Alan Jones has been arrested by NSW Police over allegations he indecently assaulted multiple young men.

The former 2GB broadcaster was arrested by specialist detectives on Monday morning at his Circular Quay apartment and taken to Day Street police station in Sydney, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Monday.

Police issued a statement which said: “Following extensive inquiries, about 7.45am today, strike force detectives executed a search warrant at a unit in Circular Quay where they arrested an 83-year-old man.

“The search warrant is underway.”

Detectives from Strike Force Bonnefin, the NSW Crime Command’s child abuse and sex crimes squad, have been conducting a secret investigation into Jones after Nine’s publications revealed the 83-year-old had used his position of power to allegedly prey on several young men over the span of 60 years.

This period also includes his time as a teacher at Brisbane Grammar in 1965 and his stint at The King’s School in Parramatta.

Last year, The Sydney Morning Herald published a major investigation from journalist Kate McClymont that carried multiple allegations against broadcaster Alan Jones during his radio career. Jones hosted breakfast at 2UE for many years before switching stations at 2GB where he finished his breakfast career in 2020.

In December, Jones denied allegations had had indecently assaulted young men.

Ben Fordham, who took over the former Wallabies coach’s spot as 2GB’s breakfast radio host in 2020, addressed the allegations on the morning of the Herald’s major investigation and relayed that Jones denied the claims made in a statement from his lawyers.

At the time, Fordham told listeners: “It’s going to be a very challenging story for a lot of people to listen to this morning as you know Alan sat in this chair at 2GB for close to 20 years and before that at 2UE. I know a lot of people have followed him since the beginning of 2UE.

“I also want to state that the claims made in the story today are denied by Alan Jones. The Kate MyClymont story says that for decades Jones was one of the most influential and feared figures in the country. [Continues reading from the report] A major investigation can now reveal allegations that Alan Jones used his position of power to prey on a number of young men – indecently assaulting them, groping or inappropriately touching them without their consent.

“There is a lot of detail in the story…it is a long one. In response to detailed questions sent to Alan Jones, the law firm Mark O’Brien Legal said in a statement: ‘Our client denies ever having decently assaulted the persons referred to in your letter and your suggestion that he has is scandalous, grossly offensive and seriously defamatory of him,’ ” Fordham said.

Both 2GB and The Sydney Morning Herald are part of the Nine Entertainment group of companies.

See also: Former 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones denies multiple allegations of indecent assault

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Top image: Alan Jones

The three major FTA Upfront events couldn’t have been more different this year.

The 2025 showcase events at Nine and Seven in particular were at different ends of the spectrum. Just who took the correct path will depend on how 2025 unfolds.

Neither broadcaster unveiled a lot of new content – particularly not much in terms of new Australian productions.

Seven delivered the message it is the place to go for new content that will best engage with audiences.

Nine was all about the sell. It argued there’s not many holes in its schedule that need filling. Therefore, it focused on making it easier for buyers to transact – especially those who might have been lured away to promises that haven’t been fulfilled elsewhere.

The pitch from Paramount sits somewhere in the middle. There was a focus trading across all of 10’s multis and its renamed 10 Play offering. It was also spruiking what might become audience favourites like Sam Pang’s new show.

See also:
• Seven Degrees 2025: Stranded on Honeymoon Island and Dr Chris Brown lead Seven’s 2025 content slate
• Nine Upfront 2025: The sell takes over from the content – From Liana Dubois to Suzie Cardwell and Nick Young
• Paramount Upfront 2025: 10 kicking off the year with a Pang, + returning Big Brother and Your Gen

To better understand the Seven content pitch, Mediaweek spoke with Seven’s highest-ranked executives working at the coalface – group managing director, Seven Television, Angus Ross, and group managing director, Seven Digital, Gereurd Roberts.

It’s all about content

Gereurd Roberts: Content is the heart of our upfront presentation. If the theme of the upfronts is about connection and the fact that we still have a strong connection with audiences, that connection comes through content.

We are an audience company and content drives the audience and everything comes off the back of that. Content really is the bulk of the entire presentation as it should be.

Angus Ross: In this marketplace, it is only us and Nine that play meaningfully with investment in news, sport and entertainment.

A lot of the other platforms will only invest in one of those and Seven and Nine are the only people who invest meaningfully in the hyper-local spaces of news and sport and deliver audiences of scale. In terms of what Seven has – we are talking about the biggest shows, the biggest sports, the number one news service.

Gereurd Roberts: Alongside this, and I don’t think we’ve done a good enough job communicating this, we’ve seemed to allow this narrative to emerge that broadcast audiences are in decline and that’s just actually not true. Then you factor in the accelerating growth of streaming which now has an important and meaningful role not only for Australian viewers but also agencies and clients we work with.

Angus Ross: With my wider role where I’m also across advertising, we’ve brought sales and content closer together than they’ve ever been before. That enables us to make faster decision-making involving clients.

Next year you’re going to see more brand-funded programming at various points on the network than we’ve ever done before. That’s because we’re involving our content people at an earlier stage in ensuring the right types of brand-funded programming that’s going to get an audience.

Katie Finney [national television sales director] can pick up the phone to me and say, ‘Hey, what do you reckon about this?’ There’s no silos across sales and content. It’s always been good in that regard at Seven, but it’s better than it’s ever been before.

7plus first strategy

Angus Ross: The 7plus first strategy for all the new overseas content is about maximising the audience for those shows. It’s platform agnostic to a degree, but that’s what we’ve always done. We are recognising the shift towards streaming.

Do timeslots still matter in on-demand world?

Angus Ross: For those younger audiences that like to consume on 7plus it’s less important. But we’re seeing linear growth in a number of our key formats year-on-year. When you look at the last couple of years, Australian Idol grew year-on-year.

My Kitchen Rules grew year-on-year. The Logies have grown year-on-year. The Front Bar too.

