When Lauren Joyce took on the role of Chief Audience and Content Officer at the Australian Radio Network (ARN), she was open about the immediate challenges.
The company had consistently been in the headlines over the repercussions from its ten-year, $200 million contract with Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.
But that’s not all.
A few months before Joyce took over ARN backed out of a takeover attempt of rival Southern Cross Austereo (SCA).
Then came the bloodletting.
Near the end of 2024, the company announced a round of redundancies where up to 50 staff would lost their job.
Another round of redundancies were later announced in April of this year. At the time, Mediaweek was told the full number of roles set to be axed would depend on discussions held over the coming months.
Now, six months into the role, Joyce is steering ARN through a strategic transformation.
The company has announced a three-year cost-cutting plan to reduce $40 million from its operating base. The aim is to free up capital to fuel audience growth and future-proof the business.
Joyce, who spoke to Mediaweek following the launch of Kyle & Jackie O’s new Melbourne TVC, remains optimistic despite the challenges and her support for the duo is clear and unwavering.
“Everything we do at ARN is driven by data,” Joyce said, explaining the foundation of the new creative. “We’ve been tracking brand perceptions since Kyle & Jackie O launched in Melbourne and have a long history of brand and show tracking in Sydney.”
According to Joyce, ARN’s insights point to a few consistent themes: the show’s self-deprecating humour, its ‘addictive unpredictability’, and its tendency to veer wildly off-script. That chaos, Joyce says, is part of the charm, and the creative brief.
“You go in expecting one thing, and before you know it, it’s gone off on another tangent. The TVC captures that in a comedic way. It delivers on the show’s promise because it’s built on what the audience actually loves.”
Despite being radio royalty in Sydney, Kyle & Jackie O continue to face headwinds in Melbourne, where their KIIS 101.1 breakfast show is yet to find strong footing.
After a small bump from a 5.1% share in Survey 1 to 5.8% in Survey 2, the cume audience actually dropped by 43,000 to 969,000 listeners.
Despite the slight ratings uptick, the numbers suggest their Sydney success isn’t fully translating across the border just yet.
But Joyce is realistic about the slow burn.
“There’s been a lot of criticism around the show, but I think people forget it’s still brand new to Melbourne audiences. In Sydney, people have lived through 20 years of evolution. In Melbourne, that context doesn’t exist yet.”
While their celebrity precedes them, many listeners only knew the duo through segments aired in the The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power, which airs in metro markets from 6pm to 7pm on the KIIS Network. “They’ve never been fully immersed in the show. We still have work to do helping people understand what it actually is,” she said.
Joyce is quick to credit the pair for driving the show’s creative direction. “They know the type of show they want to put out better than anyone. Yes, there’s a team around them, but Kyle and Jack steer the content.”
Joyce believes its success lies in challenging the mainstream: “They ask questions everyday Australians usually only ask in group chats. They break echo chambers. They say things others won’t, and that leads to great dinner party conversations.”
She adds: “In a landscape filled with vanilla content, Kyle & Jackie O create space for people to form real opinions.
“So, it’s got a really important role to play when you consider the more vanilla content that is out there and its inability to provide perspective or help people form an opinion about a certain issue”.
Joyce’s comments differ from those of ARN media chairman Hamish McLennan who, earlier this year, admitted the pair had “pushed the envelope too hard” in their Melbourne debut.
McLennan continued: “I lived in Melbourne, you know? I think it is a distinct market, and so we haven’t got the content platform right.”
“Some of that stuff I wince at too, and we’ve had those conversations with Kyle, and we’re fully aware of our obligations with the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) and we take that very, very seriously.
“We have censors who sit and listen to the program. I apologise if that goes over the mark from time to time”.
The launch of the Melbourne ‘We’re Behaving’ campaign was a critical turning point. After early Melbourne listenership dropped, the team needed to reconnect with its base.
“We acknowledged we lost the audience. That campaign was about reengaging lapsed listeners,” said Joyce. “The data shows we did that. Those listeners came back, and they’re sticking.”
With something of a core audience now relatively stabilised, Joyce says the aim is to target new listeners, and the new campaign, ‘Radio Gone Rogue’ is about owning the brand’s ‘unique’ space.
“It’s not just about being naughty,” Joyce clarified. “It’s about being maverick. It’s radio, but not as you’d expect. That unpredictability keeps people coming back.”
Joyce was also clear about ARN’s broader strategy, including the widely reported cost-saving measures.
“Yes, the $40 million cost-out plan is real, but it’s not tied to Kyle & Jackie O. Every broadcast media company is working to become more efficient,” she said. “Media is cyclical, and this is the point in the cycle we’re in.”
When it comes to the redundancies, Joyce is both practical and defensive towards the notion the losses are linked to the broadcast duo’s mega contract: “Nobody likes the associated human impact, but I think the two things aren’t connected”.
