a great tool for advertisers and media planners who want to consider real media attributes and audience behaviours when planning campaigns. It’s time to take a closer look under the hood of some default media channels.”

James McDonald, Managing Director of Audience Group adds:

“Roy Morgan’s new audience planning tool is a welcome initiative that challenges traditional media planning thinking through an innovative online platform. We particularly love the introduction of the ‘ad-addressable reach’ metric, which distinguishes between total audience numbers and the segment actually exposed to advertising — a crucial distinction in today’s fragmented media landscape.”

Lisa Levesque, Deputy Director of Commercial Strategy at ACM says:

“Workspace is a game changer for Roy Morgan. It elevates traditional reach and propensity data, giving strategists and planners a more nuanced view to help optimise media selection. Not all media channels are created equal, Workspace helps you see how certain audiences engage with and commit to different channels. The Media Allocation Engine is sure to stimulate conversations about the best combination of channels to reach audiences across metro and regional audiences”

Early engagement with the industry has been overwhelmingly positive. Advertisers, agencies, and media owners alike recognise the need for deeper planning intelligence – particularly in an environment where accountability, efficiency, and performance matter more than ever.

A launch webinar providing a full demonstration of the engine is available here.

 

Elevating the industry

Ultimately, our goal is to help lift the standard of media planning across the board. By providing more thoughtful data inputs and a clearer understanding of audience behaviour, we empower media professionals to do what they do best:

• Think critically,
• Challenge assumptions,
• And create campaigns that deliver not just impressions – but impact.

We invite the industry to explore the Media Allocation Engine, test its capabilities, and help us continue to evolve it. Because when we measure what truly matters, we don’t just plan better – we perform better.

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Media Roundup
Paramount+ opens programmatic access to Magnite ahead of Paramount Connect launch

By Tom Gosby

Paramount Australia has partnered with Magnite to offer programmatic access to Paramount+’s ad-supported tier for the first time.

Paramount Australia has partnered with independent sell-side platform Magnite to enable programmatic access to the ad-supported tier of Paramount+ in Australia for the first time.

The move follows the local launch of Paramount+’s ad-supported subscription and is designed to improve how advertisers connect with streaming audiences in premium content environments. It also marks a milestone in Paramount’s broader business and tech evolution, as it gears up to launch its new advertising platform, Paramount Connect.

The integration will see advertisers access Paramount+ inventory through Magnite’s SpringServe video ad server, streamlining how buyers reach local viewers across the platform’s library of originals, global series, films and live sport.

“As the Paramount+ ad tier continues to expand its footprint in Australia, we are committed to offering innovative ways for advertisers to connect with our engaged, high-value audiences,” said Milan Blazevic, Head of Programmatic at Paramount Australia. “By partnering with Magnite, we are unlocking programmatic access to our premium inventory in this market for the first time, providing advertisers with greater flexibility and efficiency in their media buying strategies.”

Yael Milbank, Managing Director, ANZ at Magnite, added: “Magnite is dedicated to driving streaming TV innovation, and our partnership with Paramount+ will unlock access to one of Australia’s most compelling streaming platforms through our industry-leading technology offering brands a first-mover advantage.”

Milan Blazevic and Yael Milbank

Milan Blazevic and Yael Milbank

Magnite positions itself as the world’s largest independent sell-side advertising company, working with publishers across connected TV, online video, display and audio.

Paramount Australia, meanwhile, continues to expand its ad tech and streaming presence via platforms including Network 10, Nickelodeon, MTV and Paramount Pictures.

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Karen Halligan
OzTAM to track Google BVOD views with VOZ Streaming integration

By Tom Gosby

Google DV360 has joined OzTAM’s VOZ Streaming platform, enabling programmatic access to broadcaster BVOD inventory and standardised audience measurement.

OzTAM has announced that Google Display & Video 360 (DV360) is now integrated with its VOZ Streaming service, becoming the fourth demand-side platform (DSP) partner in the initiative.

The addition of DV360 further strengthens VOZ Streaming’s role in the Total TV advertising ecosystem by enabling broader access to premium broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) inventory through a centralised, programmatic solution.