This whole narrative about ever-declining TV audiences is lazy because when you look at the total television picture, for us and Nine, they’re not declining.

Gereurd Roberts: What we are seeing is that consumers want choice.

Home and Away is a great example. It has a massive live stream audience every single night. But we see those very same users, if they miss an episode, they come back to 7plus to watch it.

Strongly supported shows with passionate fans like Home and Away have an audience that probably prefers to watch live, but if they don’t have the opportunity or it suits them better, they can watch it on demand.

Angus Ross: There are shows that obviously do play more in favour of appointment viewing. Like the 6pm news of course, but also reality shows, which we know are like the equivalent of live sport.

Most of the audience tends to want to watch them when they’re on, but a growing number of them choose to stream that show.

Above and top image: Seven’s Angus Ross and Gereurd Roberts

What goes to 7plus first?

Angus Ross: It’s all about discoverability for our drama catalogue. The best thing about running a show on broadcast and dropping all the episodes at the same time is it’s basically a big advertisement for 7plus.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office is a great example. The first episode ran on broadcast and then we pushed people to 7plus to watch the remainder. We had 400,000 people stream the first episode on 7plus. Almost three-quarters of them binged multiple episodes on the same night.

Should Seven make more Australian drama?

Angus Ross: We invest a significant amount of money in producing Home and Away. I’d love to invest in more, but as we know at the moment, for everyone, budgets are tight.

We also have RFDS which should have been on this year, but because we couldn’t get all the cast back, it will now run in 2025.

For the the right ideas we’re always interested.

But we make 230 Home and Away episodes a year, Australia’s biggest drama on broadcast and on streaming. It’s still on the main channel at 7pm.

I don’t think there is any issue with our commitment to Australian drama.

Is there a perception that streaming is the home of Australian drama? If only they would be willing to be measured, we could test that.

7plus for us is so much more than BVOD, and maybe we’ve got to do a better job of marketing that.

Gereurd Roberts: About 45% of our daily active users come to 7plus only to watch premium library or first run exclusives. That’s more than 300,000 people every day. They treat us in exactly the same way as they would a Disney+ or Prime Video or Netflix.

From a daily scale perspective, we deliver and all of those users see our ads. 7plus had more than 3 million people on the platform in the last 30 days, and that’s without premium sports.

Angus Ross: We are delivering streaming at scale. That is a key difference.

Gereurd Roberts: All of those people are completely complimentary to broadcast. They are younger, 74% are under 54. It’s not cannibalising broadcast, it’s bringing new demos in and expanding our demographic reach.

Radical shift in streaming market

Angus Ross: Without sports streaming rights we’ve been fighting this battle with one hand tied behind our back. With the summer of cricket kicking in and AFL next year, with our 7plus first content strategy, our ever-growing library of VOD content from the major studios, this is going to be a radical shift in the free-to-air streaming market next year.

7plus will leapfrog Nine, leapfrog the ABC and become the biggest free-to-air streaming platform in Australia next year.

Seven won’t get involved in ‘silly bidding wars’

Angus Ross: I’d love to have the budgets that Stan and SBS have to randomly pick up content, but I’ve got to be a bit smarter than that. We do pick up some shows on the open market. The Rookie was one of those.

We still go to the screenings each year and look for programming on the open market. We’re not in a position to get into silly bidding wars, which is what a number of the streamers still do. We are a bit more sensible with our money.

We have a fabulous output agreement with NBC. Also with ITV where we have a first-look arrangement and people love their premium UK drama.

Seven was the last cab off the rank for this year’s Upfront season after a busy few months.

The network impressed its stakeholders, advertisers, agencies and brands with the launch date of Phoenix – Seven’s new total TV trading system, impressive AFL and cricket schedule and new and returning content in 2025.

Jeff Howard, Katie Finney, Angus Ross, and Gereurd Roberts

Seven also unveiled new shows such as Stranded On Honeymoon Island, Once In A Lifetime, Jim Jefferies And Friends, and returning content, such as hit tentpole shows – Farmer Wants A Wife, Australian Idol, My Kitchen Rules, The Voice, Dancing With The Stars and The 1% Club.

With the dust settled on the festivities of the presentation, media buyers shared their thoughts and insights on Seven’s year ahead and what it will mean for them.

Lorraine Woods

Lorraine Woods, Atomic 212°’s chief investment and trading director), highlighted the Phoenix upgrade felt like a “major drawcard” for the network.

“It is a major step forward with a more streamlined, efficient, and data-driven approach to total TV buying.”

Woods noted the power of sports content to drive audience growth across the board with increased engagement in most major codes.

She called Seven’s decision to stream these events live and free a “smart strategy” that benefits keen sports fans and the broader Australian population “while positioning them strongly against SVOD providers who are making an active play in this space.”

Woods also added that learnings from the SVOD curation strategy will help continue the network’s digital audience growth momentum. 

Ben Cole

Ben Cole, group investment director of Mindshare Sydney, said Seven’s upfront showcased confidence in its 2025 strategy.

He highlighted the strong line-up, commitment to Australian production, and investments in data and technology, which he said signals “a clear focus on driving growth against high-value audiences” for the network and its advertising partners.

Cole called the return of favourites such as Australian Idol, The 1%, Club and The Voice to the programming slate “ensure a broad audience appeal”. Meanwhile, new programs such as On Honeymoon Island and Once In A Lifetime “promise fresh and engaging content”.

On sport, Cole said: “The inclusion of sport programming across all days of the week shows Seven’s commitment to reaching this audience while their prediction of non-match sports programming, adding 30% more audience shows confidence with this move.

“Cricket coverage remains strong, featuring key events like the Australia vs. India Test matches, Women’s Ashes, and Big Bash League.”

