As I came up the escalators at the somewhat bougie Westfield Bondi Junction, deep in the heart of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, on Sunday, I was met with an incredible sign.

A literal, physical sign.

It was in one of those auto-roll digital ad things; and it was promoting NAIDOC Week. Westfield Bondi Junction was displaying two posters in celebration of NAIDOC Week.

Not as advertising for itself, but a simple message to the community.

“Wouldn’t have seen this 20 years ago,” I thought, as I took photos of the signs. “Look how far we’ve come.”

I also thought in that moment: “F**k you, Pauline Hanson. There never was, and never will be, a monoculture in Australia.”

The One Nation Party leader made headlines recently when she called for a “monoculture” in Australia. She claims immigrants need to assimilate better – that is, look and act just like her. Like they did in the ‘days of yore’, is her sentiment.

The problem is, she’s wrong.

You see, Australia “always was, always will be” belonging to our Indigenous people, and only until it was invaded, was it a monoculture.

On that day fateful in 1788, when the British claimed it as their own, the ‘monoculture’ ceased to exist. And ever since then, there Australia has become an increasingly strong, proud, multicultural society, with immigrants from all over the world.

Fast forward to 2026, seeing a sign for NAIDOC week posted by a retail giant for every shopper to see, just shows that despite the debate flooding the media, we will never be a “monoculture”.

READ MORE: Bluey will be screened in indigenous language for NAIDOC week

READ MORE: Pauline Hanson goes full teacher mode at National Press Club

READ MORE: The faces who could, and those that definitely won’t, replace Karl Stefanovic

‘Never was, never will be’: Westfield sign discredits Aussie ‘monoculture’

The stunning posters, which you can see at the top of this story, are designed by creator and artist ENOKI. The artist clearly supports Westfield’s NAIDOC celebration.

Although there are no doubt some who will criticise it as ‘tokenistic’, I think it’s hopeful, especially in the context of the growing movement against people who don’t look like Hanson, or have her background.

And, looking at previous posters intended to support Indigenous peoples over the years, you can see that as a society we’ve certainly come a long way.

Let’s not destroy that progress. Let’s tell the truth as it exists in 2026.

 

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Support from Westfield’s boss, Elliott Rusanow

In an article published last month called, “‘I cried’: How antisemitic attack led to Westfield boss’ new mission”, Scentre (owner of Westfield) chief executive Elliott Rusanow acknowledged “the role business must play in fostering social cohesion.”

He said, “Our destinations mean a lot to people other than just shopping.”

And clearly from the NAIDOC Week posters, he’s followed up.

Main image: Nama Winston’s personal photos of Westfield’s celebration of NAIDOC Week.

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The Duke of Sussex has lost his multi-million dollar privacy case against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), which publishes the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline.

Other high-profile claimants who joined Prince Harry in the action included Elton John and his husband David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, and politician Simon Hughes.

Doreen Lawrence, the mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, was also part of the case.

The individuals accused publisher ANL of “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information-gathering” over several years.

Dozens of journalists and private investigators were cited in the group’s claims, as 55 articles published between 1997 and 2015, and three incidents that did not lead to articles, were presented to the court.

The allegations including phone hacking, landline tapping and bugging via private investigators, and making corrupt payments to police.

READ MORE: Meghan and Harry’s new Netflix project no one saw coming

READ MORE: Meghan’s next move after brutal story on Netflix deal

Harry speaks about privacy case verdict

Prince Harry and Lawrence issued a joint statement saying the verdict was a “complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected”.

It continued: “When the court says there is not sufficient evidence of wrongdoing … then one does wonder how justice was ever going to be achieved.”

The group now face potential legal costs of tens of millions of dollars.

Why did Prince Harry lose his privacy case?

The High Court in London dismissed the group’s claims on the basis that they had not proved any information had been obtained unlawfully.

The 436-page written verdict, Justice Nicklin said the court “could not simply infer that a story had been obtained unlawfully if there remained a legitimate and realistic legal way in which it could have been sourced,” The Guardian reported.

ANL argued that the claims were “lurid” and “preposterous”. In each instance, it said, “stories were sourced legitimately from press officers, previous articles or the leaky social circles of celebrities.”

An ANL spokesperson said of the win yesterday:

“This is a magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism. For some of the most outrageous allegations made when the case was launched in a blaze of publicity four years ago – placing bugs in people’s cars and homes, listening to calls as they were made and illicitly accessing bank accounts – no credible evidence was ever presented.

