Bench Media was established in 2012, and since then, the agency has been servicing clients from a range of different industries.

Anthony Fargeot, Bench Media’s director of growth, spoke to Mediaweek about the agency’s development over the years, the benefits of being media agnostic, maintaining a united front amid the pandemic and being an IMAA member.

Bench Media in the early days and its growth

Fargeot joined as one of its founding employees, and the team has grown to 35 staff members based in Australia and overseas.

Fargeot started as an account manager and worked his way up through many roles within the agency. Currently, he is the director of growth, overseeing marketing partnerships, media, and people & culture.

Fargeot recalled the agency’s early days: “The media landscape was different when we started; programmatic was not very well known and had a bit of an esoteric feel surrounding it. People didn’t trust it and didn’t know what to think of it.”

“Doing programmatic on behalf of advertisers was the niche that Bench developed until it became one of the most common ways to buy media because people realise how efficient it can be.

“It has progressed leaps and bounds when it comes to brain safety and measurements,” he said.
 
Fargeot noted that a good portion of the agency’s funds from running the business was invested back into developing their technology.
 
“When you think about how complex it is to set up a campaign exactly the way the client wants it, you have so many people involved. You have creative people, the marketing manager, their boss, and the media agency.
 
“Then within the media agency, you would have the person that sells the campaign, the person setting up the campaign and a lot of stakeholders and a lot of information that can be lost in translation.”
 
“So, we developed this technology to help us manage the information and the workflows between the different people involved in making a campaign come to life.”
 
Fargeot said that they noticed another pain point when running a campaign across multiple channels. “There would be media traders that spend more time just putting together excel reports and trying to make data from different systems that don’t talk to each other, talk to each other.”
 
“The tool we developed puts everything together for the media traders so they can spend more time optimising the campaigns and drawing insights and recommendations to make the campaign as efficient as possible for our clients,” he explained.
 
Fargeot noted that they also developed a dedicated team to look after their media stack, from their different channels and entities within those channels, to how to buy good quality media, valuable inventory, audience data and measurements for their clients.
 
“We have a team looking after that to ensure that it’s always broad and that we can buy good inventory; even when it’s a niche, we can do that at scale.”

Bench Media’s strength in being eclectic and media agnostic

Bench prides itself on being media agnostic. Fargeot said: “We’ve bought successfully for almost every vertical, which is one of our strengths. Because we can access many data pockets of audience, we can do it at scale.

“I think being eclectic and able to work with many different advertisers successfully is a wonderful strength.”

“Our technology is also an advantage because it frees up our team from doing the many menial tasks or making mistakes or spending in Excel, not necessarily on the thing that matters or the campaign,” he added.

Keeping a united front during the pandemic

The pandemic was a difficult time for many agencies, but for others – like Bench – the impact was not as brutal.

“I think we rode the pandemic better than a lot of other agencies. Maybe because we’re leaner or we’re working with pretty much every vertical,” he said.

“Because industries have peaks and troughs, we wanted to try smooth, solid revenues and workload during the year. That was why we adopted that strategy, which was good during the pandemic.”

Fargeot noted that the remote work setup was not difficult to adapt to. He said: “We’re always a very flexible company, and we understand when people have obligations and family.

“Even before the pandemic, I just had a little boy, and I was working one day from home because I didn’t have any daycare, and the company was fine with that. Other people were in similar situations, but the pandemic fast-tracked remote work.

Fargeot noted that the agency was diligent in ensuring their team had the right equipment for work and regularly checked in on their well-being.

Fargeot shared that in 2020 the agency pledged to keep the team intact during the difficult period.

“Even if it meant taking a pay cut to keep the team. We didn’t want anyone to go without a job during this period, and we did that successfully,” he said. “Then, when things started to open up, and everybody got used to this new world, we went back to growth.”

The year ahead and benefits of being part of the IMAA

Looking into the new year, Fargeot said the agency is exploring a range of innovations, such as data clean rooms, sustainability in media and other forward-thinking initiatives in the industry.

Bench joined the IMAA in 2021, and Fargeot noted that their account managers have greatly benefitted from its education offering to stay up to date on changes in the industry.

Fargeot also noted networking as an important benefit of the industry body, highlighting, in particular, the recent Digital Deep Dive event at Sydney Sea Life Aquarium. 

“Most of our team went there and thought that was just amazing, and they got to mingle with some people and network. It’s something the team is benefitting from the membership,” he added.

–

Top image: Anthony Fargeot

Audience Precision has announced the promotion of Jessica Bray to head of media.

Bray spoke to Mediaweek about her stepping into the new role, her goals, and her outlook for the year ahead.

Bray shared that she is “beyond honoured” with the promotion to head of media, having joined the independent agency six years ago as its fifth-ever employee.

“It has been challenging, rewarding, and exhilarating to be a part of this business from the beginning. I am so excited to continue being an important part of our growth as I step into this elevated role,” she said.

The promotion for Bray is a step up from her previous role as media team lead, which she said shares many similarities with what she oversees as head of the unit.  

In the role, Bray will be responsible for managing the Australian media team and deliverables, their international buying partners, and the media owner and client relationships.

“The main difference is a heightened responsibility across larger business planning and involvement in the company as a senior executive,” she said.
 
“I will continue to report to Haydon Bray, along with the rest of the AP head of unit roles,” she added.
 
Bray explained that Audience Precision is unique in how its units are structured, noting that they are: “more of a strategy consultancy than simply a media agency.
 
“I am able to step into a head of media role due to the support that I have from our client advisory unit, where we have team members with 20+ years of client and brand experience at the highest level of this industry,” she said.
 
“I work very closely with this unit, and their expertise and mentorship help to guide the way that I run the media unit as a whole,” she added. 

Though economic pressures looming in the year ahead, Audience Precision is currently busy in a period of growth, according to Bray. She noted that her focus will be on helping maintain that growth, particularly with new business in Australia and global markets.

