Robert Ovadia has filed a general protections claim in the Federal Court against his former employer, Channel Seven, and the network’s newly-minted news boss, Anthony de Ceglie.

Ovadia is being represented by Laxon Lex’s John Laxon, and is claiming his termination was unlawful. He filed a statement of claim in the federal court on Friday to commence the proceedings.

In June, Ovadia was sacked after 23 years with the network when an internal investigation was conducted into allegations of inappropriate behaviour. He denies the allegations, previously saying he would defend himself against “malicious” allegations.

“Yes, I’ve been sacked and there will be more to say about that in the appropriate forum at the appropriate time,” Ovadia told The Australian at the time.

De Ceglie was promoted to director of news and current affairs in April, replacing Craig McPherson when he stepped down after Seven’s Spotlight program became embroiled in Bruce Lehrmann‘s failed defamation battle against 10 and Lisa Wilkinson.

Mediaweek has contacted Seven for comment. 

In a statement to News Corp, a Seven spokeswoman said: “Seven is not in a position to comment on Mr Ovadia commencing legal proceedings as it is now before the Federal Court, other than to say that Seven will defend its position in this matter.”

Tonight, ABC’s Four Corners is due to air an investigation titled Don’t Speak, exploring allegations of “sexism, exploitation and extreme bullying” and looking into the wider culture at Channel Seven. 

Last week, NRL commentator Paul Kent made an unfair dismissal application against News Corp.

In July, Kent was sacked from his commentary jobs with both Fox Sports and News Corp after video of a street brawl was shared on social media. The NRL 360 co-host and Daily Telegraph columnist pleaded guilty to affray after footage showed him being thrown into a tree in Sydney’s Inner West. 

See also: Paul Kent launches unfair dismissal proceedings against News Corp

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Top image: Robert Ovadia

Last week News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson and Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany spoke about the media group’s subscription TV division – Thomson at the News Corp full-year results, Delany in an interview with Mediaweek.

Thomson revealed the company was assessing an unspecified offer for Foxtel from a third party. Delany told Mediaweek it was above his pay grade – his job is to continue to run the business day-to-day and let the shareholders decide the future.

Mediaweek drew up a shortlist of potential bidders last week with Telstra, Nine and Warner Bros Discovery high on that list.

We didn’t mention private equity interest. The AFR reported a likely buyer could be LA-based Platinum Equity. The investor has a smallish portfolio in Australia and its major media holding globally is post-production house Deluxe.

Foxtel Group’s Patrick Delany

Foxtel under the hood

Patrick Delany spoke to Mediaweek after the release of the full year results. He updated us on current strategy which sees subscription numbers rise, and growing ad revenue. Even a glimmer of success for the much-ridiculed Hubbl device.

Subscription revenue

Delany explained, “Foxtel Group streaming revenues and advertising revenues are now back. More than backfilling the loss of subscribers in the Foxtel business. The reason for that is that we’re growing in streaming, but importantly, the number of subscribers leaving Foxtel and the decline in revenue is smaller and smaller as the years go by.”

Foxtel Group streaming numbers

“It really was a tale of two halves last year. In the first half of the year, we had the writers’ strike and we had consumer sentiment really biting hard on retail spend in certain areas. Foxtel traded well because it’s largely older Australians who have never had more money. On the Kayo side, it was a really tough first half.

“In fact, this time last year, we didn’t have anywhere near the momentum we had in the [FY] second half. When the NRL and AFL started again, we really picked up. And importantly, that hasn’t stopped.”

Foxtel Media CEO Mark Frain with Binge executive director Alison Hurbert-Burns. Ads on Binge helped push Foxtel Group digital revenues higher

Advertising revenue

Delany: “Ad revenue is a fantastic story this year. We’re seeing a flight towards digital assets for advertising. That’s driven by younger Australians, single income, no kids, double income, no kids and younger families.

“In ad revenue we put on $45 million year-on-year, which is good, given that there’s a decline in linear. Advertising revenues are up 6% year-on-year, but digital revenues are up 40% year-on-year. What you’ve got to remember, that is in an advertising market that’s been bashed around a little bit by consumer sentiment.”

Hubbl…the long game

The new consumer device Hubbl has had a number of detractors. Chief among them ABC TV’s Gruen which had a running gag about marketing the device which can be hard to explain. Tom Gleeson paid out on the marketing campaign too, dressing as a Hubbl device at the ABC.

But in a world where customers and investors want instant gratification and return, Foxtel Group is playing the long game with the Hubbl device.

Delany explained: “We’re very happy with the brand recognition it’s got. This year will be about identifying to Australian consumers exactly what Hubbl does. Importantly, shifting the image of Hubble from a pure device to a device that gives entertainment and entertainment value.”

Robert Thomson explained to investors some of the progress with the device: “More than 30% of Hubbl customers are new to Foxtel, which is significant, given our existing presence and profile in the Australian marketplace. About 75% of customers of the Hubbl aggregation service purchase an additional Foxtel product along with their device and subscription.”

Tom Gleeson’s spoofs Hubbl on ABC

Hamish Blake as Hubbl

Next big trend…bundling

In a market where costs are climbing quickly, Foxtel Group realises consumer value needs to be highlighted. Delany: “We’ll run advertisements and offers this year in and around content. That is a unique position we have with Kayo and Binge and, frankly, our other partners like Netflix. The big trend for us this year is going to be bundling. Where we start bundling up packages of Kayo and Binge, packages of Kayo, Binge, Netflix, etc, for a lower rate if you stick with all three.

“Those bundles will probably be inside Hubbl and also outside Hubbl.”

Foxtel Group price rises

Mediaweek’s Jasper Baumann reported last week about imminent Foxtel price rises for a range of products.

In response to a question about price sensitivity in the market, Delany said: “I think people understand that prices are going up, all the input costs are going up. And unfortunately, we’ve got to increase price where we can to reduce costs.

“In our streaming, you’ve seen some under-priced services for the last couple of years and prices are catching up. It really depends on the value equation with what you’re getting for that price. We’re finding that what we’ve done is within the tolerance of our customers and that they’re reacting pretty well.”

British and some of the other new Foxtel channels

Why Foxtel split with the BBC

Foxtel has lost some BBC content recently. Not totally though, as Delany explained: “We’ve maintained UKTV. The BBC Wild Channel didn’t have a huge following. Those documentaries are in most places.

“BBC News is not watched by a lot of people. The interesting thing in my 30-year PPV career is it was one of the first channels in the 20-channel pack of Foxtel, along with CNN. But these days, Sky News is just a giant compared to the others.

“BBC First started out to be a place where you would get the BBC productions first. BBC First was not the channel that was envisaged 10 years ago. It ended up being a channel where, frankly, I can stand in the market and buy the same dramas because the world’s changed so much. BBC makes things but does it in concert with other streamers and other people. They don’t always have the rights to pass through.

“With the majority of our customers now digital, we can see exactly what they’re watching, what their habits are. We know the market pretty well. Sometimes you’ve got to make brave decisions and say, well, that channel’s not necessarily great value for us, which means it’s not great value for subscribers.”

Replacing the BBC First offering will be a channel simply called British that launched August 1.

For people wanting easier access to BBC News from the Foxtel platform, Delany said the BBC streaming app will be available on Foxtel and Hubbl.

The future of the Foxtel product

British is not the only new channel that Foxtel will curate. Although it will be doing that from a programming department staffed with fewer specialists. Delany: “As Foxtel continues, you’re going to see more channels that are curated by us as we stand in the market buying content. You’re going to see more streaming services that are included in packages in Foxtel.”

