Luke Girgis has lost his 5 million options in The Brag Media as part of his exit from the business he co-founded. 

Yesterday, The Brag Media’s ASX-listed owner, Vinyl Group, confirmed Girgis, the publisher and managing director, would be exiting the business after a “thorough review”, just six months after he sold it. That review and its resulting leadership changes would result in savings of $750,000 over the next year, it said.

In a further notice published to the ASX late yesterday afternoon, it became clear Girgis’ exit would also result in him losing the 5 million options he received as part of the December 2023 sale of the business to Vinyl Group.

The first tranche was due to vest a year after the sale, upon achieving revenue and EBIT targets. The second tranche was to vest on the second anniversary of the sale’s completion.

Those options are now void because “the conditions have not been, or have become incapable of being, satisfied” now he is no longer employed.

Girgis and his co-founder sold The Brag Media in a $10 million deal at the end of last year: $8 million cash, plus a further $2 million in cash or stock based on financial performance. Girgis moved from CEO to publisher and managing director as a full time employee.

Vinyl Group rebranded from Jaxsta just weeks before it acquired The Brag, funded by an $11 million placement and debt facility from Vinyl Group investor Richard White.

“Right from the earliest discussions we had, it was clear that the board, Josh and the team shared our vision for the future of the business, and I’m thrilled that they’ve made this commitment with us,” Girgis said at the time of the sale.

As Girgis exits, Jessica Hunter has been promoted to head of The Brag Media, and Lars Brandle promoted to head of content. Poppy Reid remains editor-in-chief.

The Brag Media publishes thebrag.com, The Music Network, and Tone Deaf, and has the license for Rolling Stone and Variety across AUNZ.

Michael Wilkins, managing director of national sport brands, and Marcus Hooke, general manager of print production, will exit News Corp as part of its ongoing restructure.

According to the AFR, the redundancies also include “several sales team general managers”. On Monday, News Corp Australia’s head of sales – NSW independent agencies and major direct, Michael Desiere, announced he was leaving the business after 22 years. Desiere’s last day will be next Friday 14 June.

The changes to News Corp’s structure – which sees its editorial teams streamlined into three divisions spanning free, mastheads, and prestige – follow Meta pulling out of its deals to pay for news.

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

Under the new structure, Nicholas Gray will lead the prestige division, and The Australian‘s editor-in-chief Michelle Gunn will have magazines added to her remit.

Mark Reinke will head the state and community mastheads division, which will capture The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Courier Mail, and Advertiser, plus regional and community publications.

Pippa Leary will become managing director of the free news and lifestyle division, spanning news.com.au, the NCA newswire, and lifestyle digital brands. Lou Barrett will lead client partnerships and the sales team.

Mick Carroll, the Sunday Telegraph‘s editor, becomes editor-in-chief, and The Daily Telegraph editor-in-chief Ben English will step into a bigger role leading the national reporting team. 

The Herald Sun’s Sam Weir will add the Hobart Mercury and Weekly Times to his responsibilities.

Jason Scott, the current managing director of news in Queensland, will be executive director of the sport network. Current national executive editor Peter Blunden will move to a part-time advisory role and remain on the board.

News Corp’s executive chairman Michael Miller is due to speak at the National Press Club later today, the first time he has taken to the Press Club podium since 2019. 

With radio ratings survey three giving the first taster of Kyle and Jackie O’s Melbourne expansion, ARN’s chief content officer Duncan Campbell tells Mediaweek: “Internally, we felt that if it was flat, that would have been a good result.”

In the show’s first partial survey since launching in Melbourne, the duo dropped -0.5 points for a 5.9% breakfast share. Of the ten-week survey period, Kyle and Jackie O were only on air for three, so Campbell does admit “anyone who’s calling wins today is probably a bit premature.” He said the team “remain very confident.”

“The amount of churn that is occurring in Melbourne at the moment, particularly around breakfast is significant. If you change even one player on a breakfast show, that has an impact on the market,” Campbell said.

“We expect that now to settle down a bit – and the next survey we get eight out of 10 weeks with Kyle and Jackie O, so we’ll get a much better indication then. “

In the wider survey, Campbell described the results as “positive” for ARN, returning to equal number one network with SCA. “We had some good wins around the country and a couple of disappointments, but we’re really focused on the strategy,” Campbell said.

“When we do take a hit, we bounce back, which has been demonstrated by WSFM and Gold in particular today. We’re in good shape.

“Gold in Melbourne took a hit in the early part of this year, but that was up against very strong marketing campaigns from The Fox and Nova – even Triple M was marketing. We normally market in surveys one and two, we didn’t this time around and they were impacted by that. They’ve bounced back really, really well.”

When asked whether the team considered going out with a major marketing campaign for Gold, Campbell said: “We decided to keep our powder dry,” but admits, “we didn’t anticipate the size of the marketing campaigns for The Fox and Nova, which did have an impact.”

Looking to survey four, there are three main goals for ARN.

“The focus is on making sure Adelaide bounces back, continuing to grow and push forward with Brisbane – particularly in 25-54s – and with Kyle and Jackie O, making sure that we continue to drive home the messaging in Melbourne,” Campbell said.

2024: ‘A great year for radio’

Halfway through the calendar year, Campbell said “it’s been a good year for radio. We just need the ad revenues to return, ideally back to pre-COVID levels, but if they get a bit more buoyant then it’d be a great year for radio.

“What is great in 2024 is that radio is being talked about more than it has been for a while, that can only be a good thing. The three networks are back to being very competitive, which is good. 

“Revenues could be a bit stronger, it’s such a short market – but I think H2 is looking more positive, even though it’s hard to forecast.”

–

Top Image: Duncan Campbell

Luke Girgis has left The Brag Media as publisher and managing director, six months after he sold the business to Vinyl Group in a $10m deal: $8 million cash, plus a further $2 million in cash or stock based on financial performance.

Vinyl Group announced the leadership change today, which it said followed a “thorough review of The Brag Media.” Jessica Hunter has been promoted to head of The Brag Media, and Lars Brandle promoted to head of content. Poppy Reid remains editor-in-chief.

The review and leadership changes will result in savings of $750,000 over the next year, the business said.

The ASX-listed Vinyl Group rebranded from Jaxsta just weeks before it acquired The Brag. The December acquisition was funded by an $11 million placement and debt facility from Vinyl Group investor Richard White.

Upon selling The Brag – which publishes thebrag.com, The Music Network, and Tone Deaf, and has the license for Rolling Stone and Variety across AUNZ – Girgis moved from CEO to publisher and managing director as a full time employee.

“Right from the earliest discussions we had, it was clear that the board, Josh and the team shared our vision for the future of the business, and I’m thrilled that they’ve made this commitment with us,” he said at the time of the sale.

He received 5 million options upon the completion of the sale, the first tranche of which was due to vest a year after the sale, upon achieving revenue and EBIT targets. The second tranche was to vest on the second anniversary of the sale’s completion.

“Upon acquiring The Brag Media, the Board and I have taken the time to get to know all the incredible talent in the team,” Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons said today of the leadership changes.

“It became clear that Jessica’s leadership and commercial achievements since joining the business have made her an undeniable force. We believe in Jessica’s ability to steer The Brag Media, unlock its full potential and drive our ambitious growth plans forward.

“I look forward to working closely with Jess and Lars in their new roles. The Brag Media is synonymous with youth culture, and the best is yet to come.”

Hunter joined The Brag last year as general manager of partnerships after a stint leading the agency and brand partnerships team at Woolworths’ Cartology. She has also led the Daily Mail’s commercial team, and worked with Bauer, News Corp, and Nine.

As head of the business, she will lead the day-to-day operations and growth of The Brag Media, and be responsible for strategy and business outcomes.

Brandle was previously senior reporter, and as head of content will lead content strategy and output across Rolling Stone AUNZ, Variety Australia, The Music Network, and Tone Deaf.

Hunter

“Our business is home to some of the best people in media,” Hunter said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to lead Australia’s largest creator of premium youth content and events through the next phase of growth. I’m grateful to Josh and the Board for their trust and remain motivated to ensure our portfolio of iconic brands and partnerships reach their full potential, and that our clients receive top-tier support and award-winning campaign solutions that sit at the centre of youth culture.”

