Nine CEO Mike Sneesby has arrived back on home soil, touching down after a week in Paris. He returns to the office on Wednesday morning alongside returning journalists, whose five day strike finishes today.

On Tuesday afternoon, MEAA members were contacted about an “urgent meeting” at Sydney’s Qantas international terminal. Members were told to arrive at 3:30 pm to “welcome Sneesby back and remind him of the sacrifice you have made.”

Just over a dozen people showed up, wearing the matching t-shirts featuring a caricature of Sneesby running with the Olympic torch that have become synonymous with the pay deal campaign.

Sneesby never appeared.

When journalists return to their desks today, they will also resume negotiations with Nine management, as the parties attempt to broker a new enterprise bargaining agreement.

After several months of negotiations, the union said the most recent offer was rejected because it “still fails to include a fair pay rise that keeps ahead of the cost of living.” News Corp reported that the rejected offer – the catalyst for the strike – was a 3.5% annual pay rise, compared to the 2% which was already in place.

The union argues Nine has been “spending hundreds of thousands of dollars wining and dining its top managers and their guests in Paris but says it needs to sack 90 journalists to save costs.”

With Sneesby back home, Nine will be represented during the second week of the Olympics by chief sales officer Michael Stephenson and chief finance and strategy officer, plus MD of Olympics and Paralympics, Matt Stanton.

Acting director of MEAA Media, Michelle Rae, said: “The belligerence of management leading up to and during this strike has damaged the company’s reputation.

“It is overdue for Nine’s chief executive Mike Sneesby to listen to the concerns of MEAA members that independent and fearless journalism that holds power to account requires investment and support from management.

“Sneesby and his fellow executives need to get their priorities in order by recognising there is no financial bottom line without a strong journalistic frontline.”

In 2023, Sneesby’s statutory remuneration was listed as $3.41 million. 

Beyond the strike action, MEAA has encouraged readers to “help keep up the pressure on Nine publishing by using the feedback forms on each publication’s website”, with instructions to leave messages saying “that management needs to meet with workers and do a deal, because the quality of the journalism our members who are striking over is the reason you subscribe.”

Political cartoonist Matt Golding submitted a blank square in place of this week’s cartoon, in support of his striking colleagues. 

Tomorrow’s @theage @smh cartoon, in
solidarity with my Nine Publishing colleagues on strike. #MEAAmedia #DontTorchJournalism pic.twitter.com/fS6JRcyczf

— MattGolding Cartoons (@GoldingCartoons) July 29, 2024

Following the announcement of 200 job cuts at Nine in June, MEAA members at Nine Publishing passed a resounding vote of no confidence in Sneesby in early July.

The reason for the cuts was to “offset the loss of revenue from the Meta deal and challenges in the advertising market,” with Sneesby saying at the time that “in order for us to be able to keep investing in digital growth opportunities across Nine, we must continue to responsibly manage costs through the cycle.”

The strike also follows former news boss Darren Wick‘s exit amidst allegations of inappropriate behaviour, and the shuttering of Pedestrian-licensed titles including Vice, Gizmodo, Refinery29, Kotaku, and Lifehacker.

Independent creative agency The Hallway has confirmed it is parting ways with auto client GWM.

In a joint statement, The Hallway partners Simon Lee and Jules Hall said: “We’d like to take this opportunity to publicly celebrate and thank our amazing team who dedicated themselves to growing the GWM brand, achieving record commercial growth for their business. And we wish GWM every success moving forward.”

The agency’s focus will now shift to “forming a new long term partnership with an ambitious automotive company with whom we can continue to apply our considerable expertise in this sector, building meaningful connections between a brand and its audience and driving sustainable sales growth.”

The Hallway was first appointed as GWM’s agency of record in December 2021, managing its brand strategy, advertising, digital, social, and CRM, and replacing the incumbent, Havas.

During The Hallway’s tenure with GWM, the agency drove its master brand strategy, launched multiple vehicle models, sponsored activations, and redesigned the company’s website. These efforts have contributed to GWM’s notable growth in the Australian market, with the brand achieving several top 10 industry sales results in recent months, positioning it as one of the fastest-growing volume auto brands in the country.

In June, The Hallway introduced GWM Australia and New Zealand’s Cannon Alpha Hybrid as a new entrant in the ute market with its Makes effort look effortless campaign. 

That same month, The Hallway followed up with work debuting the GWM Tank 500 Hybrid off-road 4×4 with the Out there awaits campaign, an extension of the See You Out There creative platform, spearheaded by a 30-second film directed by Scoundrel’s Ariel Martin.

Mediaweek has reached out to GWM for more information regarding the pitch.

See also:
The Hallway launches Australia’s first hybrid ute: GWM Cannon Alpha Hybrid
The Hallway launches latest work for GWM, ‘Out there awaits’

The BBC premium drama channel BBC First will no longer be carried by Foxtel and Binge from 1 August. In case you’re wondering, Beyond Paradise episode 6, season 1 will be the last program screened if the plug is pulled at midnight today.

The BBC First channel is just three days short of celebrating its first decade after launching on Foxtel back on 3 August 2014.

It wasn’t also carried on Binge back then because there was no such thing.

Streaming was in its infancy globally, with Stan and Netflix launching in Australia in 2015.

For people who loved the best of British drama, BBC First became a go-to destination. I remember referring to it soon after launch as the best channel on Foxtel… and there was a lot to choose from.

The BBC First brand will retreat completely in Australia; it was once also available on the Fetch platform. But as Mediaweek recently reported, viewers in New Zealand have something to look forward to. Sky and BBC Studios announced earlier this year an expanded multi-year deal will give Sky audiences access to the best British content on BBC First across Sky, Neon, and free-to-air channel Sky Open.