 

Expanding access to premium BVOD inventory

With this integration, holding companies, independent agencies, and direct advertisers can now activate campaigns across major broadcaster platforms more efficiently. According to OzTAM, commercial BVOD viewing is up more than 25 per cent year-on-year*, underlining its growing importance within the video advertising landscape.

VOZ Streaming enhances programmatic BVOD trading by offering a unified OzTAM dataset and improving viewer experience through frequency capping across participating broadcaster inventories.

Karen Halligan, CEO of OzTAM, said: “This latest integration marks another important chapter in the growth of VOZ Streaming, as we continue to deliver a more connected, efficient and future-ready programmatic BVOD ecosystem.”

“With Google DV360 being a key DSP for many agencies, we’re accelerating the accessibility and impact of VOZ Streaming. It’s a clear signal that our roadmap is translating into real-world efficiencies for agencies and advertisers alike.”

 

Industry voices welcome greater interoperability

Google joins The Trade Desk, Microsoft Xandr and Nexxen as VOZ Streaming’s DSP partners, effectively covering most of the Australian programmatic demand-side market.

Christopher Eden, Head of Programmatic Media, Google AUNZ, said the move comes at a pivotal time: “As consumers increasingly turn to streaming to watch their favourite content, the video and TV landscape is undergoing significant change with a multitude of exciting opportunities for marketers.”

“We are excited to partner with OzTAM on the launch of this VOZ Streaming integration, supporting the industry on progressing cross-media buying and measurement solutions.”

Adam Coulter, Chief Media Implementation Officer at OMG, added: “DV360’s addition to the VOZ Streaming ecosystem expands the potential for our brands to leverage VOZ audiences across connected TV.”

“This integration unlocks the full potential of the BVOD ID – enabling seamless cross-screen planning, buying and measurement, and empowering clients to deliver more effective Total TV strategies that drive real business outcomes.”

 

Momentum grows with SBS On Demand

Google DV360’s integration marks continued momentum for the VOZ Streaming platform, with Netflix joining in May. OzTAM also confirmed that SBS On Demand inventory will soon be made available through the service.

Launched in December 2024 as the industry’s official trading currency, VOZ is designed to unify linear TV and BVOD viewing. VOZ Streaming builds on this by enabling programmatic activation and campaign-level deduplication through consistent, anonymised audience identifiers.

*Source: OzTAM VOZ National BVOD | Total People | Weeks 1–25 2025 vs Weeks 1–24 2024 | 7Plus, 9Now, 10 Play, SBS On Demand

Top image: Karen Halligan, CEO of OzTAM

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TRA x Allianz
I'm With Who? Allianz’s scores big with Avril Lavigne ad but audiences struggle to recall brand name

By Alisha Buaya

Alex Forrester: ‘It takes time to build connection and recall, but this campaign has overcome the biggest hurdle – it has captured attention.’

Allianz’s “Care You Can Count On” ad featuring Avril Lavigne’s hit “I’m With You” has struggled with brand attribution, according to new national research from insights agency TRA.

The June 2025 edition of TRA’s bi-annual representative study asked over 1,000 Australians to name their favourite ad from the last 12 months.

Despite winning audiences with an emotional story of care, resilience and protection, the survey revealed nearly half of respondents could describe the ad but not the name of brand behind it.

“This disconnect between emotional engagement and brand recognition presents an important and nuanced takeaway for brand marketers,” said Alex Forrester, Business Director at TRA.

“It takes time to build connection and recall, but this campaign has overcome the biggest hurdle – it has captured attention.

“And we can already see the makings of distinctive assets with the eagle being cast as the ‘hero’ and bringing the logo to life. Providing Allianz commit to the creative idea, we can see this campaign only getting stronger with the benefit of time.”

Forrester added: “The challenge of attribution wasn’t unique to Allianz. Despite having distinctive platforms, brands such as AAMI, Youi and Budget Direct were frequently misattributed – often to one another.