“The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated. As the judgment clearly shows, every single article was legitimately sourced.”

Top image: Prince Harry, Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley

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OzTAM will conduct a tender for its Total Video Measurement service contract as it continues to develop its audience measurement services into a Total Video ecosystem.

The organisation said the process will help ensure the technologies, methodologies and capabilities behind the service continue to meet the future needs of Australia’s media industry.

READ MORE: OzTAM Streamscape shows live broadcast TV faces pressure

READ MORE: Nielsen names Australia’s biggest ad spenders and fastest-growing categories in 2025

What is OzTAM tendering?

The tender will take a modular approach. Participants will be able to bid for specific parts of the measurement service, or for the full end-to-end solution.

The request for proposal process will run during the second half of 2026. A decision is expected in Q1 2027.

OzTAM has engaged Pure X Media to support the tender. The independent consultancy specialises in audience measurement tender processes and cross-media measurement.

Karen Halligan, Chief Executive Officer of OzTAM, said: “Video audience measurement plays a critical role in providing the transparency and accountability that underpins Australia’s media market. This process is about ensuring OzTAM continues to deliver the trusted measurement services our industry relies on, both today and into the future.

“Over the past 25 years, Nielsen has been an invaluable partner in the delivery and evolution of OzTAM’s audience measurement services. We value that longstanding relationship and welcome their participation in the tender process.”

Existing measurement services to continue

Nielsen and Milton Data will remain OzTAM’s research service providers during the tender process.

OzTAM said existing audience measurement services and currency operations are expected to continue uninterrupted throughout the process.

OzTAM is Australia’s official source of television audience measurement and the supplier of VOZ, the industry’s Total TV currency data.

VOZ brings together broadcast viewing on TV sets and granular BVOD viewing on connected devices. It provides national, de-duplicated, all-screen planning, trading and reporting for Australia’s media industry.

OzTAM also supports data products including VOZ Streaming for programmatic BVOD trading and Streamscape, which provides a unified view of Total Video consumption across broadcast, BVOD and streaming platforms.

Interested parties can contact [email protected] for additional information.

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By Amber Groves, Creative Strategy Director, Weave

There is a one-tonne elephant seal currently terrorising Tasmania, and he is proving more memorable than 90% of the Cannes Lion brand activations.

His name is Neil, and twice a year he hauls himself out of the sea, tramples his way into town and does whatever the hell he wants. His resume includes knocking over bollards, getting into scraps with Land Cruisers, and winning the hearts of a global audience.

Neil is unpredictable… yet consistent, disruptive… yet delightful, powerful… yet compelling. In fact, Neil might just be the most successful brand presence of the year.

@neiltheseal316 When Neil is fully grown, his full-power adult voice will be incredibly loud the Decibel levels can blast between 80 to over 100 dB (that is as loud as a chainsaw or a concert!) His adult whinny will carry through the air for up to 1.5 kilometres 🦭 #neiltheseal video sent in by @⚡ JUSTIN ⚡ ♬ original sound – Neil the Seal 🦭

But there’s no set of Neil ‘behaviour principles’, no Neil playbook, no Neil tone of voice, and yet 1.4 million people on TikTok have decided he’s the most captivating personality on the internet.

Meanwhile, actual brands are grappling with increasingly difficult challenges. We’ve entered an era where trust and authenticity need to be paired with ‘machine legibility’ and ‘agent optimisation’, resulting in an apex of frictionless consistency that’s safe for everyone but loved by no one.

I’d point out the irony of calling this a slickness problem when we’re taking brand lessons from a seal, but here we are.

The point is, Neil is never going to be approved by legal. He is structurally a brand-safety nightmare. And this is exactly why people can’t look away.

Maybe that’s because what captures our attention has never been ease or consistency alone… it’s balls-to-the-wall character. The brands we remember aren’t the ones that flattened their charisma; they’re the ones that turned the volume up. The ones that make us think, and smile, and wince, and feel uncomfortable. In short, the ones that feel as visceral as a five-year-old seal smashing through roadside barriers intended to keep him out.

Somewhere along the way we’ve mistaken coherence for uniformity, and now every interaction feels like it emerged from the same immaculate prompt, before being spat out as a series of soothing shapes and words for our delectation.

Because in ironing out inconsistency, we often iron out true uniqueness. Neil reminds us that memorability rarely comes from behaving exactly as expected. It comes from being unmistakably and distinctly ‘you’.