“As head of media, a lot of my time will be spent in the new business arena, as well as nurturing new clients we onboard and hiring appropriately for the workload,” she said.

In the role, Bray shared that she hopes to help grow the overall business for AP to achieve its maximum potential.

“This means never accepting ‘ordinary’ and always aiming for constant improvement on what we deliver for our clients,” she said.

Bray also noted that as a leader, she hopes to lead a team inspired to help their clients achieve their goals using Precise360.

“Using our bespoke technology platform to craft innovative campaigns allows my team to expand their skillsets to achieve their career ambitions,” she said.

See also: Audience Precision CEO Haydon Bray discusses the power of Precise360

Looking ahead to 2023, Bray also shared her own goals she hopes to achieve. She said she hopes to build a team that can: “think outside the standard way of media strategy and buying to maximise the opportunities the business is creating both here and in overseas markets.”

Bray noted that she places a lot of value in additional learning and upskilling and will be taking on furthering her education in 2023.

“I am placing a lot of focus on my studies of my MBA and as many industry courses I can get my hands on so that I can better serve my team beneath me,” she said.

–

Top image: Jessica Bray

If you were to put together a list of demographics that are notoriously difficult to reach, Gen Z would likely be at the top. As a demographic, they can spot inauthenticity from a mile away, and – contrary to popular belief – getting their attention requires way more than knowing the latest TikTok dance.

Enter Year13. The platform works with people towards the end of their schooling years, and through their entry into the workforce. Year13 reaches 1.6 million users online each year, and double that every month on socials.

Mediaweek spoke to Year13 founders Will Stubley and Saxon Phipps about connecting with Gen Z and what the platform can do for brands.

Year13 was founded on the desire to “upgrade” the school-to-work transition. It’s a pivotal time in anybody’s life, however it’s not always as easy and carefree as people expect.

Sadly, the founders of Year13 know this all too well.

Stubley: “There are a whole bunch of difficulties with that process. For us, there was some personal stuff where for a couple of our friends, it was getting too much and they took their own life. When you finish school, it’s meant to be this big celebration and be the best period of your life, but unfortunately that isn’t the case for a lot of young people.”

There are two sides to the Year13 business. The first is focused on helping young people find meaningful work, and the other is around well being and making sure that they’re supported throughout that journey.

Stubley: “From a support point of view, there are all these firsts that happen, which they’re really unprepared for. There’s the first time getting a car, first time getting a bank account, for some they’re going travelling for the first time. The brand persona is that cool older brother or sister that’s been there, done that and can help advise and make those decisions not as scary.”

Despite the youth of the business, the numbers behind Year13 are reflective of how well it knows its target demographic. Over 1,100 high schools use thier software, there are 1.6 million users on the platform, and they have a reach of over 3.5 million on socials.

Stubley: “We have around 60%, market penetration in terms of Gen Z. That’s the difference, we really just focus on Gen Z. There are about four and a half million Gen Z young people in Australia – we’ve got about a third of that on platform, and we reach over 85% of that through our socials.”

Phipps: “Whilst Will and I are categorised as millennials, just about all of our content and social team are Gen Z. We know the world of work and the transition from school into that next phase has changed dramatically for us millennials, but for Gen Z it’s a completely different kettle of fish.”

See Also: Year13 and Digital Skills Organisation partner to grow tech sector workforce

When creating such specifically targeted content, the pair say that there are a handful of things they always keep top of mind.

Phipps: “An interesting bit of research that we did recently was around the psychographics of Gen Z, and showed that Gen Z care more about sustainable, environmental, and social impact than they do about news, pop culture, and consumerism. This shift in mentality is actually really starting to redefine the way brands, businesses, educators, and government are curating their messages to young people.

“Our mission is to empower young people to make better decisions. By listening to those core problems that our audience is experiencing, it means that we are continually able to answer those problems, but also connect in a really authentic and genuine manner.”

Research is a major strength of Year13, having surveyed 48,000 young people in the last 6 years. All up, the team have 50 million data points on youth perceptions, intentions, preferences, and passions – which is good news for brands.

Stubley: “We did a report about Gen Z’s spending behaviours and how they’re actually aligned to brands. The summary is that not only that brands aligning to those core messages with Gen Z good for the planet, but it’s actually good for business as well. They’re saying that they would rather spend with Levi’s, for example, knowing that it’s sustainable, not fast fashion.”

The team works with about 150 different pathway and brand organisations, including Levi’s, Red Rooster, Westpac, and Aware Super.

Phipps: “We’ve been able to build support pillars for Gen Z, so that they are more aware or accustomed to different brands and different activations. It ranges from a promotion with Red Rooster for P platers to digital tools from Microsoft, and then there’s the training and employment opportunities for the likes of Atlassian.”

As for what Year13 can offer brands, the pair say that one of the core things is authenticity.

Stubley: “We see a gap in the market, and the reason we’re launching into media is that authentic connection with Gen Z.

“We’ve seen it through the campaigns that we’ve done by engaging with young people around topics that they care about, and aligning that to our brand message. We do surveys pre and post with our partnerships, and it measurably increases – both from a brand perspective, but also from an intent perspective of both the product and the brand. I just see such a big opportunity to get away from the automated banner ads and actually have meaningful conversations with this audience.”

Help is available: Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14

–

Top Image: Phipps and Stubley

Rounding out Upfront season for the year, the ABC has announced its upcoming slate for 2023, with major shows like Hard Quiz and Gruen set to return amongst new programs like a re-imagining of Mother and Son.

See Also: ABC Upfront 2023: Everything you need to know

Mediaweek spoke to ABC acting director of entertainment and specialist Jennifer Collins about what 2023 looks like for the national broadcaster.

What are your highlights of the 2023 ABC Upfront?

“We’ve got a huge slate for 2023 – I’m really proud of the range of programming, but what I’m most excited about is the diversity of the slate. We’ve got exciting new shows across every genre, and we’ve got an enormous volume of shows that we’re putting out to audiences. 

