By James Manning

As radio bombshells go, 3AW axing the long-running late evening show Nightline caused only minor ripples yesterday. But they will certainly be felt by the program’s dedicated audience and cause some anger. The rusted-on audience who listen to Nightline and other 3AW programs feel they have as much invested in the station as the owner of Macquarie Media, Nine Entertainment Co.

The final Nightline will be broadcast at 10pm on Thursday September 26.

Nightline co-host and longtime Nightline producer Simon Owens isn’t holding any grudge about the axing of the station’s evening program.

“The station could have easily decided to end the program back when former host Bruce Mansfield became too ill to continue,” he told Mediaweek.

“They could have called it the end of an era. Steve Price was on air at that point from 8-10pm and it would have saved money. Instead Philip Brady and I have hosted another 765 shows together since Bruce’s passing. We have been blessed to have the backing of management who have kept us on air.”

Although they would have liked to continue, Owens explained, “It is because John Stanley is so good at his job that we loose ours.”

In a note to the audience yesterday, Owens was welcoming of Stanley’s expanded program:

John is a great broadcaster, and a really nice guy. We wish John all the best and we hope our regular callers will continue to call in. In fact many of our callers already talk to John during the 8pm – 10pm show currently.

As sad as endings are, new beginnings are exciting. John Stanley at night will be different but great. He loves news and current affairs, he loves his footy, and he loves chatting with listeners. Philip and I are both big fans of John and wish him all the best with his new venture.

Owens didn’t think the axing of Nightline was an example of Sydney-based Macquarie Media forcing more 2GB content on the Melbourne audience.

“I understand why people might say that. Radio has a history of networking on both FM and AM. Without networking Melbourne would have never heard the great Sydney programs hosted by Bob Dyer and Jack Davey. We have had networked overnight programs on 3AW before and it is nothing new.

“It didn’t make financial sense for us to be hosting a two-hour show. To pay myself, Philip and a panel operator in what is not a high income timeslot was hard to justify. We have been lucky they left us on air at all.”

For 3AW listeners, they will still get to hear short bursts of the hosts on weekends. “Philip and I will stay on Sunday nights hosting our nostalgia program Remember When.”

Owens will also host his own program for two hours on Saturday night, with Mike Brady losing his weekly program.

The Melbourne Macquarie station will also employ Owens during the week on other programming. He is also the station’s official historian, an honorary role!

Owens is sanguine about his situation. His love of the industry gives him an understanding about the business and succession plans.

“Everybody who is on air is there because somebody else is no longer on air.

“John Burns replaced Dean Banks at 3AW and there was anger at the time. Before that Ross and Dean replaced Bill Tuckey on breakfast. Current afternoon host Denis Walter replaced Ernie Sigley, Tom Elliott replaced Derryn Hinch. Stations need to do that to attract new audiences.

“Philip has enjoyed 30 years on Nightline and he has had a better run than most.”

Owens said Brady was upset initially, but will soldier on with the weekly timeslot.

What will Simon Owens do on weeknights now?

“I will be interested to find out what it is like to have dinner with my family. I might to invite Phil over to dinner to.”

Owens and Brady yesterday thanked regular contributors Andrew McLaren, Patti Newton, Paul Harris, Peter Hitchener, and Jim Schembri “who have been instrumental in keeping Nightline at number one for all these years”.

3AW’s historian yesterday noted Nightline started in March 1970 hosted by Don Taylor. “In it’s first year it would also be hosted by Donovan Joyce and John McIntosh. In 1971 Rev Alex Kenworthy took over the program followed by Bruce Mansfield and Philip Brady in 1991.

“Derryn Hinch hosted in 2000. Bruce and Phil returned in 2001. Since the sad passing of Bruce in 2016 the program has been hosted by Philip Brady and me.”

—

Top Photo: Simon Owens with Philip Brady and John Stanley

The global media landscape is dotted with Aussies doing interesting things, at the centre of some of the biggest stories, working within some of the most well-known media brands, building their own media businesses and working with some of the industry’s most high profile figures. 

In a continuing Mediaweek series, Aussie Abroad, Christian Murphy shines a light on some of our best media exports, kicking it on the global stage.

