Venue: ICC Grand Ballroom
Crowd: 1,500 (from all over Australia)
Start: 6.18pm
End: 7.34pm 

6:18 Dave Hughes onstage: Welcome to the Channel 10 Upfronts.

Plugs his own show – “I think it’s been renewed. Surely it has been – they wouldn’t have me here otherwise, would they?”

Jokes about The Honey Badger, who not surprisingly is not one of the guests!

“I’m committed to TV – I bought a house on The Block last year,” continued Hughesy. “They rang me during the auction – I said I’m watching Game Of Games – I am committed to 10 now.

Hughesy noted the CBS big-wigs in the room. He wants to be big in the USA. Wonders if they can help.

Hughesy rolls out part of a routine, maybe testing out a new show?

He takes a FaceTime call from CEO Paul Anderson, who boasted he had $1b to spend on content.

“I’m a celebrity… get me out of here.

“If only Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris were here”… guess what? They join Hughesy onstage.

Segue to a song: “Let’s make things better. Perhaps it’s time for the Julia Morris Show.”

Doc and Julia then do a song and dance routine with mentions of some of the new shows including Sunday Night Takeaway. They are then joined onstage by a dancing Amanda Keller and Grant Denyer promoting Dancing with the Stars.

Osher, Nat Bass, George Calombaris and Pete Helliar among a cavalcade of 10 stars. Many of their newsreaders too.

 6:31 Julia Morris last person standing onstage, drops a couple of F-bombs after revealing she has been at the venue since 8am this morning.

She has the job of introducing the CEO Paul Anderson.

“He is really hot and really powerful… I’m not sure which I like best.”

 6:33 Paul Anderson onstage

“I think we have blown the $1b budget – I didn’t mean to spend it all in one go.”

Anderson talks about the support of CBS and introduces the new brands.

Promo reel showing off the new logos.

“What is our plan? Great content at the heart of everything we do, but the way we deliver that content and monetise it has to change.”

 6:40 Rod Prosser onstage

“10 sales back in the spotlight. A very special welcome to the new 10 sales team. Our sales story is simple.”

• We are ready to go
• We are different
• We are global

Talks about 10 Imagine, 10 Effect, 10 Exchange, 10 Interactive.

“We are sales-ready and now we are data-ready.” See separate feature at mediaweek.com.au.

10 play now has 3m subscribers “and that is before we even get started”.

10 speaks is a new podcast platform.

A partnership with Tealium to enable superior targeting.

Partnership with CBS Data and Audience.

“Don’t judge us on total people – we are not that network. We are targeting the under 50s.” The focus is on two demos 16-39 and 18-49.

10 is becoming the virtual watercooler.

10 is the biggest in the business, thanks to our parent company CBS.

 6:49 Reel showing off 10’s highlights. “If you want to make some money, lean in with it.”

Reel includes The Honey Badger talking about Tim Tams.

 6:51 Beverley McGarvey on stage

“Thanks for your time and your continued support.”

Reminds audience of continuing hits. Emphasis on appealing to young-at-heart over 50 weeks of the year while others are fighting each other with tennis and cricket.

Highlights: Celebrity and Sunday Night Takeaway. (Shows several long clips from Ant & Dec’s UK edition… but they were pretty funny).

McGarvey back onstage detailing more 2019 highlights.

“And our very own Dr Phil – Dave Hughes – is back.”

MasterChef highlights reel. Then HYBPA? and Body Hack.

For winter get ready for 5 Bedrooms, My Life Is Murder and Adam Zwar’s Mr Black.

Pilot Week – 4 out of 8 get commissions. Reel with clips from the four commissions. Kinne Tonight had the best clip, again.

Troy not able to be at the Upfronts as currently overseas.

McGarvey mentions new series yet to launch in 2018 and then shows off the Melbourne Cup from 2019 and a roundup of other sports rights.

The Project – 10 to invest more in promotion in 2019 than it has ever spent on a single show.

Rebrand of 10 News First. Studio 10 also has a new look.

10 News and The Project reels.

McGarvey gets a lot of time onstage. 10 really taking the effort to detail all the content.

10 Boss and 10 Peach content reels.

McGarvey finishes on 10 All Access and promoting the new US series coming to the streaming service.

 7:32 Getting near the end.

Finale with professional dancers this time.

#10TVWithATwist

 7:34 Hughesy back onstage. A big round of applause and Hughesy says it’s time to party.

