BMF and Westpac announced their divorce this week after just one year. Both are claiming they initiated the breakup, due in no small part to Mumbrella's own investigations into the matter. BMF fired the first shot, as far as we can tell, but isn't it rather unusual for an agency to fire a client? We discuss.

A nicely timed study from marketing consultancy We Grow came out this week, examining the fragile relationships between those who buy the ads and those who sell the ads.

Small talk is out of fashion these days, it seems, with each meeting needing to have a clear, concise point -- and hopefully nouns used as verbs and vice versa. There is increasingly no tolerance for salespeople reaching out just to reach out, meetings with no clear agenda, and God help the media seller who tries to book a boozy lunch without any concrete pitch. It's a pressure cooker situation, the agencies say, and salespeople who fail to understand this are doomed to annoy agencies into eternity. But aren't relationships built mostly on pointless chit-chat? There's a massive disconnect here, and we delve into it.

Within 24 hours this week, Snap, BBC, and Disney announced around 4,000 job losses between them, with AI being blamed for a lot of the redundancies. But is that just an easy excuse to get rid of staff, and save some money during a period of declining traditional media, soft advertising spend, and mass uncertainty around what technology will bring next?

And we wrap up this week's podcast by asking the question: Why in the world is News Corp launching an 87-year-old fashion title into the Australian marketplace? The mobile-first, social-first play seems at odds with a classic glossy magazine brand, but there may be method in the madness -- especially given the Myer partnership and the e-commerce side of things.

And just for the hell of it, we close with an impromptu magazine-based pop quiz.

Happy listening!

Get the latest episode every Thursday.

Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

We open this week's podcast by parsing the new gambling advertising restrictions announced last week by Anthony Albanese, more than one-thousand Earth days since a parliamentary inquiry recommended a total ban. While this isn't a total ban, in-stadium advertising at sporting events is no longer allowed (including on teams jerseys), TV stations are limited to three ads an hour, celebrities can no longer promote betting companies, and kids will be spared the footy odds blasting through SEN 1116 during school pick-up times.

But do the new restrictions go far enough? Is Albanese's focus on protecting children from the evils of hearing about a same-game multi missing the point, when we live in a country with the most gambling losses (and wins!) per capita in the world?

And what does this mean for the NRL's pending broadcasting deal, which footy boss Peter V'landys still believes will beat the AFL's current $4.5b seven-year deal? For that last question, we pass the mic to gambling and sports media rights expert Lachlan Gepp, who channelled Daryl Kerrigan in saying, "tell him he's dreaming".

This week, Daily Mail Australia hired a new head of digital subscriptions, who has the modest task of driving the transformation of the company's revenue stream.

We discuss how the Mail's increased focus on chasing subscription dollars instead of web traffic marks a big shift in the global media landscape, and ask whether they will be successful in retraining and retaining legions of readers drawn to its entertainment-heavy content.

Also, Ooh Media had an eventful week, with the departure of its chair Tony Faure -- as well as most of the staff within its retail media arm Reo, which will be shutting down by the end of June. While retail media is booming at the moment, there appears to be no room at the inn for third-party companies trying to team up with brick-and-mortar businesses to help them sell retail media assets, advertising, or both.

And, just for fun, we press rewind on a snippet from an February interview with Ooh CEO James Taylor, where he talks about the future of Reo.

Happy listening!

Get the latest episode every Thursday.

Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

We start with the news that Telstra's chief marketing officer Brent Smart has left the company, after launching one of the most memorable campaigns seen on Australian television in years. We couldn't confirm news that he left the offices leaning back and whistling a Bee Gees tune, but we do look at what's next for the country's biggest telco.

And while we're on the subject of telcos, Vodafone has managed to upset a lot of Australians with its newest campaign by suggesting that regional and rural areas are devoid of life, culture, and phone service. Plenty of emus though, apparently. American Ali Wong stars in the commercial, and her claim that "nothing's out here" has made national news. Is the ad elitist, funny, or a bit of both? (Or neither?)

This week, Mumbrella broke the news that Virgin Australia is quietly building its own retail media network, hiring the former McKinsey and VML digital leader Scott Moore to drive its development. Retail media is becoming a major money spinner for brick-and-mortar stores, neatly wrapping together their physical and digital locations to sell you cat food and Zooper Doopers, but how exactly will it work for an airline? And will Qantas board the retail media plane next?

The eSafety Commissioner’s first report on the under-16s social media ban is rather damning. It has found that, close to four months since the implementation of the ban, Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Youtube still have “major gaps” in their compliance, and that more than two-thirds of children under 16 who already had a Facebook account in December when they bans came into play, still do, despite two-thirds of kids also believing Facebook is "totally lame, Mum, gross!" (okay, that final stat isn't from eSafety). We unpack the report.

Finally, Jackie Henderson has filed suit against her former employee ARN, claiming that the termination of her contract “constituted adverse action".

Henderson is arguing that her initial complaint letter, where she said she can no longer work with Kyle Sandilands was simply her exercising her workplace rights, and that the contract was terminated because of this, in contravention of the Fair Work Act.

Happy listening!

In today's interview episode of the Mumbrellacast, Rory Heffernan, CEO of Atomic 21 2, and Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Group ANZ, unpack the year-long integration process, including what's worked and what comes next.

Around the time of recording this episode, ABC employees were returning to work from their 24-hour strike -- the first in 20 years -- which means the skeleton staffers won't have to dust off those old Seachange episodes just yet. But nothing has been resolved, so it remains to be seen if another strike is on the cards.

We break down what the workers want, why they haven't gotten it -- and why managing director Hugh Marks is acting as if working for Aunty is akin to doing national service, with lines like: "I understand that in the current climate higher pay would help many individuals, but we must also remain focused on the long-term sustainability of the ABC and its relevance to all Australians."

Kyle Sandilands filed suit against ARN last Friday, and we got hold of the "concise statement" lodged in Federal Court on his behalf, which we've published in full on the website, and which we unpack on the podcast. The document also reveals, for the first time, the exact amount that Kyle is earning, and under which financial column each of those "services" falls under. There's a curious "consultancy fee" for ARN's hip hop-based digital station CADA, which caught our collective eye. Our guess is Kyle isn't instructing them on which ASAP Rocky album tracks to playlist.

We also talk press releases, following Medianet's Amrita Sidhu's declaration at CommsCon on Wednesday that 73% of journalists told them they "often or occasionally" receive what they suspect to be AI-generated pitches.

"Make no mistake about it though," she said. "Our thematic analysis shows the majority will lose trust in the pitch ... For them, an AI generated pitch is a lazy pitch. It's a non-researched pitch. It's a potentially false pitch. There goes the trust."

We debate whether journalists can detect an AI-generated pitch, and the rising use of press releases in journalism.

Finally, we hear from Tumbleturn Marketing Advisory’s Jen Davidson, who feels we are ready for what she dubbed "Naked Communications 2.0", referring to the storied agency that pioneered unbundling strategy from execution.

Happy listening!

Get the latest episode every Thursday.

Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Is this the end of the saga, or just the beginning? Or the long, long middle? We pick apart the wording from Kyle's impassioned media release, issued a few minutes before his ex-bosses at ARN made the news official on the ASX on Wednesday morning. He has called the lawyers in, and is claiming that his former bosses made it impossible to actually remedy the alleged breach.

Surely Sandilands won't give up his $100m pie without a dragged-out, knock-'em-down legal battle. We speculate wildly on what might happen next.

And sticking with radio, we parse the year's first radio ratings survey, where the main take-away message seems to be that -- in the world of radio -- change takes time to stick. Christian O'Connell replaced Jonesy and Amanda in Sydney breakfast for ARN's Gold, and the listeners were not willing to stick around for the shift. A few stations changed names, and listeners ran away. It's early days though -- we still believe.

Finally, a bunch of top executives in Australia’s advertising industry are facing a future of falling financial returns, as consolidation, shrinking remits, and hordes of sentient robots that love a good em dash have killed off the million-dollar leadership salary -- perhaps for good (in every sense of the word). But where do all these executives end up when the well runs dry? Maybe they can join Kyle at Lowes? Happy listening!

Get the latest episode every Thursday.

Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Speaking to the Mumbrellacast, the founder of Howatson and Co said the approach focuses on merging creative brands that don’t scale, while media operations, where scale actually delivers efficiency, are the parts that make financial sense.

He added that holding companies may continue to make extreme margins on media through principal trading, but this will mask the declining value of their creative businesses as more top talent leaves for independent agencies.

Howatson’s comments come as the agency marks its five-year anniversary, with the founder outlining his long-term commitment to remaining independent, keeping headcount under 200 even at the cost of taking on new clients, and explaining why he believes the industry is entering a creative renaissance despite consolidation and AI disruption.

Unfortunately, since its January 6, 2022 inception, the index has tracked the massive decline of the local media industry, with the total value dropping by more than 60%. If maths isn't your strong suit, that's a big fall for stocks -- which investors generally prefer to increase in value.