Last September, when Hunter was just a few months into her role, she told Mediaweek: “I am proud to have seen our business transform from a music network to Australia’s largest youth publisher, with 10 million monthly visitors. 

“Clients now see what I saw when I joined The Brag Media: a team that is passionate about delivering exceptional campaigns that are both creative and effective in delivering client outcomes.”

A statement accompanying the announcement of the sale revealed unaudited financial year 2023 results of $8.39m in revenues for The Brag Media, with a net profit of $334,824.

The Brag Media exclusively represents local digital audiences for over a dozen other titles including HypeBeast, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Music Feeds, ComingSoon, Rotten Tomatoes, Game Revolution, and IndieWire.

Vinyl Group’s share price has risen by 130% over the past six months, from 5c on 20 December, the day before the sale, to 12c today.

When DDB’s Bill Bernbach pioneered the art director-copywriter pairing in the 1950s, “it made a lot of sense,” Cam Blackley tells Mediaweek, because those teams were focused on “TV, press, poster, radio.”

Cut to 2024, and Blackley and Emily Taylor have a different model in mind for their new shop, Bureau of Everything: the strategist-creative team. 

The ex-M&C Saatchi CCO and CSO explain that the strategist-creative pairing will act as creative directors on a project, from start to finish. Blackley is involved in the strategic process, and Taylor keeps close to the work all the way through to craft and execution. “You talk about it as keeping the creative honest,” she says to Blackley.

Taylor has always enjoyed working like this. “I need to jam and bounce.” But creative and strategy being siloed in agencies has an impact. 

“The reality is, you’re in different departments. And quite often strategy gets completely dropped off the process after the first phase, or creative isn’t really that involved at the beginning. And I think it shows in the work.”

The duo worked well together at M&C Saatchi. Blackley left last October after almost six years; Taylor followed in February after three and a half – partly because she wanted to be closer to the work, as she discussed with M&C boss Justin Graham.

“When we were able to keep it [strategy and creative] close at M&C, it was a much better result,” Blackley says of how the pair worked together.

“Even to the point of 8pm the night before a pitch, talking about it, and completely rewriting half the work, and changing end lines, and just binning all the boards, and just going and presenting off screen based on conversations and making sure that we kept it on track. And the work was better. And it was more single-minded.”

The origin story

When Blackley left M&C, he said he wanted to “build something new after a break,” taking advantage of an industry that felt “beautifully disrupted.” When Taylor left, she wasn’t clear on her next step.

“I had a lot of conversations with a lot of people. And ultimately, Cam and I were freelancing and consulting together, and it just became really clear really quickly … we could build something big and great.”

It was “really nice,” she says, “to be in market and have the opportunity to look at where everything’s going and go, ‘this is really the big opportunity.'”

Blackley says the pair could create the creative company they wanted, to solve problems the way they wanted to solve them.

“We learnt enough from over 20 years to go: Well, I like that bit. And I like that bit. And I don’t like that bit. So what if we could actually control our own destiny and shape it in the right way?” 

He had the name ready to go. It was “registered for ages, but I didn’t know what I was going to do with it.” The pair don’t call the Bureau an agency; Taylor thinks the term “feels like it has quite a lot of baggage for clients.”

Instead, the name promises “an office of everything, where the clients are everything to us, and that strat-creative partnership means everything,” Blackley explains.

“The other thing I liked about it was there’s a Bureau of Meteorology, Bureau of Agriculture, and a Bureau of Education. And they’re all very stiff. It’s the impossibility of being a Bureau of Everything, which is kind of fun. That’s the playful nature.”

The logo is a big, bold B, with a thin E cut out of its centre. Bureau of Everything. It also looks somewhat like a C, with an E within it. Cam and Em.

The Bureau’s logo, as seen on LinkedIn

They’re not looking to badge a freelance duo, though. “I’ve never seen that we’re going to launch something like the Bureau of Everything and it remains two people. My ambition is not to be consultants with an agency studio kind of title,” Blackley explains.

The goal is to build a small team of strategist-creative teams, then engage specialists – digital, social, AI – on projects. They want to scale, but not too fast. “We just really need to make sure that it doesn’t get bent out of shape,” Taylor says.

“It doesn’t need to be 50 people, it might be 12 core, or 15 core, or whatever,” Blackley adds.

Bureau of Everything isn’t the only name he has up his sleeve.

“I’ve got some other funny ones registered as well. On my Apple watch, it says, at the end of the day … ‘no more events’. And I went, ‘oh, that’s good.’ So I’ve got ‘No More Events’ registered. And I’ve got all the domain names.”

The office

The pair immediately have a temporary office. On 1 July, they’re moving into a permanent bureau in Sydney’s Surry Hills, with capacity for six to eight people. They want a place to work together, and to bring freelancers and clients.

“We already have a designer-creative director working on a job with us. We have social strat coming in on the job soon,” Blackley notes.

“And it’s not good enough for us to go, ‘oh, let’s all go meet in a pub or a cafe’ or to try and do a semi-permanent workspace. We really want to have a place where everyone can feel comfortable.

“I also like to run writers rooms on projects, that gives us the opportunity to do that in a setting that we make in our image.”

The perfect client

M&C works with blue-chip clients like Commonwealth Bank, Tourism Australia (although that account is up for pitch and M&C is out of the running), and Woolworths. 

Bureau of Everything doesn’t want “the category leaders,” Blackley confirms. “It’s a romantic notion to think that we both need each other. And therefore, our ambitions are shared, like we both need to grow and make effective and famous work.”

Instead, they’re after clients like Fone King, which the Bureau has been working with. “They’re the founders, they really appreciate the involvement, they really understand their business … but also they’ve got an appetite to really push,” Taylor says.

Bureau of Everything is working with Fone King

Three to five clients at a time, with big ambition: that’s the sweet spot. “That’s where we can really dedicate our time to them, rather than being spread so thin,” Blackley adds. “The further you go up the chain in this industry, the further you get dragged away from the really important bit, because you’re just putting out fires everywhere.

“The way the financial structures work here [in Australia] particularly, there’s a real rigidity around if you want to get a pay rise, well, it has to be attached to moving up the ladder. And a lot of people can reach positions or titles where they’re not really comfortable, or they can’t actually do the job.

“We’ve put our line in the sand around what we believe is the way to solve problems. We’ll draw those kinds of clients and we can also say, ‘we don’t think that this relationship will work,’ and nip it in the bud rather than needing to constantly feed that pipeline, whether it’s a good fit or not, just in order to hit targets.”

The work

When they announced the Bureau last week, Blackley and Taylor said the ambition was to make unmissable work. “There is no alternative unless you like setting piles of money on fire.”

How do you create unmissable work though, when so much of it suffers a slow strangulation as it gets watered down here, receives a ‘no’ there?

“I have stolen this from somewhere, I don’t know where from … [with] every idea, there’s glass and clay,” Blackley says.

“So there’s the bit of the idea that you fundamentally can’t fuck with, or the whole thing falls apart. And there’s the clay, there’s those little executional elements around the side where you can definitely compromise.

“If any of the bits that are glass aren’t resonating with the client, you knock it on the head there. Because otherwise you get into that slippery slope where everyone goes along, and before you know it, you’ve got a circle when you started with a square. We describe it almost like a rollercoaster, you’re just at the top and you’re going over and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Taylor jumps in: “And again, if the problem’s defined well, and you can see that the work answers the problem, then I think half of the fear is gone anyway.”

Tom Gleeson is always hard to avoid on TV, but this year he’s been more prolific than usual.

If a Gleeson diet of Hard Quiz (new episodes and daily repeats) and Taskmaster is not enough, stand by.

Hard Quiz Kids is a spinoff of the very successful Thinkative TV format. The Kids version of the program was tried previously as a one-off special. It’s now back with 10 episodes.

The first series featuring young contestants is one of the pillars of the rebranded ABC TV channel ABC Family.

See also: ABC introduces two new channels – ABC Family and ABC Entertains

The ABC’s Hard Quiz (adults) remains the main TV game for Gleeson and the production company Thinkative TV. This year they are making 35 new episodes. The recent new Wednesday night episodes came from a comedy vault at the broadcaster and were produced last year.

The order to Thinkative for Hard Quiz Kids Season 1 was 10 episodes.

Who’s who at Thinkative TV?

