Media buyers can finally retire their crystal balls when planning outdoor campaigns.

Today, the out of home industry officially launched MOVE, its highly anticipated audience measurement tool.

Outdoor Media Association members and media agency license holders can now book new campaigns using the updated data.

The industry will officially transition to the new system on Monday, 16 March 2026. From that date forward, MOVE becomes the united currency and the sole industry standard for campaign planning, buying, and reporting.

Elizabeth McIntyre, chief executive officer of the Outdoor Media Association and MOVE, noted the significance of the launch. “MOVE positions Australia as the leader in OOH measurement, not just in scale, but in collaboration and technical achievement,” she said.

“The strength of OOH as a channel continues to grow. And now with MOVE it has the best-in-class standard for planning and measurement.”

Closing regional and place-based gaps

The updated tool promises more than just basic foot traffic metrics.

The platform layers mobility and behavioural data to give agencies a sharper picture of audience habits. It tells planners where people are, how they move, how long they stay, and what they do in those environments.

Brittany Crowley is the national head of investment at UM and Outdoor Futures Council member.

She highlighted how the new system expands what agencies can actually invest in. “The reality is, better measurement drives better decisions.

And MOVE doesn’t just validate the role out of home is already playing, it expands what’s investable,” she said.

Crowley added that a major shift with the new MOVE platform is its ability to close two long-standing gaps in the sector: regional Australia and place-based environments. From a planning perspective, this nuance pushes out of home beyond a simple reach and frequency play.

The major players weigh in

The new platform boasts strong backing from the Outdoor Media Association, the Media Federation of Australia, and the Outdoor Futures Council. Unsurprisingly, the three MOVE shareholders, oOh!media, JCDecaux, and QMS, warmly welcomed the rollout.

James Taylor, chief executive officer of oOh!media, called the launch a step change in how the industry measures and understands audiences. “It delivers deeper insight, greater granularity, and a contemporary view of how location and time of day shape the impact of our channel,” he said.

Max Eburne, co-chief executive officer of JCDecaux ANZ, agreed that a unified trading currency remains fundamental to trading and growing the channel. “This update reinforces the competitiveness of out of home within the wider media landscape and supports continued sector growth,” Eburne said.

John O’Neill, chief executive officer of QMS, stressed that underpinning world-class assets with a world-class measurement system remains essential. “MOVE now delivers the transparency, accuracy and accountability our agencies and clients expect,” O’Neill said. He noted that this foundational confidence, combined with evolving platforms, will attract even greater support from advertisers.

Time to switch over

Agencies and media owners need to act quickly. Unregistered users must sign up urgently ahead of the 16 March cutoff.

After that date, planners cannot book new campaigns on the previous iteration, MOVE 1.5.

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The Australian Radio Network (ARN) will be removed from one of the Australian share market’s key benchmark indices later this month, adding another twist to what has already been a turbulent period for the broadcaster.

S&P Dow Jones Indices confirmed that ARN Media (ASX: A1N) will be removed from the All Ordinaries Index as part of the March quarterly rebalance, with the change taking effect before the market opens on 23 March 2026.

The decision means ARN will no longer be included in the All Ordinaries, commonly known as the All Ords, which tracks the 500 largest companies listed on the ASX.

In simple terms, the All Ordinaries acts as a benchmark index for the Australian share market. It’s essentially a scoreboard of the market’s biggest listed companies, used by investors to measure how the broader market is performing.

Many investment funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) also track the index, which means companies included in it can benefit from automatic investment flows.

When a company falls out of the index, those same index-tracking funds may sell their holdings as the index composition changes.

Share price ticks up after radio shock

Despite the index exit, ARN’s share price actually rose following last week’s news surrounding the future of The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

The company’s stock closed at 36 cents on Friday, enjoying a small bump in the market following the announcement that the show would end. Readers are free to infer what they want from that reaction.

At that price, ARN Media’s market capitalisation sits at approximately $112.7 million.

A long slide since the $200 million deal

The latest market developments also come amid a significant share price decline over the past two years.

Since Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson signed their $200 million deal, a contract that now appears effectively defunct, ARN’s share price has fallen 56.63%.

For investors, the numbers paint a stark picture of the gap between the broadcaster’s once-ambitious national expansion strategy for the KIIS brand and the financial reality that followed.

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Virginia Trioli has a name for what Jackie ‘O’ Henderson spent years doing alongside Kyle Sandilands. She calls it collaboration, and she says it comes with consequences.

