There has almost been a decision-a-day at Nine Radio since Nine CEO Hugh Marks appointed Tom Malone to run the seven AM stations across four metro markets in 2019.

See also:
Nine Ent Co appoints Tom Malone as head of radio to run talk stations

Malone had no preconceptions coming into the role about the changes that he might have to make.

Malone said Marks asked him to have a look at all parts of the business and work out the best path forward for radio. “We have subsequently made changes we think will be best for our audience in 2020,” Malone told Mediaweek on the day he axed what was left of Macquarie Sports Radio, turning the frequencies back into music brands.

Macquarie Sports Radio

“We had a good look at what the alternatives could be. One of them was continuing as a sports format or even possibly a news format. The best complement to our news/talk network is a music network. Just look at how successful Magic and 4BH were only four or five years ago running a music format. It soon became pretty obvious that was the best solution for those stations and then add 2UE to those stations.

“By targeting that demographic with music from the 70s, 80s and 90s we feel there is a gap in the market for that music. It also complements, not cannibalises, what we are doing on the news/talk network.”

Breakfast at 2UE, Magic and 4BH

Not only will there be no local breakfast shows at any of the rebadged AM music stations – there will be no announcers at all – in breakfast, drive or any other daypart.

“There will be local news, sports, traffic and weather in each market. What going music only enables us to do is to run 13 to 14 songs an hour.

“As we go through the year we will look at introducing announcers.”

Malone said having an announcer-free radio network was more about strategy than costs. “We want to do it properly. We don’t want to rush into anything. We will launch a music format, get it up and running successfully. We will monitor the performance then look at introducing presenters.”

See also:
Nine Radio kills sports experiment: music returns to classic brands

There will be at least one employee looking at 2UE/Magic/4BH content – former SCA executive Matt White (Grill Team EP and head of Triple M NRL) who most recently has been running Macquarie Sports Radio.

When Malone asked White for his thoughts about a music format, he replied: “I could do that for you as well.”

Malone is believed to have found internally running the music stations was best after speculation Nine considered outsourcing the music to another network.

Nine News radio integration progress

“People are already hearing a close relationship between our TV and radio news business. Where it makes sense, the newsrooms work closely together. It has to be audience led – the audience has to come first. That has been a clear direction from Hugh Marks all the time.

“It’s been terrific hearing TV news reporters filing radio news stories. There have been examples almost daily of strengthening the radio new bulletins with TV news reporters in the field filing for radio.

“That both enhances the radio content and there are some promotional benefits from a TV point of view.”

3AW and breakfast plans: Ross Stevenson’s next co-host

Malone confirmed the importance of having Stephen Beers back at the Melbourne station. “It is very important to have Stephen back at 3AW. He is an important stakeholder in that market for 3AW. Radio is all about being local and he holds all the relationships for Nine Radio in Melbourne.”

See also:
Beers back: Tom Malone reverses decision to sack 3AW executive

As to what might happen at 3AW when John Burns retires mid-year, Malone said: “We are still reviewing some of the options for then. We are in discussions with Ross Stevenson about that. He’s been #1 in Melbourne for close to 30 years with both Dean Banks and then John Burns. We will work with Ross as to who will be the next on-air partner for him.”

Malone said there was no existing plan about a younger broadcaster or a woman to fill the role. “We have to hire the best broadcaster and the best fit for Ross. It is a unique show and we need to complement Ross with the right person. That will be the first decision, not age or gender.”

See also:
Australia’s highest-rating breakfast radio team splits

6PR: What’s ahead for Baz?

Nine Radio doesn’t need a Nine personality hosting Perth breakfast, said Malone. “We need the best broadcaster for the audience. The coming together of radio and television is not about trying to get lots of Nine TV people on radio. Hugh Marks is very clear it has to be audience led and what’s best for the audience and the market.

“Basil Zempilas is a terrific radio broadcaster and someone we want to have a long relationship with. We want him to host breakfast for many years to come because he is fantastic at it.

