Seven West Media will reportedly make up to 150 jobs redundant after the network flagged further cost-cutting exercises in February, by then-CFO Jeff Howard and former CEO James Warburton.

As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, Howard, who is now SWM’s CEO following Warburton’s departure, will inform staff on Tuesday of the company-wide cuts.

SMH reports that the redundancies are not limited to any one division, with journalists from the television and print divisions, sales and marketing roles, as well as printing roles to be cut.

A Seven spokesperson declined to comment. 

At a parliamentary inquiry into social media held last week, Howard, alongside Nine CEO Mike Sneesby and News Corp Australia executive chair Michael Miller, told the parliamentary committee that the network would have to find cost efficiencies if the revenue from its commercial arrangement with Meta ends this year.

The parliamentary committee was called in May after Meta said it would not renew its commercial agreements with local publishers. Meta signed the agreements in 2021, and are due to expire this year.

The reported Seven West Media redundancies come after Seven journalist Robert Ovadia was sacked by the network after an internal investigation was conducted into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

In an interview with The Australian, the Sydney-based crime reporter confirmed he had been fired after 23 years with the network.

“Yes I’ve been sacked and there will be more to say about that in the appropriate forum at the appropriate time,” Ovadia told The Australian.

Ovadia’s exit is the latest in a number of senior staff departures for Seven in the past month. Craig McPherson stepped down after Seven’s Spotlight program became embroiled in Bruce Lehrmann‘s failed defamation battle against 10 and Lisa Wilkinson. Replacing him in April was Anthony De Ceglie, appointed Seven West Media’s new director of news and current affairs.

In the wake of ex-Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach‘s evidence, EP Mark Llewellyn also left the network.

Also in April, Seven settled a defamation claim with the man it incorrectly named as the Bondi Junction attacker, reaching an out-of-court settlement on confidential terms.

See also: Seven reporter Robert Ovadia ‘sacked’ after allegations of inappropriate behaviour

News Corp has also recently made several roles redundant in its current restructure. After seven years with News Corp Australia, head of national trading and NSW consortium agencies, Alexandra Bliekast, was announced to be exiting the business in June.

Bliekast’s exit came as The Sydney Morning Herald reported News Corp Australia will “make up to 80 roles in its sales workforce redundant” as part of its ongoing restructuring. A News Corp spokesperson told the Nine masthead that the claims of a 40% reduction in sales staff was “wildly inaccurate”.

A News Corp Australia spokesman told Mediaweek: “Like most companies, we do not provide commentary on employment matters but the story that first appeared in the Nine Entertainment tabloids, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, contained multiple errors, including the egregiously false claim 40 percent of sales staff were to lose their jobs.”

Other exits so far include Michael Wilkins, managing director of national sport brands, Marcus Hooke, general manager of print production, and Michael Desiere, head of sales – NSW independent agencies and major direct.

Two of the first high-profile exits were Lisa Muxworthy, the editor-in-chief of news.com.au – the most popular news website in the country – and John McGourty, the Editorial Innovation Centre’s group director.

Jacqui Capel, head of Media at Today The Brave, has told Mediaweek that watching clients grow, evolve and improve their results in partnership with the independent full-service creative agency is one of her proudest achievements.

Capel took home the win for Media Agency – Independent at Mediaweek‘s 2024 Next of the Best Awards.

Mediaweek caught up with Capel to speak about the agency adapting to being fully holistic across disciplines, her outlook on the independent agency space, and what the industry can expect from her next.

The awards have been judged by an all-star line-up, what does it mean to you to be recognised by this group?

It genuinely means the world to me. I really respect what each of these legends has contributed to the industry, and their generosity with their time to participate in the process. It makes me proud to work in this field, and I hope I can give back myself in coming months and years through judging.

In three words, how would you describe the Today The Brave team?

Brave, Smart, Collaborative

What’s been your proudest achievement at TTB as head of media?

Watching clients like TRUE NORTH evolve their media strategy, and seeing their results improve as a direct result of our partnership. There really isn’t anything more satisfying professionally than that! I also am extremely proud of how we’ve adapted the agency product to be fully holistic across disciplines, with paid media, PR, social, design and creative all working to common purpose and a single comms for the client – it’s pretty magical stuff.

What excites you about the independent agency space?

The potential to build new models that are better suited to the needs of clients now, and develop really strong partnerships with these clients as we experience success together. Also, I love the diversity of people and backgrounds you find in the Indie space – I never stop learning off talented people with unique skills, and sharing ideas on how to move the industry forward.

Being Next of The Best – what can the industry expect next from you?

In one word – growth. We have an ambitious plan for media here at TTB over the next 12 months, and some fantastic new partners looking to do brave, effective work. We’re keen for the campaigns and results to tell the story for us as we build the capability further and bring new clients on board.

–

Top image: Jacqui Capel

Museums and galleries are filled with artworks, jewels, and priceless relics that have been seized and taken halfway across the planet for display. Following the success of the show’s first season, Marc Fennell returns with a new season of Stuff The British Stole on ABC and iView.

In this season, Fennell wanders from Egyptian deserts to deep in the Amazon River and takes viewers from a shipwreck in the depths of the Aegean Sea to a robot laboratory high in a Tuscan mountain range. Kicking off the season, Stephen Fry joins Fennell for an investigation into what could be the most controversial museum display in Britain, the Parthenon Marbles.

Ahead of the new season airing, Mediaweek caught up with Fennell to speak about filming season two, and the success of the Stuff The British Stole podcast.  

You filmed across 11 different countries, what’s it like working to that sort of filming schedule?

All told it was 11 countries in five months, and I crushed my ankle in Egypt so I ended up having to do most of it limping. Because I’m directing most of the show, you fall into a zone where you’re in work mode, you’re constantly moving or planning or thinking about the next day or looking at the footage from the day before. But I’d have occasionally these weird out-of-body experiences like, I can’t believe I’m standing on the top of the mountain made out of marble in Tuscany.