The long-term future for the group is a customer having a Hubbl device and then a range of content subscriptions.

“That’s where the trend is, which is why we’ve gone into Hubbl. The other trend is to not do anything. Old habits die hard, and older Australians like the Foxtel service which is familiar to them. It’s still good value. If you add up all the streaming services, they’re way more than Foxtel ever was, even if you take Netflix out, which is new content.

“The decline in Foxtel revenue is the lowest it’s been in the last six years. So is the decline in subscribers, and you’re going to continue to see lower and lower churn.”

Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch with Peter V’landys at Las Vegas NRL weekend

Radio silence on sports rights

Foxtel Group spends most of its money on sports rights but talks about it least. For good reason. Delaney explained: “On all of the rights, we always maintain radio silence. It’s such a competitive area.”

Regarding the proposed “wildcard weekend” the AFL may introduce, Delany said he hadn’t heard anything about t from AFL CEO Andrew Dillon. And if it’s introduced, Foxtel Group might not be paying more for it.

“The rights, frankly, are pretty well already covered by our agreement, and Seven’s agreement, which goes to 2032. I certainly think these branded themed weekends are great. The NRL started that with Magic Round. The AFL’s Gather Round is also great. Now Peter V’Landys and Andrew Abdo have created the Vegas Round.”

Delnay said the broadcaster leaves the strategy and running of AFL and NRL to the codes.

See also:
News Corp profits: FY 2024 second best year on record, reviewing potential Foxtel transaction

Another TV great departs: ‘Foxtel true warrior’ Jim Buchan hands in his remote

Cosmopolitan Australia magazine has made its return to the Australian market, launching its first issue back today with a cover featuring multi-award-winning artist Tones And I.

The title returns under publisher Katarina Kroslakova and her publishing house, KK Press, in collaboration with Hearst Magazines International.

In an exclusive interview, Tones And I speaks about her journey from busking in Byron Bay to global stardom with her song Dance Monkey. She also tells the title about her new album, vulnerability, fame, abusive relationships, and nostalgia.

Tones And I said she was “so excited to have been selected for Cosmo coming back to print as their cover artist/creative/woman, for Cosmopolitan’s first issue.”

“To be here representing such a big moment in Cosmopolitan magazine is truly an honour,” she said.

“I am extremely privileged and excited to be a part of something that really helped my upbringing – I was definitely a Cosmo reader as a teen.”

Cosmopolitan Australia debuts with a blend of content spanning style, beauty, technology, relationships, entertainment, and career and financial advice.

Issue one features include:

• Sealed section: Sex positivity takes centre stage, with the sealed section making its return with expert tips from sexologist Chantelle Otten.

• Finance: Cosmo has launched an investigation around why women are often underpaid to do ‘prestigious’ jobs, inspired by the recent global remuneration reveal of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

• Relationships: Alongside love stories from everyday people, artist and model Sarah Ellen and her best friend, artist Josh Kemper, share how their creative passions brought them closer.

On Cosmopolitan Australia’s comeback issue, editor-in-chief Tessa Ogle said: “We are so happy to reintroduce Cosmopolitan to Australia with a renewed vision and exhilarating new content.

“Readers can look forward to inspiring stories, fashion-forward features, and insightful advice. And who better to lead this charge than the unstoppable Tones And I, as she openly discusses her extraordinary evolution.”

Cosmopolitan Australia hits newsstands today, 12 August.

Forbes Australia 30 Under 30 List Editor, Anastasia Santoreneos, told Mediaweek that the team was waiting until “our feet were firmly on the ground” in the market before launching a local edition of the 30 Under 30 list. 

Almost two years after the title launched locally, Forbes Australia will be publishing its inaugural 30 Under 30 list, identifying Australia’s young innovators using entrepreneurship to impact their respective industries.

The list will be released in the print issue and posted on Forbes Australia’s site on 14 October.

Why was now the time to bring the 30 Under 30 list to Australia?

Santoreneos: An iconic list like the 30 Under 30 takes a lot of time and preparation to put together. To do an Australian list the justice it deserves, we wanted to wait until our feet were firmly on the ground, we were stable in market, and we had the resources and expertise to put it together. Now Forbes Australia is just shy of two years old – two years we’ve spent building our brand and making connections with great entrepreneurs, founders and industry leaders – it finally feels like the right time. 

What sort of work is going on behind the scenes to pull the list together?

Santoreneos: There’s so much. As well as trawling the online nominations meticulously, background and fact-checking each candidate, we’ve been busy tapping industry insiders and our contacts for other potential nominees. The list will ultimately be a culmination of a lot of research from our team of reporters and feedback from a judging panel made up of founders, venture capitalists, and experts. 

How will the Australian list compare to the global 30 Under 30?

Santoreneos: Very simply: this is the first, definitive 30 Under 30 list Forbes has ever produced to focus on Australian stars pushing boundaries across all disciplines. Which is a big job when you think about it… our judges are going to have a tough time in sport alone after this Olympics. It’s a hugely exciting opportunity to profile Australian leaders like this, especially when we know the global Forbes family are watching.

What are you and the team looking for when finalising the people on the list?

Santoreneos: We know the list historically acknowledges some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, leaders and stars under the age of 30. Drilling down deeper, we’re really asking questions like, “Will this person, or this idea succeed in market? How innovative are they? Will they make a positive impact on society?” And of course, when it comes to Forbes, we put a lot of stock in game changers and entrepreneurs.

The list will be released in the print issue and online on 14 October. Do you have any plans for what the rollout will look like?

Santoreneos: Visually stunning. I don’t want to give away too much, but there’s a reason we’ve waited this long to bring Forbes’ fastest growing brand to Australia. There will be plenty of fascinating and inspiring stories we can’t wait to share.  

Sponsorship opportunities have been opened up, what has the response to the list been so far from brands?

Santoreneos: Partners have been really excited to hear about 30 Under 30 since we launched in this market, we have a number of sponsors on board and a select few opportunities left for the right partners.

It still takes some education to shift the perception that Forbes is exclusively a print magazine for billionaires, but our digital and social footprint is very healthy for the demographic. As we mentioned, 30 Under 30 is the fastest growing brand for Forbes globally. The annual event is now a multi-day festival in the USA, and the Australian market is ready for this platform to highlight and support the huge number of young entrepreneurs and innovators becoming our future leaders. 

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Top image: Anastasia Santoreneos

The noise surrounding a potential Foxtel Group transaction has quickly been turned into a media story about ‘Foxtel for sale’.

News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson revealed an approach from a third party this morning as News Corp released its full-year results. Thomson is great with language (and a real loss to journalism). Below we detail his comments to questions this morning and look at the list of potential buyers for News Corp’s subscription TV business.

See also: News Corp profits – FY 2024 second best year on record, reviewing potential Foxtel transaction

‘We had no imminent intent to sell Foxtel’

“We are confident in the Company’s long-term prospects and are continuing to review our portfolio with a focus on maximising returns for shareholders,” Thomson said.

“That review has coincided recently with third-party interest in a potential transaction involving the Foxtel Group, which has been positively transformed in recent years with record numbers of streaming subscribers, low broadcast churn and rising broadcasting a streaming ARPU.

“We had no imminent intent to sell Foxtel, but are reviewing potential strategic and financial options for the business with our advisors and engaging with third parties in light of that external interest.”

“Third-party interest” could mean a sale, but it is hardly confirmation of a bid or even a negotiation for a sale. “Imminent intent” is an interesting choice of phrase though. But Thomson needs to be taken on his word that News was not looking to sell Foxtel, now, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary.