An ungovernable brand has a pulse, a real point of view; it says the interesting thing instead of the expected one, it creates stories instead of ‘assets’, it feels alive because every single interaction adds another layer to its character, until the brand becomes bigger than its identity system… not unlike Neil himself.

Luckily, Neil isn’t alone.

ALDI has proven again and again that supermarket produce can become a cultural conversation if you have enough personality, while Polaroid has chosen to champion the analogue world in the middle of an AI gold rush, and Liquid Death continues to behave like a thrash metal band that happens to sell water. In a sea of increasingly optimised brands, it’s heartening to see those that stand out for having remained deliciously difficult to rein in.

But like any lesson, being ungovernable has its downsides. Officials in Tasmania have begun warning the public about ‘loving Neil to death’, with his popularity becoming a potential threat to his safety.

Which is a sobering caveat to chaos as a brand strategy: left unwatched, it comes at a risk. Brands that get remembered for being unruly without good reason usually don’t survive in the wild. Ultimately, big, brash character isn’t an excuse to skip strategy; it’s what a good strategy is built to protect.

Neil doesn’t have a strategist, but you do. Which means your brand shouldn’t have to choose between being memorable and being manageable; in fact, the best strategies don’t make brands easier to govern; they make them impossible to ignore.

But maybe leave the traffic cone altercations to the experts.

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The NRL has announced “the highest ever media broadcast deal in Australian sports history,” ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys said, as the code locks in a seven-year, $5.3 billion agreement with the Nine Network and Foxtel.

“Up until late last night, and I mean, late last night, we were still negotiating terms of this agreement,” V’landys said. “But at the end, I think we’ve got the right format.”

The deal, worth around $750 million annually, eclipses the AFL’s broadcast package for the first time in the NRL’s history.

It could grow to almost $800 million a season with the addition of a 20th franchise, a tenth game per round and New Zealand television investment.

The announcement was made at a press conference held by V’landys, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo, Nine Entertainment Co. CEO Matt Stanton, and Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany.

V’landys said the structure of the new deal marked a significant shift from previous agreements.

“95% is cash, 5% is contra. This compares to the previous deals, where the contra was 10%, so we have got a 90% uplift in cash,” he said.

“This has been achieved by some very hard work in the past five years,” V’landys said.

How the rights split

Nine retains the commercial rights to the game, including exclusive coverage of State of Origin and the grand final. Foxtel retains the rights to broadcast all other games via its Fox League and Kayo platforms.

Foxtel had pitched to work in conjunction with the Seven Network and Network Ten to simulcast the Origin series and the grand final. Nine is understood to have offered additional money to retain exclusive access to both properties.

Asked whether the new deal would push up Kayo’s price, Foxtel’s dedicated sport streaming service, Delany said the platform’s pricing history spoke for itself.

“I think we can track the record; the entry-level price of Kayo has only risen once in nearly nine years. It is very well priced, and our goals keep it affordable,” Delany said.

Expansion clause included

The deal includes a clause for the addition of a 20th NRL team by the 2029-30 season, most likely based in New Zealand.

The Perth Bears will join the competition next year, expanding it to 18 teams. The PNG Chiefs will enter in 2028, followed soon after by a further team, with a consortium from New Zealand or Queensland the frontrunners for that licence.

Broadcast breakdown

Under the new deal, Foxtel and Kayo will broadcast nine live games a round, six of them exclusively, while Nine will continue to broadcast three matches a round. Foxtel has also secured the rights to the additional match once the competition expands to 20 teams.

At 20 teams, Foxtel will broadcast seven matches a week live and exclusive on Fox League and Kayo, simulcasting the remaining three with Nine.

V’landys and departing chief executive Andrew Abdo led the negotiations for the code.

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It’s happened… again. That’s right, even though the last school holidays feel like they wrapped up roughly four minutes ago, we’re back in the thick of it.

The fortnightly juggle is one many parents and caregivers (thank you, mum and dad) have long since resigned themselves to, and yet somehow, every single time, the feeling of panic and utter unpreparedness rolls in right on schedule.

Just know you’re not alone.

To prove the point, Mediaweek put out a call to the industry, asking a very simple question: How are you balancing the school holidays?

What follows is a glimpse into how some of the sharpest minds in the industry – the ones who look like they’ve got it all figured out – actually get through it. It’s a rare bit of honesty at a time when working parents are being bombarded from all sides with tips on how to ‘parentmaxx’ while also remembering to fill their own cup (rosé only, thanks).