ONE has also been rebranded to become 10 Boss, targeting women and men over 40 with programming driven by bold, confident characters.

ELEVEN has become 10 Peach targeting 16-to-39-year-olds looking for feel-good, escapist entertainment.

Programming on 10 Boss and 10 Peach will include:

TEN Eyewitness News First At Five will become 10 News First.

tenplay will become 10 Play.

ten daily will become 10 Daily.

Network 10’s “coming soon” subscription video on-demand service will be 10 All Access.

Network 10 chief executive Paul Anderson said: “We have changed things up and not only do we have sparkling new looks and brands for 10, 10 Boss, and 10 Peach in 2019, with the imminent launch of 10 All Access and other big initiatives the time is right to connect the whole family of Network 10 platforms and channels.

“We are the adventurous alternative, the network that has always taken risks and tried new things – always with a sense of fun and with content that really engages with our under-50s audience.

“Our aim here is simple: make our brands more distinctive, give them stronger cut-through in a hyper-competitive media sector, ensure greater consistency across our family of brands, strengthen our already deep engagement with audiences, and underline our entertainment credentials. If you cut out the jargon, what this means is that TV’s wild child has its voice back,” he said.

The new look and branding for 10, 10 Peach, 10 Boss and the rest of the family were driven by Network 10’s in-house design team and the branding design agency Principals, which worked with 10 to deliver the network-wide rebrand.

Following extensive research in conjunction with the 10 insights team, external industry interviews and 10’s staff, the new positioning for the brand and its sub-brands was born.

Principals’ executive creative director Simon Wright said: “So much of this brand refresh project was about helping 10 find its mojo again.

“Network 10 has a proud history of being bold and refreshingly different. This new identity captures this spirit while looking to 10’s future as an entertainment network that specialises in escapism.

“We worked closely with the brilliant in-house team to celebrate escapist entertainment. Across design, naming and writing, we’ve created a stronger, more unified brand expression to get 10 back to what it’s always done best – being as fun as the programs it shows.”

10 All Access will offer more than 7,000 commercial-free episodes across platforms at launch. This will include the debut of three exciting CBS All Access original series in Australia – Tell Me A Story, One Dollar and Strange Angel – as well as the first season of CBS All Access’s The Good Fight.

Network 10’s chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said: “How brilliant is it to be launching 10 All Access with three incredible CBS All Access original series in One Dollar, Strange Angel and Tell Me A Story? They are three exciting series that have recently launched in the US. Outside of the originals, 10 All Access will be the place where people can enjoy the best binge-worthy entertainment from CBS and 10.”

At launch, 10 All Access will also be giving Australian fans access to new CBS primetime series months before they air on Network 10, including new series Happy Together as well as new seasons of current hits like MacGyver.

In addition, 10 All Access’s library will include current shows, past seasons and classic TV hits from Network 10 and CBS such as CBS hits like The Good Wife, NCIS, Frasier, Cheers and Survivor, as well as Australian favourites like Neighbours, The Bachelor Australia, The Bachelorette Australia, The Living Room and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

The full content library, launch date and pricing of 10 All Access will be announced soon.

10 All Access originals:

Tell Me A Story takes the world’s most beloved fairy tales and reimagines them as a dark and twisted psychological thriller. Set in modern-day New York City, the first season of this serialised drama interweaves The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel into an epic and subversive tale of love, loss, greed, revenge and murder.

The cast of Tell Me A Story includes Kim Cattrall, James Wolk, Billy Magnussen, Dania Ramirez, Danielle Campbell, Dorian Missick, Michael Raymond-James, Davi Santos, Sam Jaeger, and Zabryna Guevara, with Paul Wesley.

From Aaron Kaplan‘s Kapital Entertainment, Tell Me A Story is written and executive produced by Kevin Williamson alongside Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor and Liz Friedlander, who directs and executive produces the first two episodes.

One Dollar is a mystery thriller set in a small rust-belt town in post-recession America, where a one-dollar bill changing hands connects a group of characters involved in a shocking multiple murder. The path of the one-dollar bill and point of view in each episode paints a picture of a modern American town with deep class and cultural divides that spill into the open as the town’s secrets get revealed.

The cast of One Dollar includes John Carroll Lynch, Nathaniel Martello-White, Christopher Denham, Philip Ettinger, Kirrilee Berger, Gracie Lawrence, Joshua Bitton, Nikẹ Uche Kadri and Hamilton Clancy. Greg Germann, Sturgill Simpson, Aleksa Palladino, Jeff Perry and Leslie Odom Jr. round out the cast with recurring roles.

