Australian Open

Nine is once again using the Australian Open as a springboard into its new slate of content for the year. And the early results have indicated that the broadcast has once again been successful with Nine boasting the #1 primary channel and network shares for each day that the event has run.

Mediaweek caught up with Nine’s head of content partnerships for sport, Anne Gruber, about the value that the Australian Open brings to Nine and its commercial partners.

“It’s a great event to start off the year,” said Gruber. “We’ve got amazing brands on board, many of them are returning year on year. It’s just something that is a great launchpad for 2022. This year we’re still in the middle of an outbreak but we’ve got fans back on-ground and that’s exactly what this event is all about globally. Showcasing that to the world and to Australians around the country is really exciting.”

Earlier this week, Nine unveiled the major partners and sponsors for the 2022 Australian Open broadcast, with Kia, Samsung, Uber Eats, ANZ, Visit Victoria, APT, AAMI, Chemist Warehouse, Peters, and Stan all joining in Nine’s Summer of Tennis.

This year has also seen Bondi Sands, Ralph Lauren, Chubb Insurance and Safety Culture take up Nine’s AO Extender packages.

“It’s great that more and more of our partners across the tennis really work closely with us to draw on all of the different platforms that we have at Nine to tell those stories. Looking at ways to blur the line between the real forecasts and what’s happening and things like augmented reality.”

When asked for an example of this type of integration Gruber pointed to the Kia Arena campaign that the broadcaster has put together with Tennis Australia to help launch Kia’s new car.

“There’s a brand new arena this year called the Kia Arena. We’re creating some augmented reality in the broadcast that links the car Kia launching and the on-ground arena to really bring that to people at home in a six-level way.”

Having all four Grand Slams

At Nine’s 2022 Upfront last year it announced that it had completed its collection of all four tennis Grand Slams after adding the US open to the Wide World of Sport stable. Gruber said that this was an important acquisition because it helped shape the tennis offering of Nine into a 12 months of the year proposition.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the different Grand Slams because tennis is something for us as a network that’s really important in terms of audience splits and demographics. Being able to showcase that not just at the start of the year but to do that throughout the year is great for us and it also means the talent that we have across tennis, they’re on for the whole year.”

When asked if it is important to collect a whole sport as they have with the tennis Grand Slams, Gruber said that it really depends on what the sport is before making that decision.

“They’re all consumed and followed so differently, when we look at how we cover any of our sports across the network, we look at the different types of consumption of fans. Broadly speaking, there are three types of consumers. You’ve got your fanatic. You’ve got your broader fans that consume the sport but don’t overly swing to either side and then you’ve got your followers. So what we try to do is have different outlets, platforms and storytelling to cover all of those. But it is important to be able to tell those stories across the different mediums.”

What else is on the Wide World of Sport

Gruber said that while the Australian Open is the current talk of the town, Nine is equally just as excited about the sport offering that it has for the rest of the year which includes the NRL and rugby.

“Last year was the first year of our partnership with Rugby Australia which was something new to all of us as a network. We had to build the coverage and work with new partner brands. We’ve now got a year under our belt and here’s a whole new competition, launching in a month, the Super Rugby Pacific. So that’s really exciting for the sport. And really exciting from a viewers and fans perspective.

“With the NRL, outside of the men’s premiership, they’ll actually be two women’s premierships, because, unfortunately, last year with Covid, it had to be postponed. So women’s sport is something we’re really focused on covering as part of our sporting commitments this year.

“And of course, Origin is back. We are in our second year of a competition we run called State of Originality which encourages marketers to think a little bit differently around their creativity, so we’re pumped about that. It was a lot of fun last year.”

When asked about the value proposition of Nine’s Wide World of Sports, Gruber said that the key is offering their partner brands access to the large network that Nine has at its disposal. 

“The last couple of years we’ve really tried to work on the fact that when it comes to sport that we pass on to our partner brands not just TV and digital, but also our radio platforms, publishing brands and social content, and have it be a 360 days a year proposition from a sports marketing perspective. Rather than looking at when the sport is actually being played, and on-air, it’s to be able to continuously tell those stories and also leverage the rights that we have across sporting codes that we don’t broadcast like horse racing or Formula One. It’s really all of the sports, not just the traditional NRL, tennis, and rugby that we broadcast on TV.

