Kerry Walters established KWM Media Group 22 years ago, and the company has grown and established itself as a capable and trustworthy agency, particularly in Australia’s regional markets.

Walters spoke to Mediaweek about the impact of Covid on the business, the growing number of clients and the year ahead.

Before starting KWM Media Group, Walters worked in the tourism industry, followed by Prime Network in sales as aggregation began on Australian TV.

He later moved to Starcom Media when it began in Australia before moving back to his hometown of Newcastle, where he established his agency.

KWM Media Group is a full-service agency, which Walter said engages its clients with all aspects of the marketing wheel.

“I like to think that our model is more to do is a simple term. By that, I mean that with some of our national clients and our local clients, we do everything for them. So that would be the whole spectrum, not only media buying, online services, creative services, PR, etc.”

He noted that they have clients who only require project work and use their services. They also have clients who want to take advantage of their specialty in the regional Australian markets or do most of their work in-house and use their service as a media buyer.

As the general manager of a small team, Walters said: “I’m still very much wanting to be on the coalface every day” and working on client servicing.

In their two decades, KWM has continued to work with Camera House Group, their client since day one, and their long-time client Ray White Real Estate.

Other clients with the agency include Kip Magrath, Auto One, Leaf Free and Stevens Group.

On a local level, Walters noted that their clients have expanded to include InfraBuild Group, which includes Midalia Steel, and a dozen new regional clients.

He said: “Unashamedly, we have a very high weighting of regional clients. I’d like to think we can boast that we have a service centre and a facility available.”

KWM

Walters said KWM’s strength has been media buying and coordination, which he noted harnesses and enhances those specialty services.

“We would then engage for the client on a cooperative basis and coordinate those services from start to finish if that’s what they require,” he said.

Walters added: “I think our strength lies in clients with a strong internal or in-house marketing department that we can add as a partner, rather than an alternative. Over the years, particularly when I was working with the blue-chippers, they tend to like to do absolutely everything for a client, which is great, and they do an extremely good job of that.

“We tend to work in really well as an add on, as in an enhancement to the internal marketing department that I find these days, particularly after COVID, they’re wearing so many hats. They see a number of advantages in our model and how we do it,” he said.

KWM was not immune from the impact of Covid, like most media agencies, when the pandemic first hit. He noted that it coincided with sport’s demise, mainly when the NRL temporarily shut down.

While Walters noted that it was a devastating time for many people and businesses, KWM did not lose a client. Instead, business had dropped by 90%.

However, Walters said that although Covid had its negatives, there were positives to come out of it.

“In the nicest context, it was the most rewarding time over the last few years being able to service clients and have the ability to help them.

“Having done this for 40 odd years, it’s all good to make that almighty dollar. But at the end of the day, when I can see those clients that we’ve in some small way, through those bad times, and come out the other end, then that’s probably my outcome from COVID,” he added.

Looking to the year ahead, the KWM Media Group general manager said there is a need for the agency to find new opportunities and expand in markets across the country.

He said that supply for consumers would be a challenge, particularly in the car industry. Walters noted that the industry with the most significant growth was the health industry.

“That’s the area I’m looking forward to helping pro bono work with some of those institutions that have found a need to reach out because of the demand for their services in different ways.

“We do work for a number of institutions and organisations, and I’m getting a buzz out of that. I’m enjoying being able to help them,” Walters added.

Walters shared that the agency will expand and move to a bigger premise. He also noted that he is looking for additional staff for his regional agency and is “prospecting” for talent.

On the IMAA
KWM joined the IMAA last year, and Walters said it was because he saw a growing gap between the larger agencies and the direct market and the nationalisation of media.

“By that, I mean when I was involved in the early days at Prime when aggregation started. The government could create an equal market in every city in Australia for television.

“Now, I’m finding the frustration that the media want to centralise their services, come about from necessity, consolidating some organisations under one banner. With that comes a need for a very strong and united, independent group,” he said, noting that being part of a group with more than 100 member agencies gives lobbying power.

He added: “The other thing I am enjoying with them is the amount of education and the ability to give us a complete understanding of the media, the mediums, and the advertising industry.

“There’s not a day that goes past where we don’t have access to any cutting-edge information that we’d like.

“I found that respectfully at my age, it’s such a great way to enhance our intellect because we don’t have specialties, individually. We’re more of a broad advertising executive in each staff,” he said of his multi-talented team.

“With us, we’ve found with the independent group that their professionalism on the marketplace has been astounding in the last 12 months,” he added of the IMAA.

This weekend the Australian box office made $12.59 million, up 43% from last weekend’s total of $8.78 million.