See also: Four BBC channels to leave Foxtel and Binge

BBC First going out with Beyond Paradise

Here come the streamers

The streaming platforms soon realised the power of premium drama and over the past decade, they have become the places to go to.

If you listen to the TV Gold podcast, hosted by Andrew Mercado and myself, you will rarely hear reviews of drama on commercial FTA TV. That’s because the space has been taken over by streaming platforms. Kantar estimated early in 20245 that close to 8m people in Australia now subscribe to at least one streaming platform.

(Just quietly, that’s close to the potential audience too for a FTA network commissioning a quality drama. But that’s a story for another day.)

Stan has managed to snag subscribers who love British content with its regular feed of premium dramas. It has also successfully blended the best of British into some of its local commissions. Series like Ten Pound Poms and the first series of The Tourist.

BritBox has plenty of other competition too. Through savvy curation, programmers at Stan, plus Netflix and SBS On-Demand have impressive collections of British drama.

Building a bigger BritBox

With the BBC recently taking control of streaming platform BritBox International, that will now become the Australian home for many of the biggest new shows.

BritBox will also be taking over some of the long-running BBC faves including Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife, and Silent Witness.

BritBox already has a brilliant collection of the best of British. If there is somewhere it needs to improve to convince viewers to part with their $10 a month, it is new releases.

BritBox seems to have that in hand though and its first big new arrival will be the Jenna Coleman crime thriller The Jetty which arrives in the first week of September.

Jenna Coleman in The Jetty coming to BritBox

Who is looking after the home of British drama?

Your monthly drama investment will be in the hands of these three capable television executives.

Head of content and editorial, BritBox and branded services ANZ, Sarah Kenny, is expanding her role to add programming and acquisition responsibilities for BBC Studios’ local channels to her existing BritBox responsibilities. Kenny will have dual reporting to Moira Hogan, EVP BritBox International and general manager Australia, and Fiona Lang, general manager, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand.

Kenny said: “These shows [Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife and Silent Witness] have a huge resonance with Australian audiences and, together with other exciting new and exclusive titles like The Jetty, will drive further growth for BritBox. We are also acquiring more of the most recent seasons of these titles as we build up our collections.”

Hogan commented: “As a specialty streaming service aiming to super-serve fans of quality British TV, we are thrilled to add this trio of much-loved BBC shows to our stable of premiere new releases.”

Lang added: “I’m delighted that Sarah will be combining editorial responsibilities for our channel portfolio with her existing BritBox role, allowing BBC Studios to take a holistic approach to content across these services. Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife and Silent Witness regularly topped the ratings for BBC First during their time on the channel and their move to BritBox, together with the premiere of The Jetty, is an important step in the evolution of our business as we pursue a truly integrated content strategy following BBC Studios acquisition of 100% of BritBox International earlier this year.”

Local commissions

Audiences don’t need to see Australian content on a channel branded BritBox. At the minimum a paying customer probably wants at least one major new release a month. That helps ease the pain as each monthly debit hits the credit card.

BBC First did have a memorable first Australian commission that was announced during its first year on air – Banished. The series was written by Jimmy McGovern and starred David Wenham as Governor Arthur Phillip.

BBC First Australian commission, Banished with David Wenham

The series was co-produced by independent production companies RSJ Films (Accused, The Street) and See-Saw Films (Top Of The Lake, The King’s Speech, Shame) and was filmed in and around Sydney in Australia and Manchester in the UK with Manly Dam as the setting for the main convict camp.

The series premiered on BBC2 in the UK, and there was some disappointment when plans for a second season were abandoned. There was even an online petition to save the series.

RIP BBC First… you will be missed. Special thanks to all who toiled on the channel.

When Alex Rolls and his team found out Nine had secured one of ten bespoke units at the Trocadero for its 2024 Paris Olympics studio, the last thing they were expecting was something “essentially the size of a shipping container.”

Rolls, who is Nine’s head of creative and innovation at Wide World of Sports, told Mediaweek that while small, the Olympics space allowed for a “perfect opportunity.”

“When we realised the specs and found out they had given us a seven by seven-metre space, it was the perfect opportunity to push Nine into a new area that I’ve been interested in, that being virtual sets and extended reality,” he said.

“After we got the specs, I jumped on a plane and went to the UK to see the English Premier League productions with their virtual space in action.

“That trip to the BBC Studios in Manchester gave us the confidence that this would be the way that we wanted to go.

“We went into the virtual direction because a seven by seven metre space for 22 hours a day for 17 days on Nine, no matter how good your set designer might be, it’s going to look small and it’s not going to be worthy of the event.”

The physical space has a real-life window of the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, and Rolls knew that having presenters in front of “one of the most iconic landmarks in the world” was key.

Nine is using Unreal Engine technology to power the virtual space – a computer graphics game engine created by Epic Games, the developers of Fortnite. The engine is widely used across the games industry, and now also powers Nine’s extended reality.

Unreal Engine 5 is the newest iteration of the technology, and ESPN in the US was one of the first broadcasters to use the technology for a broadcast in early 2023.

While Nine is using the technology to make the most of a small space, ESPN utilised a tool in the engine called ‘Project Avalanche’ which allows broadcasters to design and show a graphics package in one environment. 

ESPN collaborated with @EpicGames on a new highly-stylized graphics package for the @RoseParade

It is the “wrapping paper of the whole two-hour presentation.”

Watch its debut now on @ABCNetwork

More: https://t.co/lLDVNHZOUJ pic.twitter.com/X2WOe4kdww

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 2, 2023

“These powerful render engines can give you very close to photorealistic capabilities, just like we see now with video games.

“The realism is astounding. The lighting, the shading and the objects you can create or just getting better and better.

“It’s an exciting new space that Nine is moving into because we haven’t used gaming engines before to this level within a sports broadcast.”