Cole noted that Phoenix is “poised to transform media buying”. He said: “The upgrade will be welcomed by agencies as the usual time-consuming task of buying and optimising TV, will be more efficient to enable agencies to trade on a holistic TV audience

“Being able to trade through Phoenix in regional markets will be a strong selling point for agencies, who will no doubt be eager to take this up at launch.”

Suzanne Mellon

Suzanne Mellon, head of investment IAG, Initiative, said Seven’s personalised agency group approached to this year’s upfront to foster closer connections with partners and to deliver a solid performance that refocused on the strength of content.

She noted that the event “lacked the dramatic impact of last year’s ‘That’s Massive’ slogan” but “showcased a strategic return to fundamentals instead of merely promoting a multitude of new and flashy offerings.”

Mellon said that while the announcements in data, technology, and AI were compelling, elements such as Phoenix and the Databricks partnership for audience prediction were “reiterations from last year.”

What did stand out to Mellon as a “significant advancement” was the network’s evolution of the 7REDiQ platform. She said: “By shifting from retrospective insights to predictive foresight, the network has made a critical leap in AI-driven audience intelligence.”

Mellon said the foresight is “valuable in the current economic climate” as advertisers face pressures to show ROI before committing ad spend.” She added that REDiQ4U’s predictive insights and shareable platform access could reinvigorate upper-funnel marketing strategies.

On the arrival of Phoenix, Mellon noted the network reiterated last year’s promise of “the death of make-goods”, increased efficiency, eased integration with VOZ and shift from channel to audience-based trading.

She said guardrails for concerns such as budget and audience flexibility across channels, the implications of Direct IO only and frequency capping should be established. But noted that the benefits of Phoenix outweigh these uncertainties.

“This is an evolution that the industry has been anticipating for some time, but until we delve into the practical implementation of the system it is difficult to predict the speed of market adaptation.”

Kane Cornes – 7AFL Expert Commentator and Abbey Holmes – 7AFL Host and Field Commentator_Seven in 2025-Seven Degrees

Mellon also noted the network’s positioned 7plus as its digital flagship after an audience growth of 30% over the last year and the acquisition of full digital rights for AFL and cricket.

“The platform is maximising its investment in sports rights by expanding its audience reach through innovative content offerings, most notably the introduction of an alternative kids’ commentary for selected AFL matches and a Hindi commentary feed for all live Australia vs India Test matches.”

She noted the addition of the Hindi commentary feed taps into the cricket-obsessed local Indian community and caters to the growing Hindi-speaking audience in Australia and younger bilingual viewers.

“No doubt many Australians will appreciate the opportunity to enjoy Hindi commentary, especially when Pat Cummins secures a wicket and dismisses Virat Kohli,” Mellon added.

James Graff

James Graff, group transformation director at OMD Sydney, said that Seven looked to ‘steady the ship’ after a year of major disruptions, holding its upfronts at the Sunrise Studios.

He noted the network’s emphasis on the foundations of quality programming celebrated, such as sports and several proven scripted and non-scripted genres.

Graff said the announcement of REDiQ4U was noteworthy, particularly as it provided advertisers with access to audience intelligence from Seven’s internal data points and external data partnerships. But he noted that it has been underutilised in the market with access limited to Seven teams or advertisers with advanced data collaboration strategies.

“The launch of REDiQ4U addresses this limitation by granting agencies and marketers direct login access. This provides planners with an immediate and tangible way to leverage Seven’s intelligence across 14 million Australians.”

Graff said that while the change is expected to drive uptake across the industry, translating the insights into actions will be critical for effectiveness and that advertisers need a strategic plan to fully capitalise on REDiQ4U.

Gereurd Roberts – Group MD, Seven Digital and Andrew Brain – Director Data and Growth

“Without a clear approach, this tool risks contributing to data overload rather than delivering meaningful results. Its most impactful application lies in overlaying Seven’s intelligence with customer data, made possible through partnerships with platforms such as Karlsgate, Liveramp, and Databricks.

“However, personalised messaging and specific audience strategies won’t suit every brief, making it essential to define the role of REDiQ4U within a broader data collaboration approach,” he added.

Graff highlighted the continued evolution of Seven’s AI Factory, in partnership with Databricks. He called it encouraging to see the network experimenting with AI technology, a focus of global SVOD and technology players.

“For Seven, this innovation enhances audience connections across 7Plus. An easy win is Seven enhancing predictive capability, allowing forecasting across future audience consumption at an accuracy rate of 95%..

He said it is beneficial for advertisers to improve audience forecasting ahead of campaigns with opportunities for forward-thinking advertisers already experimenting with AI to partner with the network.

“No specific details were shared, just an openness from Seven to collaborate on specific Generative AI use cases. This provides an experimentation outlet for advertisers, although arguably mostly relevant for those where Databricks and Seven are already key partners,” Graff added.

Sue-Ellen Osborn

Sue-Ellen Osborn, national head of investment at Spark Foundry Australia, called the availability of REDiQ4U’s internal insights platform “a powerful demonstration of how they want to connect more effectively with media agencies and our clients.”

“Seven called this ‘a shift from hindsight to foresight’, and it will be useful for buyers to now have access to a tool that can forecast future viewing behaviour with at least 90% accuracy,” she said.

Osborn noted the network’s 2025 outlook will be centred on consistency and growth, driven by the return of fan-favourite and new non-scripted programming and more AFL content.

Some of the 7AFL team

“Seven’s intent to grow its audience was demonstrated by its BVOD strategy, which is to act like an SVOD platform by launching regular premium, high-quality, first-run programming on 7plus. A strategy that has already helped them significantly grow high-value audiences this year.”

Osborn foresaw the increased streaming audience with the network’s Cricket and AFL offering.

“It is good to hear that they will be offering multiple commentaries on some of their sports content to broaden their appeal and connect with diverse communities, including streaming Cricket with Hindi commentary this summer.