For Joyce, the $200 million Kyle & Jackie O investment is a long-term strategic bet, more akin to a sports rights deal than a short-term ratings fix.
“We never expected overnight returns. But we are seeing marginal audience gains. And we’re committed to running a responsible, efficient business while delivering value for shareholders.”
Clemenger BBDO has appointed Lindsay Bennett as Head of Brand and Communications, a newly created role designed to accelerate growth and shape the agency’s next chapter following the integration of CHEP Network, Clemenger BBDO and Traffik.
She will work closely with CEO Lee Leggett and the leadership team to define how the newly formed Clemenger BBDO shows up in market. Her remit spans brand, communications and new business, with a sharp focus on translating earned media into business growth.
“Lindsay is not just a communications leader. She’s a business driver,” said Leggett. “She brings a rare combination of global experience, local market knowledge and commercial focus. She understands how to build a brand that earns attention and opens doors. She’s exactly what this moment calls for.”
Bennett joins Clemenger BBDO after returning to Australia from New York, where she was Vice President of Corporate Communications at GALE.
There, she led marketing, communications and new business across North America, helping to propel GALE to Ad Age A-List status and Adweek Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year. Her leadership contributed to significant revenue growth and a sharp uptick in new client wins.
Previously, she served as Global Head of Marketing at DDB, leading the network’s first global repositioning and overseeing brand and communications across 149 offices. She stepped into the global role after driving new business momentum and award-winning work at DDB Australia. She began her career as a journalist at AdNews, where she developed her passion for storytelling.
“I’ve long admired Clemenger BBDO’s creative legacy. With the recent integration, the agency is building something even bigger,” said Bennett. “Lee’s leadership, combined with the depth of capability across the business, makes this a rare opportunity to shape the next chapter of an iconic brand.”
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Clemenger BBDO as it builds momentum behind its mission to Do Big Things.
Top image: Lee Leggett and Lindsay Bennett
When Warner Bros. Discovery launched the streaming platform Max in Australia on March 31, 2025, it did so with fanfare.
There was a multimillion-dollar campaign, red carpets featuring stars from The White Lotus and The Last of Us, and a bold promise of ‘All Killer. No Filler.’
But just six weeks later, during its annual Upfronts, WBD announced Max was globally re-branding as (once again) HBO Max.
Surely, this surprise move was greeted with horror by the Australian division? A marketing team’s 3am nightmare.
Maybe. But the approach from Max Australia was swift and confident.
The social team turned a potential backlash into a masterclass in self-aware, culturally-attuned marketing, according to award-winning Australian marketing strategist Nina Christian.
Max Australia leveraged the rebrand confusion to solidify its brand voice. Following a similar global strategy but developing it further, Max Australia used self-deprecating humour and a playfully irreverent tone, to reinforce its brand positioning as bold, relatable, and uniquely Australian.
“Max Australia has taken a global posture that was already punchy and pokes fun at itself, and made it feel homegrown,” said Christian. “Not by disconnecting from the global brand story, but by building on it. That level of alignment, with cultural nuance baked in, is rare. And very effective.
“Most notably, as well as communicating the message with visibility and virality, it also deepened emotional connection. This kind of humour, handled with subtlety and smarts, endears a brand to its audience like nothing else. This wasn’t just damage control. It was brand-building at its best.”
Head of Social for Warner Bros. Disocvery Australia, Ashleigh Bruton, says humour was the key.
“This global rebrand gave us a real opportunity to cement our tone of voice here in Australia,” she says.
“We knew this conversation would dominate social, so our strategy focused on being first to market with the news and then shaping the narrative with a playful approach that proved we weren’t afraid to poke fun at ourselves.
“Having a brand that allows us to play with our audience and be in on the joke with them is a huge part of why we could do this, with Aussies embracing the campaign, joining in and creating their own memes in the same spirit.”
The approach was emblematic of Max’s broader marketing ethos. From launch, the brand positioned itself as a premium yet irreverent alternative in Australia’s crowded streaming landscape.
The All Killer. No Filler. campaign, developed with agencies Special and EssenceMediacom, poked fun at the saturation of streaming services, resonating with audiences seeking quality over quantity.
Sasha Mackie, Senior Director, Marketing – Australia and New Zealand, emphasised the importance of authenticity in their strategy.
“From day one, our strategy was to stand shoulder to shoulder with the customer – solving real pain points.
“So, with this global rebrand, we laughed with the customer and memed ourselves. All Killer. No Filler. Bold, irreverent, in on the joke. Social led the charge, helping us connect in a way that felt authentically Aussie.”
Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds has teamed up with creative communications agency Keep Left to launch an innovative mental health campaign aimed at truck drivers across Australia.