Speaking on ABC Sydney on Friday, the broadcaster told host Hamish McDonald that Henderson was, to some degree, an architect of the very environment she has now publicly said she feels “unsafe” working within.

“If you choose to be the collaborator, you’ll probably end up being the victim at some point,” Trioli said.

Trioli continued: “[Kyle] had a collaborator in Jackie O, who smiled and laughed prettily at all the appalling jokes and traducing of women and insulting of women and degrading of women that he was doing; she took the money and happily collaborated in that,” Trioli said.

She was clear about her sympathy; however, Trioli was equally as clear about its limits.

“I feel for her. She feels that her workplace is unsafe,” she said.

“And, I don’t want to make this personal, but there is such a thing as personal responsibility. And if you’re prepared to take that cash in order to make that kind of radio, then you might expect that someday it might come for you.”

The incident that broke the show

The rupture had been building before it erupted on air on 20 February.

During a live broadcast, Sandilands turned on Henderson, first criticising what he described as her recent “fixation” on astrology, then broadening his attack to her overall performance.

“You’re not doing the rest of the job, and everyone in this building has mentioned it to me,” he said, claiming staff had repeatedly asked what was “going on with Jackie” over the past month.

“It’s not great, it’s just a fact. Wake up (beep) .. I’m not lying to her to make her feel bad.”

Henderson’s response was measured but pointed. “Well, let management talk to me then. No, please, I welcome it,” she said.

As the exchange intensified, she became emotional.

“I would never say things like that about you,” she told Sandilands. “There are so many things that you don’t do, and I would never bring them up, and I would never say what people say.”

Sandilands replied, “Feel free, it’s an open forum,” but Henderson declined to continue what she labelled a “tit for tat,” calling the situation “mean and nasty.”

ARN’s response: termination and an olive branch

ARN Media moved swiftly.

The company confirmed it had terminated the services agreement with Henderson Media Pty Ltd, the entity through which Henderson presents the show, after Henderson gave notice that she “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands.”

In the same statement, ARN said it had served written notice to Sandilands and his company, Quasar Media Services Pty Ltd, stating that his behaviour on 20 February constituted “an act of serious misconduct” in breach of his services agreement with the network.

ARN also said it had offered Henderson the possibility of an alternative show on the ARN network, a detail that points to the company’s reluctance to lose one of Australian radio’s most recognisable names entirely.

Henderson: ‘I did not quit’

Henderson, for her part, has pushed back against the narrative that she walked away.

“Over the past few days, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation about my departure from the show. I want to make one important point very clear: I did not quit or resign,” she said in a statement.

“I am deeply saddened by the events of the past week and the possibility of the show ending. This has come as a shock to me, as it has to everyone else,” she said, adding that “the current media narrative” did not reflect what had occurred.

“It has been truly heartbreaking to see how this has unfolded. At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal channels,” she said.

“Thank you to everyone who has sent kind messages of support during what has been an incredibly challenging time.”

Main image: Virginia Trioli, Jackie Henderson. Source: Supplied

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After more than three decades on Australian screens, Home and Away is packing its bags and heading west for the first time.

Tonight, the long-running Seven drama will take viewers to Western Australia as part of a special storyline that also sees the return of fan favourites Brax (Stephen Peacocke) and Ricky (Bonnie Sveen) – a decade after their departure from Summer Bay.

The move comes as the series continues to post strong audience growth across both broadcast and streaming.

In 2025, Home and Away recorded an average total TV audience of 995,000, up 7% year-on-year across Seven and 7plus. Streaming in particular has surged, with 7plus viewing up 34% compared with 2024, making the drama the most-watched regular Australian series on the platform.

That momentum has carried into 2026. Between 19 January and 12 February 2026, the series delivered an average total TV audience of 1.09 million, up 8% on the same period in 2025, while viewing on 7plus jumped 69% year-on-year.

Special location episodes have also proven to be a ratings driver. The Queensland storyline, which aired in March 2025, averaged 1.03 million viewers across Seven and 7plus, up 8% on the then-year-to-date average, with its opening week becoming the highest-rated week of the year for the series.

For Seven’s Director of Content, Scripted, Julie McGauran, the WA episodes represent both a creative milestone and a continuation of a strategy that has already proven successful for the show.

“Our numbers are bigger this year, which is amazing. Like it just keeps on getting better,” she said.