“For some BBL games there will be fun and light-hearted commentary from The Grader Cricket comedy team to connect with younger audiences. Likewise with AFL, there will be a kids commentary team on Sunday afternoon games,” she added.

Gaby Srour

Gaby Srour, media director at Avenue C, said that under Seven’s new leadership, the network will “ground running” in 2025 with a digital-first strategy and a clear response to industry trends and audience demands.

He noted that at the heart of the digital-first transformation is 7Plus, with the network focused on building the platform into a premium content provider.

“The goal, while bold and ambitious, is to position 7Plus as a legitimate alternative to the SVOD giants,” he said.

Srour called the addition of AFL and Cricket to 7Plus “a long-overdue but welcome addition.”

“We can expect Seven to usher in a new generation of sports fans to 7Plus and maybe a few cord-cutting casuals who are no longer willing to pay to watch the odd game on the weekend.”

Meanwhile, on data, Srour said the strides made with REDiQ to bolster third-party data partnership “will power their Phoenix dynamic trading platform, hopefully instilling market confidence in Phoenix after initial industry scepticism.”

7Cricket – Big Bash League

See also:
Seven Degrees 2025: Stranded on Honeymoon Island and Dr Chris Brown lead Seven’s 2025 content slate
Seven Degrees 2025: 7REDiQ shifts insights from hindsight to foresight
Seven Degrees 2025: Seven’s new total TV trading system launch date revealed
Seven Upfront reveals AFL masterplan: Footy seven days a week on raft of new shows

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Top image: Lorraine Woods, Ben Cole, Suzanne Mellon, James Graff, Sue-Ellen Osborn and Gaby Srour

Australia’s most prestigious media event, the Mediaweek 100 lunch, returns for 2024 at the Pearl Ballroom, Crown Sydney, on November 22.

The Mediaweek 100 celebrates the leaders who are at the top of their game, alongside the teams driving their success at Australia’s leading media companies.

After what has been a turbulent year, this annual event attracts the industry’s most influential people.

You can buy your tickets here. 

This year’s list is set to look quite different from previous years as there have been many big changes in the industry. In 2023, spots #1 and #2 were taken by former Seven CEO James Warburton and former Nine CEO Mike Sneesby, respectively and both are no longer in those roles.

Warburton placed in the #5 spot on 2022’s list while Sneesby placed #1 that year.

Other execs who appeared in 2023’s top 10 lineup included Nova’s Peter Charlton, oOh!media’s Cathy O’Connor, Are Media’s Jane Huxley, Paramount’s Beverley McGarvey, ARN’s Ciaran Davis, SCA’s John Kelly, Foxtel’s Patrick Delany and News Corp’s Michael Miller.

See the full list of names for 2023 here.

James Warburton, former CEO of Seven West Media

You can view the full criteria and enter the Mediaweek 100 here.

While you don’t have to be nominated to make the list, our application portal is open to encourage submissions.

KEY DATES

Submissions close: Tuesday, 12 November 2024 (11.59pm AEST)

Event Date: Friday, 22 November, 2024 (12pm AEST)
Location: Pearl Ballroom, Crown Sydney

Tickets are available here.

oOh!media has revealed it will install Australia’s largest curved wall-mounted digital screen, spanning 35 metres, at Melbourne Central.

The Out of Home media company and The GPT Group (GPT), one of Australia’s leading real estate investment managers, made the announcement after confirming they had secured the long-term renewal for the exclusive rights to internal large format digital displays across key retail centres in Melbourne and Sydney.

New digital column wraps next to Coles and Melbourne Central stations, will also be introduced and these first-of-a-kind installations will debut in early 2025.

oOh! is also renewing two existing large format digital sites at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Mebourne’s western suburbs, introducing two new double sided, large format digital portrait displays.

In New South Wales, oOh! has renewed its contract for the Rouse Hill Town Centre and Charlestown Square – the largest shopping and entertainment destination in the Newcastle and Hunter region.

The 100% digital screens in all four shopping centres include a variety of innovative formats such as double-sided suspended screens, single-sided wall mounts, and consecutive four-sided columns.

Shoppers walking past one of the huge screens.

Each is strategically positioned in high-traffic areas, designed to maximise visibility and engagement for brands seeking to connect with shoppers.

Robbie Dery, chief commercial operating officer at oOh!, said: “This large format contract with The GPT Group, following our small format agreement in November 2023, strengthens our leadership in retail Out of Home.

“With over 1.6 billion shoppers annually and high-impact digital displays, our retail network delivers 33% more consumer spend than other providers.

“The addition of Australia’s largest curved digital display at Melbourne Central will set a new standard for innovation in retail, offering brands an unmatched opportunity to create high impact on the path to purchase.”

Kate Stone, general manager of business development at The GPT Group, added: “Our partnership with oOh! aligns with our vision to create dynamic, immersive shopping experiences. The introduction of new large digital formats will set a new standard for retail advertising, offering brands an innovative way to connect with shoppers.

“I’m excited to elevate the experience with a first-of-a-kind LED curved screen at Melbourne Central, delivering an unmissable moment for both shoppers and brands.”

See also: oOh!media Outfront 2025: Every announcement – new account wins, new branding campaign

OzTAM, Australia’s television measurement body, will launch VOZ Streaming on 25 November 2024. This service offers a multi-broadcaster programmatic BVOD (broadcaster video on demand) trading solution designed to meet the evolving needs of advertisers and media agencies.

Developed through industry collaboration, VOZ Streaming provides full access to Australia’s free-to-air commercial BVOD inventory, transforming how BVOD advertising is transacted. By using a common OzTAM demographic dataset and taking a privacy-first approach, the platform enables more targeted trading across 7plus, 9Now, 10 Play, and SBS On Demand. With BVOD viewing reaching around 11 million Australians each month*, VOZ Streaming also enhances the viewer experience through features like frequency capping and co-viewer activation on connected TVs.