One Dollar is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Anonymous Content. Craig Zobel (Compliance, The Leftovers), Matt DeRoss, Alexandre Dauman, Graham Gordy and Jason Mosberg serve as executive producers, with Zobel directing all 10 episodes.

Strange Angel is a drama series created by Mark Heyman (Black Swan, The Wrestler). Based on George Pendle‘s book of the same name, Strange Angel explores the dramatic intersection between genius and madness, science and science fiction.

The story follows the life of Jack Parsons, a mysterious and brilliant man in 1930s Los Angeles, who by day helps birth the entirely unknown discipline of American rocketry, and by night is a performer of sex magick rituals and a disciple to occultist Aleister Crowley.

Strange Angel is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Scott Free Productions. Mark Heyman, David DiGilio, Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker will serve as executive producers; Clayton Krueger will be co-executive producer, and David Lowery (A Ghost Story, Pete’s Dragon) will direct and executive produce.

In 2019, 10 will be home to 13 new Australian shows, countless new shows from overseas, three of the biggest sporting events in Australia and some of the biggest Australian shows that get people talking.

Cooking, dancing, dating, surviving, renovating, laughing, crying, learning, racing – Network 10 will deliver first-run, locally produced content across 50 weeks of the year from mid-January right through to Christmas.

Network 10 chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said: “We are ready to deliver a slate of new and returning hit shows that build on the success we’ve had this year and get to consumers wherever they are, whenever they want to watch.

“This year we successfully launched a number of new brands with excellent growth potential, including Bachelor In Paradise and Ambulance Australia, and we saw great growth with shows like Have You Been Paying Attention?, The Bachelor Australia and Australian Survivor recording their biggest audiences to date.

“We’ve had record-breaking catch-up numbers on 10 Play, with all of our major shows recording their highest video views ever. We also launched 10 Daily to a brilliant start. It is growing every month, with over 1.04 million visits in September alone,” she said.

“Next year we will strengthen our position as leaders in escapist entertainment and we’ll have differentiated flagship content targeting people under 50, 50 weeks a year, starting right now across all our platforms.

“We will also have more brilliant catch-up and bespoke long-form content for 10 Play and will continue to grow 10 Daily with a range of brilliant pieces and video content from our marquee talent and the brilliant 10 Daily team,” she said.

“And we’re getting into the fast-growing and commercially maturing podcast business with 10 Speaks, which will include great 10 content plus bespoke, original content. More detail about 10 Speaks will surface next year.”

The new Network 10 year kicks off in mid-January with a supercharged season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, as Julia Morris and Chris Brown step back into the jungle to taunt and terrify a whole new collection of celebrities.

Next year will bring a new Saturday night I’m A Celebrity show, live streaming on 10 All Access, more bespoke content for 10 Play, a massive marketing blitz – and much more.

There will be no rest for Chris and Julia: as soon as the King or Queen of The Jungle is crowned, the good doctor and his muse will be whisked home to present Chris & Julia’s Sunday Night Takeaway on, yes, Sunday nights.

The top of the year will also see Dancing With The Stars twirl its way onto 10. Fronted by Amanda Keller and Grant Denyer, 10’s version of this global TV powerhouse will mix celebrities, sequins and stardust to create a show that will be fresh and engaging, while staying true to everything people loved about Dancing With The Stars.

Also waiting in the wings for the start of 2019 is Changing Rooms, hosted by Natalie Bassingthwaighte. The show that started the television renovation revolution and got Australians hooked on room makeovers and reveals is getting the 10 makeover, with more room reveals, big characters and a lot of inspiration.

Australia’s favourite bachelors and bachelorettes will be brought together on a tropical island for the second season of Bachelor In Paradise.

The first part of next year will also bring a strong lineup of proven local hits, including new seasons of Gogglebox (which will have two seasons again in 2019), Dave Hughes’s Hughesy, We Have A Problem and Rove McManus’s Show Me The Movie!

Amanda, Chris, Barry Du Bois and Miguel Maestre will be back on the couch in April for another season of The Living Room, the heroes of Bondi Beach are back for more Bondi Rescue and there will be a second season of our heart-racing new hit Ambulance Australia.

After a decade on air, 10 will roll out the biggest marketing campaign it has ever put behind a single program to spread the word about The Project.

