This year is about delivering on the new verticals that were introduced to the website following the redesign: Quick and Easy, Baking, Healthy, and Entertaining. The new verticals reflect the way that users browse Taste.com.au, Myers-Cooke said. “Usually when you update a website you’d expect to see a drop of about 10-20%, because of URL changes and what not. But all of our numbers went up.”
With over 50,000 recipes and 3.04 million unique browsers (November 2017), Taste.com.au is the biggest food website in Australia. “We are definitely a digital-first brand,” Myers-Cooke said. “We use digital to drive our magazine stories.”
The biggest food trend from 2017 “that can’t be ignored”, according to Myers-Cooke, is the rise of vegetarianism, veganism and meat-free food. “These were things that were much more niche five years ago. These things have blasted into the mainstream in the biggest way possible in the last 12 months.”
She predicted this trend would continue to rise in popularity this year. “Health generally is bigger than it’s ever been in food. People of all ages are really excited by healthy eating,” Myers-Cooke said.
At the end of 2017, Taste.com.au conducted a survey with 11,000 people about their food consumption habits. The results showed an overall health rating of 57/100. As a result of this, the title launched a health campaign on 28 December 2017 called Eat Real. “It’s about encouraging people to eat more fruits and vegetables as a starting point, and then more whole foods generally – less of the processed foods,” Myers-Cooke said.
Continued at mediaweek.com.au.
SCA chief creative officer Guy Dobson told Mediaweek: “We have been listening to the audience and what they want to hear more of and we are just implementing that.”
He emphasised that some of the station staples remain: “We are still playing the hits and still playing the old-school.
“We take stock at the end of every year and work out what we need to do for the next year.”
When asked about any change to the target demo, Dobson said: “We are still largely targeting who we targeted last year, although we may be going slightly older.”
When asked if 2Day FM was moving into an older market currently serviced musically by WSFM and smoothfm, Dobson replied: “We are not playing the Bee Gees‘ ‘Massachusetts’ and we are not playing America‘s ‘Sister Golden Hair’. When you start hearing those songs on 2Day you can say we are moving into that territory.”
2Day FM did play the Bee Gees this morning though – they were heard via the sample in N-Trance‘s reworking of “Stayin’ Alive”.
When pressed about how much the music was changing, Dobson stressed there hadn’t been too much a change of direction. He then added Michael Bublé to the lists of artists you won’t hear on 2Day. “We are nowhere near playing any of that sort of music.”
He added: “We are just doing what is right for the 2Day brand. There has been a gradual progression over the summer [with regard to our music position].”
Amazon Music has announced Amazon Music Unlimited will become available in Australia and New Zealand starting February 1, giving music lovers in both countries access to a catalogue of more than 45 million songs and hundreds of playlists and personalised stations.
Amazon Music Unlimited features hits from today’s top artists including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Khalid, and Big Sean, as well as hundreds of hand-curated playlists and personalised stations highlighting local musicians including Vance Joy, Courtney Barnett, Gang of Youths, Sia and Morgan Evans.
Beginning February 1, new subscribers can sign up for a free 90-day trial of Amazon Music Unlimited for a limited time, and discover the catalogue of unlimited, ad-free music streaming within the Amazon Music app for iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and on any Web browser at www.amazon.com.au/music.
Beginning today, customers in Australia can preorder an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Plus at www.amazon.com.au/echo, www.amazon.com.au/echodot and www.amazon.com.au/echoplus, with devices beginning to ship early next month.
Customers in Australia and New Zealand may also purchase devices at select major retailers in early February.
Customers who purchase an Echo device are able to ask Alexa to discover and listen to the music they want based on mood, genre, era, artist name, and song or album title.
“We’ve seen phenomenal feedback from customers who use Amazon Music Unlimited, and we’re thrilled to bring an entirely new world of music streaming possibilities to listeners in Australia and New Zealand,” said Sean McMullan, head of international expansion for Amazon Music. “We’re opening doors for our customers to have access to an incredible catalogue of music, and to be able to listen to some of their favourite artists while using the power of voice in exciting new ways.”
Amazon Music Unlimited offers more than 150 playlists and stations featuring popular and emerging artists from the region. Tailored by local Amazon Music experts, playlists include “Women Crush Wednesday” showcasing talented female singers from Australia and New Zealand, “Australian Rock Royalty” featuring five decades of music from rock legends, while “Top 50 Australia” and “Top 40 New Zealand” present songs from local charts, updated weekly so users can easily discover what’s trending and popular in their countries.
With the coming expansion, subscribers to the Individual Plan and Family Plan in Australia and New Zealand will have access to the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android, making a catalogue of more than 45 million songs available ad-free for offline playback on mobile devices, anywhere and any time without an internet connection.
Amazon Music Unlimited will be available through three monthly plan options: the Echo Plan, offering full access to Amazon Music Unlimited at the breakthrough price of A$4.99/month on a single Echo, Echo Dot or Echo Plus; the Individual Plan at A$11.99/month; or the Family Plan, coming soon, which will allow up to six members of a household to share a subscription for just A$17.99/month.