The service will support post-campaign analysis with the VOZ Total TV database to reveal the incremental reach BVOD adds to broadcast TV campaigns. It introduces a new transactional model while complementing existing direct and programmatic BVOD trading methods.

Source: OzTAM VOZ I National BVOD (7plus, 9Now, 10play and SBS On Demand) I When Watched I Avg May, June & Sep 2024 I BVOD reach viewing threshold > 15 sec
** SBS On Demand from early 2025

Available from 25 November 2024, VOZ Streaming will introduce additional enhancements in 2025, including first-party data matching with Snowflake’s Data Clean Rooms, expanded co-viewer activation, and onboarding more SSPs (supply-side platforms) and DSPs (demand-side platforms).

OzTAM CEO Karen Halligan said, “Our consultations have shaped VOZ Streaming into a streamlined, universal solution for BVOD trading. This launch aggregates BVOD inventory at scale and represents a significant innovation as we prepare for VOZ as a trading currency on 29 December 2024.”

Karen Halligan.

MFA CEO Sophie Madden added, “VOZ Streaming is a major step in cross-platform trading, providing unified demographic metrics for advertisers. In today’s fragmented media landscape, industry collaboration is essential for creating unified solutions.”

Leading SSPs and DSPs, including Magnite, Microsoft Advertising, and The Trade Desk, have been integral to developing VOZ Streaming, with more platforms expected to join in 2025.

Magnite’s Yael Milbank commented, “VOZ Streaming is a revolutionary development in how BVOD is traded programmatically in Australia. We expect it to drive BVOD investment, particularly with co-viewing capabilities.”

The Trade Desk’s James Bayes said, “Managing campaigns across screens is complex. VOZ Streaming simplifies TV planning and measurement, improving outcomes for advertisers.”

Microsoft Advertising’s Mark Serhan added, “VOZ Streaming standardizes BVOD trading and measurement, enhancing the buying process and advancing total TV measurement.”

Amplify has promoted Lucinda O’Brien to strategy director and appointed Domenic Scriva to the newly created role of culture executive.

O’Brien returns to the creative agency after a year break where she focused on brand strategy. She recently spent more than five years in Los Angeles working at Zehner (now The Stable), as brand strategist and then senior brand strategist.

The strategy director role aims to lead the vision of Amplify’s strategy offering across APAC and is responsible for the agency’s overall strategic output.

As strategy director, O’Brien will empower brands to strategically connect with audiences through culture, working across integrated campaigns and brand development.

Scriva is new to the marketing industry and comes from a creative background as a trained performer and writer. His passion is for staying culturally connected through lived experience and research, and he understands the importance of nurturing talent relationships for brands.

As culture executive, he will be responsible for the in-depth research and knowledge of trends and talent in the cultural space. Primarily sitting within the strategy department, Amplify’s Culture Executive supports all facets of the business, spanning strategy, creative, marketing and delivery.

Dan Minty, global chief strategy officer at Amplify, said: “As our strategic offering in Australia continues to evolve, so does the team that leads it. Lucinda has elevated the overall output of Amplify’s brand work in Australia and strengthened our ability to authentically connect brands in culture. Her promotion to Strategy Director is a reflection of her impact on the business, a strategic rigor that allows us to deliver exciting, resonant work.

“Additionally, as our strategic offering has diversified and our work in culture continues to deepen, the creation of the Culture Executive role was a natural evolution of the team, for which Domenic was the perfect fit.”

O’Brien said of her promotion: “It’s an exciting time to be back with Amplify this year, leading the strategic offering here in Sydney. As we expand our reach with more campaigns and brand experiences across APAC, the common thread uniting our work remains clear – reaching audiences through culture and breaking formats whenever possible.”

Along with O’Brien’s promotion and Scriva’s appointment, Amplify is elevating its strategy offering – including the recently launched Australian-curated ‘Beyond the Horizon’, a Culture Briefing report exploring brand marketing’s next frontier: outer space. Amplify’s global Culture Briefings initiative is a series designed to help brands stay up to speed across developments in the cultural spectrum all around the world.

See also: Amplify & Australian Space Agency launch ‘Beyond the Horizon’ report

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Top image: Lucinda O’Brien and Domenic Scriva

For 61 years and counting, Wheels Car of the Year (COTY) has reigned as the most coveted award on the Australian motoring scene.

Now the longest-running annual car award in the world, Wheels COTY is followed by both auto-makers and consumers as a trusted verdict on the best all-around vehicle on the market each year.

Car manufacturers produce a new marketing campaign celebrating the award when one of their vehicles is crowned the winner.

In 2024, Wheels COTY is back bigger and better than ever, with 25 cars in the running for the prestigious award. In a sign of the times, close to half the field is made up of electric vehicles.

This year, Wheels welcomes a new Official Partner of the award: Smart, one of Australia’s leading car leasing providers.

Wheels also thanks safety planning and management of testing for the award by Infinite Road.

Over a week, six current and former editors of Wheels magazine put each car through its paces at Victoria’s Lang Lang Proving Ground. From handling, speed and braking, to safety and design, over 12,000 kilometres of testing was completed, including independent performance testing of all 25 cars completed by 7-time Australian Rally Champion, Cody Crocker.

At the end of the week, the judges gathered to compare notes and come to a decision on the 2024-25 Wheels COTY winner.

“We’ve gathered a stellar lineup for Wheels COTY ’24. It was hard to pick a pre-event favourite from the 25 cars in contention, but the industry’s most comprehensive testing process and six of Australia’s most experienced judges will deliver a worthy winner,” said Wheels editor Andy Enright.

Smart’s chief customer officer Bianca Bates said this year’s Wheels’ COTY was exciting for Australia and reflected a new era for the auto industry.

“The cars coming to the Australian market are changing rapidly, making the quality information provided by Wheels crucial for consumers,” Bates said.