As discussed in the podcast, the past four years have been absolutely transformative, just not in a good way.

Originally called Move 2.0, then reverting to simply Move, the long-awaited and much-touted out-of-home audience measurement tool is finally live, having been in development since 2021, and teased numerous times along the way.

Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of the Outdoor Media Association, appears on the Mumbrellacast, where Tim Burrowes quizzes her on the future of out-of-home advertising, the granular new Move system, and what's happening within the OMA. Burrowes also asks McIntyre about her own plans, now the big project has been completed and delivered.

For the uninitiated, Move tracks audience data from around 180,000 outdoor advertising sites around the country, by modelling a synthetic audience of 2.2 million Australians and their daily movements. This system was built after tracking the movements of 5,000 people over a fortnight across more than 280,000 different routes. It then predicts the likely audience of each out-of-home advertising point. This information is calibrated against independent data sources for further accuracy, and is available in hourly increments.

Listen to the whole conversation on the Mumbrellacast, by subscribing on your favourite podcast app, or clicking on the player above.

It's been quite the week in radio-land, with ARN using the dump button on Kyle Sandilands for "serious misconduct" which is, of course, legalese for "teasing his co-host for believing in star charts".

We smashed the glass and issued an emergency podcast on Tuesday evening shortly after ARN dropped the bombshell that the Kyle and Jackie O show is no more -- you can listen to that here -- but today we investigate what is likely to be a long and drawn out legal battle between Sandilands and his former station.

Victoria-Jane Otavski from Blackbay Lawyers unpacks all the legal elements for us, and looks at whether or not the network actually has a case for alleging serious misconduct in breach of his contract. As she asks, how can someone remedy a behavioural breach that's already happened -- without using some serious time-space misconduct.

This week Mumbrella broke the story that Australian content platform Envato was sacking up to a third of its workers. Envato has flown under the radar for many, but for certain creatives it provides songs, sounds, stock imagery, and photography -- paying billions out to the creatives who made the original pieces, while providing a rich content library to those who need it.

It was bought by Shutterstock last year for a whopping US$245m, so this is a major Australian start-up success story gone slightly pear-shaped. We look at why it needed to make such a drastic downsizing, and whether or not AI has reared its mechanical head (spoiler: it has).

Finally, we look at Vinyl Group's acquisition of Val Morgan Digital, which will see the media company add Buzzfeed, Ladbible, Popsugar, Vox Media, and Choctop Monthly to its growing stable of brands (fair enough, I made up Choctop Monthly).

We wonder aloud whether the $7m (plus $3.5m in Vinyl stock) was too much to pay, or if this is all part of the masterplan to build a media stable to fuel the company's music tech dreams?

Happy listening!

Get the latest episode every Wednesday.

Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

That's Freddie Mckenzie, co-founder of Manifest, a startup using AI to automatically construct timesheets at agencies. Mckenzie, speaking with Tim Burrowes in the latest episode of Mumbrella's Unmaker Series podcast, says he's well aware that many in the industry think billable hours is a broken model: but that doesn't mean it's irrelevant.

 "The agency model and the whole industry runs on time: time's a really important component at the moment. It's becoming less important as we go into the future, but ultimately it's a service-based industry ... [and time remains important for] understanding your costs, understanding your resourcing, understanding your team, and understanding your business."

Manifest began as an internal tool ("Shutterspeed") built inside Mackenzie's Auckland production company Vivid Creative (now Chameleon). The system uses machine learning to automate time sheet tracking, and Mckenzie says that pricing model will initially be based on standard per-seat SaaS models.

McKenzie told Burrowes that while some people may have privacy concerns about the software, it was probably worth it even on an individual basis because for many agency people, timesheeting is the worst part of their job.

Manifest is not a simple timesheeting stand-in: it's designed to give managers a better understanding of their own operations.

 "Charging based on time is definitely becoming obsolete really fast -- it de-incentivizes agencies to use AI tooling because it's supposed to make us faster."

 "What Manifest is designed to do is help you understand how outputs are created and how value is created inside the agency," he says.

The sudden and dramatic axing of FM radio's biggest show of the last two decades has enormous consequences not just for Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson, but also for ARN Media and even rival Southern Cross Austereo.

Tonight's ASX announcement also sets the stage for a legal battle between Sandilands and ARN.

In an emergency edition of the Mumbrellacast, Tim Burrowes was joined by Ben Willee, executive director for media and data at Spinach Advertising to unpack the consequences of the media story of the year. What next for the two presenters, and how on earth will Kiis FM fill the breakfast shows in its tow biggest markets?

Ben Willee has a bold suggestion: Beg Gold FM's Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller to return to breakfast, and ask Chrsitian O'Connell to switch networks to Kiis.

The night before they announced their financial results -- and the very next business day after the retirement of chair Kerry Stokes -- SCA's board decided to dump boss Jeff Howard, who used to run Seven, and was very briefly CEO and managing director of the newly merged Seven/SCA. The timing of this decision sent quite a message to the market.

Former SCA boss John Kelly (back when they were "all about audio") is now interim CEO of the company's TV and audio divisions, and decided to use the SCA investor call as a gentle audition to shareholders for the top role.

He looks in with a good shot. After all, it was very clear which of the two companies involved in the Seven/SCA merger is doing the heavy lifting in financial terms, and it's not the one that screens three hours of Home and Away each week ...

“Conversational intelligence” company Sence scanned 4.8m comments on 114 publisher pages and found virulent racism and violent threats among around 400,000 harmful comments attached to news stories.

The New Zealand operation — which has signed up The All Blacks, NZME and Radio New Zealand in its home market — is now pushing into Australia and is using the scan as an illustration of the extent of the problem.

Youtube is the top platform for podcasts in the world, and Spotify has been focusing on video-led podcasts of late. Yet, CRA's Podcast Ranker -- the"only official measurement system" for podcasts -- doesn't count video plays in its count, meaning it's leaving a lot of the audience out of the equation.

Eleanor Dickinson wrote about this topic, speaking to Karl Stefanovic's podcast producer Keshnee Kemp and Spotify ANZ head of podcast Prithi Dey. We discuss the topic further on the show.

Also discussed is Joe Aston's investigative commentary publication Rampart which, he disclosed to Tim, is making “multiples” of $500,000 in revenue after its first year, and was profitable by month two. It's an example of a thriving media company in a market that has seen so many others fail of late. (You can listen to that full interview here.)

Is it good business sense for a business publication to sue its own subscribers? That's what Todd Scott, the owner and publisher of New Zealand premium finance masthead NBR is doing, taking some of its biggest customers to court if they don't ensure their employees all have their own logins. Scott reckons he's make “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from publicly shaming these companies -- so it appears to be good business sense, indeed.

And finally, Tim chats to newly minted Ooh Media CEO James Taylor about whether his out-of-home business is being undervalued by the market.

The pair covered a lot of ground, including a probing discussion on the economics of Aston's operation, his interview guest list, the character of former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, and his plans to expand beyond "the Joe Aston Show".

In this week's Mumbrellacast, our hosts discuss the spray ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin copped from Sarah Hanson-Young over the media watchdog's lack of regulation regarding the Kyle and Jackie O show's continued infringes; the merging of WPP's creative agencies; NZ retailer The Warehouse's eight-week advertising blackout; and Hal's conversation with The Guardian Australia's Liz Wynn on the publication's move to require its most dedicated users to log-in to the site to access its news.

Join Hal Crawford, Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

Thanks to Earmax Media for sponsoring this episode. Click the link HERE to see podcast advertising campaigns that really work, or email hello@earmaxmedia.com directly.

Be sure to check out Tim's chat with the team at Earmax — Andy Maxwell and Ralph van Dijk — HERE.

In today's Mumbrellacast, our team reviews new advertising work for Coopers, Mirvac, Westpac, Bupa and Colorbond; discusses a spate of closures in Australian print media; and Eleanor interviews ex-Clemenger BBDO talent, Vinne Schifferstein, who co-opened a new AI agency, MC&V.

Join Hal Crawford, Eleanor Dickinson, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

We are interrupting our normal schedule to bring you an emergency Mumbrellacast, after both Nine and Nova delivered major news to end the working week.

Join Nathan Jolly, Tim Burrowes, Hal Crawford and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

For this week’s Mumbrellacast, we have a live recording from the Perth edition of the Compass roadshow, where we heard from the cream of the Western Australian media and marketing community.

At The Globe, Tim Burrowes moderated a panel where Block Branding co-founder and creative strategy director Mark Braddock; Social Meteor managing director Luke Whelan; chief marketing and growth officer at HIF Australia Kristina Green; and marketing consultant Alice Manners discussed ChatGPT's impact on the world, whether bravery still exists in marketing, and the reliance on gambling advertising dollars in the media.

