Sydney-based independent agency Alchemy One is an agency that is about purpose according to its co-founder and managing director Joel Trethowan.

Trethowan founded the company with strategy director Paul Scarf six years ago. The pair came from different backgrounds with Trethowan working on the client-side with media agencies and at companies like Sony and Microsoft, while Scarf brought a creative background after working at BWM for a number of years.

“We came together with a vision to do something a bit different. I was a little bit frustrated by how awesome the industry is but the product from a media and strategy perspective felt like a simple approach versus something that I think has so much opportunity for growth regardless of budget.

“Back then it was just the two of us, so we worked with some small players, some medium, and some large players and it was such an amazing, crazy, bizarre ride. Back then being an independent agency was very hard because the first questions people asked you were about rate positions and your buying power, and if we had the capacity to deliver on what they need.”

One of the key evolutions of the business in the early stages was becoming able to buy their own media and not use another agency like they had when they launched.

“It was one of the hardest barriers to entries in the first one or two years because people were so rate sensitive, but since the start of 2017, we buy it all internally. We have relationships with all the media companies and that has been incredible because we know how strong our rates are comparatively.”

Trethowan said that three or four years ago he started to see the tipping point of the industry really change in favour of the independent agencies.

“It was mainly from a service perspective and people wanting consistent senior talent across their brands, which is our core differentiator. We have built Alchemy One to be a very flat model where everyone has a strong level of experience and everyone that you meet from day one are the people that carry the account across the entire process.”

Trethowan said that the second part of differentiating themselves from the market was finding a purpose as a business, and their broader purpose above and beyond being a media agency.

“Bank Australia being Australia’s largest ethical bank and a client that we have had for three and a half years has just taught us so much about that and inspired us to redefine what our purpose is, and now we are actively in the market as a purpose-led agency. 60-70% of our current revenue comes from clients in the purpose space that are actively trying to do something greater for the betterment of society.”

Part of this goal of being a purpose-led company has meant that Alchemy One has applied for B Corp status, which would make it only the second media agency in Australia to receive certification.

The B Corp certification is an internationally recognised, third-party verified trust mark for businesses that are assessed to achieve a positive impact for their employees, communities, customers and the environment.

What Exactly is a B Corp? Read Here

B Corp certification is given out by the non-profit organisation B Lab which has been active since 2006.

The application process can be quite arduous with most companies falling short of the 80 point threshold for B Corp certification making an average score of 50 out of a possible 200.

Trethowan said that the big thing was going through the process, the company used a team of four people to prepare the application spending a period of nine months on the project.

“It really defines those businesses who don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk because there are so many people out there still trying to use tactics such as greenwashing or trying to use ways in marketing to make consumers think that they are better than they are in term of perceptions.”

Read more: Ethical business: The media industry and B Corp certification

Joining the IMAA

The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA), is the national, not-for-profit industry association for the independent media agency industry, which Alchemy One joined in May of last year.

Trethowan described his feelings when the IMAA was announced as ‘this is cool’.

“It is sometimes difficult to feel like you are siloed on a little island when you know the holding groups have so much information always being funneled down to all their individual companies, which is one strength that they have always had. However, with the IMAA it is the number of agencies on board that I think is such a powerful thing because it wipes away one of the strengths the holding companies had.

“One of the biggest things we have is that it promotes the benefits of being an indie and it waves that flag for us and one of the biggest things is the whole knowledge sharing, networking, education, training which are all things that we would find a way to do internally but this just helps.”

Alchemy One’s Clients and Specialisation

The company has gone through a massive period of growth since launching and Trethowan said that they don’t have many of their foundational clients, but pinpointed a period about four years ago where they landed vital clients like Bank Australia and Square.

Trethowan added that like everyone the company struggled in 2020, yet they still had key client wins in Westfund Health Insurance and the Australian Conservation Foundation.

“The biggest lesson that it taught us and one thing that we have always been proud of is to really be seen as a partner and an extension of our client’s marketing teams. What we did with Bank Australia and Square is pivot quite quickly to focus on below-the-line tactics and community-based activity versus anything that was brand and big and awareness driving from a broadcast point of view. In knowing their businesses so well we were able to cater and help them navigate that journey. Out of something quite dark at the time came something quite powerful.”