“Novated leasing allows customers to own the latest car flexibly and cost-effectively and is particularly popular with EV drivers.”

The 2024-25 Wheels Car of the Year winner will be announced on Monday, December 16, coinciding with the on-sale date of the 2024 Yearbook edition of Wheels.

This year’s award signals a new chapter for both the Wheels brand and the iconic COTY award under new owner, Motoring Media Network (MMN).

“I’m proud for the trusted Wheels brand to be associated with our principal sponsor Smart for this year’s award,” said MMN publisher Matt O’Malley. “COTY is a major honour for any car maker to win and this year’s judging process was one of the most thorough ever conducted.”

Binge has dropped new ads today starring AFL footballer Bailey Smith and NRL’s Jarome ‘Romey’ Luai. Sporting the tag line ‘It all happens here’, the creative celebrates live and on-demand sport (direct from Kayo Sports), news, entertainment and more lifestyle content coming to Binge at no additional cost to subscribers.

The hero 30-second TVC spots open with Bailey and Jarome proclaiming “I’ve always loved Binge, but Binge hasn’t always loved me… until now” as a nod to sport being added to the platform.

Representing their teams in custom embroidered dressing gowns, the star players contemplate what to watch as they flick through the content across drama, reality, movies, and of course sport, news and lifestyle – all available on Binge.

Jarome ‘Romey’ Luai

Fiona King, marketing director, Binge, said: “Binge is entering its sports era and we’re excited to entertain the nation with the best shows, movies, sport, news, lifestyle, live channels and much more – it all happens here. Integrating sports talent into our paid media campaign was a no-brainer to reach new audiences with an expanded content offering and reiterate that Binge has something for everyone.

“Bailey and Jarome nailed their debut Binge performances in ads that we think will resonate and help cut through the noise.”

Guy Sawrey-Cookson, executive creative director, Balboa, said: “The brief was simple: Introduce sport on Binge – but the challenge was not over-complicating the creative. Great talent was the solution. Bailey and Jarome are instantly recognisable – even if you’re not a sports fanatic you know who they are – and the perfect jumping-off point to promote the variety of content available on Binge while staying true to the brand’s personality.”

Bailey Smith

The TVC spots will be integrated into the multi-channel media campaign currently in market promoting a range of premium content including series The Day of the Jackal, Dune: Prophecy, and classics like The Sopranos, Mr InBetween and Saturday Night Live among others.

Binge on sport

Starting with a bumper finals weekend with the back-to-back AFLW Grand Final and WBBL Grand Final on 30 November and 1 December, Binge will offer a slate of live and on-demand sport also featuring Men’s Big Bash League, Super Netball, World Surfing League, Women’s Golf (USLPGA, Ladies’ European Tour, AIG Women’s Open), all Kayo Minis of the F1, and Fox Sports-produced magazine shows, and, come winter, NRL and AFL footy on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays (simulcast games) during the regular season with no ad breaks during play.

BINGE will also offer subscribers more than 3,000 On Demand hours and a 24/7 dedicated LifeStyle channel, more live news channels from major local and global outlets, and live music channels.

Binge campaign credits

Marketing: Binge
Creative / Production: Balboa
Media: Mindshare, Foxtel Group

Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has launched its Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme in Victorian, beginning with a speed networking event in Melbourne.

The 2024/2025 programme opened in Melbourne with an event at the oOh!media offices in South Melbourne on Thursday, including a speed networking session for this year’s mentors and mentees.

The programme offers IMAA members the opportunity to be paired with some of the industry’s top leaders for mentoring and professional development.

Mentees had the opportunity to interview each of this year’s mentors in a “speed dating” environment, before selecting the top five mentors they would like to be paired with for the programme. The feedback will help guide the final pairings in Melbourne, which are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, WeGrow CEO and Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme facilitator Wendy Gower and Tim Elder, oOh!media’s national head of sales – direct clients, Independent Agencies and Boutique Agencies, also spoke at the event.

This year’s Melbourne mentors include:

• Belinda Gruebner, Chief Marketing Officer at Moose Toys
• Adam Jacka, Head of Marketing at Seven-Eleven (7-11)
• Deb Trela, General Manager of Sales (Victoria) at Val Morgan
• Donna Gordon, Marketing Director at ARN
• Peter Charles, Managing Director (Victoria) & National Independent Agency Sales Director at Seven Network
• Sara Lappage, Chief Operating Officer at QMS
• Jenny La Brooy, Marketing Media Lead
• Nikki Clarkson, Chief Marketing Officer
• Marcia Allan, Executive General Manager – Marketing & Membership, Melbourne Royal
• Jodi Murray-Freedman, Director of Marketing, Bakers Delight

This year’s successful Melbourne mentees are:

• Tayla Alkilic, The Media Store
• Susan Axford, Slingshot Media
• Nicole Dipierdomenico, Half Dome
• Alex James, Assembled Media
• Ashley Grey, The Pistol
• Claire Piotrowski, Momentum Marketing
• Miya Min, Impetus
• Alana Zanardo, oOh! Media
• Georgia Maccan, Val Morgan Digital
• Lucy Piccolo, Seven Network.

The inaugural programme, which launched in August last year, matched 16 media industry leaders with up-and-coming agency talent in a six-month structured mentoring programme, including online and face-to-face sessions, training and meet-ups.

The pilot programme was a success, with all the participants describing the programme as “life-changing,” giving them new-found leadership skills and confidence.

IMAA Chair, Jacquie Alley, said: “It’s fantastic to see our Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme extend to Melbourne and to attract some of Australia’s best media and marketing industry leaders who are generously volunteering their time to help mentor our industry’s up and coming female talent.

“The programme has already been so well received again this year and we are looking forward to seeing how the mentors and mentees work together to develop our female talent.’