How Ya Travellin’? will hijack radio airwaves over the next six weeks replacing ad breaks with tailored, time-based wellbeing advice and stories – delivered direct to truck drivers on some of Australia’s most isolated freight routes – including the Eyre Highway, Great Northern, Hume Highway and Stuart Highway.
The campaign uses geo-targeting technology across the ARN Network to broadcast dynamic audio content – pulled from the new How Ya Travellin’? podcast hosted by Shane Jacobson – to drivers as they pass through the area.
Twenty geo-targeted pins have been dropped along more than 9,000 kilometres of isolated road in regional and remote areas of Australia.
Supported by large-format billboards and promoted across 120+ petrol stations nationwide How Ya Travellin’? delivers the right advice to drivers, at the right time — whether it’s fuelling up with quality food in the morning, having a stretch in the afternoon or winding down for sleep in the evening.
The podcast is hosted by actor, comedian and truck enthusiast Jacobson who Keep Left engaged for the campaign and offers deep conversations with people from the industry, expert insights and inspiring personal stories from drivers who’ve overcome mental health challenges.
More than half a million people work in trucking, warehousing and logistics in Australia. But the industry ranks last out of 19 sectors for mental health with drivers spending long, isolated shifts away from family, friends and support.
Naomi Frauenfelder, Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds CEO, said: “We often hear from truck drivers that something small – a family worry, a stressful interaction, a moment of doubt – can spiral into something overwhelming after going uninterrupted for ten hours and a thousand of kilometers alone in the cab.
“That’s why this campaign is designed to break into those moments with simple, timely reminders that support is out there – and that even on the most remote roads, they’re not alone.”
Keep Left CEO, Caroline Catterall, said the podcast format wasn’t chosen by chance. “Research shows half of all truck drivers and warehouse workers regularly listen to digital radio and podcasts as a way to manage their mental health and feel less isolated, validating the use of audio to reach into the cab and give this highly mobile workforce moments of support and respite when on the road.”
Laura Agricola, Keep Left Strategy Director, said: “This campaign leans into the power of mates and mental resets. How Ya Travellin’? gives truckies more of this. More breaks for the brain. More check-ins from people who get it. We’re actively combatting the mental rumination that tends to occur when alone on the road, and that’s a known precursor to mental health decline.”
Blair Kimber, Executive Creative Director at Keep Left, added Shane Jacobson’s involvement in the campaign was a huge win. “Shane is the real deal. He’s got a truck and semi-trailer license and owns six trucks of his own. The final result has benefited hugely from his connection to the issue and his genuine care for the wellbeing of truck drivers.
“With Shane’s support and the strength of the whole transport, warehousing, and logistics sectors behind us we’re hoping How Ya Travellin’? sparks real change from the ground up.”
How Ya Travellin’? will be rolled out via an integrated campaign across the ARN Network, OOH! Media, JCD, QMS and Australian Truck Radio. The Healthy Heads campaign will be further supported by earned media and social (paid and organic) and distributed through warehouse and distribution centres around the country.
CREDITS
Client: Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds
Chief Executive Officer: Naomi Frauenfelder
Director of Industry Relations and Program Management: Melissa Weller
Communications & Marketing Coordinator: Jordan McSweeney
Creative and PR: Keep Left
CEO: Caroline Catterall
Managing Partner, Creative & Content: Johanna Murray
Executive Creative Director: Blair Kimber
Head of Copy: Joe Winter
Senior Copywriter: Ruby Gill
Junior Art Director: Tyler Cicerale
Production Lead: Ant Dinham
Strategy Director: Laura Agricola
Strategist: Harris Galloway
Strategist: Zach Edwards
Client Partner: Jessica Williams
Senior Account Manager: Annabelle Sheridan
Director of Public Relations: Tim Lele
Account Director – PR: Ryan O’Leary
Senior Account Executive – PR: Lucy Roff
Director of Digital & Planning: Larissa Thorne
Graphic Designer: Hannah Palmer
Content Executive: Giselle Lansell
Production Studio: Australia Post
Studio Manager: David Almon
Media
Woolworth/Carat
General Manager, Group Media and Media Planning: Nicole Smart
Chief Investment Officer: Georga Payne
Group Investment & Client Partner: Ewelina Jones
Senior Investment Executive, Team Supermarkets: Anthony Mirzoian
ARN Network
Senior Account Director; Susan Dickens
Group Business Director: Ashley Lush
oOh! Media
Business Manager: Madeleine Monro
JC DECAUX
Group Sales Manager: Alec Mowat
VMO
Group Sales Manager: Sean Davies
Account Executive: Meg Fitzallen-Peck
QMS
Group Business Director: Dan Tray
Account Manager Max Hope
Research Agency: The Research Department
Founder & Department Head: Joel Vermaas
Founder & Department Head: Matthew Sandwell
Kate O’Connor is to leave BBC Studios, ending a remarkable six-year tenure that saw her lead the international expansion of Bluey to critical acclaim.
