Rampart takes its journalism to oOh!media after Nine split

Joe Aston’s Rampart has signed an exclusive out-of-home content deal with oOh!media. From 16 November 2026, its business and finance journalism will run on more than 6,300 lift-and-lobby screens in office buildings across Australia. The deal comes less than two months after Nine’s The Australian Financial Review (AFR) cut ties with the independent publisher.

The move puts Rampart on a network that competes with Nine for advertising dollars. Until September, Nine had backed the masthead Aston started after leaving the AFR.

Under the agreement, oOh! becomes the exclusive out-of-home partner for Rampart’s reporting on business, finance and the economy. The content will run on oOh!’s Office network next to material from Rampart’s two podcasts, Rampart Talks and Rampart Weekly, which look at the companies, people and power structures shaping Australia.

Rampart’s advertisers can also have their content cut into short-form formats and run across the Office network.

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How the AFR relationship ended

The Australian Financial Review severed its relationship with Rampart in late September. That reversed an earlier promise to keep supporting its former star columnist’s new publication. Nine had planned to keep publishing Aston’s monthly column and to provide Rampart with legal support. Both arrangements have ended.

The Australian reported that Nine publishing boss Tory Maguire made the final call. Her decision followed the resignation of AFR Editor-in-Chief James Chessell, who quit to join Aston. At Rampart, Chessell will lead the editorial team, write a regular column, and co-host a weekly news vodcast with Aston, due to launch in early 2027.

In August, Rampart announced it had raised $2.3 million from investors and hired several full-time journalists.

Aston and oOh! on the deal

Aston called the partnership a milestone for the publication:

“Independent journalism plays a vital role in scrutinising corporate power and shaping the conversation around Australian business. oOh!media offers a compelling way to bring Rampart to a wider audience of business leaders and decision-makers, placing our journalism in the environments where they work. This partnership marks an important milestone in Rampart’s growth and our ambition to become an essential read for Australia’s business leaders."

oOh!media Chief Product and Marketing Officer Bel Harper said the publisher was a natural fit for the network’s professional audience.

“Rampart has quickly established itself as one of the most respected voices in Australian journalism. Its commitment to quality journalism and telling the stories that matter to Australia’s business community makes Rampart a standout addition to our Office network, delivering trusted, relevant content for professional audiences every day,” said Harper.

oOh!’s news push

oOh! has been adding premium news and content across its national network. Rampart joins lifestyle content from Vogue and Broadsheet on the network. The deal also follows oOh!’s recent agreement with SBS to bring news content to its screens.