Mumbrellacast

Dentsu ANZ's leadership bombshell, News Corp's full-year financials, and the great copyright debate

6 August 2025 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.

Google's legal threats, Solstice Media's latest acquisition, and the media industry's season of change

30th July 2025 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.

Omnicom's Oceania restructure, FM trumps AM in Melbourne, and Nine's upcoming payday

23 July 2025 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.

SCA's content head departs, Telstra leans into the hate, and Linkby co-founder on today's publishing industry

16 July 2025 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.

Healthcare to receive the Mat Baxter treatment

14 July 2025 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.