“The storytelling format of accidents, errors and insurance-type scenarios, featuring across the brands appears to confuse audiences. Allianz’s strategy to diverge from category norms may well work in their favour while building something unique over time.”

The top 10 list reflects a strong preference for humour, character-driven storytelling and long-running brand platforms. This is particularly apparent for the insurance category, which dominated the list with ads from Allianz, Budget Direct, Youi, RACQ, HBF and AAMI, despite only ranking 7th in Nielson’s 2024 Advertising Spend Report.

“Media spend isn’t everything,” Forrester said. “Creating a favourite ad means tapping into emotion, while sustaining brand impact over time requires consistency and strategic use of brand assets. Brand marketers who balance these elements will drive long-term effectiveness.”

 

TRA: Australia’s Top 10 Favourite Ads – June 2025

1. Allianz: Care you can count on
2. Telstra: Wherever we go
3. Budget Direct: Sarge, Jacs and Chief
4. Youi: Shop around
5. RACQ: You with RACQ?
6. Aldi: Good Different
7. KFC: FLG
8. HBF: Quokkas
9. AAMI: Lucky You’re with AAMI
10. Specsavers: Should have gone to Specsavers

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Rexona x Mindshare (1)
Rexona sniffs out new market as it launches whole-body deodorant

By Alisha Buaya

Elizabeth Gulliver: ‘This campaign highlights how bold and creative media can not only connect with consumers but bring them in on the joke!’

Rexona has launched a whole-body deodorant aimed at expanding its presence in the deodorant market and addressing conversations around body odour with media agency Mindshare.

The brand partnered with Ladbible to explore the various nicknames Australians use for different body parts to connect with Australian consumers.

The digital media publisher conducted interviews nationwide, from university campuses to retirement villages, gathering insights into the local language used to describe the body.

These findings shaped Rexona’s campaign to help the brand communicate in language familiar to Australians.

Rexona found that Aussies love a nickname, and they have one for just about everything, even your feet – a.k.a ‘moneymakers’.

“Humour has long been a way of tackling uncomfortable topics – and who wants to talk about body odour, let alone experience it!” Anna Tracey, Personal Care Director at Unilever, said.

“With only 1% of body sweat coming from underarms, odour is not limited to armpits, and we know that over 50% of Aussies are not currently satisfied.

“That’s why we are proud that our R&D experts have cracked a solution: new whole body deodorants that use Unilever’s exclusive odour-adapt technology to adapt to the varying odours found in different parts of the body.”

Jack Collins, Brand Manager, Rexona, said: “Everyone smells a little bit beyond the pits, and that’s totally okay! Rexona is on a mission to normalise it and break the taboo of body odour.

“Our partnership with Ladbible has allowed us to tap into Aussie slang and colloquialisms, embedding Rexona into the fabric of Aussie culture”

Rexona x Mindshare (1)

Jack Collins: ‘Everyone smells a little bit beyond the pits, and that’s totally okay! Rexona is on a mission to normalise it and break the taboo of body odour.’

Media agency Mindshare and Rexona developed a strategy to highlight areas of the body beyond underarms, using collected nicknames in outdoor, television, video, and social media advertising.

Mindshare Connections Planning Director, Elizabeth Gulliver said: “Mindshare was excited partner with Rexona to bring to life a media strategy that tapped into the Australian sense of humour through a number of high-impact media executions and creative assets.

“This campaign highlights how bold and creative media can not only connect with consumers but bring them in on the joke!”

Station takeovers in Sydney and Melbourne featured creative messaging aimed at capturing commuter attention as part of the brand’s out-of-home campaign.

Lilli Lo Russo, Content Strategy Director at Hogarth, said: “Rexona knows how to lead in a world where culture moves at lightning speed. For the Whole Body Deodorant launch, we joined forces with our brothers & sisters at WPP Media to create culturally charged content, blending absolute relevancy with dynamic automation and scale.

“Powered by WPP Open and Hogarth’s craft, we ensured Rexona didn’t just keep up – they set the pace, delivering work that’s as impactful as it is flawlessly executed. A true collaboration built for the now.”

