Australia’s leading advertising and media trade publication is launching an educational training Academy, a 12-month educational program that covers a diverse syllabus with class topics that will fast track your career.

What makes the Mediaweek Academy unique is its industry educator and former media agency leader, the course curator and tutor Greg Graham.

The special Mediaweek Academy course framework will feature industry legends sharing their insights coupled with young superstars in their specialist areas.

The 10-lesson course will feature a special blend of interactive elements, Q&A, regular lectures, a feedback loop, plus a personalised action plan to implement back in your business after each session.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW

The lessons will be monthly for a half-day at the New South Wales Teachers Federation commencing in July 2022 through to June 2023, with a break over December/January. Classes will be on the last Wednesday of every month.

The first lesson will be on career growth and development and feature industry legend John Steedman who has held leadership positions at WPP, Group M, and Mindshare amongst many others, as well as Wavemaker ANZ’s group strategy director Rebecca Drummond.

Drummond said that she was excited to be part of the inaugural Mediaweek Academy lesson: “I’m thrilled to take part in the Mediaweek Academy and share how important career development and goal setting is for young talent as they enter into the industry. This initiative provides a unique opportunity that bridges the gap between theory and practical experience on a regular basis, and it’s exciting to see industry legends like Sparrow and Steady leading this from the frontline.”

Steedman also pressed on the importance of training to the media industry: “Training is imperative to retaining, growing, encouraging, and motivating talent in an organisation. No matter how long one has been working, there’s always a huge appetite to learn and progress.

“There are two ‘P’s to success: people and product. Get those right and that third P – profit – is a given!”

Graduates from the 12-month Mediaweek Academy course will gain certification ensuring they are the hottest talent for that next new job or promotion opportunity.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW

There were a handful of Australians at The Podcast Show last week, a new London event that is set to become an annual fixture. Among those making the trip were a team from Southern Cross Austereo – chief executive Grant Blackley, chief operating officer John Kelly and head of LiSTNR Grant Tothill.

The conference proved a rewarding experience for the 6,000 who lined up to get inside the large event space in the London suburb of Islington. The organisers are committing to the future with the same location next year and then looking for something perhaps even bigger for 2024.

“This the first big trip we have made post-Covid,” Grant Blackley told Mediaweek in a break between sessions.

“We have done similar trips before. We spent a fair bit of time in the US and Europe before we built LiSTNR. All the plans we put in place after that have paid dividends. To get to talk personally with operators in different parts of the world and see where they are up to in terms of digital transformation and content development has been important for us.”

On the way to The Podcast Show in London, Blackley stopped at Radio Days Europe where he was a guest speaker. Telling his audience about the importance of the digital transformation, Blackley said the company may one day change its name to LiSTNR.

“I was invited purely on one basis,” he said about the European radio conference which was held in Malmo, Sweden this year.

“That was to share the story of the digital transformation that SCA has been through in the last five years. The conference wanted to hear how we went from what was a broadcast linear model to a fully digital audio company. Many media companies around the world are grappling with this. Some haven’t started the journey, and some are partway through.

“We are effectively complete. While that is not unique, there are not many who have completed that journey. We had a lot of interest from companies wanting to know what we are doing.”

The last big piece of the SCA digital puzzle was the launch of LiSTNR in early 2021. Some thought Blackley might have been too ambitious with the plans for the audio streaming and on-demand platform.

“We are happy to take risks, but they are calculated risks. We have done this throughout our careers. The hardest thing about this journey was that when we visited the US and Europe five years ago there was no one for us to model ourselves on.

“We had no choice but to come back and plan for how we could get to where we wanted to be. There simply wasn’t anything off the shelf we could buy.

“We had to be curious and to have a reasonable appetite for risk. It’s part of our DNA as individuals and as a company.”

SCA moved from a podcast platform, initially branded PodcastOne using the name of their US launch partner, to an on-demand and streaming audio entertainment platform.

Grant Blackley: “There has been both success and failure. We needed to be agile and it took us about three years to settle on the type of model we wanted to build. We had 105 people working across 15 markets in the middle of Covid to build the product.