“We’ve got fantastic ABC favourites returning. It’s always great when the audience has already demonstrated that they love the show, and that we’ve been able to develop the next installation and turn it around so quickly. 

“We’ve got big heavy hitters like The Newsreader coming back. That was a huge title for us, and a great drama. It is world-class, it’s done so well overseas as well as in Australia. To have The Newsreader back in 2023 is really exciting for us. 

“We’ve also got some big formats like Back in Time for the Corner Shop. Annabel Crabb hosts the Back in Time factual program for us, and we’ve got the Ferrone family back. It’s a great way of telling history, through such an entertaining format. 

“One of my personal favourites is from the team that made the Emmy Award winning Love on the Spectrum. The brand new series is called Better Date than Never, and it follows an even more diverse group of single love seekers this time around. It’s beautiful, it’s authentic, it’s diverse, it’s real. It’s the antithesis of all those commercial dating shows.”

What does the ABC look for when commissioning new shows?

“The great thing about the ABC is that we’re looking at ideas that reveal the world in surprising ways, and have something to say about Australia right now. It’s the place where we can showcase the best of creative talent. We can bring in new revelations, we can take on bold ideas.

“I love shows that kick off the national conversation because of our screen and audio opportunities across the broader ABC. Shows like War On Waste do that. 

“We’re working with world class talent, the best writers, the best creatives, but we look for opportunities to nurture new talent as well. We’re really about surprising new ways, and new fresh ideas.”

One of the big announcements to come out of this Upfront is that Leigh Sales will be joining Australian Story as host. 

“It’s really exciting, we love Leigh. She’s got such a great intelligence, creativity, and a great heart. I think she’s a perfect fit for Australian Story – it’s such a great series that is able to tell those personal stories in such illuminating ways. Year on year, Australian Story continues to deliver, and I think having Leigh at the helm of that is only going to strengthen that for us.”

Comedy seems to be a common thread across a lot of the announced shows – even shows covering more serious tops like Queerstralia, which is hosted by comedian Zoe Coombs Marr. 

“We’re always looking for those fresh voices and interesting talent that can present ideas. Particularly on Queerstralia, someone like Zoe has such great knowledge about the history of Australia and is able to use her network to tell a story that really hasn’t been told before. 

“Across all of our entertainment and comedy shows, entertainment has always been the place where we’ve been able to nurture and showcase talent. It’s really great to have vehicles to do that. 

“Shows like Spicks and Specks and Question Everything are fantastic for that service alone. Last season on Spicks and Specks, we had around 15 young comedians on that show under 30. There were similar numbers with Question Everything. The team there at CJZ have worked really hard to give opportunities to up and coming writers and creators – it not only benefits the show, it’s benefiting the whole industry.”

Next year, the ABC will introduce audio descriptions to the network. What goes into a project of that size?

“We’re really excited that we had that funding to be able to put those described hours together. We had three years of funding, and we were able to put together 755 hours of drama, 361 hours of childrens, 222 hours of factual, 183 hours of documentary, and 120 hours of current affairs. So it was a huge undertaking, but it’s really important for us to provide free and accessible content to Australians in this way. 

“It’s really great as a public service broadcaster to have that on offer, and really important that we do. We’re going to continue that with new funding across the next three years.”

What can viewers expect from the ABC in 2023?

“They can expect intelligent storytelling, they can expect high quality programming across audio and screen, they can expect a breadth of deep content – beautiful natural history, epic cinematography, great storytelling, new formats. 

“Whether you’re a lover of art, whether you’re a lover of natural history, whether you want to hear a really great quality interview, or whether you love your dramas – there’s something for everybody.”

Through this unique partnership, Taboola will benefit from Yahoo’s scale as a leading consumer tech company reaching nearly 900 million monthly active users worldwide as a top-ranked internet property across mail, sports, finance and news.

By powering Yahoo’s native advertising solutions, Taboola will help deliver greater reach, better campaign performance and improved user experiences, supporting brands as they continue to look for alternative advertising options outside of walled gardens.

Taboola will continue to invest heavily in R&D, enhancing how people discover things they may like, and strengthen its leadership in contextual advertising. As part of the partnership, Yahoo will receive just under 25 percent of the pro forma equity of Taboola.

The partnership will allow Yahoo to further enhance its own unified advertiser offerings, enhance consumer experiences across Yahoo’s owned media properties, and participate in significant shared value creation as Taboola’s largest single shareholder.

Adam Singolda

Adam Singolda, founder and CEO of Taboola, said: “Yahoo is an internet pioneer, representing one of the largest, most trusted and most sophisticated publishers in the world.”

“Everywhere I look, I see a rocket ship growth opportunity for both of us – native, ecommerce, video, header bidding (display) and more. This win-win partnership will meaningfully accelerate our growth flywheel, expanding our reach to more users on the open web with high-intent traffic to provide world-class solutions for advertisers, publishers, merchants and users in a cookie-less world.

“For publishers in the open web, we’ll be able to invest even more in driving revenue, engagement and audience growth moving forward, empowering performance, brand advertisers, merchants as well as agencies with an immense reach to users in a premium, trusted environment. This partnership is a big step toward achieving our goal of generating $US1 billion in ex-TAC by 2025,” Singolda added.

Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo, said: “Partnering with Taboola enables Yahoo to further enhance the contextual and native offerings within our unified advertising stack.”

“The partnership also allows Yahoo and Taboola to continue to differentiate in market, improving user, advertiser and publisher experiences across properties, while benefiting from the long-term tailwinds in digital native advertising.

“Together with Taboola, we will maximize reach and campaign performance for advertisers, enhance monetisation opportunities for publishers, and drive improved, privacy-forward experiences for users. As we continue to build the next era of Yahoo, we are thrilled to have strong partners by our side,” Lanzone added.