I’ve joked for a long time that this show is Indiana Jones in reverse – he goes around the world and says things belong in a museum, and then I come along and go, yeah, but does it? But the job of filming it genuinely does feel like an amazing adventure. 

I can only imagine a show like this would be full of pinch-me moments.

You have to acknowledge the privilege of it, right? The responsibility is to try and bottle this sense of adventure and capture that energy for an audience, so when they’re at home watching on iView, or on Monday night, they feel the same way we feel about it as we’re doing it.

How do you go about bottling that feeling?

It’s always remembering that it’s a mystery show first. We set up an email address when we started the podcast so that people could email us with anything in a museum or gallery they were curious about. We’ve had literally thousands of emails. From that, we would narrow it down. What I’m looking for is an object that is intriguing in and of itself, but opens up a doorway into history. It’s really important to preserve that sense of discovery. 

If an object’s got a clear-cut history – it was clearly taken by this person at that time – it’s not as interesting as something with multiple points of view. Maybe it was taken, maybe it wasn’t. The thing that excites me about the show is the grey areas of history, where it’s not instantly obvious whether something was good or bad, and it’s about bringing the audience along for the ride of the mystery so that they can decide whether something was good, bad, or a bit of both. 

Can you tell me a bit about how the show and the podcast differ?

I view them all as part of the same universe of stories, I don’t think of one as higher or lower than the other. They’re connected, but there are some crucial differences.

With the television show, you have to be able to show people things, and the one piece of leverage that museums and galleries have is they can always say no, you can’t film the object and we won’t answer any questions. I suspect they think that will stop the stories from going ahead, and it doesn’t. 

With the television show, we have a whole budget just for replicates. Now, if we use a replica in the show we always tell you at some point, but we had a whole replica of a sphinx made for, we had to replicate a sixth-century mosaic, we borrowed the crown from one of the props companies that does the props for The Crown. We’re always trying to bring things to life. 

The podcast just hit 5 million downloads last month, which is huge – congratulations.

Thank you. The reason I’m surprised by it is because you have to consider the origin of this thing – it literally started with me and a microphone by myself with a couple of hours to spare in London. We’d had the idea and I’d pitched it around to British broadcasters at the time. This is 2019 and all these British broadcasters just looked at me blankly like, Did we really steal that much stuff, though? 

I just started recording it by myself with the microphone. From then the ABC and CBC got involved, and when the podcast launched it went to number one in a whole bunch of different online podcasts rankers. I was like, What? I thought I thought I was making this weird niche show about nicked artefacts, and actually, I think it tapped into something that I don’t think I could have predicted. 

Finally – is your ankle okay now?

I was at the gym, and my trainer was asked if my ankle was still a bit wonky. I didn’t really have time to get it looked at because we were filming from May all the way up to October, and by the time it was done and I had it out of my head, I had sort of forgotten that my ankle had ever felt any different. So the short version is no, it’s not totally better, and yes, I should seek professional help. Or I’ll just focus on upper-body workouts for the rest of my life.

Stuff The British Stole season two airs Monday nights at 8pm ABC TV and any time on ABC iview

After a career of 18 years at News Corp, journalist Jonathon Moran (aka J.Mo) sees the release of his Mental As Anyone podcast today.

Podcasts about mental health night not top the monthly Podcast Ranker charts. But if being worthy is worth a spot near the top, Mental As Anyone should qualify.

As entertainment editor across the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, Moran has thrived in a space that sees some burnout after a few years. The entertainment beat might seem glamorous, but it can soon lose its lustre.

Moran’s had a few personal and professional challenges along the way. Personal include his bouts of depression and professional the legal stoush after the publication of allegations made by a co-star about a theatre colleague.

“I have the best job in the world. It isn’t a job – it is a lifestyle,” Moran told Mediaweek. His explanation helps explain how he has lasted so long in the role.

Jonathon Moran on life at News

“News Corp, and specifically the Telegraph is my life. I live and breathe my work and am very proud of what I’ve achieved over the years. It is also the people I’ve worked with, like Daily Telegraph editor Ben English, who has been at the centre of bringing Mental As Anyone to life. He helps make me be a better journalist day in and day out, his support has been incredible.”

He acknowledged it is tough when people in the sector are the victim of budget cuts. But Moran noted: “It is a fantastic time to be a journalist – despite the doom and gloom out there, it is an exciting time where we as journalists can and should try new ways of storytelling. Being a part of the News Corp, Google and the Melbourne Business School’s Digital News Academy has been pivotal in this for me.

“I will be forever grateful to the likes of Campbell Reid [former Telegraph editor now running corporate affairs] and Sonja Heydemann [director of Digital News Academy] for guiding me through this and giving me new skills to take on the new world of media.”

Mental As Anyone episode guide

For the first season of 10 episodes, Moran has assembled an impressive guest list: Guy Sebastian, Michael Clarke, Grant Denyer, Isaac Humphries, Colin Fassnidge, Ant Middleton, Ben Gillies, Robert Irwin, Toby Rudolf, and Hannah Conda.

The entertainment journalist grills everyone he meets, regardless of the situation. He encourages frank discussion and can be revealing about his own life. Was he worried about what this series might reveal publicly about his own journey?

“Nothing is off limits. I was only ever going to be doing this podcast if it was a free-flow discussion and I very much share my journey, which has not been easy at times. I was first diagnosed with severe depression at around 18 and have spent time in hospital for treatment.

“Mental health, or mental wellness, is something we have to talk about. It is vital. I feel genuinely that if I can muster the strength to talk about my challenges, it will hopefully in some small way help contribute to the conversation and help others to feel less alone. We are losing way too many people and the fact is, no matter how seemingly successful someone may or may not be, we are all battling our own demons. That may not be diagnosed depression, it may be through tackling tough times or helping friends when they’ve struggled. I think everyone can relate to this.

Jonathon Moran with Mental As Anyone guest Ben Gillies

“I’ve been very vocal throughout my life about my mental health journey. And I made a decision when I was still a teenager that I would never hide my sexuality, nor would I hide my mental health battles. I have the privilege of being a storyteller for my work and with this comes responsibility. Sure, some people might think I cover light-hearted topics but the truth is, the deeper discussions I’ve had and stories I’ve told have been the most important to me throughout my career.