O’Connor, as Director of Brands and Commercial at BBC Studios, managed local brand development for the company.
A former lawyer, she has over a decade of experience in the TV industry and played a pivotal role in building BBC Studios’ ANZ licensing operation.
Under her leadership, Bluey has achieved huge commercial success.
“It was a dream come true to launch Bluey for the BBC, and an incredible privilege to help grow it into the powerhouse it is today,” she told Mediaweek in a statement.
Bluey
Highlights of O’Connor’s time at the BBC include 25% year-on-year revenue growth in 2024 and the expansion of the team from one to 16 staff members.
“Leading both the brand and commercial strategy allowed me to drive astronomical year-on-year growth while staying fiercely committed to building an evergreen brand we can all be proud of,” she said.
“I lived and breathed the vision I set, and along the way, mentored and nurtured a team who will continue to be excellent custodians of the brand’s future.”
O’Connor also led the creation of major brand initiatives like Bluey’s World and secured multiple award nominations for campaigns including Hammerbarn and City Dogs.
Crediting her former boss and ex-General Manager of BBC Studios ANZ, Fiona Lang, O’Connor said she had enjoyed an extraordinary six years with the BBC.
“Fiona [Lang] gave me a long runway to imagine big, ambitious visions and backed me completely as I brought them to life,” she said.
Lang recently joined Nielsen as Managing Director, Television Audience Measurement Australia.
O’Connor said she will take some time away from work before announcing her next steps.
“Alongside the brand’s evolution, I’ve grown too. And I’ve realised there’s rarely a perfect time to leave but there is a right time. I haven’t truly paused or taken a breath in six years, and meanwhile, my creative passions have been quietly waiting in the wings.
“Over the past year, I’ve been shortlisted for and won a few respected writing awards, and it’s become clear that now is the time to make space for that side of me, alongside some other ventures.
“It’s time for me to take a moment, reset, finish some writing projects I believe in deeply, speak at some great events and eventually, dive back into the commercial world in a new and independent way.”
Toblerone is no stranger to reinvention, but its latest transformation didn’t arrive via a new flavour or marketing gimmick.
Instead, it came through a strategic partnership that fused fashion, prestige media and a strong sense of identity to reset perceptions.
At the heart of that evolution was News Corp Australia’s Total News Experience, and a bold campaign that turned a triangular chocolate bar into a style icon.
This was the creative force behind the ‘Never Square’ platform, a Vogue-led collaboration that saw Toblerone repositioned as a luxury treat, with substance, style and serious retail uplift to show for it.
The Total News Experience is News Corp Australia’s data-powered media ecosystem, designed to deliver smarter, more effective outcomes by blending Paid, Owned and Earned media.
It’s where content creation meets AI-enhanced targeting, where storytelling collides with strategy, and where brands get to show up in culture, not just alongside it.
With powerhouse agencies like Medium Rare, Storyation, Visual Domain and Suddenly in its corner, the Total News Experience offers a media and marketing playground that’s both premium and performance-driven.
In the Toblerone campaign, that meant integrating rich storytelling, dynamic video, editorial credibility and a big brand moment via Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out.
A timely launch ahead of the brand’s new praline range, it was a case of premium meeting premium, and it worked.
As Ari Petropoulos, News Corp Australia’s Head of Client Partnerships, VIC Consortium Agencies, explains, the ambition was clear from the beginning.
“Toblerone’s goal was to transition from an airport brand to a more premium icon. They were launching this new ethos, ‘Never Square’, and we knew we had to bring that to life in a way that felt authentic and elevated.”
The original brief came through Wavemaker, with input from the Melbourne-based Group Planning Director and Sydney’s Alexia Antonis. “They wanted to know how we could position Toblerone in luxury. Alexia was instrumental. She saw the potential of Vogue, and asked us what we could create or own for them.”
News Corp responded with the Never Square Designer Awards, a campaign celebrating unconventional creativity through Australian fashion designers.
“It was a one-pager idea at first,” said Petropoulos. “But that idea had legs. It grew into an ecosystem.”
The campaign paired Toblerone with three designers, Alvie Chung, Erik Yvon and James Noble, across video, social, longform and editorial executions in August and September.
It culminated in a high-profile presence at Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out in October, where Yvon was crowned the first winner of the Never Square Designer Award.
His prize? Not just prestige. Yvon’s designs were used on limited-edition Toblerone packaging, stocked in David Jones, Myer, Coles and Woolworths, effectively taking a luxury-inspired idea all the way through to shelf.
“They had cost pressures,” said Petropoulos. “The premium chocolate category is growing fast, but with that comes fierce competition. So the story we told had to justify the price emotionally.”
By tying into the codes of luxury, via Vogue’s cachet, fashion’s creativity, and a tactile in-store experience, Toblerone didn’t just get attention. It got conversion.