Yahoo is owned by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo. With long-term support from Apollo, alignment with shareholders and commitment to support the advertiser platforms of both companies, the partnership will accelerate both Taboola and Yahoo’s growth plans in an attractive sector of the market.

The agreement represents a strong belief by Apollo in Taboola’s go-forward strategy and future as a leading offering for advertisers, publishers and merchants on the open web.

Sky News Australia has revealed its online audience has grown in 2022 and delivered year-on-year growth across all its digital platforms.

For the third consecutive year, Sky News Australia has maintained its position as the number one Australian media brand on YouTube, citing analytics from the video-sharing platform.

Sky News Australia noted that it is one of the country’s largest digital news publishers by becoming the first Australian TV news channel to reach the 3 million subscriber milestone on YouTube.

An average of 30 million unique monthly viewers watch Sky News Australia’s YouTube channel, including 6.6 million Australians, making it one of the world’s largest news channels and Australia’s highest-reaching news brand on the world’s most-visited video-sharing platform.

For the third consecutive year, Sky News Australia claimed it is the most-engaged Australian TV news channel page on Facebook, and the second most-engaging Australian news page overall, reaching 6.4 million Australians each month on the social media platform throughout 2022.

Sky News Australia’s Facebook posts have delivered more audience engagement (likes, comments, and shares) than any other TV news page, based on post engagement data it sourced from Crowdtangle.

SkyNews.com.au has received more than 5.2 million monthly unique visitors worldwide accessing the site, an increase of +125% year-on-year, based on data from Adobe Analytics from January 1 2022 to October 2022.
 
Sky News Australia has boosted its investment in digital journalism and long-form text offering on SkyNews.com.au, expanding its team of digital journalists, and adding a roster of local and international columnists and newsmakers including Megyn Kelly, Nigel Farage, Douglas Murray and Piers Morgan.
 
Driving the surge in viewership and readership across all digital platforms, Sky News has covered a broad range of major news events including extensive digital coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, and an exclusive Sky News documentary investigation into the disappearance of MH370 which received more than nine million online views, and is the network’s most viewed program for the year.

Sky News Australia’s high-profile commentators such as Chris Kenny, Peta Credlin, Andrew Bolt, Paul Murray, Rita Panahi and Piers Morgan continue to resonate with online audiences in Australia, and around the world.

Paul Whittaker, chief executive officer, Sky News Australia said: “We have rapidly scaled up our video content offering delivering premium news, opinion, documentaries, and special investigations, to more Australians than ever before, across more digital platforms. In just four years, the Sky News YouTube channel alone has grown from 8,000 to 3 million subscribers.

“Local and international audiences are seeking out, and engaging with, our online news and national affairs offering in record numbers, accessing the latest news and analysis from the Sky News team whenever and wherever they want to watch. Over the next 12 months we are continuing to invest heavily in our digital strategy, further boosting our team of digital journalists and digital-first content initiatives.”
 
Sky New Australia also claimed its video content has been viewed more than 1.5 billion times across its digital network annually, an increase of +30% year-on-year.
 
Tim Love, head of digital, Sky News Australia, said: “The huge interest in Sky News Australia’s news and commentary, not just in this country but around the world, has been exciting to watch grow.
 
“Our SkyNews.com.au team has become the nation’s top group of content creators across video and text reporting and our 2022 results show that the network has become Australia’s most engaging news brand on the internet, and testament to the team’s ability to cover the big issues that resonate with mainstream audiences.
 
“Planning is underway to invest to grow the network and reach even greater milestones in 2023 and beyond.”
 
Sky News is Australia’s 24-hour multi-platform news service provider available on Foxtel and free-to-air regional channel Sky News Regional, and available on news streaming service Flash.

–

Top image: Paul Whittaker

Ryvalmedia has announced it has won the digital media planning and buying remit for deal discovery app, Cheddar.

The win extends the agency’s relationship with venture scaler x15ventures, after winning the kids’ money app, Kit, in September.

The appointment is effective immediately, and the first campaign managed by Ryvalmedia will go live this month. Cheddar, which is backed by CommBank, launched in November 2021.

Cheddar is a shopping platform that gives back by rewarding its customers with cashback every time they shop. With hundreds of brands to choose from, whether you’re looking for a new outfit, ordering take-out or booking your next adventure. It takes seconds to start earning cashback, with epic new deals dropping every day, 365 days a year.

Cheddar exists to give the most back to young Australians and in its first year Cheddar has given back $1 Million+ to its customers. The platform tailors offers to make life easy for its customers and also allowing its hundreds of merchants to serve up the hottest deals and offers to highly engaged and relevant consumers, at scale. 

Bianca Falloon

Bianca Falloon, Ryvalmedia Sydney general manager, said: “Our presentation felt very aligned regarding what they wanted to see from an agency. Particularly our approach to helping grow their brand and customer base focusing heavily on the Millennial and Gen Z audience looking for smarter ways to shop and save.

“As Cheddar is still relatively new, having launched last November, we will focus on driving awareness of the platform and ensuring it’s on people’s radars for the November and December peak retail period and beyond.”
 
Jeff Wong, Cheddar’s head of marketing, said, “From the outset it was clear that the Ryvalmedia team understood the right strategic approach to support our brand and growth ambitions.
 
“We are excited to partner up with Ryvalmedia to showcase what Cheddar has to offer to more Gen Z’s and Millennials, supporting our ambitions to give even more back to them.”

ABC Radio Sydney broadcaster Sarah Macdonald is moving into a new extended Mornings show in 2023.

Macdonald has been presenting Radio Sydney’s Evenings for three years and will take up her new Mornings presenter role from Monday, January 16.

The new Mornings show will start 30 minutes earlier, at 8.30am on weekdays and run through to 11.00am. Breakfast with James Valentine will also start 30 mins earlier in 2023, kicking off at 5.30am and running through to AM at 8.00am.

Macdonald said she was “honoured and thrilled” to be taking on the Mornings slot.