“Since launch, LiSTNR has grown from strength to strength.

“We have made 12 fundamental changes so far to LiSTNR. As we get feedback via data and analytics we start to see the product mature.

“While there continues to be a growing audience, we don’t want to be all things to all people. But we need to continue to develop our product suite.”

Early in May, SCA told the Macquarie Media Conference there were over 600,000 registrations (cumulative from Feb 2021 to April 2022) for the LiSTNR app in the 14 months since launch.

Blackley said the biggest change was to introduce AI tools. “We have invested on an equity basis in three tech companies.”

While LiSTNR has international content partners, Blackley stressed that Australian local content clearly comes first. “Everything we have done in the last 4-5 years has been about building 108 original podcasts. We have 25 new music-only stations. We are also working with the major sporting bodies – AFL, NRL and Cricket Australia and we are building out how we can be very granular on a local level with news and information.

“All of those things had to come first. We feel it is what Australians want and we need to tell those stories well. We were disciplined enough to know there were five verticals within the podcasting arena we wanted to focus on. We didn’t focus on 15 or 20, we worked on ones we thought would generate the best return for us.

“Only then did we look at international partnerships and we are still building that out now. Part of this trip is seeing who is in the international market, what can they deliver and are they willing to partner with us.

“The BBC is our biggest international partner, but we also work with Disney/ESPN. We also work with Apple. Partners in Australia include Network 10.”

After stops in Malmo and then London, Blackley, Kelly and Tothill are now in the US speaking with existing and potential partners.

Mediaweek: Your place for news from the podcast sector

Tuesday: LiSTNR and exclusivity, Australia on the international podcast stage, future of SCA radio streams on other platforms

Wednesday: Audio futurologist James Cridland in London – what he shared with global podcast players

Thursday: Special double edition of Podcast Week with news of the hottest sessions from The Podcast Show London

After emerging from the grips of the Covid-19 pandemic with the title of most locked-down city on the planet, Melbourne is open for business once again. The breakfast team at SCA’s The Fox, Fifi, Fev & Nick, have been hitting the road on Fridays to get out and celebrate with their listeners in every corner of the city, in a project they’re calling Brekky in the Burbs.

Mediaweek spoke to Fifi Box about heading out of the studio and bringing the breakfast show to the listeners.

“The last two years of lockdowns, particularly here in Melbourne, were so tough,” says Box. “We found through that whole period, people were coming to us organically and saying ‘thanks for getting us through this’. Having that companionship and connection on the radio through what’s going on in our city – it made me fall in love with radio all over again.”

With a newfound sense of freedom (and the ability to leave the house), Box says that the team decided to do what they’d been unable to do during lockdowns and meet with people face to face.

“At the start of this year with all the restrictions being lifted, we wanted to get out and see everyone after being cooped up in the studio. We wanted to meet our listeners and feel connected to that community spirit that’s so powerful here in Melbourne. So we came up with this idea: let’s take brekky out, let’s get out into the suburbs. That has evolved into something so much bigger than we could have anticipated.”

In a city as expansive as Melbourne the first question was where, exactly, should the team take the show?

“We did North, South, East, and West,” says Box. “It’s interesting because we all come from those areas. I’m an Eastern suburbs girl, I grew up out in Wonga Park, Croydon, and Ringwood. Nick (Cody) is from the West, he grew up in Hoppers Crossing and Werribee. Fev (Brendan Fevola) is from down the south, he grew up in Narre Warren. So that was really us going back to the areas that we know.”

The team have already brought Brekky in the Burbs to Hoppers Crossing, Croydon, Lynbrook, and Craigieburn, and Box says that there are many more suburbs ahead.

“What we didn’t anticipate was everybody wanting us to go to their suburbs. We’re getting requests, we’ve got a long list and I think we’ll probably start taking votes. Where do you want us? Because we’re obviously going to continue this!”

OBs are fairly chaotic at the best of times, however Box says that she’s found there is one major thing she needs to remember whilst they’re on air.