Tim Piper is one our most decorated creative minds. Over the last 20 years, he’s been responsible for some of the most viral advertising, including Unilever’s Dove Evolution, Dove Onslaught and the Becel Broken Escalator short, won most of the major advertising awards and been at the forefront or even ahead of some of the biggest global storytelling trends in the marketing and advertising business. 

But you’d be mistaken if you thought it all came about as a result of a grand, master plan that he plotted out growing up as a young bloke in suburban Adelaide.  His stellar career – he was listed as one of the World’s Top 50 Creative Thinkers by Creativity magazine and made Time magazine’s Top 200 Most Influential People in the World – is the result in large part to a constant love of doodling and a few key, almost accidental moments that have lead him to stunning success, landing him at the centre of the global advertising world in New York where he co-founded and co-runs a successful content storytelling business.

Coming from a long line of very successful lawyers dating back to 1882, who founded and ran one of the country’s most prestigious firms, he should have rightfully been advising clients on mergers and acquisitions. But as a young boy, his advanced illustration skills – perhaps drawn from his mother who was an illustrator and bit of an artist herself, encouraging Piper to draw – and love for writing comics ignited in him a deep desire to tell stories, setting his course down a different path to his father and brothers in the law. 

After a graphic design degree at the University of South Australia (Underdale), he started freelancing as a designer, doing brochure layouts and logos for local businesses. He was introduced to an advertising firm and discovered to his great surprise they made commercials in Adelaide. So he turned his attention to advertising, landing his first full time gig at Charterhouse, perhaps back in the day, the less prominent of the Adelaide ad agencies alongside Clemenger and Y&R who were filled with creative imports from Sydney, Melbourne and even the UK.  The Charterhouse experience turned out to be a game changer and set him on course to the career he’s built today.

Tim Piper with Odd Mom Out’s Jill Kargman

Charterhouse was creatively understaffed and its clients needed TV commercials. He wrote a script for the RAA, the agency’s most prized client. The agency brought in a highly awarded DOP to brief, because in order to save money and shoot on 35mm film there was no director assigned. While he had written the script, the only way he knew how to communicate his vision to the DOP was to draw it out, so he set about creating a shot by shot storyboard, landing his first role as a director, unbeknownst to him at the time, almost by accident.

The RAA spot, the first one Piper ever wrote and then directed, went on to win local awards, launched his career and gave insights into the creative process that have guided him ever since. Following stints at some of the biggest name global ad agency brands in Toronto (where he won a Grand Prix for Film for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, the top award at Cannes) and then in New York, he launched Piro, a multi award winning content and storytelling business he co-founded with Daniel Rosenberg (a TV and film producer and writer), focused on advertising and branded entertainment as well as traditional television and film projects. 

Piro is a unique creative shop “of the moment” in many respects, providing solutions that marketers desperately need to cut through and make an impact in a dynamically changing and fragmented media environment, like the groundbreaking branded entertainment series produced for US fast casual, Mexican food brand, Chiptole titled Farmed & Dangerous and Bravo’s basic cable scripted comedy, Odd Mom Out, which ran for three seasons and was a Time magazine Top 15 best new shows on TV selection, to name but a couple of Piro’s big successes.

Tim Piper Q&A:

As you look back on it today, what has stayed with you throughout your career from those early days? 

Piper: That first spot I did for the RAA taught me a lot it turns out, although I probably didn’t know it at the time. Fresh out of uni, with no experience as a director and not even aware at the time that I was actually the director on that spot, a tiny budget to work with and paired with a very experienced DOP, it was frankly quite overwhelming but we managed to make it work and probably because the DOP was very gentle with me and we worked well together. The spot went on to win one of the highest local awards and really cemented for me, as I look back, the importance of maintaining creative control. 

Over my career, I have worked on campaigns with huge budgets and employed some big name commercial directors, only to have regretted it! Because on campaigns with smaller budgets, I will usually write and direct myself and invariably get better results. For me, I like to be hands-on and in control of the creative process and execute to my vision, or I often feel disappointed with the outcome.  Executing a creative vision is one of the most nuanced aspects of the business, there are hard lessons learned when you execute the wrong way but you need those lessons to grow and improve. You can’t be afraid. You also have to be aware that out there is always a better creative vision. A different way to do something. So you have to know when to hand over creative control or when to listen to others more than yourself. And when not to. I’ve followed creative advice from other people who seem supremely confident only to regret it. And vice versa.