“It’s been a show I’ve listened to and loved for decades and I relish the opportunity to tell Sydney’s stories and talk to our communities about what matters to them.

“I was born in Sydney and have lived here most of my life and I am passionate about what makes this big beautiful, brash city tick – the people, the places, the culture and the challenges we face. I’ve absolutely adored presenting Evenings for the last three years across NSW and the ACT and am always energised and astounded by the ABC Radio audience insights, contributions and camaraderie. I look forward to waking up to new days with our legendary listeners.”

ABC Radio Sydney manager, Steve Ahern said: “This city wakes up early. The change to our Breakfast and Mornings start times will allow us to respond to the rhythm of the city and to connect people with what is happening while they are out exercising, travelling to work, on shift work, or preparing the family for the day.

“James and Sarah are both familiar, trusted voices. They will help our listeners start their day with all the news, information and connections to Sydney that they need each morning.”

Macdonald started her media career as a cadet journalist in the ABC Newsroom. She went on to become triple j’s political reporter and then presented triple j Mornings in the late 1990s. She left to live in India where she wrote the best-selling Holy Cow, which has been translated into several languages.

Macdonald returned to the ABC in 2017 to present the national Weekend Nightlife show on ABC Radio. She has presented Evenings since 2020.

Macdonald’s replacement in Evenings in 2023 will be announced shortly.

–

Top image: Sarah Macdonald

After two years as breakfast host and four years with the station, on Tuesday morning Ebony Boadu announced that she will be leaving Triple J. Her final show will be this Friday.

Boadu started out soundtracking Saturday nights on Triple J’s House Party before taking over Breakfast alongside Bryce Mills in 2021.

Boadu joked that this wouldn’t be a surprise to the people who knew her, saying that “I hate waking up early, and I hate going to bed early even more.”

“I never pictured myself hosting breakfast radio, but I’m so grateful for all the experiences it’s allowed me to be a part of. From counting down the number one song in the Hottest 100, witnessing iconic Like A Versions every week to sharing my favourite new music with people all over the country. Thank you for waking up with us, making me laugh and sharing in such a formative part of my life.”

Taking over Boadu’s position on Breakfast will be comedian and podcaster, Concetta Caristo  – a choice co-signed by Wil Anderson, with Mills revealing on-air that Anderson had called him to commend the station’s decision.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic to be teaming up with the hilarious and talented Bryce on my dream job of hosting Triple J Breakfast,” said Caristo. “I love connecting with people and I can’t wait to speak to listeners across the country every morning so we can get to know each other by me asking normal everyday questions like ‘do you believe in ghosts?’ and ‘what is your favourite hat?’” 

Bryce Mills and Concetta Caristo

Breakfast isn’t the only show that will see a lineup change.

Bridget Hustwaite will be bidding farewell to Good Nights, having hosted the show since 2018. Taking over in 2023 will be proud queer, Samoan-GuriNgai woman, the multi-talented DJ/Host/Law Grad, Latifa Tee.

Hustwaite says, “It’s been an absolute dream to be part of both the Triple J and Triple J Unearthed fam for the past seven years, but I’m ready to spread my wings, take on new opportunities and let another passionate presenter connect with the amazing music fans that tune in every night. Thank you to everyone and anyone who has ever listened and shared their favourite new releases with me. You’ve provided some epic tracks to add to my own playlist and so much joy and comfort to my evenings!”

Finally, Declan Byrne from Triple J’s Home & Hosed will be wrapping up at the end of this year since beginning with the station in 2013. Breakfast producer and proud Wadawurrung woman Ash McGregor will be taking the reins in the New Year.

“Being able to shout about new Australian music for so long has been a ridiculous privilege,” says Byrne. “If you told the teen working at a pizza place making dough to the sound of Triple J that he’d get to host Home & Hosed, present Hottest 100’s, Splendour and everything else, he would’ve been pretty stoked and probably would’ve thrown in a free garlic bread. Thanks for everything, and mostly thanks to the local artists who made my job a total dream. You’re the best!” 

See Also: Sarah Macdonald to move from evenings to mornings on ABC Radio Sydney

–

Top Image: Ash McGregor, Latifa Tee, Concetta Caristo

Amaury Treguer and Mary Proulx, senior social media industry experts, have come together to launch a specialist social media agency focusing on social commerce, Bread Agency.

Treguer, who was most recently executive director at Red Havas, and Proulx, head of social and influencer at One Green Bean, have moved on from their positions in the Havas network to launch their new venture called Bread Agency.

Treguer said: “The next social shift is coming quickly – moving it from a discovery channel to a sales powerhouse with social commerce at the core.”

“We’re seeing this already throughout Europe, North America and Asia and are working with forward-looking brands and retailers to lead the evolution here in Australia.”

The new social agency brings a refreshed look at what social media services should entail, aiming to set brands and retailers up for success in the new era of social, with social commerce at its core.

Bread’s full offering includes social strategy, creative, content production, livestream shopping, rates and reviews and influencer marketing. Foundation clients include Koh, Connect Hearing and Volvo Ocean Lovers Festival.

Justin Alexander, Koh co-founder, said: “We wanted to work with a social media agency that could help us future-proof not only our social strategy, but our sales funnel.”

“Bread Agency’s incredible experience within the social space and forward-thinking approach to social commerce has been the refreshing take we needed.”

Treguer and Proulx have more than 25 years combined experience in the social space. The duo met during their time within the Havas network, working as part of the same team at Red Havas before Mary moved to head up the social and influencer team at One Green Bean.

They have worked across Europe, Canada and Australia on leading brands including, Netflix, Toyota, Amazon, BIG W, Woolies X, NIVEA, and Virgin Australia.

Proulx said: “Social media and its function within businesses continues to shift. As new platforms emerge and existing platforms evolve, it’s becoming increasingly complicated for marketers to use it effectively.”