See also: Paris 2024 Olympics TV ratings: Monday July 29 sets weekday records for 9News and Today

Howatson+Company has shared the hero film for its latest campaign for Qantas, the official airline and partner of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams: Already Proud.

Set to the track I Made It by Australian artist Tones & I (Toni Watson), the campaign vignettes the emotional hometown send-offs of eight Australian Olympic and Paralympic athletes on their way to the Summer Games. The sentiment is captured by the final tagline: “Before the world watched, you’d already made us proud.”

In addition to the hero film, the integrated campaign, which launched during the Olympic Games opening ceremony, includes a rollout across out of home media and hand-painted murals in athletes’ hometowns across Australia.

Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus

Founder of the creative agency, Chris Howatson, took to LinkedIn on Tuesday to highlight the work.

“Incredibly proud to share our latest work for Qantas,” said Howatson.

“The only honour greater than representing your country is representing your hometown. As the official airline and long-term partner of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams, Qantas celebrates the hometown pride friends, families and communities across the country have for our athletes. No matter what happens in Paris, we’re already proud.

“Our campaign features eight incredible athletes and captures their emotional farewells before boarding their very special flight.”

The post credits Qantas Group’s CMO Petra Perry, head of airline marketing Jodie Teaken, head of brand and creative services Gemma Matthews, senior manager of brand and creative strategy Megan Smythe, senior manager of brand and marketing projects Bonnie Ledsam, senior manager of partnership and events Lauren Halliburton, senior manager of partnerships Bonnie Rayner, senior manager of creative content Mark Spencer, and photographer Brent Winstone.

The production partners credited include production company Collider, director Rob Stanton-Cook, post-production company Heckler and its sound specialist arm Heckler Sound, as well as music consultancy Trailer Media and its owner-director, Anton Trailer.

Howatson+Company is also behind the Australian brand campaign for Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Insurance Partner, Allianz Insurance, with Go Australiaahhh launching last month. The campaign leverages the Allianz ‘Ahhh’ brand code, a sound reminiscent of cheering for Aussie athletes, to strengthen the insurer’s association with the Games.

The run of work follows the agency’s recent Bronze Lion win at Cannes International Festival of Creativity for its work with brewery Matilda Bay on the campaign Your 2nd Favourite Beer.

See also: Kenny Hill chose an acquisition with Howatson+Co so as not to ‘shortchange’ clients

–

Top image: Australian wheelchair rugby player, Chris Bond

Welcome to Mediaweek’s ongoing editorial series to uncover campaigns from completely different markets, as nominated by global creative leaders. These are campaigns that are brilliant and popular – but completely outside of our bubble in Australia.

This edition’s contributing leaders are Assam Khalid (Founder, ECD and CSO, Vexology UAE) and Psembi Kinstan (ECD DDB, Melbourne).

Assam: The first piece I want to share is a campaign done a couple of years ago. There is some context required (and no subtitles), so let me explain why it’s great.

Pakistan saw a drastic rise in digital banking post the COVID lockdowns, and with this, we also saw a drastic rise in online banking fraud. Fraudsters would prey on victims by pretending to be someone either from their bank or the police. They were particularly crafty, as they would use computer software to mimic different “official” phone numbers which made the calls appear legitimate.

Every bank was running anti-fraud campaigns, but with little effect. Easypaisa, a mobile-only digital bank, was facing the same issue, but as Easypaisa didn’t have branches, they received a comparatively larger downturn in their perception.

The brilliance of the campaign lay in the brand being able to solve all these challenges with just one word. A word that doesn’t exist in the dictionary. A word that they created. PinChor! (Pin = the security pin to access the account and chor = thief.) PinChor made it absolutely clear what they were trying to steal and what needed to be protected: your five-digit pin.

Why was the campaign famous here? Well, the word PinChor is particularly memorable as it sounds very similar to the most-used curse word in the country PhainChod (which translates to sister f*cker).

This is a curse word that was often used in the very situation of being defrauded of money. So the newly-created PinChor not only helped people identify fraud immediately when fraudsters would ask for their pin, but also shifted the anger and blame off Easypaisa and towards the perpetrators.

Psembi: A whole campaign that comes from the most common curse word in the country – that really sounds like something I would expect from Australia, not Pakistan. The wordplay is great. The design of the five ‘i’’s to represent the pin code is clever too, and it’s cheesy and catchy and all gloriously likeable.

Assam: The second campaign I’d like to share is one from the UAE for Etihad Airways. Being the partner for Tom Cruise’s movie Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Etihad Airways wanted to announce this news. It did so in the most bold and Mission Impossible way possible. One that Tom Cruise himself approved!

Psembi: Feels like a dream sponsorship brief. Whilst Mission Impossible makes it completely relevant, throwing things out of planes has made for some pretty great ads over the years. The original Honda skydive was the first ever live advert on British television, and it still holds up.

And in Australia, there’s a very famous piss-take on the trope of skydivers at sporting events too. Always worth another watch too!

See also: Out of your bubble: Telstra stop motion, KFC’s Believe in Chicken, Oslo Tourism, and Heinz’s Everything Sauce

—

About Assam:

Assam is the founder and creative and strategic Planner at Vexology UAE. Ranked as the #1 strategic planning director in MENA and Pakistan, and the #3 strategic planning director in the world by The Big Won Report.

About Psembi:

Psembi grew up on a crocodile farm in the remote Australian outback. Many years later, he became the youngest creative director at BBH London and ran Audi, BBH’s foundation account. He’s now the group ECD at DDB Melbourne and has grown the team from just under 30 to nearly 100. His creative awards include a BAFTA, amongst 200 others.

By Damon Stapleton, co-founder and chief creative officer at The Monkeys Aotearoa 

So, if you want to know why the book has a weird title – Keep shooting until you see the f*ckers smoke – you can blame my grandfather. But you will have to read the book to find out why.