Why Western Australia became the next chapter

The idea of filming outside Summer Bay was not entirely new to the production team. In 2025, a special storyline filmed in Queensland delivered some of the series’ strongest ratings of the year.

“We know that when we went to Queensland a year before last, it was so successful,” McGauran said.

“And it was like our highest ratings week, the Queensland week.”

That success sparked internal conversations about where the series might go next.

“We knew we’ve all been in love with W.A. for such a long time. So we all wanted to do that,” she said.

At the same time, the creative team had been discussing the possibility of bringing Brax and Ricky back to the show.

“We’d always talked about it, but we knew there had to be something really big and important to bring them back.”

The result was a storyline set in Western Australia, created in partnership with Tourism Western Australia.

“We also knew we needed to make this the biggest, most special thing we’ve done in such a long time. And W.A. is just a beautiful part of the country that we’ve never been to,” McGauran said.

The Western Australia storyline was made possible through a close partnership with Tourism Western Australia, which worked alongside the production team throughout the process.

According to McGauran, the collaboration extended well beyond simply providing locations, with Tourism WA involved in everything from logistics and location scouting to promotional activity around the episodes.

“We have worked incredibly closely with them – that means everything from logistics, to finding locations, to all the promotional work as well,” she said.

McGauran said the relationship proved to be a strong fit for both the production and the tourism body, helping bring the ambitious storyline to life on screen.

“We’ve had an amazing partnership, and I think it’s really beneficial for both of us. They were really, really great in bringing this to life.”

Brax and Ricky return – a decade later

Within the storyline, Brax and Ricky are now living far from Summer Bay.

Brax is working on a remote cattle station in the WA outback, where he and Ricky have built a quiet life raising their son Casey (Austin Cutcliffe).

Their new life is disrupted when Tane Parata (Ethan Browne) arrives in Western Australia seeking Brax’s help after being framed for a crime he did not commit, triggering a nationwide manhunt storyline.

For the actors themselves, the opportunity to film in Western Australia was part of the appeal.

“We all love Bonnie and Steve, but we all love Brax and Ricky. So there’s a fine line between them both,” McGauran said.

“It’s been a decade since they’ve been with the show. So, we were all asking, where are these favourite characters now? What have they done in the last 10 years?

“And also talking about the characters living in WA, that was the icing on the cake for both Steve and Bonnie. They were like, we get to go to WA,” she said.

Filming took place across several Western Australian locations, including Elizabeth Quay in Perth, Bullara Station near Exmouth, and the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area, with additional scenes shot in Coral Bay, Cape Range National Park and Charles Knife Canyon.

According to McGauran, the reception from locals was immediate.

“W.A. and the people over there were extraordinary,” she said.

According to McGauran, there was a strong sense of enthusiasm and pride from the moment the crew arrived, with many locals excited to see the Summer Bay crew bring their cameras to the state.

“There was just so much love, commitment, and excitement. Every person we came across was so excited to have Home and Away come to W.A.”

The production also incorporated local talent into the episodes, with Western Australians appearing as extras throughout the shoot.

“We obviously used local extras, so we got to bring in the locals, and they just loved it,” she said.

A show that continues to evolve

For McGauran, the growth in streaming has not changed how the show is made.

“I mean, you can even look at the numbers, though. It’s interesting how people are watching,” she said.

“I mean, 7Plus is up, I think it’s nearly 70% from the same time this time last year. So people find their way to watch the show, and it’s extraordinary numbers.”

Despite the shift in viewing habits, she said the storytelling remains consistent.

“We craft the show in the same way because it still has the same story beats within it,” she said.

“But it’s got to be able to work on each of those devices because we know people watch the show differently. For example, I’m on my phone now, not a computer.”

Why Summer Bay still resonates

For McGauran, the enduring popularity of Home and Away lies in its ability to balance stories that reflect everyday life with the emotional escape audiences still seek at the end of the day.

“I think because we listen to, you know, we have to replicate society and stories that are important to people,” she said.

At the same time, she believes the show continues to resonate because it offers a sense of comfort and familiarity in an often unpredictable world.

“I think in this day and age, the world can be sometimes a harsh place,” she said.

“Home and Away at seven o’clock is such a wonderful, perfect place to escape.”

McGauran also credits the show’s writers’ room and long-standing production team for helping keep the storytelling fresh after more than three decades on air.

“I think to be a writer on television, you have to give some of yourself,” she said, explaining that the team works hard to create a space where personal ideas and experiences can be brought into the creative process.

