Mumbrellacast

In this special episode of the Mumbrellacast, Tim Burrowes sits down with Paramount Australia's Beverley McGarvey, Rod Prossor, and Tamara Simoneau to talk about the network's future plans under a new owner, the death of Think TV, Rebecca Gibney's game show mode - and whether they'll punt for the NRL.

In this week's Mumbrellacast, Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson and Abe Udy dig into the new legislation that will require streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, dedicate 10% of their total local expenditure to Australian content.

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.

29 October 2025

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.

22 October 2025

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.

17 October 2025

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.

8 October 2025

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.

2 October 2025

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.

24 September 2025

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.

18 September 2025

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.

11 September 2025

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.