Vogue Australia has this week dusted off a favourite sub-brand, Miss Vogue, and given it new digital life. The new hub is a refresh of the vertical on the vogue.com.au site.

Vogue Australia told Mediaweek it coincides with the February ‘Youthquake’ themed issue of Vogue Australia which will be on sale February 7.

(The current January edition of Vogue Australia features Ash Barty on the cover.)

Miss Vogue features new content for a Gen Z audience on both the new vertical and social channels. Its aim is to be an inclusive space for young people wanting to find their voice, understand their own style and plan for their future.

A further explanation is offered to readers at the new website:

Self-expression is at the core of the revamped brand. We want to nurture young talent, and celebrate experimenting and having fun with fashion. The core values of Vogue Australia are at the heart of Miss Vogue, and we want to represent all people from all backgrounds with an inclusive and diverse mission. And we’d really love to hear from you!

From trends to sustainability, Miss Vogue is Australia’s most exciting fashion-focused youth website, a hub for creativity and a place where up-and-coming talent will be celebrated. Careers and life advice abound, we will speak to the best experts (ahem, those in only the coolest jobs) to compile all the direction you’ll need in your journey from high school to graduation. Mental health and sex education will be key pillars of our content, and we want to keep you informed and educated beyond the clothes you’re wearing.

The Miss Vogue brand appeared in Australia in print form with a magazine featuring Elle Fanning on the cover in 2013. Subsequent magazine editions featured Georgia May Jagger and then Sky Ferreira on covers.

Visit online at https://www.vogue.com.au/miss-vogue
Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/missvogueau/
Follow on Tik Tok at https://www.tiktok.com/@vogue.australia

See also: Vogue Australia joins Conde Nast’s global New Beginnings initiative

Google, Meta, TikTok and Twitter will appear at hearings looking into online safety matters with the House of Representatives Select Committee on social media and online safety.

The public hearings will take place on Thursday, January 20 and Friday, January 2022.

Committee Chair Lucy Wicks MP said the hearings will allow the Committee to scrutinise the social media and technology industry’s response to online harms and abuse faced by everyday Australians.

“The Committee’s early hearings received powerful evidence from people who have experienced different types of online harm, and in these hearings the Committee can examine how the industry intends to move forward and protect its users,” she said.

Stakeholders from the technology sector will also appear, including Digital Industry Group (DIGI), Reset Australia and the Centre for Digital Wellbeing. 

The Committee will also hear evidence from academics and researchers, mental health organisations and government agencies.

Further hearings by the Committee will be held in the coming weeks.

The Committee is reviewing evidence received from the community in addition to evidence gathered in the public hearings. 

The Committee anticipates tabling its final report in the Parliament by 15 February 2022.

This comes after the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code – also known as the Media Code laws – were brought in by the government to force Google and Facebook to pay Australian news companies for any content featured on their platforms.

Google went as far as to threaten to pull out of the country completely in January, while in February Facebook briefly pulled all of its news content in Australia.

After a lengthy process, the senate presented its report and into the laws, and Google launched its News Showcase product to comply with them. From there, major media platforms began making deals with Google and Facebook.

Google put forward the Google News Showcase – a program run by the platform which would operate under the code.

The platform displays news to users using a sliding panel that users can scroll through to access articles, and has recently added a panel to highlight top articles from news sources that a user chooses. This panel, called the “For You Feed”, will give a user updates on local, national, and international news from any outlet that they manually follow.

Since last year Google News Showcase has entered partnerships with major networks such as Seven West Media, Junkee Media, News Corp, Nine Entertainment, Yahoo and industry body Commercial Radio Australia.

The ABC also announced an additional 50-plus journalist roles in regional locations as a result of deals struck with Facebook and Google.

Hootsuite have announced Letrecia Tippett will join the company as the head of country in Australia and New Zealand.

Her role will focus on growing the social media management platform’s presence in the region.

Tippett joins Hootsuite from WooBoard Technologies, a SaaS company focused on employee wellness, engagement, and recognition.

She brings 20 years of experience in international sales, leadership and business expertise from high growth and change focused organisations, including Sales Solutions Australia as Director, and at LinkedIn in New Zealand.

“I am thrilled to be part of the Hootsuite team, a company that is on a strong growth trajectory and is focused on helping customers achieve their social media objectives,” Tippett said.