“Brands need experienced, honest, and creative advisors to help them navigate the mind field that social can be so that their bottom-line can benefit from it. That is exactly what we’ve designed Bread Agency to be. When we think about the future of Bread, we can’t help but smile! Exciting things to come.” she added.

–

Top image: Amaury Tregeur and Mary Proulx

VMO has announced it has implemented a yield management framework within its programmatic offering via an integration with the Hivestack Header Bidder.

Header Bidding is an advanced programmatic advertising technology that allows VMO to offer its inventory to multiple demand partners at the same time.

This enables all buyers with a fair and equal opportunity to access inventory across all advertising spots. Header Bidding also helps advertisers to optimise bid prices based on the Demand Side Platform (DSP) recommended bid price to secure programmatic impressions at the market value.

Header Bidding is an alternative to the waterfall process which has several limitations for advertisers, impacting Header Bidding allows advertisers to reach the right audience, in the right format, at the right time.

Sabarish Chirakkal, VMO’s director of programmatic, said: “VMO is leading the programmatic adoption across Australia and this technical advancement to our programmatic offering puts us in a great position to bring unparalleled and immediate benefits to our partners.”

Mike Neel, director, publisher solutions, Header Bidding at Hivestack, said: “We are delighted to announce our Header Bidder partnership with VMO, a leading media owner in the ANZ market.

“The Hivestack Header Bidder delivers a solution that saves publishers time by providing a holistic solution for SSP management as well as ensuring that programmatic revenue potential is optimised at all times. We look forward to bringing this value to VMO and their customers.”
 
Paul Butler, VMO’s managing director, said: “VMO has always driven innovation utilising the latest technology in the outdoor space, and the introduction of Header Bidding is another evolution. We’re dedicated to building the outdoor network of the future and providing innovative solutions for our partners.”
 
Hivestack, the world’s leading, independent programmatic digital out-of-home ad tech company, was the first to launch header bidding for OOH in October 2021.

–

Top image: Sabarish Chirakkal

Nature has announced the appointment of Trudi Sampola to the newly created role of director – people and culture, based in Melbourne, effective immediately.

Sampola brings with her a wealth of experience across media and advertising agencies, most recently at HERO, where she was head of people and instrumental in the design and implementation of its people and culture experience.

Her expertise includes a diverse skillset across commercial, strategy, and people and culture. She has previously worked in the UK and Australia, with a resume that includes Naked in London and OMD, Ikon, CHE Proximity and Carsales in Australia.

Sampola will be the first dedicated director – people and culture at the strategic insights consultancy and responsible for leading the evolution of the employee experience strategy. She reports to Nature partner and Melbourne managing director, Justin Connally.

Connally said: “We’re excited to have someone of Trudi’s calibre join the business, rounding out our 2022 focus on our people and helping us commit ourselves fully to making Nature the best it can be in 2023.

“Trudi’s new role highlights the recent transformation of our business and will help build out a great end-to-end experience for all our people. We’re excited to welcome her to the team,” he added.

Sampola said of her new role with the strategic insights consultancy: “I’ve known the Nature team for a long time, and I love that we have a shared view on the power of a people-first approach.
 
“The culture and energy there is awesome, and I can’t wait to get among it and work with the team on some exciting plans for our future,” she added.
 
Sampola’s appointment comes after Nature recently welcomed Aliya Hasan to the newly created role of strategy director based in Melbourne.
 
As a director at Nature, Hasan will bolster the strategic insights consultancy’s senior leadership team and help elevate its end-to-end brand strategy offer, from development through to in-market evaluation, through her extensive strategic planning expertise and skills.

See also: Nature welcomes Aliya Hasan as strategy director

–

Top image: Trudi Sampola

QMS has announced the appointment of Laura Wall to the new role of head of programmatic sales, effective immediately.

Reporting to QMS chief customer officer, Mark Fairhurst, Wall will lead QMS’ programmatic offering across Australia, supporting its sales teams to deliver on agencies’ and clients’ requirements for integrated solutions across all the major demand side platforms and data providers.

Wall joins the digital outdoor media company from Samsung Ads, where she was head of agency sales for almost two years. Her resume also includes roles as head of programmatic sales at Shopper Media, senior agency account manager (programmatic) at Seven West Media, and senior account manager at Fairfax Media.

Fairhurst said of Wall’s appointment: “Laura has wonderful experience across a range of media channels. This experience, combined with solid foundations in out of home and programmatic digital out of home (DOOH), make her an outstanding choice to lead the next phase of our programmatic journey.

“Her expertise will drive positive change for clients and agencies as to how programmatic can enhance the way in which they buy out of home media in a data-driven way, creating better outcomes for clients.”

Wall said of her new role: “I’m delighted to join QMS, which is leading the industry in DOOH, programmatic, audience insights and creativity.

“My brief is simple and exciting: to lead and champion the programmatic opportunity for QMS customers to deliver sophisticated and effective DOOH campaigns; to drive innovation in buying and packaging audiences in the programmatic space; to educate the market on the role of programmatic in all stages of the marketing funnel; and to introduce new categories and brands to the power of DOOH.
 
“I can’t wait to work with Mark, the rest of the QMS team and our great clients and agencies to produce fantastic results,” she added.
 
–
 
Top image: Laura Wall

This weekend, the Australian box office made $5.98 million, down -35% from last week’s $9.2 million.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has dominated the charts for another week, bringing in $2.81 million. The highly-anticipated Marvel sequel was without Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa in the first Black Panther film and who died, aged 43, in 2020.

Walt Disney’s The Menu has come in at second in its debut week. The film follows a couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) who travel to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu with some shocking surprises. 

Also new to the box office this weekend was Strange World, with $600k. The film stars the voices of Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union, and Lucy Liu, and follows the Clades, a family of explorers who must set aside their differences as they embark on a journey to a mysterious land inhabited by surreal lifeforms in order to save a resource called the Pando from losing its energy power source.

