Life after Hoges and Lara: The new faces selling Aussie holidays to the world
In 1984, largely thanks to America's love for Paul Hogan, shrimp and 'barbies', Australia welcomed more than a million tourists for the first time. It's now at 8.3 million annually and, by the end of the decade, nearly 12 million are forecast. And they're spending: a record $53 billion in the year to March 30, apparently, but where that money's coming from is changing.
New Zealand, albeit a 'short haul' market, remains on top, accounting for 1.4 million visitors. Even as Robert Irwin follows in Hogan's footsteps, America is in third spot with 715,000 visitors, which means it now ranks behind China, our second-largest market, with 948,000 tourists. Enter Chinese heart-throb actor and singer Yosh Yu, Tourism Australia's latest ambassador, sporting an Akubra for his 7 million-plus Chinese social-media followers.
Thanks to her 8.5 million Insta followers, Indian influencer Sara Tendulkar, daughter of cricket legend Sachin, has also been enlisted to entice her 1.5 billion countrymen to 'Come and say G'day'. Some 453,000 have done so over the past year.
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Stand outside the Skye Suites building in Sydney's inner-city enclave of Green Square long enough and you'll likely catch excited foreigners taking selfies in front of it. As temporary home to the highly emotional couples who appear on Nine Network's home-grown, global-hit-reality-TV-series, Married At First Sight, the apartment complex has become an unlikely tourist attraction. Nine [publisher of this masthead] says the series is currently screening in more than 100 international markets, earning a cult-like following with celebrity endorsements from the likes of Mad Max 's Anya Taylor-Joy and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who posed outside the building during a promotional trip with Tourism Australia in June. Coughlan dubbed the apartments 'Australia's most impressive cultural monument' in her caption to her 6.1 million Instagram followers. Pristine beaches, cute marsupials and fluffy Irwins are clearly not all the world's visitors are interested in seeing when they head Down Under.
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News.com.au
35 minutes ago
- News.com.au
ACA boss Amy McCarthy steps down after Logies controversy
OPINION The resignation of the executive producer of Nine's A Current Affair Amy McCarthy over a few largely inoffensive social media posts has exposed simmering tensions within Nine's self-professed culturally enlightened news division. According to insiders, McCarthy, whose star rose at A Current Affair in tandem with her boss Fiona Dear's who McCarthy replaced as executive producer of the program in June 2024 after Dear was appointed Nine's news and current affairs director, has been in the sights of a handful of detractors for some time. McCarthy stepped down as the program's executive producer on Thursday confirming she will move immediately into a lower-ranking news production role at Nine. The decision to stand down followed an internal investigation, which sought to evaluate the extent of the internal outrage provoked by a series of Facebook posts McCarthy published from this month's Logie Awards ceremony. In the posts McCarthy stated her intention to get drunk at the awards night – something that would usually stand her in excellent company with her TV colleagues and did wonders for Nine star Karl Stefanovic's career in 2009 when he turned up drunk the morning after the Logies and co-anchored Nine's national breakfast show Today. McCarthy's misdemeanour was to optimistically post 'I can get drunk now,' from the event at Sydney's Star City on August 3. 'You thought you'd been spammed before!! Standby!!' she quipped. By Stefanovic's standards, it was very tame. In a follow-up post McCarthy explained why she hadn't posted evidence of her actually getting drunk. 'Luckily my phone died before any evidence could be recorded.' Then came the post that apparently proved too risque for sensitive colleagues to ignore. Accompanying an image of rocker Jimmy Barnes, who performed at the Logies, was McCarthy's frank admission: 'Deserves a spot on the grid! #wouldstilldohim.' Enraged Nine staff apparently were quick to point out that had a man posted similarly, they'd have been out on their ear. I'd suggest that had a man done so at any point in Nine's almost 70-year history prior to last year they've have been considered executive material and handed a corner office. The program's star Ally Langdon, who has been asserting herself more and more at Nine since beating Stefanovic to the coveted A Current Affair gig in 2023 following Tracy Grimshaw's