Thursday August 27, 2020
Podcast Week: New Adam Shand, Bill Shorten on Bounce Back, The Clink
Adam Shand returns with State Crime Command
The attraction of the new Adam Shand PodcastOne series State Crime Command is that it features the crime writer working with the NSW Police Force. “It’s a great collaboration to be able to work with them on these cases and even to get to test some of their assumptions as well,” Shand told Mediaweek. It’s a unique opportunity and I am enjoying it immensely.”
Shand said it didn’t take too long to sort out the partnership. “It is a very natural fit to be able to work on cases that need to get out to the public to help get a result. The cases range from current crimes to events going back 50 years.
“The number one thing with this series is that it’s not about entertainment. It’s about getting results. In NSW there are 700 long term missing persons cases which they are mapping to 300 unidentified sets of human remains. They are using new DNA approaches.”
Shand is working on “active” cases, pointing out that “cold cases” is really a term only the media use. “Mostly I am talking to detectives who have had the case for several years. They have been fantastic sharing the material with me as they have one more crack at trying to solve it. It’s great to be able to work with the police and see how they operate.”
The police media divisions are busier than ever given the number of podcasters delving into various cases. “And I have been guilty of driving them mad with my requests across the country at different times. There is only so much they can do.”
Shand has a plan to do around 12 different caes with plans to drop a new episode every fortnight. He shared some details of episode #2 due soon which sounds a cracker involving a missing person. “Some of the cases will take longer to investigate. There is one I have just started that will probably run into next year.”
Also coming soon from Shand and PodcastOne is the remainder of the Jonathan Dick series, five new episodes, published as Understate: In Plain Sight as the court process involving Dick is about to finish. Shand will also be doing more Great Covid Reset episodes. “As soon as we get close to a vaccine people will be thinking it will be back to normal. In my mind there is no way back to normal. This is changing society profoundly.”
Listen to State Crime Squad here.
Dr Andrew Rochford podcast making waves
The recently launched Bounce Back podcast hosted by Dr Andrew Rochford has been making waves this past week. A recent guest on the podcast series, presented by DrinkWise, featured former ALP leader Bill Shorten.
(The podcast should not be confused with the podcast The Bounce Back, a series that was hosted by Laura Yates.)
Shorten revealed to Rochford how he felt after losing the 2019 election to Scott Morrison. “It was massively disappointing. Honestly, you can’t sugarcoat that. And the pain of it remains for a very long time after that.
“It was important for me on the night, as I made my concession speech, to sound the right tone, not to sound bitter, not to lash out … If you don’t win, you also have to be gracious.”
The podcast series is designed to help Australians who are facing adversity or feeling lost as they deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hosted by Rochford and presented by DrinkWise, Bounce Back features prominent Australians – including Olympians Anna Meares and Bronte Campbell, Australian Test Cricket captain Tim Paine, Afghanistan veteran and Paralympian Curtis McGrath, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and senior public servant Michael Coutts-Trotter– talking about how they showed resilience and overcame adversity.
Established in 2005 by the alcohol industry, DrinkWise Australia is an independent, not-for-profit organisation to promote a generational change in the way Australians consume alcohol.
Listen to Bounce Back here.
Former outlaw motorcycle gang member hosts The Clink
Former outlaw motorcycle gang member and drug importer, Brent Simpson, teams up with Podshape to launch The Clink – Real Stories of Redemption.
Brent Simpson is an ex-bikie enforcer and father of four, who lives with Type 2 Bipolar disorder. In 2016 he rode a bike from the Gold Coast to Perth to raise awareness for mental illness. Mentally, physically, and sexually abused as a young person, Brent spent most of his juvenile years and half of his adult life behind bars. His last stint in jail was for six-years for drug importation. Upon release, Brent began his road to redemption by starting a charity, mentoring troubled youth, and now has teamed up with Podshape to produce this compelling new podcast series.
In the first episode Simpson talks candidly with John Killick who himself if no stranger to the prison system. John now 78 is an Australian criminal and author. He is best known for escaping from Sydney’s Silverwater Jail with his partner by helicopter on 25 March 1999.
John also shares his intimate story of not only that escape but being a cell mate with Ronald Ryan who was the last man to be hung in Australia.
Future episodes include AFL bad boy Barry Hall, convicted bank robber and award-winning journalist Bernie Mathews, big wave surfer and Maroubra legend Wayne Cleveland and many more.
“After all the years of jail crime and gang life I believe that there are many others with great stories of redemption and I cannot wait to take our listeners on this journey and share the amazing insights into the lives of our guests,” said Simpson.
The Clink podcast is supported by charity The Voice of a Survivor.
Listen to The Clink here.
Feros Care podcast delves into living with disability
The Grow Bold With Disability podcast explores the lives of those with a disability – from the issues they face, to the funny and surprising side.
The podcast is created by Feros Care, a not-for-profit care provider and Local Area Coordinators for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and hosted by journalist and broadcaster Pete Timms and Tristram Peters of disability services comparison website, Clickability who lives with spinal muscular atrophy.