Krista Walton, NSW Sales Director – Agency, oOh!media

The saying for working parents is usually, ‘the juggle is real’. During school holidays, though? The juggle is relentless.

Two weeks somehow feels like two months when you’re trying to squeeze full-time work around full-time parenting, across multiple kids with completely different interests, friendship groups and social calendars that rival your own.

If you’re lucky enough to head away, it definitely helps. But when most workers get four weeks of annual leave, and kids get thirteen weeks of school holidays, the maths simply doesn’t add up.

Today’s highlight reel included calling both sets of grandparents before 8.30 am with a shameless plea for help on certain days, negotiating with my husband to work from home, and texting two school parents proposing a highly strategic child-swap arrangement (‘I’ll take yours tomorrow if you’ll take mine today’). All before 9 am. Then came a full day of financial year media negotiation meetings.

Now I’ve finally looked at the clock, and I’m wondering how late Flip Out is open, because my next mission is to sprint through the door, collect my smallest tornado and let him bounce every last ounce of school holiday energy out of his system.

Somewhere between spreadsheets, school holiday logistics and trampoline parks, I’m choosing to believe this is what superhero mums look like… even if the cape feels suspiciously like yesterday’s soaking wet trench coat!

Jen Sharpe, Founder and Managing Director, Think HQ

The short answer is that I’m not!

I’ve always struggled with the school holidays, and it’s when the most guilt tends to kick in. Just today, I had my 10-year-old sitting in my office listening to me chat on about something for a couple of hours while she stared into her iPad.

Her 12-year-old sister is just glued to her phone all day. I even took last week off, but now I’m back at work. I feel perpetually guilty that they are just sitting around while I have work to do!

I find it all really stressful.

Matt Cooper, Founder and CEO, Alpha Digital

I’m a solo dad, and I’ve got three kids, five, seven, and nine, who are always full of energy and needing a lot of attention.

I try to compartmentalise my time as much as possible and make sure the kids’ time is as free from work interruptions as possible, but it’s never entirely free.

There are often times I have to jump on a Teams call, make a bank transfer, make a signature on a document that has to go out, and it’s a matter of keeping the kids occupied during those times, minimising their time on screen, and keeping them as entertained as possible whilst juggling work.

But it’s amazing how if I try to sneak a work email on my phone whilst watching TV or just relaxing in a park somewhere and the kids are playing, they can just sense it and they come over and tell me to get off my phone and start batting it away with their hands, which doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, it lets me know that I’ve gotta be present with them and focus on them.

It keeps me on my toes, and I do bounce around, and if I have a particularly busy day where I’ve got three kids and one’s sick and I’m trying to keep them off screens and I’m being called in, pulled in by work in different directions a few times a day, you can feel very frazzled at the end of the day.

It’s definitely not a stress-free existence, but I think the key is just prior planning and preparation.

Kate O’Ryan-Roeder, CEO, Havas Media ANZ

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the school holidays, but over the last few years the balance has shifted more firmly towards love.

The love starts with the drive to work. School holidays are the closest thing Sydney has to a traffic miracle. The roads clear, my commute is almost cut in half, and I glide into the office convinced I’ve somehow gained an extra hour in the day.

And I love seeing children pop up around the office during the school break. They arrive clutching books, iPads and toys, usually a little shy and unsure, but by the end of the day they’re chatting with colleagues and acting like they’ve been part of the team for years. They bring a sense of joy, perspective and unpredictability that lifts the whole office.

And I think they love it too. For the lucky few who get an office day, it’s a chance to see where Mum or Dad disappears to after school drop-off, what we actually do all day, and the people we spend our time with. It’s a glimpse into a part of our lives they don’t normally get to see.

The flip side is that, as a mum of two kids in Years 2 and 4, school holidays are a logistical obstacle course. Every day seems to involve a different camp, different drop-off and pick-up times, and a different list of things to pack. Every morning starts with a mental checklist and a silent hope that nobody has forgotten anything important, or turned up dressed for the wrong theme day.

What I love most, though, is that we’re all a lot more honest about it now. There’s less pretending we’ve got everything under control and more sharing, laughing and empathising with each other. Most working parents are balancing their professional roles while simultaneously taking on a second job as scheduler, chauffeur and chief organiser of our small humans, a role that goes into overdrive during the school holidays.

It’s still a juggle, but it’s a shared one. Somehow that makes the forgotten hat, the wrong camp start time and the frantic pick-up dash feel a little less stressful and a lot more human. The reality is that we’re all figuring it out as we go, and there’s something reassuring about knowing we’re on the ride together.