News Corp’s Robert Thomson

Why reveal the approach now?

The size and attractiveness of any proposal put to News Corp might have meant they had no option but to outline the approach to shareholders. Some more cynical observers think News Corp might have had an unattractive approach and are going public to gauge other interest from the market.

Patrick Delany on Foxtel’s future

On a call to Mediaweek this morning, Foxtel Group chief executive Patrick Delany was asked if Foxtel was for sale and if it will be sold.

“One of the things that we have done well is leave the [Foxtel Group] shareholders who own the company to decide what they are going to do with their ownership and we get on with running the company,” said Delany.

“That’s what happened during all the speculation about Foxtel being floated. Now it is also a matter for us to keep our heads down and continue to trade as we have good momentum with a good asset.”

When asked if he had been involved in any of the detail regarding an overture from a third party, Delany said he would make no comment. “It’s a matter for the shareholders and management is not going to be distracted.”

Foxtel Group’s Patrick Delany

What News Corp told persistent analysts

In the Q&A session with analysts on the earnings call, four of the eight questions were regarding Foxtel and the possible divestment.

In answers to some of those questions, Thomson said:

“We have had a significant overture which we are assessing. We have full faith in the potential of Foxtel and the talented team at Foxtel who have fashioned a world-class viewing experience. They created Kayo which is the best sports streaming platform globally, hence the interest in emulating its success in the US.

“On behalf of shareholders we have to evaluate any interest knowing we are ourselves fervent Foxtel fans. The streaming broadcast ARPU business is surging in the most recent quarter was 6% higher than a year earlier.

“Stay tuned, not indefinitely, not perpetually, not ad infinitum.”

In an answer to another analyst’s question, Thomson said: “We want to ensure [that for] our cherished [Foxtel] colleagues, the external interest should be seen as a clear vote of confidence in what they have achieved. The company’s performance has caught the discerning eye of others, who not only see a great company, but in these turbulent troubled times, an expanding market like Australia.”

One questioner asked about the continued review of News Corp’s different segments. “The process will not continue indefinitely, nor perpetually. The recent effort now coincides with interest in Foxtel. That process has to play out in a full and fair manner. There will be a certain amount of tension on that in coming weeks and coming days.”

Who might buy or merge with Foxtel Group?

It is unlikely that shareholders Foxtel and Telstra would consider breaking up the business as content rights are bought by the group. There had been speculation though that Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has been interested in acquiring Binge ahead of the launch of Max in Australia in 2025. At present, Binge has a contract for some WBD content including HBO.

Telcos getting further into content business?

Telstra had reportedly been in talks with Foxtel previously about increasing its stake in Foxtel Group. One rumour goes after that failed to happen, it went off and invested in Fetch instead. A Foxtel and Fetch merger under Telstra ownership would strengthen the telco’s offer significantly across Australia. Just imaging the bundling options and how it could potentially hurt Optus.

Speaking of which, Optus is being considered as a potential buyer of Foxtel by some. EFTM founder Trevor Long even went so far this morning to name Optus as the most likely potential acquirer.

Other local potential predators

Nine Entertainment Co is perhaps the most prominent candidate in Australia which would benefit from a merger with Foxtel. That would probably mean a merger of Stan and the Foxtel Group. That might help with the ever-increasing costs of content, but is it enough to make a merger stack up? It could be a confusing consumer offering too with Foxtel, Stan, Binge, Kayo (with the addition of the Stan Sport properties – albeit some ones that Foxtel passed on), 9Now, and Nine.

Nine is the most likely local if you count Seven West Media out of the equation. But does Kerry Stokes have the appetite for a deal of that size when he is currently working hard at getting Seven into fighting shape for the challenges it will face? Seven, of course, is without a subscriber element in the business model. Bolting on Foxtel would certainly fix that.

International partners

Thomson hinted the proposal for Foxtel came from overseas when he said there was interest in “an expanding market like Australia”.

You could probably eliminate Netflix, Disney, NBCU, and Paramount+ for various reasons. Netflix doesn’t need a complicated one-market partnership, the same goes for Disney and NBCU, which are also on journeys to streamline their own subscription services. At Paramount, the old and incoming owner are much more likely to be sellers than buyers of media assets.

The most likely international partner/acquirer would be Warner Bros Discovery. The challenges it faces means it is unlikely to be in acquisition mode. A partnership, though, could see it launch Max in this market within Foxtel Group where the Binge offering is rebranded as Max.

Max is now available in 65 markets globally, so getting into an important market like Australia must still be on the road map. But how best to do that? HBO, Max, and Discovery+ lost a combined US$107m in Q2 calendar 2024. Foxtel Group generated EBITDA of $74m in FY2024. In its earnings notes last week, WBD noted it had repaid $1.8bn in debt in Q2, and had an undrawn $6bn revolving credit facility.

Samsung Electronics has launched a campaign via CHEP Network featuring Matilda’s star Mary Fowler, following her recent appointment as the latest member of Team Galaxy.

The campaign centres on a ‘day-in-a-life’ hero film directed by Ollie Richie, aiming to showcase how Galaxy AI can enhance smartphone users’ experiences through personalisation, communication, and creativity.

The 30-second film portrays Galaxy AI adapting to Fowler’s daily routine, transforming into ‘Mary AI.’ It features AutoZoom capturing her footwork during practice, health tracking on her Galaxy Watch7, and support from live Interpreter during a press conference.

“At Samsung, we’re thrilled to partner with Mary Fowler, and with her bring to life the possibilities of Galaxy AI to enrich and expand one’s world,” said Jason Ridge, Samsung Electronics Australia head of marketing – mobile experience.

“Mary’s dynamic presence and innovative spirit perfectly aligns with our vision, and together, we aim to highlight how our latest foldables and ecosystem products coupled with Galaxy AI promise to enhance everyday experiences, driving creativity and productivity with cutting-edge features.” 

The campaign is live across YouTube, Meta, TikTok, BVOD, and in Samsung Retail locations until the end of September.

In May, Samsung Australia worked with CHEP Network and Livewire to launch Clash of Commuters, a gaming campaign merging the virtual world with Australian commuters’ everyday experiences on Fortnite Creative.

The integrated experience celebrated the rise of on-the-go gaming to promote the Galaxy S24 Ultra‘s capabilities.

The latest for Samsung follows on the heels of CHEP’s recent campaign for Spirit of Tasmania, after the Tasmanian Government-owned ferry business appointed the network as its creative agency of record in March.

Pack more in. Get more out. is currently live across television, digital, social, and outdoor platforms.

See also:
Samsung launches Clash of Commuters Fortnite with CHEP
CHEP launches first work for Spirit of Tasmania, ‘Pack more in. Get more out.’

Credits: 
Client: Samsung Electronics Australia  
Agency: CHEP Network

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Top image: Mary Fowler

With the Paris 2024 Olympics officially wrapped, Mediaweek is capping off our CMOlympics series. Throughout the Summer Games, we’ve caught up with the standout brand partners powering the Games to hear first-hand from their marketing guns about running campaigns on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

Today, we’re with Andrew Hicks, chief marketing of Woolworths Group – an Australian Olympic and Paralympic Team partner and Nine Olympics broadcast partner.

What does being an Olympics and Paralympics partner mean for Woolworths? 

Since Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Woolworths has been the fresh food partner of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams. As a proud Australian brand, it’s a role we are honoured to play, and we are excited to stand alongside our talented athletes once again for Paris 2024.

It’s more than just a sponsorship. It’s about supporting the health and wellbeing of all Australians by showcasing the incredible fresh food that Australia has on offer and its power to help fuel the dreams of our incredible athletes.