After such a prolonged period of success and many career highlights, what keeps you going?

It’s now a cliché, but it’s the ability to tell stories. It’s something that I’ve been doing since I was a child – doodling, drawing, writing comics, filming skits for the school dance, entertaining with story still keeps me really engaged, finding stories within the work we do. I look back on it now after having worked in recent years amongst real, long form story tellers in the film and TV projects we’ve done at Piro and see that advertising creativity is completely different to storytelling. There was a lot I had to learn and re-educate myself about regarding what good storytelling actually meant. 

I had some instinctive knowledge: stories have a beginning, middle and end and in my work, there is always a strong structural sensibility to it, but the really big learning has been that the most powerful tool in storytelling is emotion – not the look, style, the aesthetic. Sounds obvious, but I would often get hung up on little details that don’t matter to storytelling – they just mattered to me as an artist and I would lose the bigger picture. I see advertising writers and directors fall into this trap all the time now. Focusing on the emotion of the story and drawing that out of the characters – in new and interesting ways, with twists and ups and downs, is far more important than getting the set or lighting just right.

You co-wrote and directed a series for Chipotle (a major U.S. fast casual, Mexican grill food brand) called Farmed and Dangerous (2014), a scripted comedy which premiered on Hulu (direct to consumer SVOD service like Stan, Netflix). How did the project come about and was it successful?

I’ll jump to the successful part because it’s a highlight. 800% return on investment and found to be one of the most persuasive pieces of content in the entertainment space. The CMO at Chipotle was looking to do something different for the brand, which was an upstart in the fast casual restaurant category in the US and was exploding at that time. He wanted to create something that would drive an outsized impact through PR basically because they didn’t have any budget for traditional media, they just couldn’t afford it.  He found a web series which I had co-written and directed for shredded wheat cereal called “Putting the ‘NO’ in Innovation” and he really responded to the type of humour in that series and felt it was a good brand fit for what he wanted to do with Chipotle.  So, he brought us in, walked us through what the brand stood for and agreed to fund development to build out story ideas. In one of our collaborative brain storming sessions with the client, we asked “who are your enemies, your friends, your stories and what story do you want to tell?”

Chipotle actually had a very strong point of view on this – their food is fresh, healthy, handmade in the shop and focused on organic, sustainable ingredients, nothing processed – and their biggest “enemy” or what they stood against was the industrialization and corporatization of the American food system.  They were very concerned about what was happening to it and pointed out many enemies who were creating a system to enrich themselves – massive agricultural corporations, industry bodies and lobby groups – by manipulation and telling un-truths to drive their agenda. 

To tell the Chipotle story, the obvious reaction and potential route would be to make a documentary like Food Ink which many others have done and are still doing today, but Chipotle didn’t want to do that, they felt it would be too depressing for the issues they wanted to take on and they wanted a brand payoff as well, something more positive and were very open to humour as a way to achieve that.  In their world there were great archetypal characters that were real to them, ‘villains’ who were causing great harm and mischief within the American food system, greedy CEO’s, manipulative lobby and PR groups, industry bodies who were trying to manipulate consumers and tell un-truths.

Immediately we saw an opportunity to make fun of these evil people, ridicule them and create a good guy that stands for the Chipotle brand. With the bigger idea cracked, we got to work on a script for a pilot using a more traditional long form storytelling approach. We set up a writer’s room and installed a seasoned TV writer and an Oscar nominated screen writer, possibly the first time this approach was contemplated for a brand story and set about developing story ideas, character and narrative arcs and wrote the pilot. Continuing the more traditional, long form story telling approach, we bought the pilot script back to the Chipotle boardroom and did a table read with five actors, like you would for a regular TV pilot or a movie.  