Fiona Ellis-Jones, Head of News and Information, ARN

School holidays are the pits with two working parents.

As a mum of four aged 15 down to four, our survival plan involves nannies, exorbitantly expensive holiday camps, and a full cupboard of snacks.

The older my kids get, the more I’ve realised teenagers need you more. So we try to alternate working from home as much as possible, at least to be under the same roof as them.

These holidays, we’re sending the two little ones north to Grandma as unaccompanied minors … arguably our best parenting hack to date.

Nicolle Stuart, Head of People & Culture, Mamamia

Like school hours, the number of school holidays vs. annual leave is incompatible with our work schedule! Which leaves school holidays a mix of calling in favours with grandparents, swapping kids with friends, forking out for sports camps, and plenty of negotiation and coercion to attend school holiday programs, and, of course, the trusty babysitter and TV.

Merdith Cranmer, Co-founder and Managing Director, Curious Nation

The simple answer is we don’t cope… seriously!

Flexible working is the secret weapon during school holidays, but communication is everything. Keeping your team in the loop at work and your family in the loop at home is key.

And sometimes lowering the bar on what’s possible is totally OK. If everyone is fed, happy, and the important things get done, that’s a win!

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Sam Kerr, Australia’s all-time leading goal scorer and Matildas striker, is the first narrator in Mutti and WiredCo.’s new audio campaign, Confessions of a Muttiholic: Saucy Stories.

READ MORE: All hail the Goddess of Pasta Sauce in new Mutti campaign

READ MORE: ‘The Nightly On’ celebrates women in leadership in special edition

The campaign turns real Mutti fan confessions into short romance stories. Kerr voices the first instalment, based on a fan who packed tins of Mutti Polpa into a suitcase for a romantic getaway.

What is Confessions of a Muttiholic: Saucy Stories?

Confessions of a Muttiholic: Saucy Stories extends Mutti and WiredCo.’s Confessions of a Muttiholic platform, now in its second year.

The 2025 campaign asked fans to share their love for the preserved tomato brand, drawing thousands of confessions. According to the release, entries included fans tattooing Mutti tins on their arms, using the brand as a bridal shower centrepiece, and drinking it as a pre-workout.

The new campaign shifts those stories into romance fiction. Three confessions will become three short stories, voiced by three Australian celebrities across the campaign.

“Last year proved that Muttiholics aren’t just customers, they’re passionate, dedicated and incredibly loyal brand fans who have genuinely funny, authentic and entertaining stories to tell,” said Samantha Filocamo, Marketing Director at Mutti ANZ.

“For year two, we asked how we could hand the brand back to them. Romance stories have become Australia’s latest cultural obsession, so turning real confessions into saucy short stories, voiced by talent like Sam Kerr, lets us meet that obsession inside culture rather than interrupt it. It’s also about building a community around this — inviting our biggest fans in and celebrating the Mutti lovers who’ve made the brand what it is,” added Filocamo.

 

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Campaign strategy

The romance stories were written by Emma Mugglestone, an award-winning Penguin Random House author. The series was produced by Rabbit, with Lachlan Dickie directing.

WiredCo. said the launch begins a five-month brand and performance campaign, with further episodes to be read by a world-famous singer and an Olympic gold medallist.

“Nobody’s quite as passionate as the lovers in a romance novel. Except, perhaps, Muttiholics. So, it felt fitting that this year, Confessions of A Muttiholic got the full romantic story treatment. Three confessions, will become three romantic stories, voiced by three iconic Australian celebrities in a way you’ve never heard them before. It’s a saucy evolution of last year’s in-depth documentary series, dripping in star power,” said Joe Stuart, Creative Director at WiredCo.

Stuart said the craft of the stories was central to the idea, with WiredCo. looking for an experienced romance author who could treat the confessions in a way that felt authentic to the genre.

Paid, earned and creator activity

The launch is supported by earned media, creator partnerships and paid media. Kerr’s involvement includes interviews with Channel 9’s TODAY and News Corp, syndicated across selected mastheads.

Creator partnerships include Michael Finch, Sarah Todd and Sarah Brown, with organic creator outreach planned for the second phase of the campaign.

The paid media strategy spans audio and video streaming, social, radio and out-of-home placements. WiredCo. said the campaign also connects to mealtime moments and point of purchase.

Ollie Carthy, Head of Paid Media and Strategy at WiredCo., said the campaign launched with high-impact placements across Spotify, TikTok and YouTube, followed by a 60-second roadblock across the Nova radio network during drivetime.

