The In-House Agency Council (IHAC) welcomed attendees to The Timber Yard in Melbourne for a day of discussion, insights, collaboration and networking at the 2024 summit.  

Chris Maxwell, executive chairman of IHAC and founder and CEO of –lution, told Mediaweek: “We’re absolutely thrilled with the success of the event. The content was real thought leadership. I heard from people who took pages and pages of notes, and the turnout was amazing – almost triple the size of last year’s event.

“The in-house and hybrid agency community is growing in Australia and we’re so proud to play our role in supporting the community to thrive.”

Chris Maxwell

Mediaweek was on the ground to see what’s new and cooking in the in-house agency sector.

Maxwell kicked off the day with a keynote that noted the growth and changes in technology as the key driver in the sector’s development and driver of challenges and opportunities for marketers and advertisers. He noted that IHAC’s 2023 report found 78% of Australian businesses use in-house agencies, making it a leader in the space.

Maxwell rounded out his remarks by highlighting the council’s key values of generosity toward the in-house agency community, desire to learning, positivity toward the sector and growth for individuals and business. 

“Being positive for the player means better results for brands”

Claire Nance, head of global gaming business success strategy at Activision Blizzard, joined the summit from New York to discuss how the brand’s in-house agency, Starcade Studios, drives growth in the competitive marketplace.

She noted that player-first approach was part of the main reason why the brand launched its agency

“As we thought about what it is that clients and partners needed, it really made sense for us to evolve that offering so that we can provide services and creative services to our partners and clients to help that activate in the best way,” she said.

“Our game studios have a very high bar for the types of ad and brand experiences they will allow us to put in the games. To be clear, that is very much a good thing because it means that any type of brand experience, we are going to put into our game is going to be positive for the player; being positive for the player means better results for brands.”

Nance noted that Starcade Studios helps brands unfamiliar with Activision Blizzard games through the ad partnership process and ensures the work is produced in a way that is “effective, creative and fits seamlessly into that environment.”

“Having that one thing that your brand stands for is powerful”

After a mid-morning break, attendees reconvened for a panel led by IHAC’s Abby Blackmore, featuring Commbank’s Sarah Hetherington, Youi’s Marcel Hashimoto and Canva’s Cat van der Werff on how to evolve in-house agencies and attract top talent.

The trio shared their in-house agency origin stories, anecdotes on how their services and offerings have evolved, and advice to brands building and growing their in-house agency.

Hetherington noted that having a clear goal and vision, as well as clarity on success metrics – such as stakeholder satisfaction, productivity and effectiveness of the work delivered – as important and simple lessons she’s learned.

Van der Werff highlighted empowerment as the core value and “guiding light” of the work produced by Canva’s in-house agency. She said: “Like Airbnb is about belonging and Patagonia is about the environment, having that one thing that your brand stands for and all of your creative team strives towards is powerful.”

Hashimoto built on the importance of having clarity for an in-house agency’s goals, resources and capabilities. He added that having conversations with stakeholders and the CEO’s interests, background and ideals for the brand and building that into the agency model and economics of the business.

Left to right: Marcel Hashimoto, Cat van der Werff, Sarah Hetherington and Abby Blackmore.

“It’s happening really fast… get stuck in”

Nick Thomas from -lution and Tim O’Neill from Time Under Tension presented how in-house agencies can leverage generative AI to help get ahead. Their discussion encouraged attendees to be “more dog” by getting stuck into AI platforms and giving it a go.

Thomas and O’Neill also noted multimodal AI model coming soon to market and how in-house agencies should get ready for it  

“It’s happening really fast, there’s no shortage of avenues to keep abreast (with AI), but do because it’s happening quick. Get stuck in,” Thomas added.

Tim O’Neill and Nick Thomas

“Professionalism x intimacy ÷ ego”

Chris Maxwell returned on stage to moderate a discussion how brands can be taking better control of media with Treasury Wine’s Ben Oliver and Vinetha Manthena, IHAC consultant and former head of media of Optus and CBA.

Oliver and Manthena agreed cost savings were not always the point of a move in-house. Rather being able to test and learn, having agility, proximity to data and transparency were key reasons to in-house media capabilities

When asked about bringing people together and building a team, Oliver noted that he is big on collaboration and co-creation.

“This all comes down to trust and a really nice equation for what trust is: professionalism x intimacy ÷ ego.”

Chris Maxwell, Ben Oliver and Vinetha Manthena

“Having an outside-in view is super valuable”

Nick Thomas took to the stage again to discuss the hybrid agency model alongside Guy Sawrey-Cookson from Foxtel’s in-house Balboa, which oversees sport and entertainment content. The two discussed the process of setting up partnerships between in-house and external agency partnerships.

When asked about Balboa’s future and the potential to go all in-house, Sawrey-Cookson said that is their aspiration looking ahead.

“Our desire would be to do more of the full campaigns in-house. We do all of Foxtel, all of Fox Sports, and all of Kayo in-house. That’s an obvious cost-saving to bring that work in-house. It’s definitely on the cards and something we aspire to do, in the meantime, we love working with agencies, particularly for strategy; having an outside-in view is super valuable.”

Guy Sawrey-Cookson with Nick Thomas

“There are just as many challenges and opportunities”

The next panel was a group discussion of the challenges of recruiting and retaining top talent in-house. MYOB’s Emma Grant led the discussion, which was joined by Lea Walker from Ms Walker Creative Recruitment, Ryan Kelly from Creative Natives, and Georgie Bugelly from Asahi.

Bugelly said “there are just as many challenges and opportunities” when considering moving to an in-house agency for an external agency.

Kelly advised those considering joining an in-house agency if the brand is something they care passionately about. “One of the big benefits of working in an agency is the diversity of clients. If it’s not a brand you can see yourself in long term, I wouldn’t consider it.”

“We try and stay away from the logical way”

Phil van Bruchem and Tom Opie, creative directors at Splash, the in-house agency for Treasury Wines, shared their journey of growing and evolving the agency and creating award-winning work.

In their presentation, they highlighted the importance of going beyond the marketing department of the business to really understand it and listening to the different parts that make up the organisation.

“We try and stay away from the logical way of solving conventional problems,” they said.

Connecting and collaborating

Following the afternoon break, the attendees split up into four different groups to connect with specialist groups and peers from the industry.

The groups were leadership, creative and strategy, production and operations, and media, data and tech.