“So I believe that being in a room, the writers’ room, you have to feel that it’s a safe place where you can actually bring up things that mean something to you.”

If those stories resonate internally, she said, they are more likely to resonate with audiences as well.

“That’s what I love about this show, we cover all different types of genres in one show,” she said.

“There’s rom-coms, there’s adventure, there’s medical, there’s police, there’s emotion, there’s families, there’s relationships. There’s no other show in Australia that can cover the amount of stories that we can.”

A training ground for Australian talent

Over the years, Home and Away has also built a reputation as one of Australia’s most successful talent pipelines, launching the careers of countless actors and creatives.

“We’re incredibly privileged to work with everyone,” McGauran said.

“A lot of people have gone on the record to say that this was the training ground that made them realise this industry is all about collaborative work.”

For McGauran personally, the Western Australian shoot now stands out as one of the show’s most memorable production experiences.

“It was the most extraordinary filming we’ve done,” she said.

“It was the best trip ever. I can hand on heart say I loved it more than lots of things for years and years.”

The Home and Away Western Australia episodes begin 7.00pm tonight on Seven and 7plus.

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Pornography websites are blocking the access of Australian users ahead of new age verification laws set to take effect on Monday, 9 March.

Aylo, the Canadian parent company of Pornhub, RedTube, YouPorn, and Tube8, has started restrictions to its sites for Australians.

The move is in protest of the mandate that users verify their age to access R-rated video games and websites. The company has previously taken similar action in the United Kingdom and France.

Australian users have reported receiving notifications about account registrations in their region.

 

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Social media and pornography websites age verification rules

The Age-Restricted Material Codes require online platforms to restrict children’s access to harmful material. This includes pornography, violence, and self-harm content.

Adults will still access legal adult content but must prove their age, making simple declarations insufficient. The measures aim to reflect age restrictions on social media platforms, which prevent users under 16 from creating accounts.

These laws reflect phase 2 of the Online Safety Codes registered by the eSafety Commissioner to mandate strict age verification on materials identified as unsuitable for Australian users under the age of 18.

The new law requires websites hosting pornography and age-restricted material to implement safety measures including facial age estimation, digital wallets and photo ID.

“In these codes, harmful content will be met with helplines rather than providing easy access to dangerous materials,” stated eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.

The Commissioner told The Guardian in 2021: “My role as a regulator is to protect all Australians from online harm, it’s not to throttle the sex industry. What happens between consenting adults is not my concern, as long as it’s not harming others.”

Companies breaching the codes could face fines of up to $49.5 million.

Top image: A screenshot of Pornhubs’s entry page. Image: Pornhub

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Lagos Chicken is a local business with shops in Frenchs Forrest and Lindfield – and it’s new Instagram video might make you want a roast chook for dinner every night.

The animated clip shows a woman in a grocery store, being shot in a robbery. As the bullet lands in her belly her in slow-mo, the narrator says, “The stray bullet struck her in the stomach. It pierced the skin, but started to slow down as it entered her body fat.”

Don’t worry, it’s not remotely gory or graphic.

The animation shows the bullet enter the woman’s abdomen and begin to make its way through layers of fat.

Yes, it’s obtuse, but the narrator explains, “Layer by layer, the fat absorbed more of the bullet’s energy, like a cushion.”

But don’t worry, because “by the time it hit the deeper tissues, the bullet had lost most of its force, coming to a stop before hitting organs, and saving her life.”

Phew, that was close.

The narrator then shares the important moral of the story: “To save your life, visit Lagos. Local studies confirm, regular Lagos consumption may increase protective layering. Eat well, live well.”

Responses to the soon-to-be-viral Lagos Chicken ad

The top comment on the video reads, “This might be the greatest ad for a local business I’ve ever seen.”

Another viewer wrote, “10/10 marketing no notes.”

The ad was also described as “diabolical”, “top tier”, and “outstanding.”

Do you feel like chicken tonight? (Yes, that’s a Gen X reference to the 90s ad.)

“I wanted to give people a good laugh and a good feed”

Jacob Goubar, who made the ad, and is a manager and part-owner, said he’s been working at Lagos since 2012, and his family has been cooking chicken since 1996.

When asked what his inspiration was, Jacob gave a hearty chuckle and said, “I thought it would be hilarious. I just try to give people a laugh and a good feed.”

