We are living in an era where the way people consume media is constantly shifting, but two things remain constant: the power of trust and the dominance of the 'second screen.' 9Amplify isn't just about social media; it’s how we bridge the gap between national scale and digital influence to create a '2-Screen Triumph' for your brand.
Hear from Caitlyn Brukarz, Director of 9Amplify, and Calleb Macleod, Head of Content Marketing, on how to tap into Australia's biggest reality TV fan bases by integrating directly with show handles and talent for maximum multi-screen engagement.
We don't just post. We amplify
9Amplify offers an all-access pass to influence, unlocking exclusive integration directly into our most influential social feeds. Move your brand beyond a single platform and into the heart of the national conversation.
The original creators
Nine has always been the home of Australia’s biggest personalities and most trusted storytellers. We are the OG influencers, now bringing that same professional craft and massive scale directly to the social feed.
Beyond a single platform
Standalone influencer campaigns are powerful but often exist in a vacuum. They start and end on one platform, failing to connect to the broader consumer journey.
Connecting the journey
Social media is most powerful when it isn't siloed. 9Amplify bridges the gap between the niche reach of independent creators and the national scale of our TV, print and outdoor ecosystems.
We open the doors to Australia’s biggest show sets, stadiums, newsrooms and shoots. Social captures the extra details that don't make the final edit. Your brand earns loyalty by delivering the exclusive content fans crave.
Learn how Gen Z are all about unfiltered entertainment and real, honest food, but there was a hunger gap with Love Island Australia – a potential audience of youth QSR consumers who were not considering Subway. To bridge this gap, Subway didn’t become a Love Island Australia sponsor, they became an Islander.
The result?
+8% uplift in “would only consider Subway”
15% increase in Unprompted Awareness (typically seen in 5th-year sponsors, achieved in a single season)
71% of viewers feel more favourable toward Subway as a result of the partnership (+35 percentage points higher than the average uplift across other entertainment formats)
Make an impact with Australia's best lifestyle content
Our readers are primed for indulgence – new opportunities available across Nine’s leading publishing assets
Enrich your marketing campaign with a publishing partnership with Nine.
Our readers are primed for indulgence and ready to spend. Whether it’s styling their seasonal wardrobe,planning a much-needed getaway, making home improvements, finding inspiration in arts and designor immersing themselves in the gourmet food world,there is plenty of opportunity to wrap your brand around our upcoming special issues.
Across Good Weekend, AFR Magazine, Sunday Life, Traveller, Life & Leisure, Good Food and Fin Magazine, there is an abundance of opportunity to engage our readers with your brand message.
LIFESTYLE & DESIGN
Good Weekend //
52 Weekends Away
On Sale: Saturday 7th November
This edition covers the "mini-break" including everything from flying to a snazzy capital city hotel, to driving the country's best wine regions, to glamping in the kind of stunning, remote spots that end up on postcards.
This is always one of our most eagerly anticipated issues of the year. For our highly engaged readers, who are educated, cultured and love to explore the world around them, it can't come soon enough!
Booking Deadline: Thursday 16th October
Material Deadline: Wednesday 28th October
Sunday Life //
Europe Special
On Sale: Sunday 18th October
Who can resist the allure of Europe - the brio of Italy, the chic of France, the lazy allure of the Greek islands. It's little wonder so many of us are flocking back to revel in the joys of the Continent. So, don’t miss Sunday Life’s annual special edition where we revel in all things European.
From fashion inspired by the world’s most stylish cities and the latest beauty treatments to homestyle, food and travel aspirations, our editorial experts will whisk our readers into a world of international sophistication and adventure.
Booking Deadline: Thursday 24th September
Material Deadline: Thursday 8th October
AFR Magazine //
Young Rich
On Sale: Friday 30th October
For two decades, the Australian Financial Review Young Rich List has chronicled the rise of next generation entrepreneurs. It is the definitive record of Australia's wealthiest people aged 40 and under, and all of them are self-made multi-millionaires, along with more than a few billionaires.
Booking Deadline: Wednesday 16th September
Material Deadline: Wednesday 30th September
TRAVEL
LIFE & LEISURE //
Travel: Luxury Cruise
On Sale: Friday 16th & Saturday 17th October
Life & Leisure's Luxury Cruise gloss special issue returns this October in time for Luxury Cruise week! As one of the most anticipated travel editions of the year, this special issue reaches an exclusive audience of affluent, travel-hungry AFR readers looking for their next dream-achieving escape.
Booking Deadline: Thursday 17th September
Material Deadline: Friday 25th September
TRAVELLER //
Quick Getaways
On Sale: Saturday 12th September
It’s the timeless dilemma of the time-poor traveller: you need a break but can’t get away for long enough. The solution? Keep it short. As in a short break of between two and five nights. Better, spread a few or more of them over the course of a year. But where to go? In this special annual guide our experienced writers and editors have done the work for you by road testing the best short break options not only in Australia but within our own near region.