“This project, along with News Corp’s interview exhibit at Qtopia Sydney, are two of the most important pieces of work I’ve been involved in over my life and I am very proud of both of them.

“Gus Worland from Gotcha4Life has been a great inspiration for me, I’d like to continue to work with him and his organisation. I’ve also MCd various mental health forums, for example during the Invictus Games when they were held in Sydney.”

Press Gallery gig preceded Confidential

If you’ve managed to avoid Jonathon Moran’s byline over the past two decades you haven’t been paying attention. He started in the media working for Australian Associated Press.

He explained: “At AAP, I started in the Press Gallery at Parliament House in Canberra. First doing work experience and then scoring a job 20 hours a week while studying journalism/comms at the University of Canberra. At AAP, I moved to Sydney from Canberra to do my cadetship, did a year as the retail equities writer and then a few years as the national entertainment writer.

“I am now in my 18th year with News Corp Australia, having started on January 3, 2007. I came to The Sunday Telegraph first, hired as the music columnist, and when the Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph merged, went on to my current position.”

Jonathon Moran

How to listen to Mental As Anyone

The first season runs for 10 weeks with a new episode dropping early every Tuesday.
The series is produced by Moran with ProPodcast’s Darcy Milne.
Episodes run for close to 30 minutes. Video highlights will be available at The Daily Telegraph online and on social platforms.

See also: News Corp restructure: Sunday Telegraph editor departs – ‘Goodbye, it’s been a privilege’

More than 20.7 million people used a news website or app in May, reaching 96.7% of online Australians aged 14+, according to Ipsos iris data.

Readers sought online news content to understand the implications of the Federal and State Government Budgets on their lives, with the mid-air turbulence disaster on Singapore Airlines, the double murder of two Australian surfers in Mexico, and the appearance of Aurora Australis also driving news consumption.

Australians also turned to digital News websites and apps for entertainment stories such as the Met Gala in New York, Seven Network’s Farmer Wants A Wife, and Eurovision.

The top-read site, news.com.au garnered an audience of 12.696 million, reaching one in two online Australians with an average time spent on the site of 27 minutes per person.

News.com.au Editor Kerry Warren said the May result for the site was driven by cost-of-living concerns reaching crisis levels for many Australians.

“The Federal Budget captured readers’ interest, with the biggest audience driven to stories about measures to ease the cost of living, such as the $300 energy rebates.
 
“But alongside this was news of the collapse of several Australian businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, and personal stories about the rental crisis, which is hitting young Aussies particularly hard.”
 
Warren said May was also a big month for international news, with the murder of the Aussie brothers in Mexico, and the helicopter crash that killed Iran’s president. Singapore Airlines’ fatal turbulence episode, and Donald Trump’s guilty verdict rounding out a big month.
 
The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during May 2024 by online audience size.

Ipsos iris showed that overall, 21.5 million Australians aged 14+ used the internet in May and spent on average 4.5 hours per day, or almost 137 hours for the month, online.

The most consumed website and app categories in February were search engines (21.4 million), social networking (21.3 million), technology (21.3 million), retail and commerce (21.1 million) and entertainment (21.1 million).

As the winter weather makes its presence known, the energy suppliers/utilities category grew its audience by +5.7%, perhaps as Australians searched for better deals.

Mother’s Day drives retail growth; Temu rises to 5th biggest online retail brand

Almost 21.1 million Australians aged 14+ used a retail or commerce website or app in May.

Most of the top 10 online retail brands have grown their audience year on year with the biggest growth coming from Chinese ecommerce shopping site Temu, increasing its audience by +39.7%, followed by Coles Group, which was up +18.8%. Just one year after its launch in Australia, Temu has more than 11 million Australians using its app or website and is the fourth largest online retail brand in the country, reflecting consumers’ desire to hunt down a bargain.

In the retail sub-categories, the largest growth was for flower shopping for Mother’s Day on 11 May, which jumped by +28.6% compared to April and by +21.2% compared to February 2024, which was the next biggest month for purchasing flowers online due to Valentine’s Day.

Restaurants and pubs websites and apps also saw their biggest audiences for 2024 in May, to more than 5.9 million people, up 5.8% on April, according to Ipsos iris data.

The chart below shows the Retail and Commerce brands’ ranking during May 2024 by online audience size.

Between impending privacy changes, the deprecation of cookies and the impact of AI, digital advertising is heading into a future more unpredictable than ever before. Amid all the turbulence, TV offers stability, brand safety and a reliable return on investment, despite market-wide disruption.

By Kim Portrate, CEO at ThinkTV

There’s never a dull moment in this industry. If there is and we do get a little peace, it causes headlines too. But right now, there’s no end to the onslaught of change in the media landscape. 

It’s hard to recall a time of such rapid change with the transformative impact of artificial intelligence hogging most of the headlines. 

No doubt you’re already seeing the impact of AI on your business and with the recent rollout of ChatGPT with Voice, even more dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour will soon be a reality. 

From AI providing direct answers to consumer questions, potentially bypassing traditional brand websites, to services that can do our bidding reducing the need to personally manage admin tasks like changing your internet plan or insurance provider, the digital environment we have become comfortable with is set for a massive shake-up.

And, while this technological advancement holds some promise for both consumers and brands, it adds a layer of unpredictability for advertisers. The once again delayed deprecation of third-party cookies amplifies this uncertainty, particularly when partnered with impending changes to privacy regulations later this year. 

It’s little wonder advertisers are looking at how these changes impact the way they interact with their consumers, rethinking everything from SEO to the way they find and communicate with customers in digital channels. 

In times of uncertainty, advertisers seek out stability. And that’s where Total TV helps.

Recent OzTAM data shows TV audiences have stabilised, offering a haven from certainty in an otherwise volatile environment. Data shows that TV continues to engage over 19 million Australians weekly, surpassing the active user base of popular social media platforms.