However, the idea for this book was born when I was promoted to executive creative director at the tender age of 30. The promotion was a couple of years too early. I didn’t really know what I was doing. It was a very famous agency with an incredible creative pedigree. And it was a very large agency that was going through a very tough time. Clients were not happy and staff were leaving in droves. I was suddenly given the Sheriff’s badge and I was thrown into all sorts of gunslinger situations that were somewhere between scary and terrifying.

I remember thinking at the time that I really needed a mentor or some advice or inspiration. I guess this book and damonsbrain.com is something I wrote for myself to remedy the situation. The great thing I realised by doing it was I discovered most creatives feel the same way. In hindsight, you are never ready to be a creative director. But I digress.

The idea for the book came from some advice I was given by an old timer in the business. He said, “When you get made creative director, they load the bullets into the gun and fire. That’s when you start running. It’s up to you how long you dodge them before you get hit. But,” and he stressed this part, “eventually you will get hit.”

Granted, he was drunk and very angry that somebody so young and inexperienced had been promoted, but his words have stayed with me all these years.

There have been many moments in my career where I had wished I had a bullet or two to fire back. And the reason for that is that creativity is often unproveable and intangible until the work is made. Creativity is supposed to be subjective. That is the bloody point of it. It is about having a point of view.

However, in a world that loves objectivity, this can be a difficult path to navigate. How do you survive when you only have a feeling or a hunch? What do you do when you are the only one who thinks it will work? How do you stick to your guns? How do you sell a car that is invisible?

This book is an attempt to give you a few creative bullets that might help you answer those questions, or just give you a bit of perspective if you are having a shit Tuesday.

I guess you can either use it as a creative paramedic or machine gun, depending on your day.

Being a creative can be a stressful, weird, and lonely business. You can be in a room where everybody thinks creativity is a flouncy nice-to-have and you are not taken seriously. And the following week, you can be in the same room with the exact same people who now believe and desperately need creativity to solve impossible business problems. Creativity goes from being bullshit to an elixir that can fix just about anything. This is just one of the odd things about being a creative. Exact same ideas but different circumstance or different people and you get a different result.

I always laugh at how many books on creativity are written by people that think the business of coming up with ideas is all fun and sunshine and fucking roses. The truth is it isn’t. It can be insane. And often is. It’s at these times you want a little inspiration, a little help, or just feel like somebody is in your corner. I suppose over the years, I have tried to develop beliefs and thoughts that do that.

This book has 44 bullets that are either an idea or a story that I have written down over the last 25 years.

If I am honest, I am not sure you can teach anybody else to be a creative. You kind of have to figure it out for yourself. You must do the work and work out what works for you. Hopefully, there is something in the book that helps you on your journey. All I can say is it helped me.

And hey, if it doesn’t, I will quote the late, great comedian Jackie Mason in my defence.
“It’s like chicken soup for a dead guy. It can’t hurt.”

Enjoy.

—

You can buy a copy of Keep shooting until you see the f****ers smoke here

The 9Network’s TV ratings for Monday broadcast of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (up until 2am AEST) secured a National Total TV Reach of 10.139 million across Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now.

Days 1-3 of Olympic Games Paris 2024 has achieved a National Total TV Reach of 14.785 million. The collective coverage has accounted for the Top 3 highest reaching days for Nine across Total Television and for 9Now in VOZ history.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 3 Night Session (7pm-9pm) was Australia’s number one program with Total People and all key demographics. It recorded a National Total TV Reach of 5.690 million, a Total TV National Audience of 2.058 million and a BVOD audience of 297,000. In this session, our Aussie Dolphins demonstrated their skill in the swimming heats. Winnington advanced to the 800m freestyle final, while the reigning backstroke queen, Kaylee McKeown, clinched victory in her semi-final to secure a spot in the 100m backstroke final.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 3 Night Session 2 (9pm-10:30pm) secured the evening audience across Australia with Total People and all key demographics. The broadcast, which featured the highly anticipated boxing match of Australian favourite Harry Garside, secured a National Total TV Reach of 4.300 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.415 million and a BVOD audience of 232,000.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 3 Late (10:30pm-12am) dominated its timeslot across Australia with Total People and all key demographics. It achieved a National Total TV Reach of 2.089 million, a Total TV National Audience of 772,000 and a BVOD audience of 125,000. This session delivered viewers with the Aussie Women’s Sevens’ triumph over Ireland with a 19-14 victory, securing their spot in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Chris Burton earned Australia’s third silver medal of the Paris 2024 Games with a flawless final jumping ride in the individual equestrian eventing.

9News recorded the highest TV ratings for its news bulletin this year across Total Television and on 9Now of all time. The national average audience was 1,630,000 with an average BVOD crowd of 212,000 as part of that.

Today in Paris was dominant in the TV ratings with a Total TV audience of 732,000 with an average BVOD audience of 113,000.

The 9Network was the No.1 network across the 5 City Metro with Total People and all key demographics, soaring to winning shares of 61.65% with People 25-54, 67.11% with People 16-39, 50.26% with GS 18+ and 51.84% with Total People.

9Now was the No.1 CFTA BVOD platform across Australia with Total People and all key demographics, recording winning shares of 84.41% with People 25-54, 86.67% with People 16-39, 82.08% with GS 18+ and 82.67% with Total People.

Other 2024 Paris Olympics TV ratings
• Paris 2024 Olympics TV ratings: Sunday 28 July delivers more Gold for Australia and Nine
• Paris 2024 Olympics TV ratings: Opening Ceremony and Day
• Stan Sport sets new viewing record as people pay to watch 2024 Paris Olympics ad-free in 4K

Snap Inc. has appointed Ryan Ferguson as the new head of sales in Australia.

Ferguson brings over 25 years of digital media sales experience to the position. He joins from Google, where he spent over 16 years and held a range of senior roles in the APAC region, including ANZ director, Google customer solutions, APAC head of travel, and head of adtech platforms in ANZ and Singapore.