The campaign didn’t just capture imaginations, it moved the needle. Kantar brand lift results revealed that Toblerone’s ‘Never Square’ concept resonated particularly well with women aged 25–49, helping the chocolate brand move out of the airport lounge and into premium territory.
Two-thirds of surveyed women agreed that Toblerone is “original and never square,” and a remarkable 58 percent called it the most unconventional chocolate on the market.
But perhaps most telling of the campaign’s effectiveness: Toblerone’s brand equity jumped by 19 percent, from 36 percent in the control group to 42 percent among those exposed to the campaign.
What set this campaign apart wasn’t just the creative or the context, it was the collaboration. Petropoulos credits that shared ambition and strategic openness as the key to unlocking something bigger.
“This is the perfect way to work. Points of collaboration, support and people leaning in, from integration specialists to planners, that’s how media works harder.”
For Toblerone, this was about more than a seasonal spike. It was a marker of what’s possible when media is treated not as a buy, but as a brand experience.
With Frontiers 2025 on the horizon, the Toblerone case is a vivid reminder of how News Corp Australia’s Total News Experience isn’t just media, it’s momentum.
Seven Network has introduced a new free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, Below Deck Vault, to its 7plus platform. The launch expands Seven’s portfolio of over 50 FAST channels and strengthens its content partnership with NBCUniversal.
Below Deck Vault provides curated episodes from the Below Deck franchise, including titles such as Below Deck, Below Deck Mediterranean, Below Deck Down Under, and Below Deck Sailing Yacht. It joins an established slate of NBCUniversal content on 7plus, including 7Bravo, movies, and drama series.
Richard Henson, Director of Distribution & Content Partnerships at Seven Network, highlighted the significance of the partnership: “NBCUniversal is one of our most valued and important partners, with more than 1,200 hours of NBCUniversal content across Seven and 7plus every year.”
He added that the new channel “represents an exciting extension to our relationship with NBCUniversal, allowing us to super-serve our 7plus audience.”
Seven reports strong performance across its 7plus FAST channel offering, with April 2025 marking a record month.
According to the network, 7plus FAST channels streamed 206 million minutes in April, up 66% year-on-year and more than 2.5 times greater than the nearest commercial free-to-air competitor. Documentaries, reality, sport, and scripted series led viewing preferences.
The network’s digital strategy includes continued investment in sports streaming via 7plus Sport, including popular coverage of cricket and AFL.
The Growth Distillery, in partnership with research firm Verve, has released a new study positioning ‘technographics’ (the analysis of consumer interactions with technology) as a strategic tool for the travel industry.
Titled Technographics: Travel, the research finds that tailoring digital experiences to match consumers’ technological comfort levels can reduce friction across the booking journey and increase customer satisfaction and retention.
Technographics: Travel
The study reports that while 80% of Australians consider travel very important, over 40% do not enjoy the booking process. This discontent has broader implications: one-third delay making bookings, half are more likely to abandon a purchase, and 50% are less likely to recommend the brand.
By leveraging technographic profiles, travel brands can address these challenges more precisely. The study highlights three main opportunities:
Increasing consumer appeal by up to 40% by catering to both tech-savvy users and those who prefer human interaction.
Doubling the engagement of less tech-trusting customers through simplified, transparent booking interfaces.
Boosting next-purchase likelihood by 33% through personalised, enjoyable experiences before, during, and after the trip.
Dan Krigstein, Director of The Growth Distillery, said: “As technology continues to increase its sway over not just what, but how and where we shop, it is essential for brands to understand the nuanced relationship between where technological intervention enables, but more importantly inhibits purchase behaviour.”
The Growth Distillery is an independent think-tank supported by News Corp Australia.
The Growth Distillery, in partnership with research firm Verve, has released a new study positioning ‘technographics’ (the analysis of consumer interactions with technology) as a strategic tool for the travel industry.
Titled Technographics: Travel, the research finds that tailoring digital experiences to match consumers’ technological comfort levels can reduce friction across the booking journey and increase customer satisfaction and retention.
Technographics: Travel
The study reports that while 80% of Australians consider travel very important, over 40% do not enjoy the booking process. This discontent has broader implications: one-third delay making bookings, half are more likely to abandon a purchase, and 50% are less likely to recommend the brand.
By leveraging technographic profiles, travel brands can address these challenges more precisely. The study highlights three main opportunities:
Increasing consumer appeal by up to 40% by catering to both tech-savvy users and those who prefer human interaction.
Doubling the engagement of less tech-trusting customers through simplified, transparent booking interfaces.
Boosting next-purchase likelihood by 33% through personalised, enjoyable experiences before, during, and after the trip.