The Games are not just about physical excellence and mental fortitude but also camaraderie, team spirit, unity, optimism, and pride. These are characteristics we not only want to associate with the Woolworths brand but are at the heart of the brand at its best – often exemplified by the over 180,000 team members we have working together across our Group to serve our customers.   

Walk us through your campaign for the Olympics and Paralympics. What are the key elements and what inspired the creative direction?

The Olympics and Paralympic Games are a time when we come together to celebrate our national pride and proudly support our incredible Australian team. It’s a time for optimism, growth, and togetherness. We wanted our campaign to reflect these values, values that the Woolworths Group also upholds as we believe we are “better together”. 

Our Olympics and Paralympic athletes you will see in our creative are individuals, but they are also part of something bigger. A supportive family, a community that encourages a healthy, active life, a sporting environment where effort matters and role models are abundant, and a nation that inspires big dreams along with big opportunity. We wanted the campaign to capture all of this whilst showing that fresh, healthy, nutritious food plays a key role in being your best. Fresh fuels the best in all of us is the campaign distillation of that sentiment.

When the creative team discovered Paralympian Col Pearse’s story of training for the Tokyo Paralympics in his family’s dairy farm dam, they were genuinely excited! We wanted to share his remarkable and humble story about hard work, resilience and family support along with healthy eating habits and built the campaign from there. It became the centrepiece of our TVC creative. We saw the Woolworths brand as the enabler, not the hero. It was about others, not us. 

Col Pearse filming the ‘Fresh fuels the best in all of us’ TVC

Col Pearse and family at the ‘Pearse Aquatic Centre’ dairy farm dam

The integrated multi-channel campaign launched on free to air TV on 10 July, accompanied by our athlete ambassadors with fresh food creative across in-store, social, digital, and out of home. 

Outside of the marketing assets, we extended the campaign to include bespoke limited-edition food products and a strong fundraising element to help celebrate and support our Olympians and Paralympians. This included a green and gold bakery range including cupcakes, donuts, and a soccer ball smash cake, to $3 gold, $2 silver and $1 bronze token donations to support Paralympics Australia.

Soccer ball smash cake

We are really proud that with our customers’ support, we have been able to raise over $730,000 so far. We also launched, in partnership with the Mint, a limited edition two dollar coin celebrating the Olympics and Paralympics that customers can receive in change when paying in cash.

Green and gold cupcakes

It’s been such a great event and creative platform to be expansive across all aspects of marketing, product, community, trade activation and more. Like the Games themselves, it’s brought the best out of all of us as we strive to excite our customers and answer their needs. 

What objectives did you set out to achieve with this campaign?

We wanted to demonstrate our belief that quality food, with Australian fresh at the heart, fuels the performance of both world-class athletes, and healthy everyday Australians. And in doing so, celebrate our diverse Australian athletes and invigorate national pride and brand advocacy. 

When you walk into our stores, you will not only see the athletes featured throughout the store with the fruit and veg that powers them, but you’ll also see our wonderful team celebrating our nation’s best in a variety of ways. Engaging our team to in turn engage with our customers is an important objective of this campaign.

And daily, we wanted to celebrate the achievements of our athletes in Paris, not just gold medal winning moments, but personal bests and people pushing themselves to make our country so proud. 

What is the weighting of your media mix, and what has driven this decision?

Our media strategy for this campaign focuses on driving relevancy and impact across owned, earned, and paid media, with a clear role for each asset within the broader campaign. Paid media channels like TV, online video, cinema, and social media enable rich storytelling at scale with our brand film featuring Paralympian Col Pearse.

We’ve also strategically partnered with Nine, QMS and News Corp to leverage their Olympic partnerships and maximise campaign effectiveness. Our owned media channels, including our store network, website, and catalogue complement these efforts.

During the Olympic Games competition period, we have embraced our athletes’ performances in Paris through reactive and celebratory moments across OOH and through our paid and organic social channels. Our ambition was to celebrate in almost real time in an engaging manner. These reactive moments have also been captured on our front of store screen assets through our retail media business Cartology, which is something new and innovative for Woolworths. 

We’ve had fantastic feedback from customers and our own team on how we’ve activated in our stores, which is a powerful medium in its own right. From the running tracks you see as soon as you enter the store, to athletes like break dancer Jeff Dunne, Rugby7’s Maurice Longbotton and wheelchair rugby’s Ryley Batt’s presence on point of sale in the fresh department. Our customers love a good pun and a smile, and so do we, so when we celebrated Olympic Swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan’s gold medal win, we couldn’t help ourselves to say “smashed it Mollie” with the image of Mollie and an avocado as goggles. 

Is FTA TV coverage an important part of the campaign?

Event TV is something special, and having the live broadcast, combined with live streaming, and on-demand television give consumers a choice on what and when they want to watch, driving even deeper engagement.

This complements the digital activity we are undertaking across Nine, News Corp, Meta, TikTok, and our website, where customers see their heroes on the screen enjoying fresh Aussie food that fuels them to achieve their best. 

What aspect of this campaign and partnership are you most proud of?

Our team has been especially proud of the agility of the dynamic digital creative we have been able to change on a daily basis to celebrate wins and personal bests of athletes overnight in Paris. Through a close collaborative partnership between media, creative, publishers, platform partners, and Cartology, we have been able to update creative daily to over 2,400 OOH sites and 1,000 Front of Store Screens, plus adapt creative to suit over 150 build size variations. 

Our goal was to get as close to real time from an athlete winning to a congratulations from Woolworths – I think the team are challenging their “personal bests” in terms of pace. My personal favourite is swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan’s “Mollie, you smashed it” creative where we were lucky to have shot Mollie with avocados being used as goggles pre the Games.

I’m also incredibly proud of the Col Pearse brand TVC. It’s a uniquely Australian story and many of our customers and team have found it inspirational and moving. It’s so rewarding to see a story that deserves to be shared being told in a way befitting of that story – with humility, humanity, and charm.

We’re also very proud that this has been one of the most inclusive creative production processes for Woolworths. Working with Paralympics Australia, Bus Stop Films, Inclusivity Made as well as internal team members like Geoff Trappett, who is Woolworths Group’s disability inclusion lead and a former Australian Paralympian, we have been focussed throughout the creative development process to ensure we represent Paralympians and those with disability with authenticity. 

How do you plan to build upon or expand this campaign moving forward?

Woolworths are proud fresh food partners of a number of Australian sports including netball, cricket and surfing. We partner deliberately with the community grassroots sporting programs as part of our commitment to building a generation of “Fresh Food Kids”. It aligns to our belief that fresh, healthy Australian grown food is at the heart of everyone performing at their personal best. 

We have a role to play in supporting kids in learning the benefits of eating fresh, but we know it’s equally important they are active. Only one in four children are eating enough fruit and vegetables. By partnering with these sports codes, we can truly be a part of hundreds of thousands of kids healthy upbringing. This, along with programs like Free Fruit for Kids in our stores, has given away more than 100 million pieces of fruit in Australia since the program began.

How does this campaign align with your broader marketing strategy?

We have been known as The Fresh Food People for more than 30 years, and it was important that this brand platform underpinned our Olympics and Paralympics campaign. Fresh fuels the best in us is at the heart of everything we are doing for Paris 2024.

Fruit and vegetables are part of our wider Fresh Specials marketing, where we encourage Aussies to eat in season fresh food when it’s abundant, at its highest quality, and great value. You will notice that our in season fruit and veg like bananas, apples, oranges, broccoli, Hass avocados, and potatoes have been integrated into the Paris 2024 campaign because they are all in season at the moment. 