$3,879 was averaged across 3,246 screens, as four of the five top films are new entries to the top of the box office.

Making its way into the charts for the first time and heading straight to #1 is action-adventure comedy Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Based on the video game franchise published by Sega, the film is the second in the franchise and stars Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Ben Schwartz.

Claiming the #2 spot is action-adventure film Morbius, centred around a dangerously ill doctor with a rare blood disorder who aims to save others from the same fate.

Coming in third is The Bad Guys starring Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron and Awkwafina.

Fourth place goes to The Batman which has come in at #1 for the past four weeks and has brought in a total of $35 million to date.

Set in 1961, placing fifth and making its way to the top five for the first time is drama-comedy The Duke.

Dropping out of the top five this week is Dog, Uncharted, RRR and Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie

#1 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – $3,656,273

Sequel to the popular 2020 film Sonic The Hedgehog, the second film in the franchise averaged $7,697 over 475 screens this weekend, making it the most-watched film of the past week.

#2 Morbius – $3,069,938

Based on the Marvel Comics character, Morbius, the film averaged $5,212 over 589 screens this weekend.

#3 The Bad Guys – $1,886,717

American computer-animated crime comedy, The Bad Guys made its debut in the top five averaging $5,469 over 345 screens and grossing a total of $2,257,317 to date.

#4 The Batman – $1,409,322

Falling three places from #1 for the past four weeks, The Batman averaged $4,207 over 335 screens.

#5 The Duke – $623,017

Moving its way up the charts, The Duke averaged $2,387 over 261 screens, grossing a total of $1,346,467 to date.

Foxtel has announced the Prime Video app is now available across iQ4 and iQ5 set-tops, delivering even more content to its subscribers.

The Prime Video app provides access to Prime Video Originals and exclusives including the first and second seasons of local lifestyle show Luxe Listings Sydney, Nine Perfect Strangers, and Being the Ricardos, starring Australia’s very own Nicole Kidman, the recent global hit series Reacher, The Tomorrow War starring Chris Pratt, Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse with Michael B Jordan and other blockbuster movies like Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

Integration of Prime Video’s thousands of movies and TV shows adds to Foxtel’s content offering of more than 20,000 hours of movies and TV shows On Demand, along with access to other popular streaming apps, including Netflix, ABC iview, SBS on Demand and YouTube.

Foxtel group chief content and commercial officer, Amanda Laing, said: “Our subscribers have an insatiable appetite for all the very best drama, reality, movies and local originals, and with the Prime Video app available on set-tops it is now easier than ever before for customers to find their next content obsession. Prime Video joins some of the world’s best apps, all in one place and easy to navigate from one Home screen so you can get to your next watch with the click of a button.”

Hushidar Kharas, head of Prime Video Australia, said: “As a customer obsessed company, we are always looking for new ways to be more accessible to our customers in Australia. With the Prime Video app now being distributed by Foxtel, Prime Video’s premium content will be even more accessible to content loving Australians, and give them greater access to watch new releases such as Luxe Listings Sydney Season 2 or the global hit series The Boys.”

As the preferred supplier for Foxtel’s audience engagement campaigns, Komo will support Foxtel by strengthening customer loyalty through its Foxtel Rewards program. 

Komo’s proprietary self-service software enables the Foxtel team to create digital destinations which Komo has coined “engagement hubs” filled with interactive and gamified content at the click of a button. Games and competitions can be set up for a one-off event or for a season-long campaign, bringing audiences back every week. 

Foxtel’s director of customer marketing and loyalty, Lisa Cronin said Komo has enabled her team to create bespoke content for customers and broaden engagement from traditional campaign channels and tactics.

Cronin said: “As an entertainment company, Foxtel needed a platform that rang true to its offering and engaged customers through a range of fun and diverse content.

“This meant stepping away from the repetitive 25 words or less campaigns, which were triggering user fatigue, and moving into the exciting realm of gamified engagement tools on a dedicated, noise-free platform.”

Using Komo’s gamification tools including competitions, experiences and rich media, Foxtel leverages the platform’s proven digital templates to create real-time campaigns in just minutes. Cronin said Komo’s user-friendly back-end system is a core reason for the company’s growing partnership. 

“The Komo platform has been extremely helpful in helping us, help our members get closer to the entertainment they love. The platform has allowed our team to easily build engagement hubs with its user-friendly back-end system. Featuring simple and easy to use templates, we can design our own interactive sites in record time without needing any web development skillset,” she said.

“There are many customisation options and features to choose from on Komo’s platform and this allows us to get very creative. Since October, we’ve run more than five different campaigns using Komo, with our most successful initiative being the Bake with Foxtel campaign that promoted the new season of Great Australian Bake Off,” she added. 