When asked about his agency’s specialisation, Trethowan said that Alchemy One is unique in how it offers partnerships.

“Partnerships with the media, but also partnerships with other organisations and people, and that is something that we have a very unique approach with.

“I know it’s not new within the industry in terms of partnering with the media to bring to life a brand through the lens of that specific voice, but the way that we do it, and Bank Australia is an amazing example of this in highlighting mass channels, medium channels, but also really niche channels to reach different people and different audiences across that full frontal which has been such a critical part of our strategy from day one.

“It is kind of beyond the realm of a media agency, it is even PR agency territory, it’s strategy agency territory. We really are going to be advocates of the brand to the media and to these organisations that we speak with.”

Freeview Australia has launched its free HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) service, providing Australians with a more seamless integration between broadcast and on-demand BVOD services. The service will roll out from April 14.

The new product provides a streamlined way to search and discover a world of free-to-air (FTA) entertainment across more than 35 channels, but also enables free and on-demand access to a  library fo more than 50,000 individual programs and episodes, from back catalogue to current programs and digital exclusives.

The search function will make content easier to discover as viewers will be able to search for content across ABC iview, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now and 10 play without the need to download individual broadcaster apps.

Freeview Australia’s HbbTV application is built using the latest HbbTV 2.0 standard and it joins the UK as the only other service in the world delivering an aggregated platform across multiple broadcasters on this latest standard. The new service also provides a simple on-screen program guide that makes it easier than ever to see what’s available across every Freeview broadcaster in Australia.

To ensure the widest accessibility to Australian viewers, the new HbbTV service has been built on new HbbTV 2.0 devices but is also fully backward compatible with all Freeview certified HbbTV 1.5 devices (dating back to 2014) through the dynamic delivery of different app versions to suit varying TV requirements.

Freeview has also unveiled a refreshed brand identity which consolidates the Freeview branding under one easily identifiable logo. This is the first significant brand refresh since Freeview launched in 2008 and is deliberately consistent with the UK’s brand to demonstrate international support for HbbTV.   

Freeview’s brand refresh and launch of HbbTV is supported by 15′ and 30′ TVCs – broadcast and digital – which launch early May, plus dedicated digital, social and PR campaigns.

Helen Clifton, Freeview Chair and ABC‘s digital and information officer, said: “I am very excited about the new HbbTV powered Freeview service for connected TVs, which is an important advance in free-to-air television in Australia. Not only will it provide audiences with a streamlined way to search and discover content, but it also opens up access to the complete free-to-air on-demand catalogue – over 5,000 hours of content.

“The launch of a new gateway for TV viewing also means Freeview can take advantage of the latest technologies and bring audiences an improved and richer interactive experience which will help drive the industry forward.   

“Freeview’s role in Australian TV is critical as free-to-air is the best way of making more great content free, and universally accessible, to more people, connecting them across Australia’s vast landscape,” she said.

Freeview Australia’s CEO, Bridget Fair, said: “We are delivering a whole new Freeview experience by creating a gateway to the world of news and entertainment that’s free and easily accessible.  We can now explore and discover content from last night or the last decade.

“More than 17 million of us watch FTA television every week, and with broadcast video on demand (BVOD) services enjoying a 38% increase YoY, we have an insatiable appetite for great content.

“Our role at Freeview is to keep pace with this demand and ensure that we are constantly innovating to serve the millions of Australians who vote with their remotes every day.

“Today’s announcement is also great news for the networks and advertisers. With the launch of the new service, there is now an easier way to search and view linear and BVOD content with access to thousands of additional episodes and items. We know that Australians will be excited and engaged in this new FTA experience,” she concluded.

The top decision makes for ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, and 10 has all commented on the new service:

ABC managing director, David Anderson: “The ABC has been broadcasting into Australian loungerooms for the last 65 years. We are as committed today, as we were when we first broadcast, to ensuring that our news, current affairs, drama, kids and all our programming is accessible and free to as many Australians as possible. The launch of Freeview’s new HbbTV services is an exciting evolution for the 17 million Australians who tune in to free-to-air TV every week as it offers a more simplified, integrated and intuitive way to search and discover the high-quality, distinctive programs – both live and on demand – we have to offer.”