Peters said Grow Bold With Disability played an important role in giving people a voice.
“As a person with a disability, I’m constantly disappointed by the underrepresentation of people with disabilities in media, but this podcast knocks that for six,” he said.
“It’s been a thrill speaking to our guests, gaining their insights and perspectives, and letting them tell their stories in their own words.
“Our incredible guests will educate you, captivate you, make you laugh, tackle taboo topics, and share what living a bold life means to them.”
Blind since she was six months old and living with genetic disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth, Nastasia Campanella has an almost total lack of sensitivity in her fingertips and hands, meaning she can’t read braille, but it’s never held her back.
Employment, a topic close to Campanella’s heart, is a key driver for her vision and something which should be inclusive of disability, but not defined by it. Speaking to fellow journalist, Timms and Peters on her Grow Bold With Disability podcast episode, she described starting out at a special school, before transitioning into mainstream education.
Listen to Grow Bold With Disability here.
Australian first: Choose Your Own Adventure podcast
The first Australian Choose Your Own Adventure podcast, Would You Rather provides an adults-only murder mystery experience where listeners call the shots and decide where the story leads.
Listeners take on the role of a fictional Melbourne-based social media influencer thrust into solving the murder of a local A-list celebrity. Rummaging through a series of unfortunate events, listeners decide the protagonist’s next step at the end of each episode. There are countless plot lines to follow allowing listeners to choose their own adventure in an audio-on-demand format.
Sunshine Coast-based journalist and podcaster, Monika O’Hanlon, is the maker, creator and voice-artist for Would You Rather’s many colourful characters. Monika created Would You Rather as an antidote to the predictable endings TV shows have when being rewatched in lockdown.
You can listen to Would You Rather? here
Plate of Origin’s Matt Preston on Aussie TV’s World Cup of Food
On October 23 it was confirmed at the Seven Upfront that Preston and Mehigan would be joining Channel Seven to head a new tentpole program for the network alongside station mainstay Manu Feildel.
The show was meant to launch off the back of one of the best platforms in TV in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and while that won’t be happening, the show will finally hit Australian screens on Sunday, August 30 at 7 pm.
According to Seven, Plate of Origin will be a world-class cooking competition with an international flavour that will pit plate against plate, cook against cook as teams go head-to-head to decide which cuisine will reign supreme.
Mediaweek spoke with Matt Preston about his new gig, working with Manu, life in lockdown, and how Plate of Origin will differ from MasterChef.
What Matt Preston did in lockdown
According to Preston there is only so much classic television you can watch and besides finishing the PlayStation games Ghost of Tsushima and The Witcher he had the chance to stick his hands in a few different pies.
“One of the reasons we wanted to move on was to have more times to ourselves and now we have that in Spades!
“The first thought you have is ‘what am I going to do?’. I have had more time to give to the charity Second Bite which I am on the board of. I also discovered that no one had bought the Instagram or web handle for quarantinekitchen.com.au and lockdownkitchen.com.au so I bought those and me and my friends have been making videos of our recipes for free, and it is nice to do things for people that they appreciate.”
A Lighter Schedule
One of the main reasons that the MasterChef trio cited for moving on from 10 was the desire for a much shorter work schedule, with the cooking program taking up to eight months to film. In comparison Preston said production for Plate of Origin takes him about six to eight weeks.
“I would much rather you make a short season than a flabby long one. If you look at how television is going in this country, shows like Lego Master, Masked Singer and similar types of shows are all short format – get in, get out. We are used to things moving fast. On shows like Big Brother and Survivor, someone goes home in the first episode – we don’t want to wait a week for someone to go home.”
“Seven are masters at establishing characters quickly. I watched the first episode of Plate of Origin with my family and everyone had a favourite.”
What to expect from Plate of Origin
Preston said that moving to a new show and a new network that there is always pressure to perform and the trick to making it work isn’t in the script.
“Like with MasterChef or whenever there is a new show, the tone is never written down. There is nowhere in the script that says Matt Preston hugs Julie Goodwin – that just happened organically. Joyous television is good television. Make people cry because they are happy, not because you have been brutal to them.”
With teams from pretty much every continent, Preston said that he is proud of the show that they have put together.
“Gary and I have travelled all over the world, and we wanted to bring all types of different home cooking to TV. This is probably the most diverse cast that I can think of on Australian commercial television.”
When asked what the key difference will be between Plate of Origin and MasterChef, Preston said that he wanted to make a more joyous show with a looser format.
“I wanted to make it a bit more real and relaxed with humour. The trope of MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules are so well set and so brilliant that they are instantly recognisable, so you look at those ideas and say let’s find something better, let’s find something different.
“We want to let our contestants cook to their strengths. If you take someone who is really good at pastries and ask them to cook a roast they may do a good job, but at the end of the day if you want them to give you the best food don’t ask a Thai person to bring you Icelandic food.”
Working with Manu on Plate of Origin
Preston said that if he wasn’t working will all three original judges from MasterChef then he is glad that they are starting fresh on a new channel and new show.