“We’re having to remember that we are an audio medium and most people are listening. It’s hard not to get distracted out there! Running a live show whilst you’re broadcasting and having that much fun – we have to remember what our job is. We’re not there to party. I tend to get on Sir Mix-a-Lot and forget that I’m actually supposed to be doing a radio show – I’m too busy dancing to Mambo No.5!”

As for the practical hoops that need to be jumped through to get Brekky in the Burbs off the ground, Box says that it’s a major team effort.

“We’ve got such an amazing team behind us. I’ve worked in many shows over the years, but I’ve never worked on a team like the one on our breakfast show. Everyone at The Fox, from our technical department to our producers, to our events team, and promotions – they’re not just putting on outdoor broadcasts, these are big events.”

 At the heart of Brekky in the Burbs is the Fifi, Fev & Nick listeners. Box says that she hopes the people who take part find a sense of connection.

“There are so many people who have been living through isolation for the last few years. It’s one of the reasons I got into radio back when I was 18 – my school drop off, school pickup, I was listening to radio shows and the radio hosts were part of the family. I felt like I knew them. We know that that’s how a lot of listeners feel about the people they hear on the radio, and it’s meant a lot to us to give that love back.”

While the Brekky in the Burbs project was originally only pencilled in for four weeks, the response has been powerful enough to add it to the calendar well into the future.

“The feedback has been phenomenal to a point where we know we’re going to keep going, these Brekky in the Burbs broadcasts will now be part of our show moving forward,” says Box.

“There is a real sense of letting your hair down, and having a dance party with us in the morning. The kids are loving it and so are their parents, we’ve got truck drivers pulling in on the roadside coming in to have brekky with us! There’s a sense of family, a sense of community, and I think that does mean a lot to people, probably now more than ever.

Singles

Topping the ARIA albums chart with Harry’s House, Harry Styles also picks up a sixth week at #1 on the singles chart with As It Was. 

On top of this, the other twelve tracks from the English artist’s third album have all entered this week’s chart: Late Night Talking at #2, Matilda at #3, Music For A Sushi Restaurant at #4, Little Freak at #6, Daylight at #8, Grapejuice at #9, Satellite at #10, Cinema at #11, Daydreaming at #12, Love Of My Life at #13, Keep Driving at #14, and Boyfriends at #15. Styles becomes the first artist to have 13 songs inside the top 15 in one week. Previously, Taylor Swift had 13 songs between #1 and #25 in August 2020. The previous highest number of tracks by one artist in the top 15 was Drake who had eight in September 2021.

Watermelon Sugar also re-enters the chart at #44.

The highest ranking Australian single this week once again comes from The Kid Laroi. Last week the title went to Thousand Miles, however previous #1 Stay has leapfrogged Laroi’s newest single to land at #18. The ARIA Award winner has been making headlines recently after touching back down in Sydney and visiting his old stomping grounds of Waterloo ahead of an Australian tour.

Albums

British superstar Harry Styles claims his third #1 album on the ARIA Charts as he debuts in the top spot with Harry’s House. The follow-up to Fine Line – which hit #1 in December 2019 – features the single As It Was. Styles first hit #1 in Australia with his self-titled debut at #1 in May 2017. This week, Fine Line has moved to #4 and Harry Styles is up to #9. 

Styles becomes the first artist to have #1s on both the Albums and Singles Chart in the same week since December 2021 when Adele was at #1 with 30 and Easy On Me, respectively.

Flume scores his third ARIA top three entry as he debuts at #3 with Palaces, making him the highest ranked Australian artist on the albums chart. It’s the Sydney producer’s first album since Skin hit #1 in June 2016, which won eight ARIA Awards in 2016, including Album Of The Year and Best Dance Release. Between albums, Flume released the mixtape Hi This Is Flume which peaked at #11 in April 2019. Palaces features contributions from Damon Albarn, MAY-A, Emma Louise, Caroline Polachek, and more.

With his massive Australian tour underway, The Kid Laroi climbs up the chart eight spots to #12 with F*ck Love (Over You). With the tour taking place over the next two weeks, the mixtape is likely to stay in the higher reaches of the chart.