“The way we work and live is constantly evolving and as the world continues to shift and embrace digital technology and the opportunity that social brings, I not only appreciate the role that Hootsuite has in shaping that narrative but also the opportunity to be part of the journey,” she added.

Tippett will be working closely with the Hootsuite Leadership Team to drive the company’s go-to-market strategy and growth in the ANZ market, serve as a voice for Hootsuite’s employees in Australia, and build a world class buying experience for commercial, mid-market and enterprise customers.

Melissa Murrary, chief revenue office of Hootsuite said: “Letrecia is a strategic and thoughtful leader who is focused on creating value for every customer—a perfect fit with our guiding principles.” 

“She equips her teams with what they need to provide the best customer experience and is a very welcome addition to our ANZ team,” she added.

Sports Entertainment Network has announced that Australian Football Hall of Fame player and coach Nathan Buckley will join the SEN Breakfast line-up in 2022.

Buckley, who ended a long-term tenure as head coach at the Collingwood Football Club last year, will join SEN on Mondays with Garry Lyon for Breakfast with Garry & Bucks and on Whateley on Tuesdays with Gerard Whateley.

“SEN has become the one-stop shop for sporting information and content in sports-mad Melbourne and beyond. I’m looking forward to working with the team here to produce content that educates and entertains.” Buckley said.

“I’m passionate about sport and what constitutes high performance, so to provide perspective and context to the weekend’s events and unearth the stories of the combatants as we do is something I hope to achieve for the listeners benefit.”

After years of juggling breakfast radio with TV commitments as well as the impact of Covid-19 on them and their families, Garry Lyon and Tim Watson have made the decision to reduce the number of days on SEN Breakfast in 2022.

On the SEN Breakfast line-up change, Lyon said he is excited for Buckley’s 10 years of coaching experience and football smarts to be on full display on Monday morning breakfast.

“If Tim was not to be available, and I had the choice to sit down on a Monday morning and dissect a massive weekend of football with anyone, then Nathan Buckley would be at the top of every list. He has proven in the past to be one of the smartest and most articulate and incisive analysts in football media,” Lyon said.

“With the added benefit of 10 years of coaching behind him, to get his first thoughts on the biggest issues from the weekend of football will be compulsory listening, and we can’t wait to get started.”

• Garry & Bucks – Garry Lyon & Nathan Buckley will be heard Mondays, 6am- 9am commencing February 28th.

• Garry & Tim – Garry Lyon & Tim Watson will be heard Tuesdays – Thursdays, 6am – 9am commencing March 1.

• Kane & Kingy – Kane Cornes & David King will be heard on Fridays, 6am – 9am from February 4. David King will also join Whateley for the Monday Means Test each week.

On the reduction of days and team additions, Tim Watson said, “Garry and l have decided we can only tolerate each other 2 days a week – but after a long negotiation he has agreed to try 3 – I look forward to reuniting with him and hope this new arrangement sees us still together until October.

“Mondays will be a must listen when Garry and Bucks go head-to-head after a weekend of footy – and with some encouragement Kane and Kingy will have some strong views about the game on Fridays.”

Sports Entertainment Network’s group radio director Sam Thompson said she was proud of the calibre of talent the network will provide the audience for breakfast, and acknowledged Watson and Lyon’s partnership delivering a consistent top 10 entry in the Australian Top 100 Podcast Ranker, and the number one breakfast show podcast in the Melbourne radio market.

“This is an outstanding breakfast line-up – Garry Lyon, Tim Watson, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes and David King. With the combination of years played and coached plus their broadcasting skills, SEN will be the place for expert sport analysis shaping the AFL debate in 2022,” Thompson said.

The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) have announced 10 new media members to the 30 already signed for the year ahead.

The new members include TikTok, TorchMedia, Acast, Outbrain, Pinterest, MiQ, Fabulate, Crimtan, Bishopp and Tonic Media.

This brings the total number of media members to 40 for the year ahead, in addition to the 30 already signed.

TikTok is the world’s leading destination for short-form mobile video, with more than 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.

TikTok Australia general manager, Brett Armstrong, said: “TikTok For Business is always looking to support and partner with the industry in meaningful ways. We’ve seen the vital role that independent agencies play in the ecosystem, and how they’ve grown in strength over the last couple of years, locally and globally. 