Credits:
Unilever
Anna Tracey, Personal Care Director
Alison Holland, Head of Media and Digital
Silke Broers, Rexona Marketing Manager
Jack Collins, Rexona Brand Manager
Alana Dalgleish, Rexona Social Content Lead

Mindshare
Elizabeth Gulliver, Connections Planning Director
Elliot Eldridge, National Head of Strategy
Laura Fell, National Head of Connections Planning
Oliver Poiner, Implementation and activation manager
Yang Sun, Implementation and activation manager – Performance

Hogarth
Lilli Lo Russo, Content Strategy Director
Alice Charlton, Head of Addressable Content
Hayley Cascun, Studios Operation Director
Belle Kringas, Senior Integrated Producer
Tom Arias, Creative Design Technologist
Production/Design/Retouching Team

Generator United
Darren Bailey, Founder

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Youfoodz x Saatchi & Saatchi (1)
Youfoodz serves speedy shortcut eats for busy Aussies

By Alisha Buaya

Chloe Painter: ‘This campaign is an exciting step forward for the Youfoodz brand, and we’re thrilled to be working with such strong partners to bring it to life.”

Youfoodz has launched a new brand platform in its first campaign with Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, targeting Aussies who want nutritious meals without slowing down their schedules.

The campaign leans into the reality that while life is busy and often chaotic, healthy eating doesn’t have to be sacrificed.

The ready to eat meal brand positions itself as the shortcut to wholesome meals, offering ready-to-eat options for those juggling packed diaries and little time to cook.

The campaign is rolling out across BVOD, SVOD, out-of-home, digital, social and radio, with media strategy and placement managed by Spark Foundry Australia.

By emphasising convenience without sacrificing quality, Youfoodz aims to strengthen its place in the growing ready-to-eat meals market and connect with consumers seeking both health and speed at mealtime.

“With ‘Real food for the real world’, we’re celebrating the beautiful chaos of modern life — and showing Aussies that nourishing, great-tasting food doesn’t need to be sacrificed when things get busy,” Chloe Painter, Director – Brand Marketing ANZ at Youfoodz, said.

“This campaign is an exciting step forward for the Youfoodz brand, and we’re thrilled to be working with such strong partners to bring it to life.”

Youfoodz _master_retail_streetF_1080x1920px

Avish Gordhan, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, added: “So often, the world of ads is plagued with scenarios that pretend we live in an ideal world and make ideal decisions that have ideal outcomes.

“We wanted this campaign to challenge that and acknowledge that our days are full of drama, mistakes and accidental all-staff emails. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be able to enjoy an ideal meal that’s well made.”

Nora Nasser, Client Partner, Spark Foundry Australia, said: “This campaign marks a significant milestone for Youfoodz, launching their new brand platform with a large-scale brand media campaign.

“Through the powerful collaboration between Spark Foundry Australia, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia and the Youfoodz team, we aim to further elevate the brand as a trusted category leader.”

Youfoodz x Saatchi & Saatchi (1)

Credits:

Creative Agency – Saatchi & Saatchi Australia
Chief Creative Officer: Mandie van der Merwe & Avish Gordhan
Creative team: Rosita Rawnsley-Mason and David Govier
Group Account Director: Claire Thompson
Senior Account Manager: Izzy Corlett
Chief Strategy Officer: Rachel Walker
Strategy Director: Claire Webber
Designer: Sophie Whitehead

National Head of Production PXP – Michael Demosthenous
Junior Integrated Producer PXP – Emily Coleman

Media – Spark Foundry Australia
General Manager: Kimberly LeQuire
Client Partner: Nora Nasser
Strategy Director: Charlotte Parker
Client Director: Amy Mackinnon
Client Manager: Michael Goode
Activations Manager: Billy Patramanis

Client – Youfoodz
Andreas Dinkel – Chief Marketing Officer ANZ
Chloe Painter – Director – Brand Marketing ANZ
Alice Mansell – Youfoodz Brand Lead
Josh Anderson – Senior Marketing Manager
Sam Perrone – Senior Marketing Communications Associate