Booking Deadline: Monday 7th September
Material Deadline: Wednesday 9th September
DIGITAL
Sunday Life & Good Weekend //
Collections
Collections invites our users to engage in an immersive and enhanced relaxing magazine experience, digitally. Collections at Nine Publishing is a hand-selected curation of content pieces into a series with the ability to integrate client brands into a contextually relevant environment. Brands have the opportunity to own this new lean-in digital 'Collection' experience and align to the premium brands of Publishing at Nine.
Contact your Nine representative for more information.
At the Online Retailer Conference in Sydney, Todd Fisher, Director of Nine Ad Manager, tackled a problem almost every e-commerce brand hits eventually: the digital ceiling. As performance marketing costs continue to climb, customer acquisition gets tougher. Todd broke down how forward-thinking brands are breaking through that growth wall by combining Connected TV (CTV) with self-serve digital speed.
Pictured: Todd Fisher at the Online Retailer Conference in Sydney
The Stagnation Trap: Are You Just Harvesting Intent?
If your marketing targets go up every year but your sales growth has flattened, you’re not alone. Most online retailers fall into the same trap: spending 100% of their budget on Search and Social.
"Search costs spike as you hit the ceiling of available ready-to-buy users," Fisher explained. "When you only hunt for existing demand, you end up fighting over the exact same limited pool of intent."
That pure "harvesting" strategy eventually runs out of road. To keep growing, brands need to balance Planting with Harvesting. CTV acts as the top-of-funnel engine, planting trust and brand familiarity at scale on the big screen so you can constantly feed fresh, high-intent audiences down into your performance channels.
The 9Now Advantage: Co-Viewing, Scale, and Trust
TV has always had an unmatched emotional impact, but streaming brings digital precision into the mix. Todd pointed to three massive advantages 9Now brings to growing retailers:
Doubling Sales Impact: Brands integrating BVOD into their mix achieve twice the sales ROI compared to pairing TV with social video alone. Unlike muted, fast-scrolled social feeds, CTV delivers non-skippable, full-screen engagement. Fisher pointed to the power of co-viewing – havingfamilies and friends gathered around the main household screen for live cultural moments like Married at First Sight or the NRL, glued to the content with full attention.
Massive Incremental Reach:9Now reaches over 5.3 million Australians monthly, offering a 19% incremental reach beyond traditional linear TV. It captures the growing demographic of streaming-first viewers.
Unmatched Credibility: Television remains Australia’s most trusted advertising medium (49%). Appearing on the big screen instantly elevates perceived reliability, lifting brands above crowded, unmoderated social feeds.
Visualising the CTV Halo Effect: The 72-Hour Consumer Journey
"The path to purchase can be messy and complicated," Fisher said. "What we find with advertisers using Nine Ad Manager is that a lot of branded search will increase, and your retargeting pools will increase across social."
To demonstrate how streaming TV supercharges performance channels, he walked the audience through a typical 72-hour consumer journey:
Day 1: The Initial Spark. A user watches The Block on the big screen via 9Now. Your brand seed is planted with full, unfragmented attention in a premium, highly trusted environment.
Day 2: Trusted Recall. The next day, the same user sees your ad on Instagram. By seeing the brand on TV, it built instant creditability. They recognise it, pause, and engage rather than skipping past.
Day 3: Branded Intent. Ready to purchase, the user goes to Google. Instead of typing in a generic, highly competitive category term, they search for your brand specifically, lowering your acquisition costs and securing the sale.
Take Control of Growth with Nine Ad Manager
Historically, TV advertising felt out of reach for growing e-commerce brands due to massive budget requirements, complex agency buying and costly production. Nine Ad Manager eliminates those barriers, giving businesses direct, self-serve access to Australia’s No.1 network and most loved shows.
Fisher highlighted four core features of the platform:
Hyper-Targeted Data: Because 9Now viewers are logged in, brands can target using rich first-party data (postcode, age, gender, and masthead reading habits across Nine news sites) combined with third-party behavioural segments such as active online shoppers, renovators, auto buyers or fashion enthusiasts.
AI-Powered Creative Generator: Don't have a TV ad? The platform features an AI tool that scans your existing website, extracts visual assets, writes a custom script, generates a professional voiceover, and lets you edit colors and fonts to stay on brand in minutes. Existing social video assets can also be uploaded directly.
Flexible Budgets & Tentpole Campaigns: Campaigns start at just $500 plus GST with zero lock-in contracts. Retailers have full flexibility to run ongoing monthly campaigns or execute single-day, event-driven buys around tentpole broadcasts like The Block premiere or the NRL Grand Final.