What happened next though, really surprised us. Chipotle wanted to push the dark humor further and asked us to “blow up a cow”. Actually blow up a cow. In the script. The cow ended up being a giant metaphor for what they felt was happening in the American food system and would serve as an outrageous and genius visual trigger to make a strong statement and impact. We filmed the pilot, a half hour show for the cost of a 60 second commercial and when we showed it to Chipotle, they asked us to produce more, investing in a further three half hours.

So now, we really are all in. With no media budget to support the roll out, this really had to work for Chipotle. And thankfully it did. Beyond their and our wildest expectations. The release of the trailer alone achieved all media benchmarks set up for the whole campaign. Organic, earned PR out surpassed any media campaign spend they’d ever done, achieving an 800% return on spend which was analysed by an independent third party. 

The series was the only branded entertainment project included in The Participant Index – a media-impact research system from Participant Media, partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that examines the “social impact” of entertainment on its audience – alongside projects like The Inconvenient Truth, Food Ink, Waiting for Superman, Lincoln and documentaries on social issues like fracking and sustainability. Farmed and Dangerous beat every other project in making an impact. The research – against a panel of 5,000 participants (I’m not sure if quoting me on it) who had to watch every project submitted – showed that people changed their eating habits after seeing the series.

Author Note on Awards for Farmed and Dangerous:

Cannes Lion for branded Content and effectiveness finalist
Clio Awards for Branded Entertainment and Content
Most successful series premiere on Hulu at the time.

Farmed and Dangerous is without doubt a pioneer in the space and arguably one of the most successful branded entertainment series of all time, what lead to its success and has the impact of this success lead to an increase in this story driven approach to marketing by brands?

There were lots of factors that lead to the series success.  Brands now have a massive distribution ecosystem at their fingertips, where they can self-publish great stories without having to go through a third party.  I think fundamental to the success of Farmed and Dangerous was that we created a story for the brand that was based in truth, that reflected what they believe in and stand for in terms of their values and we found a unique way to bring that to life through story and strong characters.  We found a way to create a story inspired by the brand’s POV.  We stacked the deck in our favor by bringing on an Oscar nominated writer and TV writer. These guys cost less than freelance advertising writers btw. The other really key factor here of course was our partner at Chipotle and the CMO, Mark Crumpacker in particular. Mark was incredibly supportive and really pushed us to take it as far as we could with the story and characters.

In terms of the current branded entertainment landscape, Farmed and Dangerous was produced at a time when the space was becoming very buzzy and lots of brands were talking about the importance of content and storytelling in their marketing and we were held up across the industry as the ‘gold standard’.  And while branded entertainment is still a much talked about space and there is a lot more emphasis on content as a marketing tool, I feel brands are generally struggling with how to execute emotional storytelling.  This, coupled with the challenging business model around content and storytelling – it’s expensive, it takes time and you need a very strategic distribution plan in place even if you’re self-publishing – makes proving out an ROI with traditional marketing metrics or metrics not aligned with the project, very challenging.

For brands that are brave enough to try this approach – and if you do get it right, it can deliver outsized returns and is well worth the investment – the real trick is to figure out from a brand perspective, what story is worth telling and adjusting the storytelling to fit that purpose in a truly authentic and emotional way.  And if there’s not a story to tell, be honest with yourself and shift strategy, do something more traditional like a stunt, promotion or something that will achieve those overall brand objectives and metrics.

Tomorrow: Tim Piper on his New York creative agency Piro, working with Kendall Jenner for Estee Lauder and working in the US and Canada. 

See also:
Christian Murphy’s Aussie Abroad:
Marketer Melissa Madden, born to be a global brand builder

Located at the Sky News Sydney Centre, the new weather studio is being called the most advanced in the country and will broadcast live rolling updates, extended coverage during severe weather, and cutting-edge temperature and storm forecast graphics to keep Australians up-to-date on local and global weather-related news.

The channel’s team of on-air meteorologists includes chief meteorologist Tom Saunders, meteorologist Rob Sharpe, and presenters Jaynie Seal, Samantha Chiari, Kristie Lloyd, Shelley Lee, Rachel Raez and Lucy Polkinghorne.

Sky News Weather has further expanded its expertise with the appointment of Alison Osborne, previously a Maritime Geospatial Officer with the Royal Australian Navy, who joins Sky News Weather as a broadcast meteorologist.

