“Melbourne, it’s been 12 months and it’s an absolute unmitigated disaster. Well, I blame you guys, in all honesty. I blame you guys. What we should have done is roll this out nationally from day one. Put our balls in our hand and f***ing moved forward.”
That was Kyle Sandilands’ blunt assessment of The Kyle & Jackie O Show’s Melbourne rollout, delivered directly to a room of independent media buyers and advertisers at the IMAA Sound Bites event in Sydney on Thursday.
The comments, directed toward executives from the Australian Radio Network (ARN), which syndicates the KIIS FM show, set the tone for a no-holds-barred conversation.
Held at ARN’s Sydney headquarters, the event brought together representatives from Australia’s major radio and podcasting networks to highlight the power of radio content and its impact on brand campaigns.
National ambition
Sandilands and co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson emphasised that campaigns integrated into their show often go beyond the traditional 30-second spot. “There’s 1.8 million people who connect with us,” said Henderson.
“We have had a long relationship with all our listeners; they have grown up with us in our roller coaster lives. Their kids are now listening to us.”
Sandilands, who began his career in promotions and sales, said he remains deeply invested in delivering results. “I don’t want to be in a campaign that doesn’t work,” he told the room. “We want it to work for the client and to have them back again for return business.”
He continued: “Edgy brands like working with us”.
Responding to backlash
The duo also addressed recent pushback from activist groups like Mad F*cking Witches, who have called on brands to withdraw advertising from the show.
Sandilands said these types of campaigns were out of touch with audience sentiment and driven by misinformation.
“They have been a thorn in my side for about a year now. I thought, you know, we’re not for everyone. Like, I don’t like certain servos, but I’m not going to make an activist website and try to convince people never to go to that particular servo, because I’ve got a life and I’m not a loser.
“But when I found out they were actually making up stories, getting people to lie, and bombarding clients who advertise with us with fake outrage… you just think, well, people aren’t dumb,” he said.
ARN’s market strategy
In an exchange with ARN CEO Ciaran Davis, Sandilands joked about past contract negotiations and took aim at the company’s approach to the Melbourne rollout, suggesting hesitation had hampered the show’s performance.
“They told us at 2DayFM that we had been there for 10 years and our time was up. We didn’t renew our contract [and moved to ARN]… That was 15 years ago…,” he said.
In 2023, the broadcasters secured a huge $200 million deal with the ARN to stay at KIIS for another decade, which included expanding their Sydney-based breakfast show into Melbourne.
The rollout in April last year generated plenty of buzz, but Melbourne listeners were put off by the show’s sexual content, leaving it stuck at fifth place with just a 5 per cent market share, now slipping further from 5.8% to 5.1%.
Sandilands’ addressed the ratings, saying they don’t tell the whole story: “We are growing total listeners. Forget share measurement. Those who are listening to us are big on time spent listening (TSL)”.
Still, he didn’t hold back criticism of the station’s strategy in that market: “None of this like, oh, put your little toe in the water. We should have blasted us nationally from day one and just spent millions of dollars on marketing”.
Sandilands then went on to take aim at Melbourne’s current number one Breakfast show, Nova’s Jase & Lauren, saying: “Now, I know Jase. He was my b***h for about 20 years in radio. Taught him everything. Met him when he was 16. He’s a good operator. But that’s going to wear thin.”
The road to ad sales for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 kicked off on Thursday afternoon with a luncheon for buyers, clients, and media.
Held at Sydney’s Machine Room function room, Nine revealed its integrated commercial offering across its TV, publishing, and Audio channels. Leading the presentation was Andrew Cann (Director of Sales – Olympics and Paralympics) and Anne Gruber (Director of Content Partnerships – Sport, Olympic and Paralympic Games).
Their pitch was focused on cross-platform commercial packages inclusive of sponsorships of daily segments
and medal tallies, along with immersive creative activations, and branded content. Nine reports that “past Olympic partners saw significant gains after Paris 2024 – up to +70% uplift in brand quality perception and +47% increase in enquiries.”
Coverage from the event will be produced out of the alpine village of Livigno, along with local coverage broadcast from a
state-of-the-art set in Nine’s North Sydney studio.
Mediaweek spoke with Cann and Gruber after the presentation. Conversation began with the timing of the event, which was nicely timed with the end of the financial year – ready for media buyers who are considering their spend for the year ahead.