retirement is said to have previously voiced her concerns about McCarthy's perceived lack of experience to Nine's top brass. Those concerns seem to have gone largely dismissed until the night of the Logies when the executive producer's posts presented her critics with a golden opportunity. Nine sources insist that despite evidence to the contrary, Nine news boss Dear continued to support McCarthy after her social media posts found their way into a media column the morning after the Logies. Dear did, after all, laud McCarthy as a 'natural leader' upon her appointment to Nine's executive ranks at ACA 14 months ago. However last year's damning Intersection culture report – which found Nine had a tradition of systemic abuse of power and authority, of bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment – and a subsequent review – established standards which would see McCarthy's posts deemed offensive and a matter for Nine's HR department. McCarthy has informed colleagues she is 'really looking forward' to returning to the Nine newsroom – a transfer which will create some distance between her and Langdon. 'I made a stupid mistake – one that was not meant to be hurtful or harmful in any way but it has brought unwanted and negative attention to a show I love and a team I adore. For that, I'm very sorry,' McCarthy said in her humbling email to colleagues on Thursday. 'With the support of my family, I've had time to reflect on this and after talking with Fiona (Dear) about what's appropriate for me and the show going forward, I am stepping down as EP of A Current Affair, effective immediately.' In a separate statement Dear added: 'It's been a difficult time for Amy and the ACA team but it's important our senior people lead by example. I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone about Nine's policies, including our social media guidelines and expectations of behaviour at Nine. 'Amy will be staying on in the Nine News current affairs team and will be taking up a role as a senior producer in the Sydney Newsroom. After a decade of experience Amy will be an asset to the team.' Reporter Steve Marshall will fill in until a permanent replacement is appointed. CUTS AT NINE NEWS FROM NEXT WEEK McCarthy's timely resignation comes a week before Nine is expected to announce details of its much anticipated 'News Transformation' project. As insiders see it, the project is less about modernisation and transformation, as is claimed, and more about cost cutting. Despite Nine crowing about a $1.4 billion payday following the recent sale of its interest in Domain real estate platform, none of that coin is expected to flow into its broadcast news and current affairs division. About half will go to shareholders while another chunk is being spent acquiring content for struggling streaming platform Stan for which Nine has picked up the English Premier League rights from Optus. Media pundits have spent recent months speculating on what Nine will do with the leftover estimated $700 million windfall. When approached by this column one predicted Nine may bid for outdoor company oOh! media which this month signed SBS managing director James Taylor as CEO. If it does, that purchase, given oOh! media's current $960 million valuation, would burn through the remainder of Nine's profits from the Domain sale and then some. Regardless, Nine's free-to-air broadcast division is expected to have to make do, which, in the declining free-to-air market, means cuts under CEO Matt Stanton. About $10 million is tipped to be shaved from Fiona Dear's news and current affairs budget which is increasingly focused on producing short YouTube-able minutes-long news packages at the expense of longform prestige journalism. That leaves Nine's news division with a budget of $150 million – $160 million by our estimate. That sum covers salaries of the network's highly paid on-air talent and production crews, it also covers resources, news tech and some occasionally dodgy chequebook journalism. We make the sum out to be about $20 million more than Nine currently forks out annually for its NRL broadcast rights, which are also up for renegotiation. CAN WIPPA PRESERVE NOVA RADIO PARTNERSHIP? Kate Ritchie's return to the radio airwaves this month, following a six-month absence, was seen by many as a sign Nova Radio's Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald & Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli breakfast show – with Kate Ritchie – was finally back on track. Yet the drums have been beating for the trio for the past year and since June radio industry insiders have been tipping the program will be axed at year's end with the trio to be replaced by a version of Nova's drive