Now in its ninth year, Sky News Weather has released its annual long-range Severe Weather Outlook 2019/2020, prepared by Sky News Weather’s Tom Saunders.

Sky News Weather will deliver around-the-clock updates as Australia heads into the severe weather season facing unprecedented conditions. A multi-year drought crippling the nation has further intensified through 2019 with parts of the country enduring the hottest and driest start to a year on record.

The new studio comes as the Sky News Weather channel celebrates its 20th year of broadcasting in Australia. Having first launched in 1999 under the name Weather 21, Sky News Weather now broadcasts more than a thousand forecasts per month along with a wealth of other weather-related programming and an interactive digital weather service on Foxtel. The channel is home to Australia’s largest team of broadcast meteorologists and weather presenters.

Paul Whittaker, Sky News chief executive said: “As we approach severe weather season, Sky News Weather is committed to delivering Australia’s most accurate and timely forecasts to keep Australians informed in new and engaging ways. Our investment in our new studio, graphics, and video-on-demand service highlights our commitment to viewers of Australia’s only 24-hour weather channel. The appointment of Alison comes at a pivotal time as we strengthen our weather team and as the channel marks 20 years on air.”

Sky News Weather also offers Weather Active allowing viewers to access detailed weather forecasts and radars for their suburb at the touch of the red button on the Foxtel remote.

—

Photo: Sky Weather meteorologists Alison Osborne and Tom Saunders Source: News Corp Australia

The awards, which uncover and honour ordinary Australians who make an extraordinary contribution to the community, launched yesterday (Sunday September 22) across News Corp Australia’s metropolitan, regional and community titles. In addition, their stories will also be broadcast on Seven News each week.

This year the awards will again tell the stories of unassuming men, women and children whom fate has thrown into life and death situations. It could include our servicemen and women, children who have shown bravery beyond their years, or volunteers and others who work to raise much-needed funds for charity and those individuals who spend their lives helping others.

Since News Corp Australia launched the awards in 2005 about 700 Australians, chosen from among tens of thousands of nominees, have been honoured.

The Pride of Australia Awards support the notion that there is no greater measure of a society’s strength than its ability to recognise, learn from and reward its true heroes and were inspired by The New York Post’s Liberty Medal, established following the September 11 terror attacks.

News Corp Australia’s community ambassador Penny Fowler urged Australians to nominate someone in their local community.

“Our editorial teams are seeking to tell the stories of those who deserve recognition despite never seeking the spotlight. They might be part of a local sporting club, school or volunteer organisation; someone who has defied the odds, or whose heroic acts have demonstrated extreme courage,” she said.

“If you think back over the 15-year history of the program it’s remarkable to consider that we’ve honoured some 700 exceptional individuals whose selfless and kind deeds towards others would have gone unnoticed without it. And those 700 are just a snapshot of the many thousands more worthy people our readers have nominated.

 “This shows the unique role our mastheads play in helping build stronger communities.”

Craig McPherson, Seven Network director news and public affairs, said: “Seven News is proud to partner with News Corp for the second year to highlight those who have made a difference in our community. We live in a world where our unsung heroes are not always recognised. We’re honoured to be able to share the stories of ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things.”

Former News Corp executive and now executive general manager, Community and Consumer at Australia Post, Nicole Sheffield, said: “Australia Post is delighted to again be supporting the Pride of Australia Awards in partnership with News Corp Australia and Seven News.

“We are proudly Australian, with a clear purpose of helping communities across Australia to thrive. These awards are all about recognising and thanking everyday Australians, our local community heroes, who are doing extraordinary things to help others.”

Nominations will remain open for a month and close on Monday October 21. Judging will take place in early November

Medal ceremonies will be staged in early December in each state, and a selection of national winners will be revealed at an event in mid-December.

Last year’s national winners included:

Amy Kenny & Hannah Keane (pictured above)
Brave teenage girls who were looking forward to a quiet movie night but did not think twice about jumping into the surf to save two drowning men. The 15-year-old school girls were lauded as heroes by emergency workers for saving the tourists on a near-deserted Lorne beach in Victoria.