“Timing-wise, we obviously have to serve IAC and AAC partners first, so really the timing is to ensure that we are in market long enough to then get our partner brands and sponsors on board for the road to Milan, which starts obviously in the back half ofcthis year. Off the back of this, as of next week, we will start engaging at the partner sponsor level with all of the IAC, AAC and key brands in market on the top end,” explained Cann.
Australia’s interests in sports has evolved in recent years. Women’s sporting leagues are now being watched in greater numbers and viewing has become far more expansive. Traditionally the Winter Olympics haven’t been a huge drawcard, but is that starting to change? Both Cann and Gruber agree that they have found chats around sales far more receptive than they may have been in the past.
“Sport is very different to what it has been over the previous years in that you put sport on so many different platforms like we do, and audiences come and they consume it at any time and anywhere to their liking. And then, I think, the job that we did with Paris in 2024 and really putting the event out at a serious scale and the amount of Australians that we connected with … that is why brands look at us as a really stable and reliable partner when getting involved in one of our sporting broadcasts,” Cann said.
Gruber added: “Whenever we’re in conversations with sporting bodies, whether it’s here locally or globally, one of the big things that we’re known for, and why Wide World of Sports is known, is for the storytelling and bringing out the athlete’s stories well before an event. That’s part of the reason why this road to Milan, and last year the road to Paris, is so important. It’s obviously a great opportunity for brands to have their message out early. It’s our job as the broadcaster to make sure we bring those stories and profile those athletes really early.”
A big part of the sell in the room was about the ability for sporting events like the Winter Olympics to target ‘hard-to-reach’ 18-39 year-old audiences. Cann looked to digital platforms 9Now and Stan Sports as key to the ability to reach that audience. He also pointed out that the Winter Olympics has unique opportunities for this audience with research showing that the younger audience is there for the extreme sports.
“Younger audiences are looking for the extreme sports that follows Scotty James, that follows the half-pipe snowboarders, and the likes of them. And that’s really important. The athletes have such an incredible social following, so the types of content they produce themselves and work with the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia (5:14) to produce, we can jump on the back of that and have our content teams create unique content from that and integrate brands into it,” he said.
Gruber told Mediaweek that the new leadership team announced in recent weeks by Nine will help facilitate the flow of content through its various channels, especially for the younger audience: “We’ve got so many learnings from the last couple of years for all our teams and the types of content they produce. We’re producing more content for this demographic in the places where they’re actually consuming it, rather than trying to drive them to a place that’s unnatural to them.”
What viewers can expect
Nine will be based in the thick of the action in the alpine village of Livigno, which will be a winter sporting wonderland of moguls, snowboard courses and aerial ski jumps. There will also be a state-of-the-art set in Nine’s North Sydney studio that will again showcase cutting edge augmented reality technology that was used for Paris 2024, allowing brands integration and a world class viewer experience.
Nine is promising more than 2600 hours of Winter Olympics across the 9Network, 9Now and Stan Sport, along with coverage through Nine’s audio and publishing assets (inclusive of its mastheads and digital sites nine.com.au, WWOS.com.au and Pedestrian.TV).
Nine’s Paralympic Winter Games coverage will run from March 6 – 15 across the 9Network, 9Now and Stan Sport, as well as utilising Nine’s audio and publishing assets. Milano Cortina 2026 will mark the 50th anniversary since the first Paralympic Winter Games in 1976.
Expert panelists
Nine’s pitch to the room was focused on the beauty of the Northern Italy location and the expert on-air commentators. The team includes Australian Winter Olympic Gold medallists, including Torah Bright, Lydia Lassila, and Steven Bradbury.
Nine’s hosting team and full-commentary lineup will be announced at a later date, but Nine did mention other athletes expected to appear on the network during its coverage. They include Olympic mogul skier Britt Cox, snowboarder Steph Prem and alpine skier Jono Brauer will also provide their expertise through the Games, with the commentary line-up also including David Culbert (snowboard/alpine skiing), Sami Kennedy Sim (alpine skiing), Mitch Tomlinson (halfpipe, big air & slopestyle), and Matt Hill (downhill/slalom).
When was the last time you chose curiosity over comfort?
Chris Whitnall is the kind of person who plans everything – except his career. Chris has moved countries with no set plan, pivoted industries, and stepped into roles where he could only do 70% of the job—learning the rest on the fly.
Why? Because he believes that in the 30% discomfort zone is where the real growth happens.