YouTube put on quite the spectacle for the hundreds of brands, agencies, advertisers, and marketers gathered at this year’s 2024 Brandcast at Hordern Pavilion.

Attendees were treated to an evening of insights, research, innovations and product updates rolling in for the market.

Mel Silva, managing director of Google Australia, declared to the audience that “YouTube delivers” and made it clear that it is “still the platform where you can drive the business and brand outcomes you care about.”

Mel Silva at Brandcast 2024

“In a world full of content, there’s only one YouTube. It’s engaging for fans, it’s effective for brands, and there’s really nothing else like it,” Silva said.

Mediaweek caught up with media buyers who attended the event to get their thoughts on offerings and what piqued their interest.  

James Dixon, chief data officer and partner from Atomic 212° told Mediaweek: “The opening line from Mel Silva was that we were in for a predictable night where we would hear once again why YouTube is a strong option for media planning.

“That self-effacing statement was well and truly backed up with a well-scripted line-up including top content creators, an interview with the CMO of McDonald’s, more than 30 client testimonials and a range of credible third-party research woven into the presentations.”

Dixon said: “YouTube struggles with its media identity. Is it a performance channel, a brand-building channel, a broadcast or niche channel, a TV, mobile or desktop experience?

“Google is acutely aware of this and, as per last year, positioned it first and foremost as an ROI channel, claiming most notably that it delivers 82% more ROI than linear or BVOD options—a big bold claim that networks should comment on.”

Chris Brown and Laura Nice

Dixon highlighted another key statistic from the presentation, that there are over 400 YouTube channels with more than one million Australian subscribers.

“This is impressive but felt wanting a killer data point re the average viewership of each episode so that comparisons could be made to tentpole linear data.”

Dixon noted that among 20 or so key stats on ROI and usage, it was claimed 75 minutes per day for the average Australian adult

“This is impressive, and I felt duty-bound to check it with my Uber driver on the way home. As a survey of one, she claimed two to three hours a day and promptly listed her content as a mix of educational and spiritual in nature. She even recited the ads that she recalled; notably, they were not major brands.” 

“Media planning aside, YouTube is an extraordinary home of content, where there is something for everyone,” Dixon said.

Dr Deborah Ko

“The night showcased the breadth of content, the maturing production quality and the best practice ad formats, where long-form (three-plus minutes) is getting strong engagement.

“A key call out was that brands can provide super long-form promotions in this channel and expect 28% of the audience to complete the viewing within a ‘flow state’ of high engagement.”

Dixon concluded: “The strap line for the night was repeated to land in the ears of planners: ‘There is only one YouTube’. If the idea was to position YouTube as a unique media option where the best of performance media meets the best of social media and the best of linear living room TV, I got it and didn’t mind hearing that once again.”

Tom Kirkham

Tom Kirkham, head of transformation at OMD Sydney, noted that this year’s Brandcast saw YouTube shift its attention toward its old-school competitors, Instagram and TikTok.

He noted that YouTube took ownership of ‘flow state’ as an attention proxy and added that “deciding to spend time here instead of AI was a savvy move in my opinion.”

Kirkham pointed out while more Google AI was expected to be seen, that there was an evident balance on the topics of AI, content and creators. “Yes, AI was present during key product announcements such as new video reach campaign non-skips (which finds audiences for complete views at lower costs) but generally played a background role.

Creators Nick and Carrie

“The industry is wise to the fact that AI technology is no longer a differentiator… it’s now time to start showing that it works, improves outcomes and ultimately creates a more engaging experience. 

Kirkham concluded: “Overall, YouTube successfully navigated a delicate balance between content, creators, and AI. Rather than aggressively promoting AI, they highlighted its subtle yet integral role, prioritising creativity and formats that help align brands to the best of content via Creator Select, and ultimately publicising positive online practices, and their unmatched reach.”

Kristy Kinzett, Wavemaker’s head of digital in Victoria, called YouTube reach of 97% of online Australians “truly impressive.”

“Mass scale paired with appealing to audience passion points is one big USP for our clients at Wavemaker, but then when you couple that with the platform’s proven results for brand impact, ROI and campaign efficacy, it’s a very compelling story.

Kinzett said: “We’ve put a lot of work into how we think about screens for our clients, and we know that the device plays a big role in the consumption of content and efficacy of advertising. Seeing YouTube’s CTV growth double over the last few years to 14.8m people provides me with further confidence in the platform’s role in our screen stack.

“The announcement at Brandcast of their new AI-enabled video reach non-skip campaigns are a strong product evolution since they drive longer message consumption and attention while also skewing heavier to CTV delivery. A bit of win-win in my eyes!”

She noted that, as expected, there was heavy focus on the power of content and YouTube’s role as a platform that is engaging for fans and effective for brands.

“Undiscovered possibilities and curiosity to learn more is what brings people there, which gives the brands we work with the opportunity to leverage those moments to forge their own connections.”

Kristy Kinzett

Kinzett said that creators are using platform as the ultimate creative canvas to tell their diverse stories with their distinct voices.

“We have some of our clients diving into this space, understanding that nailing their own content is vital, but that they can also partner with these cultural commentators and trendsetters for trusted advocacy. And customers are receptive more importantly.”

Kinzett noted that the new partnership ads in YouTube are something Wavemaker has already been testing. “I’m excited to see initial results show that brand assets drive ad recall lift, while creator assets increase search lift.

“We’re on the journey for some clients, and for others, it’s something we are positively provoking them on to help them understand that it’s not an ‘or’, it’s an ‘and’; it’s long-form and short in tandem, and it’s another way to connect with audiences to create something of meaning,” she added.

Gerry Bowness, head of digital at Mediahub, told Mediaweek Silva and YouTube made the point clear about the platform’s effectiveness compared to TV/BVOD and reach across Australia and New Zealand with figures presented.

Gerry Bowness

On Dr Deborah Ko’s talk about audience behaviour of ‘flow state’, how it is the opposite of ‘zoning out’ and why brands should engage with these YouTube audiences, Bowness said: “I would argue that unless the ad is hyper-relevant, having your flow state being interrupted is irritating. Here is where punchy, fun, short-form creative can shine.

While creators took to the stage to discuss making content and engaging with global audiences, Bowness swiftly turned his attention to Victoria Berthinussen, head of Creative Partnerships. Berthinussen spoke about using YouTube as a creative canvas and delivering a coherent story across a range of formats and lengths.