In this week's Mumbrellacast, we head to Adelaide for the Compass event, where four of the city's leading lights in the marketing and media world talk about recent changes in government policy, the struggles of running an agency, and how Adelaide is a bellwether for the rest of the industry.

From the surrounds of the wonderfully named Elephant British Pub, Tim Burrowes moderates an all-star panel that features Sean O’Brien, managing director at Nine Adelaide, Katheryn Korczak, co-owner of Nation Creative, Michael Healy, CMO of the Royal Automobile Association, and Adele Gibb, managing director at Carat.

The panel — Thinkerbell's chief executive officer, Margie Reid; Southern Cross Austereo's head of marketing, Naomi Gorringe; Atomic 212's chief strategy officer, Asier Carazo; and Mondelez International's vice president, marketing ANZ, Ben Wicks — talk about the opportunities and challenges around the encroachment of AI, how to capitalise on a viral moment, the gaps in diversity hiring, and the perils of attracting younger generations to an unsteady industry.

This week’s Mumbrellacast is a live recording from our Compass Brisbane event, where a panel of media and marketing insiders speak about the compounding challenges — and opportunities — in the industry.

The panel — Andrew Kolb, head of strategy at VML; Kirsty Lucas, senior vice president of marketing and partnerships at Brisbane Airport; Remy Brassac, co-founder of Rumble and Rumbletown Ventures; Kelly Healy, general manager of News Corp Australia; and Eliott Bledsoe, arts marketing consultant — discussed doing more with less, the negative impact AI will (and is) having on journalism's future, the advertising industry's undervaluation, and how the upcoming Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games will be the sector's "north star".

This week’s Mumbrellacast is a live recording from our Compass Sydney event, where a panel of media and marketing insiders talk about a tough 2025 – and look ahead with optimism.

The panel — Christina Aventi, chief strategy officer at BMF; Bel Harper, chief product and marketing officer at Ooh Media; Anita Ayres, head of brand and marketing at Teachers Mutual Bank; and Clare Pickens, chief executive officer at Leo Burnett — discussed the toughest challenges they faced in the year, how "value-based compensation" should be quantified now that AI is destroying hour-based billing, the controversial conversations the industry should be having, and reasons to remain optimistic (there's even a poem recommendation).

This week’s Mumbrellacast is a live recording from our Compass Hobart event, where a panel of media and marketing insiders talk about an industry in flux.

The panel — Amr Elsayed, head of digital business at Kings Digital; Danika Porter, senior marketing leader and former head of brand and marketing at Federal Group; Clive Dickens, managing director at Meliora; and Craig Herbert, editor of The Hobart Mercury at News Australia — discussed workforce challenges such as the redundancy crisis and shrinking marketing teams, and cultural issues including workplace support for women, mental health and neurodiversity.

In this week's Mumbrellacast, our hosts discuss the latest leader movements at ARN; Christian O'Connell's introduction to Sydney; the media coverage of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack; and the biggest developments in AI this year.

Join Nathan Jolly, Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

Thanks to Earmax Media for sponsoring this episode, click the link HERE to see their maximum impact podcast advertising campaigns or email them directly at hello@earmaxmedia.com.

On this week's Mumbrellacast, the hosts discuss the newly arrived social media ban for teens, communications minister Anika Wells' expense account, AI assistants having a bad week, the media fight surrounding Warner Brothers Discovery, and Mumbrella turning 17.

Join Nathan Jolly, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

Thanks to Earmax Media for sponsoring this episode, click the link HERE to see the latest maximum impact podcast advertising campaigns or email them directly at hello@earmaxmedia.com.

On this week's Mumbrellacast Tim Burrowes, Hal Crawford, Nathan Jolly and host Abe Udy unpack the 2026 upfront presentations, which started with SBS, wrapped with ABC, and saw ARN get involved for the first time.

Thanks to Earmax Media for sponsoring this episode, click the link HERE to see maximum impact podcast advertising campaigns or email them directly at hello@earmaxmedia.com.

In the latest episode of the Mumbrellacast, the hosts discuss the final radio ratings survey of the year; Mutinex declaring that it will only work with technology platforms that uphold “transparency, independence, and the best interest of the advertiser"; Roblox's CEO David Baszucki and his trainwreck interview with a New York Times podcast; and the latest developments in the merger of IPG and Omnicom.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

This week, radio industry body CRA launched its unified audio ID for buying and selling ad inventory across podcasts and radio.

We also discuss the fallout between Nielsen and its long-time leader in this part of the world, Monique Perry, who has been sacked and is now suing the analytics company for unfair dismissal.

Elsewhere, we chat to IAB's global CEO Anthony Katsur, and look at which Australian reality TV shows got the biggest audiences for their finales in 2025.

Join Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

In this special episode of the Mumbrellacast, Tim Burrowes sits down with Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) boss, Lizzie Young, to discuss CRA's Audio ID launch, expensive legal battle with the music industry, and more.

It's Wednesday evening, which means it's time to pour yourself a glass of warm popcorn, fire up your wireless, and settle into another episode of the Mumbrellacast.

After splashing out an estimated $1.5 million on its first-ever upfront presentation late last month to tout the future of its 'entertainment' company, this morning ARN provided the market with a sobering financial update, forecasting a full-year earnings drop of between 25% and 27%.

On Monday morning, Amanda Laing, the newly minted boss of Nine's streaming and broadcast arm, informed nervous staffers that approximately 50 roles in her division will be made redundant -- some people will be redeployed elsewhere, but contractual roles will not be renewed, and some empty positions slated to be filled will remain empty.

Elsewhere, on the Mumbrellacast, we discuss how M+C Saatchi's future has suddenly become unsteady, and it's all because of pesky activist investor Harwood Capital, which recently increased its stake in M+C Saatchi from 3.6% to 4%.

This week also saw the relaunch of Big Brother, which started in 2001 on Ten, was revamped by Nine in 2012, then resuscitated by Seven in 2020. As they say, fourth time's a charm, and Ten have stripped the show back to its essence: chaotic live TV with every chance of nudity, bawdy language, unbridled fighting, and housemate boredom.

Join Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

You can get up to speed with the proposed law here.

Isn't it great: Australian screen production just won a $300m+ lottery

Meanwhile, 'tis the season for Christmas campaigns and Woolworths launched its 2025 platform using last year's creative. Eleanor asks whether the move is really all about saving money, and notes that arch rival Coles Christmas campaign dropped today.

The hosts also observe that Coke's current Christmas TVC, generated entirely by AI, is severely zoologically challenged ...

Finally, Southern Cross Austereo and Seven West Media's proposed merger was given a thumbs up by advisors yesterday. So, why is investor Sandon Capital mad? Tim and Hal analyse the situation.

In this week's Mumbrellacast, Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Nathan Jolly discuss ARN's packed upfront. Having taken over the Star Casino in Sydney, the radio network announced a slew of new content. Check out Nathan's breakdown here.

Yesterday, leaders of the Australian publishing industry gathered for Mumbrella's Publish conference. Nicholas Gray, News Corp Australia's MD and publisher of The Australian and Prestige, took to the stage with Mumbrella's Hal Crawford to discuss a range of topics, including AI, the News Media Bargaining Code, and News Corp's culture. The session is included in full.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

In this week's Mumbrellacast, Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Nathan Jolly and Abe Udy discuss Mumbrella's widespread changes as part of a larger project to bring Mumbrella and Unmade content together on the one platform.

We also look at Seven West Media's upfront event in Sydney, which features the launch of a partnership with Westpac to link 7plus advertising and real-world sales, and 7 Geo Plus for location-based targeting. Seven's chief content officer Brook Hall tells Mumbrella there's a new spirit of collaboration between broadcasters, and the hosts unpack what audiences and marketers can expect from the company over the next 12 months.

Meanwhile, OpenAI released a new web browser overnight -- ChatGPT Atlas. AI-powered browsers have been around for several months -- Perplexity's Comet was launched in July -- but the launch of Atlas is a big deal for the tech landscape. For a deeper dive into OpenAI's browser see Tim's analysis on our website.

In this very special episode of the Mumbrellacast, the show has moved from its headquarters in Glebe to the sunny halls of SXSW Sydney.

Last night, it was Nine's turn to wow advertisers and agencies with its 2025 Upfront. The broadcaster's played it safe, continually reassuring the crowd that it has everything they need to market themselves effectively. And despite the lack of fresh content, the reactions have been positive. Was the effort, or lack thereof, worth it?

Meanwhile, Vinyl Group's CEO Josh Simons announced that the publishing heavyweight would be using AI to hit its break-even target by the end of the year. We discuss if the strategy will work, or if it will add to the "AI slop" already out there.

In the latest round of radio ratings, 2GB climbed back to the top; Kyle and Jackie O's grip on Sydney loosened; and old-school talk radio may not be dead yet. We assess the results to see how radio's faring, and ask Mat if the medium is effective for brand building today.