Top image: A screenshot of the Lagos Chicken ad. Image: Instagram

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With the dust barely settled on the 2026 Formula One Australian Grand Prix, which wrapped over the weekend at another packed Albert Park, American Express is already framing its presence at the race not as a seasonal sponsorship, but as a permanent plank in its brand architecture.

Now in its second year as the Official Payments Partner of the Melbourne race, the payments giant materially expanded its on-ground footprint across the precinct, turning the event into a multi-layered platform spanning customer acquisition, merchant partnerships and brand storytelling.

The strategy reflects how global brands are increasingly treating Formula One: less as a logo-placement exercise and more as a live marketing ecosystem.

For American Express, that means building a presence that extends across hospitality, dining, music, experiential activations and full-funnel marketing campaigns.

“Well, we’re back, and it is a multi-year partnership,” Naysla Edwards, Amex Vice President of Brand, Customer Marketing and Member Experience, told Mediaweek.

“We really believe that when you come into any partnership, Formula One or other, it’s really important you learn a lot as you evolve through the years.

“So we try to come to partnerships, not just for the short term but for the long term.”

Demographic alignment driving the strategy

The commercial logic behind the partnership is simple and compelling.

More than 40% of new Formula One viewers globally are under 35. Women now represent around 41% of the sport’s audience. At the same time, roughly 65% of new American Express card acquisitions are Gen Z and Millennials.

For Amex, the overlap between the sport’s audience and its own growth segments makes the race a powerful acquisition channel.

“Audiences are growing year on year,” Edwards said.

“More than 40% of the new audiences are coming from people under 35, which is a very critical point for us because when you look at the acquisition of new customers, of new card members, 65% of the acquisition is now Gen Z or millennials, so there is a beautiful compatibility with the audiences that the Formula One attracts, as well as the new customers that we’re bringing into Amex.”

The sport’s shifting gender balance is also notable.

“I also love how F1 is building so much from a gender perspective,” Edwards said.

“I think about 41% of the fans are now female. We know that we have Netflix’s Drive to Survive to thank for that as well.”

From four weeks to a full year’s planning

Year one of the partnership was, by any measure, a scramble.

With Melbourne opening the 2025 F1 calendar, American Express had just four weeks between signing its global agreement and activating on the ground at Albert Park.

“When I go back to our first year, we had just four weeks to put on the event after signing the global agreement,” Edwards said.

“And that was insane. But, the partnerships, the agencies, the collaboration with the AGP team, is absolutely phenomenal.”

For 2026, the timeline looked very different.

“So this year, we started planning in August last year,” she said.

“We had plenty of time, and I think that with that time we could do some self-reflection, breathe, and just have the time to think about what was possible this year.”

That additional runway allowed the brand to expand across multiple elements of the race precinct.

 

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Expanding across music, fashion and fan experiences

One of the most visible changes this year was American Express stepping into presenting partner roles for two of the event’s signature experiences: Glamour on the Grid and the Lakeside Festival.

Music, identified as a strong engagement driver in year one, became a larger focus.

“There was a music component last year, the Lakeside Festival, but this year, American Express is the presenting partner of the Lakeside Festival,” Edwards said.

“Music is super important for our customers.”

The Amex Lakeside Terrace was rebuilt into a three-storey structure overlooking the festival stage, expanding capacity and improving sightlines across the precinct.

“We have also completely redone our buildings,” Edwards said.

“So we have our Lakeside Terrace, which we had last year, but this year’s version is a three-level building, and it has more capacity than last year’s.”

Glamour on the Grid also received additional investment as Amex expanded its presence across the race-week calendar.

“This year was really more about the opportunities and the spaces we could expand.”

Hospitality and lifestyle partnerships

Hospitality remained central to the Amex experience across Albert Park.

The Amex Lounge returned as the brand’s flagship hospitality space, featuring premium food and beverage partners including Moët & Chandon, Belvedere, Penfolds, Grill Americano and the Ritz-Carlton Bar, alongside race broadcasts, viewing areas and live music.

In the lounge, guests could participate in guided tastings celebrating Penfolds Grange, while a pop-up version of Chris Lucas’ Grill Americano served hospitality ticket holders.

Across the broader precinct, American Express leaned into Melbourne’s dining culture.

Chin Chin, presented by American Express, offered a bookable dining experience during race week, with card members receiving priority reservations and additional benefits when paying with their American Express card.