Gleeson is not a partner in Thinkative TV. But he describes his relationship with the business as being in partnership. When asked about the name of his company, Gleeson smiled and told Mediaweek, “That’s top secret.”

The not-so-secret people in Thinkative are Token and Guesswork Television MD Kevin Whyte, former Project producer and sometime podcaster Chris Walker and comedy legend and TV host Charlie Pickering.

What’s Tom Gleeson’s business model?

Live comedy is the bedrock of his brand. (Not that he would ever refer to himself as a brand.) Gleeson: “I’m still a stand-up comedian that performs live. I’m doing a tour at the moment.” That tour is Gear – Wagga Wagga, Sutherland and Mildura in June.

“Touring live is very profitable. TV, I mean, it’s tricky. I’ve accidentally become a TV star, but it wasn’t really the plan.”

“If I’m really honest, I used to always come at TV like, ‘Oh, that’ll be good because it’ll raise my profile and more people will go to my live shows.’

“But Hard Quiz and Taskmaster are such high quality they are their own amazing things to do. But I’ve spent my whole career treating TV with such disdain.

“It’s hard not to let go of that. I still host the shows with that similar attitude, but I’m not an idiot. I do look around and realise I’m on a very good wicket.”

Is treating things with disdain now central to Tom Gleeson? “It is part of my thing, but at the same time, I’m aware I’ve accidentally ended up in this position where I have a TV career, which is something I never really set out to have.”

Making TV comedy

The economics of game shows means you need to squeeze as much into each day of filming as possible. Hard Quiz is no exception, as Gleeson explained.

“Roughly speaking, we can make a year’s worth of Hard Quiz in about three months. That’s still a lot of work. But it’s ideal for me because it means I can do other things around the rest of the year.

“The production staff work longer than that of course. For example, I have nothing to do with the audition process.

“I’m also not involved in post-production. I’m not looking over the shoulder of someone editing the show. When I walk off the set on the last day, that’s pretty much when I’m finished.”

The business of being Tom Gleeson

Tom Gleeson moves from one successful TV show to the next and tours regularly. Is there now something of an army of people running the business, or does he run it like a small business?

“I keep myself boutique. I don’t really have many grand ambitions.”

Prodding further, I asked about overheads, offices and staff. “No, I’m just…according to the ATO, yes, I have some staff.

“I don’t really have any ambitions to produce shows or form a production company. I quite enjoy doing the show that I do. It’s a boring answer for you, but I’m happy to run Hard Quiz into the ground. I’ve got no desire to finish any time soon.

“It’s extremely gratifying that people love the show. I find the contestants constantly intriguing. I will just keep doing it forever, which I probably shouldn’t say to the media because it weakens my negotiating position because they know that I’ll always say yes!”

Gleeson ventured that he’s able to turn down proposals that don’t interest him.

“I’m really good at saying no. I got asked to do I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! years ago, and they threw the bank at me. I said no because it’s just not my style of show.

“For me, it’s the show I prefer to make fun of. It’s hard to make fun of a show if I’m on it because then I have to buy into it. If I start popping up on all the reality shows it might just start eroding the other stuff that I do.

“I’ve been asked to be a judge on The Masked Singer in the past and all that kind of stuff.

“People like Hard Quiz, they like Taskmaster, they like my stand-up. I don’t want to upset the apple cart too much.”

Gleeson said he wasn’t too keen on returning to radio. Earlier in his career he co-hosted Triple M evenings with Subby Valentine (Tom and Subby). He later was on air at Mix FM in Melbourne with Bridget Duclos. The station later rebranded as KIIS 101.1.

“I loved working with Bridget, we had a great relationship and it all worked really well. Breakfast radio is one of the toughest gigs going around. The hours are horrendous.

“This is not a nice thing to say, but you’re starting to stretch the definition of comedy for me. The idea of waking up at six o’clock in the morning and making a joke between two songs. That is not really why I got into it.”

Gleeson and his TV night of nights win in 2019

Making Hard Quiz Kids

The format is similar on this spin off. The difference is, of course, the contestants are younger – aged between 10 and 13.

Episode 1: Premieres Saturday 8 June at 7:30pm on ABC Family and ABC iview.
Tom Gleeson has his hands full as the kids run wild over the Hard Quiz set. The young competitors stepping up to do battle in this episode are:
Aston – really into birds of prey
Callista – knows her way around Greek Mythology
Toby – loves playing Minecraft
Pippa – fascinated by the wives of King Henry VIII.
The prize for the winner remains the same too – the Big Brass Mug.

The P&O Cruises brand will disappear into 2025, becoming absorbed into Carnival Cruise Lines. The announcement was made mere months after P&O Cruises invested in its first brand platform in a decade.

In a statement, the cruise line company said: “Early next year, we will be farewelling the much-loved P&O Cruises Australia brand and rebrand to become part of Carnival Cruise Lines.

“We are all immensely proud of P&O Cruises Australia’s 90-year heritage of dedicated operations in the region and welcome this new and exciting next chapter of our operations in Australia and the Pacific.”

One of its ships, the Pacific Explorer, will also leave the fleet. Reports of the brand shuttering have noted the high operating costs for a cruise line in Australia, including port fees and fuel.

The brand appointed Supermassive to its creative account last year, to lead the new platform, and Bread Agency to its social account. Fellow indie Today The Brave holds Carnival Cruise Lines’ account.

The first P&O Cruises platform in 10 years, created by Supermassive and launched in January, centred around the power of human connection, dubbed Brings Us All Together.

The hero film featured an onboard choir comprised of local singing groups, past guests, and brand fans singing an original arrangement of Fleetwood Mac’s iconic hit song Everywhere.

At the time, P&O marketing director Kieran O’Donnell told Mediaweek that the campaign aimed to “elevate the brand above the sea of sameness” in the cruise category and connect with new audiences that may not have considered cruises before.

Meanwhile, Today The Brave launched the 100% Holiday campaign for Carnival Cruise Lines, also in January. As part of the appointment, the agency was tasked with accelerating the brand’s strategy and creative, and supporting Carnival to help drive Australians to reappraise, experience, and embrace the value of a cruise, enticing them to jump on board.

It is unclear how the merger, set to take effect next year, will impact agency relationships and P&O’s marketing team.

Upon the release of yesterday’s radio ratings survey three, Nine Radio’s head of content Greg Byrnes is pleased to see how audiences have reacted to the changes at 3AW in Melbourne. 

Speaking to Mediaweek, Byrnes was quick to shout out the strong results seen not only at 2GB in Sydney, but 3AW in Melbourne, which held a winning audience share of 14.4%, despite some programming changes.

“Looking at the new hosts and programmes in Melbourne, Tony Moclair is now number one in Afternoons on 3AW, as well as Tom Elliott who is going strength to strength in mornings after taking over from Neil (Mitchell). Jacqui Felgate is also up a point in drive,” he said.

“There are three new names in those roles, and it’s pleasing how successful they have been because we know our audience doesn’t like change, but change is required from time to time.

“It’s really pleasing to see in Sydney and Melbourne that those shifts that we have changed off the back of strong breakfast programmes are doing really well.”

Jacqui Felgate recorded an 8.3% share – up 0.9 on Survey 2, Tony Moclair captured a 13.1% share – up 1.5 points on Survey 2, while Tom Elliott recorded a 17.5% share in mornings – up 0.8 on Survey 2.

Ross and Russ have maintained their status as Melbourne’s top breakfast show, recording a 20.3% share. The pair also captured a 46% share of the commercial streaming audience.

It’s been 12 months since the launch of Radio360, and Byrnes stated that from the outset, Nine was confident that its figures would be reflected well in the streaming figures. 

Nine Radio was up almost 17% nationally overall, with a commercial streaming share of 28.7% (up 0.5).

“I must say, however, I was somewhat surprised to see the strength of our streaming figures, up 17%, and that’s already off very strong figures,” he said.

“We’d like to think more and more people are experiencing and finding what we’re saying about streaming, that it is a better listening experience and the word is getting out there.”

The release of Survey 3 marks 52 days until the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Nine is ramping up the signposting across its network.

“For a radio audience, the excitement of the games comes from the audio that we can play off in those key iconic sporting moments that translate very well to our platform. 