Bowness noted: “Mediahub’s own New Balance Run Your Way campaign was used as a best-in-class example here, which we are super proud of!”

For Bowness, Caroline Oates’ outlook for the year ahead was the talk he had been waiting for all night. He highlighted Demand Gen campaigns via DV360 as a “welcomed addition.”

“We had an introduction to their open-source MMM solution – this could be an excellent option for brands that can’t afford full MMM but could also be construed as Google marking their own homework, so it will be interesting to see more information on this.

“For me the most interesting new product was Creator Takeovers – the ability for a brand to own the space around a creator for a given time.

“This can be really powerful; especially for a brand like New Balance, which is a sponsor of the Australian Open – a prolific channel on YouTube,” he added.

Sam Orton

Sam Orton, digital director at UM Australia, said YouTube’s Brandcast was not just a celebration of the platform’s dominance in the video space but a bold proclamation of its evolving role in culture, creativity, and advertising.

The Power of Scale and Diversity

Orton said the centre of YouTube’s proposition is its unrivalled scale and that it has “transcended the role of a mere video-sharing platform” with 19.5 million Australian adults and 3.5 million New Zealanders aged 18+ watching.

“Whether you’re exploring niche interests or blockbuster content, YouTube offers something for everyone. And it’s on these building blocks this year the platform aimed to convince brands of the power of scale coupled with emotion.

“The messaging was clear: YouTube can be both broad and deeply personal, capturing the world’s attention in both its grand scope and its intimate storytelling,” he added.

Mel Silva

Redefining Culture and Advertising

Orton noted that a recurring theme of the presentation was YouTube’s role in redefining culture and extending its influence across screens.

“YouTube has democratised content creation, giving everyone a platform to share their voice,” he said, citing the rise of niche creators like ManofRecaps or global influencers like Michelle Khare, who presented.

“So as I sat there, I started to think, what does this shift mean for brands? The days of one-size-fits-all advertisements are over. Brands must now create content at scale that fits the scale and diversity of YouTube’s audience.

“I thought it was astute, the use of Michelle Khare, a creator who steps outside of her ‘comfort zone’ to craft stories that resonate across demographics, but also energise us, brands, too, dare to follow this path of learning, failing, on their platform, YouTube!”

Michelle Khare

He also noted YouTube’s push to urge brands to think “YouTube first” when planning campaigns.

“With 60% of YouTube’s impact attributed to creativity, the platform is challenging brands to rethink their approach. Showing Woolworths’ collaboration with celebrity chefs and BCF’s viral videos illustrate how brands can blend traditional and digital storytelling to engage audiences in meaningful ways.”

Innovation meets results

Orton highlighted YouTube’s new and innovative features that aim to meet the needs of advertisers such as video reach campaign and non-skippable ads, partnership ads, demand generation via DV360 and creator takeovers.  

He also noted that industry partnerships with Ipsos and IAB “provide a more holistic view of YouTube’s role in the co-viewing experience, offering brands new ways to measure success.”

Orton said that creativity and connection will continue to drive results as YouTube continues to progress.

“With only 15 minutes of their own event dedicated to results and sales, the rest was pure entertainment, the YouTube team are really living and breathing this brand stuff.”

Caroline Oates

“The event concluded with Caroline Oates, Head of YouTube, reminding us of the staggering figure: 75 minutes of YouTube per day across all screens for Australian adults. (What does this say about our productivity??!)

“This year’s YouTube Upfronts underscored the platform’s evolution from a video service to a cultural touchstone. Invitation to a major musician like G Flip, who started on YouTube, was a great touch,” he added.

Orton concluded: “Whether through Shorts or long-form videos, creators and brands that take the opportunity to craft genuine content will resonate across audiences. We all know creativity drives impact. I think the challenge for brands now is to create stories that not only sell but connect at scale.”

G Flip performing after Brandcast 2024

See also: ‘YouTube delivers’: Brandcast 2024 unveils insights, innovations, new research and product updates

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Top image – Top: Mel Silva. Bottom: Gerry Bowness, James Dixon, Kristy Kinzett, Tom Kirkham and Sam Orton

In the immediate aftermath of Mike Sneesby exiting Nine, ARL boss Peter V’landys has embarked on an ambitious and very public attempt to get Paramount interested in bidding for the next round of NRL rights.

The move was revealed by News Corp’s Phil Rothfield after he spoke to V’landys about his strategy to lock away the next TV deal.

It comes on the day before Paramount ANZ starts its annual Upfront presentations to media and advertisers. The Upfront showcases how the 10 FTA and Paramount+ streaming businesses will invest in content for the calendar year 2025.

The V’landys move is ambitious on a number of fronts. The first is that he is going very early in the search for a new NRL payday. The existing rights deal that sees Nine and Foxtel Group paying a combined $400m a season still has three more years to run across seasons 2025, 2026 and 2027. (That amount also includes a contribution from Sky TV New Zealand.)

Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch with Peter Vlandys at Las Vegas NRL weekend early in 2024.

Rothfield wrote: “Peter V’landys will try to convince one of the world’s richest men to buy the NRL’s free-to-air television rights in the game’s next broadcast deal. The independent commission boss wants a meeting with US businessman Larry Ellison, the new Channel 10 owner, who is worth $265 billion.”

Even if V’landys manages to score an audience with Ellison, V’landys will be hoping he has his son David on hand. Although Larry is backing the Paramount purchase, it’s his son David who will be running the business via his company Skydance Media.

It’s not clear if either of the Ellisons are about to be negotiating rights deals either. If the deal does proceed, which now looks likely, it is not expected to close until sometime in the first half of 2025.

V’landys would also need the support of the Paramount Australian & New Zealand management under Beverley McGarvey.

Another hurdle facing V’landys is how interested will the new owner be in Australia and ownership of Network 10 and Paramount+. There has been some speculation Paramount is looking to offload some of the Paramount+ assets not seen as core to the Skydance acquisition.

See also: Kayo Sports’ NRL 2024 season coverage surges 30% year-on-year

NRL’s search for more dollars means attracting new bidder

“Naturally we’d like to have talks with the new owners,” V’landys told Rothfield.

“We have to look at every option to maximise broadcast revenue. It would be negligent of us not to. A man of his (Ellison) stature could lift us to another level again.”

For the NRL to get an increased rights fee it needs competition for the rights. If Nine and Seven were happy to sign again for the next round of rights starting with season 2028, there is no reason for them to pay more with the absence of a third party bidding.