SBS managing director, James Taylor, said: “SBS has long been dedicated to ensuring our distinctive programming is freely available to all Australians on the device of their choosing.  The launch of the new HbbTV service is an exciting development. Whether catching up on last night’s Insight, or discovering a new series like The Cook Up with Adam Liaw, audiences can access the very best of Australian television for free – all in one place.”

Seven West Media managing director and chief executive officer, James Warburton, said: “With the large amount of content now locked away behind paywalls, Freeview is the central platform of free, premium TV content across linear and BVOD platforms. It clearly demonstrates Seven and the industry’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the TV viewing experience for
Australian audiences.” 

Nine CEO, Mike Sneesby: “We are seeing record levels of on-demand video consumption. This is in part because all of Australia’s TV networks have built out deep libraries of great local and international content available to tens of millions of Australians for free. We welcome today’s Freeview announcement which will make simpler and easy for everyone to access and find the content they want, when they want it, on the platform they want to consume it on.”

Executive vice presidents of ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand, Beverley
McGarvey and Jarrod Villani said: “Having the new Freeview platform right there at your fingertips when you turn on the TV allows audiences the ability to search and discover freemium content first. With so much variety available to viewers today, the mini-guide supports all free-to-air broadcasters in preserving discoverability of premium content. Prominence is critical and it is essential we provide our audiences with an attractive yet simple platform to utilise and explore all the tremendous content available for free.”

The federal government will extend two measures that support the production of local screen content and has confirmed a Producer Offset increase for TV as the sector recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The $50 million Temporary Interruption Fund (TIF) will be extended for a further six months, to provide coverage for productions that commence principal photography prior to 31 December 2021.

The government will also retain at 40% the Producer Offset rate for feature films with a theatrical release. In addition, as announced last year, the government will raise the Producer Offset rate from 20 to 30% for other eligible formats such as drama and documentary content for television and streaming platforms.

The announcement follows Australian actors including Simon Baker, Bryan Brown, Marta Dusseldorp and Justine Clarke visiting Canberra to convince Parliament for continued production support and to ask for the introduce local content requirements for digital viewing platforms including Netflix, Stan and Disney+.

The visit was part of the Make It Australian campaign backed by MEAA, the Australian Directors’ Guild, Australian Writers’ Guild, and Screen Producers Australia.

There has been no move by the government yet on content requirements for streaming services.

The Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher (below) said the support measures would enable the local screen industry to continue to create quality Australian productions and keep thousands of jobs and businesses in the local production sector.

“Despite our successes in managing Covid-19 in Australia, the continuing severity of the pandemic internationally is a problem for screen production, with insurers still not providing coverage for Covid-19 related events,” Fletcher said.

“TIF has been vital in providing the certainty that productions need to secure financing, and it will have assisted with more than 12,000 production roles and 5,000 business contracts in its first year of operation.”

The 40% Producer Offset supports around 50 Australian feature films per year with total average rebates of around $124 million. The government reports this injects over $300 million per year into the Australian economy, and underpins the success Australian feature films have had at the box office in recent times.

Fletcher added: “Australian feature films play an important role in our cultural identity and resonate strongly with audiences at home and abroad. After consulting with Australian feature film producers and considering the feature film environment abroad, we have determined that retaining the offset at 40% is appropriate to ensure the ongoing vitality of the sector.”

TIF and the Producer Offset are administered by Screen Australia.

See also: Screen industry turns up the heat for content quotas for streaming services

Mushroom Group today announced that Matt Gudinski will assume the role of CEO of the Mushroom Group, effective immediately. Matt moves into the role following the sudden passing of his father, Michael Gudinski, on March 2 this year.   

Matt most recently held the role of executive director of Mushroom Group from 2013. In the eight years following, Matt and Michael worked side by side, overseeing over 250 employees and two dozen companies. 