He will report to Snap’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Tony Keusgen, who welcomed his appointment.

“Ryan’s experience and strategic vision make him a talented sales leader,” Keusgen said. “With his impressive background in digital media and sales and a breadth of experience – from leading expansions and innovation initiatives, through to the nuts and bolts of AdTech – Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge to our team.

“His expertise and deep understanding of the digital landscape will pay dividends for our partners, as Ryan puts a laser focus on driving business growth and delivering outstanding results for advertisers of all sizes,” he added.

Tony Keusgen and Ryan Ferguson

“I am thrilled to join Snap Inc., as head of sales, and step into this incredible opportunity to lead a country sales team at one of the most exciting tech platforms in the game,” Ferguson said of his new role.

“My goal is to harness Snap’s track record in developing innovative, industry leading products, and effective media fundamentals across brand and direct response, to unlock new growth opportunities for partners who want to connect with the 8 million Aussies who use Snapchat every month.
 
“I plan to elevate our sales operations, further build out the team and forge impactful relationships with our partners that exceed expectations. I look forward to contributing to Snap Inc.’s continued success and pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve in the Australian market,” he added.
 
Ferguson’s appointment comes after Matt Coote, sales lead and founding member of Snap ANZ, announced his departure from the company in June. Ellie Rogers left the business in May after a year in the ANZ sales director role.
 
–
 
Top image: Ryan Ferguson

With most of the Paris Olympics competition taking place overnight, News.com.au saw a spike in numbers across the first weekend with more than 22 million page views.

This spike continued on Monday as readers consumed more articles than any other weekend this year, outside of the Bondi Junction tragedy in April.

News.com.au has had more than 4 million vertical video plays since the Olympics started on July 26. Video views across the weekend were almost double the weekly average for the year while July 29 had almost 30 per cent more views than the most popular day of the Tokyo Olympics.

News Corp Australia’s free news and lifestyle editor-in-chief and Olympic editor Mick Carroll said: “Our offering has been truly comprehensive with our team delivering all the moments Australians want to see.

“We are seeing huge surges in the morning and evening as we act as a second screen. We’ve taken our round-the-clock coverage to the next level as our teams in Paris and Sydney fire at all hours to ensure every angle is covered.”

The 9Network’s TV ratings for Monday broadcast of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (up until 2am AEST) secured a National Total TV Reach of 10.139 million across Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now.

Days 1-3 of Olympic Games Paris 2024 has achieved a National Total TV Reach of 14.785 million. The collective coverage has accounted for the Top 3 highest reaching days for Nine across Total Television and for 9Now in VOZ history.

Nine, which has the Olympics rights, has been broadcasting from a 7x7m ‘shipping container’ on the Trocadero.

“After we got the specs, I jumped on a plane and went to the UK to see the English Premier League productions with their virtual space in action,” Alex Rolls, Nine’s head of creative and innovation at Wide World of Sports, told Mediaweek.

“That trip to the BBC Studios in Manchester gave us the confidence that this would be the way that we wanted to go.

“We went into the virtual direction because a seven by seven metre space for 22 hours a day for 17 days on Nine, no matter how good your set designer might be, it’s going to look small and it’s not going to be worthy of the event.”

See also: Paris 2024 Olympics TV ratings: Monday July 29 sets weekday records for 9News and Today

Canva has revealed plans to acquire Leonardo.AI, an Australian startup that specialises in generative AI content and research. 

Cameron Adams, co-founder and chief product officer of Canva, said the acquisition recognises two Australian companies joining forces to “bring world-first breakthroughs in AI and creativity.”

“This field is constantly evolving, and Leonardo’s technical leadership and community impact can’t be overstated,” he said.

“Bringing our worlds together will accelerate each of our teams’ work, taking us from strength to strength, and we can’t wait to get started.”

Founded in late 2022, Leonardo.AI allows users to generate images in any chosen aesthetic in seconds with prompts, create videos, sketch with AI, and custom-train models with their own datasets. 

“Today marks the start of a new chapter which will accelerate the pace we innovate at Leonardo.Ai,” said JJ Fiasson, founder and CEO of Leonardo.AI.

“Joining the Canva family means we can invest more deeply in scaling our AI research efforts globally, and move even faster to deliver new features and functionality to creatives worldwide.”

In less than two years since its launch, Leonardo.AI has amassed more than 19 million registered users. It is used across industries including advertising, marketing, design, entertainment, architecture, fashion, e-commerce, and education.

Canva said it will continue to invest in Leonardo’s standalone platform while integrating its technology throughout the company’s suite of Magic Studio products. 

In March, Canva acquired Affinity, a creative software suite for professional photo editing, illustration, graphic design, and page layout.

Cliff Obrecht, Canva’s co-founder and COO, said investing in strategies that enhances the company’s B2B offering was imperative to the company’s future.

“Visual communication is now ubiquitous in the workplace,” said Obrecht.

“From sales and marketing, to brand and creative teams, the need to create effective and engaging visual content is on the rise.”

In May, Canva also appointed Neighbourhood Strategy to lead its global brand architecture strategy.

Cat van der Werff, Canva’s executive creative director, said at the time: “As Canva continues to scale globally and expand our enterprise capabilities, it was crucial for us to bring a fresh perspective and rigour in how we build a brand architecture that sets us up for the future.”

See also: Canva appoints Neighbourhood Strategy to lead global brand architecture

–

Top image: L-R, Leonardo.Ai’s JJ Fiasson, Canva’s Cliff Obrecht and Melanie Perkins

VMO has acquired the TMS Ignite network. The acquisition will see the expansion of its VMO On-The-Go network, having secured advertising rights across 500 premium petro and convenience locations.

