Mediaweek

Securing millions of eyeballs during prime time looks great on a network press release. However, monetising those streaming audiences at the speed of live television, presents a completely different challenge.

Behind the screen, Connected TV (CTV) and programmatic advertising serve as the vital plumbing that turns those viewers into revenue. This unseen engine dictates exactly which ad plays to which household in a matter of milliseconds.

On this episode of Mediaweek’s Newsmakers podcast, we caught up with Julia Edwards, director of programmatic sales at Nine, and Maddy Mewing, director of platforms at Magnite, to unpack exactly how this technical wizardry works.

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Tom Malone didn’t set out to run a national audio network, but he sure built his career like someone who might.

In this episode of Mediaweek’s Newsmakers, the Tapt Media CEO traces his path from newsroom floor to the top job, unpacking the decisions, discipline and industry shifts that now sit behind the launch of the new independent audio business.

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The term ‘thought leader’ is often loosely applied across marketing and media, but at its most effective, it plays a defined role in shaping brand direction and influence.

That’s the focus of the latest episode of Newsmakers, featuring Jenny Haggard, Head of Global Brand Strategy and Thought Leadership Lead at Spotify.

In the episode, Haggard outlines how the role operates in practice – and how it has evolved alongside Spotify’s own growth.

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He’s been described as a comedic dark genius.

But beneath Anthony Jeselnik’s acerbic wit lies a mind shaped by the power of literature.

Fiction, to be precise.

In fact, Jeselnik’s appreciation for the written word is so great that he’s even started a book club.

Called ‘The Anthony Jeselnik Book Club’ - the only prerequisite for membership is … well, nothing really. And, to be honest, that’s the real genius of the club - it’s open to anyone and everyone who wants to read.

There’s no deal in it for him, no movie tie-ins or kickbacks, making it probably one of the more PURE things in the world right now.

In this chat, we talk about Jeselnik’s education at Turlane, why he walked away from his first job writing jokes for Jimmy Fallon, and why nothing hits the human spirit like fiction.

Novels mentioned in the podcast below:

Glama Rama - Brett Easton Ellis
American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis
No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton
Departure(s) - Julian Barnes
Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash
Crux - Gabriel Tallent
Discipline - Larissa Fa
Heap Earth Upon It - Chloe Michelle Howorth
White River Crossing - Ian McGuire
The Violet Hour: A Novel - James Cahill
Among Friends - Hal Ebbott
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Stoner - John Williams
Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Glass Hotel - Emily St. John Mandel
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Faithless - Alice Nelson

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For years, the media industry considered out-of-home advertising the blunt instrument of the media mix. Planners bought giant billboards and hoped people would drive past. Those days are officially over.

MOVE 2.0 has finally launched. The new $20 million measurement tool leaves its cage to shift the industry from simply buying panels to genuinely understanding people.

In the latest edition of the Mediaweek Newsmakers podcast, Elizabeth McIntyre, chief executive officer of the Outdoor Media Association and MOVE, joins Brittany Crowley, national head of investment at Universal McCann, to unpack the reality of the release.

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What do you get when you invite six of ad land’s most powerful women into a room to talk candidly about what it means to be a woman in the industry?

It might sound like the start of a riddle. After all, coordinating the diaries of six CEOs and senior leaders is no small feat.

Amazingly, Mediaweek managed to do just that.

In the aftermath of International Women’s Day, the Newsmakers podcast brought together a group of Omnicom’s most influential female leaders for an unfiltered conversation about leadership, change and the realities of navigating advertising’s power corridors.

The line-up includes Laura Nice, CEO of PHD; Jo McAlister, CEO of Initiative; Liz Wigmore, Managing Director of Hearts & Science; Sian Whitnall, CEO of OMD; Sue Squillace, CEO Mediahub; and Stevie Douglas-Neill, CEO of UM.

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Marc Fennell has a knack for finding the stories that make you double-take. From art heists to stolen colonial artifacts, he has carved out a niche as Australia’s preeminent chronicler of the weird and the wealthy.

His latest project, Australia’s Greatest Conman, dives into the surreal world of John Friedrich and the National Safety Council.

Marc joined Mediaweek's Newsmakers to talk behind the scenes on the doco series that investigates Australia’s biggest fraudster. A guy who built a private counter-terrorism base, gave helicopter lifts to Bob Hawke, and was awarded an Order of Australia.

And he paid for absolutely none of it.

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Veteran news anchor Mark Ferguson joins Mediaweek’s Newsmakers to reflect on his journey from a teenage cadet in Tamworth to the face of 7NEWS Sydney. Ahead of his 60th birthday, Ferguson opens up about the pivotal moments, global assignments, career risks, and lessons learned across four decades in Australian television news.

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What happens when a journalist who’s spent decades in the newsroom goes head-to-head with a futurist who believes AI could save it?

In the very first Mediaweek’s Newsmakers Debate, Joe Hildebrand and Rita Arrigo face off over one of the biggest questions in modern media: Is AI destroying journalism, or helping it evolve?

It’s a fiery, funny, and surprisingly hopeful exchange about truth, trust, and the future of storytelling — and it’s one every media professional should hear.

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There aren’t many journalists who can say they’ve gone from covering crime scenes to coaching CEOs - but Shelly Horton can.

After three decades in the media, she’s swapped newsroom chaos for the boardroom floor, turning her sharp instincts and trademark humour into a mission: helping leaders find their voice and women find their power.

In this episode of Mediaweek’s Newsmakers, Shelly talks about I’m Your Peri Godmother - her funny, fearless guide to perimenopause - and the advocacy work that’s taken her from TV studios to Parliament House. She also reveals the secret behind her “five Ps” for public speaking (spoiler: they’re not exactly HR-approved).

It’s classic Shelly - smart, bold, and brilliantly unfiltered - proving that good preparation (and a solid sense of humour) can take you just about anywhere.

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