Film Production: Collider
Director: Freudian Nip
Managing Partner & Executive Producer: Rachael Ford Davies
Executive Producer: Tom Slater
Producer: Jane Smith
DOP: Aaron McLisky
Production Designer: Cloe Jouin
Casting: Daisy Hicks Casting
Editor: Sam Wickham
Colourist: Matt Campbell

Sound Post Production: Sonar Music
Sound Design & Mix: Andy Stewart
Head of Production: Haylee Poppi

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Ogilvy PR x Tourism New Zealand (1)
Ogilvy PR named Tourism New Zealand public relations agency

By Alisha Buaya

James Curtis: ‘We’ll be developing work that makes people want to pack their bags, reconnect with the spirit of New Zealand.’

Tourism New Zealand has appointed Ogilvy PR as its public relations agency of record in Australia.

The agency will manage strategic communications activity for Tourism New Zealand in Australia including earned-first creative campaigns and brand storytelling.

Ogilvy PR’s win is part of a broader push by the tourism body to increase the number of Australians visiting Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ogilvy PR x Tourism New Zealand (1)

Andrew Waddell: ‘We’re looking forward to continuing this journey, together with Ogilvy PR, and uncovering new and creative ways to accomplish this together.’

“Ogilvy PR’s proven experience within the travel category, underpinned by its deep understanding of what motivates Australian audiences, were pivotal factors in moving ahead with this partnership,” Andrew Waddel, Regional Director – Australia, Tourism New Zealand said.

“Earned-first storytelling is at the heart of what we do to drive emotional urgency and motivate Australians to consider and book a holiday to Aotearoa New Zealand.

“We’re looking forward to continuing this journey, together with Ogilvy PR, and uncovering new and creative ways to accomplish this together.”

James Curtis: ‘We’re excited to be working with the outstanding team at Tourism New Zealand to drive destination awareness, while deepening the emotional connection Australians have with our closest neighbour.’

Ogilvy PR’s Head of Consumer PR & Influence, James Curtis, said the agency would utilise its specialist skills across culture-led creativity, media relations, influencer strategy and content creation drawn from both its Australian and New Zealand teams.

“We’re excited to be working with the outstanding team at Tourism New Zealand to drive destination awareness, while deepening the emotional connection Australians have with our closest neighbour.

“With our unique approach to earned-first creativity, we’ll be developing work that makes people want to pack their bags, reconnect with the spirit of New Zealand, and support the tourism brand’s bigger vision in a meaningful way.”

Ogilvy PR x Tourism New Zealand (1)

Ogilvy PR’s win is part of a broader push by the tourism body to increase the number of Australians visiting Aotearoa New Zealand.

The appointment comes as Tourism New Zealand prepares to launch several global brand initiatives and experiential campaigns aimed at encouraging visitation from the Australian market.

Ogilvy PR will also work closely with Tourism New Zealand’s wider agency village to ensure its work feeds into global creative platforms and other marketing activity.

Top image: James Curtis

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The Inspired Unemployed
The Inspired Unemployed sign with IMG Talent

By Tom Gosby

Viral comedians Jack Steele and Matt Ford have joined forces with global agency IMG Talent as they expand their reach from social media to TV, beer and travel.

Australian comedy duo Jack Steele and Matt Ford, best known for sketching as The Inspired Unemployed, have signed with global agency IMG Talent. The move comes as they look to build on their 4 million‑plus followers and growing entertainment empire.

 

From tradies to global stars

Steele and Ford first gained attention in 2019 through satirical skits on Instagram, lampooning everyday Aussie life. Both dropped out in Year 11, working tradie jobs, plastering and landscaping, before launching their account as a “resume” to break into entertainment.

During COVID they created content from home, gaining momentum and collaborating with the likes of Vogue, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, and The Iconic.

 

TV success and new ventures

The pair have since debuted on television with The Inspired Unemployed (Impractical) Jokers, produced by Warner Bros. International Television and starting on Channel 10 and Paramount+ in August 2023.

They also host The List, a six‑part travel series on Paramount+ that premiered on 1 May 2025.