Cross-Device Pixel Attribution: Nine Ad Manager provides a dedicated pixel to track on-site conversions. By matching IP addresses between the connected TV viewing the ad and secondary devices (phones/laptops) browsing the web, the dashboard gives real-time visibility into page views, add-to-carts, and direct sales generated by TV exposure.
Fisher closed by live-demoing the platform, showing how a campaign can be built, targeted and submitted for review in under five minutes, backed by a Sydney-based support team that manually reviews campaigns before launch to ensure targeting and budget efficiency.
The takeaway for online retailers is clear: any business can now advertise on streaming TV. By combining big-screen authority with self-serve flexibility, Nine Ad Manager offers a clear pathway to break through the digital ceiling and create your own demand.
Sources: ThinkTV Australia (2023). Pay TV & BVOD Effectiveness / Sales Impact Study 2023. Metric: BVOD delivers 2x sales ROI vs. social video. Nine Entertainment (2024). Nine Audience Report 2024 (9Now Audience & Incremental Reach Data). Metric: 5.3M+ monthly audience, 19% incremental reach beyond linear TV, 36% YoY growth. PwC Australia (2023). PwC Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook / Advertising Trust Study 2023. Metric: TV/BVOD rated #1 trusted advertising medium at 49%.
For over a decade, Stan has pioneered Australia’s Streaming Video on Demand landscape. As the country’s only locally owned and operated SVOD powerhouse, Stan is stitched directly into the fabric of our culture. We are the home of curated, premium storytelling and unmatched local relevance; from Stan Originals that global content houses simply can’t replicate to exclusive international titles, and of course, a fiercely loyal audience.
Now, we're inviting brands to the table for the very first time. What’s on the menu? A high-impact, data-driven feast for advertisers.
Local and global content, pure satisfaction
A Sizzling Homegrown Slate
Our secret ingredient is local storytelling that audiences love and algorithms can’t replicate. With a national footprint reaching more than 70% of Australian households paired with the country’s most affluent viewers, your brand enters an environment where half of Australian streaming viewers are proven to stay at the table longer if the content is made in, or about, Australia.
A Brands Portion
We don’t overfill the plate. We protect the premium viewer experience with a strictly limited, light ad load, guaranteeing no more than 5 minutes per hour to maximise viewer satisfaction and brand memory retention.
International Flavours
Served from across the seas. Tap into the ultimate crowd-pleasers with the planet’s biggest shows and most-binged global library content, from Yellowstone to The Office. By capturing the high-volume, high-engagement viewing hours that dominate streaming worldwide, your brand gains unparalleled access to audiences devouring the world’s favourite stories.
The Curated Taste
Perfect for immediate satisfaction. With the launch package you can secure a guaranteed share of voice of billboards, pre and mid-roll video assets. Ad breaks are determined with a human-first approach, ensuring your brand always lands naturally within the narrative.
A Unified Feast
A single-solution transaction managed by one dedicated Nine sales team. Target, buy and optimise your campaign across the entire connected ecosystem of 9Now, Stan and HBO Max, using the powerhouse Nine User ID.
No feast is complete without the perfect accompaniments.
9 & Stan Tribes (COMING SOON)
Your brand can target with precision by using advanced demographic, geographic postcode, or rich consumer behaviour tracking to ensure your message matches the exact taste profile of your core buyer.
Interactive Enhancements
Transform passive viewing into active response. We offer a selection of bespoke formats on launch and coming later, all designed to elevate the consumer journey: Solo Ad Breaks, Premium Slates, and Shoppable Engage Now QR Code ads.
The Cherry on Top
Every masterful menu concludes with a dish that lingers long after the meal concludes. At Stan, the sweetest finale to your campaign is pure performance and measurable business growth.
Check out more insights
Nine to launch advertising on Stan, expanding connected opportunities
Stan will introduce an advertising supported tier, creating new premium streaming opportunities for brands to connect with a deeply engaged audience in a high-attention viewing environment.
Why audience passion is becoming the most valuable asset in media
Nine's Managing Director of Streaming & Broadcast, Amanda Laing, discusses the stories that reflect audiences lives, the sport they passionately follow, the news and information they trust and the personalities, communities and conversations they feel connected to are the most powerful in media.
While the national mood remains predominately negative, the net positive emotions have seen a slight increase. Frustrated, Anxious, Sceptical, Hopeful and Stressed are the top feelings this month, followed by Relaxed and Calm. In line with the range of conflicting emotions, Nine’s audience is feeling both cautious and optimistic. The majority of Nine's audience is planning on travelling in the next 12 months, with location the key deciding factor for travel destinations. The budget for domestic holidays is typically $2,000-$5,000, while for international holidays it increases to $9,000+.
