The 10 biggest moments in Australian media and advertising in 2019

The end of the year demands a list. Best. Worst. Predictions. December is the one time where we feel confident enough to future gaze, and armed with the benefit of hindsight dispense wisdom about the 12 months just gone.

I am not above falling into this cliche. In fact it's something I embrace. So armed with the same blind self-belief I bring to my over 35's Wednesday night basketball team, here's my view on the biggest moments that shaped media and advertising in 2019.

Note - these are in no particular order.

Streaming Video is eating mainstream media. Netflix and Stan growing at 30% CAGR domestically, linear TV consumption dropping by double digits for those under 40, Disney+ launching at a price under $10, Amazon Prime chipping away. Apple TV+ quietly lurking. HBO/NBC/CBS all imminent. Ad-free video is making the TV the cool screen in the house and is competing with every media form for time and attention. if you're in the business of capturing the attention of people via content or experience - you're competing with SVOD.

The ACCC Digital Platforms Enquiry will impact agencies and media companies. Taking rebates, preferencing your own products, engaged in third party enforcing/exclusive dealing, locking out businesses from fair trade, not disclosing preferential arrangements, these will all fall under the purview of the ACCC. What most felt would be an intitiative to hit Goog and Facebook is likely to hit other parties. The murky programmatic era and its associated offshoots took the piss for too long. Many will be heading into Xmas a bit concerned.

Advertisers lose patience with divisive talent. The Alan Jones issues facing Macquarie showed that whilst advertisers are generally a patient bunch, if you push partisan beliefs too far they will find other less contentious platforms to spend their money with. Advertisers need to realise that placing ads around beliefs that divide can mean that you become associated with these - whether by design or by accident.

Nine wins the year. Not just in ratings but the NEC business definitely had energy in 2019. It bedded in the merged Fairfax assets, saw Stan keep growing and building, looked to expand its 9Now service as more a free SVOD than a pure catch up service, and has seen its share price rise throughout the year in a sea of media stocks seeing declines. It also launched a winning format in Lego Masters and has kept momentum across its established franchises. Nine is now the local company the others are trying to keep up with.

The AANA delivers a bang-on media services boiler plate. The 2019 amendment of the AANA media services agreement for advertisers is a winning approach that every advertiser in Australia should implement immediately. Credit to John Broome for steering this through, now it's up to us to ensure it becomes the contractual norm in Australia.

VOZ and the unified trading platform for TV. Doug Pfeiffer and his team have been working on VOZ for the better part of 2 years and 2020 should see it roll out. Combined with the newly agreed unified trading platform for TV inventory it should provide not just an easier way to transact, but improved insights for marketers to help them use video to sell more product.

Binet & Field are the Buckingham and Nicks of media efficacy. Just like Fleetwood Mac albums become more classic as each year goes on, Binet and Field's now 7 year old seminal 'Long and Short of It' becomes louder as each year goes on. 2019 felt like the year it became completely embraced across the board. Like Fleetwood Mac, the two continue to release new work, but their 'Rumours'-esque 'Long and Short of It' continues to delight new generations. Let's hope their personal relationship is less volatile than Lindsay and Stevie's.

Media is anything - just ask Nike. Nike won the Cannes Grand Prix for media with an idea that reimagined what media was and could be (via AKQA Sao Paolo). It benefitted in 2019 from its bold move with Colin Kaepernick - market cap up $26b in 2019.

Google and Facebook continue to eat advertising budgets. Google and Facebook are collectively eating the lunch of every media company in the world. Many are fighting back - but the worry is that the debate becomes very much an either/or one as is one that is becoming increasingly aggressive and pointed. Advertisers are investing in these channels as their belief is right now they are the best use of their money - in order to change this the approach of criticising the platforms won't work, the competitors need to demonstrate simply they are superior.

Media remains exciting, fast and dynamic. I write this exhausted after a long year, but optimistic about where the industry is heading. And the optimism I hope is shared by you as well.

Have a great Christmas, holiday break and thanks for reading.