“We loved the challenge of taking what we started with Muttiholics last year and finding a fresh way to keep telling the story across paid, owned and earned. Saucy Stories is our way of celebrating Mutti fandom again in a playful, culturally relevant way. Next up, a world-famous singer and Olympic gold-medalist will follow during phase two of the campaign,” said Samantha Nunura, General Manager of Client Services and Business Operations at WiredCo.

Campaign credits

Mutti

Trish Pegorer – ANZ Managing Director
Samantha Filocamo – ANZ Marketing Director
Alex Zappia – ANZ Brand Manager
Amy Smith – ANZ Shopper Marketing Manager

WiredCo.

David Kennedy-Cosgrove – Partner and Managing Director
Michelle Hampton – Partner and Managing Director
Samantha Nunura – General Manager
Joe Stuart – Creative Director
Liv D’albertanson – Senior Account Manager
Sophie Millican – Creative
Cameron Morris – Designer
Jessica Nutt – Earned Media Account Director
Connie Nicolaou – Earned Media Account Manager
Sophie Young – Earned Media Senior Account Executive
Steph Edwards – Head of Social Content and Creative
Kiana Corpus – Social Media Specialist
Oliver Carthy – Head of Paid Media
Irene Sang – Paid Media Specialist
Alex Frankis – Former Head of Paid Media
Olivia Fench – Account Assistant
Christina Wilmot – Producer
Carolyn Starkey – Producer

Penguin Random House

Emma Mugglestone – Author

Rabbit Productions

Lachlan Dickie – Director
Morgan Hind – Producer
Lucas Jenner – Executive Producer
Isabel Stanfield – Production Coordinator
Emma Schofield – 1st Assistant Director
Jack Saltmiras – Director of Photography
James Campbell – 1st AC
Connor Jansen – 2nd AC/Data
Josh Miller – VTR OP
Dani Haski – Autocue
Predrag Malesev – Sound Recordist
Matt Willis – Gaffer

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Southern Cross Media Group has appointed Chris Jones to the newly created role of Director of Sport – TV, Audio and Streaming, effective immediately.

The company-wide position will see Jones lead sports strategy across the group, overseeing the combined sport portfolios of Seven and Southern Cross Austereo (SCA).

He will also lead sports rights negotiations on behalf of the entire group.

Timely, given yesterday’s monumental $5.3bn NRL rights broadcast deal between Foxtel and Nine.

READ MORE: SCA appoints Peter Charles as Melbourne managing director

READ MORE: SCA brings Angus Ross back to lead TV and streaming division

The new role

Jones will be responsible for a unified sport strategy spanning broadcast television, audio, digital, publishing and social platforms. The role brings together 7Sport, Triple M and LiSTNR under a single structure.

Southern Cross Media Group said cross-promotion on Seven had already delivered scale for Triple M and LiSTNR, while Triple M’s audience had fuelled year-on-year streaming growth on 7plus across cricket, the AFL and horse racing.

Jones was most recently Seven’s Director of Network Sport, having spent more than 16 years with the network in senior leadership and production roles, including six years as executive producer of 7Cricket.

He has managed broadcasts for the AFL, the Australian Open, the US Masters, the Rio Olympic Games and the Spring Racing Carnival.

Reporting lines

Jones will report to Seven’s managing director, TV and Streaming, Angus Ross, while working closely with managing director and CEO Rohan Lund, managing director, Audio, John Kelly, and SWM WA CEO Maryna Fewster. Head of Sport Content – Audio, Ewan Giles, will report directly to Jones.

Talent and resource share

“It’s a privilege to lead this merged team of some of the country’s most talented on- and off-air broadcasters,” Jones said.

“Working closely with Ewan Giles and the SCA sport team, we now have an incredible opportunity to capitalise on our strengths, allowing us to share talent, resources, and ideas seamlessly while protecting what makes each brand distinctive.”

“Sport audiences want great coverage whenever and however they consume it,” he said.

“By bringing together 7SPORT, Triple M and LiSTNR sport, we are building Australia’s most complete sports media operation, delivering engaging content wherever you are, throughout the whole day.”

Ross said the appointment extended Jones’s expertise across audio to lead negotiations across all pillars.

“Chris has live sport in his DNA and has spent over 20 years delivering every major sporting code across the country,” Ross said.