The consistent weekly reach of TV, combined with the growing popularity of Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVOD), underscores TV’s ability to adapt and remain strong in this rapidly changing landscape.  

Even the sought-after 16-39 demographic is looking stable in the Total TV environment.

This stability is a boon for advertisers. Predictable viewership allows for more precise planning and execution of campaigns. Brands can confidently invest in Total TV, knowing their messages will reach a wide and engaged audience. 

Add to this Total TV’s sophisticated targeting capabilities available through BVOD and investment in TV gives advertisers the best of both worlds: high-velocity reach as well as the tools to target specific demographics safely, consistently and effectively. 

In a time when digital can feel like a gamble, TV offers advertisers a safe bet. Its trusted, brand-safe environment makes it an attractive choice for advertisers. 

The near future only holds more upheaval for digital as AI and privacy regulations continue to reshape the landscape. While this plays out, TV stands out as a stable and effective medium, ready to deliver consistent results for brands.

Television has always been more than just a platform for content; it reflects and shapes our community, making it an integral part of Australian culture. 

For advertisers looking to connect with audiences in meaningful and impactful ways, TV remains an invaluable partner in the ever-changing world of media.

See also: Kim Portrate: TV is for everyone, and every advertiser

By Jasmin Bedir, CEO of Innocean

Dearest gentle reader…

Yes, I’ve been bingeing Bridgerton, because Bridgerton is life. And it is currently my guilty pleasure, because this author needed an escape from the endless Cannes LinkedIn and Instagram posts filled with self-love and champagne, whilst I’m regretting all of my life choices in 10 degrees Sydney with no central heating and single glazing. If someone can explain the economics behind this to me, I’ll buy you dinner.

Things have been hotting up in Cannes, and AI is the subject of all the sordid gossip-mongering.

But also in closer geographies, like the beautiful Brisbane, where I had the honour to co-host the Design Conference and an entire panel session on Generative AI. The discussion and feedback is in line with what I’m reading and hearing from the Cote D’Azur and it’s leaving me somewhat bewildered.

There are basically two camps:

There is the late Gen X-Y and Boomery world of creatives singing from the wishful “it’s just a tool” songsheet and comparing it to the time when we had to deal with Social Media coming to the industry (LOL). I guess when you’re nearing the end of your career in this industry, a “this too shall pass” attitude to your work is somewhat understandable.
 
But this shall not pass for those who are younger, and they know it. In the current cost-out economic environment, it is getting harder for creatives to express the value of their creative process to brands and clients – and copyright/IP issues are high on the long list of worries they are expressing.
 
And clients, who see an opportunity to do more with less but are rightly concerned about governance issues with AI.
 
These are real and valid concerns. Meanwhile the creative “elite” thinks that wanging on about AI is entirely unnecessary if you just make good work or purchase a Cannes edition tote bag for 25 Pounds.
 
Right, I’m going back to Bridgerton.
 
Yours truly.
 
–
 
Top image: Jasmin Bedir

By Lorraine Woods, Atomic 212°’s chief investment and trading officer

Attending Cannes Lions 2024 was such a privilege and an eye-opening experience. Although I had heard about the festival, its scale and structure was, at times, overwhelming. There were countless sessions to attend, houses to explore, and endless opportunities for networking and socialising. So here’s what I took away from my experience as a first-timer at Cannes Lions.

As technology advances and the advertising landscape continues to evolve, the industry is going to continue to experience rapid change and disruption, which is bringing about a fair amount of fear of the unknown. The way to navigate this future successfully and remain competitive is to not only accept change and innovation but to embrace it with open arms.

Keeping up with AI advancement is essential to future success. 

As expected, AI was a hot topic at Cannes Lions. AI will continue to drive rapid change in our industry at an exponential rate. There is a real fear that AI will replace human jobs and this was addressed by some of the smartest minds like Vidhya Srinivasan, Google’s ads product vice president;  Alex Chen, director at the Creative La; Elon Musk; and Deepak Chopra. Elon was adamant that AI will replace human jobs where if you think about it, AI can do it. Google and Deepak had a softer stance that AI will not fully take the place of human creativity, it will just augment human capabilities and open new opportunities rather than replace all jobs. 

The consensus is clear however: Those who efficiently adopt AI now will have the greatest chance of success in the future. However, there is much caution to the industry on ensuring how we teach the machine to learn will be vital for a safe and effective future that’s free from biases and exclusivity.

Fostering a yes culture will only promote innovation and encourage creativity. 

During a very impressive session with the McDonald’s global senior teams, they highlighted the results of how promoting a “yes culture” to your agency and teams will only encourage creativity and adoption of tech changes. In order to do this, you need to be consistent with your messaging and bring the key stakeholders on the journey from the beginning, getting a unified understanding of the end goal and working collaboratively to deliver this.

Having the CFO and the CMO speak the same language and align on not only what success looks like but also how to measure it was a vital piece that resulted in taking risks delivering billions of dollars of uplift in sales. They were vocal on the potential of empowering your people to take the strategic direction and execute it in their style, based on their knowledge of their department/market.  

It’s no easy task getting all stakeholders on the same journey, but the results speak for themselves; when you are able to achieve this level of collaboration and alignment you are able to promote innovation and agility which is essential for the growth of your business outcomes.  

Instilling change for our children’s future. 

Part of embracing change and innovation is also driving where we have the ability to do so. 

I had the pleasure of listening to a seven-year-old boy speak about his concerns for his future in this world if we don’t act on climate change immediately. The advertising industry holds a unique position to influence public perception and behaviour, playing a critical role in addressing climate change. It’s so good to see that there is still significant discussion about how the industry can drive positive environmental impact.

Be the catalyst within your business to orchestrate the change that is needed – for your kids or even your kid’s kids. If you don’t know where to start, you can start here simply by taking this pledge. By leveraging its influence, the advertising industry can play a pivotal role in combating climate change and promoting a more sustainable future.

_

Top image: Lorraine Woods 

SXSW Sydney has revealed more than 500 new speakers, workshops, artists, screenings, games and experiences for this year’s event, taking place 14-20 October.