Partnering with IMAA is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the innovative and collaborative spirit of TikTok – but more so than that, a chance to give agencies the skills they need to tap into TikTok as a powerful marketing tool.  We’re truly excited to work with the IMAA to bring this to life for the organisation and its members.”

Tonic Media is Australia’s largest health and wellbeing media network, created by health professionals, in collaboration with Out-Of-Home specialists, delivering evidence-based at point-of-care content in waiting rooms nationally.

Tonic Media commercial director, Sev Celik, said: “As an independent, Australian-owned publisher, we understand some of the challenges indies have in turning the spotlight on their clients and themselves. We are thrilled to partner with the IMAA and are excited to unlock a multitude of opportunities collaboratively with them in 2022.”

TorchMedia is a transit Out-of-Home specialist, with a unique focus on light rail, trains and ferries.

TorchMedia managing director, Kirsty Dollisson, said: “TorchMedia is thrilled to be collaborating with the IMAA for 2022. As a proudly independent, Australian-owned business, TorchMedia understands the unique value and quality of service that independent agencies provide to advertisers. We look forward to collaborating with the indies this year to deliver results with big impact.”

Acast is the world’s leading independent podcast company. Its network of 35,000 podcasts is home to the most popular shows and the biggest names in global publishing.

Acast Australia and New Zealand managing director, Henrik Isaksson, said: “At Acast, we help creators and advertisers of all sizes to reach listeners in the most immersive environment in the world. As a creator-first podcast company, Acast will always champion and celebrate independence, so partnering with the IMAA is a natural fit for us. 

“We’re looking forward to showcasing the value of podcast advertising, talking through industry insights and trends, and working with members looking to access Acast’s network of 35,000 podcasts to reach the right people, in the right context, for the most effective results,” he added.

Bishopp is Australia’s leading regional Out-Of-Home advertising company, with sites located across Queensland.

Bishopp agency head, Alison Powell, said: “We recognise the talent and leadership found in independent agencies, and we look forward to going above and beyond to help our fellow Australian businesses deliver outstanding campaigns in Queensland in 2022.”

Outbrain offers a world-class global advertising platform, helping brands connect with consumers through engaging ad formats that inspire action.

Outbrain managing director (APAC and growth markets), Andrew Burke, said: “Outbrain is proud to partner with the IMAA in 2022 to help continue to build on its impressive work for the independent media agency sector. With an emphasis on client needs and an innate ability to keep up with the market, independent agencies represent a large proportion of Australia’s media spend.

“Through our partnership with the IMAA, we hope to help agencies further develop their digital capabilities in a rapidly-evolving landscape and create a new level of trust and transparency with consumers to help grow Australian brands sustainably,” he added.

Crimtan pioneered lifecycle marketing for programmatic advertising to deliver maximum value to its clients. Its results-focused, data-driven advertising is powered by proprietary technology and trading expertise, enabling it to intelligently target users throughout the customer lifecycle.

Crimtan head of ecommerce/retail, Laura Kleiman, said: “In this challenging and ever-evolving media and marketing landscape, independent media agencies continue to offer their clients a highly invaluable, personalised partner solution. The IMAA provides essential support to members, helping to educate, pool resources and drive efficiencies to be more competitive.

“This is perfectly aligned with Crimtan’s philosophy of helping our agency partners deliver the best service, value and outcomes to their clients’ digital marketing efforts. We look forward to lending our programmatic expertise to help IMAA partners understand the continually changing complexities of the programmatic ecosystem,” she added.

Pinterest is the visual inspiration platform that millions of people around the world use each month to shop products personalised to their taste, find ideas to do offline and discover the most inspiring creators.

Pinterest agency lead, Cassandra Gilbert, said: “As Pinterest continues to grow in the Australian market, we look forward to working and developing our relationship with the independent agencies, and are especially excited to partner with the IMAA network. As the digital industry continues to evolve, the IMAA provides an invaluable opportunity to work with the ever-growing independent space.”

MiQ is a programmatic media partner for marketers and agencies, sales director Stuart Parker said: “The independent agency market in Australia continues to flourish, driven by exceptional talent, ambition and a client-centric approach that delivers tangible results in an ever-changing media landscape for marketers.