As part of our new look, TEN Eyewitness News First At Five is being reborn as 10 News First, embracing the proud heritage of First at Five while promising to deliver news and information first, when and where people want it.

Studio 10 also has a new look and will continue to brighten mornings every weekday.

When winter starts to roll in, it’s time for MasterChef Australia. The show that made “plating up” part of the vernacular returns for its 11th season.

Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston will be back at the helm, joined by three new mentors (and MasterChef Australia alumni) Poh Ling Yeow, Billie McKay and Matt Sinclair. And the kitchen will be crammed with a dazzling array of international and local cooking stars, including the incomparable Nigella Lawson.

Soon after MasterChef Australia returns, audiences will say hello to the new seasons of Have You Been Paying Attention? and Todd Sampson’s BodyHack.

Around the same time, four of the shows that were tested during Pilot Week this year will resurface as full series: Kinne Tonight, Taboo, Trial By Kyle and Bring Back Saturday Night with Rove McManus.

The lineup for the second half of 2019 includes the return of Australian Survivor Champions Vs Contenders and The Bachelor Australia, both of which delivered their biggest numbers ever across all screens this year.

Next year the network will add three new local dramas: Five Bedrooms, the story of five very different people who meet on the singles’ table at a wedding and decide to buy a house together; My Life Is Murder with the iconic Lucy Lawless as Alexa Crowe, a brilliant, insightful, and completely-without-filter investigator; and The Secrets She Keeps, a dark tale of two women from very different walks of life who have one thing in common – explosive secrets that could destroy their lives.

And not forgetting comedy, Mr Black, a comedy series written by Adam Zwar and starring Stephen Curry and Nadine Garner, will also premiere on the network.

Next year sees the return of overseas favourites including NCIS, Bull, The Graham Norton Show and Jamie Oliver’s new series. They will be joined by two of the most talked-about shows of the new TV season in the US, Murphy Brown with Candice Bergen and The Conners with John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert.

Also coming to 10 is The Gilded Age, the hotly anticipated new show from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Set in the boom years of 1880s New York City, The Gilded Age promises all the heart, style, wit and drama that made Downton Abbey a global smash.

Sport is a big part of 10 lineup for 2019, with three of the races that transfix the nation on 10: the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and the Formula 1 2019 Australian Grand Prix.

Network 10’s landmark agreement with the Victoria Racing Club will change forever how the Melbourne Cup Carnival is seen by Australians.

All the thrills and excitement of the Melbourne Cup Carnival story will live on Network 10 across the entire year and will be showcased in new ways across various platforms, including those of 10’s parent company CBS.

The agreement comprises a suite of Melbourne Cup Carnival media rights, including free to air TV, internet, social media, mobile, OTT (Over-The-Top) and HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV). The thrills and excitement of the Carnival will live on Network 10 across the entire year and will be showcased in new ways across our various platforms, including CBS platforms.

Other sport on 10 in 2019 includes rugby, A-League and the MotoGP World Championship.

Summary

New on Network 10 in 2019:

• Bring Back Saturday Night*
• Celebrity Name Game*
• Chris & Julia’s Sunday Night Takeaway*
• Dancing With The Stars*
• Changing Rooms*
• Five Bedrooms*
• Kinne Tonight*
• Melbourne Cup Carnival*
• Mr Black*
• My Life Is Murder*
• Murphy Brown
• One Dollar
• Strange Angel
• Taboo*
• Tell Me A Story
• The Conners
• The Gilded Age
• The Secrets She Keeps*
• Trial By Kyle*

Returning series:

• Ambulance Australia*
• Australian Survivor*
• Bachelor In Paradise*
• Bondi Rescue*
• Bull
• Formula 1 2019 Australian Grand Prix*
• Gogglebox*
• Have You Been Paying Attention?*
• Hughesy, We Have A Problem*
• I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!*
• Jamie Oliver
• MasterChef Australia*
• MotoGP World Championship*
• NCIS
• Neighbours*
• Pointless*
• Rugby*
• Show Me The Movie!*
• Supercars*
•The A-League*
• The Bachelor Australia*
• The Bachelorette Australia*
• The Graham Norton Show
• The Living Room*
• The Project*
• Todd Sampson’s BodyHack*

(* Homegrown)

Network 10 chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said: “We had a great time bringing new programming ideas to our audiences and were very happy with the overall response through live audience numbers, 10 Play and social media.

“We listened to feedback and combined this with a range of other measures from timeslot to demographic performance before deciding which programs we would commission to a full series.