Dan Krigstein, Director of The Growth Distillery, said: “As technology continues to increase its sway over not just what, but how and where we shop, it is essential for brands to understand the nuanced relationship between where technological intervention enables, but more importantly inhibits purchase behaviour.”
The Growth Distillery is an independent think-tank supported by News Corp Australia.
The official trailer for the highly anticipated four-part miniseries MIX TAPE has been released.
Premiering on BINGE on Thursday 12 June 2025, with episodes dropping weekly, the original series blends youthful romance, musical nostalgia, and cross-continental longing into a dual-timeline narrative that has already captured attention on the global stage.
MIX TAPE made its international debut at this year’s SXSW Festival in Austin, where it won the TV Spotlight Audience Award.
Adapted from Jane Sanderson’s acclaimed novel of the same name and starring Australian actress Teresa Palmer (The Clearing, The Fall Guy) and British actor Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe, Cloud Atlas), MIX TAPE follows Alison and Daniel, once young lovers in 1989 Sheffield, UK, now separated by time, geography, and life.
When a song from their past resurfaces, they begin to unravel whether the life they lived, and the love they lost, could have gone another way.
The younger versions of Alison and Daniel are portrayed by Bridgerton’s Florence Hunt and rising talent Rory Walton-Smith, adding emotional depth to the time-hopping storyline.
The ensemble cast brings together a high-calibre blend of international and Australian talent including Sara Soulié, Ben Lawson, Julia Savage, Conor Sánchez, Mark O’Halloran, Helen Behan, Jonathan Harden, Siobhan O’Kelly, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Chika Ikogwe.
Produced by Aquarius Films and Subotica, MIX TAPE is the first Australian-Irish co-production for the Foxtel Group and a showcase of international collaboration.
“This award-winning series with its acclaimed international cast, rich sense of nostalgia and incredible soundtrack will draw viewers into a world they won’t want to leave,” said Lana Greenhalgh, Foxtel Group’s Head of Scripted Originals. “MIX TAPE will transport viewers back in time to that intoxicating feeling of first love.”
Producers Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford (Aquarius Films) and Aoife O’Sullivan and Tristan Orpen Lynch (Subotica) noted the project’s resonance with SXSW audiences, saying: “With stunning performances and songs from some of the greatest bands of all time, the series is a heady combination of the best things in life – love and music.”
The series was commissioned by Foxtel Group and financed with support from Screen Australia, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, the Finnish Impact Film Fund, Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Fund, and The Post Lounge. Boat Rocker will handle international distribution.
Perfection Fresh has appointed independent creative agency Emotive to lead its brand and campaign work nationally.
The privately owned fresh produce companies has quietly become a powerhouse in Australian produce, generating over $900 million in annual revenue.
With a footprint across all major & independent supermarkets and a portfolio of household brands including Broccolini, Qukes baby cucumbers and Calypso mangoes, the business has eight major farms around the country and partners with top growers to push boundaries in flavour, quality and sustainability.
The brand that’s long been shaping what Australians put on their plates, often without consumers even realising it.
Luke Gibson, Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer, Perfection Fresh, said: “Fresh produce branding is still a foreign concept for most consumers in what’s traditionally seen as a commoditised category. So we needed an agency that could push creative boundaries across both traditional and non-traditional channels with ideas that avoid the dreaded ‘meh’.
“Emotive’s track record in using emotion to influence behaviour and drive decision making alongside the agility that comes with independence, made the choice easy. We’re excited to bring the work to life together.”
Simon Joyce, CEO & Founder, Emotive, added: “This partnership is a huge opportunity to use creativity to challenge some deeply entrenched conventions in how Australians shop for fresh produce. There’s so much untapped brand potential and the chance to elevate Perfection Fresh to a position where consumers want to trade up is an exciting challenge.
“What makes it even better is how ambitious Luke and the team are to create ideas that genuinely change how people feel. We’re thrilled to be on board and already feeling the momentum with the team.”
As part of the partnership, Emotive will roll out Perfection Fresh’s refreshed brand identity and develop brand and product campaigns for hero lines like Broccolini, Qukes baby cucumbers, Mix-a-Matos and more, positioning Perfection Fresh not just as a leader in fresh produce, but as a brand Australians instinctively feel for and reach for.
Perfection Fresh joins Emotive’s roster of blue chip brands including Google, Audible, Revlon, Pernod Ricard, Unilever, Breville, Mount Franklin, Wotif, Optus and more.
Vinyl Group has announced the appointment of Tahlia Phillips as Head of Publishing at Vinyl Media, in a move that signals the company’s ambition to build one of Australia’s most influential cultural media portfolios.
Phillips steps into the newly created role after nearly a decade at Concrete Playground, where she served as General Manager. She joined Vinyl Media following the group’s acquisition of the leading digital city guide earlier in 2025.
Bringing more than 15 years of experience spanning commercial and creative leadership across major Australian media brands, Phillips’ remit includes driving original storytelling across music, lifestyle, and entertainment and more.