Formed in 1972, the Mushroom Group encompasses touring and events, record labels and artist services, publishing, merchandising, booking agencies, film and television production, talent management, venues, creative services, and a brand agency.   

In 2013 Matt spearheaded a public relaunch of the Group where he was named as Michael’s successor.   

Matt Gudinski said “This isn’t a role that I expected to assume yet, but I am determined to honour the great legacy my father left.  Mushroom Group is in its strongest position ever and as we fast approach our 50th year I know that our incredibly talented Mushroom family will help me deliver the vision Dad and I had for the next 50 years of our business.” 

While Matt was literally born into the business, he officially joined Mushroom Group in 2003 at age 17. Since then, he has been hands on with all aspects of the Group, helping grow its label and touring divisions while overseeing change in music publishing and artist management amongst other things.

A state memorial was held for Michael Gudinski on March 24th. A crowd of over 7,000 inside Rod Laver Arena was boosted by more than 50,000 watching online via YouTube.

Senior Wurundjeri elder of the Kulin Nation Aunty Joy Murphy was the first person onstage with an introduction remembering time she spent with Michael Gudinski and a Welcome to Country.

The event was three hours long and included tributes from artists such as Sting, Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran, Kate Ceberano, Amy Shark, Gordi, Kasey Chambers, Missy Higgins, Jack River, and Deborah Conway.

Watched by over 1.419 million viewers on Anzac Day 2020, Music From The Home Front screened on Australian television and was born out of Australia and New Zealand’s first lockdown response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Conceptualised by the Mushroom Group’s Michael Gudinski and staged in nine days, Music From The Home Front 2020 saw a line-up of Australia and New Zealand’s musicians united together to remind us that we were not alone – even when we were socially distancing.

Gudinski was well into planning this year’s concert when he passed away on March 2. The Mushroom Group have announced the 2021 event will present performances from many Australian musicians as they commemorate and pay tribute to our nations’ ANZAC history. 

As with last year, Music From The Home Front 2021 will feature big names and collaborations showcasing the talent in our local music community. The 2021 event is presented in partnership with the Victorian Government as part of its commitment to showcase Victoria as the state of music.

Mushroom Group’s CEO Matt Gudinski said: “Dad had many great passions throughout his career, but his love of the local music industry never shone brighter than it did during the last year as we suffered through the impact of Covid-19. It’s incredibly fitting that Music From The Home Front, a project he was immensely proud of in 2020, was one of the events he was working on right up until his last day. That we can bring to life a broadcast concert version from his hometown of Melbourne, supporting the industry he loved, in a city he long promoted as the leading music capital of Australia, resonates deeply with all of us at Mushroom.”

Acting Minister for tourism, sport and major events, Mary-Anne Thomas said: “We are proud to support Music From The Home Front in 2021 and it’s fantastic we can welcome crowds to this year’s event and show our support for the live music industry.” 

While last year’s show was entirely filmed during lockdown, Music From The Home Front will go ‘live’ on stage this year, with artist performances broadcast live from Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl. These tracks will be mixed with additional streamed performances shot at various locations. Viewers can either experience Music From The Home Front in person at the ticketed Sidney Myer Music Bowl concert in Melbourne, or watch the broadcast from anywhere in Australia on Channel 9 and 9Now, or stream it globally via YouTube. 

The live line-up stars: (in alphabetical order):

Amy Shark, Bliss N Eso (pictured), Kasey Chambers, Budjerah, Jerome Farah, Lime Cordiale, Mia Wray, Tash Sultana, The Rubens, Vance Joy, and Royal Melbourne Hospital Scrub Choir.

Tickets for the Bowl concert will go on sale Friday 16 April at 12noon AEST via musicfromthehomefront.com with prices starting at $69 (plus booking fees). Pre-sale tickets will be available via frontiertouring.com/homefront from Wednesday 14 April.

Meanwhile, the broadcast will also feature location performances from more artists – those clips will also screen at the venue during the concert (as well as on TV). Those artists include (in alphabetical order):

Ben Lee, Dean Lewis, Gordi, Hayley Mary, Jess Hitchcock, Jimmy Barnes, Mahalia Barnes, Sam Fischer, The Kid Laroi, Tina Arena, and You Am I.