In this conversation, Chris talks openly about the inner dialogue that comes with stretching yourself—the tug-of-war between staying comfortable and following the pull of something more. He doesn’t pretend to have mastered it. Instead, he shares how he keeps choosing forward motion, even when it’s hard. His guiding question? “What are you curious about, and what lights you up?”
Chris’s journey is less about big leaps and more about what he calls “micro-leaps”—small, intentional shifts guided by curiosity and alignment with his values. He’s a believer in learning on the job, experimenting, and staying open to opportunities you didn’t plan for. As he puts it, you don’t need a rigid map, just a loose vision and the willingness to grow into it.
It’s about progress over perfection and unlocking growth through experience.
Throughout it all, Chris stays grounded in gratitude and a strong sense of self. He’s learned to focus on what he can control—his mindset, effort, and presence—and to value alignment over ambition. This is a refreshingly honest look at how we evolve, both in our careers and within ourselves.
My three favourite quotes from Chris’ story are:
“You can only control what you can control”
“If you don’t put yourself out there, you’re guaranteed of never moving forward.”
“If you want the thing that you say you want, well, you’ve got to make yourself probably feel uncomfortable in order to do that.”
You can listen to the whole chat here:
If you’re looking for inspiration to step out of your comfort zone and pursue your goals, this episode is a must-listen.
The world doesn’t need more stories of success; it needs honest conversations about hard challenges, vulnerability, and proof that trials can ultimately become triumphs.
That’s why the Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut podcast was born. It’s a reminder that struggle and success are intrinsically linked, that growth is rarely easy, and that the moments we feel most uncomfortable are where our greatest breakthroughs lie
Anna Wintour has stepped down as editor-in-chief of the American edition of Vogue after a tenure spanning almost four decades.
The announcement was made during a staff meeting on Thursday.
Wintour, 75, took over as editor-in-chief of Vogue in 1988 and played a pivotal role in shaping the magazine’s influence over fashion trends and the careers of designers worldwide.
Known for her distinctive style and editorial authority, she helped cement Vogue‘s position as a powerful platform in the fashion world. Her leadership style was noted for its strong editorial control and rigorous standards.
While stepping down from the editor role, Wintour will continue with Condé Nast as global chief content officer and remain editorial director at Vogue.
This dual role will see her overseeing broader content strategy across Condé Nast’s portfolio.
Anna Wintour
Next steps
Wintour’s departure as Vogue editor opens the search for a new editorial leader to guide the US title through a rapidly evolving media landscape, where digital transformation and audience engagement are key challenges.
Her influence extended beyond publishing, including shaping major fashion events like the Met Gala.
She has been recognised for her contributions to fashion and journalism with honours including a Damehood in 2017 and a Companion of Honour earlier this year.
At the recent award ceremony, Wintour indicated her intention to continue working in the industry despite stepping back from day-to-day editorial duties.
Adult online retailer Lovehoney has launched a new creative platform that aims to celebrates sexual happiness with unapologetic confidence, while working alongside ad restrictions.
Creative agency Leith, which won the global Lovehoney creative platform pitch in 2024, has centred its work on sparking conversations and encouraging people to try its products and enjoy a feeling of lust and happiness all day long.
The ‘Feel the Lovehoney’ platform leans into humour and intimacy, through clever use of suggestion and innuendo.
The spot begins with a loved-up young couple’s alarm clock knocked off the bedside cabinet, their passion-fuelled connection continues through the day, from buying coffee still entwined to vacuuming whilst still in a loving embrace. The day ends, still wrapped in each other’s arms, the buzzing from their electric toothbrushes prompts a knowing glance, and it’s time for bed.
As ad restrictions tighten, with regulators banning even the mention of sex toys, Leith’s messaging used “creative subversion to speak to consumers”, said Nora Lahl, Global Director of Marketing at Lovehoney.
“‘Feel the Lovehoney’ is a confident step forward for us as Australia’s leading sexual wellness retailer.
“It reflects who we are: playful, inclusive and sex-positive – while enabling us to navigate advertising limitations without diluting our message or mission to bring sexual wellness to the nation.
“The new campaign signals a strategic shift for Lovehoney, strengthening our position in the sexual wellness category, while deploying humour, mischief and creative subversion to speak to consumers in a way few brands dare to. We are excited to see ‘Feel the Lovehoney’ become the golden thread of our brand communications in 2025 and beyond.”