The national mood continues to be dominated by a negative sentiment, with NET negative seeing a slight increase from last month. However, the NET positive sentiment has also increased slightly highlighting the conflicting and contrasting emotions experienced by Australians simultaneously.
NOTE: For the best viewing experience on mobile, please view landscape.
Dominant mood indicators
Consistent with the trend from the past few months, negative sentiment dominates the list, with frustrated, and anxious remaining the top 2 emotions, followed by sceptical which has seen a month on month increase. The remainder of the list includes a wide range and reinforces the paradoxical emotions Australians are currently feeling. Hopeful, stressed and relaxed complete the 4th, 5th and 6th ranking. Followed by calm, annoyed, optimistic and pessimistic to complete the top 10 emotions. The mix of both positive and negative sentiment highlights how Australians are currently navigating a complex landscape but are showing resilience and feeling hopeful despite the frustrations and stresses.
NOTE: For the best viewing experience on mobile, please view landscape.
NATIONAL MOOD BREAKDOWN
of the under 45 age group feel overwhelmed
The top emotions see some variation by age, and while frustration is consistent across all, anxiety is more acutely felt by those under 45, with it ranked as the top emotion. Younger audiences’ top 5 emotions are dominated by a negative sentiment, and 26% feel overwhelmed compared to 17% of older Australians. Those over 45 experience more diverse emotions, feeling frustrated and sceptical along with hopefulness and relaxedness. Both females and males feel anxious, however females are also calm (24%) and hopeful (23%), while males are frustrated (32%) and stressed (26%).
BRAND CONSIDERATION
To successfully navigate this split emotional landscape, brands must offer grounding, anxiety-reducing messaging for overwhelmed audiences while engaging more composed segments through practical solutions that address frustration and stress.
Conversation Starters
OUTLOOK ON THE YEAR AHEAD
of Nine's audience are feeling cautious
Australians are feeling cautiously optimistic
While negative emotions still dominate, Australians are showing signs of cautious optimism about the year ahead. Caution has dropped across all demographics by 7 percentage points (now at 41%), while optimism has climbed 5 percentage points (now at 21%). This indicates a slow pivot toward a more balanced future outlook. This rising optimism is deeply personal, driven by positive feelings surrounding family, friends, and individual financial stability. On the flip side, concerns are fueled by global instability and cost of living pressure. Australians are highly concerned in particular about inflation on essentials, global conflicts affecting fuel prices, and national security—though anxiety over global issues has actually dropped by 10 percentage points month-on-month. For those over 45, political polarisation is a major worry. However, older demographics remain far less worried about skyrocketing rent, job loss, or cutting back on lifestyle extras like holidays and dining out. This highlights their greater financial stability and insulation from current economic pressures.
BRAND CONSIDERATION
As general sentiment shifts toward cautious optimism, brands should tap into consumers' positive personal outlooks by celebrating close-to-home connections, while continuing to offer clear value for budget-conscious buyers and premium experiences for financially insulated audiences.
TRAVEL
of Nine's audience plan to travel in the next 12 months
Despite concerns, people are still planning on travelling in the coming year
Among Nine's audience, 67% plan to travel in the next 12 months which is consistent with this time last year. While the amount planning to travel hasn’t changed year on year, the types of holidays have shifted slightly with 21% considering an international holiday (5 percentage point decrease) and 41% considering domestic travel (5 percentage point increase). However, a significant proportion still intend to do both (38%).
Over half (55%) of those planning a domestic holiday expect to take 1 or 2 trips. For most of these trips the budgets are set between $2,000 and $5,000, with 1 in 3 opting for this range.
For international travel, 85% are only expecting to take 1 or 2 trips in the next 12 months. However, the budgets for these trips are significantly higher with half intending to spend $9,000+, which is particularly seen for older Australians.
BRAND CONSIDERATION
As travel demand remains resilient with a clear pivot toward domestic trips and high-value international travel, brands should capitalise on this intent by targeting budget-conscious local travelers with accessible mid-tier packages ($2k–$5k) while tailoring premium, high-spend offers ($9k+) to long-haul international vacationers.
HOLIDAY PLANNING
of Nine's audience trust word of mouth to inform their decisions
Australians prefer to do it themselves when it comes to planning holidays but opinions from friends and family impact decisions
When it comes to planning a trip, Nine’s audience prefer to do it themselves regardless of age or gender. However, they’ll still look to others for information with the key source they trust to inform their decision being word of mouth (55%). This is followed by travel websites (44%) and online review (38%).
The sources trusted for information varies by age, with 1 in 4 of younger audiences going to social media for reliable information. Conversely, older Australians continue to rely on traditional formats, using print newspapers to find information (31% vs. 14%).