Indeed, they could make a strong argument that they should be paying less given the poor state of the ad market.

That’s one reason V’landys and Abdo might want to wait. If the ad market picks up in the next couple of years, a TV network will be more comfortable about increasing their spend on live sport.

Will current NRL bidders return?

The departure of Mike Sneesby from Nine is unlikely to impact the network’s desire to keep the NRL. The sport is central to the network’s offering to advertisers through the winter and there would be a massive hole without it. But one of the first things a new CEO at Nine will order is a thorough examination of how much the NRL costs, together with the production and talent costs associated with it.

Seven remains a very unlikely bidder for NRL. It has locked away AFL rights through until 2032 at great cost so it’s very unlikely to consider another massive investment for a sport at the same time of year.

The Foxtel Group has hung out for For Sale sign, so that is the main concern for Abdo and V’landys. Under News Corp management, there are great synergies between Fox Sports, Kayo Sports and the News Corp publishing properties. Those synergies vanish with a new owner of the subscription TV business.

10’s rugby league link

Rothfield recalled how Channel 10 has a rich history in rugby league, having broadcast the old midweek Amco Cup and Premiership between 1983 and 1991.

As to V’landys chances of setting up a meeting with the Ellison family in America, he told Rothfield:

“We’ll find a way. It’s no secret free-to-air TV is going to be very dependent on news, sport and reality TV because other content is going to streaming services.

“The whole future of free-to- air TV will be around sport and right now rugby league is attracting record crowds and highest TV ratings in history.

“We’re very happy with our current broadcast partners but we have to seriously look at every opportunity.”

Live sport is the new frontier for streaming services and having one of Australia’s two biggest sports would give Paramount+ a massive boost and keep it growing its footprint across Australia.

The NRL bosses have the ambition of getting a better deal for their sport than the AFL got for theirs, noted Rothfield. That means increasing the NRL TV fee of $400m annually to more than $642m annually. The AFL deal that expires this year saw Seven and Foxtel paying a combined $473m annually.

Top photo: NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo congratulates Mike Sneesby when Nine renewed its current NRL deal in 2021.

See also: Seven’s new sports boss: Chris Jones details AFL, cricket plans and a whole lot more

Brisbane’s 4BC has announced it will be taking on a new direction in the breakfast timeslot as Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare and Mark Hine prepare to bid farewell.

The move to switch breakfast shows means the station will have its third breakfast host in just over two years.

Laurel, Gary and Mark made the move from 4KQ to 4BC just over two years ago saw them replace Neil Breen in the breakfast slot.

Before joining 4BC, Laurel, Gary and Mark had been part of the morning routine for millions of Brisbane listeners for over 30 years.

Reporting for Mediaweek about the station switch in 2022, Tess Connery said:

The worst was feared for Brisbane’s longest continual running breakfast show, Laurel, Gary and Mark, when they signed off from their final 4KQ show on June 24th. The trio left 4KQ after the sale of the station to Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) as a result of ARN’s acquisition of Grant Broadcasters, and their need to comply with Australia’s media ownership laws.

Swooping in to save the day was Nine’s 4BC, who have given Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare, and Mark Hine a new on-air home.

Previous Breakfast host Neil Breen has made the move to the Drive, while Drive host Scott Emerson has taken up a new role as a political contributor across 4BC and Nine Radio’s other talk stations.

Head of content for Nine Radio, Greg Byrnes, said on Friday: “Laurel, Gary and Mark have played a crucial role in our live and local content strategy. It’s been a privilege to have them engage with Brisbane through 4BC but we’ve decided to take a new approach to breakfast.

“Their loyal listeners, and all of us at 4BC, will miss them greatly, but we’ll be sending them off in a style worthy of their remarkable careers.”

4BC breakfast ratings remained strong after the trio took over from Neil Breen. However, they slipped this year significantly where they started to trail the new king of Brisbane AM breakfast radio BBQ Bob Gallagher.

Laurel, Gary and Mark are taking the spring survey break this week and return on Monday, September 23, for a final week of their show.

Their final day on air will be Friday, September 27.

Nine said an announcement on Brisbane’s 4BC Breakfast lineup for the remainder of 2024 will be made soon.

Peter Gleeson finished at 4BC last week

There was another departure at the station last week. Acting content manager Holly Green shared that the station was losing its drive presenter Peter Gleeson.

Green told staff in an internal memo:

Gleeso has accepted an appointment as the CEO of the new Q Greyhound Complex.

As you would all be aware, Greyhound racing has run through Gleeso’s blood for decades, so when an opportunity like this presents, it’s simply too good to pass by.

I have no doubt Gleeso will bring the same “Dogged” determination to this new role as he did as 4BC’s drive presenter.

While we will miss him, I’m sure you will all join with me in wishing him all the very best.

Gleeso’s last show will be this Friday, in line with our scheduled survey break, with Gary Hardgrave filling in over the holiday week.

A further announcement regarding the drive line up for the remainder of the year will follow soon.

BINGE and Screenwest have revealed Season 3 of The Twelve has been commissioned and is now in production in Western Australia.

The Twelve focuses on twelve jurors as they wrestle with their duty to deliver a verdict while navigating their own personal issues. Sam Neill will return to the anthology series to reprise his role of Brett Colby SC, as the lives of the jury unravel throughout a cold case murder trial.

Season 2 was the biggest-ever production to take place in WA, as well as being the first series to kick off the WA Production Attraction Incentive (WAPAI). Following the success of Seasons 1 and 2, Season 3 will be set in the Margaret River region and Perth surrounds, including Parliament House and the ABC Studios.

Sam Neill as BRETT COLBY, The Twelve Season 2

BINGE, Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia and Easy Tiger’s partnership with Screenwest delivered $9.6m to the WA economy and created more than 650 jobs as part of The Twelve Season 2. With the continued partnership it is anticipated that Season 3 will deliver a $10m injection into the WA economy and provide a similar number of jobs.

With a run of 8 x 1-hour episodes, Season 3 of The Twelve is written by Sarah L. Walker, Matt Cameron, Mia Lethbridge, Adele Vuko and Sam Meikle. The series will be set up and directed by Madeleine Gottlieb (Erotic Stories, Latecomers) and Mark Joffe (Jack Irish), with casting by Kirsty McGregor and Will Pearce.

The producers are Hamish Lewis and Michael Brooks for Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia (WBITVPA) and Ally Henville, Ian Collie and Rob Gibson for Easy Tiger, along with executive producers Sarah L. Walker, Sam Neill, Alison Hurbert-Burns and Penny Win.