Dentsu's revolving door has kept spinning with its media CEO Fiona Johnston leaving, in the wake of Kirsty Muddle's departure. The holdco's ANZ CEO Rob Harvey promises "simplicity and less duplication" moving forward, but is it all smoke and mirrors?

Join Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn, Mat Baxter and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Last week, marketing luminary Mark Ritson published an article for Mumbrella about Qantas, arguing that the airline's low trust scores haven't done anything to hurt it financially. In the same piece, Ritson poked the Roy Morgan bear, saying that the research organisation's views on brand trust need "to be taken with a massive dose of salt" — Roy Morgan's CEO Michele Levine responds on the Mumbrellacast in person.

Yesterday, Ten and LG announced a partnership that will see the former's live streaming channels have a prominent place in LG's TV range. Nathan breaks down the deal and explains why the industry should care.

Meanwhile, News Corp's Michael Miller addressed the Melbourne Press Club, rebuking AI's "big steal" while calling for faster action from the government on the News Media Bargaining Incentive. We discuss if Miller's points were hits or misses.

Also, music streaming giant Spotify released six songs to educate marketers on how to use its advertising tools. It's baffling, it's very much real, and we're here to unpack the strategy behind it — and rate the songs of course ...

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Natahan Jolly and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Southern Cross Austereo and Seven West Media’s proposed merger is fascinating: a power move or alliance between two disrupted businesses? We go over the merger’s details to determine which company’s culture — TV or radio — will dominate.

Last week, Mumbrella ran a story on the redundancy crisis that has struck the marketing and media sector in recent times. One of the leaders we spoke to, Edelman’s former chief client officer Amber di Scotto Perta, chatted with Hal about her experiences.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT has a new buying feature in the US that allows users to purchase items directly from the bot’s answers. According to Celia Harding — the founder of language engine optimisation advisory agency Leoprd — the tool will shake the foundations of online shopping. Should brands be worried?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

This week:

Yesterday's Remade event put retail media under the microscope. In separate sessions, Zitcha's Alberto Vergara shared his theory that impulse buying is going to be destroyed by AI agents, and Jonathan Hopkins of Sonder and Commbank's Patrick Crowley dove deep into Commbank's journey of building its own retail media network. So, does retail media have a bright future?

Meanwhile, this week saw Donald Trump drop a Tiktok bombshell, claming that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch were considering investing in the short form video platform in the United States. Fresh off exploring the deal in Unmade, Tim unpacks the details to see if the arrangement actually makes sense.

Last Friday, Optus found itself in the most serious crises of its recently troubled history. CEO Stephen Rue held a press conference late in the day to admit the telco's emergency call service failed in several regions the day before — and had contributed to at least three deaths. Communications expert Peter Wilkinson shared his thoughts of the incident with Hal.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Expert marketer Mat Baxter rolled out a tattoo luxury skincare line, Skingraphica, after finding that popular cosmetic brands didn't supply products specifically for tattoo skincare. He spoke with Hal about the new venture, and revealed the unorthodox marketing practices he's going to deploy for it.

Meanwhile, Mumbrella360 2026 has been officially announced. "Catalyst" is the theme for Australia's top media and marketing event, and our head of curation, Cat McGinn, is here to share what delegates can expect.

The government has elaborated on the under-16s social media ban, publishing guidelines that explain how digital media platforms can successfully enforce the ban. The question is not so much what's in the guidelines, but what's left out.

Earlier, Asha Dooley, the president of Funerals Australia, chatted with Hal about how she goes about marketing a distressing business. It's something no one wants to face, so how does Dooley make it work?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Youtube marked its 20th birthday by gathering 600 industry personnel in Sydney and dazzling them with its own version of a TV upfront. The video streaming platform shared its latest products with the crowd, and Hal was there to see if it was all worth it.

The latest radio ratings are in, and Nine Radio climbed back in Melbourne. Kyle and Jackie O have also gained some ground in the Victorian city. We go over the results to see who's currently on top.

In this week's Upfronts season, Mamamia announced a refreshed strategy spanning shows and written content. We examine the network's stated strategy shift to a "house of brands".

Meanwhile, Omnicom's Eleven has officially absorbed Mango Communications Sydney, and TBWA named Kimberlee Wells as its Australian CEO. Freelance journalist and old friend of the show, Lauren McNamara is back to give a rundown of what happened on both fronts and what this means moving forward.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The bosses of the Australian TV industry flooded Canberra this week to lobby the government for tax relief and to put an end to gambling ad restrictions. Tim was there too, and he's here to share all the details of the event - and the conversations he had with the industry's most powerful people.

Upfronts season has finally arrived and SBS is the first out of the gate. We discuss what the country's multicultural public broadcaster has up its sleeves, and if it'll be enough to wow media buyers.

Meanwhile, fresh off delivering its full-year financial results, Vinyl Media has made just under 10% of its workforce redundant, including its head of editorial and head of publishing.

The media giant described the move as "a small adjustment", but with a looming deadline to break even only four months away, we have to ask: will Vinyl Group make breakeven by its deadline of December?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Nine's finances for FY2025 were released this morning, and the combined weight of the Olympics, Stan and Domain helped the media organisation stay upright. But should Nine be celebrating?

Meanwhile, rivals ARN and SCA have released their own financial results, while rumours of Nine being interested in buying SCA continue. Nathan is here to break down the numbers and share what SCA CEO John Kelly said of the rumours during their recent chat.

The Australian Association of National Advertisers released a report that stated most people say junk food advertising doesn't affect them. The University of Wollongong's professor of public health nutrition Bridget Kelly criticised the findings. Hal sat down with her to learn why she rejected the findings out of hand.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Nathan Jolly and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The country's sole independent newswire, Australian Associated Press, has struck a deal with Google to feed its news into the Gemini app. Does the deal make sense?

Meanwhile, Ooh Media released its half-yearly results this week — and the numbers were strong. Tim spoke with the company's outgoing CEO, Cathy O'Connor, earlier. Plus, Nathan shares how the out-of-home sector is performing according to the Outdoor Media Association's latest research.

Earlier this month, Skydance's US$8 billion purchase of Paramount made it one of the largest media deals of the century. Now, Paramount's ex-owner Shari Redstone has revealed what she really thought of the process, and the controversial payment to Donald Trump.

With Tim Burrowes, Hal Crawford, Nathan Jolly and Abe Udy.

CEO Ruben Schreurs sat down with Mumbrella's Hal Crawford for a wide-ranging interview that ran the gamut from agency disruption, to advertiser news avoidance, Elon Musk, outdoor, the rise of Publicis and a personal attack on Schreurs that almost cost him his life.

At the same time, Seven released its full-year financial results, and the numbers are sobering. We dissect them to see where the business lost ground and where it may actually be rebuilding.

We include a snippet from Hal's full-length interview with Ruben Schreurs, CEO of marketing effectiveness and media efficiency platform Ebiquity. Schreurs spoke on the impact AI summaries will have on web publishers, but also a great deal more -- stand by for the full interview later this week.

To wrap things up, we also say goodbye to a certain Mumbrella associate editor and frequent Mumbrellacast contributor as they enter the next stage of their career.

Get the latest episode every Wednesday.

Podcast edit by Abe's Audio.

Dentsu ANZ dropped a bomb this morning, revealing that its CEO Patricio De Matteis is leaving the business with the company's New Zealand boss, Rob Harvey, stepping in as his replacement. We discuss what this means for the holdco.

News Corp released its full-year financials, and despite declining revenue for its Australian operations, the media giant's results are strong. Hal dissects the major numbers and the reasons for them.

Meanwhile, the radio industry has been buzzing with ARN's plans for the Christian O'Connell Show. Nath and Tim discuss the "national live" launch that doesn't seem to live up to its name.

Last week, Atlassian's Scott Farquhar called for the country's copyright laws to be changed — a move that the Productivity Commission supports with a recommendation that a fair use provision be introduced to allow companies to use copyrighted material to train large language models. Is this the right move?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara, Nathan Jolly and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Over the weekend, Google ramped up the under-16s social media ban fight by sending at letter to the Australian government with legal claims for exemption (which it has just officially lost). We analyse Google's arguments to see if the tech juggernaut has a case or if it's shouting at a wall.

Hal interviews executive director of media and data at Spinach Advertising Ben Willee about the commercial impact of the under-16s ban on Google.

Meanwhile, Solstice Media announced it is acquiring a majority shareholding in Australian Traveller Media — and it's not the only business decision the indie media company has made in recent weeks. Tim dissects Solstice's latest moves and answers Hal's burning questions.

Also, a storm of media activity will lash the industry in the coming weeks. Tim gives four clear predictions about what's going to happen.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The restructure of Omnicom's Oceania operations has dominated the trade press this week, particularly with the confirmation that Nick Garrett will be returning to lead the new organisation. Is Omnicom just aligning with the rest of the industry or is there something different afoot here?