BRAND CONSIDERATION
While Australians insist on controlling their own travel itineraries, brands can influence their choices by leveraging word-of-mouth credibility and tailoring trust-building channels; using social media for younger self-planners and traditional print for older audiences.
TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
of Nine's audience say location impacts their decision
Location is the key choice driver for travel destinations
Location continues to be the key factor when it comes to choosing a travel destination, with 8 in 10 saying it ultimately impacts their decision. Accommodation (41%) and the price of airfare (39%) also play a role.
The cost of living is having the largest impact on travel decisions for 42% of the audience, however this concern is significantly lower for those 45+ (39% vs. 61%) reinforcing their economical security and higher willingness to spend on non-essentials.
BRAND CONSIDERATION
While destination location remains the non-negotiable anchor for travel decisions, brands must navigate a dual-spending market by leading with clear airfare and accommodation value for cost-conscious travelers, while highlighting premium experiences to financially secure, mature audiences.
National Security & Foreign Affairs Correspondent, SMH & The Age
The world has been upended in the last six years with the global landscape now defined by rapid, compounding disruption. From a pandemic and conflicts to shifting geopolitical alliances and the structural integration of Artificial Intelligence into commercial models, businesses are now operating in an environment that demands constant calibration.
At Nine’s recent Melbourne Independent Exchange event, Managing Director of Publishing, Tory Maguire, sat down with some of the country’s most respected journalists – Matthew Knott, Foreign Affairs and National Security Correspondent, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Joyce Moullakis, Associate Editor, The Australian Financial Review, and James Thomson, Senior Chanticleer Columnist, The Australian Financial Review – to unpack the global market forces shaping 2026.
Pictured, left to right: Tory Maguire, Matthew Knott, Joyce Moullakis, James Thomson
Insights from the Panel:
The New Macroeconomic Reality
The ceasefire between the US and Iran has provided a temporary global reprieve, but the structural aftershocks will continue to reverberate in boardrooms. The panel agreed that corporate focus has moved from theoretical environmental metrics to immediate energy security and affordability.
“The [US and Iran] war might be over but the aftershocks are not over,” noted James Thomson. “It’s going to take months to get the global energy complex rebuilt, and we’ll still have a change in the view of most countries around the world as to how they see energy security.”
Joyce Moullakis identified a stark divergence between consumer mood and action. “Optimism has returned, but there’s still a lot of questions around the consumer. Sentiment is very, very low, but consumers are still spending.”
Thomson explained that this spending resilience is propped up by a massive $3 trillion surge in Australian household wealth over the past two years, driven by rising property values and superannuation returns. This “K-shaped” economic reality means brands must look past surface-level data to target distinct consumer pockets effectively.
AI Evolution: Past the Hype to the Real Bottom Line
AI has progressed from speculative experimentation to a rigid economic necessity. However, corporate Australia is facing an unexpected structural teething problem: the astronomical cost of “token bills”. “Employees are doing exactly what their bosses have told them,” Thomson said. “They’ve been told to go and use AI for everything, and that’s what they’re doing. And suddenly the cost of the AI is becoming a real issue.”
Moullakis pointed to major tech adopters like Uber, which chewed through its entire 12-month token budget in four months. The consensus was clear: the race to integrate AI is no longer optional because no business can afford to slow down while their competitors move ahead.
For brands and marketers, the critical differentiator in an AI-saturated market will be data quality. The ultimate output of any model relies entirely on the verified, premium data sources fed into it.
Moullakis noted that while progressive companies are successfully deploying AI agents to personalise the consumer journey, the back-end focus for corporate leaders is shifting toward cost management.
“CEOs that I speak to do have a level of excitement about the opportunity, but also headcount reduction. When an economy’s not growing very much, cost is something they are looking at very closely.”
Navigating a Fractured Consumer Landscape
The political arena is mirroring the fragmentation seen across modern media consumption. The traditional stability of Australia's two-party system is being tested, accelerated by cost-of-living frustrations and the mainstreaming of alternative political movements.
Matthew Knott emphasised that this shift is being incubated outside traditional channels. Utilising sophisticated, highly produced, independent video ecosystems on platforms like YouTube, alternative movements are bypassing legacy media campaign structures entirely.
“In the way that the traditional parties are doing quite lame TikToks, populist movements are thriving in that part that many people aren’t even aware is going on out there.”
Thomson noted that top-tier ASX executives are scrambling to decode why up to 30% of their customer bases are migrating toward these alternative alignments. He warned that the corporate sector’s core growth strategies could face headwinds if anti-immigration sentiment stalls population growth.
“Corporate leaders like population growth, they like new skills coming into the workforce. If we didn’t have immigration, we would be in an actual recession.”