Alison Hurbert-Burns, commissioner & executive director, entertainment content, Foxtel Group said: “The Twelve has been a favourite of FOXTEL and BINGE audiences and following that success we’re thrilled to commission a third season of this premium award- winning drama. After such a good experience filming The Twelve season 2 in WA last year, it’s great to be back and this time, taking audiences to Margaret River and Western Australia’s dramatic South West coast.

“I’d like to thank Screenwest and the Western Australian Government for their continuing support of the production of premium Australian drama here in WA and also thank our partners at Warner Bros and Easy Tiger for the creative endeavour they bring to The Twelve.”

oOh!media has appointed Ben Campbell as director of data, product and technology following expansions to the out-of-home media company’s retail media division, reo.

Campbell joins oOh! from Nine where he was director of advertising and data products. During his time at Nine, he led the commercial data and digital advertising product strategy, ad technology, digital sales strategy and enablement, and SMB ad platform functions.

Campbell was formerly the specialist sales director at Mi9 and head of digital commercial strategy at the Telegraph Media Group in London.

As announced at the recent Outfront, reo will broaden its focus to incorporate sales representation of retailers’ assets across stores, websites, apps, and off-platform channels such as Meta, Google, and oOh!media.

To support the expanded offering, the out-of-home media company has made eight key additions to reo’s team.

Also joining the reo leadership team, alongside general manager, Barry McGhee, is Raen Waghorn-Hughes. She transitions from oOh!’s head of content to become director of operations, bringing deep digital media expertise across her role at oOh! and previously Junkee Media. Alex Jensen also joins the team as commercial finance director after an internal promotion.

Steven Jones joins as retailer growth lead, bringing experience in establishing one retail media network, MixIn by Endeavour, and will drive retailer engagement and growth.

Heath Irving comes on board as product specialist from Criteo, one of the world’s leading retail media platforms where he was APAC solutions consultant for enterprise.

Karlie Taylor joins as marketing manager. She most recently headed up marketing for SHOPLINE, a leading global unified commerce platform.

Rounding out the new hires are two business development managers. Clinton Angrove joins from Experian and was formerly the head of customer success at Australian retail media platform, Zitcha. Rasheed Raman joins from The Trade Desk and will work with retailers to build and quickly mobilise their retail media offerings.

Neil Ackland, chief content, marketing and creative officer of oOh!media, welcomed the appointments. He said: “They will bring market leading expertise across retail media sales, data, technology, marketing and operations, as we execute our mission to make it easy for retailers to create end-to-end media solutions that drive incremental growth and enhance customer engagement.”

PwC estimates the retail media category will hit $2.6 billion in Australia by 2026. reo is a complete end-to-end digital media sales solution to help retailers build and monetise their retail media networks.

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Top image: Barry McGhee, Raen Waghorn-Hughes, Alex Jensen, Neil Ackland, Ben Campbell.

The 6th annual UnLtd: Big Dream event saw over 650 people across the media, marketing and creative industry come together in Sydney to celebrate and showcase the positive impact the industry has had on young people at risk.

The inductees to the Hall of Good were revealed at the event with OMD winning the Good Company category, Danielle Galipienzo from Initiative being awarded as the Social Change Maker and ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ campaign by Zenith and Cocogun for Missing School chosen as the Campaign for Good.

Jade Harley, director of partnerships at UnLtd commended on OMD’s long-term commitment to giving back.

“Giving back to the community is deeply entrenched in OMD’s DNA and this is evident from their long-term commitment to supporting several causes from foster children to leukemia. OMD has been a committed and valued partner for The Pyjama Foundation of nearly 10 years,” she said.

“With OMD’s support, Pyjama Foundation has been able to grow from a local Brisbane charity to a nationally recognised and respected organisation with a fundraising campaign that raises nearly $1M each year. The incredible media support OMD has rallied for their National Pyjama Day campaign over the years has been instrumental in raising their profile and helping attract new donors and partners.”

Laura Nice, co-CEO of OMD Australia said: “We are so fortunate to have UnLtd inspiring our industry and connecting us with incredible organisations that can really make a difference for youth at risk. Giving back to the community is such an important part of OMD’s culture and this is driven by everyone across our agency.

“We are so proud of our passionate and talented OMDers who drive our partnership and work with the brilliant team at The Pyjama Foundation, and those that get involved in all the important events that UnLtd host throughout the year. This recognition by UnLtd as a Good Company is all thanks to our team and client partners who inspire our efforts to keep making a difference into the future.”

The event, sponsored by MiQ, oOh!media, Val Morgan Cinema, NOVA Entertainment, Magnite and Yahoo, raised funds for UnLtd’s work to support charities helping young people at risk.

Stephen Hunt, CEO of UnLtd said: “For nearly 20 years, UnLtd has brought the industry together to help impactful charities grow. Whilst we will continue to do that important work, we know we can do more. We want to bring experts from our industry and the cause sector together to create tangible, systemic change to end youth disadvantage.

“One of the first projects we’ll be tackling is the shocking fact that in Australia, children as young as ten are locked up in prisons. We know locking up children creates long-lasting harm to children and society and it simply doesn’t work. It creates a ‘revolving door’ of incarceration with 85% of young people returning within 12 months when released from sentenced detention 1. It’s also a huge cost for taxpayers – it costs over $1 million per year, per young person in prison in NSW 2 . We can’t wait to get the industry behind this important campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility.”

Richard Bean will step down from his role as executive director of Ad Standards, Australia’s advertising complaints handling body, at the end of September.  

Martin Brown, chair of the AANA, celebrated Bean’s leadership and expressed appreciation for his contributions. 

“On behalf of the AANA Board, I would like to thank Richard for his dedication and professionalism. Richard has been an exceptional leader of Ad Standards, lifting trust and transparency in our world-class advertising self-regulatory system.

“In particular, his work to develop the Community Panel that independently reviews all advertising complaints has significantly strengthened the way it represents the Australian community.

“Richard has strengthened Ad Standards both locally and internationally. As well as a strong focus on developing the capability and leadership of the Canberra-based Ad Standards team, Richard has represented the Australian industry on the Executive Committee of the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS).”

Rachel Tunney, Ad Standards communications manager, will be the lead point of contact for all enquiries during the recruitment process for Bean’s replacement.