The acquisition gives brands access to a network of digital advertising screens at the entrance to Coles Express and Reddy Express convenience stores.

VMO’s expanded VMO On-the-Go network offers more visibility brands with placement in the Petro and Convenience sector, with screens reaching consumers when they are receptive to advertising messages.

With the addition of the TMS Ignite network, VMO On-the-Go now includes a network of 1,200 locations and more than 4,000 screens. This expanded reach offers advertisers mass coverage across key arterial roads and high-traffic areas, and reaches both metro and regional markets in Australia.

As consumers increasingly use convenience stores for everyday essentials and on-the-go purchases, VMO says its screens work to provide brands with an opportunity to engage this audience at a significant touchpoint in the buying journey.

Anthony Deeble, chief commercial officer of The Hoyts Group and VMO said the team were “thrilled to add another 500 locations to our already solid On-The-Go network.”

“Our ongoing investment in the expansion of our network remains a key focus for VMO and we will continue to deliver on our promise of delivering a superior screen network at every opportunity. I’m pleased to partner with Viva Energy and look forward to building upon this solid foundation for success ahead.”

Paul Butler, managing director said VMO is “committed to providing advertisers with the best quality screens and locations available.”

“The acquisition of the TMS Ignite network represents a major leap forward in achieving this goal. We are excited to offer brands access to this premier network of petro and convenience locations, enabling them to connect with consumers in a high-transacting retail environment.”

See also: VMO secures advertising rights to Mall 88 and unveils The Halo

Revlon marked International Lipstick Day on Monday by transforming Sydney’s Luna Park face. The campaign was in support of the national cancer-support program charity Look Good, Feel Better, via creative agency Emotive.

“Six months ago, we were of the view that AI text-to-voice technology would never be as good as humans and would not add value to our clients’ projects. However, over the last few months, the technology improved rapidly – much quicker than we’d expected,” Abe Udy, founder of Abe’s Audio, has told Mediaweek.

Udy’s audio production agency has developed an ‘ethical AI voiceover’ offering to help its clients increase efficiency, reduce costs, and produce quality content at scale in response to mounting cost pressures in the industry.

He explained that with ethical AI voiceovers, the audio production agency can create quality guide voiceovers for video content, e-learning material, and projects requiring thousands of deliverables, plus provide multiple voice talent options in a pitch.

“Ethical AI voiceovers help to reduce costs for some projects. They are not ideal for every project, but there are some great use cases.”

“These voices are real people”

Udy explained that ethical AI voiceovers are human-centred, AI-created voiceovers. While the innovation reduces talent costs for agencies, video content producers, and broadcasters, it also protects voice talent and ensures they are paid for using their voice, he said.

“Working with some of our most popular voice artists – and giving them the chance to opt in – we’ve created professional AI models of their voices. This allows our clients to turn written scripts into professional voiceovers and audio content using voice talent they already know and use.

“When their voice is used to create a read, the talent is paid a fee. They have full visibility over all work created and can opt-out anytime.

“And, if the AI voice delivery is not quite what the client is looking for, they can get full creative control by booking the human talent.

“That’s the advantage – these voices are real people.”

Udy said his team has also developed guidelines to ensure the protection and fair treatment of talent. He noted that the AI voice models have been created and funded by Abe’s Audio and are only available for our team to use when working on a project.

“This ensures we can control how and where their voices are used and protect the privacy of our talent.”

Udy also noted that Abe’s Audio protects its talent by not allowing specific categories to be created using AI voice clones, such as finance, religion, adult entertainment, politics, and impersonation of minority groups.

Udy behind the mic

“A ‘lightbulb’ moment for many”

Udy said there was an initial concern that the industry might react negatively, but the response has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“Clients have been very supportive of the service and have recognised where it can add value to their workflows. In particular, many have commented that they really like the ‘ethical’ model – that talent has opted in and is paid for the use of their voices.”

He explained that one of the biggest differences between ethical AI voiceovers and AI voice platforms is that all voices are modelled on real Australians.

“Our clients can book human talent for a session if the AI read is not quite right or once their client has selected a voice talent option from a pitch. This has been a ‘lightbulb’ moment for many of them.”

Udy shared that he hopes ethical AI voiceovers will help the industry understand the importance of embracing technology, despite fears of the unknown.

“The thing we are most passionate about is ensuring that our talented voiceover artists are protected, treated fairly and paid for their work.

“AI is a disruptive force within our industry—and there are still many unknowns—but it is possible to work more cost-effectively and behave ethically.”

–

Top image: Abe Udy

REA Group-owned property site realestate.com.au has unveiled its new brand strategy and creative platform, Keep Moving, via brand building creative agency 72andSunny. The campaign targets Australian home buyers, sellers, and renters on their property journey.

The centrepiece of the campaign is its hero film directed by Nick Ball of Finch. It tells the story of the ups and downs of finding a new home and debuted on Saturday 27 July, during the coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“We are proud to continue to feature Australian music and work with Australian talent across our campaigns,” said REA Group general manager audience and marketing, Sarah Myers.

“Eurogliders‘ track, Heaven (Must Be There), became the heart of this story with the lyrics and composition perfectly narrating the many lows and highs of the featured family’s journey.”

Myers continued: “Our focus on deeply personalising the property experience helps arm property seekers with the right tools, and the confidence, to find their own piece of heaven.”

The multi-channel campaign will roll out across TV, BVOD, YouTube, OOH, cinema, radio, digital display, digital audio, and social media through independent media agency, Kaimera.

“The strategy positions realestate.com.au as a trusted partner empowering and supporting all Australians to progress their property journey,” added head of brand at 72andSunny, Laura Popa. 

The work for realeastate.com.au follows 72andSunny’s June launch of The Strategy Studio, a global consultancy service for clients looking to drive growth. The Strategy Studio operates in 72andSunny’s global locations – Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, and Amsterdam – leveraging international resources to uncover the latest global insights and trends.