“Over the past few years where we have experienced a monumental shift in connecting people and exchanging information, the IMAA has solidified itself as an integral part of the industry, providing a forum to educate, inspire and offer a unified voice for independent agencies.

“As an independent programmatic-managed service ourselves, MiQ are thrilled to partner with the IMAA and look forward to sharing real time insights and driving innovation within the indie market throughout 2022 and beyond,” he added.

Fabulate is an Australian content creation platform that connects creators with companies that require professionally produced content.

Fabulate chief revenue officer, Ben Gunn, said: “As an independent Australian start-up, we are excited to be partnering with the IMAA and the independent agencies it represents. We’re looking forward to helping IMAA members and their clients drive additional growth through Fabulate’s industry-leading content marketing solutions platform.”

IMAA general manager, Sam Buchanan, said they are thrilled to welcome a diverse range of media partners for 2022.

“The number of new partner sign-ups is indicative of the important role independent agencies play, particularly as the sector continues to navigate a constantly changing media landscape. We anticipate continued strong media owner support for indies in 2022, as brands seek out agencies who provide a more personalised, highly agile service,” he added.

The new members join IMAA’s other media partners including the Seven Network, Nine, Network 10, Foxtel Media, News Corp, ACM, Yahoo, EMX, Quantcast, Kargo, Facebook, Spotify, Gumtree, LinkedIn, BlisMedia Australia, Amobee, Criteo, Weatherzone, The Trade Desk, SCA, ARN, Nova, oOh! Media, JCDecaux, QMS, Shopper Media, Go Transit, Moove Media, Val Morgan and GWI.

Mediaweek has been profiling members of the IMAA – previous features can be found here.

Shutterstock has released its annual Creative Trends report predicting themes, creative projects and marketing campaigns set to dominate the industry in 2022.

The trend report features creative trends that have been heavily influenced by the pandemic disrupting concepts of time and space over the past two years.

Creative director Flo Lau said: “When we took a closer look at what the global Shutterstock community is searching for, it is clear that 2022 is set to be a year defined by pushing traditional boundaries and exploring the unknown.”

See also: Wunderman Thompson report predicts 100 major brand trends for 2022

“There is a sense of wanderlust and a desire to explore the fantastical and the uncanny, and this year’s trends captured just that.

“From the barren desert landscapes of the West to the neon reflections of a futuristic skyline, this year is ready to test the boundaries of our imagination,” she added.

The six Creative Trends for 2022 fall under two category themes: time and space.

Fantastic stems from the global obsession with the medieval world thanks to Game of Thrones and The Witcher.

Keywords such as medieval building (+6496%), vintage shield (+2858%) and templar (+831%) have seen a drastic uptick, as creatives and marketers turn back time to revisit a realm of drama and adventure.

Data from the global creative platform found The Macabre (Modern Era) theme, with elements of horror and thriller genre are making a comeback with a particular focus on dystopian and post-apocalyptic futures.

Way Out West have also had an uptick in interest – particularly with cowboy culture, wild west environments, prairie fields and “wild horses” – rising by 1961%.

Western-themed images and videos are fast climbing marketing wish lists, with Navajo patterns having grown in popularity by 225% over the last year.

The On The Road Again theme stemmed from millions of people staying indoors amid the pandemic with dreams of travelling and outdoors.

Searches for bikes on the road (+14911%), roads to mountain (+5763%) and the badlands (+487%) spiked in an effort to explore unknown territories from the comforts of their own homes.

The Cyberpunk Is Not Dead theme grow thanks to digital creatives turning to high-tech aesthetics with electrical outlets, webcams and LED getting the plenty of clicks.

Lockdowns inspired the What’s Cookin’ (Modern Era) theme as people all over the world got into their kitchen, inspired to create dishes from all over the world.

Searches for regional specialities and ingredients such as Porcini (+2566%), Takoyaki (+2024%) and Panna Cotta (+435%) are on the rise, as creatives and marketers look for gastronomical inspiration near and far. Content receiving the most clicks include pretzels and cupcakes.

Shutterstock has provides localised the trends report for the first time for top markets including Brazil, France, Japan, U.S., and the UK.

Wunderman Thompson has launched the 8th edition of The Future 100: 2022, their annual trend almanac offering a snapshot of the year ahead and trends to keep on the radar.