Meanwhile, the Amex Racing Club returned with simulators, content creation spaces and exclusive upper-level lounge access for Platinum and Centurion card members.

A new partnership with Uber also introduced a supercar arrival experience, with selected card members and riders chauffeured to Albert Park in branded supercars.

One event, three audiences

For Amex, the Grand Prix functions simultaneously as a customer retention tool, a merchant showcase and a live acquisition environment.

“Our customers are every customer – our consumer customers, our small business customer and also the businesses that receive payments,” Edwards said.

The brand’s race presence is supported by a full-funnel marketing campaign spanning digital, out-of-home and broader media channels, developed with agency UM.

“Acquiring new customers is, of course, very important, and we have developed a full funnel campaign that expands across really incredible media channels: out of home digital and so on,” Edwards said.

“So brand consideration is one of the metrics that we’re able to measure through the full funnel model that we have developed with our agency, UM.”

Beyond acquisition metrics, Amex tracks customer engagement through satisfaction, retention and usage of card benefits, alongside merchant outcomes.

“And then the final one that is super important for me is the merchants and their satisfaction,” Edwards said.

“We partnered with a lot of different businesses to do this, and so we want to make sure the businesses that we’re planning with are super happy, and that they feel that we’re bringing them great customers.”

A collaboration across agencies and partners

Delivering the activation requires a wide network of collaborators.

American Express works alongside the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, global brand teams and agencies, including Wasserman, UM, Dentsu Creative and Edelman, as well as hospitality partners such as Moët Hennessy, Penfolds and MECCA MAX.

“It is the people you partner with, and the people you work with – especially those in your own team,” Edwards said.

“Everyone collaborates; there is no competition.”

With the chequered flag now waved on the 2026 Melbourne race weekend, the Grand Prix may be over for another year.

But for American Express, the strategy is clear: when planning starts months out, partnerships expand, and the audience keeps growing, the event stops being a sponsorship and becomes something much bigger.

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Netflix has ended its partnership with Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand As Ever, returning full control of the Duchess of Sussex’s growing product range to her just over a year after its launch.

A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the split to Page Six, saying the arrangement had always been intended as a launchpad.

“Meghan’s passion for elevating everyday moments in beautiful yet simple ways inspired the creation of the As Ever brand, and we are glad to have played a role in bringing that vision to life,” the streamer said.

“As it was always intended, Meghan will continue growing the brand and take it into its next chapter independently, and we look forward to celebrating how she continues to bring joy to households around the world,” the statement read.

Show cancelled, deal done

The exit follows Netflix’s decision not to renew With Love, Meghan beyond two series.

An industry source told Page Six that without the show continuing, it “did not make sense to progress the partnership.”

As Ever launched 12 months ago selling jam, rosé wine and flower sprinkles through the platform. An As Ever spokesperson said the company “is grateful for Netflix’s partnership through launch and our first year,” adding: “We have experienced meaningful and rapid growth, and As Ever is now ready to stand on its own. We have an exciting year ahead and can’t wait to share more.”

The bigger picture

The brand split marks another step back from the AU$155 million deal Harry and Meghan signed with Netflix in 2020 following their departure from the royal family.

The arrangement produced the 2023 documentary Harry & Meghan and a Polo series, but neither the Polo documentary nor With Love, Meghan drew strong enough ratings to sustain the original terms. The couple extended their Netflix subscription last August at a reduced price.

As Ever’s bestsellers – AU$23 teas, AU$32 flower sprinkles, AU$32 fruit spreads and AU$140 scented candles – continue to sell out.

The brand currently ships within the US only, though launches in Australia, New Zealand and the UK are expected soon.

That Australian expansion may coincide with a personal visit: Harry and Meghan confirmed this week they will return to Australia in mid-April for “a number of private, business and philanthropic engagements” – their first trip back since their hugely popular 2018 newlywed tour.

Main image: Meghan Markle in a still from ‘With Love, Meghan’.

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NOVA Entertainment has promoted Sarah Cohen to the newly created role of Commercial Director – Sydney, expanding her remit across the network’s largest advertising market as the company continues to reshape its commercial leadership structure.

The role broadens Cohen’s responsibilities to include Sydney’s agency client base, in addition to independent agencies and direct clients, giving NOVA a single senior commercial leader overseeing the entire market.

The appointment forms part of a broader leadership refresh inside the audio network’s commercial division and follows the recent appointment of Ashley Earnshaw as Group Commercial Director – Agency.