Plus more to be announced.

Music From The Home Front proceedings will kick off on Anzac Day eve (Saturday 24 April), from 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now and YouTube (7.30pm AEST).

Adrian Swift, 9Network’s head of content, production and development said, “Music From The Home Front is all about celebrating heroes: our ANZAC and Australian military heroes, our healthcare heroes who’ve looked after all of us during the last year of pandemic and this year, the biggest hero of Australian music and the man who made this all possible, Michael Gudinski. Australia’s greatest musicians will join us from some of the country’s most iconic locations as well as gathering at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in honour of these great Aussies in what will be the music event of the year”.

Big Brother Australia will return for its new season on Monday, 26 April.

Seven debuted their rebooted Big Brother format last year, after a six-year hiatus for the show which had previously aired on Nine. Seven’s updated version was a success, the iconic reality series had an average total video audience of 1.39 million Australians, making it Seven’s biggest series TV launch in two years.

Speaking about the original launch last year, Seven’s director of network programming Angus Ross said that “Within the space of a week it has changed our demographic profile completely. We are clean-sweeping everything – 25-54, 18-49 and 16-39. It has given us the best 16-39 result in 10 years.

“To put that in context it is a bigger show than I’m a Celebrity, Survivor, Amazing Race, or The Bachelor. And it is beating The Voice too in some key demos.”

And that success was despite dealing with fires and COVID-19 production shutdowns.

This year, Big Brother is seriously stepping things up with more rooms, more secrets, more twists, and more thrills to keep Australia guessing.

In 2021, a new group of Housemates will find themselves living together, cut-off from the outside world with cameras and microphones recording their every move – 24 hours a day. 

They will soon find out there’s more to Big Brother’s house – and game – than meets the eye.

After watching all the chaos of the house from the outside, Australia will once again decide the winner of Big Brother in a live finale. Who wins? You decide.

Production company Endemol Shine Australia will be working with Seven on Big Brother once again.

Endemol Shine Australia’s chief content officer Peter Newman said: “We’re extremely proud that Seven has commissioned us to deliver another series of the reality show that started it all, Big Brother. We’re also very grateful to the fans of the show who have embraced the evolution of this incredible format. In 2021 Big Brother will be back more mischievous and devious than ever before. You won’t believe what he’s got planned for the Big Brother house.”

This follows the announcement of a special event series of Big Brother VIP which will air on Australian screens later this year.

It will follow the 2021 season of Big Brother and be hosted by Sonia Kruger and feature Australian celebrities, removed from the world they know and locked away in a new Big Brother house.

WPP AUNZ Limited today provided a trading update based on its results for the first quarter to 31 March 2021. The March quarter results are based on unaudited management results and the FY 2021 outlook is based on the latest reforecast built up through 3 months of actual results and 9 months of forecasting.

The Board of WPP AUNZ reaffirms its outlook for 2021, which was provided in December 2020 and reaffirmed in the Company’s full year 2020 result announcement from February.

Scheme Update

The Scheme Meeting will be held at The Langham Hotel Sydney on April 21st 2021 at 10am (Sydney time).

WPP AUNZ has received from the ATO a draft version of the Class Ruling the terms of which are consistent with Section 8 Tax Implications of the Scheme Booklet. The draft version of the Class Ruling is not legally binding on the ATO and only a final version of the Class Ruling can be relied on by WPP AUNZ shareholders. A final version of the Class Ruling will not be issued by the ATO until after the scheme of arrangement has been completed.

The Independent Board Committee continues to unanimously recommend that shareholders vote in favour of the Scheme.

The Independent Expert has opined and continues to opine that the Scheme is in the best interests of WPP AUNZ shareholders.

Q1 2021 Financial Performance

Net sales for the March quarter were $144.0 million, behind the previous corresponding period by 5.2% (Q1 2020: $151.9 million) and consistent with expectations. The net sales result is compared to Q1 2020 where there was limited impact from Covid-19.