Inspiring and enabling Australians to eat healthily is an enduring brand belief. So too is making a positive contribution to the broader communities we serve. This campaign is a highlight in a long term commitment to act on our supermarket’s purpose to “bring a little good to everyone every day”. 

See also:
CMOlympics: Vin Naidoo on the power of Toyota’s ‘Team Everyone’
CMOlympics: Old El Paso’s Surini Perera on driving ‘good noise’

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Top image: Andrew Hicks

Season 3 of Hunted returns on 12 August with a new look, a new chief, and a twist that adds “a whole other layer” to the game. 

EP Marty Benson and Network EP Tamara Simoneau told Mediaweek the hook for this season was to make the contestants “real” fugitives on the run. 

The newest season opens with a (staged) bank robbery and sees the fugitive teams initially split in half: a team of nine “robbers” and a team of nine “planners”. 

The robbers will together plot the grand bank heist and creep out into the night to steal from a bank in Ballarat in the early hours of the morning. Meanwhile the “planners” plan the all-important getaway.

The Ballarat Bank holds $1 million, with the entire loot up for grabs. Whatever the Fugitives can steal, they will divide amongst themselves. If they make it to the extraction point, that will be their prize money.

“The inspiration for the new twist came from our UK counterparts, a show called The Heist, which is shot in a similar way but the format is a bit different,” Benson said.

“That show starts with a staged bank robbery, and we thought it would be a great way to add another dimension to Hunted and actually make our contestants be actual fugitives and on the run.”

“Before they were just on the run for the game, now they’re on the run because they break the law,” Simoneau said.

Reece Dewar OAM is Hunted’s newly appointed chief, and brings to the investigation a wealth of varied tactical experience from a 30-year career.

Not only will he be responsible for the coordination of the ground operation, but also the HQ level planning and coordination of assets to effect fugitive capture.

“The challenge will be not getting fixed on fugitive pairs but looking holistically at the vulnerability of each fugitive pair and exploiting those weaknesses,” he said.

“I think viewers will be drawn into the scenario, where this time they will pick a side, fugitive or hunter. I know which team I’ll be backing.”

Benson called Hunted the “most exciting show on television” and he thinks it’s “certainly the most exciting show to make.”

“We’re using AI facial recognition, we’re using infrared drones at night and we’ve even got police dogs. It’s just mental,” he said.

The Victorian Police also helped set up the bank for the fake robbery, and Simoneau says this was done because “the bank had to be set up as real as possible.”

“They even gave us guidance on how the specific safe holding the money should be, where it should be and how hard it should be to crack into. It’s really the ultimate game of cat and mouse.”

Dewar agreed: “I think Hunted gives viewers a look into a world that they know exists but don’t understand. At the end of the day, it is a game but the processes and the way the operation unfolds are as real as we can make it.”

Hunted season 3 premieres on 12 August at 7:30pm on 10 and 10 Play.

Event: Angus & Julia Stone Live in Nova’s Red Room
Date: Saturday evening, August 10
Venue: Camperdown Commons, Sydney
Guests: 350 people – Nova listeners, industry guests and Sony Music representatives, journalists, talent

The long-running Nova Red Room delivered another memorable experience on Saturday night in Sydney. Nova listeners packed into Camperdown Commons in the Inner West for a chance to get up close to the sublime sounds of Angus & Julia Stone.

Over 300 Red Rooms

Mediaweek has a long association with Nova Red Room events, including reporting exclusively on two Nova Red Room Global Tours.
Nova reached a music milestone last month with the 300th Nova Red Room with Teddy Swims live in Melbourne on July 14. The gifts to Nova listeners have continued since then with a Tones and I Live Nova’s Red Room in Melbourne just last week.

It was something of a coup for Nova to secure a slot this week for the busy Sony Music duo Angus & Julia Stone. Earlier this year they released their sixth album Cape Forestier. In another coup for Nova back in May, Angus & Julia Stone recorded a three-song acoustic Nova Red Room session.

They have been playing dates in Europe and the US in the past couple of months. Back in Australia, Angus & Julia Stone have just finished three nights at Sydney’s State Theatre. The Red Room gig was wedged in between those dates in their hometown and shows in Melbourne this week.

Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa with their executive producer Tom Ivey

Nova Sydney breakfast duo Fitzy and Wippa hosted the evening, taking over the Red Room mic which is often in the grasp of evening ratings champ Smallzy or drive music guru Tim Blackwell.

Tracks from the new Angus & Julia Stone album were featured in addition to back catalogue favourites.

One special treat was a performance of “Just a Boy”, with Julia remarking, “I’ve been wanting Angus to play this song for 15 years…it’s the bane of my existence and he always says no, but he said ‘Let’s do it for Nova’s Red Room’.”

Introducing the title track from their new album, Angus said: “When we began the process of recording, you don’t really know where it’s headed and that’s the beauty of art and the art form. It’s an unexplored place that can take you anywhere.”

The set finished with their classic “Big Jet Plane”. The Nova listeners pleaded for just one more though and were treated to a great cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”.

Angus & Julia Stone Set List

Santa Monica Dream
Losing You
Yellow Brick Road
Nothing Else
Just a Boy
Cape Forestier
Wedding Song
Chateau
Big Jet Plane
Encore: Dreams

Guests at Camperdown Commons included Nova staff and clients, Sony Music’s senior director of publicity Kate Bonanno, Foxtel PR managers Diya Randall and Carla Montforte, News Corp’s Edwina McCann with Louise Bryant with friends, Nova 96.9’s workday announcer Adam Price, 96.9 breakfast producer Tom Ivey, Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel drive show newsreader Michelle Stephenson, TV host and DJ Danny Clayton, TV host and model Kate Peck and actor Jackson Heywood.

Nova’s Adam Price

Danny Clayton

Foxtel’s Diya Randall & Carla Montforte

Nova’s Michelle Stephenson

Kate Peck

Critical Incident’s series creator and writer Sarah Bassiuoni wants viewers to know that the new Stan original series is “not a cop show, not an organised crime show, but a drama about when things go wrong on the job.”

Filmed in Blacktown, Granville, Parramatta, and Greenacre, Critical Incident depicts life in the Western suburbs of Sydney and delves into the complex world of policing and the consequences on those most vulnerable.

Bassiuoni told Mediaweek that as a writer, the setting is “always a character and if you can’t make it a character, you might as well shoot it in a studio.”

“As someone who used to work as a civil litigation lawyer who specialised in police issues, Western Sydney is the epicentre of a lot of the issues and cases I dealt with, so in our show, it’s its own character,” she said.

“A lot of the cases I dealt with really touched my soul, so when I switched careers, I had to figure out how to make an entertaining story that deals with the issues that I’m passionate about, and I hope that’s what we’ve done with Critical Incident.”

Critical Incident follows Senior Constable Zilficar ‘Zil’ Ahmed, who, while on patrol for a teenage suspect, pursues Dalia, and in the chaos of the pursuit, a bystander is critically injured. Zil then discovers that Dalia was, in fact, not the perpetrator he was looking for.

The guilt over the bystander’s injuries, coupled with the pressure of the critical incident investigation and the public scrutiny, creates an unbearable burden for Zil.

Encouraged by his colleagues in blue, Zil becomes obsessed with pinning something on Dalia.

Executive producer at Matchbox Pictures Sheila Jayadev also has a background in law, and told Mediaweek she has first-hand experience of the interaction of young people with the police.

“I’ve been trying to make a series that drew on the stories that I saw unfolding in the children’s court day to day,” she said.