“It’s the middle of the night, you’re tucked in bed, lying there listening to Ray (Hadley) calling a gold medal swim, there’s nothing quite like that audio experience.”

See also:
Sydney Radio Ratings 2024 Survey 3: Ben Fordham and 2GB take top spots
Melbourne Radio Ratings 2024 Survey 3: Kyle & Jackie O start slow

Despite being announced at Seven’s upfront in October, SAS Australia will reportedly not be returning for a fifth season.

According to The Daily Mail, initial casting discussions took place for the upcoming season at Screentime, the production company behind SAS Australia. However, the show won’t air this year.

It first premiered on Seven in 2020 and has since seen 66 celebrity recruits go through a series of extreme physical and psychological tests. The first three seasons were flmed in NSW, but the fourth season was filmed offshore at a secret base in the Middle East.

Former world boxing champion Anthony Mundine, ‘Cocaine Cassie’, Olympians Stephanie Rice, Peter Bol and Matthew Mitcham, Balinese princess Lindy Klim, Thai cave rescue hero Dr Craig Challen and Brownlow medallist Jason Akermanis were just some of the 14 Aussie celebrities who volunteered in 2023.

SAS Australia 2023’s finale saw 1.85 million total viewers tune in across Seven and 7plus, an 11% increase from 2022. 

While SAS instructor and host Ant Middleton won’t be returning to the show, he will be appearing on Seven’s newest season of Dancing with the Stars.

Seven has been approached for comment.

Other reality formats have recently been axed by the networks, with 10 most recently cutting The Masker Singer and The Bachelor. 

Daniel Monaghan, senior vice president of content and programming at Paramount AUNZ, told Mediaweek the sunsetting of The Bachelor and The Masked Singer is due to a volatile TV market and low ratings not justifying expensive productions.

“There were elements of The Bachelor that we were trying to reinvent and reinvigorate for that format because it was such a success for us in the early years, but it wasn’t showing the right trajectory,” he said.

“To be honest, we just need to walk away sometimes.

“If it’s still there when we’re ready to revisit it, great, but at the moment, no ratings, no revenue, means no show.”

See also: ‘We just need to walk away sometimes’: 10’s Daniel Monaghan on axing The Masked Singer and The Bachelor

“It’s not AI that is going to take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI might”. These were the wise words of Richard Baldwin, professor of international economics at the IMD Business School.

He made them over well a year ago, and in that time, the line has almost become the industry’s go-to AI cliché. Go to any AI or industry conference and count how often you hear it. My best is that at least three speakers will use the line (if not more).

We need to understand both opportunity and threat and a clear warning to get moving.

Sure, everyone in adland is talking about AI. For 18 months, it has been the new shiny toy, but the time for talking is well and truly over. It is now time for action.

Yet it appears much of what we are doing as an industry is still just talk.

From a pitch perspective, agencies readily discuss AI and its benefits. But they mostly discuss generative AI and its ability to impact production. Often, though, these points are in the abstract. The tangible proof points at this stage are few and far between.

Nevertheless, it is the topic of the moment, raising more questions and concerns and demonstrating that the hype is in full bloom.

If you are already sick of hearing, seeing, and reading about AI, the bad news is that we are still in the Garner Hype Cycle ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’, and there is a long way to go before we reach the ‘Plateau of Productivity’, where AI is fully integrated into our lives.

But if it is not time to simply be talking up AI, what should we be doing?

There are multiple layers of consideration here. But let’s start on a professional level in terms of your career.

By Dennis Flad

Personal opportunity

Why personal? Because the quote above is fact. AI will not take your job, but someone who knows how to use it will. Do not wait for your employer to trial or implement AI in the workplace, get out there and use it for yourself. There are plenty of apps and sources of where to start and which ones to use.

Harvard Business School research found that in a randomised experiment, consultants using the generative AI tool ChatGPT-4 finished 12% more tasks, completed them 25% faster, and achieved results that were 40% higher quality, on average, than those who did not use the tool.

If that is not a reason to start learning how to use AI, then what will it take?

Business opportunity

Agencies need to stop talking about AI in the abstract and identify the opportunities within their business to generate tangible business outcomes. This will help differentiate them, but streamlining backend processes to reduce overheads will also cut operating costs and improve the bottom line.

Meanwhile, agencies have been under pressure to generate more for less, with TrinityP3’s own, along with Farmer & Co., research showing that since 2004 and 2019, brand outputs in scopes of work have increased more than ten-fold, while fees have often failed to keep pace with inflation, let alone this exponential increase in workload.

However, agencies also need to accelerate the transition to output-based fee models, away from the time and labour cost model. Prior to the implementation of AI, this was harder, but the realisation of the associated efficiencies that can come from AI will allow them to protect their topline and provide demonstrable value improvements to their clients.

Industry opportunity

For an industry that spends so much time discussing the importance of creativity, we should join the other creative industries in the discussion on the role of intellectual property in an AI future. Creatives, be they authors and publishers, screenwriters and actors, artists and agents, are all questioning the wholesale blundering of their intellectual property by technology companies as they develop their generative AI.

This is an opportunity for the advertising industry to align itself with the rest of the creative industries that are under attack.

For marketers, this is an opportunity to define an ethical framework for using AI to protect relationships with customers and their brands.

Government opportunity

You may be surprised that the Australian government has already published AI Ethical Principles and a Framework. I know I was. The Department of Industry, Science and Resources has provided these voluntary principles to ensure AI is safe, secure, and reliable. 

But as we have seen with social media and technology platforms, while the government is already in a battle to play catch-up now, it is unlikely they will make the same mistake twice. We could see these voluntary frameworks rapidly become legislative frameworks if businesses do not take ethical considerations seriously. So, I encourage all business leaders to acquaint themselves with the principles.

On one level, I find comfort in the fact that we have been here before. The internet entered our lives some 30 (or so) years ago and rapidly changed our world.

The difference with AI is the speed with which it is changing our world — many AI products return up to a 10x improvement in productivity. And I think the 10x factor also applies to the speed with which AI now impacts us. ChatGPT was launched to the world in November 2022, and in those 18 or so months, it has already made a marked difference on all levels of commerce and our wider society.

Each of us needs to avoid what many media businesses did when the digital revolution arrived: attempt to fight against the changing tide. Instead, we need to arm ourselves with the knowledge and skills to capitalise on the opportunities the AI revolution can give us on a professional, business, industry, and governmental/societal level.

See also: Woolley Marketing: Young Guns vs the Old Guard?

–

Darren Woolley is Global CEO of TrinityP3, Australia’s largest and most influential independent marketing / pitch consultancy and is well known to the advertising industry. Founded more than 20 years ago TrinityP3 has a significant presence in Australia where it leads the pitch process for many of the country’s leading advertising accounts as well as having offices in London, New York and Zurich.

Dennis Flad is responsible for Trinity P3 EMEA and founder of t’charta, a management consultancy boutique for strategic product management, pricing and go-to-market based in Zurich, Switzerland. Dennis worked his entire life in marketing and advertising, which allows him to infuse his whimsical drawings with a realistic understanding of management practices and behaviours.

Online advertising spend increased 9.3% year-on-year to reach a total of $3.746 billion for the quarter ending 31 March 2024, despite a 4.2% softening in spend from the preceding quarter.

The IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report (OAER), prepared by PwC Australia, noted that compared to the quarter ending March 2023, search and directories experienced 9.3% year-on-year growth, reaching $1.724 billion.

General display advertising reported a 14.8% increase to $1.41 billion driven by social, audio and video, while classifieds expenditure dropped 1.8% year on year to $612 million.

Video and audio advertising both delivered double-digit growth year-on-year, with video expenditure increasing 21% to reach $944.9 million and audio expenditure increasing 26% to reach $65.6 million. Standard display – a subset of general display for traditional display banner formats – dropped back 6% and now represents just 9% of the general display market.

Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia, said: “Search, social video, and audio have been the star performers, helping bolster the traditionally slower first quarter results. The report suggests that many marketers are focused on short term sales targets with the continued economic downturn and lack of consumer confidence.

“However, it is encouraging to see continued investment in digital advertising, and we encourage marketers, where possible, to ensure that they are diversifying their investment to take advantage of the media multiplier effect.”