“It’s a privilege to lead the exceptional editorial and content teams at Vinyl Media, home to some of Australia’s, and the world’s, most iconic media brands,” said Phillips.
“As a tech business with a rapidly expanding media portfolio, we are uniquely positioned to lead the next era of publishing. In 2025, Vinyl Media will deliver ambitious audience growth, bold new content franchises, and unforgettable real-world experiences that deepen our connection with audiences in powerful, personal ways.”
Vinyl Media has also appointed Chantelle Schmidt as Editorial Lead for Refinery29 Australia, marking the platform’s return to the local market.
Schmidt brings more than 15 years of experience across publishing, branded content, social, podcasting, and affiliate strategy. She has worked with brands including Elle, Popsugar, Netflix, and Mamamia, and previously led branded and e-commerce content across Pedestrian Group’s suite of titles. She also worked on Refinery29 during its previous Australian iteration.
Vinyl Group’s licensing and representation deal with Refinery29 sees the women-focused lifestyle media brand return to the ANZ market with a locally driven edition, along with representation of its international inventory across the region.
Josh Simons
CEO of Vinyl Group, Josh Simons, said of both appointments, “Tahlia has played a significant part in growing the Concrete Playground brand to where it is today, and her work with the business over many years speaks for itself. Her experience and leadership will be key as we grow our publishing footprint and deliver premium content that speaks to the passions of our audiences and the needs of our partners.”
He added, “Chantelle returns to Refinery29 with a deep understanding of the publication and its audience, and as part of our commitment to growing the title in Australia since our recent relaunch.”
Vinyl Media was launched in February 2025 as Vinyl Group’s new publishing division with a mission to turn brands into cultural icons.
The publishing house now includes Concrete Playground, The Music Network, Tone Deaf, and Mediaweek, and represents major international titles and platforms such as Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd, Crunchyroll, and Bluesfest Byron Bay.
This weekend, the top 20 films Australian box office grossed $7,261,610, down -18% from last weekend’s $8,811,843.
Fourteen years after the last Final Destination film, the sixth instalment of the franchise has dethroned Marvel Studis’ Thunderbolts* after it claimed the top spot for the past few weeks. The horror film returned to Australian cinemas over the weekend, making $2,938,102 across 362 screens.
Synopsis: A teenage girl experiences recurring nightmares about a tower collapse in the 1960s and returns home to find the person who can break the cycle. She comes to understand that these events follow an order and tries to stop Death from taking her family’s lives.
Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $2,938,102
Thunderbolts* slipped to second spot in the Box Office Rankings after making $1,500,052 over the weekend across 393 screens, representing a -51% in gross earnings. Globally, the Marvel films global passed the three-century mark to reach $325.7M, according to Deadline.
Synopsis:Directed by Jake Schreier, Marvel brings together a team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) — on a mission that brings them face to face with parts of their past.
Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $12,088,330
Now in its fifth week at the Australian Box Office, Sinners is seeing a slight decline in audience numbers after it made $806,919 over the weekend, down – 32% from $1,184,348 made from the weekend before. The adventure/horror also topped the $300M mark at the Global Box Office, according to Deadline.
Synopsis: Michael B. Jordan stars as twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, former soldiers who bootleg. Set in the deep South in 1932, the twins return to the Mississippi Delta with money and Irish beer to open a juke joint bought from a man and enlist their cousin Sammie to help. However, trouble follows when they face a force beyond the natural world.
Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $9,808,949
A Minecraft Movie maintains fourth place at the Box Office, as it counts seven weeks at Australian cinemas. Over the weekend it made $585,795, down -19% from last weekend’s earnings of $722,275
Synopsis: A portal pulls four misfits into the Overworld, a land made of cubes shaped by imagination. To return home, they must learn the terrain and complete a quest with a crafter named Steve. The film stars Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks and Emma Myers and is based on the 2011 video game Minecraft by Mojang Studios.
Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $55,652,120
After one week, The Salt Path ranks fifth in the Australian Box Office, making $401,194 and screening across 177 cinemas. The film is the movie adaptation of Raynor Winn’s memoir and stars Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Last week, the film made $166,058 in its debut.
Synopsis: ‘The Salt Path’ tells the story of Raynor and Moth Winn, who, after losing their farm and investment, become homeless and turn to nature. They choose to walk the South West Coast Path, a 630-mile route along the English coastline, in search of a sense of place and connection.
Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $738,948
6. OCEAN with David Attenborough
7. Tinā
8. The Accountant 2
9. Unko Sweater – The Woolen Sweater
10. Hurry Up Tomorrow
By Jessica Miles, Country Manager, ANZ, Integral Ad Science (IAS)
As the End-of-Financial-Year (EoFY) approaches in Australia, marketers juggle two competing pressures: utilising their remaining budget before June 30, and proving that every dollar spent has delivered business outcomes so that they can rally for similar or higher budgets for the next financial year.
