Remade revelations, the Murdoch Tiktok deal, and unpicking Optus' latest PR nightmare

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.