In its fifth week, Warner Bros’ Black Adam has fallen to fourth from second, bringing in $283k. The 11th instalment in the DC Extended Universe stars Dwayne Johnson (who also served as a producer) as the titular character alongside Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, and Pierce Brosnan.

Making the top five for a second week was Drishyam 2, grossing $262k. The Indian Hindi-language crime thriller is a remake of 2021 Malayalam film of the same name and also the sequel to Drishyam (2015).

Falling out of the box office top five this week was Universal’s She Said and Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.

#1, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, $5,573,182

The superhero film is the sequel to Black Panther (2018) and the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Winston Duke. The film sees the leaders of Wakanda fight to protect their nation in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. The film averaged $5,734 across 491 screens and has grossed $22.63 to date.

#2, The Menu, $720,209

The film averaged $2,143 across 336 screens in its first weekend. 

#3, Strange World, $600,763

The film averaged $1,678 across 358 screens in its debut weekend.

#4, Black Adam, $283,364

Black Adam is a superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film averaged $1,318 across 215 screens. So far, the film has grossed $18.21 million.

#5, Drishyam 2, $262,047

The film averaged $5,823 across 45 screens and has grossed $854,635 to date.

Screenworks has announced that CEO Ken Crouch has resigned and will depart the organisation in February to take up a national senior screen industry role.

Crouch joined Screenworks as CEO in 2014 and, over the past eight years, has led a period of growth and consolidation, which now sees Screenworks as the country’s premier regional screen development organisation, with major projects currently being delivered in regional and remote NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

Crouch said, “I am incredibly proud of what Screenworks has achieved under my leadership over the past eight years. During that time, I have overseen 280+ training and industry development initiatives, attended by and supported more than 14,000 regional Australians.

“I’m particularly proud of the Regional Crew Development Program that we created with Netflix and the NSW Government; our three annual Career Pathways Programs that continue to support regional producers, directors and screenwriters in NSW; and the Regional Screen In LA program in partnership with Hollywood-based organisation, Australians In Film.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with all staff and members of the Board during that time, and I thank them for their support and hard work in growing Screenworks into what it is today. With funding secured for the next three years, the future for Screenworks is looking very bright. It is the optimal time to transition to a new CEO who can keep driving the organisation forward and delivering initiatives that effect change in the lives and careers of regional people.”

See also: Screenworks, Netflix, NSW Government open Regional Crew Traineeship applications

Screenworks chair, Dustin Clare, said, “On behalf of the Board, I thank outgoing CEO Ken Crouch for his commitment and dedication to Screenworks and for his leadership in building the organisation to where it is today. We wish him well in his new role.

“Providing the best opportunities for regionally based Australians to excel in the screen industry will continue to be our focus as we transition to a new CEO over the coming months.”

Screenworks is a national member-based non-profit committed to supporting and empowering screen creatives and crew across regional Australia. The organisation offers professional industry programs and activities for people at every career stage to develop their skills and help build a diverse and thriving regional screen sector.

The Brag Media has revealed the cover of the December-February issue of the Rolling Stone AU/NZ magazine.

The special collector’s edition features the Most Iconic Music Moments of all Time from Australia and New Zealand’s history books.

This latest issue arrives on newsstands next Monday, December 5, 2022, and includes 50 iconic Australian moments and 20 iconic Aotearoa moments, compiled with the help of a Rolling Stone-curated panel of industry, musicians, journalists, label-heads, executives, and more.

Think about the rise and rise of homegrown stars like Kylie Minogue and Lorde, the cultural impact of upstart record labels like Modular and Flying Nun, and the infiltration of music television into popular culture and public consciousness. 

Other people appearing include Australia’s Michael Gudinski and New Zealand’s Pixie Williams.

The cover, illustrated by Bianca Bosso, features singers Olivia Newton-John, Tina Arena and Hinewehi Mohi, alongside All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu, and bands Youthu Yindi and AC/DC.

Bosso said, “It’s an honour to retrace many of the musical moments that have made me excited, inspired and shocked as I’ve grown up.

“Illustrating the cover for Rolling Stone AU/NZ has been a nostalgic and heartwarming experience. I went from reading about many of these moments in Rolling Stone to celebrating them through my illustrated cover. I hope it makes readers proud of the artists that define our abundant music scene.”

Rolling Stone AU/NZ editor-in-chief, Poppy Reid, said: “The gravity of being the conduit for a Rolling Stone List is not lost on us. Hallowed and often referenced, they are nevertheless hotly debated and contested — as they should be.

‘They’re a huge time investment, not just for our core team, but for industry figureheads, artists and critics alike. We challenged our panel to put forward the Australian and New Zealand music moments they felt truly tilted the Earth on its axis; iconic moments that changed the course of history for good.

“We received hundreds of submissions; we discussed, debated and pondered. Through thousands of messages, phone calls, interviews and meetings, we finally have our two ranked lists, one for Australia and one for Aotearoa. We hope our readers enjoy this time capsule,” Reid said.

GOLD104.3’s The Christian O’Connell Show has raised nearly $80,000 in five days to help families in need this Christmas, more than doubling the target set by Melbourne’s #1FM breakfast show.

Christian O’Connell’s Hamper Claus was launched with the aim to raise $32,500 for Mums Supporting Families In Need (MSFIN).

The “small but fierce” non-profit charity supports the community’s most vulnerable families through the provision of material aid, distributing hampers throughout the year but especially at Christmas. With demand greater than ever this year, MSFIN reached out to The Christian O’Connell Show to ask for help.

Christian O’Connell said: “So many families are doing it tough right now, and no child or family should ever go without the essentials. When MSFIN first reached out to me I knew I could use the power of radio to make a difference and am so thrilled with how our listeners and clients have jumped on board to help.”

With each hamper costing $65 to make, MSFIN were hoping to raise money for another 500 hampers, with all donations going directly to make those hampers. Christian encouraged listeners to give whatever they could afford, with personal donations ranging from $5 up to $1,000, and business donations up to $19,500.