“[And] finally, this was the opportunity to do that with a creator who has deep, first-hand experience and knowledge of when things go really bad, what happens, and also holding police to account.”

The team wants to evoke a lot of questions for viewers in the new series, but at the same time, they don’t want the show to provide all the answers necessarily.

“I think people can draw their own conclusions, and we try not to come down on any of our characters with judgement,” Jayadev said. 

“We set out to create a really thrilling and engaging piece of entertainment, but we also want to provoke conversations and discussion with audiences about the big issues presented in the series,” Bassiuoni added.

“What is the stake of the relationships between police and vulnerable, young, people of colour? How do we begin to tackle the systemic issues that we’re facing globally?

“If those questions are provoked, then I think we’ve achieved something that not only entertains but has the power to potentially not make change overnight but at least start that conversation.”

Critical Incident is streaming now on Stan. 

Ipsos has revealed its integrated Australian CEX (customer and employee experience) division, along with three senior appointments. 

Under the new structure, Ipsos will integrate its employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX) business units in Australia into a single CEX team, designed to deliver greater impact for clients.

The newly integrated team, which is a result of Ipsos’ recent acquisition of CX and EX specialists Big Village Australia, will offer a suite of services, providing high-quality insights that connect CX and EX.

Melissa Yow will join the business as director of customer experience in Australia, Rollo Grayson joins as director in the Australian CX advisory team, and Bhavna Sawnani becomes an account director in the EX team.

Yow brings 15 years of consulting and research experience to Ipsos, specialising in all aspects of CX measurement, including customer journey mapping, persona creation, and advisory services. Yow heads to Ipsos after nearly a decade at Forethought, where she was general manager of customer experience advisory.

Her experience spans various sectors, including finance, FMCG, utilities, transport and leisure, along with not-for-profit organisations, peak bodies, and state government authorities.

Grayson has worked in CX and marketing roles across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, and Europe. He was previously at Vodafone New Zealand, where he was the head of customer strategy and insights.

Sawnani, who has transferred from the Ipsos UK EX consulting team, has nearly a decade of EX experience. She has worked for both private and public organisations across a range of sectors in the UK, including healthcare, transport, financial services, and government.

Wendy McInnes, Ipsos director of customer and employee experience said: “Today’s announcement of our new CEX division and senior team appointments follows the growing demand from our clients for a total understanding of the human experience with corporations and service providers.

“We recognise that understanding people as both employees and customers is crucial for success, and this new team connects our individual CX and EX spaces to enable businesses to truly thrive in today’s competitive market.”

The appointments are effective immediately.

See also: ABC topples news.com.au as top news brand, reaching 12.6 million Australians in June: Ipsos iris

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Top image: Bhavna Sawnani, Rollo Grayson, and Melissa Yow

oOh!media has announced the addition of 12 shopping centres across Australia to its retail media portfolio.

This expansion coincides with the outdoor advertising company‘s acquisition of Adelaide-based Blue Tongue Outdoor, adding a further 23 retail centre sites to oOh!’s portfolio. The deal extends oOh!’s long-term partnership with Blue Tongue Outdoor and brings its owner, David Widdop, into the oOh! team to implement the commercial network strategy across South Australia.

The 12 new retail centres, located across every Australian mainland state, include Town Hall Square in Sydney’s CBD, Kingston Village Square in Victoria, Market Central in Lutwyche, Queensland, and Butler Central in Western Australia.

“Our investment in adding these retail centres reflects our commitment to providing agencies and advertisers with a powerful, scalable platform to influence consumer decisions at the point of purchase,” said oOh! chief commercial operating officer, Robbie Dery.

“This expansion ensures we can deliver impactful, real-time engagement where it matters most. 

“Fully digitising our retail network and leveraging advanced digital capabilities and data partnerships strengthens our ability to secure key concession partnerships and drive exceptional results for our clients.” 

David Widdop of Blue Tongue Outdoor added: “We’ve had an amazing partnership with oOh! since 2008, and I’m excited to continue working with the team. oOh!’s expertise in Out of Home is unrivalled, and I am eager to collaborate with them on managing the transition across 23 of our retail centres in South Australia.”

Over the past six months, oOh! has installed over 200 new digital screens across the country and completed digital upgrades at more than 20 centres, including nine of the 12 newly acquired ones. The company has also installed digital screens at more than 50 Drakes Supermarkets stores in South Australia and Queensland.

The news follows the July announcement of oOh!media securing the long-term contract for Melbourne’s five new Metro Tunnel stations.

The Metro Tunnel, set to open in 2025, will create an end-to-end rail line from Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne/Pakenham in the southeast, featuring bigger trains and five new stations.

See also: oOh!media locks in long term Melbourne Metro Tunnel contract

Music festival business Untitled Group has revealed a series of strategic promotions within its ranks, including the promotions of Jim Hennessey to head of marketing.

Hennessey will lead a team of three, with senior social media manager Xander Speight to hire and manage a full-time social media coordinator as Untitled Group builds out its social media capabilities.

Laura Hughes, who has been with the company for seven years, has been elevated to director of communications, which also sees her join the senior leadership team.

Hughes will oversee a consolidated comms department that encompasses corporate communications, customer relations, and social impact, working with newly–appointed communications agency of record, Sound Story.

In addition to marketing and PR, the promotions also stretch across brand partnerships, festival and event operations, ticketing, and touring and talent.

Co-founder and managing partner Christian Serrao will now lead a new commercial growth department. This division encompasses a new-look partnerships team, led by former Red Bull executive Dwayne Thompson and including Samantha Fifer, who has joined the business as partnerships manager.

The ticketing team will also sit within the commercial growth department, with Courtney Tahar elevated to head of ticketing. Both Thompson and Tahar will report to Serrao.

Untitled Group’s senior leadership team will report to general manager, former Live Nation and Three Six Zero veteran Andrew White, who joined the business in 2023.

“I am consistently amazed by our team’s intrinsic motivation for growth and development – particularly into senior and leadership roles,” White said.

“The changes we have announced today come off the back of a sustained period of growth for Untitled Group, and are proof that understanding your audience is the key to success in this fast-paced and often challenging industry we are a part of.”

These changes come as Untitled Group gears up for the ninth edition of its flagship four-day camping festival, Beyond The Valley. The festival’s latest marketing campaign, Experience Life In Technicolour, launched across digital, social, and OOH.

Independent media agency Magic has today introduced the new leadership team, led by Shahram Ghaffurian‘s appointment as CEO.

New appointments also include Bernie Cullen as head of media, Sarah Baskerville as head of growth, and the promotion of Sam Terminelli to head of strategy.

Ghaffurian says: “Each of these new leadership roles will be key contributors to the realisation of our growth and expansion goals in this pivotal new chapter for Magic, driven by the success of our unique Mediamatics approach. Until now, Magic has been relatively quiet in market and fuelled by organic growth driven by the industry-leading performance outcomes and service excellence.”

As a founder of Magic and the previous head of media, Ghaffurian came up with the term ‘Mediamatics’, an approach that prioritises the quantifiability and traceability of media investments via mathematics.

Cullen joins Magic as head of media with 16 years of experience, most recently at GroupM where she was head of delivery for Victoria and South Australia.

At Magic, Cullen will drive the Mediamatics approach in how the agency plans and buys digital media for its clients.

Baskerville joins Magic with two decades’ experience as a strategic partner and leader of transformative growth in digital marketing, previously working with Vibrance, News Corp, GumGum, Ansible, Bauer Media, and Fairfax.

Baskerville said: “Magic’s organic growth to date shows just how strong the market appetite is for a new approach and I could not be happier to be on the journey to realise Magic’s growth potential.”