SXSW Sydney chair and TEG Group CEO Geoff Jones said: “SXSW Sydney’s uniqueness lies in the breadth of content, topics and experiences on offer, and this October we are excited to welcome a diverse group of speakers and talent from a range of industries to the SXSW Sydney stage.”

Leading the announcement of new speakers appearing is Reed Jobs, founder of venture capital firm Yosemite, which has raised more than $200 million to finance innovation in cancer care.

Badge holders will also hear from Google DeepMind AI researcher Clare Bycroft, managing director of Bunnings Mike Schneider, founder of BuildClub Annie Liao, deputy associate dean education, UTS Business Dr Amanda White OAM, founder and lead of the first National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA) Professor Christopher Lawrence, CEO of Andromedia Robotics Grace Brown plus more.

New sessions include: 

• The Genomic Transformation of Medicine: The panel will discuss the current state and future opportunities for these transformative technologies, and grapple with the impending challenges of cost, data privacy, and equity in the genomic era.

• Betting Big on Bio – Why the Future of the World Will Be Defined By Biotech: In this session, Reed Jobs, Emily Casey and a panel of biomedical experts examine how and why the future of the world, and business, rests on the shoulders of biotechnology.

• The Plausible Future of Trust: A discussion with managing director of Bunnings Mike Schneider, interviewed by Nadine Parkington from Think Nimble. As the leader of one of Australia’s most trusted brands, how is Mike thinking about the future of trust?

• Move Fast and Fix Things: Tech Driving Thoughtful Social Impact: Australia’s most successful founders and tech businesses are consciously — and with urgency — using their resources for maximum social impact. Moderated by Antonia Ruffell (StartGiving), along with impact experts including Tash Keuneman, (Keuneman Foundation).

• Democracy Under Fire: The Threat of Deepfakes, Disinformation and Fake News on a Global Scale: Hear from leading experts as they go through the social, political and economic implications of deepfakes, disinformation and fake news, and the impact they’ll have in 2024’s record-breaking year for global elections.

• How Changing Your Clothes Can Change Your Life: Fashion profiler and multi-Emmy Award-nominated TV journalist, Kathryn Eisman, and celebrated journalist and television presenter Jessica Rowe discuss the fascinating truth about our clothing choices and their profound influence on subconscious minds.

• Pioneers and Prodigies: The Next Generation of Venture Capital: This panel will uncover the dynamics between experienced investors and newcomers, discussing their coexistence in the art of investing into startups.

• X Marks The Spot: Inventives Fuelling Innovation: This session moderated by Prof Catherine Ball will discuss technologies that map the ocean floor, creating a tricorder, and how robots are becoming our avatars.

The full list of sessions can be found on the SXSW Sydney schedule. The conference takes place from 14-20 October 2024. 

TOP 5

1. Inside Out 2 – $7,471,337 (1)

Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 holds at #1 despite strong animated competition with the fourth instalment in the Despicable Me franchise. The film introduces a new array of emotions for a now-teenage Riley, including Anxiety voiced by Maya Hawke and Envy voiced by Ayo Edebiri.

Coming in first place this week, Inside Out 2 took $7,471,337 in its second week, averaging $11,973 over 624 screens.

Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $19,130,631

Synopsis: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety shows up, they aren’t sure how to feel.

2. Despicable Me 4 – $7,023,643 (debut)

Steve Carell returns to voice Gru and this time is joined by fellow funnyman Will Ferrell who plays the villain Maxime Le Mal. The Despicable Me franchise is the highest-grossing animated film franchise of all time, grossing a total of more than $4.6 billion. Coming in second place this week, Despicable Me 4 took $7,023,643 in its first week, averaging $10,642 over 660 screens.

Synopsis: Gru welcomes a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who’s intent on tormenting his dad. However, their peaceful existence soon comes crashing down when criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison and vows revenge against Gru.

3. Bad Boys: Ride or Die – $1,626,657 (2)

The new film in the Bad Boys franchise is directed by Adil and Bilall, who are rumoured to be in talks with Marvel to direct the upcoming fourth Spider-Man film, starring Tom Holland. Coming in third place this week, Bad Boys: Ride or Die took $1,626,657 in its third week, averaging $3,801 over 428 screens.

Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $10,339,785

Synopsis: When their late police captain gets linked to drug cartels, wisecracking Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett embark on a dangerous mission to clear his name.

4. The Garfield Movie – $359,670 (3)

Sony’s newest iteration of the Monday-hating, lasagna-loving cat is voiced by Chris Pratt, who is now known as Garfield, Star-Lord in the MCU, and the voice of Mario in the Super Mario animated films. Coming in fourth place this week, The Garfield Movie took $359,670 in its fourth week, averaging $1,124 over 320 screens.

Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $7,863,344

Synopsis: After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, the street cat Vic, Garfield is forced to leave his very comfortable life with Harald behind. Together with Vic and Odie, he plans a crazy robbery.

5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – $328,063 (4)

Warner Bros’ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is its newest entry into the Australian-set, post-apocalyptic franchise. Directed by George Miller, the film is a prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, a film that was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won 6 of them. In a running theme for the 2024 box office, this film was also partially shot in Australia, with some filming taking place in the small NSW towns of Hay and Silverton.

Coming in fifth place this week, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took $328,063 in its fifth week, averaging $1,345 over 244 screens.

Total Australian Box Office gross to date: $9,722,634

Synopsis: Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe. As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home.

Top 6 – 10

6. Ghost: Rite Here Rite Now
7. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
8. IF
9. The Convert
10. The Exorcism

Ryan Ambrose has been promoted to the new role of Melbourne head of investment at PHD Australia.

He returns to Melbourne following a stint as group investment director at the agency’s Sydney office.

In his role, Ambrose will deliver PHD’s investment product and work to advance PHD Melbourne’s investment community and client offering, continuing to drive solutions and client growth. 

He will work closely with Maree Braham, PHD’s head of accountability to maximise investment outcomes for clients, with a focus on superior compliance, rigour and performance.