“The fact he is on TV for Channel 7 is not a big concern for us. We think he is great on 6PR and long may that continue.”

As to Zempilas potentially successfully running for Lord Mayor of Perth, Malone added: “We will cross that bridge when we come to it. We’d have to look at how involved the hours were and if he could do both without serious conflicts.”

2GB: Is there still an ad boycott?

“We have worked pretty hard across the summer refreshing not only our on-air line-up, but also behind the scenes. We have strengthened our editorial policy to make sure it complies and adheres to the broadcast services act and the code.

“We have had ongoing discussions with all of our broadcasters, not just in Sydney, to make sure they are aware of our expectations. We are now in a spot where we are pretty confident we have a great brand safe environment for advertisers.

“We know they like advertising on talkback radio because it is so effective because of the engaged radio audience.

“We are in a good spot with regards to revenue to make sure that advertisers can feel assured we are a good place for them to be.”

Alan Jones is back on air on Tuesday January 28 and Malone said he and head of content Greg Byrnes have spent time with Jones as part of a 2GB group and as individuals. “We speak very regularly, like we do with all our broadcasters.”

See also:
Greg Byrnes returns to radio: Tom Malone’s second key appointment

Ray Hadley looked likely to replace Jones at 2GB breakfast at one stage last year. “I have spent quite a bit of time with Ray and he is very happy on the morning show,” said Malone. The two have known each other for over 20 years when Malone was also at 2UE and the radio chief said he has a great relationship with his morning host.

Malone said there was very little opportunity for networking content across the news/talk stations. “We want to be as local as we can.”

Any decision to offer local programming nationally will come via podcasting. Malone offered: “One of the plans for FY21 will be building out our digital and podcast strategy.”

Biggest challenges for 2020

Malone: “Our biggest challenge will be to promote our individual brands in each market. We want to get all the new shows successfully launched and then launch the music format successfully.

“The plan then is keeping costs under control, and really focus on the revenue.”

The Gold Coast-based vet arrives home tonight and should be much in demand to recount the highlights of his one-man expedition.

Wilson travelled with a satellite phone and conducted interviews with media miles from anywhere as her travelled with kite power on the 58-day trip. He also photographed the journey with a draw-dropping collection of media.

On Thursday November 7, 2019 Wilson arrived at the Russian base, Novolazarevskaya (Novo) Station, near the coast of Antarctica.

On Friday November he transferred for 12-hours via vehicle to Thor’s Hammer for the expedition start.

His achievements along the journey included being the first unsupported Australian to reach The Pole of Inaccessibility and he was then the first person unsupported to reach Dome Argus.

Wilson arrived back at the Russian base on January 4. He later flew out to South Africa before making the journey back to Australia.

Dr Geoff Wilson: Records

No stranger to challenges the Currumbin Valley vet has three new records to add to his already considerable achievements:

Fastest Coast to Coast crossing via the South Pole of the Antarctic continent (53 days),
Fastest crossing of Greenland south to north (18 days)
The first and only wind-assisted crossings of the Sahara Desert (42 days) and the infamous Torres Strait (3 days).
NEW: First Australian to reach The Pole of Inaccessibility in Antarctica, unsupported (solo mission, 23 days)
NEW: First person to reach Antarctica’s Dome Argus unsupported (solo mission, 37 days)
NEW: Longest Journey by a human in polar region, unsupported (solo mission, 58 days)

Friends, family, media and supporters are rallying to welcome him home, including his close-knit expedition team, who have been tracking his every move thanks to his technology partner Pivotel, whose satellite technology enabled him to do live television and radio from one of the most remote places on earth.

Expedition comms lead, Karen Eck, from Sydney PR agency eckfactor, said the campaign was extraordinary on many levels.

“The campaign had a true beginning, middle and end, punctuated by drama and upset along the way, from blizzards and temperatures as low as -40C and obviously dangerous terrain. While we planned everything to the finest detail, nothing was predictable. We had to expect the unexpected at all times, go with the flow and not interfere with the natural progress of the mission.