Bella Taylor Smith, the winner of the 2021 season of The Voice Australia makes her ARIA top 50 debut at #36 with Look Me In The Eyes. Released in April of this year, the EP has hit the chart now on the back of live shows Taylor Smith has performed as support for her Voice mentor, Guy Sebastian. This week, Sebastian’s album T.R.U.T.H. re-enters the top 50 at #48.

2022 ARIA Chart Toppers

Singles

January 3 Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Is You
January 10 Elton John & Dua Lipa Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
January 17 Elton John & Dua Lipa Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
January 24 Elton John & Dua Lipa Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
January 31 The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber Stay
February 7 The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber Stay
February 14 The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber Stay
February 21 Elton John & Dua Lipa Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
February 28 Elton John & Dua Lipa Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
March 7 Glass Animals Heat Waves
March 14 Glass Animals Heat Waves
March 21 Glass Animals Heat Waves
March 28 Glass Animals Heat Waves
April 4 Glass Animals Heat Waves
April 11 Harry Styles As It Was
April 18 Jack Harlow First Class
April 25 Jack Harlow First Class
May 2 Harry Styles As It Was
May 9 Harry Styles As It Was
May 16 Harry Styles As It Was
May 23 Harry Styles As It Was
May 30 Harry Styles As It Was

Albums

January 3 Adele 30
January 10 Adele 30
January 17 The Weeknd Dawn FM
January 24 The Weeknd Dawn FM
January 31 Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell
February 7 The Weeknd Dawn FM
February 14 Korn Requiem
February 21 Huskii Antihero
February 28 Midnight Oil Resist
March 7 Gang of Youths Angel in Realtime
March 14 Encanto Soundtrack
March 21 The Wiggles ReWiggled
March 28 Charli XCX Crash
April 4 Machine Gun Kelly Mainstream Sellout
April 11 Red Hot Chili Peppers Unlimited Love
April 18 Wet Leg Wet Leg
April 25 Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia 
May 2 Northlane Obsidian
May 9 Future I Never Liked You
May 16 Daniel Johns FutureNever
May 23 Kendrick Lamar Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
May 30 Harry Styles Harry’s House

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With 600 drones, history was made last night over Sydney Harbour. For one night only, Paramount+ partnered with Vivid Sydney 2022 to dazzle audiences with the largest drone and light show ever seen in the Southern Hemisphere. Vivid Sydney is the annual festival of Light, Music and Ideas that runs from Friday, 27 May to Saturday, 18 June.

With the help of SKYMAGIC, Paramount+ transformed the sky into a canvas, as a fleet of 600 choreographed LED-equipped drones shape shifted and synchronised into 3D images and sequences, illustrating some of the streaming service’s stars and scenes.

Illuminating the Sydney skyline, the drones painted scenes and objects including a Mission Impossible countdown clock, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ U.S.S Enterprise, SpongeBob SquarePants himself, HALO’s Master Chief and Cortana’s voiceover, PAW Patrol’s Chase, Top Gun’s fighter jet, South Park’s orange-clad Kenny, and the brand-new logo for the crime-fighting local production, NCIS: Sydney.  

Ahead of the Paramount+ drone and light show display, Minister for enterprise, investment and trade, tourism and sport and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said:

“Paramount+ and SKYMAGIC have wowed audiences across the globe with similar drone shows and I’m looking forward to a blockbuster display at Vivid Sydney 2022,” Ayres said.

“Vivid Sydney is an open invitation for Sydneysiders and visitors from Australia and the world to come and experience Sydney at its creative best after dark. The 2022 festival has been two years in the making and is not to be missed.”

“The NSW Government is proud to invest in signature events that capture the world’s attention, drive the NSW visitor economy and build Sydney’s reputation as the major events capital of the Asia Pacific.”

Wondering what it takes to create the biggest drone show in the Southern Hemisphere? Keep an eye out on Paramount+ social media channels this week for behind the scenes footage.

The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has announced the launch of its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

The plan is part of the industry association’s mission to make a difference in the media industry by educating its 130+ member agencies on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures.