“Taboo, Kinne Tonight, Trial By Kyle and Bring Back Saturday Night will air on 10 in 2019 as full series, representing a serious investment in unique and local production. These shows complement our fantastic slate of programming for 2019 and cement 10’s role as the innovator, and sometimes wild child, of Australian commercial TV.”

In an Australian television first, Network 10 brought the unique and innovative concept of Pilot Week to Australian television audiences in August this year. Pilot Week premiered eight original and provocative pilots of domestically produced television programs, across a number of different genres, broadcast in primetime across one week.

McGarvey continued: “With Pilot Week, we opened up the later evening and Saturday night timeslots to new programming formats and were able to gauge how audiences engage with these formats at these times.

“Some of our hit shows like Have You Been Paying Attention? and Gogglebox prove that audiences are happy to continue watching premium, engaging content later in the evening. The new Pilot Week series will help us deliver consistent programming audiences across primetime, throughout the week.”

Pilot Week will be returning in 2019, with 10 now open for new ideas.

Below is 10’s commentary on the successful shows.

Taboo

Taboo

The format is a record-breaker in its home country of Belgium and although this one has a simple premise, it hits home harder than you might expect. Each week, a different comedian spends five days and nights with members of a disadvantaged group in society and uses the experience to perform a stand-up routine about them. Did we mention the subjects are sitting in the front row? This outstanding show is produced by Lune Media.

Kinne Tonight

Paul Anderson, Beverley McGarvey, Troy Kinne

Modern life can be a real buzz kill, so why don’t we ditch it for a while and laugh along with Troy Kinne’s fast-paced Kinne Tonight produced by Big Yellow Taxi Productions.

The things in life that have contributed to a tiring week become laughing fodder for our viewers in this fresh comedy that leaves no one safe, including – perhaps most importantly – the viewers themselves.

Trial By Kyle

Paul Anderson, Anna Heinrich, Kyle Sandilands, Beverley McGarvey

Ever wondered what Judge Judy would be like if she was a controversial male shock jock who lives in Australia? Neither have we. Fortunately Screentime Australia produced Trial By Kyle anyway and we’re very glad we found out.

The toughest cases, biggest celebrities and genuine disputes can only be settled by one man, Kyle Sandilands. When you add The Bachelor Australia star and criminal lawyer Anna Heinrich into the equation, ready and willing to forensically analyse whatever evidence may come her way, the case is closed on this sure-fire hit.

Bring Back Saturday Night

Originally we’d planned to write a blurb about Rove McManus’s new generation-bending live TV conquest, but after it set social media ablaze, we thought we might just let Twitter do the talking:

“#Roveau is my hero. #PilotWeek” – Sam Dastyari

“You actually got me to turn off Netflix. That’s impressive!” – Ryan Betson

“There’s no way that’s not getting picked up for a full series” – Mark Humphries

“Great job” – Todd Sampson

“Bring it back for sure” – Sarah Harris

The reviews are in and Australia is behind Rove and his quest to reunite the country’s greatest acts, bands and TV stars in a fresh spin on the Saturday night variety hour of old, produced by Roving Enterprises.

These are the highlights from the broadcaster’s message to advertisers this week at the 10 Upfront.

Advertisers will have the ability to trade dynamically, with automated audience-based buying operating alongside fixed place buying.

With the new sales team comes a new audience proposition and an accelerated data strategy.

Network 10’s sales team will be platform-agnostic with experience across linear and digital. Led by chief sales officer Rod Prosser, the sales leadership team will include:

• Damon Jackson, Melbourne Sales Director
• Angela Neville, Brisbane Sales Director
• Cameron Mudge, Adelaide Sales Director
• Paul Townsend, Perth Sales Director
• Nisar Malik, Sport Sales Director

The sales team will work closely with multiskilled specialist teams comprising:

10 Effect – a sponsorship team, led by Tamar Hovagimian, that will integrate, activate and amplify brands and products within 10’s shows.

10 Imagine – a strategy and creative hub, led by Michael Stanford, that will provide category insights, commercial strategy, creative solutions, commercial production, copywriting and branded content.

10 Exchange – a commerce unit, led by Grant Madigan, responsible for revenue, analytics, technology, and data insights.

10 Interactive – the digital sales team powered by CBS Interactive. With the backing of CBS, 10 will have world-leading resources and technology at its hands to deliver advertisers a first-class trading experience.