Mentor Marcia Allan said: “The Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme is such a clever and much-needed initiative in our industry to grow and nurture our female talent. I’m so pleased to be selected as a mentor in Melbourne this year and I’m looking forward to connecting with my mentee to share my experience and learnings from my career and to watch her grow and flourish.”

The launch of the Victorian program comes just days after it was launched in Queensland.

See also: IMAA launches inaugural Queensland 2024/25 Female Leaders of Tomorrow mentoring programme

The Kid Laroi hit the stage with an exclusive and intimate performance for Nova’s Red Room on Friday at Selina’s at Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney.

The Grammy-nominated artist stripped back his chart-topping hits and took the “opportunity to have some fun” with his fans in the room ahead of his Australian tour, which started in Sydney before heading to Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.

The Kid kicked off the evening with his new track ‘Baby I’m Back’ before welcoming the audience and giving a shout-out to the VIP section. He told the audience the Nova Red Room performance was “pretty special because I’ve never really done something like this… and it feels really good to be doing it back home.”

 

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A post shared by Nova’s Red Room (@novas_red_room)

The set list included ‘Girls’, ‘Nights Like This’, ‘Heaven’, ‘Where Does Your Spirit Go?’, and ‘Without You’. In between songs, the charming superstar chatted with the audience, even handing out some ‘friends and family’ tickets to his Sydney show.

A highlight for the night was ‘Stay’, before which he asked if there were any Justin Bieber fans in the audience – a loud cheer filled Selina’s. The Kid said of the hit that it was a pleasure to write with Bieber and that he still liked the song after three or four years, “which is surprising”.

Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small

Tim Blackwell, Joel Creasey

Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald, Michael “Wippa” Wipfli, Kate Ritchie, Tim Blackwell

Brooke Blurton (right)

Sabre Norris and Justin Norris

Pete Colosimo, Nova’s Chief Operating Officer with Vanessa Picken, chair and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand

The Kid Laroi finished the performance with ‘Love Again’ from his debut album The First Time, and the crowd belted out every word, encapsulating the true spirit of Australia’s premier intimate live music brand.

Guests included content creators Sabre Norris and Justin Norris, Nova podcaster Brooke Blurton, and Nova radio stars Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald, Michael “Wippa” Wipfli, Kate Ritchie, Tim Blackwell, Joel Creasey and Kent “Smallzy” Small.

Also Pete Colosimo, Nova’s Chief Operating Officer; Kate Murphy, Nova’s National Commercial Strategy Director and Vanessa Picken, Chair and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand.

–

Top image: The Kid Laroi

Unstereotype Alliance Australia, convened by UN Women, found that 52% of disabled Australians do not feel positively portrayed in advertising and media content.

This finding, along with many more, will be further explored as part of Bus Stop Film’s Driving Change Disability Employment Summit taking place on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 November at Bondi Pavilion.

Unstereotype Alliance Australia members will be joined by industry experts on their Disability in Advertising panel. Research instigated by champions and members Unilever, Mars Wrigley, IPG, Coles, WPP and Ipsosexploring how Australians feel about their social equity and representation in advertising will be unpacked as part of the panel.

Unstereotype Alliance projects such as the much-anticipated Inclusion = Income: The Business Case for Inclusive Advertising research and cornerstone tools such as the 3Ps Toolkit and the recently launched Inclusive Media Playbook will also be explored.

The panel will be moderated by disability advocate Lisa Cox, and include disabled actors Sara Shams and Rae Pastuszak, Shift 20 Initiative Lead (Dylan Alcott Foundation), Priya Addams Williams, as well as Unstereotype Alliance members representing IPG and WPP – chief strategy and growth officer UM Australia, Raj Gupta, and Innovation Lead Mindshare, Sam Turley.

Sam Turley

It forms part of Unstereotype Alliance Australia’s ‘Conversations for Change,’ a series aimed at inspiring the industry and driving positive change, and one of several projects aiming to bring the groups’ strategic priority to life.

“We are tremendously proud of this foundational research which is designed to be a tool for change and will be leveraged well into 2025 as part of various projects from Unstereotype Alliance Australia,” Anathea Ruys, CEO of UM Australia, said.

“We are honoured to be discussing some of the findings at Bus Stop Film’s Driving Change Disability Employment Summit.”

Lorna Ash, head of Homecare ANZ, Unilever, added: “The research highlights how widespread stereotyping remains in Australia media and advertising. As marketers, we have a responsibility not only to represent Australia’s rich diversity but also to actively challenge stereotypes in our messaging and content. We aim to raise awareness and take action to move the industry forward.”

Alex Piercy, national marketing manager – Loyalty, Coles, said: “Eliminating stereotypes in advertising and media starts with brands authentically representing the diverse audiences they aim to connect with at every stage. We hope our research and industry discussions such as this one will encourage agencies and marketers to embrace a more inclusive approach, from the initial creative brief all the way to media investments, ensuring that diversity and inclusivity are foundational, not optional.”

Mars Wrigley, portfolio director, Michelle Gazzola added: “The film and advertising industry holds immense power to shape public perceptions, including when it comes to influencing social outcomes for people with disabilities. We’re excited for this research to be tabled at this event via a panel of industry experts who share a commitment to enhancing representation in the disability space and beyond.”

See also: Unstereotype Alliance to drive representation at inaugural disability employment summit

Outdoor cinema experiences Mov’in Bed is back for summer with experiential event agency BBR and Val Morgan Cinema.

Harbour Park in Sydney’s Barangaroo will be transformed into a beach club-style cinema from 29th November to 23rd March. Mov’in Bed offers an immersive pre-show experience where consumers can relax, socialise, and indulge in food and beverages while securing their bed for the film. With an average dwell time of 1.5 hours, brands have ample opportunity to make an impact on captivated audiences.