Earlier this year, Google Pixel partnered with 72andSunny for its campaign activation at the Australian Open, marking its entry into the tournament as the Official Smartphone and Official Camera.

See also: 72andSunny launches The Strategy Studio, Miné Cakmak and Aviva Mann return

Blis has promoted Elias Psarologos to regional director for Australia and New Zealand.

Psarologos was previously head of sales for ANZ at Blis. He has 16 years of experience in media, including roles at BBC Worldwide, Domain Media, and Big Ads.

Psarologos said stepping into the role is an “exciting opportunity.”

“I am committed to building on our strong foundation and continuing to drive innovation and growth for our clients. Our team is dedicated to leveraging Blis’ advanced technologies to deliver outstanding results.”

Reflecting on his journey with the company, Psarologos added: “Working at Blis has been a remarkable experience. The dedication and talent of our team, combined with our cutting-edge technology, make us uniquely positioned to meet the evolving needs of our clients in the privacy-first era. I look forward to leading our efforts to achieve even greater success.”

In February, the inaugural Advertising Debate Club of 2024, supported by the IAB, was held at the Talent office in Sydney’s CBD, with Blis sponsoring the evening.

The session topic was ‘Programmatic will be the only way we buy advertising 5 years from now’ and the winning persuasion that closed the bi-monthly event was: ‘The greatness of advertising lies in its diversity of buying types: from “breath-taking” brand moments, to increasingly sophisticated middle to bottom-of-the-funnel targeting tactics.’

“No one is denying that programmatic isn’t a big cut of what we do day-to-day in digital advertising,” said the opposition’s Hari Caulfield, group programmatic lead at Foxtel Group, including Foxtel, Kayo and Binge.

“But it is definitely not the only way to do it, because we’re always going to need moments that take your breath away.

“Advertising in its purest form is talking to the right person at the right time, and you can do that in a plethora of ways.”

See also: Advertising Debate Club: Will programmatic rule in 2029?

The BBC News channel has launched on BBC.com and the BBC app, offering audiences full, free and unrestricted online access for the first time in Australia.

Refreshed earlier this year, audiences will be able to follow live coverage of BBC News via the “Watch live” button on BBC.com and in the “Live” tab on the BBC app, at any time of the day.

Fiona Lang, general manager, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are thrilled to be offering our world-leading impartial, accurate and trusted BBC News channel to all Australians for free and compatibly with their digital habits.

“We look forward to welcoming new audiences and serving existing viewers with live coverage from the biggest news stories in the world, as well as more gems from the channel’s wide-ranging content.”

In May, the BBC announced it would be launching BBC Verify US, a dedicated unit to counter disinformation in preparation for the 2024 US Presidential Election.

The new US unit, based out of Washington D.C., will use a range of forensic investigative skills and open-source intelligence capabilities.

Jamie Chambers, vice president, advertising and BBC news distribution, ANZ at BBC Studios told Mediaweek that the US election is one of the biggest stories of the year, and resonates in Australia. 

“Our expanded presence in the US and our breadth of coverage means that the BBC is perfectly placed to connect these events with our Australian audiences,” he said.

“We know that Australians turn to the BBC at times of global importance, and these are also key moments for advertisers across our platforms.

“Brands can safely capitalise on these unique levels of engagement thanks to our developed approach to brand safety, that leverages rigorous editorial controls together with smart technology.

“Combined with the newly launched BBC.com and BBC app products, audiences and advertisers will benefit from an enhanced and more integrated experience when following this key story.”

See also: BBC launches unit to counter disinformation ahead of 2024 US Election

The Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) has opened entries for its 2024 Awards, which recognise the year’s best and brightest in Australia’s influencer marketing industry.

The awards show, now in its fourth year, celebrates the brands, creators, agencies and businesses that are leading the way in influencer marketing nationally, engaging audiences through authentic, uniquely crafted content.

Three new categories have also been introduced for this year’s awards: Best Creator Podcast, Best Gifting Campaign, and Best Talent Agency.

The theme for the 2024 awards will be ‘The Creator Influence,’ which acknowledges the significant power of creator campaigns and their place in the broader marketing industry.

Patrick Whitnall

“We are excited to put the official call-out for entries for our 2024 AiMCO Awards,” Patrick Whitnall, managing director of AiMCO, said.

“This year has already been exceptional for the Australian influencer community, with an incredible number of campaigns and partnerships. I’d encourage all of the nation’s influencer marketing industry to get involved in this year’s awards – it’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase their work and celebrate their efforts, as well as raise the industry as a whole.

“The AiMCO Awards are now in their fourth year, and every year, the industry has just gone from strength-to-strength.
 
“We’ve added three new award categories this year to reflect the increase in influencer podcasts and gifting campaigns, as well as the growing number of talent agencies and their role in developing both successful creators and brand campaigns. We can’t wait to celebrate another landmark year for our industry.”

The Macfarlane Bros

Comedy duo Lachlan and Austin Macfarlane, aka The Macfarlane Brothers, were recognised as the most influential creators at the 2023 awards, as well as best comedy and entertainment creator for the year.
 
“Winning the Most Influential 2023 Creator Award was an incredible honour for us. The international exposure this award brought to our profile has opened up creative and business opportunities we never thought were possible a year ago,” the brothers said.
 
“It’s easy to lose sight of the reach that our self-produced work has, so being recognised for the time and effort we invest in our craft was incredibly gratifying.
 
“The AiMCO Awards highlight the creativity, passion and innovation that drives influencer marketing. It was a huge honour to be acknowledged alongside creatives who inspire us. For us, this award signified that we were part of a community that encourages excellence and integrity in this industry.”
 