Meanwhile, Nathan spoke with ARN's chief audience and content officer, Lauren Joyce, about FM station Gold trumping Nine Radio's AM talkback in the Melbourne radio ratings. We break down the latest radio survey data to see who's gaining traction and who's slowing down.

Also this week, Tim chats with Private Media CEO Will Hayward about his purchase of rival publisher, Pinstripe Media. Was it money well spent?

Nine's $1.4 billion sale of real estate business Domain is fast approaching, and with the broadcaster intending to pay half of that money to its shareholders, we discuss what the company should do with the remaining funds.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara, Nathan Jolly and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Southern Cross Austereo's chief content officer, Dave Cameron, is leaving the business after three decades, and with the network recently selling its regional TV licence and doubling down on an 'all about audio' ethos, it's made us wonder: Did he jump or was he shown the door?

This week has also seen the publication of independent studies from TRA and Cubery that capture what ads Australians find memorable. Telstra took the crown as the "most unforgettable" brand advertiser, and also the most hated. But is hate such a bad thing?

Performance PR platform Linkby's CEO Chris Wirasinha – best known for co-founding Pedestrian – says AI is revolutionising the publishing industry. Most notably through the "new world" of generative engine optimisation. Is the media leader correct? And if so, what can brands learn from this?

Join Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara, Nathan Jolly and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

During the Covid pandemic, a serious accident left Naked Communications Australia co-founder Mat Baxter with serious injuries, forcing the agencyland leader into 12 weeks of recuperation — while trying to fill his role of chief executive officer at global consultancy Huge in New York.

But the tragedy became a cornerstone moment for Baxter, who now holds an equity stake in Tmrw, a disruptive healthcare start up that aims to revolutionise wellness via data and AI.

In this special interview edition of the Mumbrellacast, Mat Baxter reveals why and how he bought into Tmrw and cemented himself as its “disruptor in chief”.

Join Hal Crawford and Mat Baxter in this special episode of the Mumbrellacast.

The Commonwealth Bank has the industry and consumers talking about its latest ad campaign.

But it's not just the 90-second whirlwind of a TVC featuring cars, several Matildas, and even a biplane that has captured people's attention — it's the 'Australian first' media strategy leveraging a 48-hour roadblock across BVOD.

We break down the work to answer what everyone's asking: how effective is it?

Mitsubishi Australia and creative agency Richards Rose spent serious cash to secure the rights to AC/DC’s ‘It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)’ for the former's latest campaign. Was the expense worth it?

Meanwhile, Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trial attracted the world's attention, and generated several media gaffes. We discuss the fumbles, including those of a well-known shock jock.

Recently, Hal had a chat with one of Australia's most successful media agency executives, Mat Baxter, on his life in advertising and the future of marketing. What does the Naked Communications Australia co-founder think of the industry?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

As of yesterday, the South Australian government has banned junk food advertising on its own properties, a move that advertising bodies are none too happy about. Lauren breaks the situation down — and reveals the South Australian government's sharp jab back at advertisers.

Meanwhile, Cloudflare, an internet backend provider, is moving to default blocking of AI bots scraping websites. Some of the world's largest publishers have voiced their support for the move, but why should we care?

This week, Tim is on the ground at Madfest — a UK marketing expo held in a brewery car park — and he's sent us some insights into the annual event that brings together more than 10,000 marketers.

Following in the wake of her legal victory, Antoinette Lattouf has spoken at length about her fight with the ABC, revealing what it felt like in the court and calling for a personal apology.

Join Hal Crawford, Lauren McNamara and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

After months of battling the ABC in court on the grounds that she was unfairly dismissed from her radio gig over her views on Israel and Gaza, the Federal Court ruled in favour of journalist Antoinette Lattouf. What did the judge say and what does the verdict mean for the ABC?

Overseas in the United States, the FTC officially approved Omnicom's acquisition of IPG — a deal that will create the largest ad holding company in the world. Tim unpacks the details of the merger and Australia's position in the matter.

Julie Inman Grant, Australia's eSafety commissioner, spoke at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday, arguing that Youtube shouldn't be exempted from the under-16's social media ban. Is she right?

Meanwhile, Google's payments to several small publishers will be ending, despite the parties involved believing the deals would extend to 2027. Has Google gone too far?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Hunt covers Linkedin's recent push for video and how it has created an opportunity, Reddit as a traffic source, and an AI workflow that can increase subs to newsletters.

Telstra and creative agency Bear Meets Eagle On Fire won the Film Craft Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It's one of the most prestigious awards in adland — Lauren breaks down the win and shares an update on other awards the Australian industry has secured.

Clemenger Group's changing of the guard continues with the announcement that its CEO Les Timar handed in his resignation after spending more than two decades with the business.

Jonathan Hunt, head of content at HubSpot, had a chat with Hal about what platforms are working for content marketing. Where do you go if you need to find an audience now?

Finally, the University of Canberra's Digital News Report 2025 found that women are far more likely to avoid the news than men. Is that really the case or is there more than meets the eye?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Mumbrella editorial director Hal Crawford talks with Hywood at length in this interview edition of the Mumbrellacast, covering Hywood's career, the nature of journalism and journalists - and, intriguingly, his view on whether the Nine Fairfax merger he engineered seven years ago has worked.

Credit to Abe's Audio for another brilliant edit.

Two long-running television shows, ABC's Q+A and Ten's The Project, have officially been axed at their respective networks.

Q+A is being replaced by documentaries, while The Project is being replaced by an investigative news and current affairs program. We discuss what these major changes mean for Australian TV.

Meanwhile, a new Women in Media Industry Insight report has uncovered the key workplace issues women are facing in the media sector. Should we be surprised by the findings?

Last week, former Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood announced he would be departing media by stepping down as chair of Free TV. Hal spoke with him about the move — and learned what the long-time media expert really thinks of Nine.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Last week, iconic Australian adland figure David Droga announced he would be stepping down from Accenture Song. Since then, M+C Saatchi’s APAC CEO, Justin Graham, and Dentsu Creative ANZ’s chief creative officer, Ben Coulson, also revealed they were moving on.

They’re just a few among the many major talent movements in the industry — we go over them all and examine the root of all the turmoil.

Optus’ ex-digital product boss Clive Dickens is officially setting up his own AI consultancy. With a track record like his, people are paying attention.

Yesterday, Hal sat down with Mamamia’s CEO Natalie Harvey and chief content officer Zara Curtis to learn more about the network’s new video strategy. Is it up to par?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Recorded live on stage at Mumbrella360, this special episode of the Mumbrellacast sees the worlds of Unmade and Mumbrella collide.

Over the past two weeks, we've been hearing from multiple sources that Linkedin is becoming increasingly relevant for marketers. We discuss if the platform's moment is just a fad or the start of a new age of marketing.

Meanwhile, The Australian recently published a list of TV's highest paid personalities — but after Mumbrella did a bit of digging, it turns out radio stars are being paid more. Are the numbers accurate?

Last week, Google launched a set of AI tools, including video generation and editing tool, Flow. Unmade's Cat McGinn and Genero's global partnerships director, Christie Poulos, discuss the implications this has for adland.

Tim also takes a look at how the marketing and media industry has changed in the 14 years since he first launched Mumbrella360.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn, Christie Poulos and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

For the first time ever, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has released the gender pay gaps of companies in the Commonwealth public sector — and that includes broadcasters ABC and SBS. We unpack the data to see who’s winning and who needs to catch up.

Last week, Hal interviewed Ooh Media’s chief revenue officer, Mark Fairhurst, who threw back the curtain on outdoor media. The conversation was rich: we share the highlights and go in-depth on the challenges in the sector.

Google recently announced a new search tool, AI Mode, that’s gearing up to revolutionise the future of search. Should marketers be worried?

In a surprising turn of events, OMG’s Resolution Digital has retired its media brand and the agency has folded into Hearts and Science. Lauren gives us the low-down on the story and what will happen moving forward.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

The Outdoor Media Association held a conference in Sydney last week, where it revealed that its new metrics suite, Move, is launching… at some point. It has been years in the making, so why the delay?

 Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp, issued a stark warning to US President Donald Trump that AI companies are stealing content, such as his ‘The Art of the Deal’ book, to train language models. We unpack why Thomson voiced the concern.

 Meanwhile, chicken wings chain Wingstop is the latest US fast food brand to enter the Australian market, and has picked up Hello as its agency of record. Lauren breaks down the brand, Hello’s role in its launch, and its place amongst its fellow US chains trying to make it big in Australia.

 We also determine if Anika Wells — the new Communications Minister — is ready for the role, and if Australia needs an industry body for the whole of media.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

This morning, Are Media announced a deal that it would sell ads for US publisher Dotdash Meredith in the Australian market. Hal had a rare chat with Are Media's CEO Jane Huxley who claims the sun has come out.