Despite net sales being below 2020 and the market still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, the transformation initiatives and corresponding reduction in the cost base led to improved earnings for the quarter. Headline earnings before interest and tax (“EBIT”) for the March quarter was $10.2 million (Q1 2020: loss $3.8 million).

Net debt as at 31 March 2021 was $116.2 million, compared to $196.6 million at 31 March 2020 and $17.2 million at 31 December 2020.

Cash collection remains strong and the increase in net debt from 31 December 2020 is driven by the partial unwind of net working capital, as anticipated in the full year results.

Outlook For FY21

The Company reaffirms its outlook which budgets a material improvement in profitability in the 2021 financial year when compared to FY2020 as the economic environment strengthens and the full year benefit of the transformation initiatives is delivered.

The table below outlines the Company’s earnings guidance for 2021 relative to the headline results for years ended 31 December 2019 and 2020. This excludes the impact of significant and non-cash items and the results of two major units disposed of in 2019, being Kantar and Ogilvy NZ.

In commenting on the performance in the first quarter, Jens Monsees, managing director and CEO, said, “We are pleased with our results for the quarter which were very much on track with our expectations and reflect the benefits of the transformation of our business in the last 12 months. The results are a credit to our whole team who have embraced change in our business while also working through a global pandemic. We are pleased to reaffirm our previously announced guidance of headline EBIT of between $85 million and $95 million.”

Val Morgan doubled-down on last week’s results posting a record-breaking Easter period, with over 1.6 million Australians visiting the cinema in the last full week (1-7 Apr 2021). The performance was the best full-week performance seen since January 2020, with 44% of these audiences in the 18-39 demographic.

Family titles dominated the top-ten movies of the week, drawing in audience results as the school holiday period kicked off across most of the nation.

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway was the perfect Easter treat, bringing families together and delivering 394,000 admits, only a whisker shy of top spot.

Bringing a sense of nostalgia to the cinema, Tom & Jerry rounded out the top 3 movies of the week, with 225,000 admits. 

But it was Godzilla vs. Kong that again took home the chocolates, continuing to gain momentum and exceed forecasts, achieving 436,000 admits.

This result followed up its massive opening weekend as the film now has a total of $14.15m. Over the weekend it averaged $9,490 on 495 Australian screens. 

This result proved that audiences are craving high-budget first-run content. In a recent Event Cinemas survey of 7.500 regular cinemagoers, 91% of respondents indicated their intent to see this year’s blockbusters titles.

 Guy Burbidge, Managing Director of Val Morgan said “The audience growth we’ve seen this Easter proves that Aussies are actively seeking out social entertainment experiences outside of the home. Cinema provides audiences with just the ticket.

With locked-in Hollywood content and a pent-up demand for blockbuster titles, Val Morgan is the best platform to provide brands big-screen attention amongst the most valuable audience in Australia.”

With momentum continually building week-on-week, these results are expected to continue over the next 3 months with brands already beginning to take advantage of blockbuster titles such as Mortal Kombat, Fast & Furious 9, Top Gun: Maverick, Black Widow, and Space Jam 2.

Singles

Justin Bieber has ended the reign of the Glass Animals track Heat Waves, taking over the number one position with his song Peaches featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon. Heat Waves has topped the charts for six straight weeks. Coming from Bieber’s album Justice, Peaches is his fourth chart-topping single as lead artist after What Do You Mean? In Spetember 2015, Love Yourself in December 2015, and I Don’t Care with Ed Sheeran in May 2019.

The highest rating Australian artist this week is Sydney rapper Masked Wolf with Astronaut In The Ocean at number four. He overtakes fellow Sydneysider The Kid Laroi, whose single Without You peaked at number two.

Jumping up 13 spots, Lil Nas X hits number three this week with Montero (Call Me By Your Name). It becomes the American rapper’s second top ten hit after Old Town Road which hit number one in July 2019.

American artist Olivia Rodrigo follows chart-topper Drivers License with Déjà Vu debuting at number 13. Both singles will feature on Rodrigo’s debut album, *O*R, which was recently announced to be released on 21 May. Drivers License spent six straight weeks at number one and sits at number eight this week.