The Ultimate Premium on Human Connection
Despite macro volatility, geopolitical pivots, and the rapid rise of the algorithm, the panel closed with a powerful note of clarity regarding the enduring value of human capability.
As automation absorbs data entry, administrative processing and predictable tasks, the premium on baseline human capability is skyrocketing. Thomson shared a key takeaway from a recent interview with National Australia Bank CEO Andrew Irvine, outlining the ultimate strategy for the modern workforce.
“His point was, what you need to teach kids is to have a good handshake and really good personal skills, because that is what AI will never be able to kill. A bank like NAB is actually investing more in frontline bankers because that’s the thing that AI can’t beat.”
The overarching strategic takeaway for the market is clear: the most valuable asset in 2026 is a business strategy that successfully blends technical AI fluency with high-level interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and genuine relationship-building. AI can optimise the process, but the human edge remains the ultimate corporate advantage.
As we navigate these complex waters, Nine remains committed to providing the clarity and insight your brand needs to stay ahead. Whether it’s decoding the impact of policy shifts or understanding the evolution of the media landscape, we’re here to help you turn disruption into opportunity.
Looking for more efficient, effective and transparent ways to grow your business? Enquire today.
While the national mood remains predominately negative, the net negative emotions have continued to see a slight decrease. Frustrated, Anxious, Calm, Pessimistic and Stressed are the top feelings this month, followed by Hopeful and Relaxed. In line with the mix of positive and negative sentiment, 35% are feeling a mix of optimistic and cautious. The majority of Nine's audience is intending to buy during EOFY sales, with clothing as the top item and some planning on spending between $101–$500, while others are flexible with their budgets.
The national mood still remains predominately negative but has continued to improve since the peak in April, suggesting that Australians are adjusting to the current state of the world. Despite the net negative mood dropping from previous months, negative emotions of frustration and anxiety remain dominant among Australians and have seen an increase from this time last year.
NOTE: For the best viewing experience on mobile, please view landscape.
Dominant mood indicators
In line with last month, frustrated, and anxious have remained the top 2 emotions and continue the trend of negative emotions dominating the list. Calm, pessimistic and stressed complete the top 5 ranking. The remaining top 10 emotions are a blend of positive and negative sentiments, with hopeful, relaxed, sceptical, annoyed and unsure, occupying positions six through to ten. The mix of both positive and negative sentiment highlights the contrasting emotions Australians simultaneously experience, reflecting both their frustration and resilience.
NOTE: For the best viewing experience on mobile, please view landscape.
NATIONAL MOOD BREAKDOWN
of the under 45 age group feel relaxed
The top emotions see some variation by age, although frustration and anxiety are felt by all, calm ranks second among older audiences, while overwhelmed dominates for those under 45. Additionally, only 13% of younger audiences feel relaxed compared to 21% among older Australians. In line with last month, females report higher levels of anxiety (27%), while males feel frustrated (32%) and calm (27%) more strongly.
BRAND CONSIDERATION
Amidst widespread national anxiety and frustration, brands must deliver grounding, calming experiences to younger consumers feeling overwhelmed, while engaging older demographics with messaging that respects their relatively resilient and composed mindset.
Conversation Starters
OUTLOOK ON THE YEAR AHEAD
of Nine's audience are feeling cautious
Australians are still feeling cautious with rising prices and global conflicts dominating concerns
Feelings about the year ahead have remained stable with 1 in 2 feeling cautious. However, younger Australians have shifted their perceptions slightly from cautious (6 percentage point decrease) to a mix of both cautious and optimistic, reinforcing the duality of both positive and negative emotions in the current climate. Those feeling a mix remain hopeful regarding their personal lives, and the reliability of life in Australia, but are unsettled by external issues, specifically global geopolitical instability, and cost-of-living pressure. For all Australians, global conflicts and their impact on fuel prices as well as national security (67%) and rising prices for essentials (67%) remain top concerns. Older audiences are still less likely to be concerned about high rent, loss of employment and ability to afford non-essentials (e.g., holidays, dining out). This lower concern reflects their greater financial stability and suggests that there will be minimal changes in their spending habits. Additionally, males are less likely than females to show concern over global conflicts and the cost of essentials.
BRAND CONSIDERATION
Brands should navigate this emotional duality by reinforcing personal and local stability for cautious, budget-conscious consumers while continuing to target financially resilient demographics with premium or non-essential offerings.
EOFY
of Nine's audience are planning to purchase during EOFY
77% of Consumers ready to shop despite cost of living caution
Despite concerns over rising prices, the majority (77%) are planning to purchase during EOFY, particularly males. While the majority are still planning to shop, the cost of living crisis is shifting purchasing intention toward utility with 1 in 4 planning on only buying essentials or replacement items. However, there are still 36% of Nine’s audience who won’t change their shopping habits and intend to purchase any item that catches their eye. Across all those intending to purchase, clothing is the dominant item (39%). Younger audiences are also planning to purchase furniture & home decor, while older audiences are looking at electrical appliances.