Meanwhile, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) is officially selling its remaining regional TV licences to Seven West Media — and not Australian Digital Holdings (ADH) as was originally planned. We discuss if this was a good move for SCA, and ADH's response to the news.

Netflix's Australian financial accounts have been filed and they're raking in over $1 billion in cash — good for them, but what about their tax dealings is unfair?

Yesterday, Unmade's Humain conference took place in Sydney. There was much on the agenda, but it was AI consultant Lucio Ribeiro and his stance that AI will replace jobs that got us thinking... is he right?

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Metafest has just wrapped up for 2025, and to mark the occasion, Hal and Tim sat down with Meta's ANZ managing director Will Easton.

From the News Media Bargaining Code to Meta's tax payments and the highly publicised social media ban for people under the age of 16, Easton faced questions on some controversial issues in this special episode of the Mumbrellacast.

Join Hal Crawford and Tim Burrowes for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The US Department of Justice recently stood in court and said it wants Google to sell Chrome — and since the tech giant has already been found to possess an illegal search monopoly, there is actually a chance it will have to give up the world’s most popular web browser.

Hal spoke with In Marketing We Trust’s CEO Paul Hewett to unpack the impact the sale would have on marketers, and discovered that click-through is down on search ads thanks to AI overviews.

Meanwhile, after her departure from Nine earlier this year, veteran journalist and former 60 Minutes host Liz Hayes has shifted to arch rival Seven’s Spotlight.

Hayes is stepping into an institution plagued with legal issues and the fallout of Bruce Lehrmann’s infamous defamation case, and a Four Corners workplace culture exposé. But Spotlight has also done quite well in ratings this year. Is Hayes joining a winning team?

Join Hal Crawford, Abe Udy and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

According to the ACCC, Australians are increasingly falling victim to fake business scams orchestrated through Facebook. The new crop of scammers pretend to be old Australian businesses closing down, and they seem to be everywhere. What does the platform have to say about it?

Meanwhile, Tim sat down with agencyland’s favourite comedian — and Mumbrella360 2025 keynote speaker — Rob Mayhew. With the prolific content creator in the hotseat, there was much to discuss.

Over the weekend, former Schwartz Media CEO Ben Shepherd published a LinkedIn post championing a walled garden premium ad exchange in Australia. Shepherd said the current VOZ streaming ad product should be made exclusive — is he right?

Also, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he’s a big fan of actual printed newspapers and magazines … is there more at play here?

Join Hal Crawford and Tim Burrowes for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Tuesday’s Future of TV Advertising conference in Sydney saw a bit of friction on stage when the topic shifted to principal media trading (PMT). The panel of industry experts were divided: evil, 80% evil, or non-existent in Australia?

Meanwhile, Nine’s ex-boss Mike Sneesby is heading halfway across the world to become CEO at the Middle East Broadcasting Center. It’s the region’s biggest broadcaster and Sneesby’s remit will be far larger than what he dealt with at Nine. Is he ready for it?

To cap things off, the trade press was just taken to task by the CEO of audience measurement company, Oztam. What did we do wrong?

Join Hal Crawford and Tim Burrowes for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Recently, news broke that agency group Growthops has entered administration with liquidators flooding in to officiate the group's companies' end — should we have seen this coming?

An audit on government spending has shown that  X (formerly known as Twitter) advertising was banned in 2022. We ask TrinityP3's Darren Woolley for his take on X advertising. Meanwhile, customer satisfaction for UM, the government's media agency, has fallen. Should the agency be worried?

Fresh data From TrinityP3 has revealed that adland's agencies are not happy about the state of pitching. With Darren in the room, we get to the heart of the research and pitching's surprisingly controversial nature.

Join Hal Crawford and Tim Burrowes for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

This week:

Two big streaming television plays, and the Australian federal budget are dominating media and marketing industry chatter at the moment.

This week, American sports channel ESPN is launching in Australia on Disney+, while on Monday, Warner Bros Discovery is rolling out its streaming service, Max. What does this mean for sporting rights, and the advertising world? Will we see Sportsbets ads at the house of the mouse?

Meanwhile, the 2025 federal budget had something for everyone — including HECS cuts, a freeze on the beer excise, and a ban on non-compete clauses for people earning less than $175K. How will the industry fare without non-compete clauses, and are they currently being misused?

To top it off, Anna Saulwick, the founder of local news startup Gazette, sat down with Hal to discuss the political accusations levelled at the news provider.

Join Hal Crawford and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

This week:

Data is the name of today's game as we took our show to our Retail Marketing Summit at the Crown, Sydney.

Michele Levine — Roy Morgan's chief executive officer — delved deeper into the data that shows the forces impacting the retail sector. From the increasing popularity of Shein and Temu to an embattled Australia, what's going on?

Meanwhile, the newly released results of the Edelman Trust Barometer and Medianet's journalism survey have both uncovered that the public doesn't trust the media — not at all. We discuss why this could be the case.

Join Hal Crawford and Tim Burrowes for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

This week:

Ex-parliamentary member and businessman Clive Palmer's political ads mirror Donald Trump's anti-woke views - should the media stop running them?

Meanwhile, social network app Weare8 is shutting down its Australian offices, with nine people being let go. But according to its founder, Zoe Kalar, the company is not slowing down and is allocating resources to its UK and US operations.

To top it off, Tim sat down with News Corp Australia boss Michael Miller to discuss Tubi – a free streaming video service.

Join Hal Crawford and Tim Burrowes for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

This week:

Fresh data on the gender pay gap in Australia—and how adland is contributing to it—is the hot topic in the industry this week.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency released its annual gender pay gap data on Tuesday, including insights into the media and marketing sector. Why does the gender pay gap still persist in modern-day Australia? And, gender imbalance aside, we break down the best and worst payers in adland.

In other news, presenter and journalist Natarsha Belling has officially left Triple M less than six weeks into her role – we speculate on what prompted her decision to walk away from breakfast radio.

Join Hal Crawford and Tim Burrowes for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Half-year results, massive takeover bids, and the ABC's ongoing legal battle with Antoinette Lattouf have given the industry much to talk about in the last seven days.

This week:

The saga between Nine Entertainment Company, Costar and Domain; the financial half-year results from ARN, SCA, Ooh Media and Nine; Warner Bros Discovery's launch of its long-awaited Max streaming service in Australia; and Ita Buttrose's must-read legal letter on alleged misrepresentation by ex-ABC managing director David Anderson.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Between Unmade's Compass event in Auckland on Tuesday evening and James Murdoch's juicy interview, the media and marketing industry has had much to discuss.

This week:

The former chief executive officer and founder of The Brag Media, Luke Girgis, is taking Vinyl Group to court for unfair dismissal; the Warehouse Group's chief marketing officer, Jo Mitchell, defends NZ Tourism's 'Everyone Must Go' campaign; James Murdoch shares insights into his famous family's highly publicised succession battle; and Ooh Media gets caught in a greenwashing scandal.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Lauren McNamara for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

A lot has gone down in the media lately.

This week:

Seven West Media's first half-year financials for FY25; Ita Buttrose taking the stand in the highly publicised ABC vs Antoinette Lattouf court case; American sports broadcaster, ESPN heading to Disney+; and Jackie 'O' Henderson sharing her thoughts on the Kyle & Jackie O Show not making a splash in Melbourne.

Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

It’s a new year and the Mumbrellacast is back for 2025.

This week:

The controversy surrounding US-based creative agency Wieden+Kennedy’s all-male entrance into the Australian market; why Commercial Radio & Audio this afternoon withdrew its claims about the reach of Australia’s podcasts; and, for one final time, Adam’s Other Business.

Join Abe Udy, Tim Burrowes, Adam Lang, Lauren McNamara and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

On the final episode of the year, we talk all the major movements in the media and marketing industry this week, including more brand crises.

Also on this episode:

• The Age’s David Swan joins to talk Kim Williams and Joe Rogan

How did Australia fare this year for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

This month has seen some major movements in both TV and radio as brands get ready for 2025. Have they got it right?

Also on this episode:

• Osher Günsberg talks the state of the Australian TV landscape

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

We discuss some of Australia’s biggest names in radio who have been put under the microscope in the past week.

Also on this episode:

• We chat to ARN chief, Duncan Campbell
• Major brands come under regulatory scrutiny

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Seven held its 2025 upfront this week – is the media giant in for a big year?

Also on this episode:

• We talk to Seven TV group MD, Angus Ross, and Gereurd Roberts, Seven Digital’s group managing director
• Major Aussie airlines and supermarkets fail to own their mistakes and repair brand damage

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella

Nine covered its first Melbourne Cup this week in what is a six-year deal - did the network get it right?

Also on this episode:

• ABC grilled over fake shots edit.
• Kyle & Jackie O slammed by senator.

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Industry leader and founder of MakeLoveNotPorn, Cindy Gallop, and Hotwire’s creative director, Jen Dobbie, share their thoughts on the lack of diversity in Australia’s advertising industry. Can things improve?