Within two days, the target had been reached, and now nearly $80,000 has been raised, which will help over 1200 families in need.

Kim Michod from MSFIN said: “To say it has been overwhelming is an understatement. We never expected to raise this much money and are humbled by the generosity of everyone who has helped us sprinkle some Christmas magic for families who are doing it a little bit tough. To everyone who listened and who donated, and to Christian and his wonderful team who helped us navigate unchartered waters of being in the spotlight, we thank you.”

Head here to donate.

This Mediaweek World Cup ratings report tracks live metro audiences as measured by OzTAM for the games being broadcast on SBS Television.

The FIFA World Cup 2022 kicked off on Monday, November 21 and will be a free-to-air exclusive broadcast on SBS in Australia.
Visit the SBS On Demand FIFA World Cup Hub here.

All 64 matches from Qatar will be shown live and free, with eight live games shown on SBS VICELAND.

In the opening match, Qatar fell 2-0 to Ecuador. In the 92 years of the tournament, no host had lost their opening match before.

The group stages continue until the final match between Serbia and Switzerland on December 3 (AEDT).

Group Stage: November 21 – December 3
Round of 16: December 4 – 7
Quarter-Finals: December 10 – 11
Semi-Finals: December 14 – 15
3rd vs 4th playoff: December 18 
Final: December 19

See also:

FIFA World Cup 2022: Everything you need to know

FIFA World Cup 2022: Everything you need to know about the commentators

(All times and dates below Australian AEST)

World Cup TV ratings

Monday November 21

Opening Ceremony 37,000

Qatar v Ecuador 70,000

England v Iran 198,000

Tuesday November 22

Senegal v Netherlands 48,000

USA v Wales 116,000

Argentina v Saudi Arabia 439,000

Denmark v Tunisia 133,000

Wednesday November 23

Germany v Japan 127,000

Mexico v Poland 40,000

Morocco v Croatia 362,000

France v Australia 461,000

*SBS has updated the viewing as follows for the France v Australia match:
Metro 461,000
Regional 134,000
BVOD 246,000
Total 841,000

Thursday November 24

Spain v Costa Rica 34,000

Belgium v Canada 119,000

Switzerland v Cameroon 344,000

Uruguay v Korea 143,000

Friday November 25

Portugal v Ghana 50,000

Brazil v Serbia 183,000

Qatar v Senegal 130,000

Wales v Iran 399,000

Saturday November 26

Netherlands v Ecuador 45,000

England v USA 228,000

Tunisia v Australia 1,034,000

Poland v Saudia Arabia 201,000

*SBS has updated the viewing as follows for the Tunisia v Australia match:
Metro 1,034,000
Regional 306,000
BVOD 386,000
Total 1,726,000

Sunday November 27

Argentina v Mexico 125,000

Japan v Costa Rica 448,000

Belgium v Morocco 125,000

France v Denmark 52,000

Monday November 28

Cameroon v Serbia 393,000

Spain v Germany 180,000

Korea v Ghana 143,000

Croatia v Canada 41,000

• My Mum Your Dad holds its final blessing ceremony
• Cameroon draws with Serbia in the World Cup
• The Challenge eliminates Sugar and Ryan

Total TV Ratings, November 21

Seven’s Home and Away topped non-news for the night with 950,000 tuning in, up 21%. Kath & Kim: 20 Preposterous Years followed, lifting 17% and getting 904,000 laughing.

Australian Story uncovered the mystery of The Somerton Man for 944,000, up 14%. 

My Mum Your Dad was up 36% for a total audience of 739,000. Love Island Australia had its biggest jump in overnight lift, rocketing up 750% with an audience of 357,000.

On SBS, the FIFA World Cup match between England and Iran was up 85%, with 434,000 cheering on.

Overnight TV Ratings, November 28

Primetime News
Seven News 910,000 (6:30pm) /943,000 (7:00pm)
Nine News 705,000 (6:30pm) /658,000 (7:00pm)
ABC News 632,000
10 News First 228,000 (5:00pm)/166,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 124,000 (6:30pm)/ 119,000 (7:00pm)

Daily Current Affairs
A Current Affair 608,000
7.30 565,000
The Project 191,000 (6:30pm)/ 261,000 (7pm)
The Drum 146,000

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 206,000
Today 178,000
News Breakfast 166,000

Seven has won the night with an 18.6% primary share and a network share of 26.3%. Multichannels was won by 7Rwo, coming in with a 4.0% share.

Seven’s Home and Away wrapped up its 2022 season with a devastating car crash on the way to a wedding – and there’s a chance not everyone will make it out alive. 440,000 tuned in for the drama, before a repeat of 911 was watched by 270,000.

Nine’s A Current Affair exposed a handyman’s sleazy behaviour and covered the arrest of Outback Wrangler Matt Wright for 608,000. The finale of My Mum Your Dad held its Blessing Ceremony after reuniting the kids with their parents. 404,000 tuned in as Darren and Petula, Roe and Carole, Heath and Michelle, and Shane and Kristy all faced the final judgement of their children.

See Also: “An antidote to the times”: Kate Langbroek on hosting My Mum Your Dad

7.30 covered Scott Morrison’s upcoming censure motion for 565,000. As the ABC’s 90th year wraps up, Australian Story took 574,000 back through the life of Ita Buttrose. Media Watch then drew a crowd of 550,000.

On SBS, Cameroon took on Serbia in the latest round of the FIFA World Cup. 393,000 tuned in to a game that looked like it was Serbia’s to lose, before Cameroon came back to draw the game at 3-3.

On 10, The Project (191,000 6:30pm / 261,000 7pm) covered the federal National Party confimring it will oppose Labor’s Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Two repeats of Bondi Rescue took 163,000 and 155,000 to the beach, before 96,000 watched as Ryan and Sugar were eliminated from The Challenge.