“Doing a new show with a new partner in crime made it easier. It would have been really hard to go back and do MasterChef with no Gary and no George.”
Slotting into the new team to join Preston and Mehigan is Seven staple Manu Feildel who they have both known for over ten years and enjoy a close relationship with off-camera. Preston describes Feildel as an old mate and says that we will see a slightly different Manu in Plate of Origin.
“We all know he has a great sense of humour and we will see more of that, and you will see a lot more of his in-depth food knowledge that we have not seen to much. People tend to forget that he used to be the head chef of one of the best restaurants in Australia. He is also very emotional, and I love that about him.”
“Chemistry can be hard you can be great mates with someone and then do TV or radio together and it doesn’t gel, but in this case, I think they have found lightning in a bottle with three people than genuinely love each other.”
Plate of Origin will premiere on Sunday, August 30 at 7 pm on Seven and 7Plus.
Nine FY20 Results: Revenue of $2.2bn, loss of $575m + big year for Stan
On a pre AASB16 and specific Item basis, Nine reported Group EBITDA of $355m, down 16% on the pro forma results in FY19 for its continuing businesses. On the same basis, net profit after tax and minority interests was $160m, down 19%.
Key takeaways include:
• Audience growth across all key platforms – Metro Publishing, Stan, 9Now, Radio and FTA
• Strong growth from digital video businesses
a. $51m EBITDA improvement at Stan, with current active subscribers of 2.2m
b. 36% growth in EBITDA at 9Now to $49m, with market leading BVOD share of 50%
• Ad markets heavily impacted by COVID-19 from March 2020
• $225m cost-out program – cash basis, CY20 Including increasing and expediting previous cost initiatives
• 40% growth in digital EBITDA to $166m ($178m post AASB16)
• Evolution of Metro Media business to consumer focus, with reader revenue now accounting for 59% of total revenue
Operating Cash before Specific Items, Interest and Tax for the 12 months was $373m, calculated on a wholly-owned basis, from continuing operations and excluding the impact of AASB16. On this basis, this equated to cash conversion of 137%.
As at 30 June 2020, Net Debt was $291m, on a wholly-owned basis, which equated to Net Leverage of 0.9X.
The Company intends to pay a dividend of 2.0 cents per share, fully franked (payable 20 October 2020), taking the total dividend for the year to 7.0 cents per share.
Broadcast Divison
Nine’s Broadcast division comprises Nine Network, 9Now as well as Nine Radio (previously Macquarie Radio). Together, Broadcast reported EBITDA of $197m on revenues of $1.1b for the year.
Nine Network reported a revenue decline of 13%, or $138m for the year, to $952m. The disruption caused by COVID-19 had a significant impact on advertising revenues broadly, with the Metro Free To Air ad market down 14% across the year, and 22% in the second half. Nine’s Metro FTA revenue share of 39.8% was 0.2 pts above FY19, and included a second half share of 41.4%, the highest recorded by any network for more than 10 years.
Across the year to June, Nine was the #1 Network and Primary Channel in all key demographics, attracting a commercial network share of 37.9% of the 25-54 demographic. On a primary channel basis, Nine’s share of the 25-54s was 38.5%, more than seven share points ahead of its nearest competitor. In both the December and June halves, Nine won all of the key demographics.
Excluding the impact of AASB16, FTA costs declined by 6%, or $49m. Second half costs declined by 16% or $75m, as the onset of COVID-19 resulted in a major review of Nine’s cost base early in calendar 2020. Of this $75m, around $40m related to the interrupted NRL season. It also includes the expedition of Nine’s previous commitment to reduce FTA costs by around $100m, and an increase in the 3-year target to $160m.
For the year, FTA EBITDA fell by 42% to $124m, pre AASB16, or $138m inclusive of the accounting change.
In a BVOD market which grew by 31% for the year to $162m, 9Now held its share 50%, for revenue growth of 32%. Growth in the underlying market slowed in the fourth quarter to 15%, reflecting the broader advertising market momentum. Nine’s investment in incremental content has had a positive impact particularly on users and engagement, with corresponding revenue expected to follow when the ad market generally improves. Live and VOD minutes increased by 49% across the year on pcp, with total streams up by 44%. Overall, 9Now increased its EBITDA contribution by 36% or $13m to $49m, pre AASB-16, or $50m post.
The acquisition of the minorities in Nine Radio (previously Macquarie Radio) was completed in November. The radio market generally had a difficult 12 months – the Metro radio ad market declined 20% across the year and 30%4 in the second half. Across the two halves, Nine’s revenues declined by 16% and 29% respectively, given specific operational issues during the year. Full-year costs declined by 8% or $8m, reflecting one-half of merger synergies, supplemented by broader cost out initiatives. Nine Radio reported EBITDA of $10m, or $6m pre AASB16.
Since taking full ownership, Nine has made significant changes to its Radio business – both in terms of personnel, as well as the consolidation of back-office functions, sales and news into Nine and the reformat of the loss-making Sports Network to easy-listening.