Maree Braham

Ambrose said of the promotion and return to Melbourne: “I’m thrilled to be back at PHD Melbourne supported by a national best-in-class investment offering and look forward to continuing to drive growth, exceptional value and innovation for our clients.” 

He will report to PHD’s chief investment officer Joanna Barnes, who continues to lead the national team. She said of Ambrose’s appointment: “The business has incredible talent, and I am so pleased to see ongoing career progression within PHD.”
 
“Ryan is a progressive and decisive leader which is exactly what we need to accelerate our client’s growth ambitions in this new era.
 
“Ryan has been with PHD since 2016 and in that time has impressed across so many areas and I can’t wait for the full ‘Ambrose effect’ to take hold,” she added.
 
Ambrose’s promotion comes after the agency appointed Brendan Hewitt as its new Sydney head of strategy, to replace the outgoing Remi Baker.
 
Baker has spent 11 years all up at PHD, joining in 2013 in the UK. She had a brief stint at Bauer Media in London in 2016, before relocating to Sydney in 2017 and rejoining the agency. In 2021, she was promoted to head of strategy.
 
See also: Brendan Hewitt replaces Remi Baker as PHD Sydney head of strategy

–
 
Top image: Ryan Ambrose

The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) will bring Digi-Byte, the industry body’s new networking and education event, to Melbourne.

Digi-Byte, which will be held at Fortress Melbourne on 9 July, is designed to explore the nation’s digital landscape.

Paco Albie, Digital Immersion co-founder, will bring his e-commerce and digital data expertise from working client-side at Chemist Warehouse, Country Road and Nike to discuss personalisation, e-commerce and retail media trends in a keynote presentation.

The event will also feature panel discussions and an immersive gaming experience sponsored by GCA Media Network. The panel discussions will focus on:

• Retail media: to be moderated by Hatched head of retail, Simon Porter, and featuring GCA head of media strategy and pnsights, Cameron Gunns, and Criteo managing director, Colin Barnard.
• Digital audio: to be moderated by Media33 head of digital, Robbie Ibbotson, and featuring SCA head of digital ad product and operations, Kim Loasby, Nova chief commercial officer, Nicole Bence, ARN head of digital audio, Corey Layton, and SEN head of digital sales, River Bradley.
• Ultimate programmatic channel: to be moderated by Half Dome co-founder, Joe Frazer and featuring QMS head of programmatic sales, Laura Wall, Spotify head of automation JAPAC, Liam Hickey, Nine director of programmatic and digital sales, Jordan King, Blis head of sales, Elias Psarologos, and ACM senior product manager, Anushka Aghaian.

The inaugural Digi-Byte event, held in Sydney in May, drew in an attendance of close to 200 independent agency executives and media partners to discuss hot topics in the digital space, including the evolution and impact of AI, the next wave of social media, the rise of shoppable content and leveraging influencer collaborations.

Blis head of sales Australia/New Zealand, Elias Psarologos, said: “Following the success of the Sydney Digi-Byte event, we are thrilled to extend our support to the Melbourne event. Melbourne’s dynamic digital landscape makes it a crucial hub for innovation and growth in Australia, and with that, Blis wants to ensure our continued dedication to advancing the Melbourne adtech market.
 
“Our involvement with the Digi-Byte series not only highlights our commitment to staying at the forefront of digital advancements, but also reflects our dedication to providing advertisers, media agencies and marketers with the insights and tools they need to thrive. We thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Sydney Digi-Byte event and look forward to contributing to another enriching and impactful experience in Melbourne.”

IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, said: “We were overwhelmed with the response from the Sydney indie sector to our first-ever Digi-Byte event, and we’re looking forward to bringing the energy and excitement from the Sydney session to our members and partners in Melbourne.
 
“Digital media will receive the highest proportion of investment from our members, according to our latest IMAA Indie Census. The Digi-Byte series provides an opportunity for our members to come together to discuss the current digital state-of-play, as well as what’s to come, and to hear and learn from experts in the space. We’re excited to have a stellar line-up of panellists for our Melbourne event – I know their insights and learnings will be invaluable for agencies as they plan their 2024/2025 campaigns.”
 
The Digi-Byte series is supported by Blis, GCA Media Network, ACM, Cool Media and StackAdapt.

Cadbury has launched a new video AI campaign platform as the latest instalment of the confectionary brand‘s longstanding Cheer & A Half Campaign, which seeks to recognise volunteers and their contributions to grassroots sport. The campaign was produced by creative network Ogilvy and production partner Hogarth.

Based around a consumer-facing AI tool, built in collaboration with design and tech agency T&DA, the work allows users based in Australia and New Zealand to create unique, animated and personalised videos featuring a volunteer they’d like to thank, which can then be shared on social media.

“Cadbury Dairy Milk stands for generosity, and volunteers are the ultimate manifestation of that. Volunteers don’t ask for recognition, but without them, local sport wouldn’t exist,” said Ogilvy Melbourne ECD, Hilary Badger.

“We understand that most volunteers prefer a small gesture of thanks rather than a big fanfare. And although we’ve made volunteers the stars of their own videos, we’ve approached it very personally. The interesting paradox here is this great array of tech used to honour something very humble.”

 

 

The platform uses visual technology to map volunteers’ facial features onto avatars generating personalised profiles, enhancing artist sketches with 3D depth and lighting to produce fully rendered characters. The tool further combines interface builder ComfyUI with 3D content Unity and T&DA’s platform, turning AI processes into a user-friendly solution on AWS. 

“This is modern AI at its finest,” described T&DA executive director, Tyrone Estephan. “This platform is a revolutionary blend of AI and human creativity. We’re proud to support Cadbury’s campaign, celebrating community heroes.”

The campaign, now across TV, BVOD and social in Australia and New Zealand, is further backed by a digital media rollout developed by media agency, Wavemaker. Assets show past and present Aussie and Kiwi Olympic and Paralympic athletes using the tool to celebrate the volunteers in their life.

These Cadbury Ambassadors include Paralympic wheelchair racer Madison de Rozario, former Olympian and world champion marathon runner Rob de Castella, NBA Miami Heat player and former captain of Basketball Australia’s Boomers Patty Mills, swimmer Emma McKeon, world number one surfer Molly Picklum, and Wallabies player Nic White.