“He has the deep respect of the sporting codes and a proven history of delivering great outcomes for the game, and bringing all these assets together under one sports strategy is a massive win for our audiences and advertisers.”

Kelly said the unified strategy delivered “a massive competitive advantage.”

“By working closer with Seven under Chris’ leadership, we are unlocking a powerful cross-medium ecosystem,” Kelly said. “For our audiences, it means the country’s most comprehensive sports coverage, and for our clients and partners, it provides an unprecedented scale to reach highly engaged fans at every hour of the day.”

Beyond dedicated sports programming, the unified sports division will also support, promote and launch entertainment and news assets across the company, including 7NEWS, Sunrise, The Morning Show and Seven’s Western Australian assets.

Main image: Chris Jones

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Network 10 has partnered with VIDAA to make four of its live streaming channels available on VIDAA-powered Smart TVs across Australia.

The deal means viewers can stream live content from 10, 10 Drama, 10 Comedy and Nickelodeon directly through VIDAA-powered TVs, including models from Hisense and Toshiba, without needing a terrestrial aerial connection.

READ MORE: WIN Network strikes short-term deal to keep Network 10 on air in regional markets

READ MORE: TV Week Logie Awards 2026: Full nominees revealed

What Network 10 channels are available on VIDAA?

The new integration brings Network 10’s streaming linear channels into the VIDAA channels environment. It is designed to simplify access to live free-to-air broadcast brands through connected TV technology.

Lachlan Roach, VP Partner Management & Business Development, Paramount Australia, said the partnership would give audiences greater access to scheduled broadcast content through connected TVs.

“We are pleased to be partnering with VIDAA to integrate our 10 linear channels via IP into the VIDAA channels environment, giving audiences greater and easier access to live and scheduled broadcast through their connected TV experience.

“This collaboration further cements our broader strategy to scale our linear distribution via IP across multiple platforms, delivering strong commercial outcomes and added value across our assets.”

Connected TV access grows in Australia

The partnership comes as Australian audiences continue to shift between live television, streaming apps and on-demand services through smart TV interfaces.

VIDAA said Australia is one of the world’s most advanced connected TV markets, with the platform powering millions of TVs in Australian homes.

Guy Edri, CEO of V, said the partnership combined established broadcast brands with the ease of connected TV viewing.

“The way users in Australia watch live television is evolving rapidly,” Edri said.

“By bringing Network 10’s streaming channels to VIDAA, we’re combining the strength of trusted broadcast brands with the simplicity of the connected TV experience. Our focus is always on quality content and effortless access, making it easier for viewers to find and enjoy what they love.”

VIDAA targets streamlined TV discovery

The launch reflects a broader industry move toward integrated smart TV environments, where live streaming channels and on-demand apps sit within the same interface.

For viewers, the integration removes the need for extra hardware or aerial setup. It also allows audiences to move between live programming and streaming apps through the VIDAA interface.

“As the leading platform in Australia, our responsibility is to ensure premium local content is both visible and easily accessible,” Edri added. “This partnership is another step in reinforcing VIDAA as the home of high-quality entertainment in the region.”

Network 10 is part of Paramount and operates 10, 10 Drama, 10 Comedy and Nickelodeon, alongside its streaming service, 10 Streaming.

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Netflix has signed licensing agreements with a group of major publishers to carry a selection of their video content on the streaming platform, starting 3 August.

The deal brings video programming from Variety and other Penske Media Corporation brands in the PMX unit, as well as BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc. and Tastemade, to Netflix subscribers in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

“Members don’t just want to watch a show or film and move on – they want to keep exploring the stories and personalities they love long after the final credits roll,” said John Derderian, Netflix’s vice president of animation series and kids & family TV.

“These partnerships help us deepen fandom and create more ways for members to carry those stories with them throughout their day.”

What’s included

The licensed content spans news, features, lifestyle, and how-to videos, with episode lengths ranging from 2 to 3 minutes to 20 minutes or more.

Variety’s contribution includes “Know Their Lines?”, a series that challenges actors, musicians, and other public figures to identify their own past dialogue or lyrics.

Other PMX brands represented in the deal include Billboard, Eater, Indiewire, Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter.

Additional programs covered by the agreement include BuzzFeed Celeb’s “30 Questions,” Vanity Fair’s “Lie Detector,” Architectural Digest’s “Walking Tour,” Elle’s “Where Is the Lie,” Harper’s Bazaar’s “Burning Questions,” Billboard’s “24 Hrs With,” People’s “My Life in Pictures,” Travel + Leisure’s “Travel Unfiltered” and Tastemade’s “Struggle Meals.”