BRAND CONSIDERATION
A clear split between highly practical, necessity-driven buyers and resilient, impulse-driven shoppers means brands must dual-track their messaging to offer undeniable functional value alongside high-appeal, standout products.
EOFY
of Nine's audience don't have a set budget for EOFY sales
EOFY sees flexible budgets and credit card reliance among Australians
28% don’t currently have a set budget for the sale season, with this higher among females (32%) in comparison to males (24%). Among those that have a budget, 1 in 4 intend to spend between $101 and $500. 2 in 5 of Nine’s audiences plan to fund their EOFY purchases through a personal credit card. The other preferred method is cash, however younger audiences also show a preference for using a personal debit card.
BRAND CONSIDERATION
With significant numbers of shoppers operating without fixed budgets and heavily relying on credit cards, brands should offer flexible financing options and clear mid-tier pricing buckets to capture fluid, credit-backed EOFY spending.
Media Consumption in the Past Month
Among Nine’s audience, browsing a website / search engine is the top type of media consumed by audiences (82%). Younger audiences compliment this with social media (79%) significantly more than older Australians (59%). While older audiences maintain a preference for traditional media, using free-to-air significantly more than younger audiences (80% vs. 64%). More women are using social media (68%) compared to men (56%), however across all genders the top 3 media consumed remains consistent with Nine’s total audience.
In comparison to 6 months ago, there has been a slight shift in audience’s habits with consumption of podcasts and print newspapers seeing a 7 percentage point increase. This suggests that audiences are valuing curated and credible content. Additionally, consumption of media from digital news sites remains high at 69% (up +3% pts.), suggesting that with the current global instability, people are looking for daily updates that are reliable and easily accessible.
NOTE: For the best viewing experience on mobile, please view landscape.
We need journalism more than ever, not only to verify the world, but to make sense of it. And for brands looking to cut through the noise, there is no more powerful place to be seen than right alongside the facts.
The media landscape is facing a defining moment. As generative AI and social media algorithms create a crisis of clutter on the web, audiences are being flooded with an onslaught of unverified content, deepfakes and noise.
But out of this chaos comes a great awakening: AI won’t kill journalism. It is only making free and factual media more valuable than ever before.
As the digital ecosystem sits in a crisis of clutter, nine.com.au continues to thrive as the ultimate anchor of truth for nearly 10 million Australians. For nine.com.au Executive Editor Katie Davies, this shift highlights a truth she has witnessed firsthand since her very first day in the newsroom.
A Newsroom Revelation
About 18 years ago, I sat in a newsroom in England as a fresh-faced cadet. I had just landed my first job as a reporter. A sub editor, about 30 years my senior, shouted across the office: “Why did you choose journalism? It’s a dying profession. We’ll be all gone in five years.”
His comments rattled me. It’s all I’d ever wanted to do, the only thing I’d trained in. What if it was only going to last five years? Today that masthead still exists, likely with more readers than it did then.
Yes, the industry has gone through significant changes over the past 20 years and is facing probably its biggest yet with AI. However, one core principle has not changed - trust.
The recent inaugural News Nation report from ThinkNewsBrands highlighted a stark reality: 78% of Australians see national news publishers as trustworthy, compared to just 36% who feel the same about social media content creators.
In fact, nearly two in five Australians now actively turn to premium news media specifically to fact-check the chaos they encounter on social platforms.
The need for free and factual news sites like nine.com.au has never been greater.
Our team of outstanding digital journalists brings trusted breaking-news to Australia 24 hours a day.
We have streamlined to focus on the absolute best of entertainment, sport, lifestyle, travel, and shopping under a single, unified, and premium nine.com.au brand. A key focus for our team remains original, relatable and entertaining content that builds a genuine connection with readers, the very same principles we were taught at the start of our careers.
Despite what that sub editor told me many years ago, journalism has stood the test of time. People still value trust, and I believe that makes our industry as vital as it’s ever been.
It is the very foundation of trust that commercial director Ashleigh Thomas believes represents the single greatest opportunity for brands looking for true impact.
When consumers use nine.com.au to anchor themselves in the facts, that feeling of trust doesn’t stop at the editorial. It rubs off on the advertising next to it. We are delivering a highly engaged, high-intent audience in a uniquely receptive state of mind.
When readers trust the environment, they trust the brands within it.
When we looked at redesigning the site, our absolute priority was creating a quality digital environment where brands can truly perform. We’ve built a faster, cleaner user experience that is intentionally engineered to cultivate strong daily habits with our audience.