The other new arrival to the Singles Chart this week is Body by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne at number 47.

Albums

Justin Bieber returns to take out a second week at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart with Justice. Bieber’s fourth chart-topping album debuted in the top spot two weeks ago before dropping back to number two last week. With Peaches topping the Singles Chart, this is the first time Bieber has topped both charts in the same week. Taylor Swift was the last artist to have number ones in the same week on both the Albums and Singles Charts; she had the top single with Willow and the top album with evermore in December 2020. Justice equals My World as Bieber’s career best for most weeks at number one on the Albums Chart.

The highest ranking Australian artist this week is The Kid Laroi, who keeps his title in the Album Chart. F*ck Love (Savage) stays strong this week at number four.

Releasing her seventh studio album, Dancing With The Devil…The Art Of Starting Over, Demi Lovato scores her third ARIA Albums Chart top ten entry. The album includes the collaboration with ARIA Award-nominated Sam Fischer, What Other People Say, as well as contributions from Ariana Grande, Saweetie, and Noah Cyrus. Lovato previously hit the top ten with Tell Me You Love Me in October 2020 and Confident in October 2015.

The other new entrant to the chart this week is Destined 2 Win by Lil Tjay at number nine, making his ARIA Albums Chart debut.

2021 ARIA Chart Toppers

Singles
January 4 24Goldn Mood
January 11 24Goldn Mood
January 18 Olivia Rodrigo Drivers Licence
January 25 Olivia Rodrigo Drivers Licence
February 1 Olivia Rodrigo Drivers Licence
February 8 Olivia Rodrigo Drivers Licence
February 15 Olivia Rodrigo Drivers Licence
February 22 Olivia Rodrigo Drivers Licence
March 1 Glass Animals Heat Waves
March 8 Glass Animals Heat Waves
March 15 Glass Animals Heat Waves
March 22 Glass Animals Heat Waves
March 29 Glass Animals Heat Waves
April 5 Glass Animals Heat Waves
April 12 Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar & Giveon Peaches

Albums
January 4 Taylor Swift Evermore
January 11 Taylor Swift Evermore
January 18 Barry Gibb Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers’ Songbook
January 25 Illy The Space Between
February 1 Bluey Bluey The Album
February 8 The Kid Laroi Fuck Love (Savage)
February 15 Foo Fighters Medicine at Midnight
February 22 The Rubens 0202
March 1 Tash Sultana Terra Firma
March 8 Architects For Those That Wish To Exist
March 15 Kings Of Leon When You See Yourself
March 22 Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia
March 29 Justin Bieber Justice
April 5 Skegss Rehearsal
April 12 Justin Bieber Justice

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Nine continued to dominate the TV ratings as we farewell the Easter survey break and we roll deeper into April. Since Week 7, Nine’s winning primary share has stubbornly held above 22% while its winning network share hasn’t fallen below 30%.

TV ratings winner: Nine Network 22.1% (30.8%)

Married at First Sight again dominated the TV ratings week with just three episodes with no Easter Sunday screening. The franchise reached a 2021 series high with 1.121m watching on Monday as all episodes again passed 1m for the third consecutive week.

In BVOD MAFS continues to dominate the rankings with the most-watched episode so far being episode four with 473,000 viewers.

Nine’s A Current Affair pushed just above 700,000 in its weekly average, while 60 Minutes also made the top 20 for the week on 585,000.

Seven Network 18.5% (27.4%)

The primary and network shares lifted this week, but Seven still lacked a TV ratings contender in the early evening entertainment slots.

Home and Away averaged 490,000 and Better Homes and Gardens did 452,000.

The AFL’s best was 587,000 on Seven and 7mate on Friday night while Thursday was on 541,000.

10 Network 8.8% (16.8%)

Gogglebox was the standout performer on 537,000 with just two episodes left in this current series. The next best in the 7.30pm timeslots was Territory Cops on 310,000 with both Bondi Rescue and The Cube just under 300,000. MasterChef will bring some stability to the schedule when it returns next week.

The Project 7pm was on 391,000, well ahead of the Sunday episode in the same timeslot on 265,000.