The Bake with Foxtel campaign hub featured a broad range of engaging content for Foxtel users to access, including an exclusive cooking video by Matt Moran where customers were able to download the recipe, cook along at home, then upload their creations via Komo for a chance to win a SMEG fridge. The hub also featured a competition to win 1 of 1000 SMEG hand blenders by playing an interactive Scratch and Win on Komo each week. 

“The Bake with Foxtel campaign saw tens of thousands of members engaging with the hub and sharing their prizes on social, which was incredibly effective from an awareness perspective. Using Komo, we were also able to easily access the analytics and reporting dashboards behind each piece of content to quickly see our results and performance,” said Cronin.

Foxtel is also continuing its use across the Fox Sports assets to drive second screen fan engagement and support their partners during live broadcasts. 

Fox Sports head of digital, Caitlin O’Meara, said: “Komo continues to offer the Fox Sports team easy to implement, yet innovative ways to engage and connect with our audience on their second screen while they watch their favourite sport from the comfort of their home.”

Joel Steel, Komo chief executive officer, said the company is delighted to be growing its partnership with Foxtel to support the company’s member engagement journey.

“It has become more and more difficult to capture people’s attention and keep them truly engaged with your brand. Komo is continuously innovating and expanding its platform offering to ensure that Foxtel and all of our other subscribers always have a new, exciting and interactive way to connect with their audience and non-intrusively gather zero- and first-party data.”

“Our mission to make it easy, fast and effective for anyone to create engaging digital moments that connect, capture and reward audiences is coming to fruition and the partnership with Foxtel is proof of that. This partnership with Foxtel is growing from strength to strength and we are excited about what the future holds for all involved,” Steel said.

Foxtel hinted plans for a whole suite of interactive promotions for Foxtel Rewards members using the Komo platform. With the winter sports season just kicking off, the company has just launched Foxtel Footy Hub, with engagement campaigns also earmarked NRL, AFL, Supercars and Netball. 

Komo has welcomed a plethora of leading national and international brands to its platform over the past 12 months. This includes Williams F1, QBE, Australian Olympic Committee, The Urban List, Cheese Cake Shop, Marvel Stadium, JLL, Charter Hall, Warner Music Group, Coca-Cola European Partners, Carlton United Breweries, Gage Roads and many more.

Industry body Commercial Radio Australia has signed a three-year agreement with Triton Digital to continue publication of the Australian Podcast Ranker through to March 2024.

The partnership will see Triton Digital continue to publish the monthly report on the top 100 podcasts in Australia, provide data on listener numbers and monthly downloads, and further develop the australianpodcastranker.com website.

Since its release in October 2019, the ranker has increased from seven to 18 participating publishers, and the number of monthly podcast downloads has grown six-fold from 10 million to 62.3 million in February.

CRA chief executive officer Joan Warner said: “The Australian Podcast Ranker has become an established part of a thriving podcast industry in Australia in a short space of time.  It was developed to bring greater transparency to podcast performance and consumption and has been successful in drawing attention to the sizeable audiences of many rising stars in podcasting.  We’re pleased to continue the work with Triton Digital to support all participating creators, publishers and advertisers.”

Triton Digital chief executive officer John Rosso said: “CRA has taken a leadership role in growing the podcast business in Australia by insisting on high quality measurement. We are gratified that they have, once again, selected Triton Digital to provide accurate, validated, and reliable third-party measurement of this fast-moving segment of the Australian media marketplace.”

The ranker is produced in accordance with IAB Tech Lab’s Podcast Measurement Guidelines and reports on the most popular Australian and international podcasts in the country among participating publishers across radio, TV, print, and independent producers.

Participating publishers are Audioboom, ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia, DM Podcasts, Equity Mates Media, Hidden Brain Media, LiSTNR (SCA), Motorsport Podcast Network, News Corp Australia, Nine, NOVA Entertainment, Podshape, Schwartz Media, Sports Entertainment Network (SEN), Stitcher Media, TOFOP Productions, The Chaser, Wavelength Creative and West Australian Newspapers.

Zenith Australia has announced the promotion of Warwick Taylor to the newly-created role of Brisbane managing director.

Taylor’s expanded remit in the company follows recent account wins including Subway ANZ, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Fiji Kava, and Ozcare.

Nickie Scriven, Zenith Australia CEO, said: “Warwick has attracted some of the best talent in the market to work with Zenith Brisbane. He has been instrumental in transforming the Brisbane office, winning numerous new accounts last year.