The upcoming Mov’in Bed season will feature of the biggest blockbuster titles and cultural moments of the summer and beyond, including huge franchise hits including the upcoming Gladiator II, Wicked, Mufasa: The Lion King, Captain America: Brave New World and more.

Mov’in Bed will also be screening throwback films with beloved cult classics, including Love Actually, Dirty Dancing and 10 Things I Hate About You.

“This summer, Mov’in Bed brings back an unmatched cinema experience under the stars to Sydney’s Barangaroo,” Vincent Hernandez, event director of BBR said. “This experience combines comfort and a unique ‘city beach’ concept for cinematic magic and unforgettable summer nights.”

Mov’in Bed had a successful season last year, with 93% of all sessions sold out and over 30,000 in attendance. The event has also proved its appeal amongst hard-to-reach P18-34s, with over 50% of the total audience throughout the season delivered from this demographic.

Val Morgan Cinema had a range of opportunities for brands to align with audiences at the event, including Presenting Partner, Supporting Partner, VIP Area Partner, Bar Partner, Turn Off Your Phone Partner and On-Screen Partner.

Brands can also work with Val Morgan Cinema to create custom solutions such as sampling and activations.

“Mov’in Bed will once again take the cinemagoing experience to the next level over summer, giving brands one of the most unique opportunities to connect with engaged, young audiences” said Paul MacGregor, director of strategy and marketing at Val Morgan Cinema.

“Its unique combination of shareability and immersive appeal makes it the ultimate event for brands seeking high-impact visibility. After last season’s highly successful event, we’re looking forward to working with brands on creative solutions that will make this year’s event truly unforgettable,” he added.

Garnier and production company MADE THIS have teamed up for OOH experience across Australia and New Zealand.

From November 11th – 17th, pedestrians on Swanston Street in Melbourne will have an anamorphic illusion showcasing Garnier’s new Vitamin C* Daily Tinted Fluid with SPF50+, combining tinted glow and  SPF50+ protection into their customer’s daily routine. While in New Zealand,  a print, 3D billboard will be set up in Auckland Central.

Garnier engaged with MADE THIS to elevate their OOH experience following the success of Kérastase’s OOH.

“We are thrilled to introduce the Vitamin C* Daily Tinted Fluid with SPF50+ to our consumers,” Alexander Bachem, marketing director for Garnier, said. “This product is a perfect blend of innovation and skincare, providing powerful protection with a touch of radiance.

“The collaboration with the MADE THIS team on the creative launch assets has been instrumental in bringing this vision to life. We’re excited to share it with our loyal customers and those discovering Garnier for the first time.”

Dana Del Rosso, brand manager at Garnier, said: “We’re extremely pleased with how the creative vision has come together for the launch of our Vitamin C* Daily Tinted Fluid with SPF50+. The MADE THIS team has been exceptional throughout the entire process, making what could have been a complex task feel seamless.

“Their attention to detail, responsiveness, and creative expertise have helped us bring our product to life in a way that truly resonates with our audience. It’s been a pleasure collaborating with such a dedicated and talented team.”

Marie-Celine Merret, head of creative technology MADE THIS, said: “Anamorphic 3D creative lends itself so well to a product launch such as this one for Garnier. From concept to first draft of our 3D animation was just about two weeks, that really demonstrates the collaborative nature between us and the L’Oréal team, and it was a true pleasure to work on this.”

The campaign features a D-Class tram, travelling the St Kilda Road tram routes, travelling past the L’Oréal Groupe office, and a number of Digital OOH sites across Melbourne, Sydney, and New Zealand.

Additionally, the MADE THIS team have made a number of digital and print spots for Garnier’s retailers as well as internal launch materials for the Garnier team at Melbourne L’Oréal Head Office.

See also: MADE THIS and L’Oréal launch anamorphic 3D OOH for Kérastase on Melbourne’s Swanston Street

Thursday 14 November 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s A Current Affair recorded a total TV national reach of 1,374,000, a total TV national audience of 904,000, and a BVOD audience of 66,000.

Nine’s 9News recorded a total TV national reach of 1,712,000, a total TV national audience of 1,008,000, and a BVOD audience of 84,000.

Seven’s Seven News recorded a total TV national reach of 1,889,000, a total TV national audience of 1,163,000, and a BVOD audience of 62,000.

Also on Seven, Home and Away recorded a total TV national reach of 1,289,000, a total TV national audience of 761,000, and a BVOD audience of 104,000.

10’s airing of Socceroos v Saudi Arabia recorded a total TV national reach of 1,039,000, a total TV national audience of 425,000, and a BVOD audience of 39,000.

People 25-54

Nine’s A Current Affair:
• Total TV nation reach: 353,000
• National Audience: 221,000
• BVOD Audience: 34,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 490,000
• National Audience: 281,000
• BVOD Audience: 31,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 425,000
• National Audience: 240,000
• BVOD Audience: 57,000

10’s Socceroos v Saudi Arabia:
• Total TV nation reach: 398,000
• National Audience: 173,000
• BVOD Audience: 24,000

People 16-39

Nine’s A Current Affair:
• Total TV nation reach: 137,000
• National Audience: 89,000
• BVOD Audience: 17,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 180,000
• National Audience: 94,000
• BVOD Audience: 16,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 162,000
• National Audience: 95,000
• BVOD Audience: 33,000

10’s Socceroos v Saudi Arabia:
• Total TV nation reach: 170,000
• National Audience: 81,000
• BVOD Audience: 14,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+ TV Ratings

Nine’s A Current Affair:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,074,000
• National Audience: 706,000
• BVOD Audience: 53,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,504,000
• National Audience: 939,000
• BVOD Audience: 50,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,002,000
• National Audience: 601,000
• BVOD Audience: 84,000

10’s Socceroos v Saudi Arabia:
• Total TV nation reach: 786,000
• National Audience: 310,000
• BVOD Audience: 30,000

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.