Expanding the Sydney commercial brief

Cohen joined NOVA in 2024 and has since played a key role in the company’s digital transformation, leading the Sydney Direct and Independent agency team to record revenue and share levels.

In her expanded role, she will be responsible for driving growth across NOVA’s radio, podcast and retail audio portfolio while strengthening senior agency relationships in Sydney.

Cohen will work closely with Earnshaw and Josh Halling, Group Commercial Director – Direct & Indies.

Chief Commercial Officer Nicole Bence said the new position reflects the evolving needs of advertisers operating in an increasingly complex media environment.

“What our customers need from us, now more than ever, is simplicity, creativity, and accountability. We need to make their jobs easier and their results better. Leaders like Sarah are a huge part of how we deliver that.

“She has played a pivotal role in transforming her team into a market-leading audio salesforce, and her leadership will be critical as we continue to grow our digital and total audio offering in Sydney.”

Building momentum in the Sydney market

For Cohen, the promotion marks an opportunity to build on the commercial momentum she says already exists inside the business.

“We have extraordinary talent across this business – people who show up every day with energy, clarity and ambition. Coupled with a fantastic product and a clear vision for how we evolve into the future, as a leader, you can’t ask for much more.

“I’m excited to build on that momentum across the Sydney market and continue driving growth for our people, our partners and the business.”

Cohen’s promotion takes effect immediately.

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Jamie Durie has joined LeadStory as part of the platform’s global talent roster, in a move designed to expand its premium lifestyle and sustainability content offering.

The designer, environmental advocate and media personality will develop and present original programming focused on environmental innovation, sustainable living, architecture and design for audiences across LeadStory’s global distribution network.

The appointment adds a lifestyle content layer to the streaming platform’s existing news proposition, which combines AI-led personalisation with verified journalism from international broadcasters.

A sustainability focus with global reach

For Durie, the partnership aligns with a long-running focus on sustainability and design, paired with a platform built around connected viewing habits and international reach.

“I’m excited to be joining the team at LeadStory. What excites me most is the opportunity to bring the stories behind sustainability, design and environmental innovation to a global community, across multiple viewing platforms,” Durie said.

LeadStory delivers curated local and global news content across connected TV, mobile, digital and in-car environments, drawing on content from broadcasters including CBS, CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, Network 10 and France 24.

The platform describes itself as a hyper-personalised, on-demand news service built around viewer preferences and verified journalism.

Expanding premium content ambitions

Heidi Sayers, chief commercial officer at LeadStory, said Durie’s profile fits the kind of globally relevant talent the business is looking to build around.

“Jamie sits at the intersection of design, sustainability and storytelling in a way very few people do. He is not just a talent, he is a trusted, globally recognised authority with strong audience resonance across Australia, the US and Asia,” Sayers said.

“At LeadStory, we are focused on elevating premium content that informs, inspires and carries cultural relevance. Jamie’s credibility and global perspective strengthen that ambition.”

The announcement comes as LeadStory continues to expand internationally, with its FAST channels now available on Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, and Vizio across multiple markets.

Growth across screens and sectors

Founded in 2021 by Cameron Price and Cheyne Wallace, LeadStory says it has now surpassed one billion minutes watched on connected TV.

The company has also expanded through automotive partnerships with Skoda Auto, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo Cars, as well as connected device partnerships with Kogan.com and HP Inc..

Its branded storytelling division has also worked with organisations including Tourism Fiji, Sydney Water, Tourism NT, Origin Energy and American Australian Association.

Durie’s content is expected to roll out across LeadStory’s platforms in the coming months.

Top Image: Jamie Durie

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I recently found myself in Burleigh Heads for the first of this season’s News Australia’s annual Frontiers event.

It is admittedly hard to focus on media strategy when the Queensland surf is right outside the window, but event host and managing director of client partnerships, Lou Barrett quickly grabbed our attention with a completely refreshed format, for this, the sixth iteration of the program.

She acknowledged that operating in an overwhelming, AI-populated world requires an entirely new approach to business. As such, she introduced the core theme for the program, the ‘power of passion’, and how brands can use it to unlock exponential growth.

Barrett told the room, “When you feel passion, you don’t just feel potential in attention, you actually feel devotion”.

For the past few years, the publisher built the Frontiers program primarily for consortium and independent agencies. But this year, for the first time, News Australia brought clients into the room to sit side by side with their agency partners.