“Warwick also worked closely with Publicis Worldwide on the creation of the Publicis ‘Power of One – Team Fresh’ model for Subway ANZ. It is an absolute pleasure to recognise and reward Warwick’s efforts with this well-deserved promotion,” she added.

After almost four years as Brisbane general manager, Taylor takes on the new role effective immediately, charged with leading the agency’s vision for the expanded Zenith Brisbane office, developing strategic partnerships, and driving growth outcomes for clients.

Taylor said of his appointment: “I’m proud to have the opportunity to lead the Zenith brand and our agency team in the Brisbane market.

“Our success is testament to our talented people, the exceptional work they produce, our media partners who help us bring that work to life, and our amazing clients who we partner with everyday.

“I look forward to what lies ahead as we roll out training initiatives like ZenAcademy; while we continue our focus on delivering business outcomes for our clients now and into the future,” he added.

As the ROI agency, Zenith leverages data, technology and talent to scout out new opportunities, solve complex challenges and grow clients’ businesses.

The agency has more than 6,000 brilliant specialists across 95 markets – experts in communications and media planning, content, performance marketing, value optimization and data analytics.

Zenith works with some of the world’s leading brands including Aldi, Honda, Luxottica, Reckitt Benckiser, Lite’N Easy, Kering, Lactalis, TikTok and The Walt Disney Company.

IAB Australia and Advertising Week APAC have announced the launch of the industry’s inaugural Careers Fair.

Designed by IAB Australia’s Talent and Careers Working Group, the Fair will showcase the best of the digital industry to the next generation of talent.

It will take place during Advertising Week at Luna Park in Sydney from 2nd to 3rd of August 2022.   

Students and graduates from universities, as well as their relevant course professors and lecturers will be provided with free passes to attend Advertising Week and the Careers Fair, allowing them to learn, experience and enjoy the industry as well as talk to people from a range of media organisations about career opportunities that are available.  

Advertising Week APAC partners and IAB members across adtech, media owners, agencies and brands will be able to take a stand in the Career Fair arena at Luna Park. 

Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia, said: “Attracting a broad range of top talent has never been more important for the local advertising market and being able to invite students to attend Advertising Week APAC and the Careers Fair is a brilliant step towards showcasing the fantastic opportunities available in our industry to a wide range of tertiary students.”

Clive Prosser, director of Advertising Week APAC, said: “Everything starts with a conversation, so we’re delighted to be working with the IAB to create something that helps both the industry, and students at the beginning of their careers.

“The last two years have made these very important connections almost impossible, and with many of the partners also being IAB members it made perfect sense to join forces for this Fair,” he added. 

IAB Australia’s Talent and Careers Working Group is focused on developing industry talent with programs including a mentorship program, education, community events and promotion of job openings.

The Group is focused on developing people related initiatives including working with tertiary institutes to encourage a broader range of people into the growing digital advertising sector, developing a range of new industry training programs; and introducing support programs for rising talent in the industry who are experiencing rapid promotion.  

Sydney-based digital agency Online Marketing Gurus (OMG) now has a trifecta of partnerships with three major platforms – Google, TikTok and Facebook. 

OMG has been recognised as a 2022 Google Premier Partner this week which places it in the top three per cent of companies managing Google accounts globally.

Google recognises the achievements of top-performing digital marketing partners across the globe by awarding Premier Partner status as part of the new Google Partners program. Qualification depends upon a level of performance, spend and certification relating to ad campaigns by top-performing digital marketing partners around the world.

Davang Shah, senior director, Google Ads Marketing, said: “These companies stand out based on their commitment to developing product expertise, building new client relationships, and helping their current clients grow.”

OMG was also recently ranked as one of the top Facebook premier agencies as well as being made one of only a handful of TikTok agency partners in Australia. 

The team of gurus at OMG provides SEO services, content strategy, pay-per-click management, lead generation, display and social media advertising for brands big and small, local and global including the likes of Calvin Klein Australia, Vodafone and Universal Store.

OMG was launched in Sydney in 2012 and has since partnered with over 1000 companies, and expanded globally.

The agency has received significant recognition with their inclusion in the Smart50, Deloitte Technology Fast 50, Financial Times 1000 High-Growth Companies Asia Pacific, BRW Fast Starters, Clutch Top 100 Companies, as well as wins in the Optus My Business Awards, SEMrush Search Awards, and The Australian Business Awards.

But their CEO says it isn’t that accolade itself that is important to the agency. While the Premier Partners program has existed for longer than just this year, this 2022 iteration offers benefits to support the growth and success of the companies using Google marketing platforms.

CEO of the company’s Asia Pacific region, Wasif Kasim, said: “As a recognised Google Premier Partner, Online Market Gurus will access even more innovative tools, resources, and support to help our clients succeed and grow online.”