“We remained focused on the number one priority, which was for Geoff to make it home alive! My job was to create a streamlined and highly strategic approach to shining a spotlight on an extraordinary human endeavour. It was made even more special given that Geoff is a great Aussie bloke, supported by an incredible family, including his wife Sarah, who Geoff credits with ‘putting him back together’ when he needed it most during the mission.

“Geoff is also the greatest talent I’ve ever worked with when it comes to creating PR relevant content in extraordinary, albeit often unforgiving, circumstances. The quality and quantity of his content is amazing, which will be captured in his documentary special he is producing for National Geographic Channel and used as part of a new keynote he is creating on a subject he knows too well: resilience.

“It’s been a privilege to be a part of a campaign that has brought people together, generated much needed funds for a great cause (the McGrath Foundation) and created history, from which many more stories will be told.”

On the day that Netflix has updated its latest subscriber numbers, Mediaweek reveals that our readers have voted the platform as their favourite streaming service.

The sheer volume of content on the Netflix platform makes it a must-have for many consumers. The seemingly never-ending stream of TV programming has been added to with an increased number of major movies over the past year.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings today announced the platform now had over 100m subscribers outside the USA.

Overall Netflix membership was up 21% in Q4 of 2019.

Netflix doesn’t breakout subscriber numbers for any international market, but it did report numbers for the APAC region (which includes Australia) enjoyed record growth last year.

Netflix also said there was minimal impact so far on its numbers in Australia from the launch of additional streaming platforms like Disney+ and AppleTV+.

Netflix reported the new season of The Crown helped drive growth in 2019:

In its first four weeks, over 21m member households have chosen to watch season 3 of The Crown (up over 40% from Season 2 over the same time period) and in total, over 73m households worldwide have chosen The Crown since the series launched. The Crown and the all new Season 3 cast just won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama series and star Olivia Colman won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series.

Well behind in the Industry Awards voting and taking second place was the Nine-owned streaming platform Stan.

Stan originals have been key to summer viewing with titles including the return of Matt Okine’s comedy The Other Guy, relationship drama The Commons, cracking crime thriller The Gloaming and the Stan Original Film True History of the Kelly Gang which has been attracting very mixed reviews ahead of its TV premiere this week.

Close behind Stan in third place is the SBS free On Demand platform.

The streaming home of most SBS content, and much more, it features a huge movie library with new additions every month and the platform is a treasure trove for fans of Nordic noir – which counts for much of the best crime fiction available.

The rapid take-up of streaming services such as Netflix, Stan, Optus Sport and Kayo Sports contributed to a 47 per cent jump in data downloads over the year, with fixed broadband services accounting for 88 per cent of all data downloaded.

The report shows how Australians’ communication methods are changing, as minutes spent using traditional voice services on mobile phones dropped the first time over the year, reflecting the increasing use of social media and over-the-top services like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Viber.

At the same time, the proportion of Australians who solely rely on mobile services for broadband is declining, dropping from 23 per cent in 2014 to 16 per cent in 2019, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

Unlimited data fixed broadband plans have increased from 6 per cent in 2014-15 to 57 per cent in 2018-19.

“More Australians are getting fixed broadband services at home as their data needs increase,” ACCC chair Rod Sims said.

“A jump to more than half of all plans offering unlimited plans in just five years really is a sign of the times.

“The quality of Australia’s communications services is also improving, allowing more of us to use and enjoy data-heavy activities like streaming in high definition.

“This trend is likely to be further boosted during 2019-20 with the entry of new competitors such as Disney+ and Apple TV+.”

The ACCC notes investments in mobile networks, particularly with 5G, may bring stronger network-based competition to the NBN. However, the scale of 5G deployment is still uncertain in the short term as some of the future-use cases of 5G (e.g. network slicing and mass machine-to-machine connectivity) are less clear.

Average real prices for mobile phone services dropped by 6.6 per cent during the year, while fixed broadband prices fell by 1.5 per cent. These annual price decreases are slightly below the average price reductions experienced over the past five years, which were 7.5 per cent for mobile phone services and 2.3 per cent for fixed broadband.