Rod Prosser said: “Our aim is to deliver client-centric, needs-based solutions for our advertising partners through insights, creativity and ease of trade, with a serious focus on providing meaningful, quality services.

“What does this mean for you? It’s simple – a high-return on your investment with us here at 10.”

Lean in with refreshed audience proposition

The network’s refreshed audience proposition will firmly focus on the valuable, noisy and engaged under 50s audience, particularly the 16-39s and 18-49s.

Prosser continued: “10 has always been distinctively different. We like to run our own race. We have a different audience. And, we’re armed with a clear and decisive strategy to grow that audience.

“Advertisers don’t buy total people campaigns. They look at specific demographics segments. Our audiences are younger, switched on and positively engaged with our content.

“Our key programs like I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, MasterChef Australia and The Bachelor Australia not only dominate the viewing across the key demographics, they set alight social channels. Collectively, these shows generate 67% more social activity than the noisiest shows of our competitors.

“10 is the lean-in network. We are braver, more dynamic, and more open. We deliver content that encourages viewers to be part of something everyone is talking about.”

Lean in with an accelerated data strategy

Data will also be a key offering across 10’s suite of sales solutions with a robust data strategy in place to significantly build the company’s member base in 2019.

To support its data strategy, Network 10 has announced a partnership with Tealium, a leader in real-time customer data solutions.

Tealium will work with 10 to unify customer data collection across its digital platforms including 10 Play and 10 Daily, allowing the company to create meaningful audience segments in real time. The audience segments will enable 10 to deliver targeted solutions for advertisers and personalised experiences for consumers.

Tealium’s managing director of ANZ Eyal Mekler said: “We’re excited to be working with Network 10 to help connect its data across interactions and touchpoints, to create a seamless, relevant, and personalised customer experience, while also supporting its advertiser clients. Data-driven decisions should be at the heart of every marketing and sales strategy and, by helping connect data silos and creating a 360-degree view of each user, we can support Network 10 in addressing the needs of its client base and audience.”

Prosser added: “Having a sophisticated data strategy is crucial in creating a strong multiplatform sales team. The new advertising norm is to offer solutions that are data-driven, cross-channel and across devices. Our partnership with Tealium will help fast-track the development and sophistication of our data solutions.

“We are building a best-in-class data team and capability, and in 2019 we will be trading on data-driven segments across all our digital properties.”

With a lot to announce and incredible momentum, Network 10’s latest trade advertising campaign will be going live from tomorrow, encouraging advertisers and brands to “Lean in with 10”.

By the time we got the official greenlight, we had been developing it for about two years. It started as an Australian drama, then we decided we wanted to bring in a mystery element and it took time to work out how to integrate that into the drama.

The final version was really a combination of the mystery idea and the drama idea that we’d started with.

Kylie Du Fresne with two of the stars of Fighting Season – Ewen Leslie and Sarah Armanious

I actually found the original pitch document that we gave to Foxtel, which was about three pages and there’s still a lot of it in the finished product, in terms of the characters. What changed in the process was the mystery component and that was something that when we started the development we didn’t quite know what it was going to be.

Could Fighting Season sell internationally?

Certainly we hope so. The way that we look at it is that every country in the world has similar experiences of returned soldiers so we hope that it would find a home internationally.

Why did you choose Foxtel as the home for Fighting Season?

Fighting Season launch event [L-R]: George Pullar, Marco Alosio, executive producer Kylie du Fresne, Sarah Armanious, Sabryna Walters, writer Blake Ayshford, Ewen Leslie and Lex Marinos

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This is an excerpt from the full article, which appears on Mediaweek Premium. Read the full article here or subscribe to Mediaweek Premium here.

PodcastOne’s Lit Up, a sanctuary for people crazy about books & stories

Ledgerwood said Lit Up is also about pushing the boundaries and revealing the messy and complicated – rarely talked about – parts of what it means to be human. No topic is off the table and no conversation is too weird, too personal or too controversial. “We go beyond the book and ask the writers and thinkers what they’re reading and what they are thinking, and the truth about who they really are,” she said.

There is plenty of great listening on offer with recent guests including Salman Rushdie, Jennifer Egan, Roxane Gay, Mary Louise Parker and Trevor Noah.

PodcastOne is promising even more episodes in November and December.

Listen to Lit Up here.

10 Speaks: New podcast platform coming in 2019

The recently rebranded Network 10 held its 2019 Upfronts this week in Sydney with the network promising a new podcast platform, to be branded 10 Speaks, will launch next year.