show featuring Tim Blackwell, Joel Creasey and Ricki-Lee Coulter. However this column has been told the decision on whether the curtain will fall on Fitzy and Wippa's partnership is far from set in stone with Wipfli lobbying executives to push the longtime radio pairing's retirement date out to the end of 2026. After 14 years of breakfast shifts Wipfli holds some influence at Nova and despite Ritchie periodically falling over, the breakfast duo haven't been completely outclassed by Nova's ascendant drive line-up. In the second radio survey of the year, Blackwell, Creasey and Coulter captured a slim 0.3 marginal lead Fitzy and Wippa, 8.9 market share points to 8.6. By survey three Nova's drive line-up had lifted to a 9.2 per cent market share while Fitzy & Wippa had slipped to 7.9. Still it was four points ahead of 2DAYFM's Sydney breakfast show hosted by Jimmy Smith and Nathan Roye, aka Jimmy & Nath, and 3.5 points ahead of Triple M's breakfast team of Beau Ryan, Aaron Woods and Cat Lynch, which by radio standards is a significant margin. By survey four, released last month, Fitzy & Wippa had shed another 0.8 points to 7.1 – queue Ritchie's return. Blackwell and Co were down 1.1 points in the same survey. A Nova spokeswoman declined to be drawn on claims the sun will set on the Fitzy and Wippa partnership at the end of the year. Wippa's management failed to return calls. S U RVIVING BEE GEE PAYS TRIBUTE TO JOYE As races go, the race to the grave, or to heaven, or to another greater or lesser beyond, would in the end prove too close to call in the competition between musical legend Col Joye and his great friend, one time host of Australian Bandstand and television newsreader Brian Henderson. Joye's death on August 5 coincided with the four-year anniversary of Henderson's, who died on August 5, 2021. Both men were 89 at the time of their death. Joye's private funeral was held last week in the locale of his Hunter's Hill home on Sydney's North Shore. Among mourners were his wife Dalys and children Clayton and Amber who both flew in from their adopted homes overseas. Three of the nation's greatest sixties pop stars also turned out to pay their respects with Sandy Scott, Judy Stone and Little Pattie Amphlett all in attendance as too did Joye's younger sister Carol, who is married to Scott. Joye, who was born Colin Jacobsen, and is credited with discovering The Bee Gees, would have been delighted with Barry Gibb's performance, via video, at the funeral. Gibb sang The Bee Gee's second international hit, To Love Somebody, released in 1967, just six years after Joye drove to Surfers Paradise to sign the young brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin to his fledgling label.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
The Block ratings surge but auction day looms
The Block's most-watched season in years could still unravel on auction day, with television insiders warning all eyes will be on the hammers. Across four nights, the show is drawing combined episode reach totals of more than 8 million, though that includes repeat viewers across episodes. The 2025 season launched with a reach of 2.7 million and continues to dominate Sunday nights with average audiences pushing past 1.4 million amid the shows format change from renovating to building and stronger focus on the contestants stories and building rather than drama. Television and entertainment expert Colin Vickery said The Block's real test is still to come, when the renovated Daylesford homes go under the hammer. 'The Block will always rate well on finale night,' Mr Vickery said. 'But a flop result can leave a sour taste and impact next year's momentum.' Mr Vickery said big-name buyers like Adrian Portelli have played a major role in recent seasons, but 'if they're absent this year', the pressure will shift back to everyday market demand. 'This year, if those buyers sit it out, it'll be interesting to see what happens,' he said. 'The moment the hammer drops still defines how The Block is remembered each year.' Mr Vickery said the show was easily outrating rivals like Channel 7's The Voice and Network 10's Survivor, and credited Nine producers with maintaining audience loyalty by returning to a single-season format and keeping location choices fresh. 'They've got both ends of the calendar locked up, Married At First Sight in the first half of the year, and The Block in the second,' he said. 'It's smart programming.' Block judge and Whitefox director Marty Fox said this season was a 'perfect storm', with casting, location and fairness working in its favour. 'Daylesford is rich in history and lifestyle appeal, and this season feels like a level playing field,' Mr Fox said. 