The IMAA has received conditional approval for its ‘Reflect’ RAP which is the first of four stages in the reconciliation journey designed to prepare the association and its members for reconciliation initiatives in future RAPs.

Committing to a Reflect RAP includes scoping and developing relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, deciding on a vision for reconciliation, and exploring the IMAA’s sphere of influence.

An important pillar in the IMAA’s RAP is an investment in Imparja Television’s “Make a Difference” program, whereby 10% of IMAA members’ combined media spend onto Imparja’s channels will directly benefit and support First Nations grass roots communities.

The IMAA’s chosen indigenous social enterprise is Kings Narrative whose aim is to improve the lives and outcomes of Aboriginal men. IMAA representatives visited Alice Springs and Uluru in May to meet with Kings Narrative representatives and experienced first-hand where sponsorship funds would be spent.

As part of its RAP, the IMAA has introduced a Reconciliation Hub resource to provide education and learning for members, including encouraging participation in NAIDOC week activities. The association’s long-term goal includes creating pathways and job opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Steve Fagan, IMAA RAP committee lead and Media Republic director, said: “We are so delighted to today launch our RAP. The IMAA recognises the unique opportunity that we have to deliver a meaningful and workable RAP, including our privileged position to be able to provide employment opportunities.

“The IMAA will use its position of influence to work within our independent sector and as an advocate for reconciliation within the wider advertising and marketing industries.

“Our RAP enables us to listen, learn and strengthen community relationships, in what we expect to be a long and successful journey to providing greater opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Fagan added.

Sam Buchanan, IMAA CEO, said: “As a not-for-profit, modern industry body that is less than two years old, one of our key pillars is to ensure that we make a real difference in the indie agency sector, and reconciliation is integral to achieving this goal.

“We have already launched a Diversity Council designed to educate and empower member agencies on the value of embracing a diverse and inclusive workplace. Our RAP is a natural and important next step for our industry to allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples achieve their dreams and improve their lives, both in our sector and in society,” he added.

Imparja Television CEO, Alistair Feehan, said: “Imparja television is unique in terms of commercial broadcasting as it is 100% Indigenous owned, is a not-for-profit organisation and has a huge social platform. We launched the ‘Make a Difference’ program whereby clients have the opportunity to select a program that provided a true benefit to those indigenous communities or social enterprise that delivered much-needed outcomes.

“For a remote community this could be a dialysis machine for a health centre, the funding of a community sports co-ordinator, or in the instance of the IMAA, sponsorship of Kings Narrative, one of the most important social enterprises to be delivered to Indigenous Australia.

“To fund these initiatives Imparja isolates 10% of a campaign spend from a program supporter and allocates those funds to a nominated initiative. We know that the IMAA and Kings Narrative will make a huge contribution to helping the future of indigenous Australia,” Feehan added.

The IMAA has established a RAP committee, led by Fagan from Media Republic, and including Thomas Murphy (The Media Store), Sue Cant (AFFINITY), Claire O’Çonnor (Inc Digital), Tim Costello (Media 47), Rene Le Merle (Bonfire), Justin Ladmore and Georgia McCarthy (Enigma), Felicity Kelly (Half Dome), Bec Coulson (IMAA), and Buchanan (IMAA).

The IMAA has also commissioned a special indigenous logo for its RAP, designed by Dixon Patten from Bayila Creative.

The logo honours the cultural diversity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the many wisdoms, teachings, practices, protocols and dreamings across the many nations as message sticks, which also show the importance of ATSI knowledge and communication styles and practices.

Vogue Australia editor-in-chief and publisher News Prestige Network Edwina McCann has announced the publication of two collectable editions, guest-edited by Australian director Baz Luhrmann and costume designer Catherine Martin.

The June issue of the fashion magazine was guest-edited by Luhrmann in anticipation of the upcoming release of his film, Elvis.

While Vogue Living’s July/August issue is guest-edited by his wife, Oscar-winning production and costume designer Martin.

Luhrmann’s highly anticipated Elvis, stars Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Olivia DeJonge in the role of Priscilla Presley in a story about the tragedy of fame – and love.