WEDNESDAY METRO | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Seven | Nine | Ten | SBS | |||||
ABC | 8.2% | 7 | 22.0% | 9 | 14.4% | TEN | 15.6% | SBS One | 5.1% |
ABC 2 | 2.6% | 7TWO | 4.1% | GO! | 3.8% | ONE | 4.5% | VICELAND | 2.4% |
ABC ME | 0.8% | 7mate | 3.5% | GEM | 2.2% | ELEVEN | 2.8% | Food Net | 0.9% |
NEWS 24 | 1.5% | 7flix | 2.4% | 9Life | 3.0% | NITV | 0.1% | ||
TOTAL | 13.2% | 32.0% | 23.5% | 22.9% | 8.5% |
WEDNESDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | Ten Affiliates | SBS | |||||
ABC | 7.0% | 7 | 20.0% | 9 | 13.3% | WIN | 15.9% | SBS One | 4.4% |
ABC 2 | 2.8% | 7TWO | 5.6% | GO! | 5.5% | ONE | 4.4% | VICELAND | 2.7% |
ABC ME | 1.1% | 7mate | 2.8% | GEM | 3.9% | ELEVEN | 2.4% | Food Net | 1.1% |
NEWS 24 | 1.6% | 7flix | 2.8% | 9Life | 2.7% | NITV | 0.1% | ||
TOTAL | 12.5% | 31.2% | 25.4% | 22.7% | 8.3% |
WEDNESDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FTA | STV | ||||||||
86.8% | 13.2% |
Shares all people, 6pm-midnight, Overnight (Live and AsLive), Audience numbers FTA metro, Sub TV national
Source: OzTAM and Regional TAM 2018. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) without the prior written consent of OzTAM
16-39 Top 5
18-49 Top 5
25-54 Top 5
The audience was split between the Australian Open on the screens of Seven and the Big Bash League on TEN.
Seven’s Australian Open averaged 686,000 on the primary channel while a second feed on 7mate averaged 88,000 for the evening session. The streaming audience continues to post strong growth with the day three numbers up 63% year-on-year.
TEN is again able to boast that the second session of the Big Bash League outrated the tennis 25-54 and all people. The midweek cricket clash was up over 80% for both sessions of the same game in 2017.
The best non-news audiences elsewhere included Nine’s The Voice Kids UK with 295,000 watching the final.
QI did best on ABC at 8pm with 355,000 watching Matt Lucas and broadcaster and actor Liza Tarbuck on the panel.
Vikings is up to episode eight already with more blood and gore and 142,000 watching on SBS. Earlier in the night a doco on the Brooklyn Bridge and then Simon Reeve in Turkey both did 230,000.
OVO is focused on building a telecommunications offering around an entertainment platform – specialising in sports content.
A number of sports have signed OVO on as their exclusive digital broadcasting partner including Gymnastics Australia, Water Polo Australia, Supercheap Auto V8 Supercars team, 400 Thunder Drag Racing and World SuperBikes.
In addition to the SCA deal, OVO has further secured its ongoing relationship with Optus, signing a fresh five-year exclusive mobile contract. As an MVNO, OVO Mobile services operate on the Optus 4G Plus network.
Read more at mediaweek.com.au.
Photo: OVO CEO Matt Jones
The Facebook algorithm change that has publishers panicking may be good news for a certain group inside the industry: influencers and their followers, reports Digiday.
As Facebook decides to favour content from friends and family over posts from (certain) publishers, agency buyers are telling clients to focus more on influencer content.
Facebook is telling agencies they won’t see any major changes for paid promotion, although ad rates might increase.
But influencer marketing seems poised to benefit the most from the change: When done on its own, influencer content essentially mimics content from friends and family.
Goa’s digital billboard network has long been situated in the greater Brisbane area on prime advertising real estate.
That network now extends into Queensland’s major tourist destination and the home of the forthcoming 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The new site reaches a collective audience of over 900,000 people per week.
Goa has more sites planned in premium locations on the Gold Coast with a major announcement due in early 2018, just prior to the Commonwealth Games.
In late 2017, the commercial teams were reshaped with a vertical focus under the pillars of business and government comprising finance, retail, government, energy & resources, tech & telco, and luxury and lifestyle encompassing travel, auto, food & entertainment, luxury and sport & wagering.
Walker joins the luxury and lifestyle division as head of travel. She will oversee Fairfax Media’s extensive travel vertical and brings to Fairfax an impressive history of travel experience including more than a decade at global travel agency The Travel Corporation.
Read more at mediaweek.com.au.
Australian actor Jessica Falkholt has been remembered for her bubbly personality and contagious smile following her death as a result of the horror road smash that also killed her parents and sister, reports The Australian’s Emily Ritchie.
The 29-year-old found fame on the small screen as Hope Morrison in Home and Away, with the long-running TV soap paving the way for her feature film debut in the forthcoming supernatural thriller Harmony.
AAP noted:
The rising star had nurtured her love of acting while completing a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication at the University of NSW, where she starred in several theatrical society productions including musical Cabaret.
After graduating, she found production jobs at the Seven Network and Carnival Films, and began building a portfolio of acting work thanks to television commercials.
Following her graduation from acting school, Summer Bay beckoned with the young actress scoring a role on Home and Away as Hope Morrison for 16 episodes in 2016.
Seven released a statement yesterday that said:
Seven and the entire Home And Away family are heartbroken to hear of Jessica Falkholt’s passing.
Jessica’s shining talent was recognised and respected by all her castmates and crew and her beautiful friendship treasured.
We send our sincere condolences to her extended family and friends during this difficult time.
The tech giant, estimated to enter the scripted genre with a budget of US$1 billion in its first year, recently paid what sources say is upward of $1.25 million per episode to stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon for its 20-episode untitled morning-show drama. The eye-popping salaries also include fees for executive producing and points on the show’s backend. And that payday directly impacted the recently announced second season of HBO’s smash hit Big Little Lies, sources say.
Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, say sources, received between $250,000 and $350,000 an episode for season one, plus exec producer fees and points off the show’s backend. Those numbers skyrocketed for season two not only because of the show’s success, but also because of the precedent of the massive payday Witherspoon scored from Apple.
Sources say the duo is getting in the $1 million-an-episode ballpark for season two, as well as points off the show’s backend and EP fees.