Digital & Publishing
Nine’s Digital & Publishing division includes Metro Media and Nine’s other Digital Publishing titles including Pedestrian Group, CarAdvice and nine.com.au. Digital & Publishing reported revenue of $525m, down 9% on pcp. A combined EBITDA of $92m was reported, or $76m ex AASB16.
Metro Media reported a 4% decline in revenue (ex Weatherzone) as the disruptions relating to COVID-19 impacted, with H2 revenue down 9%. Revenue generated directly from its audiences accounts for around 59% of total revenues, exceeding the contribution from advertising.
Audiences across all mastheads increased over the year, with total readership across The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Financial Review up 38%, 20% and 43% respectively. The removal of the paywall for some critical content relating to the bushfires and COVID-19, Nine reported more than 20% growth in digital subscriptions across The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Financial Review (June 2020 vs June 2019). The pandemic, and subsequent lockdown, however, resulted in declines in print retail sales.
Digital advertising revenue growth of 4% was weighted to the first half, with the second half impacted by the overall ad market. Print advertising was particularly soft, with two of print‘s leading categories, travel and luxury goods, being hard hit by the lockdown. Adjusting for the impacts of the Weatherzone sale and the re-inclusion of some mast-head related events, Metro Media costs were down by 8%, or $28m. Cost reductions were focussed outside of the core editorial content where investment increased across the year. EBITDA declined by 10% to $75m, pre AASB16, or a reported $88m.
Other key components of Digital & Publishing together contributed revenue of $99m, and EBITDA of $4m ($2m pre AASB16) impacted by soft conditions in the broader advertising market.
Domain
After a stronger start to calendar 2020, the challenges relating to COVID-19 heavily impacted on the property market and Domain through the fourth quarter. New listing volumes across the year were down 11% nationally. Domain increased yield by 6% through the launch of its new pricing model and higher depth penetration. Together with favourable geographic mix, like-for-like residential depth revenues declined by 1%. The market weakness also impacted on Domain’s Media & Developer and Print operations, with Printing paused during the height of the COVID impact. On a like-for-like basis, total costs declined by 5%.
EBITDA (pre AASB16) was down by 17% to $78m. This included a $5m benefit relating to JobKeeper and an offsetting $5m support package provided to agent customers. During the year, Domain continued to grow its audiences, and focus on providing innovative solutions for both agents and consumers. Notwithstanding the difficult operating environment, depth and yield improvements have continued, which will result in strong leverage when the cycle returns to normal.
Stan
Stan experienced an acceleration of subscriber growth through the June half, to around 2.2m currently. The combination of this ongoing subscriber build and the $2 price rise implemented in March 2019 underpinned the 54% increase in Stan’s revenue across the year. Further investment in content and marketing contributed to the 19% increase in costs. On a like-basis, EBITDA improved by more than $50m, to a full year total of $31m.
Nine FY20: CEO Hugh Marks comments on results
“2020 was no doubt a challenging year. The results of the strategic growth decisions we have made over the past five years, have played out at scale across the year and, as a result, sheltered us from the worst of the market impact of COVID-19.
“Our focus on the growth platforms in the market – primarily digitally based, and video-centric – has paid off. In the year to June 2020, the combined contribution from Stan and 9Now, the digital components of Domain and Publishing grew by 40%, to around 48% of our total EBITDA. Digital video consumption and subscriber revenue in particular, have grown significantly across the period, while digital advertising markets have improved more quickly as we trade through the worst of the COVID crisis.
“On COVID more broadly we were quick to respond when the markets turned, transitioning the majority of our work-force to `work at home’ with minimal interruption. As advertising markets across all sectors came under pressure, we focused on significant short and long term cost initiatives across all of our businesses, successfully removing around $225m of cash costs in CY20, and setting in place the reduction of approximately $230m of long-term P & L cost from our business.
“As a result, the current market conditions have only given greater cause to continue to evolve the positioning of our business. Particularly the migration to digital – clearly evident across both our publishing and video assets. We will continue to drive growth in our increasingly prominent digital businesses while, at the same time, maximizing the performance of our traditional media assets.
“We are confident that this current period of adversity will only make us stronger. We believe we have the right strategy, the right assets and the right people, as well as a strong balance sheet, to ensure Nine’s position at the forefront of the media sector for many years to come.“
The Australian launches the all-new Luxury & Lifestyle vertical
Designed for the premium, hard-to-reach prestige consumer, Luxury & Lifestyle will draw content from The Australian, WISH, The Weekend Australian Magazine, Vogue Australia, GQ Australia and Vogue Living as well as original content creation.
David Meagher, Editor of The Australian’s monthly luxury lifestyle magazine WISH, will curate the new section and edit the weekly Luxury & Lifestyle newsletter.
The Australian Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore said: “The Australian produces world-class luxury and lifestyle content and is proud to launch this new vertical and newsletter to inspire our readers and fire up imaginations.”
Meagher said: “I’ve been the editor of WISH for 13 years this month and in that time I’ve been fortunate to meet so many people in the luxury industry and to be immersed into their world. To be able to enhance what we bring readers each month in WISH, through Luxury & Lifestyle is an incredibly exciting opportunity.
