Television
Sportsbet pulls live odds amid advertising backlash
Sportsbet has dropped live odds updates from NRL and AFL broadcasts following mounting public criticism. These segments, shown during match breaks and before and after games, often feature ex-players like AFL’s Nathan Brown and NRL’s Joel Caine.
As Paul Sakkal reports in The Age, the live odds segments promote multi-bets with low winning chances. This change is part of a broader 40% cut in wagering ads over the past year, as the sector grapples with ad saturation concerns.
For trade and advertising professionals, the move highlights a growing need to balance revenue generation with responsible marketing. Brands are rethinking strategies to better align with evolving audience expectations.
Breakfast showdown battle begins in Vegas
Australia’ top breakfast TV rivals are taking the competition to Sin City. Nine has sent Karl Stefanovic to Las Vegas to promote the NRL season-opener on Today.
As Brent Read, Michael Carayannis, Travis Meyn, Adam Mobbs and David Ricccio report in The Australian, Seven meanwhile has also gone full throttle, by sending Sunrise sports presenter Katie Brown, over there – even though they aren’t an NRL broadcaster.
Nine is set to ignite the breakfast wars even further, with the impending announcement of its new sports presenter, poised to replace Alex Cullen.
Radio
Marty Sheargold and Triple M mutually agree to part ways
Triple M and broadcaster Marty Sheargold have mutually agreed to part ways.
The announcement from the Southern Cross Austero (SCA) owned network comes after Sheargold faced a storm of criticism for controversial on-air remarks he made about the Matildas and women’s sport.
Sheargold made the remarks during a news bulletin on The Marty Sheargold Show on Monday afternoon off the back of a story about the Matildas’ recent defeats in the SheBelieves Cup.
Tech
Apple dictation glitch sparks AI reliability concerns
US iPhone users experienced an odd glitch in Apple’s automatic dictation feature where the word “racist” briefly transformed into “Trump” before correcting itself. The bug was replicated several times and quickly gained traction on TikTok, prompting coverage by The New York Times.
As Tripp Mickle and Eli Tan report in The Age, the incident has raised questions about the reliability of Apple’s AI tools, particularly as brands increasingly depend on these technologies for automated communications and advertising.
An Apple spokesperson attributed the issue to phonetic overlap between the words and confirmed that a fix is in the works.
Influencer health hype sparks trade concerns
A new study by the University of Sydney reveals that influencers on social media platforms such as TikTok, are using fear-based narratives to promote controversial health tests on social media.
As Natasha May reports in The Guardian, these messages often exaggerate benefits while overlooking potential risks.
The research examined five tests, including full-body MRIs, genetic cancer screenings, testosterone blood tests, the AMH “egg-timer” test, and gut microbiome assessments. Despite limited evidence for healthy individuals, these tests are heavily promoted, fuelling over diagnosis worries.
Music
Drake drone drama sparks regulatory and trade debate
A video capturing Canadian rapper Drake reacting to a drone filming his penthouse at Crown Towers Barangaroo has caught the eye of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
As Robyn Ironside reports in The Australian, the regulator confirmed it is reviewing the footage as part of its oversight on unsafe drone operations.
Under CASA rules, recreational drones must keep a 30m distance from people and remain 120m above ground. With Crown Towers towering at 271m, Drake’s initial act of tossing his slide at the drone raised privacy alarms -until further analysis suggested the stunt was a calculated move for gambling site Stake.
Spy chief calls out News Corp over stunt
Australia’s domestic intelligence head has slammed a reported News Corp stunt at Newtown’s Cairo Takeaway.
As Henry Belot reports in The Guardian, police were called after staff, a News Corp team, and an individual wearing a Star of David cap clashed over what was described as a deliberate provocation.
ASIO’s director general, Mike Burgess, calling the sting “mind-blowingly stupid” after presented with facts at a Senate Hearing.
Brands
Woolworths CEO unveils bold plan to rebuild investor confidence
Woolworths chief executive Amanda Bardwell is set to cut $400 million in costs and slim down the product range to regain investor trust amid falling profits.
As Carrie La Frenz reports in The Australian Financial Review, the strategy comes on the back of a 20 per cent drop in interim net profit that left one analyst warning the retailer might soon become “uninvestible,” highlighting growing market concerns over its future trajectory.
Bardwell is also focusing on enhancing the retailer’s core offerings, aiming to boost fresh food and own-brand lines like Thomas Dux and Macro while trimming down non-essential brands, a move designed to sharpen Woolworths’ competitive edge in a challenging market.