Camilla Rossi, Group Account Director at Leith, said: “Sadly Lovehoney faces tough challenges with ad restrictions and shadow banning, so getting its purposeful, positive and passionate messaging about sexual wellness out there can be a challenge.
“But, by blending clever strategy, humour, a bit of mischief and a lot of innuendo, we’re thrilled to launch ‘Feel the Lovehoney’.”
The 360° campaign is rolling out across TV, digital and social channels nationwide, ensuring that no matter where Australian audiences engage, they’re met with a fresh, fun perspective on pleasure.
Credits
Art Director – Joe Sayer
Copywriter – Marion Miranda
Group Account Director – Camilla Rossi
Senior Account Manager – Nikki Rayner
Partner – Brian Coane
Executive Creative Director – Troy Farnworth
Executive Creative Director – Phil Evans
Producer – Emma Bell
Editor – Jonny Shepherd
Animator – Jordan Painter
Production Company – Greenroom Films
Director – Michael J Ferns
DOP – Ali Little
Production Company EP – Lucy Ball
Production Company Producer – Michael Evans
Grade – Absolute
Colourist – Peter Oppersdorf
Sound – Savalas Post
Sound Designer – Eilidh Reid
Dubbing Mixer – Iain Anderson
ARN has extended its national radio offering with the launch of KIIS Dance, a new digital station focused on electronic dance music (EDM).
KIIS Dance replaces the earlier iHeartDance station, aligning the brand more closely with ARN’s flagship KIIS FM network. The move signals a strategic consolidation of ARN’s genre-based digital offerings under the KIIS banner.
Now live on DAB+ in Melbourne and the Gold Coast, and available nationally via the free iHeart app, KIIS Dance aims to capitalise on the genre’s rising popularity, especially among younger Australians aged 18–34. The station delivers a curated mix of current hits, club classics and nostalgic throwbacks, with programming designed to suit listeners on the go—from the car to pre-night-out soundtracking.
Who’s on the lineup?
Alongside nonstop music programming, KIIS Dance includes specialty segments such as ‘Retro Dance’, a daily lunchtime slot dedicated to dance anthems from previous decades. The station also features a lineup of local and international talent, including VASSY, Timmy Trumpet and Tiësto, alongside rotating guest mixes.
Its launch day schedule included a 9am guest mix from Joel Corry, followed by sets from DJ Triple XL and Cyril. From 9pm, Timmy Trumpet’s ‘Sinphony Radio’ airs, leading into ‘Ultra Music Festival Radio’ at 10pm with sets from the global festival’s archives.
KIIS Dance programming will also roll out across the broader KIIS FM network nationally, with dance-led content to take over Friday and Saturday night slots, replacing the pre-existing iHeartDance programming block.
KIIS Dance Friday launch lineup
Lauren Joyce, Chief Audience & Content Officer at ARN, said: “KIIS Dance is a high-energy, highly targeted station built to match how audiences are engaging with audio – digitally, on-demand, and by genre. Dance music is having a huge cultural moment, and KIIS Dance puts ARN at the heart of it.”
Lauren Joyce
“This is all about giving audiences more of what they love, while broadening our network footprint in a smart, future-facing way.”
The rebrand of iHeartDance to KIIS Dance forms part of ARN’s broader investment in genre-based content, expanding its digital audio portfolio under the iHeartRadio platform while strengthening alignment with the KIIS network.
Canva has taken a major step in its AI strategy, launching a native integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT that allows users to tap into their Canva workspace and creative tools without leaving the chat interface.
The integration makes Canva the first design platform to embed its capabilities directly into ChatGPT. It includes two key launches: a deep research connector for ChatGPT and the Canva Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server. Together, these tools are designed to streamline design, analysis, and content generation inside AI-native workflows.
AI design tools, now in ChatGPT
Available now, the Canva deep research connector gives ChatGPT access to a user’s Canva content, including past designs, templates, and brand assets. The goal is to deliver more context-rich responses and design iterations grounded in users’ real-world content.
“We’re embedding Canva directly into the AI tools people use every day so they can brainstorm, create, and publish content faster,” said Anwar Haneef, General Manager and Head of Ecosystem at Canva. “This is a major step in our vision to make the complex simple and build an all-in-one AI workflow.”
The integration supports Canva Docs, Presentations and more, enabling users to prompt ChatGPT for content refinements or analysis without switching tabs. Privacy is safeguarded via Canva Shield, the company’s AI trust and safety framework.