The Future 100: 2022 from Wunderman Thompson’s futurism, research and innovation unit, Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, offers 100 original trend predictions across 10 sectors, spanning culture, tech, travel and hospitality, brands and marketing, food and drink, beauty, retail and commerce, luxury, health, and work.

Melanie Wiese, national chief strategy officer at Wunderman Thompson Australia says: “It’s easy to find yourself in a bubble during the recent COVID waves and through the ongoing effect of the pandemic. But of course, culture doesn’t stand still. Understanding where technology, hospitality, retail, food and drinks and the rest of culture is trending ensures our clients can continue to inspire growth. The Future 100 is a beautiful, comprehensive and timely way to get across what the world has been doing while you’ve been away – and what’s likely to happen next.”

Emma Chiu, global director of Wunderman Thompson Intelligence says: “Now in its 8th year, we’re delighted to launch The Future 100: 2022 and share the creative innovations that are set to go mainstream alongside the shift in consumer behaviours. In 2021, cautious optimism set the pace as the world reflected on the challenges of 2020 and looked to a year of societal healing.

“This year ushers in a resolute positivity that encourages playfulness and creativity. This optimistic outlook will take us on a journey into the near future, where a new digital era is on the horizon as the metaverse shifts from a sci-fi concept into reality. Lifestyles and businesses will shift to become climate friendly as being sustainable is no longer enough, while the physical and emotional tax of the last two years is forging a holistic, sensitive, and nuanced approach to wellbeing. Brands and marketers are leading with positivity, eager to provide joy in people’s lives by creating euphoric ads as they too ride the optimistic wave,” she continued.

Highlights include:

• Culture – Unbounded optimism: Brands are projecting a progressive and positive outlook for 2022, encouraging playfulness and creativity.
• Tech & Innovation – Virtual teleportation: Technologists are opening up digital portals into a new virtual dimension that offers more intimate, close-to-reality in-person interactions.
• Travel & Hospitality – Meditative travel: Meditative integrations are making every journey a mindful one.
• Brands & Marketing – Brandalism: Vandalism for good is hijacking ad space and exposing brands’ missteps, demanding they do better.
• Food & Drink – Liquid Immunity: Wellness aficionados are quenching their thirst while supercharging their immune systems.
• Beauty – Acidic care: Skincare brands are homing in on the benefits of acidic ingredients.
• Retail & Commerce – Virtual flagships: Digital flagship stores are taking over ecommerce storefronts.
• Luxury – Sonic luxification: Luxury brands from fashion to auto are investing in audio hardware, luxifying the listening experience.
• Health – Emotional health: Recharge zones for emotions are emerging in public spaces around the world.
• Work – Metaverse recruits: From virtual material designers to creatives across the board, companies are hiring for a metaverse workforce.

The Future 100: 2022 follows Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s ‘Into the Metaverse’ trend report launched in September 2021. Wunderman Thompson launched their own branded metaverse during CES 2022 to showcase insights from the report, and teach clients and brand marketers about the metaverse itself, exploring the elements of this new frontier of customer experience that will shape our future and change how we do business.

Meta have introduced Instagram Subscriptions to help content creators make a living through the social media platform.

They have built a suite of tools to allow creators to get support from their audience, partner with brands and earn from advertising from their platforms.

Facebook first launched the monetisation feature back in 2020, and after feedback from content creators the business model is ready to take on Instagram.

Instagram Subscriptions will allow creators to develop connections with engaged followers and generate a monthly income by giving subscribers access to exclusive content and members-only benefits through the popular platform.

Test subscriptions have already began with a small batch of creators, they will be able to set their choice of a monthly price, unlock a “subscribe” button on their profile and offer their paying followers Subscriber Lives, Subscriber Stories and Subscriber Badges.

For the initial test, the feature is limited to U.S. creators – such as @alanchikinchow, @sedona._, @alizakelly, @kelseylynncook, @elliottnorris, @jordanchiles, @jackjerry, @bunnymichael, @donalleniii and @lonnieiiv – but will expand to more in the coming months.

This comes after Meta announced it would not collect any fees from creators using Facebook Subscriptions purchases until 2023 last year, as a commitment to support their creators. This will also apply to Instagram Subscriptions.

Meta hopes creators will get to directly know their audience and have control over their business through the use of the with the Subscriptions tools.