The report noted that when compared to the preceding quarter, December 2023, all general display advertising categories, including video, native, standard display, and audio saw a decline in advertising expenditure spend in line with previously experienced seasonal trends.

Travel and finance remained in the top five general display industry categories despite decreases in share against the March 2023 quarter, joining retail, automotive, and health and beauty, each of which experienced increased market share. FMCG and home products showed a preference towards video advertising for the quarter.

The share of content publishers inventory bought via an agency insertion order increased again, reaching 25% for the quarter, while inventory purchased direct increased to 18% and the balance of inventory bought programmatically decreased slightly.

X will now allow “consensually produced and distributed” adult content on the platform, but with restrictions that block under-18 users.

The Elon Musk-owned company revealed the updates to its policy on Monday, which noted that “adult nudity or sexual behaviour” will be allowed on the platform provided that it is “properly labelled and not prominently displayed.”

The platform noted that a failure to mark posts will result in X making changes to the account settings on the user’s behalf.   

X has similar marking functions for photo or video content that is considered violent, harmful, or sensitive.

Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s online safety regulator, believes Apple and Google have financial motives for keeping platforms like X and Reddit, which can host adult content, in their app stores despite it being in violation of both app stores policies. 

Grant claimed to The Guardian that both tech giants: “Collect a 30% tithe from every transaction that happens on a social media site … Think about the force multiplier of deplatforming an app and what that would mean to their revenue.”

Match & Wood has been appointed as the media agency for air conditioning system supplier Advantage Air.

The account, effective from 1 July, will be run from Match & Wood’s Perth office and managed by communications director Jodie Allen, who said: “The prospect of working closely with Advantage Air is an exciting opportunity for me and for the wider Perth team.

“With their recent expansion into NSW and national presence, it’s truly inspiring to be part of such a collaborative and dynamic partnership.”

Most recently, Match & Wood won the Maurice Blackburn account. The law firm appointed Overdose Digital and Match & Wood to its media account, effective 1 July. The account went up for pitch in March, managed by Dan Johns from Tumbleturn Media.

On Advantage Air, the independent media agency will partner with creative agency Braincells and digital agency Bang Digital.

David Devoy, founder and director of Advantage Air, said: “I have been really impressed with how quickly Match & Wood have grasped the complexity of our business and have already provided great input into our strategic plans and innovative ideas to help us achieve our marketing and brand building goals.

“I am looking forward to our relationship developing in future and Match & Wood becoming a close and important partner in helping us achieve our challenging goal of providing the benefits of smart home systems into many more Australian homes.”

Chris O’Keefe, the agency’s chief operating officer, added: “We are thrilled to have been chosen by Advantage Air as their media planning and buying agency. This partnership collaboration is committed to excellence and innovation, and we’re excited to leverage our expertise to drive effective and impactful campaigns.”

The agency also recently picked up the media accounts for ANZ Worldline, GS1, and Interpath, which are being run out of the agency’s Melbourne office.

See also: Maurice Blackburn Lawyers appoints Match & Wood and Overdose Digital

Indie creative agency jnr., founded by Ryan O’Connell and John Marshall earlier this year, has been appointed to lead brand strategy and creative services for Ārepa across AUNZ.

Ārepa is a food tech company from New Zealand that has developed a range of natural products with neuroscientists that claim to benefit the brain.

The company’s hero product, The Brain Drink, claims to enhance cognitive performance, reduce stress, and improve overall mental clarity.

Marshall, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Hāua, Ngāti Maniapoto, co-founder and managing director of jnr., said the creative agency was established to do good work for good people and good brands. Ārepa combines all three, he said.

“Ārepa is an extremely innovative company, working at the forefront of brain health and nutrition, working to make a difference for people who consume their products. The fact they’re also founded in Aotearoa makes us feel privileged to partner with them as one of our first clients.”

His co-founder O’Connell, the chief strategy officer of jnr., added that it has been a whirlwind start for the agency.

“We’re pumped to partner with Ārepa. The team more than matches our passion for creativity, ambition and smart but simple thinking, so we’re really looking forward to bringing some exciting new work with them to market soon.”

Zac Robinson, Ārepa co-founder, noted that jnr. was appointed for its fresh approach and style.

“John and Ryan have the kind of brains we love to work with: values driven yet innovative and forward thinking, with an in-depth understanding of our needs and the market. We’re excited to see where the partnership goes,” he said.

jnr. will support Ārepa with a full above-the-line campaign set to go live late 2024.

Tooheys is raising a stubby to real teams around NSW, including the Blues, in the next iteration of its How do you feel? campaign, ahead of the Ampol State of Origin Game One.

The latest work is the first time the jingle has been performed by real people, featuring a cast of teams from all corners of the state – all celebrating their teamwork over a Tooheys or two. 

Alongside the Blues, the spot features staff from the Tooheys brewery in Lidcombe, the Skate Crashers roller derby team from Marrickville, and a team of horse musterers in Yarramundi, amongst others.

The film is being supported with proximity OOH at Accor Stadium to bolster the brand’s activity at Game One, showing a Blatchys Blues supporter alongside the Tooheys brand asset.

Accor Stadium

Chris Allan, head of marketing – Core Beer of Lion Australia, said: “From the brewing floor to the pub, Tooheys is served, and consumed by many across NSW. The teams featured in our new work embody the breadth of teamwork across NSW and then celebrating afterwards over a Tooheys or two.”

Last year, Tooheys revived its How do you feel? jingle four decades since its release. Tooheys and Thinkerbell collaborated with the jingle’s original custodian, Allan ‘Jo’ Johnston, in the latest modern iteration of the campaign. This year’s work features new verses that champion the power of teamwork.

Thinkerbell head tinker, Zac Goldberg, said: “It’s an honour to continue the legacy of the iconic Tooheys brand platform and jingle for another year. It’s a campaign with a rich history of showcasing real teams and now their singing voices too.”

The work launched earlier this week and will roll out across television, cinema, online video, social, OOH, and radio.

Credits:

Client: Lion

Creative Agency: Thinkerbell
Media Agency: UM

Director: Mitch J. Green
Production: Larchmont
Post Production: ARC EDIT
Sound: Sonar Music

NSW Teams:
Westpac NSW Blues
Different Strokes Dragon Boat Club
Inner West Roller Derby League
Shakespeare Hotel Chefs
Performance Livestock Wranglers
B Sharps Trivia Team

Brisbane Radio Ratings
GfK Survey 3 2024
Survey Period: Sun Feb 25 to Sat Mar 30 & Sun Apr 14 to Sat May 18.

UP: Nova 106.9 +0.6
DOWN: 4BC – 0.9

B105 12.4% (11.9%)
Cume: 630,000 (+17,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 12.8% (11.1%)
Best Breakfast 14.3% (11.7%)

B105 has stayed at the top of the market with a lift of 0.5 points for a share of 12.4%.

Despite a drop of 0.2 points, the breakfast show of Stav, Abby and Matt have reclaimed the top spot in the daypart with a 12.6% share

In Drive, Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little have lifted 0.6 points for a share of 14.3%.

104.5 Triple M 11.4% (11.8%)
Cume: 517,000 (-6,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 13.3% (9.5%)
Best Breakfast 13.2% (9.2%)

Dropping 0.4 points, Triple M has recorded an 11.4% share.

The Big Breakfast with Margaux, Marto, and Dan Anstey was down 0.9 points to record a total share of 12.1%. The drive show, The Rush Hour with Liesel, Liam and Dobbo was up 0.6 points for a 12.0% share.

Nova 106.9 10.9% (10.3%)
Cume: 691,000 (+11,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 12.7% (11.6%)
Best Breakfast 14.1% (12.1%)

A lift of 0.6 points has seen Nova stay third in the market with a 10.9% share.

The breakfast team of Ash, Luttsy and Susie O’Neill has lifted 0.5 points, bringing them to a share of 11.4%.

The drive slot has lifted 1.8 points – making up for the 1.5 slide in survey two – with the national team of Ricki-Lee, Tim and Joel finishing with 14.5%. This puts the show at number one in the daypart.

KIIS 97.3FM 10.5% (10.2%)
Cume: 545,000 (-1,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 11.8% (9.7%)
Best Breakfast 11.5% (9.5%)

Lifting 0.3 points, KIIS has recorded a share of 10.5%. 