Expanding Canva’s AI footprint
Also launched today, the MCP Server opens Canva to other AI agents, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Salesforce’s Agentforce, with more integrations to follow. The server allows assistants to create and resize branded content, autofill charts, draft copy, and import files using conversational cues.
OpenAI’s Nate Gonzalez, Head of Business Products, said: “Launching the Canva deep research connector means businesses and their employees get faster, better insights because ChatGPT has more context.”
Growth and adoption
According to Canva, usage of its existing Canva GPT integration has surged 375% year-on-year, making it one of ChatGPT’s top productivity tools. The launch of MCP Server is part of Canva’s broader multi-model AI strategy, which spans in-house tools, partner models, and an expanding apps ecosystem.
Canva said these tools have already powered over 18 billion AI tool uses, with adoption spanning educators, marketers, and small businesses globally. The platform currently serves more than 240 million users, including 95% of Fortune 500 companies.
The Canva MCP Server is available now through the Canva Developers community.
Earlier this week eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant addressed the National Press Club, revealing that she had advised communications minister Anika Wells that YouTube should be included in the proposed social media ban, restricting access to social media platforms for kids aged under 16.
YouTube issued a statement early evening on Thursday that firmly says that blocking kids access would cause greater harm.
An under 16 ban would not block access to YouTube entirely for teens. It would just restrict them from being able to log in and access the social elements of the platform. Inman Grant contends that children would still be able to view education content on the platform in a “logged-out state.”
“The eSafety Commissioner’s advice for younger people to use YouTube in a “logged out” state deprives them of the age-appropriate experiences and additional safety guardrails we specifically designed for younger people,” said Rachel Lord, the Public Policy and Government Relations Senior Manager for YouTube Australia and New Zealand.
“YouTube is not a social media platform; it is a video streaming platform with a library of free, high-quality content. eSafety’s advice to include YouTube in the social media ban is in direct contradiction to the Government’s own commitment, its own research on community sentiment, independent research, and the view of Australian parents, teachers and other key stakeholders in this debate.”
According to YouTube, it offers age-appropriate experiences for kids, tweens, and teens through the dedicated YouTube Kids platform. It says that users under 18 are provided additional protections, including defaulting uploads to private, default wellbeing protections (take a break and bedtime reminders), blocking personalised ad targeting, and limiting repeated recommendations of videos related to certain sensitive categories (e.g. content that compares physical features and idealises some types over others).
The YouTube argument is that including it in the ban is unwarranted and unreasonable. It cited Australian Government research that found 85% of children and 68.5% of parents said YouTube was appropriate for those aged 15 years and under; in contrast to social media companies TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
In her National Press Club speech, Inman Grant referenced an eSafety survey of 2,600 children aged 10 to 15: “Alarmingly, around seven in 10 kids said they had encountered harmful content, including exposure to misogynistic or hateful material, dangerous online challenges, violent fight videos, and content promoting disordered eating.”
StreetIQ, a new digital out-of-home (DOOH) platform, has launched in Australia.
The platform aims to simplify the delivery of dynamic creative across multiple media owners and address technical limitations common in DOOH environments by offering one creative build across different networks with minimal manual handling.
The platform, built for dynamic creative optimisation (DCO), is already being used to power campaigns for brands including Nintendo, Codral and Bakers Delight.
Street IQ aims to simplify the delivery of dynamic creative across multiple media owners. It addresses technical limitations common in DOOH environments, offering one creative build that can run across different networks with minimal manual handling.
The platform includes built-in creative checks, centralised reporting and is available via The Trade Desk, Perion (Hivestack), Broadsign (Outmoove) and direct integrations.
Founder Stephen Dolan said the platform was created in response to a clear gap in the market. He said: “Seventy-five percent of Australia’s out-of-home inventory is now digital, but most omnichannel DCO platforms are still built for desktop environments.
“StreetIQ was designed specifically for DOOH. It understands the infrastructure, the signal limitations, and the way creative needs to adapt in this space. We built it to remove the friction that’s slowed down dynamic creative for too long.”
StreetIQ has already supported a range of campaign formats, including a multi-city election night activation for a major news broadcaster that refreshed live AEC data every 90 seconds across 8 dynamic creative fields. The campaign drove record app activity and engaged passers-by with real-time updates on large-format screens.