While average prices continued to decline, the ACCC has observed a reduction in the number of affordable entry-level plans available on the market. These are being withdrawn in favour of higher priced plans with more inclusions.

“While competition and investment is giving consumers better value in terms of higher quality services for their money, consumers who do not want ‘bells and whistles’ are struggling to find cheap, entry level, fixed broadband and voice products,” Sims said.

“Although the very recent changes to NBN Co’s products and pricing are helpful, the ACCC is continuing to consider whether further action is needed to make sure consumers aren’t worse off when they switch to the NBN.”

By 30 June 2019, 5.5 million NBN services were in operation, as the NBN overtook legacy DSL and HFC networks as the primary fixed-line access network in Australia.

“Market shares for NBN services have continued to shift as customers living in metro areas generally stay with their same provider when migrating from ADSL and cable services. As a consequence, Telstra’s share of NBN access services was less than 50% with potential for this trend to continue as the NBN rollout is completed.

“As the NBN rollout concludes, we will continue to help ensure Australians benefit from this investment,” Sims said.

“In particular, we are keen to ensure that NBN Co and retail service providers have incentives to upgrade and fix infrastructure where it is not meeting consumers’ needs and expectations.”

The ACCC remained active in seeking better outcomes for telecommunications consumers during 2018-19.

“At a wholesale level, we have successfully advocated for lower entry level prices for NBN services and improving NBN service standards through 2019-20,” Sims said.

“We’ve also been helping consumers with guidance around speed claims, transparency and competition through our Measuring Broadband Australia program, and taking enforcement action when needed.”

Consumer complaints to the ACCC and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman remain high, with many relating to connection and service quality issues.

The ACCC’s 80-page report is available here.

The agreement with Fetch TV furthers Eurosport’s goal to power its dedicated viewers’ passions as the number one destination for specialist sports in 2020.

Eurosport’s exciting offering this year includes: major international athletics events throughout the year, beginning with the World Indoor Tour events in Germany in February; ad-break-free live stage coverage of key cycling events including two Grand Tours – the Giro d’Italia in May (exclusive to Eurosport) and the Vuelta a España in August – plus all Spring Classics and Monuments; the world’s biggest snooker tournaments including the World Championships in May; the final events in the winter sports World Cup seasons including Freestyle Skiing, Snowboarding, Alpine Skiing, Ski Jumping and more.

Rebecca Kent, General Manager of Discovery, Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Islands, said: “We are thrilled that Eurosport has a new Australian home with Fetch TV as we expand our partnership. Eurosport has a loyal audience of Aussies who are extremely passionate about sports like cycling, athletics, snooker and winter sports. We believe that every fan counts and are proud to continue fuelling their passions by delivering a line-up of premium events throughout the year.

Scott Lorson, CEO of Fetch TV, said: “Fetch TV is very excited about our expanding relationship with Discovery, and look forward to adding Eurosport, Discovery Turbo, and Investigation Discovery to the Fetch platform over the next two months.

“Eurosport has been one of our most requested channel additions, and we are pleased to be able to service this passionate fan base.  Eurosport continues to invest in premium content and the future is bright with expanding rights, and compelling coverage.  Eurosport is a perfect complement to our existing premium international sports offering, and will join Optus Sport, ESPN, EDGESport, beIN SPORTS, and UFC Pay-Per-View on the Fetch platform.”

Eurosport will be available on Fetch CH 156 on a free trial basis to all Fetch direct retail customers throughout the month of February.  It will then be offered as an A La Carte Special Interest channel for $8.99 per month. Fetch partner ISP launch dates will be confirmed shortly. 

The addition of Eurosport to Fetch brings the partnership between Discovery and Fetch TV to a market leading eight channels.  This follows the December announcement of the renewal of Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel on Fetch, as well as the upcoming 1 March launch of Discovery Turbo and Investigation Discovery (ID). There will also be an expansion in video-on-demand rights.

Rachel Griffiths’ directorial debut Ride Like A Girl, which was funded through Screen Australia’s Gender Matters program, was the highest-grossing feature.