In November 2021, Meta announced a series of updates to Facebook Fan Subscriptions, including a rebrand to Subscriptions.

They also announced greater creator control with access to emails of new subscribers to continue relationships off of social media.

Creators can now use a personalised link to promote their subscription that allows them to keep 100% of their  earnings, excluding taxes.

In the coming months, creators will gain access to new metrics about their estimated earnings that will show where their purchases come from, estimated taxes and how much they pay to Apple and others in fees.

As part of Meta’s $1 billion investment in creators, select Subscriptions creators were invited to a bonus program that rewarded them for new subscribers. This was the first of several bonus programs for Facebook Subscriptions that will launch in the coming months.

FBi Radio has announced the winners in the 2021 FBi Sydney Music, Arts & Culture (SMAC) Awards. This year’s Awards celebrated Sydney’s cream of the crop as voted by FBi Radio listeners; acknowledging the resilience of nominees in responding to the ongoing challenges of 2021.

The winners were announced during a live to air ceremony on 94.5FM hosted by FBi Radio broadcasters Adele Luamanuvae and Mia Hull. Even though it couldn’t be held at Phoenix Central Park as planned, the ceremony proved once again that Covid-19 is no match for Sydney’s creative communities. Listen back to the full ceremony here.

FBi Radio has announced that the winner of the 2021 SMAC of the Year is Amani Haydar. Haydar is an artist, lawyer, mother, advocate for women’s safety, and writer. Last year she published her memoir, The Mother Wound, which, among other stories from her life, looks at how she lost her mother to a brutal act of domestic violence perpetrated by her father. In a long overdue conversation about the insidious nature of violence against women (in many forms at many levels), Haydar’s resilience and strength shine through.

Introducing Haydar during the broadcast, FBi Radio’s managing director Tanya Ali said:

“Despite the heaviness of [her] story, and the anger that in some ways, fuels the work of tonight’s SMAC of the Year recipient – the power of matriarchy and female resilience shine through everything she does strongest of all.”

Accepting the award for 2021 SMAC of the Year, Haydar said:

“To be able to make art about my experience and contribute my story to the literary landscape is a huge honour. And I hope this work helps carve out a space for women from diverse backgrounds to be able to share their stories in an empowering way as well… My work does not and should not end with me. My advocacy does not and should not end with me. We collectively have an obligation to agitate for change, to build solidarity at the intersections of different injustices, and build a future where my work is obsolete.”

This year’s FBi SMAC Awards winners will join past recipients including Sampa The Great, Ziggy Ramo, Julia Jacklin, ONEFOUR, Cloud Control, Kwame, Sarah Blasko, Flume, and Royal Headache among many more.

Total TV Ratings, January 13

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! was the top non-news program in the total TV ratings with 735,000 viewers, this was a robust increase of 26% on its overnight ratings.

On Seven, a repeat of Border Security: Australia’s Front Line had 383,000 before Mates on a Mission had 292,000 viewers.

On Nine, Hot Seat (426,000) and Space Invaders (349,000) were the top performers.

Overnight TV Ratings, January 20

Nine continues to win big thanks to its ongoing coverage of the Australian Open which led to the broadcaster being able to claim the top primary channel (30.0%) and network (37.6%) for the fourth consecutive night.

Nine will be disappointed to see Nick Kyrgios go home after his second-round loss to Daniil Medvedev, as the Aussie has served as the ultimate drawcard in primetime. The match was the top non-news program of the night with the first night session having an average of 886,000 while the second session had 867,000 viewers.

Australian Open TV Ratings Day 4:
Day Session: 448,000 (309,000 metro & 139,000 regional)
Night Session: 1,196,000 (886,000 & 310,000 regional)
Night Session 2: 1,151,000 (867,000 metro & 284,000 regional)

With no Big Bash League on Seven last night, the broadcaster dished up a repeat of Border Security: Australia’s Front Line which brought in 473,000 viewers.

On 10, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! was the top entertainment show with 535,000 viewers. The episode saw Beau Ryan decide and leave the show, he was the fourth person in eight seasons of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!  to say the words following Bernard Tomic, Anthony Mundine and Mel Buttle.

On the ABC, Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One featured Ellie Cole and brought in 176,000 viewers before Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland then had 249,000.

On SBS, A Short History of Living Longer was the top non-news program with 112,000 viewers.