Other campaigns include a countdown for the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, a geo-targeted allergy awareness campaign for Codral and a location-based retail push for Bakers Delight to support an Easter promotion.
StreetIQ is currently active in Australia, with expansion into Singapore planned later in 2025.
Dolan added: “We’ve seen that when the barriers are removed – when dynamic is fast, accessible and reliable – brands lean in.
“Our focus now is making that possible in more markets and helping more advertisers take full advantage of what DOOH can really do.”
Top image: Stephen Dolan
oOh!media has appointed Wade James as group sales director to drive customer focus and agency and client partnerships, commencing on 15 July.
James returns to oOh! from atn (Australian Traffic Network) where he was in a contract role as group sales director. He was previously with the Out of Home company for more than a decade and held a number of senior roles including national head of agency sales.
His broader career includes senior positions at APN Outdoor, DMG Radio, and he is also a Melbourne board member for the media industry’s social purpose organisation, UnLtd.
James will work with the oOh!’s national sales leaders to execute a unified strategy focused on insight-led client engagement and delivering measurable outcomes across the company’s national Out of Home network.
Mark Fairhurst, chief revenue officer at oOh!, said: “We’ve built a clear strategic direction to ensure we create value for our customers, backed by market-leading products and a highly engaged team.
“Having someone of Wade’s calibre and deep understanding of Out of Home media return to oOh! is a huge asset.
“He brings proven leadership, trusted agency and client relationships, and a strong alignment with our customer-first approach.”
James said of his return: “I’m thrilled and incredibly excited to be returning to oOh! at such a pivotal time for the OOH sector.
“In a period where the channel is seeing outstanding growth, the amazing opportunity to rejoin a team that is passionate about driving meaningful results for clients, is something that I’m really looking forward to.”
James appointment comes after oOh!media recently launched its Product Sales and Partnerships specialist team, lead by Mel Duffy, in the newly created role of head of product and sales partnership.
Top image: Wade James
Sanctuary Media Group has teamed up with nine media owners to support GIVIT’s NSW Flood Appeal in a national campaign.
The campaign aims to deliver critical assistance to communities impacted by recent catastrophic flooding across the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales
The multi-channel campaign, spanning out-of-home, radio, retail and health environments, has generated over $800,000 in donated media value, including editorial support, and is already driving strong public engagement and awareness.
Media partners supporting the initiative include oOh!media, JCDecaux, QMS, Civic Outdoor, Tonic Media Network, Cartology, Nine Radio, SEN and ARN.
The campaign resulted in uplift for GIVIT and generated an increase of 460% in financial donations and 140% increase in website traffic.
“We are incredibly grateful to Sanctuary Media Group and all their media partners for providing GIVIT with so much support for our New South Wales Flood Appeal,” said Samantha Richardson, Head of Marketing at GIVIT.
“The rapid collaboration and generosity have significantly boosted awareness and donations, helping us deliver essential goods faster to families affected by the floods. This campaign truly shows the power of partnership in making a real difference on the ground.”
Peter Stowe, Head of Trading at Sanctuary Media Group, said: “It’s been incredible to see the media industry come together so quickly to support communities in crisis.
“This is what can happen when adland unites around purpose — the response has been fast, generous and impactful.”
The campaign is set to continue throughout June and July via GIVIT.org.au.
Last year, Sanctuary Media Group partnered with fintech company SumUp and as an official launch partner of Nine Audio: Finance, a new premium short-form, high-frequency ad solution adjacent to their network’s finance reports that was announced as part of the Nine 2025 Upfronts.
The network said the finance offering is designed to meet growing demand in the finance category and will provide an additional 10-second high-frequency, standalone audio advertising solutions and prominently feature across Nine’s audio assets.
LiSTNR extends partnership with leading sports podcast ‘The Howie Games’
LiSTNR has renewed its long-standing partnership with one of Australia’s leading sports podcasts, The Howie Games, following a new long-term deal with host and creator Mark ‘Howie’ Howard.
Since launching in July 2017, The Howie Games has released over 240 episodes featuring in-depth conversations with prominent athletes including Leigh Matthews, Oscar Piastri, Ellyse Perry, and Shaquille O’Neal. The show has become a staple for listeners seeking personal stories and insights from figures across the sporting spectrum.
The Howie Games
Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut. Season 3, Episode 4: Chris Whitnall
When was the last time you chose curiosity over comfort?