“The new cross-platform offering will provide our subscribers, readers and clients with a home for the best in lifestyle and luxury news and create impact and resonance among an engaged high-income audience.
“Through the newsletter each week, I’m looking forward to sharing with our audience the latest information, business updates, analysis, product news and events coverage on luxury, fashion, design, architecture, and much more from here and around the world.”
The Luxury & Lifestyle newsletter will also allow readers to shop a selection of luxury items, curated by Meagher each week, directly from the newsletter. Hermes is The Australian’s Luxury & Lifestyle vertical and newsletter partner for August and September.
Managing Director The Australian, NSW & Prestige Titles, Nicholas Gray said: “We are committed to providing readers of The Australian with the very best digital products and experiences. David is one of the finest editors in luxury in Australia and we’re excited to extend his beautiful WISH product, plus our other assets into a new premium digital environment for our discerning readers.”
Current affairs program SBS Dateline returns for season two
Executive Producer, Georgina Davies, said: “World news and current affairs have never been more important or sought after than right now. Dateline will continue to bring international stories with heart to SBS audiences this season, especially from communities and voices not often seen or heard from.”
The first three episodes travel from the UK, to the Greek Island of Lesbos to Cape Town in South Africa.
1 Sept – ZOO TROUBLES
As Britain began to emerge from COVID-19 lockdown, Reporter Evan Williams travelled to Devon England to meet Australian-born Benjamin Mee, owner of Dartmoor Zoo, an attraction made famous by the film We Bought A Zoo, starring Matt Damon. Dartmoor is a zoo in trouble. Britain’s businesses are reopening, but the government has ordered all zoos remain closed, indefinitely. With no income, Dartmoor and other zoos face permanent shutdown. If they do close, the majority of their animals will have to be euthanised.
With lives in the balance, Dateline examines an industry in peril while unveiling a conservation crisis that threatens to decimate not just zoo animals, but all of Britain’s native wildlife.
The investigation takes Evan to the offices of Born Free, a charity for re-homing exotic animals; on a rescue with the Wildlife Aid Foundation, a volunteer group saving native animals in distress; and to the grounds of a 12th century castle, where two farmers may hold the key to saving the zoo industry, and sustaining British farming and conservation in the future.
8 Sept – WELCOME TO LESBOS
The Greek island of Lesbos needs summer tourists for its COVID-19 recovery, but it’s also home to Europe’s biggest refugee camp. Dateline meets the locals torn between welcoming tourists or refugees.
15 Sept – SCHOOLS UNDER SIEGE
Last year 300 children were shot and killed on the streets of Cape Town due to escalating gang violence. Dateline meets the teachers and students from a primary school caught in the crossfire.
As part of SBS’s commitment to providing content to communities in their own language, three episodes of Dateline have been added to the subtitled collection on SBS On Demand in Simplified Chinese and Arabic.
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Top image: Goergina Davies
Havas Media Group announces acquisition of leading media agency, HYLAND
HYLAND’s specialists will integrate into Havas Media Group to form a bigger and even more dynamic team with an extensive set of skills and in-depth knowledge base. The new team will see the media group reach a milestone of over 100 people in the Sydney office with the increased scale providing further growth opportunities for staff from both agency brands.
Founded in 2005, HYLAND has constantly expanded and is today renowned for creating highly integrated, content-rich experiences working with luxury, beauty, travel, B2B and lifestyle brands which will complement Havas Media Group’s client portfolio and its broad service offering along with its deep data and performance marketing capabilities. HYLAND’s client portfolio includes COTY, Etihad Airways, Sydney Airport, Deliveroo and Church & Dwight.
Peter Mears, global CEO, Havas Media Group, said: “HYLAND’s integrated approach to media aligns with Havas Media Group’s philosophy of creating meaningful media experiences (Mx) – a process that goes beyond the basics of reach and frequency to combine the right connections, context and content to influence consumer behaviour. We are thrilled to have them join the group.”
Mike Wilson, chairman, Havas Media Group, ANZ, said: “I have known Virginia for 20 years and she is one of the smartest operators I know. She has built a great team around her, who have a great pedigree for delivering consistent, high-quality outputs and results for clients, which has been key to the agency’s ongoing success.”
Matt Houltham, CEO, Havas Media Group, ANZ, noted: “Bringing HYLAND into the Havas Media Group is great news especially in today’s environment. It gives us further scale to continue on our growth trajectory and enhances our ability to deliver the broadest range of media and content experiences for our clients. It also provides further stability to clients at a time when they need it most.”
Virginia Hyland, founder and CEO, HYLAND, added: “I am excited for the HYLAND team to be joining forces with Havas. The decision to form this partnership was one of the biggest I’ve ever had to make. In choosing Havas Media Group, I know we have found a partner that will continue to celebrate our agility and creative team spirit, illustrated already through Havas’ history of acquiring and embracing entrepreneurial businesses.