Earlier this year, Ad Standards reported a 45% increase year-on-year in complaints in 2023, according to the industry watchdog‘s latest Review of Operations.

The community panel designated by the AANA to uphold the industry body‘s Code of Ethics and standards, and exercise regulatory decision-making, received 3,764 complaints last year, with “sexuality and nudity” the main the primary driver.

At the time, Bean told Mediaweek: “While a number of factors may have contributed to this, the top five most complained-about ads in 2023 drew over 800 complaints collectively, whereas the top five ads in 2022 received just 120 complaints in total.”

The overall most complained about ad remained the Perth billboard commissioned by adult entertainer WC savage (aka Savannah) promoting her OnlyFans page, including a QR code which directed to the page. The ad generated 360 complaints, which were subsequently dismissed by Ad Standards.

See also: Ad Standards reports 45% surge in complaints, received ‘nearly 300’ in December

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Top image: Richard Bean

Think HQ has acquired Loud Communications as it expands its corporate and creative capabilities, underscoring its unique “all-Australia” engagement reach.

Loud Communications is based in Sydney and is known for understanding consumer behaviour and creative innovation. The agency offers complementary expertise in brand storytelling and multicultural engagement and has helped brands earn their place in an evolving cultural landscape.

This acquisition is Think HQ’s second, following the hugely successful integration of multicultural engagement specialists CultureVerse in 2019.

The addition of LOUD enhances the agency’s growing presence in Sydney, where the agency has already expanded its team and service offerings over the past year with the move of group account director Jess Glass from Melbourne and the appointment of chief financial officer Tim Anderson, who will also be based in Sydney.

Lorraine Jokovic and Jen Sharpe

Jen Sharpe, founder and managing director of Think HQ, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Lorraine Jokovic and her fabulous team from Loud into the Think HQ family.

“This acquisition is testament to Think HQ’s strategic growth, further boosting our Sydney presence and enhancing our creative and commercial offering. Loud’s strong client base and commercial creative smarts are a perfect fit for the Think HQ team, and together will drive our growth with new commercial clients.

“Think HQ’s unique integrated offering to reach all Australians will be supercharged with our new team members.”

Lorraine Jokovic, who will become Think HQ’s Sydney general manager, said: “This is a genuinely exciting time for both agencies, and I’m thrilled to be heading up the Think HQ team in Sydney.

“Loud has always been about making brands heard and helping them find their place in competitive markets. As part of Think HQ, with its integrated approach and commitment to positive social impact, we have the capability to do even bigger and better things together.”

Sharpe added: “By bringing Loud into the Think HQ family, we’ve really cemented our unique position as a truly integrated, one-stop-shop agency that engages with all communities in Australia – and creates awesome campaigns with them.

“With a team of 100 super-smart people that reflect the audiences we speak to and the communities we work with, Think HQ is better equipped than ever to create and deliver campaigns that no other agency can.”

News of the acquisition follows the agency’s recent B-Corp accreditation last month.

See also: Think HQ the latest agency to achieve B Corp certification

The Sporting News is expanding its network following an agreement with beIN SPORTS in the commercialisation of its SVOD, website and social sports offering.

As part of the agreement, The Sporting News will be assisting beIN SPORTS in commercialising its platform and sports content in Australia and New Zealand.

beIN SPORTS offers 4,000 live events per year, including on-demand football content, like LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, English Football League with events like the Carabao Cup and the Championship, lus Scottish Professional Football League, Africa Cup of Nations, and more.

beIN Asia Pacific director, distribution & country manager, ANZ, John Armitage, said: “As we continue to expand our footprint in Australia and New Zealand, we are thrilled to collaborate with The Sporting News in commercialising the beIN SPORTS platform and sports content across these key markets. The Sporting News’ deep market knowledge and proven track record in driving premium advertising opportunities will be instrumental in maximising the value of our offerings. Together, we aim to create new avenues for brands to engage with a highly passionate and diverse audience.”

Wade Maris

The Sporting News executive vice president ANZ and SEA lead, Wade Maris, said: “The addition of beIN SPORTS into our network offering further solidifies our position as a global leader in sport and complements our burgeoning streaming offering with the popular NFL League Pass, DAZN and US Basketball Streaming League Pass in Australia.

“With beIN SPORTS line-up of European and English football, and premier tennis tournaments, as well as our NFL and American Basketball games, Sporting News will provide a powerhouse offering to advertisers in Australia during spring and summer, when local winter footy codes wrap up and when and we really step in as a leader in live sports consumption. We are excited to welcome beIN SPORTS to our network.”

The Sporting News states it will announce further representation partnerships shortly.

Veridooh has been appointed by IPG Mediabrands as its preferred verification partner for OOH advertising, expanding its remit to deliver campaign automation and fully independent verification across all OOH media buys.

The adtech company’s appointment follows a competitive pitch process over nine months which saw Veridooh undergo rigorous review and testing, with Veridooh answering IPG’s need for scaled-up account service and 100% independent tracking available in a single easy-to-use platform. 

Veridooh has been IPG Mediabrands’ independent verification partner for DOOH since 2020. Since then, Veridooh has expanded to cover all OOH formats across digital, programmatic and static media buys. This broadened capability is now available to all IPG Mediabrands agencies as part of the strengthened deal.

Veridooh’s proprietary and patented solution, SmartCreativeTM, independently collects all the data needed to track, measure, and verify the performance of DOOH campaigns. The technology provides more than 400 metrics on campaign delivery in an all-in-one platform.

IPG Mediabrands is one of the biggest spenders in OOH advertising. Its agencies, UM, Initiative, Rufus and Kinesso have used Veridooh to gain greater transparency and confidence in their OOH investment. The unrivalled independent data from Veridooh has allowed agency teams to better plan, track and verify campaign delivery for brands such as Optus, Lion and Amazon.

“Independent Verification is a high priority for our clients, so we couldn’t be more excited to be expanding our partnership with the global leaders in this space,” Lucy Formosa Morgan, Magna national manager director, said.

“Not only is Veridooh global leaders in verification, but their professionalism and commitment to helping us to go above and beyond for our clients is absolutely second to none.

“Over the past three years our agencies have leaned on Veridooh’s unique independent verification technology to track, measure, and verify the performance of digital OOH. We know that this partnership is going to be a game changer in delivering even greater value for our clients.”

Veridooh co-founder Mo Moubayed, said: “IPG Mediabrands are trailblazers in leveraging advanced data capabilities to drive growth, and it is super energising to have the opportunity to continue to work with a partner whose mission so closely aligns to our own. 