The data completes the set of annual, objective metrics Screen Australia utilises to monitor the health of the local screen industry, including the annual Drama Report, ratings, viewership, and the agency’s own spend on content.

“The Australian screen industry performed solidly in 2019, with creators not only producing works that resonated with audiences, but with the sector remaining incredibly resilient despite the upending of entertainment business models globally,” said Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia. “In part that is due to the bedrock of direct and indirect government funding that ensures Australian stories are told, but the bottom line is a film or series needs to be quality to attract the kind of solid viewership we’re seeing. To that end, our local creators are to be congratulated.

“Despite the explosion of choice, Australians are still seeking out local stories on television, at the cinema and online. Compared to other English-speaking markets, Australia produces exceptional, internationally regarded content at a fraction of the budget one would expect in the UK and US, and at a volume that belies our small population.

“Where and how Australians are consuming that content is undeniably changing, with real time TV viewing shrinking as catch-up is growing. We’re also seeing consumers make very deliberate choices about the type of film they want to see at the cinema, as opposed to enjoying at home, compounded by the continued squeeze on the indie film market. Documentary remains popular, particularly on the public broadcasters, and the resurgence of theatrical docs that started in 2016 is continuing. The online content we’re funding is growing in production values and often duration, and the fact the 2019 top trending YouTube video in Australia was a scripted series by Superwog is extraordinary.

“How commercial success can be measured is diverging by format, and as an industry we need to take a more nuanced approach rather than relying on old metrics in isolation. Linear television series are still expected to perform strongly from episode 1, as are films on their opening weekend. Yet in practice, this is the opposite of the viewing behaviour that streamers and online platforms like YouTube are training us to adopt, where you discover and consume content in your own time.

“Whilst the viewer may make no distinction about how a piece of content got on their screen, in reality productions are now also financed in completely different ways. Producers of a film made for cinema or a terrestrial TV series will typically enjoy a long tail of income as international, home entertainment and auxiliary rights are sold. Conversely, streamers are now buying the worldwide release of a title for a flat fee, providing a swift payday and incredible profile to creators, but with no further income due and no promise they will ever know how many people watched their work. Online platforms are offering an entirely different business model again, and in Australia we often see scripted creators supplementing that income with live theatre offerings.

“As a result, at Screen Australia we are looking to fund productions that are not only creatively exceptional, but are crafted and financed for the new market conditions. We want to see very deliberate choices in budget, the use of Offsets, target audience, release strategy and international partners, with success measures that are realistic. The aim is to support creatively and culturally significant work that resonates with audiences, and from which the creators financially benefit.”

Screen Australia directly injected nearly $76 million into the screen sector in 2018/19, including over $54 million in TV, film and documentary production funding which triggered over $360 million in activity (refer appendix 3). An additional $207.69 million was provided by the Federal Government through the Producer Offset tax incentive administered by Screen Australia.

The latest Drama Report found 2018/19 expenditure on Australian scripted titles was a record-breaking $768 million, driven by an all-time record spend on Australian television and a five-year high spend on Australian features.

“All signs point to 2020 being an incredibly busy year for both the production and release of Australian stories. Coupled with the fact the production of foreign works in Australia has been bolstered by several large productions, Australia has become a very robust and competitive screen market.”

They competed with 694 foreign films released in Australia that earned $1.09 billion. Four Aussie films did over $4 million, and it was a good year for the theatrical documentary with both 2040 and Mystify entering the all-time top 10 Australian feature documentaries. The 28 foreign blockbuster films released in Australia in 2019 were responsible for 60% of all cinema takings locally.

Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia said:  “On the big screen, the market remains incredibly tough for indie films from all countries, so to have both Ride Like A Girl and Top End Wedding break-out was a great result. I was also particularly pleased to see three feature documentaries take over $1 million, and all subsequently licenced for broadcast. Special mention also to the team from Hotel Mumbai, which took over AUD$29.3 million internationally, representing an extraordinary commercial result for a mid-budget film.”