Debbie Organ

A good Samaritan who rescued a homeless man’s dog, befriended the man, and ended up becoming lifelong friends, ultimately saving his life.

Lex Petersen and Patrick Drinan

This duo will be forever connected by the tragic events of March 24 last year when they saved a four-year-old boy from a house fire in Kingaroy that the child’s two younger brothers and his Dad.

Melanie Tate

Every week – be it through community food nights, kids’ discos, or camps – Puddle Jumpers is helping disadvantaged kids. After years of working in the not-for-profit sector, Camden Park’s Melanie Tate decided it was time for an organisation dedicated to children, especially those who are not with their birth parents, and so she invented Puddle Jumpers – with its motto “Because Kids Matter”.

Mohit Tolani

Mohit was selected for his expertise in dental care providing services to indigenous and marginalised populations as well as HIV patients.

Taking viewers on a journey from the high pressure Ambulance Triple Zero Operations Centre, to the paramedics on the road who are forced to make split second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death.

With a staggering 1,235,793 responses to incidents during the 2017 – 2018 financial year, the most of any state, Queensland is the perfect location to capture the raw reality of life as a paramedic.

Network Ten chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said: “Network 10 is thrilled Ambulance Australia is back in production for its third season, and this time, from sunny Queensland. The heart-warming and often heartbreaking cases, together with Ambulance Australia’s compelling approach to storytelling has resonated so powerfully with Australian viewers. With the most number of responses to incidents of any state, we can’t wait to see the Queensland paramedics in action.”

Endemol Shine CEO Mark Fennessy said: “Ambulance Australia is a truly unique series of which we’re enormously proud. Season three promises to be the most compelling yet as filming moves to the Sunshine State for the very first time. We look forward to showcasing the brilliant work of the Queensland Ambulance service.”

Ambulance Australia is produced by Endemol Shine Australia for Network 10 and will return to television screens in 2020.

Outstanding Drama Series
Game Of Thrones, HBO 

Outstanding Comedy Series
Fleabag, Prime Video 

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Jodie Comer as Villanelle, Killing Eve, BBC America

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Jason Bateman, Ozark  Episode: Reparations, Netflix • Media Rights Capital

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Billy Porter as Pray Tell, Pose, FX 

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore, Ozark, Netflix 

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Jesse Armstrong, Succession, Episode: Nobody Is Ever Missing , HBO 

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Game Of Thrones, HBO

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver , HBO 

John Oliver

Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series
Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live Host: Adam Sandler, NBC

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Saturday Night Live , NBC 

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
Dan Gurewitch, Senior Writer
Jeff Maurer, Senior Writer
Jill Twiss, Senior Writer
Juli Weiner, Senior Writer
Tim Carvell, Written by
Raquel D’Apice, Written by
Josh Gondelman, Written by
Daniel O’Brien, Written by
John Oliver, Written by
Owen Parsons, Written by
Charlie Redd, Written by
Joanna Rothkopf, Written by
Ben Silva, Written by
Seena Vali, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, HBO

Outstanding Limited Series
Chernobyl, HBO

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon, FX Networks

Michelle Williams

Outstanding Television Movie
Bandersnatch (Black Mirror), Netflix 

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie
Jharrel Jerome as Korey Wise, When They See Us, Netflix

Jharrel Jerome

Outstanding Writing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special
Craig Mazin, Chernobyl, HBO

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie
Ben Whishaw as Norman, A Very English Scandal, Prime Video

Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special
Johan Renck, Chernobyl, HBO

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie
Patricia Arquette as Dee Dee Blanchard, The Act, Hulu

Outstanding Competition Program
RuPaul’s Drag Race, VH1

RuPaul’s Drag Race team

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Fleabag, Fleabag, Prime Video

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Bill Hader as Barry, Barry • HBO

Bill Hader

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
Harry Bradbeer, Directed by Fleabag, Episode 1, Prime Video

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag, Episode 1 • Prime Video

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Prime Video

Alex Borstein

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Tony Shalhoub as Abe Weissman, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Prime Video, Amazon Studios

Tony Shalhoub

The top network was HBO while the most successful show was Game of Thrones and the most successful individuals were Free Solo’s Jimmy Chin and Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

By Trent Thomas

In a heavy turnover week at the Australian box office, there are three new entries to the top five with Ad Astra, Good Boys, and Rambo: Last Blood which has contributed to a 12% increase in box office revenue after making $11.95m.