Nominations for the 2024 AiMCO Awards open on Wednesday 31 July, and close on Friday, 27 September. Finalists will be released in December 2024, with winners announced at an award ceremony set to be held in February next year.

Creator
• Best Food & Beverage Creator
• Best Beauty, Fashion & Style Creator
• Best Comedy & Entertainment Creator
• Best Gaming, Streamer Creator
• Best Family, Parenting, Pets Creator
• Best Home, Lifestyle, Travel, Auto Creator
• Best Health, Fitness, Sport Creator
• Best Business, Finance, Insurance or Telco Creator
• Best Up & Coming Creator
• Best Creator Podcast
• Influence for Good

Industry
• Best Large Agency or Business
• Best Boutique Agency/Business
• Best Talent Agency
• Best Influencer Marketing, Technology or Service
• Best Use of Data
• Most Effective Campaign for ROI
• Most Effective Collaboration/Partnership
• AiMCO Trailblazer of the Year

Brand Awards
• Best Beauty & Wellness Campaign
• Best Business, Finance, Insurance or Telco Campaign
• Best Entertainment & Gaming Campaign
• Best Family, Parenting, Pets Campaign
• Best Fashion & Style Campaign
• Best Food & Beverage Campaign
• Best Health, Fitness, Sport Campaign
• Best Home, Lifestyle, Travel or Auto Campaign
• Best Gifting Campaign
• Influence for Good Campaign

MFA EX Melbourne has revealed Wavemaker’s strategy executive Zoe Stanek, Carat’s senior strategy director Annika Barrett, and Match & Wood’s media coordinator Ashley Hill will take to the stage with their hot takes at this year’s Inspiration X sessions.

MFA EX, which will be held at The Timber Yard in Melbourne on 5 September, aims to educate, challenge, and inspire people working in the Australian media and communications industry, from newcomers to the most experienced media professionals.

Hill’s presentation will examine how agencies can be better seen as a partner to growth, rather than a cost on a balance sheet. Barrett will discuss why dating apps are the ultimate focus group.

Meanwhile, Stanek will remind the MFA EX audience that while there is no shortage of ambition or intention in sustainability, there is a shortage of short-term personal action.

The presenters were selected in a competitive process by the MFA EX panel of curators after employees of MFA member agencies with less than 15 years of experience in the industry were invited to submit Inspiration X proposals.
 
The aim of the four-minute presentations is to present a new or provocative perspective, inspire the industry to change its thinking or behaviour, and address the theme of the MFA EX conference: Change for the Better.
 
“A highlight of MFA EX each year, the Inspiration X presentations consistently strike a balance between being informative and entertaining, with a healthy dose of provocation thrown in,” MFA CEO Sophie Madden said.
 
“Once again, I feel inspired and optimistic at the level of innovative thinking among our industry’s future leaders and can’t wait for everyone to be challenged and inspired by these talented individuals in September.”

More than 2,500 people attended MFA EX in Melbourne and Sydney in 2023. This year’s Melbourne event is taking place on Thursday 5 September at The Timber Yard, and in Sydney on Thursday 19 September at White Bay Cruise Terminal.
 
The Sydney speakers and topics will be revealed in the coming weeks.
 
The 2024 MFA EX sponsors are:
 
Grand Prix Sponsor: Seven Network
Platinum Sponsors: Meta, Outdoor Media Association, SBS
Gold Sponsors: Ad Standards, Foxtel Media, Google, News Corp, OzTAM

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Top image: Zoe Stanek, Annika Barrett and Ashley Hill

Monday 29 July 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach
Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s Olympics 2024 D3 – Night recorded a total TV national reach of 5,690,000, a total TV national audience of 2,058,000, and a BVOD audience of 297,000.

Seven’s The Chase Australia recorded a total TV national reach of 1,470,000, a total TV national audience of 738,000, and a BVOD audience of 36,000.

Also on Seven, Home & Away recorded a total TV national reach of 1,215,000, a total TV national audience of 829,000, and a BVOD audience of 107,000.

On Home & Away, Cash gave Eden a difficult mission, Mali discovered he is in over his head and Cash and Rose triumph at work.

10’s airing of Have You Been Paying Attention? recorded a total TV national reach of 925,000, a total TV national audience of 564,000, and a BVOD audience of 26,000.

Have You Been Paying Attention saw Kitty Flanagan, Alex Ward, Daniel Connell, Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang all compete to see who’s been paying attention the most with host Tom Gleisner and guest quizmaster Nikki Webster.

People 25-54

Nine’s Olympics 2024 D3 – Night:
• Total TV nation reach: 2,283,000
• National Audience: 770,000
• BVOD Audience: 174,000

Nine’s Today in Paris:
• Total TV nation reach: 853,000
• National Audience: 270,000
• BVOD Audience: 65,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 357,000
• National Audience: 253,000
• BVOD Audience: 60,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?
• Total TV nation reach: 351,000
• National Audience: 227,000
• BVOD Audience: 15,000

People 16-39

Nine’s Olympics 2024 D3 – Night:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,212,000
• National Audience: 379,000
• BVOD Audience: 104,000

Nine’s Today in Paris:
• Total TV nation reach: 370,000
• National Audience: 101,000
• BVOD Audience: 34,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 174,000
• National Audience: 122,000
• BVOD Audience: 37,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?
• Total TV nation reach: 135,000
• National Audience: 93,000
• BVOD Audience: 8,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+ TV Ratings

Nine’s Olympics 2024 D3 – Night:
• Total TV nation reach: 4,232,000
• National Audience: 1,557,000
• BVOD Audience: 232,000

Nine’s Today in Paris:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,714,000
• National Audience: 578,000
• BVOD Audience: 90,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 947,000
• National Audience: 646,000
• BVOD Audience: 86,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?
• Total TV nation reach: 731,000
• National Audience: 450,000
• BVOD Audience: 21,000

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.