Terminelli, having joined Magic in 2021, will deliver data-led approaches across both owned and advertising channels to drive measurable impact on business
performance. 

Ghaffurian said: “This new, highly experienced team represents a turning point in the next phase of Magic’s growth and we are excited to see what the future brings.”

See also: Magic wins Sophos with Alchemy methodology

UnLtd has partnered with DeadlyScience and Tonic Media Network’s Aboriginal Health Television (AHTV) to raise awareness of DeadlyScience’s mission to create STEM equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The partnership kicks off during National Science Week, 10 – 18 August, with a series of educational content pieces for AHTV series, The Yarn, featuring scientists and DeadlyScience’s Founder and CEO, Corey Tutt OAM.

The content will be featured on the AHTV network of 230+ screens located inside Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) across Australia’s urban, regional, and remote communities, as well as amplified by DeadlyScience across their owned channels.

AHTV’s partnership manager, Isabelle Docker, a Wiradjuri woman and a recent graduate from Sydney’s University of Technology, said of the partnership: “Teaming up with Deadly Science is essential for AHTV. Our missions are aligned in connecting and encouraging mob through the use of story telling and education and empowering young mob all over Australia in Science, our History, the Environment and Health.

“It’s critical that we educate the kids in our communities that our people were the first scientists and doctors, allowing them to see themselves in these new spaces, with the aim to inspire learning about STEM and Medicine.”

The partnership will work to amplify the voice of DeadlyScience into Communities via Aboriginal Health TV with education, storytelling, and key opportunities for school and student engagement. AHTV will also be supporting DeadlyScience initiatives throughout the year through fundraising and awareness driving via their broader network, corporate partners and team.

Tara Van Toorn, marketing officer at DeadlyScience said: “This partnership perfectly aligns with our goals, vision, and the impact we aim to achieve. We have already kicked off a number of collaborative projects that will help us get our message across in the community thanks to the reach of Tonic and AHTV.”

Jade Harley, director of partnerships at UnLtd added: “When we find such a strong value alignment and shared mission between our partners, we really see the magic happen, which is already evident between Tonic/AHTV and DeadlyScience”.

Optus Sport is now available on Foxtel’s Hubbl, making it the 17th service added to the aggregated streaming subscription service. 

Every match of the Premier League will be available on Hubbl through Optus Sport, with the first match of the season taking place on 17 August. 

The Emirates FA Cup, J-League, Barclays Women’s Super League, National Women’s Soccer League, K-League, DFB-Pokal and DFB Pokal-Frauen will also be now available, along with hundreds of international matches.

Dani Simpson, executive director of Hubbl, said: “As we continue to roll out our pipeline of updates and innovation we’re excited to welcome the newest partner onboard, Optus Sport joining Hubbl now takes our sport offering to new heights.

“With increased convenience and content choice, customers will have unrivalled access to Australian and international sporting events across the platform.”

Howard Rees, head of Optus Sport, added: “Hot on the heels of the successful live and exclusive broadcast of EURO 2024 and Copa América 2024, Optus Sport is now readying itself for the return of the Premier League, so we are excited to launch the Optus Sport app on Hubbl, which will provide Optus Sport subscribers with even more ways to enjoy the world’s best football.”

In June, watchdog ACMA found sports streaming service Kayo, also a Foxtel Group company, breached gambling advertising rules by presenting gambling ads during live sports events outside of allowed times.

The ACMA investigated Hubbl following complaints from viewers relating to live streams of a number of sporting events on Kayo.

Gambling advertisements are not allowed to be shown by online content providers during live sports events between 5am and 8:30pm, including in the five minutes before and after the event.

The ACMA’s investigations identified 16 different gambling advertisements were provided outside the allowed times across a total of 267 live sports events.

See also: ACMA investigates Hubbl, finds Kayo breached gambling advertising rules

Scroll Media is partnering with Nativo, a content and technology company.

The collaboration aims to offer innovative and effective solutions for brands and publishers across the region.

By partnering with Nativo, Scroll Media said it will leverage Nativo’s advanced technology to deliver seamless content experiences that drive better results for advertisers and enhance user experience for audiences.

“Nativo’s unique technology and expertise in native advertising will significantly enhance our capabilities,” said Scott Hughes, general manager at Scroll Media.

“This partnership will allow us to provide our clients with more sophisticated, data-driven content solutions that align with the evolving digital landscape.”

By integrating Nativo’s technology, Scroll Media said it will offer enhanced content delivery, advanced analytics, and improved audience targeting.

“We are thrilled to partner with Scroll Media and expand our footprint in the New Zealand and Australian markets,” said Casey Wuestefeld, VP of business development at Nativo.

“Scroll Media’s extensive network and expertise, combined with our innovative technology, will set a new standard for content and advertising solutions in the region.”

Scroll Media’s partnership with Nativo comes off the back of its recently announced partnership with Dailymotion Advertising.

Dailymotion Advertising is Dailymotion’s video marketing platform based in France. It brings together over 5,000 professional content publishers using its video technology. 

The Dailymotion video player is an instream solution, compliant with MOAT and IAS, achieving 85% viewability with no UGC content. Dailymotion stated that for advertisers, the partnership unlocks full-funnel video performance, providing deep consumer behaviour insights, high-impact video ad units, and cookieless data solutions. 

Vijay Kunduri, Dailymotion Advertising MD of APAC said: “We are delighted to partner with Scroll Media for video advertising sales representation in Australia, given the success of their Gameloft partnership, another Vivendi owned company.

“We are happy to provide brands in Australia with premium instream inventory at scale, along with our proprietary data solutions for media planning and measurement.”

See also: Scroll Media partners with Dailymotion Advertising

–

Top image: Scott Hughes and Casey Wuesterfeld

Olympic Games Paris TV ratings 2024 Day 15 Night Session (19:00-21:00) won its timeslot across Australia with Total People and all key demographics. It recorded a Total TV ratings Reach of 2.466 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.024 million and a BVOD audience of 108,000. In this session, viewers saw Germany take on Serbia in the men’s bronze medal basketball game. With a 93 to 83 win, Serbia took home the bronze.

Cassiel Rousseau finished fourth in the men’s Diving 10m Platform

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 15 Night Session 2 (21:00-22:30) dominated its timeslot across Australia with Total People and all key demographics. The broadcast featured the men’s gold medal volleyball match which saw France serving a golden performance. It achieved a National Total TV ratings Reach of 2.733 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.022 million and a BVOD audience of 115,000.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 15 Late (22:30-24:00) won its timeslot across Australia with Total People and all key demographics. It registered a National Total TV ratings Reach of 2.131 million, a Total TV National Audience of 823,000 and a BVOD audience of 105,000. Viewers watching this session saw Aussie diver Cassiel Rousseau put on an amazing performance, securing himself 4th place in the men’s 10m platform final. Viewers also saw the first two-quarters of the gold medal water polo match featuring our superstar Aussie Stingers in the fight for gold.

Women’s Water Polo Team claim Silver Medal

9News was the No. 1 program of the night with People 16 to 39, GS 18+ and Total People and it was the preferred news bulletin of the night with People 25 to 54. The combined national bulletins recorded a National Total TV ratings Reach of 2.440 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.255 million and a BVOD audience of 120,000.

9Network was the No.1 network across the 5 City Metro with Total People and all key demographics, delivering shares of 59.27% with People 25-54, 67.99% with People 16-39, 47.55% with GS 18+ and 48.57% with Total People.