Red Havas has announced the senior appointment of Matt Thomas as executive director – corporate affairs, expanding its presence in the strategic corporate communications following the launch of a corporate affairs arm.

Thomas, a 20-year industry veteran, will lead the company’s corporate and recently formed public affairs teams to service clients within Red Havas and across the Havas Village.

The newly created role encompasses oversight of crisis and issues management, strategic communications, corporate media relations, internal communications, stakeholder engagement, government, and investor relations, thought leadership, reputation management and media training.

The introduction of the Red Havas corporate affairs offering follows the formation of the public affairs practice headed by experienced public policy and stakeholder engagement campaigner Lawrence Muskitta in December 2021, and the subsequent appointment of exceptional political and strategic communications advisor Jacqui Munro as senior account director.

Thomas brings two decades of experience as a results-oriented, strategy driven communications professional across agency, consultancy, government, education, and the arts to the role.

His agency background includes three years at Icon Agency, most recently as director of public relations and content, where he grew a small team to win multiple agency of the year awards across Asia Pacific.

His work for government includes senior communications and advisory roles with Bayside City Council and Victoria’s Department of Health, Department of Education and Training, Department of Sustainability and Environment, and Department of Industry, Innovation and Regional Development.

Simone Gupta, CEO Havas PR Australia (responsible for One Green Bean, Red Havas and Organic Pacific), said: “Matt brings a clear strategic vision for how government and corporations approach corporate narrative, build and protect reputation.

“Red Havas has trusted long term relationships with clients across sectors that often look to us for this kind of counsel and strategic planning, led by Matt this is an exciting growth area for the agency,” she added.

Thomas welcomed the opportunity to help organisations navigate a rapidly changing landscape driven by digitisation, grassroots social movements, employee and investor activism and the impacts of climate change.

He said: “Red Havas is a great Australian success story. From a small office in Melbourne, the brand has become a major powerhouse in the global public relations sector.

“I’m delighted to be joining the agency at this exciting time to build on its existing strengths in corporate and public affairs and expand this offering to meet the evolving needs of clients across business, government and the not-for-profit sectors,” Thomas added.

Ex-SAS specialist, Mark Wales has won the title of Sole Survivor and $500,000 in the Australian Survivor: Blood V Water grand finale on 10.

The final 4 for Australian Survivor: Blood V Water were Chrissy (Individual immunity wins: 0), Josh (Individual immunity wins: 2), Mark (Individual immunity wins: 2), and Shay (Individual immunity wins: 3).

After Shay won immunity in an endurance challenge that saw the final four holding their own weight over a waterfall, Josh was the final member of the tribe voted out and sent to join the jury. The final three made their pitches to the jury, and after some emotional family reunions, Mark was declared the winner by unanimous vote.

Mark was last seen on Australian Survivor Season 2, where he formed a power couple with fellow castaway Sam – who he played alongside in Blood V Water. The two fell in love, were married in 2019 and have a son together. Last time Mark played Survivor, he thought being fit and strong would be enough to go far in the game, but he quickly realised this was not the case and that his social game would need to improve.

Mark had been near the top of Sportsbet’s Survivor markets since day one and was favourite to win the finale. Wales lead Survivor Blood vs. Water betting at $1.15, with Shay the second favourite at $8.00. Josh was at $13 and Chrissy rounded out the final four at $17.

Blood v Water was filmed in Queensland, this time heading to North Queensland’s Charters Towers, 134 km south-east of Townsville, for season seven. 

Produced by Endemol Shine Australia for Network 10 and supported by the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy, this latest series is expected to deliver $12.6 million for the state’s economy and employ 170 Queenslanders.  

In 2021, the Survivor: Brains V Brawn finale had 785,000 viewers (923,000 for winners announcement) as Hayley was crowned Sole Survivor and won $500,000. The winner’s announcement was the top segment across all key demographics.

Earlier this year, Mediaweek spoke with the show’s executive producer, Tim Ali, about the new format, the new location, and the fact that the show will be featuring Survivor royalty.

See More: How 10 is turning Australian Survivor on its head with Blood v Water

“We’re really trying to bring all the best themes to the Australian show,” said Ali. “What really excites me about Blood v Water is that everyone can relate to this gameplay and that initiates so many conversations for the audience at home. No matter who you’re watching it with. You’re constantly putting yourself in the contestant’s shoes and asking, oh, what would you do?”

Returning for its 14th season, Channel 10‘s MasterChef Australia is back with a bang, with 12 returning contestants up against 12 everyday home cooks in MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites.