Also on this episode:

• We prepare for next week’s Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit and Awards.
• Sustainability becomes a top priority across the board as industry bodies unite for Australian Chapter of Ad Net Zero, AANA launches Environmental Claims Code, and SBS sets a new bar in broadcasting.

Join Adam Lang and Lauren McNamara for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Nine Entertainment continues to deal with the aftermath of its workplace report - which has included engaging a law firm - all while it gears up for its upfront this week. Where to from here?

Also on this episode:

• Pure Public Relations founder Phoebe Netto talks about the Nine crisis
• Thinkerbell head Adam Ferrier and Dan Monheit join the show

Join Neil Griffiths and Lauren McNamara for a look at everything under Australia’s media and

marketing umbrella.

Announced this week, The Monkeys Matt Michael is set to take on the role of Droga5 Australia and New Zealand CEO from December. He joins the show to talk all about it.

Also on this episode:

• We break down the Four Corners investigation of Live Nation
• CommsCon is back for 2025!

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and

marketing umbrella.

Shock jock Kyle Sandilands exploded at Melbourne audiences after he and Jackie O posted another disappointing result. Where does the show go from here?

Also on this episode:

• We’re joined by the former head of content at Southern Cross Austereo, Craig Bruce, to dissect the news
• FutureBrand Australia chief executive, Rich Curtis, joins the show to look at the top brands of 2024

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella

As the Melbourne radio wars continue, Sydney has been dealt its own shock result. Here’s why it’s important to Australia’s media and marketing industry

Also on this episode:

• We break down top of the funnel advertising

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

It’s been a very tough year for the major supermarket chains and it only got worse this week. Is the brand damage beyond repair?

Also on this episode:

• A LOT of Australians are listening to podcasts
• Have you heard of the misery index?

Join Neil Griffiths and Nathan Jolly a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

As upfronts season continues, some big moves are presenting new and exciting opportunities for brands and advertisers in 2025.

Also on this episode:

• We talk to Daniel Monaghan, Paramount ANZ’s senior vice president of content and programming
• We’re also joined by some of the Mamamia leadership team, including CEO Nat Harvey

Join Neil Griffiths and Nathan Jolly a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

PM Anthony Albanese has confirmed plans to introduce social media restrictions on teens and a ban on gambling ads. What does this all mean for the Australian industry?

Also on this episode:

• We’re joined by Nova breakfast host, Michael “Wippa” Wipfli.
• Reactions to the Trump v Harris debate

.

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and

marketing umbrella.

It’s been another big week at Seven this week – both good and bad. While a former reporter has publicly attacked the network, another big name has announced her next move following her departure.

Also on this episode:

• We’re on ground at MSIX in Sydney!
• We chat to Telstra’s head of creative excellence, Anna Jackson, and Two Broke Chicks co-host and co-founder, Sally McMullen

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and

marketing umbrella.

Nine Entertainment released its financials this week, while CEO Mike Sneesby shared updates on internal reviews, Meta and the company’s outlook. Can the media giant capitalise on the opportunity?

Also on this episode:

• A look at the latest radio ratings and why commercial radio has never been bigger
• Why you need to get your tickets to MSIX next week

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

This month has seen one of the biggest film PR disasters in recent memory, while the argument of streaming vs cinema continues. Meanwhile, a new report highlights why the media and marketing industry needs to bring the fight to AI.

Also on this episode:

• We talk to Thinkerbell’s Adam Ferrier ahead of next month’s MSIX

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The Olympics were sensational, so how many tuned in while businesses faced a "challenging market"?

Also on this episode:

• The Federal Government is considering banning gambling advertising - we discuss the impact of expected legislation
• Shaun Micallef joins us to talk about his new show for ABC TV, 'Eve of Destruction'
• It is the corporate season for annual results. We discuss trading conditions and what this means for brands and marketer

Join Adam Lang and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

MEAA members struck a deal with Nine Publishing, but negotiations are far from finished. We speak to acting MEAA media director Michelle Rae for her take.

Also on this episode:

• Kim Williams begins to put his stamp on ABC
• We talk to Network 10 legend Sandra Sully

Join Neil Griffiths and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

While the media industry deals with challenges like redundancies, a prominent marketing figure says adland is also going through turmoil… but he’s got some good ideas to get out of it.

Also on this episode:

• Nine journalist strike ends
• The success of the 2024 Olympics so far

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

While there are more challenges to come just days out from the Olympics' opener, more calls are growing for government support for the A-Leagues ahead of the upcoming season.

• We talk to Optus Sport head Clive Dickens
• What Google abandoning its cookie deprecation quest means for the Australian industry
• We preview tomorrow’s Finance Marketing Summit

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Also on this episode:

• We talk about the latest news regarding Meta and news on its platform
• Associate editor Lauren McNamara talks to an ex-LADbible Group leader about a new digital publisher

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

As more redundancies are rolled out and brands continue to get hit with controversies, are we getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel?

Also on this episode:

• We talk radio ratings and are joined by NOVA’s Brendan Taylor, ARN’s Duncan Campbell and SCA’s Dave Cameron

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Some of the country’s biggest names – including CMOs Mel Hopkins and Nikki Clarkson – have departed their respective companies due to the rapidly changing media and marketing landscape. So, how will brands and companies be able to continue making unique and authentic connections with their audience?

Also on this episode:

• Christian O’Connell takes on Australian radio rivals
• We tease this week’s international one-on-one guest

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Following months of controversies and scandals, Seven has now announced a major shake-up to its leadership team under a “new operating model”? With major names departing, where to now for the media giant?

Also on this episode:

• We discuss Free TV’s latest ad and why it may have missed the mark

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The rise of AI, redundancies, and cultural changes – the media and marketing industry is going through a quickening. But there is opportunity in the crisis…

Also on this episode:

• Can a censorship on social media really work?

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Peter Costello’s resignation on Sunday has delivered more controversy for Nine, but is there opportunity in the crisis?

Also on this episode:

• Can broadcasters evolve to a subscription model?

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The Nine board and CEO Mike Sneesby insist they are on the same page and evoking change. Can the media giant turn a new leaf?

Also on this episode:

• Journalist Lauren McNamara breaks down her thoughts on if the industry is serious about supporting female creatives

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Channel Nine are under fire following staff allegations and reports of unease with its board and CEO Mike Sneesby. We look at everything that’s happened so far and what could come next.

Also on this episode:

• A look back on all the best moments of Mumbrella360 2024

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

On this special episode of the Mumbrellacast, hosts Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang take you on ground at Mumbrella360 which kicked off in Sydney this week!

On this episode

• Neil talks to former Nike CMO Greg Hoffman minutes after his packed out keynote session
• We talk to Thinkerbell co-founder Adam Ferrier

The federal budget has finally been released – here’s what it means for the media and marketing industry.

Also on this episode:

• The “frustrating” ARN/SCA bid
• This week’s major one-on-one podcast guest revealed
• We’re joined by Mumbrella360 speaker and 72andSunny global chief strategy officer, Bryan Smith from LA
• A surprise guest pops by

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Network 10 axed major shows - The Masked Singer and The Bachelor - for 2024 this week: We look into the cuts and what it says about the state of the industry right now.

Also on this episode:

• Has Optus made the right call with its new CEO?
• Nine CEO Mike Sneesby fronts Macquarie Investor Conference

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Kyle & Jackie O’s entrance into the Melbourne market has shaken the Australian industry up. Is radio now bigger then ever?

Also on this episode:

• We talk to SCA chief content officer, Dave Cameron
• Bonza, Qantas and more prove “effective immediately” is more prominent then ever for Australian brands

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Despite finally announcing Warburton’s immediate departure, Seven are staying quiet.

Also on this episode:

- Foxtel confirm big move

- How should brands handle ANZAC Day?

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Also on this episode:

• We talk to comms crisis expert Sally Branson
• We look at Mel Hopkins’ LinkedIn post praising the Seven network
• Why “effective immediately” might soon become the norm

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang and Lauren McNamara for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

It’s been a big week for brands like Seven, Spotify and Qantas. Who’s facing a crisis and who has opportunity?

Also on this episode:

• ARIA CEO issues SOS to adland to support Australian music

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

As announced last month, Meta’s Facebook news has officially been axed – so what now?

Also on this episode:

• Music industry in crisis as another festival goes under
• We wrap up Mumbrella’s on-ground coverage of the Adobe Summit in Las Vegas

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Agencies pitching for Shell Energy’s creative account have been issued a stark warning. But who’s in the right?

Also on this episode:

• It’s only March, but the TV network battles for 2024 have already begun
• Reaction to the first radio ratings for 2024
• We talk to Third Hemisphere’s founder Hannah Moreno ahead of CommsCon next week!