McCann said: “Baz Luhrmann’s new film Elvis will be a huge global success. There is no better way to celebrate that than to edit an issue of Vogue Australia, which he and his partner Catherine Martin (better known as CM) also did in 1994, after they released their breakthrough film, Strictly Ballroom.

“Alongside their colleagues and collaborators who are featured in this issue, they have taught us to dream big. They’ve helped us believe that anything is possible when you come from Australia.

“This issue and the accompanying beautiful sister edition of Vogue Living, guest-edited by CM, are testament to that. Both celebrate the creative talent they have immersed themselves in by moving to Queensland to make this film, and are also a love letter to Australia,” McCann added.

Luhrmann said: “Very simply, I wanted this issue of Vogue to be a compendium of the movie itself, a kind of program to accompany the show. I want to introduce newcomers to the world of Elvis, explore his ongoing impact on music and culture, and for those who are already Elvis fans, offer an insight into where we, the storytellers, have come from in our own creative journey.”

The Vogue Australia cover stars Butler and DeJonge and the accompanying story reveals the process of translating Elvis and Priscilla’s story for the screen.

The issue champions Australian talent and creativity, with Luhrmann speaking to some of his closest Aussie friends and colleagues, from Nicole Kidman to Kylie Minogue.

Australian supermodel Adut Akech Bior graces the pages in haute couture to celebrate Memphis’s Beale Street in the 1950s, and pop superstar Rosé of Blackpink channels the rock’n’roll spirit in opulent animal prints.

Martin first guest-edited Vogue Living back in 2009. As the film Elvis hits screens, she has taken the helm again. Her distinct aesthetic is scattered throughout Vogue Living’s Elvis Presley tribute issue.

Martin said: “This edition celebrates Australians both here and abroad who embrace courageous disregard for the norm and unashamedly take their place centre stage in much the same way as Elvis did.”

To celebrate the release of the collectable issues, for a limited time Vogue Australia and Vogue Living will be available to purchase as a bundle from selected Woolworths stores, on sale Monday 06 June.

The votes are in and Australia has chosen former football player and P.E. teacher Lachie Gill as winner of Seven‘s The Voice 2022.

Alongside The Voice crown, the 24-year-old Victorian won $100,000 prize money and a recording contract with Universal Music Australia.

After host Sonia Kruger revealed the life-changing result, Gill said: “Oh my god! From the start, I just never, ever would have expected this. I’m just blown away. Thank you so much. Wow. Thank you.”

Coach Rita Ora said: “You did all of this. Australia, thank you, thank you, I love you. I feel like this is just the beginning for you. Congratulations. I’m so happy for you I can’t breathe!”

With the news still sinking in, Gill performed his new single Wasted Time (which is available for download and streaming here).

From his first Blind Audition, Gill’s storytelling and signature rasp enthralled Australian audiences, and superstar coaches Keith Urban, Guy Sebastian, and Jessica Mauboy. From the very first chair turn, Rita was adamant she wanted the star-on-the-rise to join her team, blocking fellow coach Guy. 

Rita said: “Lachie is in a league of his own; he’s the ultimate storyteller and has the ability to capture the audience and have them go along with him. He sings like it’s the last time, every time.”

Tonight, Gill ignited the stage with a final solo performance of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time.

Coach Rita Ora said: “My whole body was floating I can’t believe how amazing you are. This is everything The Voice is about; you are the modern star that we need today.”

Rita joined Gill on stage in a “pinch me moment” to perform Always Remember Us This Way by Lady Gaga. 

Lachie Gill paid tribute to his coach: “You’ve given me challenging songs, but you’ve always said, ‘Don’t try and be someone else, just do it Lachie’s way.’” 

Fellow Grand Finalists Thando Sikwila, Jordan Tavita, and Faith Sosene soared with show-stopping performances across the series.

The Voice in 2022 has an average total audience of 1.38 million viewers nationally and has reached 8.2 million viewers on broadcast, with an additional 1.12 million on 7plus.

The Commonwealth Games are kicking off from 28 July to 8 August, airing on Channel Seven, 7mate, and 7plus.

