News Brands
Sky News presenter Piers Morgan a surprise guest at Sydney Opera House dinner
Fearless international commentator and new Sky News presenter Piers Morgan was a surprise guest at a power-packed dinner to celebrate the broadcaster’s 25th anniversary on Wednesday night, reports News Corp’s
Matthew Benns.
The dinner for more than 100 of Australia’s biggest movers and shakers at Bennelong Restaurant inside the Sydney Opera House was also attended by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny and News Corp co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch and his wife Sarah.
Sky News Australia chief executive Paul Whittaker, who co-hosted the event with Broadcasting News Corp Australia chief executive Siobhan McKenna, said: “From our humble beginnings in 1996 to now, 25 years on, as we gear up to cover our 10th Federal Election, I’m proud to say … we are the country’s unrivalled leader in political news coverage.
Guests at the dinner, who also included News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller, Harvey Norman executive chairman Gerry Harvey and chief executive Katie Page, Crown chief executive Steve McCann and The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph editors Ben English and Mick Carroll, were entertained by X Factor winner Isaiah Firebrace.
Also attending were former Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard, Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo
Top Photo: Paul Whittaker and Piers Morgan, credit: Ross Coffey/News Corp
Lachlan Murdoch flies Piers Morgan into Sydney after brief stop in Hawaii for cocktails
Lachlan Murdoch has quietly flown into Australia with his multi-million dollar signing Piers Morgan, reports Daily Mail Australia’s Kevin Airs.
British TV host Morgan stepped off Murdoch’s AU$90million Gulfstream G650 private jet in Sydney on Monday night after a brief cocktail stop in Hawaii.
Morgan, 56, who is believed to have secured a massive AU$95million deal over three years from News Corp, posted a picture of himself enjoying a 1am Mai Tai on the tarmac in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Morgan, who is the former editor-at-large of Daily Mail Australia, has vowed to continue his war on ‘cancel culture’ on his new show, which will be broadcast on Sky News in Australia and Fox in the U.S.
Agencies
Resolution Digital announces six promotions to senior team
Resolution Digital has bolstered its senior leadership team with six promotions from within the full-service digital agency.
Jacques Kaladchibachi has been appointed as national head of activation, he will be responsible for meeting the growing needs of agency partners and expanding teams. His previous remit as head of activation Sydney will be divided into two roles to align the programmatic, search and social services across all markets.
Taking over Kaladchibachi’s position as head of activation Sydney is Kirsty Kapp. She will be supporting the OMD business.
Hayley Monteiro will also step into the head of activation Sydney role, she will support PHD, Hearts & Science, Resolution Digital and Foundation.
Mohammad Heidari Far has been appointed to chief product officer and will be responsible for ensuring Resolution Digital is providing best in class solutions across the full digital user journey.
He has been a central part of Resolution Digital, growing his team from 30 to 58 employees, and launching several new products and services in Australia.
Stepping up to national managing director is Matthew Keegan who will be a pivotal figure for growing the business, building the agency’s brand, and implementing the overarching business strategy.
Benton Goodbrand has been appointed to Melbourne managing director, he will lead and build the fast-growing Resolution Digital brand in the Victorian capital.
Social Media
IAS research reveals Australian use and perceptions of social media and in-feed ads
Research by Integral Ad Science (IAS) has provided a snapshot of Australian consumers’ use and perceptions of social media in-feed ads, which are a format inside a user’s social feed.
The company surveyed more than 500 Australian social media users to get an insight into views of in-feed advertising on social media environments, social media behaviour and how brands can adapt in the year ahead.
The study revealed that social media is the most effective channel for advertisers to reach Australians online with 91% currently using at least one account.
It found that 79%, or nearly eight in ten, Australian consumers engaged with an ad on social media over the past year with the highest engagement being on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
The results from the survey noted that Australians are cautious of inappropriate ads on social media environments with 40% agreeing that the increase of fake news has made them less trusting of ads on their social feeds.
More than half of those surveyed, 51%, believe personal content of social media makes them aware of inappropriate ads on platforms.
It found that 44% of consumers will have negative perceptions of a brand if the ad appears next to content that is inappropriate and does not align with the brand’s image. Meanwhile, almost 7 out of 10 consumers (66%) are unlikely to purchase a product or service advertised on social feeds next to unsafe content.
The IAS study also noted that almost 5 out of 10 Australian consumers (48%) are likely to remember an in-feed ad if its message relates to the adjacent social content. Meanwhile 40% of consumers are likely to purchase a product or service advertised on their social feed if it is related to the content being viewed, making for improved memorability.
Meta launches Facebook Reels in Australia
Meta has announced Facebook Reels is now available in Australia on iOS and Android, along with 150 countries around the world.
The expanded availability will now give better ways for creators to earn money, including new creation tools, as well as more places to watch and create Facebook Reels.
Video now accounts for almost half of the time people spend on Facebook and Instagram with Reels becoming the fastest-growing content format by far.
As a result, Meta is focused on making Reels the best way for creators to get discovered, connect with their audience and earn money – as well as the most fun and simplest tool for people to find and share relevant, entertaining content.
The tech giant is also building direct monetisation options for Facebook Reels through ad revenue share and fan support to help creators earn meaningful income in addition to in-stream ads and Stars.
Tests of Facebook Reels Overlay Ads will be expanded to creators in the US, Canada and Mexico. This will start with two formats: banner ads that appear as a semi-transparent overlay at the bottom of a Facebook Reel, and sticker ads: a static image ad that can be placed by a creator anywhere within their reel.