Judges Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen, and Melissa Leong, will be back to challenge contestants and to watch as the Favourites carve out the kitchen against the next batch of hopefuls.

Welcoming back MasterChef’s favourite mum and inaugural winner Julie Goodwin, the Favourites boast an array of superstar cooks including fellow winners Billie McKay (Season 7) and Sashi Cheliah (Season 10). They’ll be joined by Alvin Quah (Season 2), Michael Weldon (Season 3) Mindy Woods (Season 4), Christina Batista (Season 5), Sarah Todd (Season 6), John Carasig (Season 7), Aldo Ortado (Season 10); and fresh from last season, Minoli De Silva and Tommy Pham.

They’re up against a formidable team of Fans who bring knowledge across cuisines, techniques and trends. Although their chosen professions include dentistry, teaching, finance, firefighting and TikTok, the fans are here to prove they have what it takes to claim victory.

FAVOURITES

Julie Goodwin, NSW
Previous Season: Season 1 Winner

It’s been an incredible journey for Julie Goodwin since becoming the first-ever winner of MasterChef Australia in 2009. A native Sydneysider, Julie’s first career was as a youth worker. Following her MasterChef Australia victory, Julie became a regular staple on television, began regular recipe columns and has written multiple cookbooks.

Billie McKay, NSW
Previous Season: Season 7 Winner

After being crowned the winner of MasterChef Australia Season 7, Billie moved to London to take up an offer to work in Heston Blumenthal’s famed three-Michelin star restaurant, The Fat Duck. On returning home she continued to pursue her love of cheesemaking on the family dairy farm. Billie’s husband and two-year-old daughter Ada are at home cheering her on.

Sashi Cheliah, South Australia
Previous Season: Season 10 Winner

One of just three Favourites who know what it’s like to hold aloft the coveted trophy at the Grand Finale, Sashi went on to open successful restaurants in Melbourne and Adelaide, and cheered loudly as his son Ryan competed in Junior MasterChef Australia. Sashi aims to once again wow his fellow contestants and judges with his take on the Indian, Malaysian and Chinese cooking of his youth.

Aldo Ortado, NSW
Previous Season: Season 10

Sharing food was the key to Aldo Ortado’s warm childhood growing up in the Italian province of Bacoli. Following his Season 10 MasterChef Australia journey, Aldo appeared on television in numerous cooking segments, and opened pop up restaurants in Sydney. Aldo wants his fellow contestants to be under no illusion, he’s back to win.

Alvin Quah, NSW
Previous Season: Season 2

Remembered for his funky glasses and delectable drunken chicken, MasterChef Australia Season 2 favourite Alvin Quah is determined to charm and cook his way to Finals Week. Known for his fun and animated approach to cooking, Alvin remains on a mission to increase awareness of Malaysian cuisine.

Christina Batista, NSW
Previous Season: Season 5

Christina Batista credits her large Portuguese family with encouraging her creativity in the kitchen. It’s an obsession which led Christina to Season 5 of MasterChef Australia, where she made it to Finals Week. Immensely proud of her achievement, make no mistake she intends to take it all the way and take home the illustrious trophy this season.

John Carasig, Victoria
Previous Season: Season 7

Strongly influenced by his Filipino heritage and renowned for his precision desserts, since leaving MasterChef Australia Season 7, John has also cooked extensively with Italian flavours and techniques. It’s this all-round approach to cuisines, styles and flavours that cement John’s place as one to watch in the competition.

Michael Weldon, Victoria
Previous Season: Season 3

Encouraged on a dare to enter Season 3 of MasterChef Australia, Michael Weldon not only made it to the Top 24 but came in second place. Michael has fully immersed himself in food since last appearing on the show, working as a chef and restaurateur at multiple venues, appearing on television and now working at Coles as an ambassador and Senior Development Chef developing products.

Mindy Woods, NSW
Previous Season: Season 4

Mindy Woods is back in the MasterChef kitchen to showcase world class ingredients and dishes. A proud Bundjalung woman of the Widjabul Wia bul clan, Mindy has a strong desire to connect indigenous and non-indigenous people with Aboriginal culture, art and stories through food, and to increase awareness and encourage the use of the world’s oldest living ingredients.

Minoli De Silva, Northern Territory
Previous Season: Season 13

The fourth contestant eliminated last season (Season 13), Minoli later won her apron back in the second chance cook, cooking her way to 10th place. Minoli used her time since her departure to host pop up restaurants and run cooking classes back home in Darwin, with top restaurant experience now under her belt, she’s one to watch for the Favourites.