News Australia’s general manager of advertising sales for QLD, SA & WA, Kelly Healy mentioned that this strategy required some changes. The team deliberately parked some standard corporate business updates (which, let’s be honest, might prompt a quick check of the inbox) and made the thought leadership the absolute hero.

Healy explained the shift, noting that having the client in the room “enabled us to get everyone on the same page”. She observed that clients actively engaged in taking the thought leadership directly into their own product innovation.

The challenge is for marketers to figure out how their brands can act as genuine companions on a customer’s life journey.

Navigating the polycrisis and a $42 billion economy

General manager of The Growth Distillery Leigh Lavery echoed this sentiment. He pointed out that this tripartite model effectively ends the traditional media telephone game, ensuring that “nothing gets lost in translation”.

He also identified that, “clients are simply desperate to understand what Australians are actually thinking, feeling, and doing right now.”

Lavery unpacked exactly why passion matters so much right now. He introduced the group to the idea of the “polycrisis”. A very real environment where economic, geopolitical, and environmental pressures stack relentlessly on top of one another.

To cope with this compounding stress, Australians actively tune out the endless noise and chaotic news cycles.

They retreat into personal passions to reclaim a desperately needed sense of control. Lavery revealed that passions now sit closer to a person’s self-identity than their profession, political leanings, or religious affiliations.

And the numbers don’t lie. Australians hold an average of almost three passions each, dropping a collective $42 billion on these pursuits every single year.

Despite mounting cost-of-living pressures, consumers still classify this spending as a non-negotiable expense.

Building an objective truth engine

Mapping out this massive passion economy takes more than a quick consumer survey. Lavery shared that his team of 18 researchers spent the better part of two years building a comprehensive framework.

He also noted, with a slightly wry smile, that The Growth Distillery deliberately operates independently. Lavery explained this separation, stating, “We have to tell objective truths”. He added that if the research carried a News Australia slant, the industry would simply sees it as a sales tactic.

Back to the research on the “power of passion.” Lavery identified three distinct levels of consumer engagement: casual, committed, and obsessed. Move a consumer up that curve, and the commercial rewards multiply rapidly.

Obsessed fans spend three times more with supporting brands and gladly pay up to a 40 per cent premium for products and services.

Brands can enter this highly lucrative space by playing a direct part as a supplier, acting as an adjacent enabler, or creating a halo effect.

The secret sauce? Content.

Six in 10 consumers reported that highly relevant content from their favourite brands actually made them more passionate about the things they loved.

But the task at hand for the clients and agencies after the presentation was to find some practical ways to put this research into strategic practice.

Breaking down silos for real product innovation

I saw the true value of the event surface during the interactive workshop sessions.

Chief marketing officer at Michael Hill Jo Feeney attended alongside her agency partner, OMD Brisbane managing director Ali Costello. Feeney told me the polycrisis concept resonated and felt “very familiar in terms of my own feelings at the moment. And how overwhelming the world can feel”.

On the benefits of the Frontiers sessions, Feeney pointed out that solving business challenges together in a physical space often generated far better inspiration. “Some of the best ideas come out of just people sitting around in a room and talking about the challenges”, she said.

It fostered an old-school collaboration that the remote-working era often misses.

Costello agreed, highlighting the unique power of “having that diverse perspective from all three parts of the conversation”. The client, the media agency, and the publisher are all required to get the job done.

Forcing themselves to step away from their desks unlocked much deeper, energising conversations. It reminds marketers that there is still a bit of fun to be found in what they do every day.

Through the sessions, Costello realised that even if some of the consumer passions they explored lacked a “direct connection to buying fine jewellery”, the Michael Hill brand absolutely could leverage the strategy.

Feeney added, “If we want to be a brand that empowers customers’ passions, there’s absolutely a role for us to play”.

Brands need to act as true companions

The real takeaway from Burleigh Heads goes far beyond another slide deck on consumer spending.

Healy nailed the ultimate goal, noting that people are “desperate to simplify their lives and find meaning. That provides an opening for brands to stop pushing products and start acting as true companions.”

Costello pointed out that while the industry constantly debates the looming threat of AI and automation, passion remains the distinctly human side of the equation. She said, “It reminds us why we actually do what we do, and that there is real meaning to be found behind the daily grind.”

When publishers, agencies, and clients finally step away from transactional briefs and sit in the same room, they unlock the diversity of thought required to actually make something happen.

Feature image– Leigh Lavery, general manager of The Growth Distillery. Image: file

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