These non-interruptive ads enable creators to earn a portion of the ad revenue. By mid-March, these tests will expand to creators in nearly all countries where in-stream ads are available.
Additional features creators around Australia will be able to access include Remix – which is creating a reel alongside an existing, publicly-shared reel on Facebook to create a reel that includes all or part of another creator’s reel, 60-second Reels, the ability to save drafts, and video clipping – which will make it easier for creators who publish live or long-form, recorded videos to test different formats.
Meta will roll out the updates in the coming weeks, including making it easier to create and discover Reels such as Reels in Stories, Reels in the Watch tab, Top of Feed and Suggested Reels in Feed.
The tech giant is also exploring ways to make it easier for creators to share Reels to both their Facebook and Instagram audiences, such as crossposting.
TikTok launches new program to foster Australian media talent
TikTok for Business has launched the TikTok Agency Accelerator Program, which aims to foster the development of talented professionals in the Australian media industry.
The program is designed to champion the growth of emerging leaders in the media agency sector and provides an opportunity to accelerate professional development while diving into topics such as the evolution of sonic branding, e-commerce and creator-led content.
Participants in the program will be given the opportunity to take part in four key sessions, held both virtually and in-person, in New South Wales and Victoria.
The program will be rounded out with a two-day residency, with the aim of further up-skilling the next generation of media industry professionals through captivating commentary and insights into the ever evolving ad space.
Selected participants in the program will dive into modules including mega trends shaping the industry such as community commerce, future of brand building, the trust equation and the art of storytelling.
Publishing
Idris Elba fronts the cover of T Australia
T Australia: The New York Times Style Magazine is launching its first issue of the year featuring Idris Elba on the cover.
The award-winning British actor, producer and musician opens a series of stories spotlighting “Modern Poets”
Idris Elba famously formed an unlikely international union with Australian psych-pop-rock band Lime Cordiale members Oli and Louis Leimbach. Together they created a six-track EP called Cordi Elba, including the hit song Apple Crumble.
The actor also features in a fashion photoshoot wearing stylish outfits including Loewe, Giorgio Armani, Alexander McQueen and Alexander McQueen.
The fifth issue of the bi-monthly publication celebrates Journeys – literal, emotional and creative.
Musician Nick Cave explores the space between merchandise and art through his new project Cave Things; as filmmaker Madeleine Gottlieb maps fraught emotional territory in her new work; acclaimed American ballet principal David Hallberg relocated to Melbourne to take up The Australian Ballet’s artistic directorship at a moment of historic crisis.
Katarina Kroslakova, the publisher and editor-in-chief of T Australia, said the issue: “brings together a group of artists who have demonstrated creativity and resilience through multiple forms of expression born from the physical limitations of the pandemic.
Entertainment
New CEO for Docklands Studios
Docklands Studios Melbourne has announced Antony Tulloch as its new CEO, to succeed Rod Allan who retires at the end of March after 13 years, reports TV Tonight.
Tulloch has most recently been General Manager: Studio Operations at Iskandar Malaysia Studios, the largest purpose-built filming facility in South East Asia. He began as a lighting technician in Melbourne in 1985 with credits on projects including The Pacific, Life of Pi, and The Great Gatsby.
Board Chair David Hanna said, “Antony Tulloch takes the reins at an exciting time for the studio, with the imminent opening of a new super stage that will expand stage capacity by more than 60 per cent and enable the facility to host bigger productions than ever before.
Sports Media
Hugh Marks and NRL join forces to take on players in pay talks
The NRL has appointed former Nine Entertainment Co chief executive Hugh Marks as a consultant to head up the code’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the players, reports SMH‘s Michael Chammas.
The man who launched the stinging broadside that contributed to the demise of then NRL CEO Todd Greenberg has been head-hunted by the NRL to work on its behalf.
The takedown of Greenberg by the former Nine boss, who took aim at the “mismanagement” of a “bloated head office”, is believed to have fast-tracked Greenberg’s exit from Rugby League Central in 2020.
Less than two years later, Marks has agreed to work alongside NRL boss Andrew Abdo and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys to negotiate with the Rugby League Players’ Association and its chief executive, Clint Newton, despite having held heated and protracted broadcast rights negotiations with head office in 2020 when he was the CEO of Nine, publishers of this masthead.
The NRL learned first hand just how shrewd a negotiator Marks could be when he showed little sympathy during a situation V’landys described as “catastrophic” for the sport, securing a $70 million discount for the free-to-air host broadcaster in its broadcast fees between 2020 and 2022.
APL, 10 scrap using drinks breaks for TV commercials
Drinks breaks will no longer be used in the A-League to stop play for television ads after the Australian Professional Leagues reached an agreement with Network 10, as FIFA said breaks in play should be used only for player safety and not “commercial considerations”, reports SMH’s Dominic Bossi.
World football’s governing body confirmed the laws of the game only permit drinks breaks – or “cooling breaks” as they are also referred to – for player welfare in matches played in heat. In a statement sent to the Herald, a FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA implements cooling breaks in order to protect the health of all players involved in its competitions.
“The decision for a cooling break is purely welfare related, based on the wet-bulb globe temperature, and not linked to commercial considerations.”
Network 10 and the APL, owners and operators of the A-Leagues, have come under criticism from fans, players, coaches and referees for using the drinks breaks rule to stop play for up to 90 seconds to allow an ad to be screened during free-to-air games on Saturday nights. Previously, drinks breaks in Australia were permitted only for games played in hot and humid conditions as part of Football Australia’s heat policy.
Following the backlash, APL chief Danny Townsend suggested an agreement had been reached with 10 to not use drinks breaks to run commercials.