In 60 days, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will bring together over 4,500 athletes – more than 400 of those Australian – from 72 nations, with the largest-ever integrated para-sport program, as well as a record number of mixed events. 

As the Aussies chase down their previous record medal tally of 87, Seven will be there to bring you all the action, golden moments, achievements, triumph and tragedy, live and free across Seven, 7mate and up to 30 live and replay channels on 7plus.

With live medal moments every day in prime time, it will be Australia’s second-biggest broadcast and digital event following Seven’s award-winning coverage of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Last year, The Seven Network’s coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games won three awards at the International Olympic Committee’s Golden Rings Awards in Lausanne.

The Golden Rings are the most prestigious awards in Olympic broadcasting and Seven was a big winner on one of international sport’s biggest stages, with its three awards topped only by America’s NBC.

With more than 100 submissions received in each of the 12 Golden Rings categories, Seven won the Gold award for Best Social Media Content/Production for its From Little Things, Big Things Grow #HomeGames campaign. The campaign received thousands of phone-filmed videos from viewers watching the Games at home, making it the highest user-generated content campaign ever for 7SPORT.

Seven also won Silver in the Best Athlete Profile category for its feature on brother and sister BMX riders Kai and Saya Sakakibara, who were both on track to compete in Tokyo 2020 before Kai suffered a serious race accident.

See More: Seven’s Tokyo Olympics coverage rewarded at the Golden Rings Awards

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games 28 July to 8 August: Live and free on Channel Seven, 7mate and 7plus

Enigma has announced the appointment of brand strategist Olivia Hannah Matthews as its new head of brand.

As a highly experienced executive brand strategist, Hannah Matthews brings 20 years of creating, managing, and driving established global and Australian brands to the independent agency.

In her new remit, the newly appointed head of brand will lead the Enigma Brand team in strategy across Sydney, Newcastle, and Brisbane.

Hannah Matthews has led expert brand strategy for hundreds of brands during her career, including her early days at Leo Burnett London, where she worked on Kellogg’s, before stints at top Australian agencies including LOUD, Love, and The One Centre Brand Agency.

In 2009, Hannah Matthews established her own creative consulting business, working on projects for PwC Australia, Lend Lease, Vow Financial, and the I-MED Network. More recently, she led the brand and creative work for Gowing Bros Limited, a 150-year-old investment company, with a diversified portfolio of property and retail assets.

Enigma founder and director, Lisa Sutton Gardner, said Hannah Matthews’ ability to provide strategic and creative thinking for brands would be an invaluable asset to the agency and its clients, as Enigma readies for significant growth.

“With the agency continuing to grow with big plans, Olivia will bring her ability to not only manage, and drive established brands, but also to build them from scratch – something she’s been doing for the past 20 years.

“Olivia’s passion for uncovering brand brilliance has allowed her to deliver award-winning brand strategy, identity and creative solutions that are both original and impactful for a wide range of national and global businesses. I’m so excited to welcome her to the Enigma team,” she added.

Hannah Matthews said of her appointment: “The opportunity to take this role at Enigma was too good to pass up. Enigma has a reputation for creating some of the most effective brand solutions in the nation, and it’s continuing to grow, so it’s an exciting time to be joining the agency.

“My passion is to provide businesses with a clear, strategic brand blueprint that truly differentiates them in the market, delivers customer engagement and of course, results. I’m looking forward to bringing this to the Enigma team and its client base,” she added.

Hannah Matthews’ appointment comes after the recent announcements of new national CEO John Gutteridge, the former CEO of Wunderman Thompson, and brand strategist Karl Bates as Enigma’s new executive strategy director, as the agency adds senior talent to its stable amid significant expansion plans.

Hannah Matthews’ appointment is effective immediately.

See also: Enigma appoints John Gutteridge as national CEO

See also: Enigma appoints Karl Bates as executive strategy director

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Top image: Olivia Hannah Matthews

Paramount+ has announced that there is more Five Bedrooms on its way, with news that season four of the local Aussie drama has been commissioned.

Picking up just weeks after the season three finale, viewers can expect a controversial romantic entanglement, plus an unexpected diagnosis. 