Digital advertising ad spend in Australia is projected to hit AUD 23.7 billion in 2025, accounting for approximately 78% of total advertising investment in the country… but how much of that is actually being seen, engaged with, or remembered? Spoiler alert! Viewability isn’t enough anymore.
For years, viewability has served as a default measurement of success for online advertising. If an ad is on-screen, “it counted”. But in a scroll-heavy, swipe-first landscape, ads can technically be viewable but mentally ignored.
Attention changes that. It’s a measure of whether an ad actually resonates, whether the ad captures focus, lingers in the mind, and drives action. And it’s fast becoming the most meaningful metric for media buyers looking to maximise outcomes, not just impressions.
Media quality is the foundation and critical to driving attention. A high-attention ad is one that is:
• Seen (viewable)
• Safe (appearing in brand-suitable environments)
• Engaging (drives interaction)
At IAS, we call this the trifecta of Visibility, Situation, and Interaction, three signals that predict whether an impression will lead to attention and ultimately results.
While human biases and preferences play a role in how attention is directed, marketers must still find a personalised, holistic suite of metrics that help them measure and optimise in real time to achieve higher consumer attention.
These signals provide actionable insight on attention while simultaneously allowing marketers to implement optimisation strategies to achieve better attention.
From Viewability to Outcomes: The Standard Charter Story
Take Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), the first financial bank brand to utilise Quality Attention Measurement. By scoring each impression against an attention index and reallocating spend in real time, SCB saw in a recent campaign:
• 126% increase in conversions
• -17% decrease in cost per conversion
That’s not just media efficiency, it’s business impact.
With the EoFY approaches in Australia, it’s time to prioritise high-attention, premium environments. The kind that consistently delivers performance across screens and formats. Use this moment to:
• Reevaluate placements against attention metrics (e.g. time in view and interaction rates)
• Cut media waste and reinvest in omnichannel strategies that track attention across platforms
• Push creative that earns attention, not just space
Because even the smartest placements need compelling creatives to seal the deal.
Ultimately, as we head into a new financial year in Australia, marketers who prioritise attention, and not just viewability, will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of their campaigns and their impact on consumers. Marketers, attention is yours to harness. You just need the right strategy to get it.
As James Dowling writes in The Australian, through her lawyers, the former SBS newsreader argues the claim is legally unsound and risks turning a courtroom into a battleground for issues well outside its scope.
Cassuto’s case, filed in the Federal Court in April, stems from Kostakidis sharing a speech by late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
After stints at The Australian, BuzzFeed, and most recently ABC Radio Sydney, Workman’s return marks another strategic reshuffle at the tabloid, with Zac McLean moving up to head of news and deputy Jake McCallum backing her in the new gig.
According to Daanyal Saeed who writes in Crikey, it’s a bit of a homecoming for Workman, who cut her teeth in political reporting and knows the News Corp newsroom rhythm well.
As Steve Douglas reports on 7NEWS, the decision follows backlash over his repost of a video titled “Zionism explained in two minutes”, which featured a rat, a historically loaded image with antisemitic connotations.
The 64-year-old, who has long been the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, was originally set to stay on for future projects including the next FIFA World Cup.
According to Michael M. Grynbaum who writes for The Sydney Morning Herald, her departure follows months of internal friction and comes just as tensions with Donald Trump are reaching boiling point.
Trump is suing Paramount for a staggering $31 billion over claims 60 Minutes misrepresented an interview with Kamala Harris.
As clinics experiment with AI scribes to transcribe and analyse conversations, Kind says patients must be fully informed, and fully free, to say no.
Speaking to Natasha Bita in The Australian, Kind said medical data is too sensitive to be quietly scooped up by artificial intelligence.
As James Hennessy writes in Capital Brief, Toner argued we should lean into our deep bench of scientists and engineers rather than chasing the heavy infrastructure game.
Toner said while Australia will never be a global player in foundational AI or data centres, we do have the talent and the kind of public institutions that can actually get big things done.
As Yolanda Redrup writes in The Australian Financial Review, the pair also joined the UK’s Founder’s Pledge, promising to give away a quarter of their wealth as it becomes liquid over the next five years.
Adams, Canva’s chief product officer, is on the cusp of a major payday with the Aussie design unicorn expected to list on the NASDAQ next year.
As Sarah Patterson writes in Radio Today, think of it as host-read vibes, without the host-read constraints.
The move gives advertisers access to big personalities across Acast’s 140,000-show network, with the added efficiency of programmatic buys.
As Hannah Story writes for ABC.net.au, it is his second time winning the top gong, having first claimed the title back in 2009 with his breakout short story collection The Boat.
His return to the winners’ circle came with an extra payday, too.