Ben Wicks, vice president marketing of Mondelez International, said the campaign was a chance to recognise what makes Australia great as a sporting nation.

“The extraordinary feats on the field and the inspiring moments of generosity from volunteers at every level within every sport that connect us as a community,” he said.

“We’re thrilled to enable Aussies and Kiwis to show gratitude for these moments of generosity in a very personal way, made possible through this new campaign and its unique application of Gen AI.”

In the lead up to the Olympics and Paralympics Games 2024, the campaign marks a continuation of Cadbury’s ongoing support of both elite and community sports, having invested $50 million in Australian sports over the past decade.

In April, Cadbury and Rugby Australia struck a deal that will see Cadbury become the principal partner of the Wallaroos for the next six years, through to Australia’s home Rugby World Cup in 2029.

In March, in a bid to redefine and broaden the experience of Easter as a more inclusive and accessible occasion, Cadbury expanded its Accessible Easter Egg Hunt, hosting the event for the first time in Sydney with non-profit, NextSense.

See also:
Cadbury becomes principal partner of Wallaroos, Australian women’s rugby team
Cadbury expands Accessible Easter Egg Hunt with NextSense and FutureLabs

Credits: 
Ogilvy Australia 
Hogarth
Wavemaker
T&DA

The Idea Shed has teamed up with Perfetti Van Melle to launch the new Mentos campaign, Fresh Feels Like, as part of the brand’s ‘Yes To Fresh’ platform.

This marks the first campaign the Sydney-based creative commerce agency has brought to life for Mentos. It aims to bring a refreshing new perspective to everyday moments, highlighting Mentos as more than just a fresh breath—it’s a fresh mindset.

Mentos required a localised campaign to introduce the ‘Yes To Fresh’ platform to the Australian market. The brand enlisted The Idea Shed to bring this story to the Australian people with an Out-Of-Home media buy supported by social media.

Richie Strettell, partner at The Idea Shed, said: “The thrill of turning everyday moments into something unexpectedly fresh is what we wanted to bottle with this campaign. Our goal was to create relatable yet delightful scenarios that resonate with our audience, showcasing that fun needs no reason. It’s been great to work with the team at Perfetti Van Melle, and we hope this is just the first of many successful collaborations.”

The campaign aims to drive awareness and establish Mentos as the brand that disrupts the everyday. Developed and produced in just six weeks, The Fresh Feels Like campaign features scenes where the hero talent experiences everyday moments like being at the barber or working in the office, which are then changed in an instant by events such as a cancelled meeting or a fresh fade. These scenarios bring the concept of fresh to life in a relatable way.

Michael Puglisi, country manager ANZ at Perfetti Van Melle, said: “The Fresh Feels Like campaign beautifully captures Mentos’ essence, thanks to The Idea Shed. Their collaborative spirit and creative vision, bolstered by our brand team’s support, were key to bringing this vision to life.”

The Idea Shed Credits:

• John Volckman – Partner / Executive Creative Director
• Richie Strettell – Partner
• Steve Madgwick – Group Creative Director
• Daniel Miller – Senior Creative
• Adrian Moore – Head of Experience
• Claire Hughes – Senior Designer
• Karin Andreasson – Head of Growth
• William Sones – Senior Account Manager

Production Credits:

• Chronicle Studios – Production Agency
• Dale Bennetto – Head of Production
• Si Kirk – Director of Photography
• Kate Turner – Producer
• Kosta Klemencic – Gaffer
• Margarita Gershkovich – Production Stylist
• Flo Orban – Animator/Editor

Client Team:

• Nikolah Best – Senior Brand Manager, Perfetti Van Melle
• Margretta Sowah – Assistant Brand Manager, Perfetti Van Melle
• Michael Puglisi – Country Manager ANZ, Perfetti Van Melle
• Dianaimh Phelan – Brand Manager, Stuart Alexander
• Siobhan Feeney – Senior Brand Manager, Stuart Alexander
• Ann-Marie Raza – Head of Marketing – Confectionery, Stuart Alexander

The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) has revamped the NGEN Award category of the MFA Awards and introduced changes to ensure it delivers on its ambition to empower NGENers to have successful media careers.

The NGEN Award gives media professionals with less than five years of experience the opportunity to showcase their skills and develop their capabilities by responding to a real brief to solve a charity client communication challenge.

This year’s charity is Dress for Success NSW & ACT, with a campaign objective of increasing client numbers across all of the organisation’s services. Through its signature Styling service and Career Support offerings, Dress for Success aims to help women overcome bias and discrimination when entering or re-entering the workforce.

NGEN Award changes introduced this year as part of the revamp:

• Strategy and NGEN Award Kick-Off Webinar: Being held tomorrow Wednesday 26 June, at 10am AEST, designed to show NGENers how to use facts and research to uncover key insights and build a solid framework for responding to a brief. The webinar will be available to view on the MFA website for those who can’t attend.
• NGEN Award Day: Shortlisted entrants will be notified by phone call and invited to a live presentation to judges on the same day, providing experience in presenting.
• Feedback from judges: Judges will provide feedback to shortlisted entrants, delivering important learning and development.

Winning entries have gone on to become actual campaigns, such as 2022 winners Ben Breden and Olivia Coxon from Initiative, who turned their entry into a fundraising campaign for youth mental health charity batyr with the help of 19 media partners and $1.3 million in donated media.

Breden said: “Entering the NGEN Award and then getting to bring our idea to life in the real world was an amazing experience. Beyond it being a chance to meaningfully support the worthy cause of youth mental health, we were exposed to a far broader experience than our usual day-to-day. We worked on everything from strategy, to planning, to implementation and more. It definitely accelerated our knowledge and skills, and our understanding of how agencies and clients work together. Don’t miss your chance to enter!”