Expect regular content from 10 personalities with the platform to be linked to the 10 daily website.

PodcastOne’s Jane Caro on why she might enter politics

The momentum around Sydney writer and documentary maker Jane Caro standing for federal parliament started in earnest two weeks ago.

Caro podcasts on PodcastOne’s Women With Clout podcast with her co-host, journalist Catherine Fox.

Caro explained in The Saturday Paper how the political push began, and what she hopes to achieve if she goes ahead:

I’m not considering running for office because I have always dreamed of being an MP – although I don’t deny it would be interesting. I am thinking about it because I see it as a civic duty.

I was brought up by parents who had lived in Manchester and London through World War II. They were adolescents at the time and have vivid and disturbing memories of the Blitz and of the revelations about Nazi death camps in the immediate aftermath of the war.

It affected them profoundly. They brought me up to believe that bad things happen when good people stand by and do nothing.

If I do run for Warringah, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure we pivot and pivot fast on climate change, growing economic inequality, our irrational obsession with private good/public bad and the frightening backlash against women, people of colour and the LGBTQIA community.

I am sure there are many, many other people all over the world thinking the same thing – some of whom may be members of political parties, some of whom may prefer to be an independent, like me. I have never been much good at toeing a party line.

The unexpected roller-coaster of the past few days began on Saturday night, in the wake of Kerryn Phelps’s remarkable and satisfying success – as we thought at the time – in wresting the blue ribbon seat of Wentworth from the Liberal Party.

My sister, who is a sober and responsible public school principal by day but clearly reverts to the mischief-maker I remember from my childhood by night, responded to a tweet by Charlie Pickering calling for more independents to think about running. She teased me about my possible candidacy in Warringah. She even suggested I might consider moving to a house in the electorate. I took umbrage at this suggestion – given that I grew up in Warringah, went to school there, sent my own children to a public secondary school in the area and live just across the border in the seat of North Sydney. Almost as an afterthought, I ended my tweet back with: “Anyone interested? Get in touch.”

They did. In droves. And they’re still getting in touch.

Listen to Caro and Fox on Women With Clout

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Top Photo: Angela Ledgerwood

Who, which boasts a total audience of more than two million, decided on a Hollywood-free Sexiest, with only Australian personalities starring in the prestigious list.

Who editor and content director Keshnee Kemp said: “We realised Australia had more than enough talent to fill this year’s Sexiest issue. So why not embrace that and make it Aussies only?”

In the past year, the brand has had a stronger focus on local talent, with a number of Australian cover stars such as Rebecca Judd and Lisa Wilkinson.

The issue also changes the definition of “sexy”, looking to be more inclusive. The cover features a pregnant Carrie Bickmore, powerhouse Julie Bishop and Elyse Knowles.

Bishop told Who: “Politicians and sexiness aren’t often associated, but politics and sex are often in the same sentence!”

Also included in the lineup is Paralympian Dylan Alcott and a makeup-free Lindy Rama-Ellis.

Kemp added: “Sexy looks different to different people and so it makes total sense to compile a list that defies age, race and gender, truly recognising what sexy means in modern Australia. We’re thrilled to have an all-Aussie issue and we’re equally chuffed that every single person we approached to be on the list said yes.”

The print edition is on sale today, with in-depth interviews featuring Who’s Sexiest to appear online at who.com.au and across the brand’s social channels.

He announced the move on the program this morning. Johns said he will save all the farewells for later this year, but he said the thing he will miss most from the show is the laughs.

His departure further changes the breakfast lineup after Mark Geyer departed the show last year. The remaining Grill Team members are Gus Worland, Emma Freedman and Chris Page.

Triple M’s head of content Mike Fitzpatrick said, “We’ve been grateful to have Matty as a part of our Triple M family for such a long time and while we’re disappointed he won’t be continuing on The Grill Team, we understand that with his other media commitments he needs a break from breakfast radio.

“We’ll use this opportunity to explore all options, get the best person to join our breakfast team in 2019, and keep delivering a great entertaining Triple M breakfast show for Sydney.”

As a longstanding member of The Grill Team, Johns has been waking up Sydney since 2011 with his jokes, characters, random stories, and of course his expert NRL insight.

Matty Johns said, “I would like to thank everyone at Triple M, in particular everyone associated with the Grill Team. The eight years have been so enjoyable. With plenty of laughs and plenty of great memories, it hasn’t felt like a job at all.