Join Neil Griffiths & Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

Join Mumbrella editor and Mumbrellacast host Neil Griffiths live from the Retail Marketing Summit at the Crown in Sydney!

On this episode, Neil is joined by Retail Marketing Summit speakers and special guests including:

• TRIBE founder Jules Lund
• News Corp Australia’s eCommerce director, Adam Kron
• Spotlight Retail Group’s general manager, marketing, Jason Wolff
• Microsoft’s advertising and retail media partnerships director, JAPAC, China, John Harvey Faurholt
• IKEA Australia’s head of marketing and insights, Kirsten Hasler, and head of communications, Patricia Routledge

In the same week that print newspapers took another big hit, one magazine is committed to its comeback and we speak to its editor.

Also on this episode:

• Kyle & Jackie O tipped to launch in Melbourne this week
• We talk all things ARN/SCA takeover proposal and gender pay gap data within the radio networks
• Adore Beauty CMO Dan Ferguson tells you why you need to be at next week’s Retail Marketing Summit

Join Neil Griffiths & Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

The gender pay gap data has been revealed for the first time ever – we look at the winners and losers within the media and marketing industry.

Also on this episode:

• ARN responds to Mumbrella after Jackie O stages KIIS FM walkout over gender pay gap in radio and we chat to Ciaran Davis
• We talk to Market Economics head Stephen Koukoulas ahead of next month’s Retail Marketing Summit

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang & Lauren McNamara for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

Brad Banducci announced this week that he is stepping down from the CEO position after a trainwreck TV interview and his replacement has already been announced – but according to Woolworths, Banducci moving on was always the plan.

Also on this episode:

• We talk to Mark Ritson about why radio should be your sidekick and why marketing science is “sh*t”

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Seven pulled in some massive TV ratings this week with the Super Bowl, but their financials weren’t as stellar. Here’s the good and bad news about it.

Also on this episode: We tease this week's one-on-one podcast series guest!

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Taylor Swift is set to hit Australia next year and Taylor-mania has well and truly swept the nation… but that all comes after Monday’s Super Bowl where the pop star seems to be getting more attention then the game itself!

Also on this episode:

• We discuss Mumbrella’s new one-on-one series and tease part two of our conversation with former Nike CMO, Greg Hoffman.

Join Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The last week has seen the rebirth of one iconic Australian brand and the death of another

Also on this episode:

• Optus dealt another blow as incoming head marketer ditches role just days out from commencing

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang and Lauren McNamara for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Former News Corp CEO Kim Williams is set to be the next chair of ABC - here's what it could mean for consumers and staff.

Also on this episode:

- Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci has attempted to clear up the Australia Day

backlash - but did it work?

Join Neil Griffiths & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

On the first episode of the year, hosts Neil Griffiths and Adam Lang go through some big announcements for Mumbrella and are joined by the editorial team to discuss the Australia Day retail fallout, why the Australian Open remains a hit for advertisers and brands, and so much more!

Netflix is now releasing its viewing data - CEO Ted Sarandos told us all about it

Also on this episode: 

• For the final Mumbrellacast of 2023, we look at some of the biggest stories of the year

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang & Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Spotify the latest to be hit with staff cuts across its global business as it pivots away from podcasts

Also on this episode: 

• Elon Musk tells advertisers what he really thinks
• And we look into the International Cricket Council’s new deal with Amazon Prime

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang, Nathan Jolly & Kalila Welch for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella

Private Media publishing group the latest to get hit with redundancies

Also on this episode: 

• Australia’s creative industry wants to clean up its act and now we have proof
• The founder behind Jim’s Mowing has launched a beauty business and it is booming 

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang & Kalila Welch for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Kyle & Jackie O sign historic ten-year deal; is this the beginning of the end for SCA?

Also today:

- We talk to ARN CEO Ciaran Davis about the huge deal

- And we look at the fallout from Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin’s resignation this week and how the telco can bounce back

Join Neil Griffiths & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Seven West Media enters the ARN/SCA media wars, but what does it all mean?

Also on this episode:

• Optus offer up new explanation for last week’s nationwide outage
• And the ARIA Awards are back, but for how long?

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang & Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Optus slammed after nationwide outrage, as Comms Minister demands answers

Also on this episode:

• Has the Melbourne Cup lost its media value?
• And the aftermath of the Qantas AGM

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang & Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Telstra’s recent agency roster shake-up results in redundancies at CHEP, as revealed by Mumbrella this week.

Also this week:

- Mumbrella’s events are back in 2024 with Mumbrella360 and CommsCon

- And inside SCA’s annual general meeting

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang & Lauren McNamara for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The aftermath of Australia’s inaugural South by Southwest - the good, the bad and its future.

Also today:

- It’s upfronts season - we dive into some of the networks 2024 plans

- The latest on ARN’s bid to takeover SCA

- And one of Australia’s biggest names in TV says the misinformation cycle in news and social media is beyond repair

Join Neil Griffiths, Adam Lang & Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

ARN makes a shock bid for rival SCA - what will happen, and what does it mean for the broader media landscape?

Also today:

• Marketing is dead. It sounds provocative, but could adland guru Kevin Roberts be onto something?
• Telstra announces a major shake-up to its brand and marketing agency roster 
• And with the Voice referendum now behind us - we look at where it all went wrong for the yes vote, and the role advertising played in the decision



Join Neil Griffiths, Sean Aylmer & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

We're in the final few days of campaigning before the Voice referendum - can last minute advertising really sway votes?

Also today:

• The chair and three directors to go in a major board shakeup at Qantas
• OzTAM appoints a new CEO
• And what Nick McKenzie and Joe Aston - two of Australia’s best journalists - have in common

Join Michael Thompson, Sean Aylmer & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Australia’s highest-paid media boss took home $3.4m last year - we take a look at what CEOs are being paid in the media world

Also today:

• Sport is still king on free-to-air TV
• The 'Yes' campaign gains media momentum - but will it be enough?
• And Spotify’s conquered podcasts, now they’re going after Audible with audiobooks

Join Michael Thompson & Sean Aylmer for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Also mentioned in today's episode: here's what marketers are getting paid.

What is going on at Dentsu? Restructuring, redundancies, and a few big appointments - all signs of the pressures on media businesses right now.

Also today:

• Crown Resorts launches a major brand refresh - will it be enough to repair its reputation after two Royal Commissions?
• Threads and a rebranded Twitter fail to capture Australia’s attention
• And the launch of Mumbrella’s State of the Industry Survey

Join Michael Thompson & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Also mentioned in today's episode: the best work perks in adland.

It's the biggest talent deal in Australian media history - can Kyle & Jackie O pull off a $200m contract? And what’s this mean for the broader industry?

Also today:

• After YouTube's upfront and TikTok's For You Summit, we look at what the video giants are doing in the market right now
• Advertising businesses who work with fossil fuel companies are being called out, as pressure mounts on businesses and employees to align their client base with their ethics
• The Australian Women's Weekly is going online. After 90 years, the grand old dame of Aussie publishing is getting a digital presence.

Join Michael Thompson & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Advertising industry salaries have been revealed, showing benchmark wages right across adland. What's this tell us about the industry - and how can you use it to get a pay rise?

Also today:

• The second coming of cinema advertising: surprising new research suggests Australian advertising preferences are experiencing a 90s throwback.
• And have you ever seen a brand do more collaborations than Vegemite? We look at the marketing value on both sides of the deal.

Join Michael Thompson & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Qantas has been engulfed by a PR nightmare. We look at what the new CEO has to do to restore public trust in the airline.

Also today:

• It’s Upfront season - and in a tough advertising market, these events take on even greater significance
• And does the advertising industry have a problem with feedback?

Join Michael Thompson & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

The latest radio ratings are in: we look at the big winners, and why some of the results have got broadcasters questioning the numbers.

Also today:

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the date for the Voice referendum - so now the campaigns to convince Australians will begin in earnest
• Free-to-air TV has united behind the VOZ Streaming platform. What will it mean for BVOD in Australia?

Join Michael Thompson & Adam Lang for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Krispy Kreme dumped an offensive commercial this week after being alerted to the gaffe by Mumbrella. But how did it get through in the first place, and will it do lasting brand damage?

Also today:

1. Outdoor advertising is on the up - we look at why
2. The best work perks in adland - what would draw you to your next workplace?
3. And a spike in magazine readership suggests the end is not yet nigh for offline media

Join Michael Thompson, Adam Lang & Sean Aylmer for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

Australia's gone wild for the Matildas. Is this the turning point for women's sport in this country? Has it changed the way brands think about sport, and should the companies who backed them from the beginning be getting more praise?

Also today:

1. Podcast and BVOD ad spends are rising, as the rest of the market sinks.
2. Seven West Media reported results today. We look at what it tells us about the market.
3. Mat Baxter, Huge CEO, has returned to Australia. Can he run a global advertising company from down under?

Join Michael Thompson, Adam Lang & Damian Francis for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.