Chris Whitnall is the kind of person who plans everything – except his career. Chris has moved countries with no set plan, pivoted industries, and stepped into roles where he could only do 70% of the job—learning the rest on the fly.
Why? Because he believes that in the 30% discomfort zone is where the real growth happens.
You can listen to the whole chat here:
‘I Catch Killers’ podcaster on justice and the cases that still haunt him
Gary Jubelin didn’t set out to be a ‘podcaster’.
But five years and 40 million global downloads later, the former homicide detective has become one of News Corp Australia’s most consistent audio performers with I Catch Killers, a podcast that peels back the layers of the criminal justice system with raw, unfiltered conversations.
The podcast, which launched in 2020 and now sits among the company’s longest-running series, has found a loyal audience in Australia’s somewhat overcrowded audio landscape, especially when it comes to true crime.
Jonathon Moran on fame, friendship and finding strength in vulnerability
There’s a long-standing rule in journalism: never make yourself the story. But what happens when the story you’re telling is so deeply tangled in your own experience, it becomes impossible to separate the two?
That’s the crossroads I found myself at while writing and producing this week’s episode of Mediaweek’s Newsmakers podcast.
The guest? Jonathon Moran or JMo, as most in the industry affectionately know him. Most people know him as a seasoned entertainment journo and podcast host. But to me, he’s someone I’ve known since childhood, in a way that defies the usual boundaries of a professional interview.
You can hear the full chat with JMo here:
That was Kyle Sandilands’ blunt assessment of The Kyle & Jackie O Show’s Melbourne rollout, delivered directly to a room of independent media buyers and advertisers at the IMAA Sound Bites event in Sydney on Thursday.
The comments, directed toward executives from the Australian Radio Network (ARN), which syndicates the KIIS FM show, set the tone for a no-holds-barred conversation.
YouTube responded Thursday evening, warning that restricting access could do more harm than good.
The proposed ban wouldn’t block YouTube entirely, teens could still watch content without logging in, but it would limit access to the platform’s social features.
As Ellie Dudley and James Dowling report in The Australian, the broadcaster is copping heat after the Federal Court ruled it unlawfully dumped the fill-in host over her views on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Managing director David Anderson issued a public apology on Wednesday, admitting the ABC mishandled the situation.
The oversight came during Afternoon Briefing segments about, you guessed it, AUKUS.
As Anton Nilsson writes in Crikey, while Sinodinos and Fitzgibbon both spoke on the topic, neither the host nor the chyron flagged their direct link to an organisation pitching itself as a gateway for businesses eager to get a slice of the submarine action.
According to Oscar Godsell in Sky News Australia, the “50:50 Equality Project” outlines targets across gender, cultural background, disability and Indigenous representation—and includes processes for logging those identities in story data.
The project is being driven by ABC news director Justin Stevens, who, according to one internal email, once accused staff of racism during a 2022 push to speed up the rollout.
According to John Buckley in Capital Brief, the telco is reportedly finalising a deal that would see it exit the sports streaming game entirely.
The EPL has been the backbone of Optus Sport since its 2016 launch, and without it, there’s little reason for the platform to continue.
As Daanyal Saeed writes in Crikey, the publisher has quietly axed Read This, the acclaimed literary podcast hosted by The Monthly’s Michael Williams, marking a major loss for book lovers and the local publishing scene.
Williams confirmed the news on social media, revealing the final episodes will drop by end of June as Schwartz exits podcasting entirely.
As Isabella Simonetti and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg write in The Australian, while she’s not disappearing from fashion’s front row, the move paves the way for a fresh editorial voice to take charge of the iconic brand.
Wintour, now 75, will stay on as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and continue overseeing the international Vogue titles, as well as Vanity Fair, GQ, Allure and Glamour.
CEO Steve Huffman says the platform is in an “arms race” to protect the real, messy, lived-in texture of its user conversations, something tech giants are now scrambling to licence for training their AI models.
As Daniel Thomas and Hannah Murphy write in the Australian Financial Review, with two decades of deeply human, highly searchable content, Reddit has become a goldmine for companies like Google and OpenAI, both of which have inked multi-million-dollar deals to access its data.
As Dan Milmo writes in The Guardian, the decision marks the second courtroom win this week for the AI sector, following a similar result for Anthropic.
The case was brought by a group of high-profile writers, including Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates, who argued their work was used without permission.