 

IMG helps build global footprint

Their IMG Talent partnership follows high‑profile campaigns featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Jason Momoa, Margot Robbie and Daniel Ricciardo. They’ve also worked with brands such as Swisse, where they held fictional CGO roles for a tongue‑in‑cheek gummies launch, and appeared on Celebrity Apprentice Australia as guest judges.

“We’re stoked to have signed with the team at IMG Talent.” said the pair in a joint statement. “It’s unreal to be working with a global agency and to see where we can take this rollercoaster.”

IMG VP David Malina added: “We are privileged to be partnering with Jack and Matt – a true comedic and content powerhouse, we can’t wait to support them in building upon their current work and bolstering their growth globally.”

Celebrated for reframing pranks so that “the joke is usually on the cast, not the bystanders”, the duo’s brand remains anchored in personal chemistry, something IMG will look to monetise globally.

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Bench Media x Nate Vella, Erin Fraser, Ori Gold
Bench Media makes senior promotions and new hires following client wins

By Alisha Buaya

Ori Gold: ‘We’re growing because we’re staying true to what clients need right now – an agency partner who understands the big picture, moves quickly, and delivers outcomes they can see.’

Bench Media has announced two senior promotions and three new hires following a string of recent client wins.

Nate Vella has been promoted to Head of Strategy from Brand Strategy Lead. He will oversee strategic planning and help shape Bench’s go-to-market approach.

Erin Fraser steps up to Head of Client Services from Group Head of Media Strategy. In the new role, she will lead client partnerships and delivery across the agency.

The independent media agency has also added three new team members across its client services and performance divisions, as it continues to scale in response to growing demand.

The new members and promotions collectively bring diverse experience from both agency, brand and adtech roles, further strengthening Bench’s capability to deliver seamless, integrated media solutions across digital, search, programmatic, traditional and retail channels.

The appointments follow new partnerships including Sydney Airport and Australian Catholic University (ACU).

CEO Ori Gold said the appointments reflect the strength of the agency’s independent model and focus on flexibility, transparency, and results.

Gold said: “We’re growing because we’re staying true to what clients need right now – an agency partner who understands the big picture, moves quickly, and delivers outcomes they can see.

“Nate and Erin’s promotions are recognition of the value they’ve created for our clients and for the agency and we’re excited to keep building our agency offering with them together with our newly expanded team.”

Last month, Bench Media and Sydney Airport launched its new brand platform that invites Sydneysiders to embrace their next travel destination.

The ‘Life Takes Off When You Do’ campaign saw independent media agency Bench, partner with travel search engine Kayak and creative agency Common Ventures.

Top image: Nate Vella, Erin Fraser, Ori Gold

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Social Media

eSafety published kids’ cartoons on YouTube while lobbying to ban them from it

The eSafety Commissioner’s office has been quietly uploading children’s cartoons to YouTube, even as its boss pushes for kids to be kicked off the platform altogether.

The videos, created under Commissioner Julie Inman Grant’s watch, feature animated Aussie mascots teaching online safety, and were clearly designed to appeal to a young audience.

As Patrick Staveley writes for Sky News Australia, it’s a head-scratcher for critics, who argue that the regulator can’t have it both ways.

Read more

Reddit adds age checks in the UK as safety rules tighten

Reddit is rolling out age verification in the UK starting this week, aiming to keep under-18s from accessing mature content on the platform.

As Dearbail Jordan writes for the BBC, it’s the latest tech player to respond to the UK’s tough new Online Safety Act, which demands stricter checks on sites hosting adult material.

In a characteristically Reddit twist, the platform says it still doesn’t want to really know who its users are, just whether they’re kids or adults.

Read more

Legal

Nine hits back at contempt threat over Lattouf coverage

Nine’s legal team has pushed back at pro-Israel lobbyists in court, accusing them of using a suppression order to go after journalists and editors who reported on their involvement in Antoinette Lattouf’s case.

As James Dowling writes in The Australian, the accusations surfaced during a fiery final hearing in the Federal Court this week, as both sides locked horns over alleged contempt.