By streamlining the UX and extending their time on site, we are giving more meaningful, sustained opportunities to connect with Australians in a highly receptive state of mind.
Maximising Audience Attention
We’ve also elevated our storytelling formats to maximise that audience attention. There is nothing quite like the collective energy of a breaking-news story, and our high-impact live blogs are fast, dynamic, and keep eyes absolutely glued to the page as events unfold.
Alongside this, we’ve taken the friction out of video by embedding premium video natively into the editorial flow, capturing consumer attention naturally and driving massive engagement without disrupting their experience.
These enhancements have been implemented across both web and app, extending our engagement across these formats.
We’re incredibly proud of our new architecture, because it not only protects the integrity of our journalism and of your brand’s creative, but intentionally strips away the clutter so an advertiser’s message can be felt and acted upon.
Your campaigns deserve to be showcased in the highest-quality digital real estate in the country, and this relaunch delivers exactly that; unparalleled viewability in an environment we know Australians trust.
We Want Your Brands to Own the Moment
Whether it’s the moment a major story breaks, inspiration strikes, a new trend sets everyone talking, or the entire country holds its breath - nine.com.au owns the moment. We are there for the moments that matter to Australians, and through our sophisticated display and integration capabilities, your brand can be there too.
Hear more about the power of news journalism through Nine Publishing’s The News Effect series, featuring editors and journalists from our mastheads.
Source: Kantar Nine Live and On-Demand Research, 2025. Study commissioned by Nine to evaluate ad recall and consumer receptivity across live and video-on-demand (VOD) platforms (Base: n=3375 for ad recall; n=1557 for attitude and action).
Looking for more efficient, effective and transparent ways to grow your business? Enquire today.
In 2026, influence is everywhere, but integrity is rare. As Australians increasingly flag influencers as a significant misinformation risk, brands are asking a critical question: is our reputation built on solid ground or shifting sand? Luke McIlveen, Executive Editor of Nine’s Metro Mastheads, explains why a regulated newsroom is the ultimate safeguard for brand credibility.
Pictured: Luke McIlveen (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)
The digital gold rush of the influencer era is facing a reality check. According to the latest News Effect research from ThinkNewsBrands, 57% of Australians now view influencers as a major misinformation risk. The reason? An influencer is almost always selling something - whether it’s a product, a lifestyle, or a political lens.
In the final episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas sits down with Luke McIlveen to discuss how the rigorous and often unglamorous work of journalism acts as the essential antidote to the whirlpool of social media misinformation.
The independent north star
For McIlveen, the distinction between a newsroom and an algorithm-led platform is found in a single word that sits above the masthead: Independent.
“We’re not taking a political point of view to the news, we’re not putting a lens over it, and we’re certainly not selling products,” McIlveen says. “Advertisers choose to work with us because our credibility is paramount. We will always protect that.”
In an environment where integrity is often used as a buzzword, McIlveen argues it is actually the core business model. Unlike influencers, newsrooms operate under a strict legal and ethical code. “Integrity is about accountability. If we get it wrong, there are consequences. On an algorithm-led platform, no one is in charge.”
The art of slowing down
In a 24/7 news cycle, the pressure to be first is immense. However, McIlveen’s strategy for maintaining the Trust Halo is counterintuitive: he tells his journalists to slow down.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlpool of facts breaking on social media, but there are countless examples where a story broken by an influencer has turned out to be completely wrong,” McIlveen notes. “Our approach is to make sure we have a clear code of conduct and to take the time to get it right. You need to show the audience you’ve done the work.”
This rigour is best exemplified by Nine’s dedicated investigations unit. Behind the headlines of major outcomes, like the Ben Roberts-Smith case, lies years of "obsessive and intensive" journalism - going through thousands of documents and verifying every quote. This level of tenacity creates a premium environment that supports every other section of the masthead, from hard news to lifestyle content.
The 'kill the story' principle
The most unique aspect of Nine’s editorial philosophy is a principle McIlveen learned early in his career: never be afraid to make the phone call that kills the story.
“It’s really easy to get an angle and just run with it,” he explains. “What’s much more difficult is to go that extra step and make the phone call that might actually prove your story wrong. If that additional call means the story is dead, then that’s the end of the story. If we strive toward that every day, the audience picks up on it.”
The bottom line for brands
For marketers, the 'Misinformation Counterweight' provides a unique form of insurance. By placing a brand alongside journalism that prioritises accuracy over clicks, advertisers aren't just reaching an audience, they are anchoring their reputation to a platform built on accountability.
As McIlveen puts it: “Credible, independent journalism is what we’re here to do.” Standing next to that journalism is the surest way to ensure their credibility remains on solid ground.
Watch the full interview with Luke McIlveen above to explore the power of the Misinformation Counterweight.