Melanie Aslanidis, head of NGEN, added: “The NGEN Award really is a fantastic opportunity for professional development for NGENers at all stages of their career, and a perfect demonstration of our industry’s We Are The Changers purpose. I encourage all NGENers to download the brief and view the Strategy and NGEN Award Kick-Off webinar to upskill their strategic and creative capabilities and supercharge their careers.”
 
NGEN Award entrants must be registered members of NGEN with less than five years’ experience and currently working for a media communications agency or media owner.
 
Key NGEN Award dates:

• Today, 25 June: NGEN Award Entries Open
• 26 June: Strategy & NGEN Award Kick-Off Webinar at 10am AEST
• 26 July: NGEN Award Entries Close
• 22 August: NGEN Award Day – shortlisted entrants will be notified on the day and required to present
• 19 September: MFA Awards winners announced at gala event, White Bay Cruise Terminal, Sydney
 
The 2024 MFA Awards sponsors are:
 
Grand Prix Sponsor: Seven Network
Platinum Sponsors: Meta, Outdoor Media Association, SBS
Gold Sponsors: Ad Standards, Foxtel Media, Google, News Corp, OzTAM

Sunday 23 June 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s Travel Guides recorded a total TV national reach of 2,209,000, a total TV national audience of 1,177,000, and a BVOD audience of 84,000.

Nine’s NRL – Tigers v Raiders recorded a total TV national reach of 1,148,000, a total TV national audience of 498,000, and a BVOD audience of 45,000.

Seven’s Dream Home recorded a total TV national reach of 1,743,000, a total TV national audience of 801,000, and a BVOD audience of 55,000.

Also on Seven, 7NEWS Spotlight recorded a total TV national reach of 1,149,000, a total TV national audience of 567,000, and a BVOD audience of 29,000.

10’s airing of MasterChef Australia recorded a total TV national reach of 1,220,000, a total TV national audience of 668,000, and a BVOD audience of 58,000.

See also: TV Report 23 June 2024: Travel Guides take on Canada and ice hockey

People 25-54

Nine’s Travel Guides:
• Total TV nation reach: 716,000
• National Audience: 406,000
• BVOD Audience: 48,000

Nine’s NRL – Tigers v Raiders:
• Total TV nation reach: 381,000
• National Audience: 154,000
• BVOD Audience: 26,000

10’s MasterChef:
• Total TV nation reach: 426,000
• National Audience: 232,000 
• BVOD Audience: 33,000

Seven’s Dream Home:
• Total TV nation reach: 525,000
• National Audience: 242,000
• BVOD Audience: 31,000

Seven’s 7NEWS Spotlight:
• Total TV nation reach: 357,000
• National Audience: 175,000
• BVOD Audience: 16,000

People 16-39

Nine’s Travel Guides:
• Total TV nation reach: 274,000
• National Audience: 140,000
• BVOD Audience: 23,000

Nine’s NRL – Tigers v Raiders:
• Total TV nation reach: 157,000
• National Audience: 61,000
• BVOD Audience: 15,000

10’s MasterChef:
• Total TV nation reach: 168,000
• National Audience: 97,000 
• BVOD Audience: 18,000

Seven’s Dream Home:
• Total TV nation reach: 201,000
• National Audience: 93,000
• BVOD Audience: 15,000

Seven’s 7NEWS Spotlight:
• Total TV nation reach: 114,000
• National Audience: 55,000
• BVOD Audience: 8,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+

Nine’s Travel Guides:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,685,000
• National Audience: 912,000
• BVOD Audience: 66,000

Nine’s NRL – Tigers v Raiders:
• Total TV nation reach: 869,000
• National Audience: 383,000
• BVOD Audience: 35,000

10’s MasterChef:
• Total TV nation reach: 960,000
• National Audience: 532,000 
• BVOD Audience: 47,000

Seven’s Dream Home:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,358,000
• National Audience: 637,000
• BVOD Audience: 44,000

Seven’s 7NEWS Spotlight:
• Total TV nation reach: 912,000
• National Audience: 454,000
• BVOD Audience: 24,000

Data © OzTAM and Regional TAM 2024. Not to be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without prior written consent of OzTAM and Regional TAM.

TV Report 24 June 2024:

Nine TV Report

Do You Want To Live Forever

Nine’s evening began with the next episode of Tracy Grimshaw’s new show, Do You Want To Live Forever.

Dr Nick Coatsworth leads participants Liberty and Eliza through the chilling experience of cryotherapy. Amidst subzero temperatures, they delve into the science behind cryotherapy’s potential health benefits.

A Current Affair

Over on A Current Affair, the program met with a domestic violence survivor helping other victims escape harm’s way and spoke to a Queensland pensioner in a sour council battle over his roadside fruit stall.

Seven TV Report

Dream Home

On Seven, Dream Home saw the Queensland teams look at their fully transformed dream homes, and after the reveals, the couples headed back to work in Sydney, where a stormy build awaited them. 

Home and Away

Before Dream Home was Home and Away as Mackenzie and Levi’s nightmare continued and Leah had terrible news for Irene.

10 TV Report

The Project

The Project on 10 reported on the first Muslim female boxer to represent Australia at the Olympics, investigated how Holly Valance pivoted into politics and spoke to Austin Butler about his new movie, The Bikeriders.

MasterChef Australia

On 10’s MasterChef, after a demonstration from Michelin-starred chef Vicky Cheng, three cooks had to recreate his dish, from memory alone, and the winner claimed immunity from this week’s elimination.

Have You Been Paying Attention?

Have You Been Paying Attention saw Guy Montgomery, Bron Lewis, Claire Hooper, Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang all compete to see who’s been paying attention the most with host Tom Gleisner and special guest quizmaster Dean Lewis.

ABC

7:30

On 7:30, experts say Aussie school students are at risk of sexual exploitation as AI deepfake pornographic image platforms become more common. Sarah Ferguson also interviewed actor Austin Butler.

SBS

Amazing Railway Adventures Nick Knowles

From Lao Cai on the Chinese border, via the misty mountains around Sa Pa, Nick Knowles is heading south on a sleeper train to bustling Hanoi. From there he travels on to the port at Haiphong, gateway to Ha Long Bay.