“In the new COVID world we can continue to do great work that delivers success for clients whilst accessing a greater pool of resource and capabilities. Both businesses enjoy similar values and philosophies and our centres of excellence are extremely complementary, which will provide an amazing one stop destination for marketers looking for an alternative integrated agency approach.”
The HYLAND team will move into the Havas Village in Sydney next month as a division within Havas Media Group with Virginia Hyland, taking the role of Managing Director, Hyland Division, working alongside Mike Wilson, Chairman, Havas Media Group ANZ and Matt Houltham, CEO, Havas Media Group ANZ, on the agency’s senior leadership team.
Domain's spring campaign invites Aussies to 'See the possibilities’
The new brand platform, ‘See the possibilities’, offers Australians a hand in helping them when it comes to thinking about their next move. The campaign showcases the lighthearted and relatable ‘it’s time’ moments, when people know they need to move to somewhere that’s a better fit for their current lifestyle.
From needing a home office rather than being perched at the end of the dining table, to a frustrated and frantic pet yearning for access to a local park and also a desperate man who just wants more natural light. The campaign features a diverse range of people who each have their own story for their ‘It’s time’ realisation.
The campaign is launched at a unique moment in time, which has seen a distinct change in consumer behaviour. Buyer demand is strong, with views of properties up almost 30% year-on-year between March-July and requests for private inspections up 47% on Domain.
In the past few months, Domain has seen a strong surge in searches for properties with balconies, and studies, and people yearning for a tree change in a bid to have more space. The campaign hones in on these truths and places Domain’s product features front and centre. Features like Keyword and Map search, Search by Schools and Search filters are weaved into the spots, highlighting Domain’s role in helping Aussies search and find their next home.
The campaign includes a mix of billboards, street furniture and advertisements rolled out across Domain’s The Block platinum sponsorship, OOH, TV on Nine, Ten and Foxtel, Spotify, and social.
Emily Murren, Domain’s Director, Consumer Marketing said: “We are spending more time than ever at home, it is clear that Aussies are reimagining how and where they want to live.
“We’ve seen some big shifts in property search criteria, with a whopping increase of over 600% for home offices in Victoria and huge increases nationally across other terms such as ‘retreat’, ‘balcony’ and ‘study’ – it is clear that we are all thinking more about the role our homes play in our lives.
“This Spring, we’re very excited to be launching a fresh new look, and our new brand platform ‘See the possibilities’. It seeks to shine a light on the human truths of those micro-moments when you just know it’s time to move, showcasing our fantastic app and web features that have been developed to make finding the right property for you easier.
“We continue our focus on helping Australian’s with every stage of their property journey whether buying, renting or selling. We’ve helped Australian’s sell over 4 million homes and plan over 7 million inspections – Domain is continuing to build a strong, loyal and engaged audience. It is our mission to continue to deliver Australians all the latest in property news, advice and data to help them navigate the property market.”
TV Ratings Monday August 26: Week 35, 2020
Seven News 1,067,000/1,045,000
Nine News 1,012,000/934,000
ABC News 752,000
A Current Affair 712,000
7.30 608,000
The Project 338,000/519,000
10 News 385,000/236,000
Sunrise 257,000
Today 225,000
News Breakfast 152,000
SBS World News 188,000
The Drum 190,000
Nine News Late Edition 188,000
The Latest 154,000
Seven: Seven had a quiet Wednesday night with a primary channel share of 16.0% and a network share of 24.3% which was still good for #2 for the night. As per usual it was powered by its strong performing news bulletin and supported by non-news shows Home and Away (613,000) and The Chase Australia (605,000).
Nine: Nine won Wednesday night thanks to a combination of its news bulletins, A Current Affair (712,000), Hot Seat (521,000), Emergency (498,000) and RBT (447,0000). Nine had a #1 primary share of 18.8% and a network share of 26.9%
10: The Bachelor has slipped from the 672,000 posted last week with 582,000 viewers last night. Despite the slight ratings slide the show still won all key demos for the night, as 10 had a primary share of 11.3% and a network share of 19.0% which saw it finish as #4 for the night.
ABC: The network continued its trend of having big Wednesday nights. After posting its best Wednesday since April last week, the public broadcaster has topped itself this week with a 14.7% primary share and 19.3% network share for #3 on the night. Hard Quiz was the top non-news show for the night with 698,000 and it had strong back up in Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell (622,000), Rosehaven (500,000) and 7:30 (608,000).
SBS: SBS had a 5.8% primary share and a 10.5% network share as its top performer was a repeat of Tony Robinson: Britain’s Ancient Tracks.