'For the contestants, if you succeed, it's on you. 'If you fail, it's on you, that fairness resonates with viewers.' Mr Fox said a cultural shift was underway in what audiences wanted from reality television in 2025. 'People are tired of toxic drama,' he said. 'They want effort, quality, transformation, and they're getting that this year.' The show has also helped turn Mr Fox into a household name, thanks to his blunt, unscripted critiques, including calling one bathroom an 'up-market abattoir', a line that quickly went viral with fans on forums But, The Block judge told The Herald Sun 'none of it is planned' and his reaction with fellow judges Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer were all in real time. 'It one take, off the cuff, in the moment,' Mr Fox said. 'But people remember it. I had someone stop me at a sushi shop just to talk about a one liner I've said on the show.' Mr Fox said The Block's continued success came down to its ability to cut through as one of the last true appointment-viewing shows on TV. 'You can watch it with your kids and your parents, and all get something out of it,' he said. 'It sparks conversations around the dinner table — that's rare these days.' With more than 33 million viewer engagements already logged this season, expectations for the finale are high. 'They'll wrap the season and analyse what worked,' Mr Fox said. 'But if the finale lands, this could be remembered as one of The Block's best.' The Block 2025 Ratings Episode Audience Reach Average Audience Ep 1 (Launch) 2,700,000 1,303,000 Ep 2 (Mon) 1,919,000 1,100,000 Ep 3 (Tue) 1,898,000 1,120,000 Ep 4 (Wed) 1,836,000 1,029,000 Ep 5 (Sun) 2,497,000 1,312,000 Ep 6 (Mon) 2,050,000 1,082,000 Ep 7 (Tue) 2,025,000 1,079,000 Ep 8 (Wed) 1,926,000 1,061,000 Ep 9 (Sun) 2,617,000 1,412,000 Ep 10 (Mon) 1,952,000 1,074,000 Ep 11 (Tue) 1,711,000 961,000 Ep 12 (Wed) 1,722,000 1,029,000 Ep 13 (Sun) 2,622,000 1,443,000 Ep 14 (Mon) 2,034,000 1,099,000 Ep 15 (Tue) 1,852,000 1,040,000 Ep 16 (Wed) 1,983,000 1,113,000 Average 2.84 million 1.141 million
The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
MKR's dinner parties are crazy. Here's how Colin Fassnidge handles them
Comparisons between the explosive dinner parties on Nine's dating show Married At First Sight and those of Seven's home-cooking contest My Kitchen Rules tend to irk MKR judge Colin Fassnidge. Not because of the two reality programs' bitter history as ratings rivals, an unwinnable clash Seven's programmers are this year wisely avoiding. Rather, the Dublin-born Australian chef simply 'hates' Married at First Sight. So how, then, has he been able to maintain his composure at the head of the fractious MKR table alongside French-Australian chef Manu Feildel? 'This year, Manu and I have had to tell a few people off,' Fassnidge concedes. 'We're getting old. There is some massive personality [this season]. You've got the self-confessed 'Meat Master', who will be a meme in his own right. And then you've got the other stronger girls around the table. 'It's like a Christmas dinner. It starts off nice, and then they all have a couple of reds … But I enjoy working with friends. I enjoy eating different cuisines, meeting different people. And it's not your normal job because at 52, if I was a chef still standing in the kitchen 16 hours a day, I'd be a very grumpy and not very nice man.' The contentious contestant to whom Fassnidge refers is Michael from Queensland, who, with his partner Reilli, presents a dish containing the flesh of an animal that is set to 'divide the nation'. 'Look, I'm open to everything,' says Fassnidge. 'I was fine. I reckon 90 per cent of the table were not hungry.' Competing with her cousin Mel is Jacinta, a vegetarian nutritionist from NSW who refuses to even taste meat. 'At the start, I was a little bit thrown,' says Fassnidge. 'But then food is like religion. You can't pigeonhole everybody. And the way we live and run restaurants now, vegetarians and vegans are a huge part of what we do … Chefs used to be quite arrogant and think that the world revolves around them and not the customer. When you run your own business, you realise everyone's money is the same. 'So, yeah, the vegetarian option was like a last-minute, whatever. And now, there's a lot more veg and other options than there are meat options. And that's because meat has become so expensive. And people are eating lighter now.' A snapshot of the other contestants this 15th season includes best mates Justin and Will from NSW, who bring South African and Tongan flavours; Greek mother and daughter Anne and Maree from Victoria, cooking family recipes; and best friends Lol and Lil from the Brisbane satellite city of Logan, who have never left Queensland.