The films to make way this week in the top five are The Angry Birds Movie 2, Angel Has Fallen, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood which lasted five weeks in the top five and has made $20.19m to date.

#1 Downton Abbey $2.25m

The continuation of the English drama has kept bringing Australian audiences through the door as it averaged $4,991 on 452 screens, which was the most screens in Australia this weekend.

#2 Ad Astra $1.94m

The Sci-Fi flick starring Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones has debuted in the number two spot after narrowly falling behind Downton Abbey despite averaging more per screen with $5,351 on 364 screens.

#3 IT : Chapter 2 $1.39m

The conclusion of the horror story originally penned by Stephen King in the novel by the same name continues to bring in a large Aussie audience making an average of $4,580 on 305 screens bringing its total to $13.15m.

#4 Good Boys $1.27m

The American comedy has had a strong first week after producing the highest average per film over the past weekend making $5,601 on 227 screens.

#5 Rambo: Last Blood $976,901

The conclusion to the Rambo franchise which began in 1982 brings Sylvester Stallone back one final time and opened on 263 screens making an average of $3,714

Monday Week 39 2019

By James Manning 

• Seven News 1,010,000/1,030,000
• Nine News 892,000/941,000
• A Current Affair 804,000
• ABC News 673,000
• 7.30 579,000
• The Project 287,000/527,000
• 10 News First 343,000
• The Drum 188,000
• SBS World News 148,000

Breakfast TV

• Sunrise 299,000
• Today 169,000

Seven

It was a good Monday for the channel in both early morning and late night.

Sunrise was just on 300,000, some 130,000 viewers ahead of Today in metro markets.

Home and Away started its week on 529,000, but it didn’t screen at 7pm in Adelaide and Perth.

The Brownlow Medal Red Carpet coverage did 546,000. It was down from 633,000 the previous year.

The actual Brownlow Medal count, hosted by Hamish McLachlan for the first time, then did 880,000, after 866,000 last year.

Nine

Nine found it self in third spot which doesn’t happen often.

A Current Affair started its week on 804,000.

The Block started with the Blockheads reviewing each others kitchens before work started on living rooms ahead of what is being hyped as a cheating scandal tonight. The Monday episode did 801,000, down from 940,000 last week.

This Time Next Year then did 395,000.

10

Family friendly entertainment is delivering the biggest audiences for the right formats at present. Earlier this year Nine struck gold with Lego Masters. Now 10 seems to have tapped a similar vein with The Masked Singer.

The format launched last night with 1.162m viewers to rank #1 all people and in all key demos. Just as Lego Masters kept the audience coming back for more after its big launch, 10 will be hoping for more of the same from The Masked Singer. There was concern about its numbers up against The Brownlow Medal on Seven, but the mystery singing format has debuted strongly with a victory.

Earlier in the night Masked Singer judge Danii Minogue was helping spruik the show on The Project with 527,000 watching.

Network 10’s chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said this morning:

“We’re really excited to have launched The Masked Singer last night. The show topped the night as a national conversation kicked off to guess which celebrities were behind the mask. It was our biggest launch since I’m A Celebrity in 2015.

“Congratulations and thank you to Jackie, Lindsay, Dave, Danni and Osher, the brave celebrities and the amazing team behind the scenes at Warmer Bros and 10 who have done a brilliant job in launching the series. The fun continues tonight as an international star is revealed.”

The Masked Singer was a great lead-in for Have You Been Paying Attention? which has had a third consecutive week over 800,000.

ABC

Part two of Paul Hogan’s Australian Story special did 696,000 after 795,000 a week ago.

Four Corners then did 564,000, Media Watch was on 425,000 and Q&A did 278,000.

SBS

SBS News had the channel’s biggest audience with 148,000 after 6.30pm.

A repeat episode of Elizabeth then did 133,000.