Week 35 TV: Wednesday
| WEDNESDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 14.7% | 7 | 16.0% | 9 | 18.8% | 10 | 11.3% | SBS One | 5.8% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.6% | 7TWO | 4.1% | GO! | 2.5% | 10 Bold | 5.3% | VICELAND | 1.9% |
| ABC ME | 0.4% | 7mate | 2.6% | GEM | 2.2% | 10 Peach | 2.5% | Food Net | 1.1% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.5% | 7flix | 1.7% | 9Life | 2.2% | NITV | 0.3% | ||
| 9Rush | 1.1% | SBS World Movies | 1.5% | ||||||
| TOTAL | 19.3% | 24.3% | 26.9% | 19.0% | 10.0% | ||||
| WEDNESDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | 10 Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 12.9% | 7 | 19.2% | 9 | 17.1% | WIN | 8.4% | SBS One | 5.2% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.1% | 7TWO | 4.8% | GO! | 3.2% | WIN Bold | 5.8% | VICELAND | 1.9% |
| ABC ME | 0.6% | 7mate | 2.9% | GEM | 4.6% | WIN Peach | 2.5% | Food Net | 0.6% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.4% | 7flix (Excl. Tas/WA) | 2.0% | 9Life | 1.9% | Sky News on WIN | 2.3% | NITV | 0.4% |
| SBS Movies | 1.4% | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 17.1% | 29.0% | 26.9% | 19.0% | 9.5% | ||||
| WEDNESDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 86.3% | 13.7% | ||||||||
Wednesday FTA
- Seven News Seven 1,067,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 1,045,000
- Nine News Nine 1,012,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 934,000
- ABC News ABC 752,000
- A Current Affair Nine 712,000
- Hard Quiz S5 ABC 698,000
- Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell S12 ABC 622,000
- Home And Away Seven 613,000
- 7.30 ABC 608,000
- The Chase Australia Seven 605,000
- The Bachelor Australia10 582,000
- Hot Seat Nine 521,000
- The Project 7pm 10 519,000
- Rosehaven ABC 500,000
- Emergency Nine 498,000
- RBT Nine 447,000
- 10 News First 10 385,000
- The Chase Australia 5pm Seven 380,000
- Highway Patrol Seven 351,000
Demo Top 5
16 – 39
- The Bachelor Australia 10 210,000
- The Project 7pm 10 134,000
- Nine News Nine 122,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 119,000
- Seven News Seven 109,000
18 – 45
- The Bachelor Australia 10 330,000
- The Project 7pm 10 247,000
- Nine News Nine 242,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 218,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 212,000
25 – 54
- The Bachelor Australia 10 334,000
- Nine News Nine 298,000
- The Project 7pm 10 285,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 277,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 269,000
Wednesday Multichannel
- NCIS (R) 10 Bold 235,000
- NCIS: Los Angeles (R) 10 Bold 179,000
- Bluey AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 167,000
- The Coroner PM 7TWO 164,000
- Noddy Toyland Detective PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 159,000
- Peppa Pig PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 155,000
- Bluey ABCKIDS/COMEDY 153,000
- NCIS: Los Angeles Ep 2 (R) 10 Bold 147,000
- Peter Rabbit PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 142,000
- Kiri And Lou ABCKIDS/COMEDY 138,000
- Little J And Big Cuz ABCKIDS/COMEDY 138,000
- Rusty Rivets ABCKIDS/COMEDY 136,000
- Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 134,000
- Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 131,000
- Little J And Big Cuz AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 126,000
- Thomas And Friends PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 125,000
- Neighbours 10 Peach 122,000
- Andy’s Safari Adventures ABCKIDS/COMEDY 121,000
- Lewis PM 7TWO 120,000
- Dog Loves Books AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 119,000
Wednesday STV
- Gogglebox Australia Lifestyle Channel 202,000
- The Bolt Report Sky News Live 83,000
- Credlin Sky News Live 68,000
- Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 66,000
- Alan Jones Sky News Live 65,000
- Selling Houses Australia Lifestyle Channel 53,000
- The Kenny Report Sky News Live 43,000
- The Windsors: Inside The Royal Dynasty UKTV 41,000
- Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 41,000
- Jeopardy! FOX Classics 40,000
- Coronation Street UKTV 40,000
- Live: NRL 360 FOX LEAGUE 39,000
- The Big Bang Theory FOX Funny 39,000
- PML Later Sky News Live 37,000
- Live: A League SF Sydney FC V Perth FOX SPORTS MORE 35,000
- Escape To The Country Lifestyle Channel 35,000
- Highway Patrol FOX8 33,000
- Escape To The Chateau: DIV Lifestyle Channel 31,000
- Police Ten 7 FOX8 30,000
- The Big Bang Theory FOX Funny 30,000
Shares all people, 6pm-midnight, Overnight (Live and AsLive), Audience numbers FTA metro, Sub TV national
Source: OzTAM and Regional TAM 2018. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) without the prior written consent of OzTAM
Media News Roundup
Business of Media
Google moves to block movie piracy loophole
The tech giant agreed to voluntarily pull down websites engaging in piracy last year to help stop the spread of illegally downloaded material, a move which allowed copyright holders to avoid fighting the tech giant for an injunction in court. However, content pirates were able to reappear on Google by slightly tweaking the domain address and creating “proxy” or “mirror” sites – variations of the previously blocked addresses.
There have been laws in place since 2015 allowing copyright holders to obtain a court order to force internet providers to block pirate websites.