Sarah Todd, Victoria
Previous Season: Season 6

It’s been a whirlwind journey for Sarah Todd since wowing the judges and audiences in Season 6 of MasterChef Australia. An in-demand international chef, restaurateur, TV host, speaker, and entrepreneur with classical skills honed from Le Condon Bleu and a passport filled with culinary expeditions.

Tommy Pham, NSW
Previous Season: Season 13

Fan favourite Tommy Pham is back in the MasterChef kitchen, keen to prove that seventh place last season isn’t enough for this superstar cook. After amazing the judges with his fresh, vibrant Vietnamese-style flavours week in and week out, Tommy has taken the time to learn new skills and techniques, ready to take it all the way to Finals Week.

FANS

Ali Stoner, Victoria
Occupation: Artist

A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Ali Stoner says she intends to give nothing less than 150% in the famed MasterChef kitchen. Proud mum to Maggie and Evie, Ali is an artist, working in both kiln formed glass and paint. With a leaning to savoury over sweet cooking, Ali says her greatest skill in the kitchen will be her instinctive creativity.

Jenn Lee, Queensland
Occupation: Dentist

Born in Taiwan as the middle of three girls, Jenn Lee and her family moved to Brisbane when she was six. Each year the family returned to Taiwan for holidays, and Jenn says she loved learning cooking skills from her grandmothers during those trips. Jenn is adept at both savoury and sweet cooking and has a love of learning.

Chris Tran, Victoria
Occupation: Marketing Advisor

Few can boast the culinary ace up their sleeve like Melbourne’s Chris Tran. Chris’ dad was a trained chef who specialised in European dishes and his Mum prepared hearty and traditional Vietnamese food for the home. Cooking has allowed Chris to reconnect with his Vietnamese heritage, his signature dish is banh cuon, Vietnamese steamed rice noodles.

Daniel Lamble, Northern Territory
Occupation: Firefighter

After finishing high school Daniel worked in the mines as a FIFO worker for three years before landing is dream job as a firefighter. Routinely tasked with preparing lunch and dinner for his fellow fireys, Daniel credits his dad with teaching him the basics, and anything more advanced from YouTube videos and television cooking programs.

Dulan Hapuarachchi, Victoria
Occupation: Financial Analyst

For father of two Dulan Hapuarachchi, nothing is more important than family. Born in Sri Lanka’s busy capital Colombo, Dulan was the youngest of three kids when his family picked up and migrated to Australia at the age of 11. Dulan one day hopes to open a Sri Lankan inspired café- style restaurant with his wife who is a cocktail connoisseur.

Harry Tomlinson, Victoria
Occupation: Barista And Coffee Roaster

With dreams of one day becoming a food writer, Harry Tomlinson says food is her greatest comfort. Harry works with speciality coffee and has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 16. With a passion for food and a gut for taste and flavours, Harry trusts her intuition in the kitchen.

Keyma Vasquez Montero, Victoria
Occupation: Stay At Home Mum

Hailing from the small Venezuelan town of Ciudad Guayana, Keyma Vasquez Montero recalls every family gathering of her childhood centring around food. Keyma dreams of representing the Latin and Spanish community on MasterChef Australia. Keyma is proud mum of 12-year-old Bella and nine-year-old Osvaldo.

Matt Landmark, Victoria
Occupation: Secondary Teacher

As a child, Matt’s family dinners were simple with a limited budget to explore different cuisines. Matt remembers buying fresh coriander while living in a share house, blown away by the flavour, it marked the turning point in his cooking journey. Matt can regularly be found reading cookbooks, working on new techniques, and seeking feedback on ways to improve.

Max Krapivsky, Victoria
Occupation: Osteopath

It’s fourth time lucky for Max in the MasterChef kitchen, after applying on three previous occasions. Crediting his Russian grandmother Rita with his link to his Russian heritage, Max says she was an exceptional cook. He dreams of one day opening his very own dine-in bottle-o, an Aussie-centric wine and beer local with a small rotating chalk-board menu.

Melanie Persson, Western Australia
Occupation: PhD Student

Melanie Persson is on a mission to show gluten free food can still pack a punch. Diagnosed with coeliac disease five years ago, she admits there was a learning curve. Largely self-taught from television cooking shows and social media, she dreams of publishing cookbooks that show how to prepare beautiful, complex dishes that don’t compromise on flavour.

Montana Hughes, Queensland
Occupation: TikTok Influencer

This season’s youngest competitor and TikTok sensation is keen to prove age is no barrier in taking out the coveted trophy. Fondly recalling making pikelets alongside her grandma and scrambled eggs as a child with her Mum, Montana’s life now revolves around cooking and preparing meals for her family and friends.