In breakfast, Robin and Kip have lifted 0.6 points to record a 11.7% share. In drive, Will and Woody have lifted 0.5 points for a total of 10.2%.

4BH 9.4% (9.5%)
Cume: 233,000 (+31,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 9.8% (7.9%)
Best Breakfast 8.2% (6.6%)

4BH is largely steady, down 0.1 points for 9.4%. In this survey, breakfast with Bob Gallagher is flat with a 9.1% share.

The station has regained its top spot in the 65+ demo, after losing it to 4BC in the last survey. 4BH has also claimed the win in the 55-64 demo where it has a 16.3% share – down 7.4 points.

4BC 6.1% (7.0%)
Cume: 180,000 (-49,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 8.4% (6.2%)
Best Breakfast 9.0% (6.4%)

4BC has dipped 0.9 points in this survey for a share of 6.1%. Breakfast with Laurel, Gary and Mark has slid 2.3 points for a share of 5.2%.

In Drive, Peter Gleeson’s show is up 0.1 points for a 4.6% share.

SENQ 1.0% (0.6%)
Cume: 42,000 (+2,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 1.1% (0.3%)
Best Breakfast 1.4% (0.2%)

Survey three has seen SENQ lift 0.4 points for a 1.0% share. Cume has lifted 2,000, up to 42,000. Breakfast with Pat and Heals is up 1.0 points for a share of 1.8%.

Brisbane Radio Ratings:

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Adelaide Radio Ratings
GfK Survey 3 2024
Survey Period: Sun Feb 25 to Sat Mar 30 & Sun Apr 14 to Sat May 18.

UP: 5MMM +1.3
DOWN: MIX 102.3 -2.0

5MMM 13.7% (12.4%)
Cume: 301,000 (+12,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 14.9% (10.7%)
Best Breakfast 16.9% (12.2%)

Adelaide’s Triple M station has risen to the first position for survey three, with a 12.4% share.

The breakfast team of Roo, Ditts, and Loz rose by 1.5 points, to a total of 16.4%, keeping first among the commercial networks.

Among the 25-39 demographic, 5MMM lifted by 1.5 points for a 12.2% share and stayed in the fourth position for that demo. 

Mix 102.3 12.3% (14.3%)
Cume: 381,000 (+3,000)

Mix 102.3 has dropped to the second slot in Adelaide, dropping 2.0 points to take a 12.3% share. 

Max & Ali in the Morning dropped by 2.0 points for a 10.8% share. The station’s strongest time slot in this survey is now the Afternoon slot, with a 13.5% share, despite dropping 1.7 points.

The station decreased by 5.1 points in the 55-64 demo. Mix 102.3 saw a 1-point increase in the 40-54 demo. 

Nova 91.9 9.8% (10%) 
Cume: 359,000 (-10,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 12.1% (9.3%)
Best Breakfast 11.7% (9.1%)

Nova 91.9 has stayed in third for this survey.

The network’s biggest rise in the demos was in 55-64 with 2.1 points for a 6.6% share.

See Also: Bringing the laughs on air and off air with Adelaide’s Jodie & Hayesy

Ricki Lee, Tim & Joel in Adelaide’s drive spot has risen 0.3 points with a 12.7% share.

Nova has dropped to second place in the 18-24 demo, dropping 5.8 points for a 17% share and has risen 1.4 points in 40-54 for a 9.8% share.

SAFM 9.2% (9.0%)
Cume: 283,000 (-11,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 10.1% (8.7%)
Best Breakfast 10.6% (8.2%)

SAFM has lifted by 0.2 points for a share of 9.2%. 

In this survey, the breakfast slot lifted 0.3 points for an 8.5% share.

Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little’s national drive show remained stagnant at 11%, staying third in the Adelaide market. 

SAFM has increased in the 40-54 demographic by 0.5 points for 12%.

FIVEaa 8.4% (7.9%)
Cume: 154,000 (+15,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 9.7% (7.5%)
Best Breakfast 14.2% (10.9%)

FIVEaa has recorded an increase of 0.5 points and a total share of 8.4%.

In the breakfast slot, David and Will have risen 0.4 points for a total share of 12.2%. The network’s breakfast program has risen to second place in the Adelaide market. In drive, Rowey and Timmy G have a 2 point increase, their total share now being 8.8%.

Cruise 1323 8.2% (8.7%)
Cume: 199,000 (+2,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 9.1% (8.3%)
Best Breakfast 7.9% (6.6%)

Cruise 1323 dropped by 0.5 points for an 8.2% share. 

Craig Huggins’ drive has dropped 0.9 points for a share of 6.4%. The station rose 4.7 points in the 10-17 slot for a 6.7% share and dropped 4.3 points in 55-64 for a 10.4% share.

Adelaide Radio Ratings:

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Perth Radio Ratings
GfK Survey 3 2024
Survey Period: Sun Feb 25 to Sat Mar 30 & Sun Apr 14 to Sat May 18.

UP: 92.9 Triple M: +0.8
DOWN: Mix 94.5 -0.3

96FM 14.4% (12.4%)
Cume: 519,000 (+18,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 15.3% (12.1%)
Best Breakfast 13.4% (9.8%)

The station started 2024 in third position with a 12.4% share, but now has risen to the #1 spot with a 14.4% share, rising 2.0 points.

The station rose 3.8 points in the 55-64 demo, for 26.1%.

The station’s breakfast show, Clairsy and Lisa, increased by 1.6 points for a share of 12.7%. The national drive show of Will and Woody increased 0.9 points in Perth for a 13.1% share.

Nova 93.7 14.3% (14.6%)
Cume: 704,000 (+33,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 18.1% (13.2%)
Best Breakfast 22.5% (15.7%)

Nova’s Perth station has stayed in the second position, with a 0.3-point decrease from the last survey. It now holds a 14.3% share.

For another survey, Nova’s Nathan, Nat & Shaun continue to top the Perth breakfast slot with a 17.4% share, dropping 0.9 points. Nova’s national drive program of Ricki-Lee, Tim and Joel came in first with a 15% share, despite dropping 0.6 points.

See also: Dominating Perth Radio: In the studio with Nova’s Nathan, Nat and Shaun

Mix 94.5 11.9% (15.3%)
Cume: 589,000 (-28,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 13.4% (11.1%)
Best Breakfast 13.8% (10.4%)

Hit Network’s Mix 94.5 has dropped to third place in Perth, also dropping 3.4 points for an 11.9% share.

Mix 94.5’s breakfast lineup of Pete and Kymba – Matt Dyktynski left the show in September – has dropped by 3.1 points for a 10.1% share, placing fourth in the breakfast slot in this survey.

The national drive show of Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little has dropped to 13.7%, now second in the drive slot.

92.9 Triple M 8.8% (7.8%)
Cume: 384,000 (+10,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 9.2% (6.1%)
Best Breakfast 9.1% (6.8%)

92.9 Triple M rose by 1.0 points, for an 8.8% share, staying fourth in stations. 

The station experienced a 4.5 increase in the 40-54 demo to take a 11.8% share.

The breakfast team of Xav and Michelle have increased by 0.9 points in the breakfast slot, bringing in a share of 9.1%.

Katie Lamb and Andrew ‘Embers’ Embley’s drive show slot increased 1.9 points for a 9.4% share.

6PR 7.3% (5.5%)
Cume: 227,000 (+20,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 7.2% (5.8%)
Best Breakfast 11.5% (8.8%)

Nine’s Perth Radio station rose 1.8 points from the second survey of 2024 for a 7.3% share.

6PR Breakfast with Millsy and Karl increased by 3.0 points for an 11.2% share.

6iX 4.8% (4.2%)
Cume: 156,000 (-3,000)
2023 results Best (Worst)
Best 10+ 5.3% (3.7%)
Best Breakfast 4.9% (2.7%)

6iX has risen 0.6 points for a 4.8% share.

The station’s breakfast slot with Westo and Nat dropped by 0.3 points for a 4.3% share.

Perth Radio Ratings:

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JOLT has launched mobile video and rich media ads to capture attention and drive engagement among the network’s audiences.

The network now supports high-quality, short-form mobile video and rich media content, which it said allows brands to further engage desirable EV audiences during their 36-minute average dwell time whilst charging.

Netflix is leveraging the power of JOLT’s digital out-of-home network with its new in-app video product, to promote its new movie, Atlas.