The measures were tightened up to restrict the bypassing of the blocks and to enable copyright holders to get an injunction against a search engine in 2018 before Google agreed to ‘de-index’ the sites altogether.
News Brands
Press Freedom inquiry rejects contestable warrants proposal
The bipartisan intelligence and security committee report recommends changes to Australia’s warrant regime which would see a public interest advocate take on more responsibility for being able to contest warrants against journalists and media organisations.
The inquiry into the impact of the exercise of law enforcement and intelligence powers on the freedom of the press delivered its report on Wednesday. The inquiry was established following raids on the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst and the Ultimo headquarters of the ABC in successive days last year by the Australian Federal Police.
The committee also recommended the issue of a warrant should only come from a judge in courts like the Supreme Court or Federal Court.
Australia’s Right to Know Coalition – which includes News Corp, ABC, the SBS and Nine, owner of The Australian Financial Review, among others – had been arguing for the ability to contest warrants before raids but this was rejected.
Prosecution of Australian journalists for 'secrecy offences' should be allowed, parliamentary report says
The parliamentary report tabled on Wednesday is the result of a year-long inquiry following the controversial raids on the ABC and Annika Smethurst. The report recommends stricter procedures for issuing warrants for national security investigations that encroach on press freedom.
The recommendations were unanimous but a trio of Liberal MPs called for limited involvement of judges in safeguards, while Labor protested the safeguards did not go far enough.
Television
Masked Singer judge Jackie O prepares for a potential double quarantine
“It’s f***ed. just want to see my baby girl (Kitty), far out,” she told listeners of the hit KIIS FM breakfast show. She’s said said she has no issues with the quarantine itself but questions why she needed to do it twice.
The reality show judge/radio host was reportedly scheduled to fly home to Sydney earlier this week but was informed to quarantine in Melbourne. Fellow judges Dave Hughes, Urzila Carlson and Dannii Minogue, and 285 production staff are also in quarantine due to the outbreak.
A recent statement revealed: “All members of The Masked Singer production will undergo a 14-day period of self-quarantine as advised by the Department of Health and Human Services. All production crew will be adhering to this instruction. The health and safety of the community, and our staff and production partners remains our number one priority. Network 10 is providing all crew with all the support and assistance possible. We would like to thank the Victorian Government and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services for their continued support and assistance during this time. We continue to work closely with the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.”
Production initially learnt hours before the filming of the grand finale episode last Saturday that seven coronavirus cases involving crew and action was taken immediately.
Surprise spot revealed as Masked Singer security checkpoint
Isaiah Firebrace, who was unmasked as The Wizard on the Channel 10 singing show, detailed the hardcore measures including strange meeting points, secret apps, car park drop-offs, Harry Potter disguises and speedy drivers, to protect the identities of contestants.
“In the early stages of the show, when I was going for my first wardrobe fitting, we had to download a secret app, then go to secret location, drop off my car off, and jump in (another vehicle),” Firebrace told Confidential.
“I had to get picked up at a Rivers store in Ringwood, Firebrace told Confidential.
“The driver was going really fast, and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, are we in some sort of high speed chase? It was like secret agent type s—. The secret app that deletes messages after a certain period of time.”
He added: “The security was like nothing I’ve seen in Australia before. Secret locations, secret drivers, not talking in the car, wearing disguises in the car, wearing disguises in the studio, no-one is allowed to talk to anyone.”
Will Amazing Race Australia, Five Bedrooms still air in 2020?
The Amazing Race Australia had to rethink its original ambitions to travel around the world, but later set its sights on domestic destinations. That was before border closures and state quarantine impacted filming again. The Eureka series faces big hurdles to get its episodes in the can, but regional Australia where the virus is much lower may be the key.
Host Beau Ryan has told the Daily Mail Victoria and Western Australia may be hard to include in the next season.
“We’ll probably be on the road eight-to-nine weeks, which is a lot. Longest I’ve ever done,” he said.
10 is expected to confirm its plans at its coming Upfronts, but TV Tonight hears whispers the show could land early in Q1, especially given Australian Survivor is yet to regroup. This might explain a bigger output from the show…
Meanwhile the good news on Five Bedrooms is filming was completed several weeks ago in Melbourne after it was halted during the pandemic. 10 had also flagged this for 2020, but with no quotas required it too may land in 2021.
Pete Evans spruiks ‘off matrix’ tribal community in Byron Bay
The controversial figure has bought into the Nightcap on Minjungbul development about an hour drive from Byron Bay.
The community is based on the “tribal philosophy” of “do no harm”. There is no running water or electricity.
“What was remarkable when I got to meet the people involved in this was that the philosophy or ethos is do no harm,” Evans said in a 30 minute video uploaded to YouTube today titled Awaken with Pete Evans.
The news comes after The Daily Telegraph last week revealed Evans had listed his Malabar Sydney mansion for sale with a price guide of $3.2 million for the five-bedroom home.
Evans and model-turned-nutritionist wife Nicola Robinson are now based in Byron Bay, where they own acreage in the hinterland and are opening a healing clinic in a new commercial precinct, The Habitat.