ABC Network 12.2% (16.9%)

The broadcaster traditionally performs well over Easter although its primary share was the lowest since January. That didn’t stop a raft of programs cracking the top 20 for the week.

Hard Quiz ranked alongside the ABC News as the channel’s best with 651,000 watching the game show. Nor far behind was the first episode of Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds on 591,000. Fisk and The Weekly also performed strongly with both close to 550,000.

SBS Network 4.8% (8.1%)

No factual programming featuring railways starred this week. The four shows cracking the 200,000 mark were the doco Titanic: Into the Heart of the Wreck on 228,000, Historic House Rescue on 216,000, a repeat episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Scott Cam on 214,000 and Tony Robinson’s History of Britain on 203,000.

See also: Week 14 TV ratings

Primetime News
Seven News 1,085,000
Nine News 1,017,000
ABC News 543,000
10 News First 290,000 (5:00 pm)/ 253,000 (6:00 pm)
SBS World News 178,000/155,000

Daily current affairs
Insiders 406,000
The Project 280,000 (6:30 pm)/ 325,000 (7 pm)

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 248,000
Today 185,000
News Breakfast 176,000

Nine

Nine had a dominant Sunday night with a 29.2% primary share and a 36.0% network share, which were both comfortably clear of its closest competition

The result was thanks in large part once again to Married at First Sight which had 1.127m tune in, the show’s best result for the year. The episode featured a dinner party that was minus the drama lighting rod of Bryce and Melissa but featured the Honesty Box which brought a healthy serving of drama to the night.

MAFS was followed by 60 Minutes which had 830,000 viewers. The episode featured a special investigation by Nick McKenzie exposing one of the nation’s dirtiest secrets and how an inexcusable failure of the justice system led to a father’s shocking crimes against his own children.

Earlier in the day, the NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and Wests Tigers had 271,000 viewers tune in as the Cowboys got their first win of the year.

Seven

Dancing with the Stars: All Stars made its debut last night, with the formats return to Seven bringing in 744,000 viewers.

The stars were divided into two groups over alternate nights, taking the stage last night was former TV presenter turned property partner Tom Williams, former Home and Away star Bec Hewitt, actor Lincoln Lewis, TV presenter and interior designer Kyly Clarke, TV and radio personality Matty J, radio star Fifi Box and former SAS Australia recruit Schapelle Corby.

Kyly Clarke top-scored with 33 points thanks to a highly electric jive to Candyman that Todd Mckenney said was “incredible, absolutely incredible”. Hot on Kyly’s feet was Bec Hewitt, who scored a 31 for her beautiful foxtrot, leaving Paul Mercurio a little “teary” and feeling goosebumps. 

Fifi Box’s cha cha to Murder On The Dancefloor saw judges criticise her routine for being “messy” and “missing the mark”. As a result, Fifi placed at the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 22, being the first eliminated celebrity. 

The final scores were: 

Kyly Clarke and Gustavo Viglio – 33 
Bec Hewitt and Craig Monley – 31 
Lincoln Lewis and Lily Cornish – 29 
Tom Williams and Alex Vladimirov – 28 
Schapelle Corby and Shae Mountain – 26 
Matty J and Ruby Gherbaz – 23
Fifi Box and Jeremy Garner – 22

 Afterwards was Crime Investigation Aust: Most Infamous with 328,000 viewers as the episode focused on the Norfolk Island murder.

Seven’s AFL coverage had 487,000 viewers tune in to watch Melbourne defeat Geelong.

10

On 10, The Graham Norton Show had 174,000 viewers for its encore episode that featured Octavia Spencer, Melissa McCarthy, David Schwimmer, Nick Mohammed, Frank Skinner, Michelle Visage, and Steps.

The Sunday Project had 280,000 (6:30 pm) and 325,000 (7 pm) viewers as the show covered Prince Harry‘s return to England for Prince Phillip‘s funeral, the rise of anti-women extremism, and Elon Musk‘s work with a monkey.

ABC

The ABC aired When Phillip Met Prince Philip in the place of Grand Designs NZ with 333,000 viewers.

This was followed by the drama Harrow with 438,000.