Matty Johns at the movies this week with his family

“The challenge has been juggling my late-night commitments with Fox Sports, along with the early hours of breakfast radio. After eight years, that can take a toll and for that reason I’ve decided to take a break from radio. Not an easy decision, but the right one.

“Once again, thank you to all at Triple M. You’ve been terrific to me.”

Triple M will be sending Johns off with a big celebration over the next five weeks, allowing both him and the listeners the chance to say thank you and goodbye!

The Grill Team’s last day on air for 2018 will be December 7.

—

Top Photo: Matty Johns

O’Connor said it will be business as usual for the two companies during the integration planning phase, which will be implemented in the new year.

The JCDecaux Australia and New Zealand leadership team:

Chief Operating Officer Andrew Hines

Currently COO at APN Outdoor, where he has spent 16 years. He has also worked at Cody Outdoor as finance and commercial director for nine years.

Chief Financial Officer Brendan O’Neil

Joined JCDecaux in 1998, when the company entered the Australian market, and has been CFO ever since.

Chief Commercial Officer Max Eburne

He will have a focus on all advertiser and agency revenue. Currently in the same role at JCDecaux, Eburne was promoted from general manager, sales and marketing to CCO in 2016. He joined JCDecaux as an associate director in the UK in 2006, before moving to JCDecaux Australia in 2009.

Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Jeremy Howe

Currently chief strategy and innovation officer at APN. Prior to joining APN, Howe spent 14 years with Telstra, most recently as director, product innovation.

Chief Marketing Officer Essie Wake

Currently CMO at JCDecaux. Wake, who joined JCDecaux in 2011, was previously marketing director. She has a 19-year career in the media industry, and prior to joining JCDecaux was research and strategy director with Initiative.

NZ Country Head Mike Watkins

Currently in the same role at APN. Prior to joining APN two years ago he was head of social and head of culture at Ogilvy. Watkins also founded Post Creative Group, and has worked as managing partner of DDB and general manager of M&C Saatchi.

“I am confident that we have the right combination of talent, skills and experience in our new leadership team who will now work together to create a market-leading out-of-home company in Australia and New Zealand,” O’Connor said.

“As the world’s largest out-of-home advertising company, we can bring all the benefits a global brand can offer and, with the addition of APN Outdoor’s scale and expertise, behave like the market leader that we are. The leadership team and I will work closely to combine our talent, capabilities, products and technology to deliver our clients a world-class offering.”

The leadership team reports to O’Connor and their appointments are effective from 31st October.

By James Manning

Seven

Home And Away hovered on 600,000 after previous nights of 663,000 and 627,000 this week.

The third night of Bride & Prejudice this week did 525,00, a drop again after a start on 663,000 Monday and then 583,000 on Tuesday.

The drama 9-1-1 then did just under half a million with a start close to 9pm.

Nine

A Current Affair featured Tracy Grimshaw visiting Barbra Streisand at home and in the studio on A Current Affair ahead of a new Streisand album release. That’s one interview that Lisa Wilkinson didn’t get for The Sunday Project. ACA was on 660,000, similar to the Tuesday number.

Family Food Fight was below 400,000 for the second successive night after launching with 411,000 on Monday.

The US drama Manifest then did 345,000 after 463,000 a week ago.

TEN

The Project included a cross to Peter Helliar with Rove McManus on the red carpet at the 10 Upfronts. With Waleed Aly, also at the Upfronts, hosting the Halloween edition of the show with Carrie Bickmore were Tommy Little, Hamish Macdonald and Lehmo. The midweek edition was on 452,000 after 446,000 on Tuesday.

The Bachelorette lifted the audience to 537,000.

Playing For Keeps then did 399,000 for its penultimate episode after 456,000 a week ago.

ABC

The channel’s best Wednesday share of the year was driven by Tom Gleeson and his Hard Quiz, which was #3 overall for the night trailing only the audiences for the two 6pm commercial news bulletins. Hard Quiz was on 679,000 after 707,000 a fortnight ago. (Invictus Games Today had the slot last week.)

Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell then did 665,000 after 626,000 last week.

The launch of Charlie Pickering and Annabel Crabb’s new series Tomorrow Tonight started with 600,000.

Also launching last night was the new midweek music show The Set with a first up audience of 224,000.

SBS

Great British Railway Journeys topped the chart for the channel with 258,000.

Nigella Lawson then hosted a doco on Anna Del Conte, a cook who changed her life, with 181,000 watching.