There’s more in store for housemates Liz (Kat Stewart), Ben (Stephen Peacocke), Heather (Doris Younane), Ainsley (Katie Robertson), Harry (Roy Joseph) and Simmo (Johnny Carr), which will be told through the eyes of Five Bedrooms creators and writers Michael Lucas and Christine Bartlett.

Filmed in Melbourne, season four of Five Bedrooms will find the cast in the midst of their own unique crises, with each striking at the core question of the series: what’s the best way to live a life, and who are the best people to live that life with?

When filming commenced on season three, Five Bedrooms creator and writer Michael Lucas said: “We are so ridiculously invested in these five characters, we simply can’t stop imagining funny, fraught, tragic, joyful situations to put them in. So, we are beyond delighted that we’ve been given a third season to run wild with them again, and we’re delighted to report that the cast have come out of the gates in best-ever form!”

Doris Younane said: “I’ve been in the industry for 35 years and these are the best scripts I’ve read. There’s so much love in season three, so much heart, and the comedy comes from the drama; it’s beautifully positioned. For me, this is great love and I want it to never stop. I’d like to be in a nursing home still shooting Five Bedrooms.”

Five Bedrooms season four will commence filming later this year and is produced by Hoodlum Entertainment for Paramount+. With major production investment from Screen Australia, it is developed and produced with the assistance of Film Victoria. 

Total TV Ratings, May 22

The Voice was the top entertainment program in the total TV ratings with an audience of 1,422,000, after increasing its overnight viewership by 22%. The episode featured the semi-final of the series with Lachie Gill from Team Rita, Thando Sikwila from Team Keith, Jordan Tavita from Team Guy and Faith Sosene from Team Jess making it to the grand finale

MasterChef Australia was the top program for 10 with 733,000 tuning in, an increase of 23%. The episode saw the teams merge as Sarah Todd one the first combined challenge with her butter-poached lobster with spiced bouillabaisse, curry Leaf aioli and pickled cucumber.

The launch of Celebrity Apprentice had 697,000 viewers, up 29%. The episode saw 16 new celebs enter the boardroom, although the number quickly became 15 with Beck Zemek being the first eliminated.

Overnight TV Ratings, May 29

Primetime News
Seven News 1,025,000
Nine News 911,000
ABC News 616,000
10 News First 249,000 (5:30pm)/ 182,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 183,000 (6:30pm) 134,000 (7:00pm)

Daily current affairs
Insiders 440,000
The Project 224,000 (6:30 pm)/354,000 (7pm)

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 260,000
News Breakfast 180,000
Today 160,000

Seven was the top primary channel (24.9%) and network (24.4%) last night, due in part to the strong performance of the finale for its flagship program, The Voice. An average of 751,000 viewers watched The Voice Grand Finale before 779,000 tuned in to see Lachie Gill crowned the winner. The 24-year-old Victorian won $100,000 prize money and a recording contract with Universal Music Australia.

Read more: Audiences crown Lachie Gill as The Voice winner for 2022

Earlier in the day on Seven, the afternoon AFL coverage had an average of 287,000 viewers.

On Nine, Celebrity Apprentice had 390,000 viewers, a dip from its launch viewership of 404,000. The episode saw the teams challenged to record their own live-to-air 60-second infomercial, which resulted in Vince Colosimo being fired. Following the firing, it was revealed that the previously fired contestants would be returning as team redemption. 60 Minutes then followed with 322,000.

Nie’s afternoon NRL coverage had 219,000 tune in as the Canberra Raiders took on the Parramatta Eels.

On 10, The Sunday Project had 224,000 (6:30pm) and 354,000 (7:00pm) as the show discussed the electoral green slide in Queensland.

MasterChef Australia was the top program on 10 with 500,000 viewers, up on last week’s 447,000. The was also the top entertainment program for the 16-39 and 18-49 demographics as the episode saw Ali Stoner sent home from the competition.

On the ABC, Grand Designs had 426,000 viewers before Barons had 115,000.

The top non-news program on SBS was a repeat of Pompeii: After the Eruption with 175,000 viewers.