At issue are three articles published by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald that the complainants say breached a court order protecting their identities.

Read more

Gregg Wallace issues apology as MasterChef misconduct claims upheld

Gregg Wallace has broken his silence after 45 allegations about his behaviour on MasterChef were upheld, saying he is “deeply sorry for any distress” caused.

As Noor Nanji and Felicity Baker repot for the BBC, the longtime presenter has released a statement saying he “never set out to harm or humiliate” anyone.

The report followed a BBC News investigation and found 83 complaints in total, with over half upheld.

Read more

AI

Meta ramps up AI arms race with mega data centres for ‘superintelligence’

Mark Zuckerberg is going big on AI… like, hundreds-of-billions big.

In a Threads post this week, the Meta CEO revealed plans to build a fleet of super-sized data centres to chase what he calls “superintelligence,” a term that’s quickly becoming Silicon Valley’s latest obsession.

As Reuters Jaspreet Singh and Aditya Soni report, the company’s first mega-site, Prometheus, is set to go live in 2026.

Read more

Television

Nine ramps up Stan hires ahead of Premier League kick-off

Nine is quietly staffing up at Stan as it gears up to launch its English Premier League coverage next month. More than a dozen new roles are already in market, with even more hires expected in the lead-up to kick-off.

Former Optus Sport exec Howard Rees is among those tipped to join the team, as Nine leans on experienced football hands to shape its strategy.

As John Buckley writes in Capital Brief, programming plans are still being finalised, but the push signals a serious play to compete with established sports streamers.

Read more

BBC admits major misstep in Gaza doc investigation

BBC director general Tim Davie has acknowledged a “significant failing” in the making of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, after an internal probe found the documentary breached editorial standards on accuracy.

The issue? Viewers weren’t told that the 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

But as Michael Savage details in The Guardian, while the investigation cleared the program of breaches around impartiality and influence, it found the production team dropped the ball by not asking key questions, particularly around context and transparency.

Read more

Radio

Dave Cameron to exit Southern Cross Austereo

After more than 30 years at the helm, Southern Cross Austereo’s (SCA) Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron, will be leaving the company.

The announcement was made by SCA CEO John Kelly in an email sent to all staff on Monday afternoon.

In the email, which was obtained by Mediaweek, Kelly acknowledged Cameron’s decades-long contribution to the company, praising a career that spans more than 30 years and multiple roles across the network.

Read more

Publishing

Scholastic eyes YouTube and restructuring in bid to bounce back

Scholastic, the publishing house behind Harry PotterThe Hunger Games and Clifford the Big Red Dog, is in full-blown turnaround mode.

As Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg reports in The Wall Street Journal, the company’s share price has been down over 40 percent in the past year and pressure mounting from activist investors, the kids’ publishing giant is looking to restructure and rethink, fast.

Part of the plan? A push into YouTube and digital content, plus a cash-raising play that includes selling and leasing back its Manhattan HQ and major distribution centres.

Read more

Retail

Country Road trims Sydney footprint as sales slump continues

Country Road is shutting down several high-profile Sydney stores as its South African parent company Woolworths tightens the purse strings.

The retailer’s flagship QVB location is on the chopping block, alongside sister brand Trenery’s Mosman store, with Pitt Street Mall to follow in 2028 when its lease wraps up.

As Cameron Micallef details on news.com.au, the closures come after a brutal sales stretch for the once-dominant Aussie label. Revenue dropped 6.2 percent in the first half of FY25, followed by another 8 percent slide to the end of December.

Read more

Entertainment

First look at HBO Max’s new Harry Potter

Production has begun on the highly-anticipated, much-hyped Harry Potter TV series. Filming began today at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the east of England, the same studio that was home to the filming of all of the previous Harry Potter films.

The show has been confirmed to debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max. Filming on the first season is expected to last until autumn 2026 (the UK spring) before resuming production on season 2 after a short break.

There will be no speculation on what new star Dominic McLaughlin will look like as the titular boy wizard, with HBO revealing a first-look photo of him in costume.

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