Steph Woon, Victoria
Occupation: Banking Analyst

The oldest of three daughters, Steph’s parents immigrated from Malaysia, and she says food has always brought them together. From a young age Steph held a passion for all things Japanese and it’s that passion for travel that has developed into Steph’s food dream, to one day open a patisserie serving Japanese and southeast Asian inspired cakes and pastries.

• Mark takes the crown in Survivor: Blood V Water
• Best of the rest: Home and Away, Australian Story, WILTY?

Total TV Ratings: March 28

Married At First Sight lifted 42% for a total audience of 1.967m. The episode featured the first set of final vows as Jackson and Olivia confessed their love for each other, but it was a different story for Brent and Tamara who both chose to walk away.

On 10, Survivor lifted 44% for a total audience of 870,000 tuning in to see Mark play his second idol and ultimately send Jordie home.

A total audience of 714,000 watched as Melissa Wu left SAS Australia, seeing the episode rise 43%.

Overnight TV Ratings: April 4

Primetime News

Seven News 988,000/1,043,000
Nine News 958,000/905,000
ABC News 668,000
10 News First 337,000 (5:00pm)/ 258,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 185,000 (6:30pm) 158,000 (7:00pm)

Daily current affairs

A Current Affair 816,000
7.30 533,000
The Project 303,000 (6:30pm)/446,000 (7pm)
The Drum 158,000

Breakfast TV

Sunrise 259,000
Today 231,000
News Breakfast 206,000

Late News

Nine News Late 328,000
ABC Late News 84,000
SBS World News Late 42,000

Nine has won the night in both primary (31.3%) and network (37.7%) as Married At First Sight (MAFS) wrapped up its season for 2022. In the final reunion episode, the experts sat down with the couples to look back at all of the highs and lows of the experiment. The show ended on a high, with the finale drawing  1.207m viewers – its biggest audience of the year.

Afterwards, Underbelly: Vanishing Act aired its second episode with 745,000 tuning in to see the story of con woman Melissa Caddick unfold. This was up on the first episode which recorded an overnight audience of 719,000.

Through the middle of the day, 126,000 tuned in to Seven to watch the 64th Grammy Awards. Big winners included Olivia Rodrigo for Best New Artist, Silk Sonic took home both Record and Song of The Year, and Australia’s RUFUS DU SOL won their first Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Recording.

In the evening, Home and Away aired to an audience of 511,000 before ABBA Forever brought 282,000 into the world of the Swedish supergroup.

10 saw 303,000 (6:30pm) and 446,000 (7pm) tune in to The Project as they covered the election speculation and the Grammys.

Survivor also wrapped up its 2022 season last night, with ex-SAS specialist, Mark Wales, winning out over Shay and Chrissie to take home the title and the prize money. 551,000 tuned in to the finale, and 631,000 watched the winner’s announcement.

See More: Mark takes out the title of Sole Survivor in a unanimous vote

Network 10 notes this morning that across the season, Australia Survivor: Blood V Water recorded its biggest BVOD audience ever, up 5% on 2021.

Daniel Monaghan, senior vice president, content and programming, Paramount ANZ, said: “The tribe has spoken, and in 2022 we congratulate ex-SAS specialist Mark Wales for taking out the coveted position as Sole Survivor. The castaways showed us that blood isn’t always thicker than water as they outwitted, outplayed and outlasted jaw dropping alliances, incredible conditions and tough challenges.

“Fans engaged with Australian Survivor: Blood V Water on broadcast, BVOD and social media. It was #2 in its timeslot across its season and the #2 entertainment option for under 50s, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s. It was also the richest show in co-viewing – 60% of its audience were co-viewers. On 10 Play, Australian Survivor: Blood V Water achieved its biggest BVOD audience ever, growing five per cent year-on-year. And #SurvivorAU trended throughout the season.

“Thank you to our contestants, production partners Endemol Shine Australia, exceptional host Jonathan LaPaglia, the hosting town of Charters Towers, traditional owners of the land, the Gudjal people, and everyone at Network 10 who delivered another unmissable season of Australian Survivor.”

Off the back of the finale, 243,000 tuned in to Would I Lie To You with Art Simone, Dave Thornton, Celia Pacquola, and Mark Humphries. 

On the ABC, Australian Story aired the second part of Trials and Tribulations to 463,000 viewers. The episode continued the story of the murder of  Stacey Thorne and the acquittal of Scott Austic after 12 years in jail. Four Corners then had 351,000 tune in as the show investigated alleged war crimes in East Timor, and the ‘dark stain’ on Australia’s proudest military operation. Media Watch then brought in 361,000.

On SBS, the highest rating non-news program was Scotland: Escape To The Wilderness with 128,000.