“The blockbuster domination of the cinema space is here to stay, and we continue to see even mainstream Academy Award and BAFTA Best Picture nominees struggling to get to $5 million in Australia. So whilst we will continue to see Australian films that can capture the $10+ million mark, they will be rare. Our films will absolutely continue to be made, but in terms of how producers monetise these works, it is an increasingly delicate dance between production budget size, distribution, marketing, and attracting international finance and audiences.”

This is the first time that the NME Awards has included categories to specifically recognise the Australian music scene since their inception in 1953, and comes off the back of the launch of NME Australia last December.

Tame Impala came out on top, scoring two awards: Best Australian Band and Best Australian Song for Borderline, released in April last year. 

Mallrat was named as Best Australian Solo Act and Tones & I picking up Best New Australian Act. Stella Donnelly bagged Best Australian Album for her brilliant 2019 release, Beware of The Dogs.  

St Jerome’s Laneway Festival was awarded 2019’s Best Australian Festival. 

Meng Kuok, CEO from NME said: “I’m excited to be able to celebrate the best in Aussie music and talent. The field of nominees was incredibly strong in this first year of Australian awards and the winners were hotly debated by everyone in the editorial team.

“Our big winners, Tame Impala have been going from strength to strength as not only one of Australia’s greatest exports but also one of the most influential bands of their time. Everything we’ve seen so far from The Slow Rush suggests that it’s destined to be another classic and leaves us eager to see what’s next. 

“Tones & I’s meteoric rise in 2019 made her an obvious choice for Best New Act – dominating charts and setting new records, there’s no question she’s made a massive impact with her distinct, quirky pop style.

Australian festival culture has been excellently vibrant in the last 12 months, and we’re recognising Laneway for its ability to retain its taste-making cultural cachet as it’s expanded in Australia and regionally, mixing the international and local heavy hitters with up and comers and delivering the highest quality festival experience.”

The UK and Global Award nominees were also announced today on nme.com. Best Australian Album Winner Stella Donnelly, has been nominated for Best Album in the world, while Amyl and the Sniffers are up for Best Live Act. Australian fans can watch out for the Awards night announcements live from the ceremony in London 12 February at nme.com.

BEST AUSTRALIAN ALBUM: Stella Donnelly – Beware Of The Dogs
BEST AUSTRALIAN SONG: Tame Impala – Borderline
BEST AUSTRALIAN BAND: Tame Impala
BEST AUSTRALIAN SOLO ACT: Mallrat
BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN ACT: Tones & I
BEST AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL: St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival

With The Witcher being released on December 20 and its own score going down it looks like it may not be the show to end The Mandalorians run like it did in the USA.

The most notable entry to the charts this week is a show that has existed in a few different forms over the years, Doctor Who which commenced its 12th season on January 1 the show returned in 2005 after an initial 26 season run between 169 and 1983.

Jodie Whittaker returns for her second series as the Thirteenth Doctor, in the second season led by Chris Chibnall as head writer and executive producer, alongside executive producer Matt Strevens. 

The series follows an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in what appears to be a British police box called the TARDIS. The series is the only show from the UK to make the charts this week as it enters the Overall TV charts third in Australia and fourth in NZ.

However it was a Nine TV personality that helped 10 win the demos and the timeslot for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

Nine had a second night of 22%+ primary channel share as the average evening tennis audience was just short of 700,000.

The audience for I’m A Celebrity however was close to 730,000 for both parts of the program which featured the departure of Billy Brownless from the jungle. The latest Celebrity departure is the co-host Triple M’s The Rush Hour with James Brayshaw and has been a Nine AFL Sunday Footy Show regular.

Seven last night featured the BBL clash between Melbourne Renegades and Hobart with both innings audiences close to 330,000.

On the ABC, a replay of Griff’s Great Australian Rail Trip did 302,000. The series screens just before SBS runs the long-awaited Michael Portillo series Great Australian Railway Journeys.

The biggest audience on SBS was 146,000 for Inside Selfridges.