9Now was the No.1 CFTA BVOD platform across Australia with Total People and all key demographics, recording huge shares of 82.07% with People 25-54, 83.94% with People 16-39, 79.36% with GS 18+ and 79.88% with Total People.

Check daily TV ratings for each day of Paris 2024 here.

TV ratings dip against NRL and AFL despite more Aussie medals

The 9Network’s record-breaking coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 continued as Friday TV ratings broadcast (up until 2.00am Saturday AEST) saw a National Total TV Reach of 8.484 million across Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 14 Night Session (19:00-21:00) was the No.1 program across Australia with Total People, People 25-54 and People 16-39. The National Total TV ratings show Reach of 3.341 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.288 million and a BVOD audience of 147,000. In this session, viewers saw the Aussies take on the semi finals of the Women’s and Men’s K-2 500m canoe sprint, with Ella Beere & Aly Bull placing fourth and Tom Green & Jean van der Westhuyzen placing first in their respective races, securing their spots in the finals.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 14 Night Session 2 (21:00-22:30) dominated its timeslot across Australia with Total People and all key demographics. The broadcast featured Australians Cassiel Rousseau and Jaxon Bowshire competing in the Men’s 10m Platform Diving Prelims, as the pair dove their way to the semi finals. It achieved a National Total TV Reach of 2.530 million, a Total TV National Audience of 945,000 and a BVOD audience of 130,000.  

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 14 Late (22:30-24:00) won its timeslot across Australia with Total People and all key demographics. It registered a National Total TV Reach of 2.097 million, a Total TV National Audience of 857,000 and a BVOD audience of 111,000. Aussie viewers watching this session saw Australian Maddison Keeney compete for the silver medal in the Women’s 3m Springboard Final and Matthew Richardson’s incredible semi final effort in the Men’s Sprint Cycling that landed him a place in the final.

9News was Australia’s No. 2 program in TV ratings rankings with Total People and the No. 1 news bulletin of the night with Total People and all key demographics. The combined national bulletins recorded a National Total TV Reach of 2.350 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.275 million and a BVOD audience of 134,000.

9Network was the No.1 network across the 5 City Metro with Total People and all key demographics, delivering shares of 56.9% with People 25-54, 63.3% with People 16-39, 47.1% with GS 18+ and 48.1% with Total People.

9Now was the No.1 CFTA BVOD platform across Australia with Total People and all key demographics, recording TV ratings shares of 80.3% with People 25-54, 82.5% with People 16-39, 77.3% with GS 18+ and 77.9% with Total People.

Check daily TV ratings for each day of Paris 2024 here.

The TV ratings for 9Network’s Thursday broadcast of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (up until 2.00am Monday AEST) saw a National Total TV Reach of 8.749 million across Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now.

Australian Men’s 100m relay team set new Australian record

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 13 Night Session (19:00-21:00) was Australia’s No. 1 program with all key demos and Total People. It registered a National Total TV Reach of 3.423 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.564 million and a BVOD audience of 186,000. Viewers of the broadcast witnessed a historic 4×100 relay as the Aussie men’s team of Lachlan Kennedy, Jacob Despard, Calab Law and Joshua Azzopardi set a national record. Viewers also saw Australian Maddison Keeney dive her way into the women’s 3m springboard final, placing second in her semi final. 

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 13 Night Session 2 (21:00-22:30) dominated its timeslot with all key demos and Total People Audiences in this slot witnessed the Australian Men’s K-4 500m team of Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen, Jackson Collins and Noah Harvard win silver in an incredible photo finish, pipped by Germany by just 0.04 seconds. The session secured a National Total TV Reach of 2.594 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.195 million and a BVOD audience of 155,000.

Australian Men’s K-4 500m team

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 13 Late (22:30-24:00) dominated its TV ratings timeslot across Australia with Total People and all key demos. It achieved a National Total TV Reach of 1.980 million, a Total TV National Audience of 713,000 and a BVOD audience of 103,000. This session featured more action from the Paris Aquatic Centre with Australian Kurtis Matthews competing in the Men’s 3m Springboard Diving final as well as the visually spectacular scenes from the Rhythmic Gymnastics Individual All-Around qualifications at La Chapelle Arena. 

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Day 13 Afternoon (15:00-18:59) dominated its timeslot across Australia with Total People and all key demos. It achieved a National Total TV Reach of 2.959 million, a Total TV National Audience of 819,000 and a BVOD audience of 87,000. The Afternoon session saw Australia’s Moesha Johnson battle Dutchwoman Sharon van Rouwendaal in the Seine, to win silver in the women’s 10km marathon swim.

9News was Australia’s No.1 bulletin of the night with all TV ratings key demos and Total People. The combined national bulletins achieved a National Total TV Reach of 2.760 million, a Total TV National Audience of 1.508 million and a BVOD audience of 169,000.

The 9Network was the No. 1 network across the 5 City Metro with Total People and all key demos, securing shares of 61.30% with People 25-54, 69.73% with People 16-39, 49.25% with GS18+ and 50.90% with Total People.

9Nowwas the No. 1 CFTA BVOD platform across Australia with Total People and all key demos, with massive shares of 79.41% with People 25-54, 81.54% with People 16-39, 76.61% with GS18+ and 77.2% with Total People.

Thursday 8 August 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s Olympics 2024 D13 – Night recorded a total TV national reach of 3,423,000, a total TV national audience of 1,564,000, and a BVOD audience of 186,000.

Nine’s NRL – Storm v Rabbitohs recorded a total TV national reach of 2,873,000, a total TV national audience of 647,000, and a BVOD audience of 102,000.

The Storm v Rabbitohs match saw the Storm dominate, winning 28-16 at Accor Stadium in Sydney.

Also on Seven, Home & Away recorded a total TV national reach of 1,114,000, a total TV national audience of 798,000, and a BVOD audience of 116,000.

10’s airing of The Dog House Australia recorded a total TV national reach of 652,000, a total TV national audience of 250,000, and a BVOD audience of 7,000.

People 25-54

Nine’s NRL – Storm v Rabbitohs:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,167,000
• National Audience: 264,000
• BVOD Audience: 62,000

Nine’s Olympics 2024 D13 – Night
• Total TV nation reach: 1,241,000
• National Audience: 542,000
• BVOD Audience: 108,000

10’s The Dog House Australia:
• Total TV nation reach: 207,000
• National Audience: 87,000 
• BVOD Audience: 4,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 325,000
• National Audience: 243,000
• BVOD Audience: 64,000

People 16-39

Nine’s NRL – Storm v Rabbitohs:
• Total TV nation reach: 608,000
• National Audience: 149,000
• BVOD Audience: 38,000

Nine’s Olympics 2024 D13 – Night
• Total TV nation reach: 587,000
• National Audience: 262,000
• BVOD Audience: 61,000

10’s The Dog House Australia:
• Total TV nation reach: 76,000
• National Audience: 34,000 
• BVOD Audience: 2,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 146,000
• National Audience: 108,000
• BVOD Audience: 39,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+ 

Nine’s NRL – Storm v Rabbitohs:
• Total TV nation reach: 2,128,000
• National Audience: 476,000
• BVOD Audience: 79,000

Nine’s Olympics 2024 D13 – Night
• Total TV nation reach: 2,554,000
• National Audience: 1,172,000
• BVOD Audience: 147,000

10’s The Dog House Australia:
• Total TV nation reach: 518,000
• National Audience: 203,000 
• BVOD Audience: 6,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 891,000
• National Audience: 643,000
• BVOD Audience: 92,000

Data © OzTAM and Regional TAM 2024. Not to be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without prior written consent of OzTAM and Regional TAM.