“Over the past three years it has been impressive to witness first hand IPG’s unwavering commitment to delivering the best outcomes for their clients, and with this renewed deal I know that we will have an even greater impact moving forward. 

“Our verification technology will be working across all formats across all IPG Mediabrands agencies, meaning we will be verifying more campaigns than ever across Australia, helping make OOH a more automated, trusted and effective channel.”

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Top image: Jeremy Yang and Mo Moubayed

Researcher and brand strategist Amanda Windus has launched Youngkind to give the next generation a voice in the boardroom and drive forward-thinking decisions, shaping a future built by and for them.

The strategic insights agency aims to tackle the fast-moving shifts and challenges facing young people today.

Windus, former managing director Queensland at The Lab Insights & Strategy, was inspired to launch the agency by her kids. Their view of the world led to a growing realisation—shared by many—that the old belief that adults know best no longer works.

The specialist strategic youth insights agency aims to empower brands and organisations with strategies to deliver bolder, more inclusive, and innovative solutions that young people feel are truly made for them.

Windus said: “There’s a tendency to obsess over hard numbers, but miss the mark on real understanding. Surveys can lead to forced opinions and overlook ‘the why’.

“We need to dig deeper to address the challenges and opportunities young people face today, which is why Youngkind was conceived. Rethinking how we connect, getting to the heart of matters. Not just identifying problems, but gaining the insight to solve them.”

By starting ongoing, deep conversations with 10–18-year-olds, Youngkind provides a nuanced view of their lives and how they’re both shaping and being shaped by Australia’s unique culture. This conversation is at the heart of what we do—engaging young people as the experts in their own lives and giving them a platform to share their stories and ideas, so we can navigate this unpredictable terrain together.

Youngkind is getting in sync with how digitally native generations engage, reimagining traditional methods and embracing AI and industry innovations. Windus leads with a fresh approach, focusing on deep, meaningful conversations that help us see beyond the numbers.

‘We’ve been slow to engage young people in the decision-making that shapes their world,” Windus said. “We’ve boxed them into labels and underestimated their power. With Gen Alpha set to become the largest generation in the history of the world, we can’t afford to be late to the game like we were with Gen Z.”

Youngkind builds on youth reporting from platforms like Vice Media, with a sharp focus on Australian youth and  crucially tapping into insights from the realms of academic research, parenting experts, and mental health- democratising that knowledge to get it in the hands of government and corporate leaders, so they can make smarter, forward-thinking moves.

Youngkind’s team includes Sarah Lorimer, innovation and futures specialist and founder of Futurely, and Nicki Karet, a UK-based expert in youth insights and founder of Sherbert, who has built a rich library of intelligence tracking the lives of tweens, teens, and families, and has helped shape the MRS kids and youth research standards.

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Top image: Amanda Windus

In a new campaign by Connecting Plots / a.glo, Helga’s Bakehouse has partnered with Sydney sandwich shop ‘It’s Recess’ to show the “brats” they care by giving away free late-night ‘Club Classic’ sandwiches.

Since the release of Charli XCX’s studio album, Brat, the brat trend and lime green brat aesthetic has been seemingly everywhere – from TikTok dances, memes and fashion through to an endorsement by the U.S presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

When Charli XCX’s tour poster was banned by the UK’s advertising regulation body, ASA, for “promoting bad things”, the singer-songwriter promptly took to TikTok to clarify, immediately adding a sandwich to the updated tour poster.

“We wanted to create something bratty, but also a little bit wholesome,” says Helga’s marketing manager, Ryan Guthrie. “Something that could bring our brats together for a moment of goodness amidst a big night out.”

Named after one of the tracks on Charli’s new album, the Club Classic[s] is a play on the club sandwich. 11 layers are held together by three slices of Helga’s wholemeal bread. Ingredients include crispy bacon, oxheart tomatoes, rocket, chicken, swiss cheese, apple slices brined in pickle juice and a bright brat-green mayo. All served in a custom sandwich bag.

The experience dropped on Friday 6 September where It’s Recess transformed into the brat lime green. For one night only from 10 pm – 1 am, 365 (another Charli XCX song) Club Classic sandwiches were available and free.

The campaign was developed by Goodman Fielder in collaboration with Connecting Plots and their social and influencer business unit, a.glo.

“From our team identifying the opportunity, to having an idea and activation in motion with Connecting Plots just 48 hours later – this just demonstrates the power of a close working relationship between agency and client,” says Goodman Fielder’s CMO, Christine Fung.

Credits:

Client: Goodman Fielder
CMO: Christine Fung
Marketing Manager – Premium: Ryan Guthrie
Digital Brand Manager: Amay Jain

Creative Agency: Connecting Plots
Chief Creative Officer: David Janson
a.glo Managing Partner: Kent Pearson
Creative Partner: Matt Geersen
Senior Art Director: Jonti Groth
Senior Account Manager: Laura Hamblin
Senior Integrated Producer: Katie Harper
Creative Operations Director: Sarah Miller

Wrappr has unveiled a new brand identity, delivered by creative agency Paper Moose, as it continues to grow it’s operation into new markets.

Wrappr’s platform enables drivers to be paid for wrapping their cars in brand messaging. Paper Moose took this offering and helped Wrappr refine its narrative, placing its Advocate Out-of-Home (AOOH) offering firmly in the spotlight as “the next evolution of OOH media.”

Paper Moose positioned Wrappr as “advertising with benefits,” drawing on vehicular terminology to craft a brand concept that embodies value and impact. “Outdoor advertising that goes the extra mile” not only highlights Wrappr’s tangible benefits but also reinforces its commitment to delivering more to brands, drivers and the planet.

Liam Shaw, co-founder at Wrappr said: “Distilling everything Wrappr offers is quite a feat and we’re delighted with how Paper Moose have encapsulated the benefits of Advocate Out-of-Home for brands, drivers and the planet into a wonderfully sleek and simple brand identity. We’re looking forward to the new brand supporting our growth and innovation into the future.”

Georgia Shillington, design director at Paper Moose said: “We’re incredibly proud to partner with Wrappr on this exciting brand refresh. This collaboration has strategic partnership at its core, where our values of innovation, sustainability and impact aligned seamlessly with Wrappr’s mission. The new identity is sleek, smooth, and vibrant – designed to mirror Wrappr’s simple yet powerful offering.”