Using full-motion, full-screen mobile video ads, audiences can view the 30-second trailer of the sci-fi/action thriller, starring Jennifer Lopez, with additional clickable call-to-action banner ads to encourage audiences to subscribe to Netflix and watch the film.

Michael Selden, JOLT head of sales and platforms, said: “The new high-quality, rich media and video ads are a fantastic addition to JOLT’s Australian industry-first, in-app advertising solution.

“The rich media function will enhance our leading in-app platform, and its ability to engage and drive action with valuable audiences. Video can create more lasting impressions and provide better brand recall, making it an attractive solution for brands and advertisers.”

JOLT claimed it has seen 521% growth in EV charging sessions year-on-year and recently surveyed its active EV charging community to understand trends of what customers do when they are charging. Results from the network showed that 67% of JOLT customers spend time on their phone or device while charging, while 60% watched or streamed content. 

“Delivering 100% share of voice, and a proven extended dwell time on the JOLT app, this solution provides market leading engagement, and is a powerful complement to traditional digital channels,” Selden added.

“The Netflix campaign demonstrates the appeal of our enhanced in-app offering, and its ability to provide unparalleled, one-to-one connection with customers while they are charging their EVs. Along with our broadcast digital out-of-home network, JOLT’s in-app offer provides a further optimised engagement opportunity for advertisers.”

The Netflix campaign will run across the JOLT digital out-of-home and in-app advertising network until 16 June.

Channel Factory has promoted Georgina Gellert to the role of director of marketing and people strategy across AUNZ. 

Gellert has more than 13 years of marketing and ad tech experience. She was previously responsible for the platform’s APAC marketing function, joining the business in 2022.

In her new role, she will oversee all the platform’s marketing and PR activities, internal communications, client engagement strategies, and HR functions, alongside Channel Factory’s external consultants.

She will also serve as a key member of the senior leadership team in Australia and New Zealand.

“Being a part of Channel Factory’s growth journey has been incredibly rewarding,” Gellert said of her promotion.

“I believe in the potential of what we do to make a real difference beyond our industry. I’m excited to take on this expanded role where I can further contribute to both our market presence and our internal culture.’

James Rose, Channel Factory Australia managing director, added: “Georgina has already played a crucial role in the growth and strength of our business, ensuring we uphold our ethos of ‘good business whilst doing good’ both externally and internally.

“Her new role is a testament to her outstanding contributions and our commitment to maintaining this ethos as we continue to grow rapidly.

“Working with Georgina over the past few years has been a true pleasure. She is an invaluable asset to our team, with her strategic acumen, dedication, and compassion making her a joy to work with. Her unique leadership style and unwavering commitment to our values make her the perfect fit for this role.”

Gellert’s promotion comes as Channel Factory continues to scale its operations, recently announcing six new hires across the region.

–

Top image: Georgina Gellert

This Way Up, the advertising festival of creativity, is returning to Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art from 13 to 15 August.

AWARD has rallied together innovators, critical thinkers, and emerging talent to present across three days.

The theme of “Creativity’s breeding ground for worthwhile opinions” aims to challenge attendees to play a more active role in debating the pressing industry issues of the day, spotlighting creativity as a key driver of business and career growth.

Mandie van der Merwe, AWARD chair and chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, reflected on the previous year’s success and noted that it inspired greater aspirations for the 2024 festival.

“This Way Up is renowned for attracting top-tier creative leaders, both local and international, and marketers and clients who are committed to sharing their perspectives and driving creative thinking forward. Our focus is on having the right people in the room, those who enrich and expand the conversation in every direction, but mainly up.

“The carefully curated program is designed to propel the discussion, offering attendees a chance to engage with a raft of ideas and leave inspired by the limitless possibilities of creativity,” she said.

See also: This Way Up advertising festival announces its lineup of local and global speakers
 
Highlights of the upcoming festival include:
 
Speaker sessions
Internationally celebrated creatives, Liz Taylor and Damon Stapleton, are among the first keynotes for This Way Up in 2024. Taylor, Ogilvy’s global chief creative officer and 45th AWARD Awards jury president, made history as the first woman to be named top CCO in The Drum’s 2023 worldwide rankings. Stapleton, CCO and founder of The Monkeys Aotearoa, and MD, Accenture Song, is one of the most acclaimed creatives in the region.
 
The festival will include panels from CCO and CMO teams who have thrived thanks to long-term creative partnerships and the careers of respected industry luminaries. Speakers include Mim Haysom, EGM brand and customer experience, Suncorp, Andy Fergusson, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett, Brent Smart, chief marketing officer, Telstra, and Micah Walker, founder and chief creative officer, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, plus Dave Bowman, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe ANZ, Tara McKenty, head of innovation and co-ECD, BMF, and Steve Coll, chief creative officer, M&C Saatchi.
 
AWARD Hall of Fame black-tie dinner
The festivals activities also include a gala dinner on Tuesday 13 August, hosted by AWARD. The evening celebrates this year’s Hall of Fame inductees – pioneers with a celebrated body of work who have defined a generation of advertising.
 
Inductees are usually nominated by the AWARD membership; however, for the first time in AWARD’s history, Hall of Fame nominations have been accepted from the broader industry, with close to 100 trailblazers nominated so far.
 
AWARD Uni
AWARD Uni returns after its sellout inaugural year in 2023 with a refreshed course syllabus curated and facilitated by Jonathan Kneebone (co-founder, The Glue Society), van der Merwe (CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi), Julian Schreiber (partner and CCO, Special Australia) and Sarah McGregor (ECD, Denstu Creative).
 
Designed for mid-weight creatives, two modules of a six-workshop program will take place at This Way Up, equipping delegates with practical hands-on experience, critical thinking and the confidence to maximise their day-to-day and long-term career potential.
 
The Gold Pencil Award Party
AWARD will wrap the festival with a party on the evening of 15 August for the 45th AWARD Awards’ Gold and Special winners and AWARD School 2024 National Top Student, held at the MCA’s Foundation Hall.
 
This Way Up is supported by Meta, Google, LinkedIn, OMA and the CRA.

Zenith took home the trophy at the annual UnLtd golf competition, held at the Brisbane Golf Club last week.

The not-for-profit, which supports charities that help young people at risk, brought together over 150 people from across the Brisbane advertising industry to putt for good.

The competition, sponsored by oOh!media and Pedestrian Group, was played in Ambrose style with Seven and News Corp claiming podium positions.

ACM

The individual competition winners were Jay Marschke, Sam Broadbent, Kym Barron, Lauren Hunter, Brendon Cairns, Rachel Fyfe, Andrew Knowles, and Chris Madson.

“It was fantastic to see the Brisbane industry come out in force to support UnLtd and our charities and what a fun day it was, even in the wet conditions,” Emma Davis, general manager QLD at UnLtd said.

“We had several people who had never played golf before, willing to give it a go to support our cause and we are so grateful for everyone who supported with sponsorship, hole activations, playing on a team, donating prizes, or buying a raffle ticket.”

Aunty Kathryn Fisher, an Aboriginal elder representing Turrbal Dippil, began the day with Welcome to Country in acknowledgement of the event taking place during National Reconciliation Week.

ARN

oOh!media

The players also got to take part in a cycling challenge run by UnLtd’s charity partner TRACTION and hear about the work it does with young people at risk through their bike building and mentoring programs.

Ben Peel, sales director QLD at oOh!media, said: “We love supporting UnLtd Open and spending the day outdoors connecting with the rest of the industry for a cause that is so important to us. Kudos to everyone who came along and supported the day and helped raise crucial funds and awareness for the work UnLtd do for young people at risk.”

–

Top image: Team Zenith

Val Morgan

TRACTION bike challenge

INC Sports Nutrition has launched a TVC produced by global full-service agency Strat, featuring AFL players Charlie Curnow, Isaac Quaynor, and AFLW’s Erin Phillips.

Directed by Oliver Waghorn and shot in Melbourne near the MCG, the commercial highlights the athletes’ dedication to fitness and the role INC Sports Nutrition plays in their training.

Daniel Kinder, national category and brand manager at INC, said the team was: “Thrilled to have Charlie Curnow, Isaac Quaynor, and Erin Phillips as ambassadors for INC Sports Nutrition. Their commitment to excellence and passion for fitness perfectly aligns with our brand values and DNA, making them the ideal partners to represent INC Sports Nutrition.”