Netflix said the goal is to “offer new ways to discover travel inspiration, cooking ideas, fashion trends, celebrity profiles, home and gardening tips, viral conversations, and more.”

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Publisher brands involved

• BuzzFeed Studios: A*Pop, BuzzFeed Celeb, Cocoa Butter, Pero Like and Tasty

• Condé Nast: Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveller, Epicurious, Glamour, House & Garden, Self, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Wired and World of Interiors

• Hearst Magazines: Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Women’s Health, Town & Country, Delish and Good Housekeeping

• People Inc.: Entertainment Weekly, Food & Wine, InStyle, People and Travel + Leisure

• Tastemade

The licensing pact is the latest step in Netflix’s push to diversify its content mix beyond scripted and unscripted programming, following recent expansions into video games, podcasts and live events.

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Francis Leach has been named the new presenter of ABC Overnights, replacing Trevor Chappell, who will retire from the program at the end of July.

Leach was introduced to audiences in the early hours of Wednesday and will begin hosting the national program on Monday, 3 August, airing on ABC Local Radio from 2:05 am AEST, Monday to Thursday.

Leach began his broadcast career at triple j before spending decades in sports journalism, including roles with Grandstand and on ABC TV’s Offsiders. He has spent nearly a decade working in public policy and federal government roles, and described the Overnights appointment as a return to radio.

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“I have had a lifelong love affair with radio, and it’s wonderful to be given the opportunity to return to the microphone,” Leach said.

“The ABC Overnights audience is as passionate about radio as I am. It’s a community of great people from all walks of life and experiences, and I feel very privileged to be joining them each morning.

“Trevor has left an incredible legacy, and it’s my job to continue it in a manner that gives the audience the listening experience and connection with one another that he made his trademark,” he said.

ABC’s plans for the handover

ABC Head of Capital City Network Anthony Frangi said Leach’s appointment reflected his rapport with listeners.

“Francis is a natural broadcaster with a deep love of radio and a natural ability to connect with audiences,” Frangi said.

“Overnights is a very special program, built on companionship forged in the quietest hours. We’re delighted to welcome Francis back to the ABC and look forward to hearing him bring his warmth, experience and energy to listeners across the country.”

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Meta has launched Muse Image, its first image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs, bringing new AI creative tools to Meta AI, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The model is designed to generate and edit images from conversational prompts. It can also blend multiple photo references, apply preset styles, and support direct edits marked up on an image.

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What is Muse Image?

Muse Image is Meta’s new image generation model for Meta AI. The company said the tool uses reasoning to interpret more complex prompts before producing or editing an image.

For users, that means prompts can be written in simple language. Meta said people can ask the tool to create scenes, remove objects from photos, render text inside visuals, or build formats such as infographics and QR codes.

The launch follows the rollout of Muse Spark, Meta’s AI assistant model. Meta said Muse Image works with Muse Spark to plan layouts, use web context, and combine several visual references in one output.

New creative tools for Instagram and WhatsApp

Muse Image will also power new creative features across Meta’s apps. Instagram Stories will receive more than 30 AI-powered effects, while WhatsApp users in limited countries can generate images in direct chats with Meta AI.

Meta said the features will expand to more locations over time. Muse Image is also coming soon to Facebook and Messenger.

The model includes a presets panel inside Meta AI, giving users suggested prompts to start from. Examples include restoring old family photos, testing hairstyles, or reimagining a person as a claymation character or 16-bit video game figure.

Why it matters for advertisers

For marketers and agencies, the most relevant update is Meta’s plan to bring Muse Image into Advantage+ creative in the coming weeks.

The move gives advertisers another way to produce and adapt creative assets inside Meta’s ad ecosystem. It also signals Meta’s broader push to make AI-generated images part of campaign production, not just consumer content creation.

Meta said Muse Image can also be used to redesign rooms with real products from the web or Facebook Marketplace. Users can upload a room photo, request a style, and generate a makeover using available products.

Using public Instagram content

Meta AI users will be able to @-mention Instagram accounts to bring public profile content into image creations. Meta said the feature is designed for use cases such as event invitations, collaborative concepts and personalised graphics.

The company said users will have a setting to control whether their content can be tagged for AI creation.

What comes next

Meta said everyday use of Meta AI with Muse Image will be free, with subscription plans available for people who want to create more.

The company is also developing Muse Video, which is expected to extend the same broader AI creative push into moving image formats.

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