Credits:

Client: Wrappr
Founders: Liam and Jonte Shaw
Brand Manager: Nicole Todhunter

Agency: Paper Moose
Executive Creative Director: Nick Hunter
Head of Strategy: James Sykes
Design Director: Georgia Shillington
Senior Copywriter: Pete Saladino
Head of Client Success: Brad Bennett
Senior Account Director: Jessica Jones
Senior Account Manager: Hannah Maher

UK grocer Ocado Retail is launching Ocado Ads, in partnership with Australian-founded unified retail media platform Zitcha.

Ocado states its online-first operating model will allow Ocado Ads to drive measurable growth for its brand partners, while delivering relevant advertising and a personalised experience for customers, allowing them to find the brands they want and discover new products.

Ocado Ads’ elements include:

• Full Funnel Retail Media: Onsite and offsite, social media and connected TV advertising
• Ocado Ads Manager: All the tools and features required for managing effective retail media campaigns, powered in partnership with Zitcha
• Ocado Insights & Measurement: Robust insights, analytics, and measurement powered by Beet, Ocado’s self-serve insights platform, with a metrics roadmap aligned to IAB standards for industry-leading accuracy
• Ocado Audiences: Advertisers can target the UK’s fastest-growing grocer’s audiences with new ways to build audiences, and use for targeting offsite
• Ocado Innovation: Advertisers can leverage the Ocado NPD Lab for the fastest NPD in the UK and use A/B testing to optimise creative performance

Troy Townsend, Zitcha CEO, said: “It’s exciting to partner with the world’s largest online grocery retailer and help integrate the entire business around its Retail Media Network. For us that means building out cross-functional capability and offering full visibility on the planning and delivery of retail media for the whole business.

Troy Townsend

“Ocado is spearheading the use of our joint business planning tools and will be the first in EMEA to access Zitcha’s single customer-view platform, where it can manage its network to scale and deliver against its bottom line. By seamlessly integrating, Zitcha can expand current capabilities and unlock new ones. The Ocado partnership illustrates how our platform can empower an existing Retail Media Network to drive growth and maximise performance.”

Jack Johnson, head of Ocado Ads at Ocado Retail said: “Ocado Ads is raising the bar for retail media. We encourage all our suppliers to grow with us and so we’ve created Ocado Ads with a view to providing another growth engine for brands. Ocado has been an innovative and disruptive force in the industry since its creation and we believe this will boost our approach to retail media.”

Johnson explains: “Ocado Ads has a flexible operating model that challenges the one-size-fits-all approach of traditional retail media networks. Whether you’re an advertiser or an agency, you can ‘have it your way’: fully self-serve, completely managed, or anywhere in between.”

The four remaining teams in the race for the AFL Premiership Cup are now decided and the TV ratings are in.

While Saturday in the NRL, both the Storm and Cowboys got to flex their muscles.

Seven screened the final match of the second weekend of AFL Finals.

Nine showed two games with the final match of the first weekend of NRL Finals to be played Sunday afternoon.

AFL headline number: Giants v Lions 912,000 Total TV National Average

As the third quarter of the GWS Giants and Brisbane Lions game started it looked like it might be curtains for the Queensland team. Nearly halfway through the quarter the Lions trailed Giants by 44 points. But then successive runs of five goals and then six in the last quarter saw the Lions win by five points.

It’s being called the ultimate choke by the Giants and one of the greatest comebacks ever in AFL Finals.

AFL TV ratings Giants v Lions

2,601,000 Total TV National Reach
912,000 Total TV National Average

NRL headline numbers

Cowboys v Knights 718,000 Total TV National Average
Storm v Sharks 567,000 Total TV National Average

The evening match between the Cowboys and Knights in Townsville not surprisingly drew the biggest TV crowd. After trailing at half time, the Cowboys got the score back to 16-all near the end of the match. The Cowboys look the one thing that might stand in the way of a Storm-Panthers NRL Grand Final. It was another finals away loss for Newcastle who have not won on the road at this time of year since 2013.

See also: Why the NRL wants Paramount to enter bidding war for next round of NRL TV rights

NRL TV ratings Cowboys v Knights

1,530,000 Total TV National Reach
718,000 Total TV National Average
92,000 BVOD National Average

Melbourne Storm looks unstoppable after another demolition. The gap between the two teams was just four points at half time. But the lead blew out in the second half with Storm scoring four tries. The Sharks will need to regroup for next week after losing their seventh straight finals appearance on Saturday night.

NRL TV ratings Storm v Sharks

1,377,000 Total TV National Reach
567,000 Total TV National Average
63,000 BVOD National Average

Seven and Nine were the FTA homes of AFL and NRL Final Series matches last night.

It was the second week of AFL Finals with just two matches this weekend. The NRL started its Final Series with four matches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

AFL headline number: 1,070,000 Total TV National Average

Port Adelaide was able to hold Hawthorn in a low-scoring match. There was less than a goal separating the teams at the final siren with Port winning by three points.

Most of the commentary post-game and on Saturday focused on the behaviour of the Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley and his behaviour as the teams walked off the ground.

Hinkley has since apologised for the approach he made toward some of the Hawthorn players and the resulting verbal altercation.

AFL TV ratings Port Adelaide v Hawthorn

2,618,000 Total TV National Reach
1,070,000 Total TV National Average Audience
(Seven doesn’t have any BVOD rights until the Grand Final and then for Season 2025 onwards.)

See also: TV Guide AFL Finals Week 2 2024 on Seven and Fox Footy

NRL headline number: 767,000 Total TV National Average Audience

Penrith Panthers were way too strong for the Roosters with a convincing 30-10 victory.

It was the first of four NRL games on Nine across the weekend.

The game was relatively free of controversy as the Panthers look like they and the Storm will be hard to beat on the road to the Grand Final. It was the Panthers’ final outing at their Penrith Stadium before it closed for renovations.

NRL TV Ratings Panthers v Roosters

1,643,000 Total TV National Reach
767,000 Total TV National Average Audience
109,000 BVOD National Average Audience

The remaining AFL match is GWS Giants v Brisbane Lions on Saturday night in Sydney.

The NRL clashes still to come feature Storm v Sharks on Saturday afternoon followed by Cowboys v Knights on Saturday night. The final game is on Sunday afternoon when Bulldogs take on Sea Eagles.

See also: TV Guide 2024 NRL Finals on Nine, 9Now and Fox League on Kayo and Foxtel