Adam Hilton, CEO at Strat, added: “This collaboration between Strat, INC Sports Nutrition, Chemist Warehouse and the AFL & AFLW best players is sure to resonate with customers.”

The commercial will air nationally on television and online, supported by a marketing campaign. 

In March, Strat expanded into the New Zealand market with the opening of a new, multipurpose production studio near the Auckland city centre.

The studio features multiple spaces that can be utilised to match clients’ creative visions. Studio A comes complete with purpose-built retail aisle fit-outs for shoots, while Studio B features a panoramic green screen.

Credits:

Creative agency: Strat
Production Company: Strat
Post Production: Strat
Media Agency: Strat
Director: Oliver Waghorn
DOP: Adam Howden 
Producer: Nik Round
Photographer: Jon Webb
Executive Creative Director: Emily Brocklesby
Senior Account Director: Brioni Pickhaver
Agency Producer: Audrey Pfeiffer
Audio: Bang Bang Studios

After a 15-day trek in the alps of New Zealand’s South Island, Charlotte, Simmone, and Mat have come out on top out of the 15 contestants who embarked on The Summit, claiming their share of the $1 million prize.

In Tuesday’s finale on Nine and 9Now, Mat, Simmone, Charlotte, and Trisha realised they had reached the wrong summit. With 24 hours left to reach the correct one, they faced losing over $580,000 in prize money if they failed to reach it by 12pm the next day.

Impeding their progress to the summit were two crevasses they had to cross, along with a note instructing them to leave the final hiker behind. Mat had promised to take Simmone and Charlotte to the summit, so he convinced the group to change the order of crossing, leaving Trisha and her $53,000 behind.

The trio finally reached the summit and celebrated their victory. However, The Mountain’s Keeper revealed one final twist: Charlotte was given the power to decide the distribution of the prize pot – whether to share it or claim it all for herself.

On the valley floor, the winning hikers were met by those who had been eliminated. After deliberation, Charlotte chose to give $100,000 each to Simmone and Mat, reserving a sum of $336,000 for herself.

35-year-old Charlotte from New South Wales said: “I feel I’ve shown myself and those watching that ability truly comes from the heart. That with determination, humour and a few tears, anything is possible. I took the first step towards that peak with the incredible support of my family, friends and partner, and also the support of those on the mountain who believed in me, Olympia, Lochie, Rosi, Mat, and Taylor.

“The prize money will allow me to create security for myself and my family, something I didn’t think would ever be possible as a public healthcare worker. Representation matters. This was for all the nubs out there. You can do it.”

Mat, a 48-year-old Queenslander, said: “Reaching the summit was amazing. And to do it with the people I’d committed to, getting there with was worth every bit of heartache and struggle.”

Simmone, 51, from New South Wales, added: “I went in solely for the money for a better life for my son and I, but what I got was a reignited fire deep in my soul. I’ll be forever grateful that The Summit handed me the match.”

The Summit is developed by Endemol Shine Australia (a Banijay Company) and Nine.

Monday 3 June 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s The Summit recorded a total TV national reach of 1,676,000, a total TV national audience of 546,000, and a BVOD audience of 62,000.

Nine’s A Current Affair recorded a total TV national reach of 1,628,000, a total TV national audience of 1,112,000, and a BVOD audience of 79,000.

Seven’s Dream Home recorded a total TV national reach of 1,437,000, a total TV national audience of 582,000, and a BVOD audience of 44,000.

Also on Seven, Home & Away recorded a total TV national reach of 1,239,000, a total TV national audience of 844,000, and a BVOD audience of 100,000.

10’s airing of Matildas v China PR recorded a total TV national reach of 2,620,000, a total TV national audience of 1,095,000, and a BVOD audience of 101,000.

The game was the biggest-ever football match on Network 10 and the highest-reaching event of the year on Network 10. It was also the biggest-ever live streamed Football match on 10 Play.

10’s airing of Have You Been Paying Attention? recorded a total TV national reach of 1,494,000, a total TV national audience of 675,000, and a BVOD audience of 42,000.

See Also: TV Report 3 June 2024: Matildas beat China in final friendly before Paris Olympics

People 25-54

Nine’s The Summit:
• Total TV nation reach: 540,000
• National Audience: 199,000
• BVOD Audience: 34,000

Nine’s A Current Affair:
• Total TV nation reach: 482,000
• National Audience: 302,000
• BVOD Audience: 42,000

10’s Matildas v China PR:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,016,000
• National Audience: 463,000 
• BVOD Audience: 60,000

Seven’s Dream Home:
• Total TV nation reach: 502,000
• National Audience: 211,000
• BVOD Audience: 25,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 413,000
• National Audience: 269,000
• BVOD Audience: 57,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?
• Total TV nation reach: 617,000
• National Audience: 292,000
• BVOD Audience: 25,000

People 16-39

Nine’s The Summit:
• Total TV nation reach: 195,000
• National Audience: 58,000
• BVOD Audience: 16,000

Nine’s A Current Affair:
• Total TV nation reach: 181,000
• National Audience: 110,000
• BVOD Audience: 21,000

10’s Matildas v China PR:
• Total TV nation reach: 509,000
• National Audience: 245,000 
• BVOD Audience: 39,000

Seven’s Dream Home:
• Total TV nation reach: 202,000
• National Audience: 71,000
• BVOD Audience: 13,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 163,000
• National Audience: 110,000
• BVOD Audience: 34,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?
• Total TV nation reach: 293,000
• National Audience: 144,000
• BVOD Audience: 15,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+ TV Ratings

Nine’s The Summit:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,291,000
• National Audience: 422,000
• BVOD Audience: 50,000

Nine’s A Current Affair:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,250,000
• National Audience: 857,000
• BVOD Audience: 63,000

10’s Matildas v China PR:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,932,000
• National Audience: 798,000 
• BVOD Audience: 78,000

Seven’s Dream Home:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,109,000
• National Audience: 458,000
• BVOD Audience: 35,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 970,000
• National Audience: 664,000
• BVOD Audience: 80,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?
• Total TV nation reach: 1,148,000
• National Audience: 520,000
• BVOD Audience: 33,000

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

TV Report 4 June 2024:

Nine TV Report

The Summit

Nine’s evening began with the season finale of The Summit.

After a 15-day trek in the Alps of New Zealand’s South Island, Charlotte, Simmone, and Mat have come out on top from the 15 contestants who embarked on The Summit, claiming their share of the one million dollar prize.

The trio finally reached the summit and celebrated their victory. However, The Mountain’s Keeper revealed one final twist: Charlotte was given the power to decide the distribution of the prize pot – whether to share it or claim it all for herself.

On the valley floor, the winning hikers were met by those who had been eliminated. After deliberation, Charlotte chose to give $100,000 each to Simmone and Mat, reserving a sum of $336,000 for herself.

A Current Affair

Over on A Current Affair, the program met with a party bus business that could be shut down despite not receiving any complaints and investigated the battle to provide miracle US cancer drug to sick Aussie children.

Seven TV Report

Dream Home

On Seven, Dream Home saw the contestants halfway through the second cycle of their Victorian Dream Homes. The teams were up to their necks in bold designs, tight budgets and drama that only comes from building a Dream Home.

Home & Away

Before Dream Home was Home & Away as Tane received his sentencing, Harper was left with mixed emotions and Summer Bay began to heal. 

10 TV Report

The Project

The Project on 10 looked into the residents terrified of their neighbourhood, investigated a breakthrough melanoma treatment and looked into how Aussies can get themselves out of debt disaster.

MasterChef Australia

On 10’s MasterChef, contestants faced off in a team service challenge where they were tasked with elevating traditional pub food.

The Cheap Seats

Taking a look at the week that was were The Cheap Seats hosts Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald as Mel Tracina, Tara Rushton and Jimmy Barnes joined in on the action.

ABC

7:30

7:30 looked into calls for the government to devote more funding to domestic violence services and Sarah Ferguson interviewed Defence Minister Richard Marles.

SBS

Who Do You Think You Are?

Former world number one tennis champion, Pat Rafter, looked into a story of scandal on his mother’s side and uncovered a surprising family fortune.