Official Google Australia Blog

Reflecting on our Google News Initiative work in Australia

Friday, October 30, 2020

GNI Impact Report

We’ve also learned that crises can be unexpected and require unprecedented support. That’s why when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world, we refocused our efforts. Through the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund, we were able to provide financial support to 97 news organisations across the country, with recipients able to use the funds in whatever way would help them. For example, The Murray Pioneer adapted their entire workflow to a remote working situation, while building ways to maintain business relationships with advertisers.

Our work in Australia during the pandemic also tackled misinformation. Because access to primary expert sources during an evolving public health crisis is both challenging and fundamental for journalists covering the story, we provided funding to the Australian Science Media Centre, creators of Scimex.org. They worked with more than 85 COVID-19 experts and organised 60 expert reactions from leaders in the fields of science and health, explainers, briefings and myth busters on COVID-19, all of which informed more than 30,000 news stories in Australia and overseas. GNI funds also allowed the Centre to hire an additional media officer for six months.

As we look back beyond this year, here are the highlights of our work in Australia, which spanned three key areas:

Elevating quality journalism

Supporting newsrooms in delivering quality reporting sits at the heart of the GNI’s mission, and our work in Australia was deeply rooted in supporting editorial talent in that endeavour. We have appointed Teaching Fellows and partnered with the Walkley Foundation to provide training across Australia to help make sure that journalists and media organisations have the digital skills to succeed at their craft. Since the program launched in February 2019, we’ve been able to train thousands of journalists across more than 200 newsrooms in the country.

It’s when citizens have to vote that they rely the most on quality news content. To navigate last year’s Federal Election, the Google News Lab supported the Australian Associated Press (AAP) in its election verification service, sending alerts to newsrooms and offering workshops to help journalists access the latest tools and technology to tackle disinformation and support their coverage of the elections. Ahead of the election, we also helped First Draft launch its first bureau in Asia Pacific (APAC) to assist journalists and publishers unearth and expose misleading, false and untrue claims.

But our work doesn’t stop at how news is being reported on, we also deeply care about who is writing the news, because diversity and inclusion in newsrooms impact the reporting made available to citizens. That’s why we partnered with Media Diversity Australia to release a landmark report on diversity in Australia’s broadcast news. “Who Gets To Tell Australian Stories?” found that almost 76 percent of those on Australian screens were of an Anglo-Celtic background, while just six percent were from Indigenous or non-European backgrounds. We’re confident that by sharing these findings, newsrooms will be able to consider more closely their diversity and inclusion practices.

Empowering sustainable business growth

Readers’ consumption habits have changed, and media have had to adapt to this ever-evolving environment. That’s why since late 2019, we have worked on a News Lab pilot program in Australia to build digital skills and capacity among regional publishers, and to research and test new small-scale digital publishing models. The programs, such as Project Kookaburra, focus on specific publishers but share common themes, namely optimising revenue, increasing use of audience engagement data and insights, and supporting organisational transformation. Through this work, publications have been able to achieve goals such as increasing their advertising revenues, better understanding their audiences, and expanding their news coverage.

We also work with bigger media organisations like Nine to implement Subscribe with Google into their publications, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Subscribe with Google makes it easier for readers to subscribe to premium content online in a seamless way.

At Google, we work to increase the value of our partnership to publishers by ensuring their content reaches as many people as possible. As part of the YouTube Player for Publisher program, we worked with Junkee Media and Southern Cross Austereo to reduce complexity and increase audience reach.

Empowering newsrooms through innovation

While the media may face many challenges today, continuous innovation is the key to sustainable business models. We have seen that innovative spirit shine through our interactions with many Australian publications and journalists. Last year, two Australian editors from the Brisbane Times and Australian Community Media (ACM) were chosen among 12 Fellows for the Google News Initiative Newsroom Leadership Program, a collaboration between GNI and the Columbia School of Journalism, to develop the business and product expertise of emerging newsroom leaders from the APAC region.

Seven Australian media outlets (Crikey, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, Women's Agenda, Guardian Australia, Mamamia, The Conversation, and Australian Community Media) are recipients of our GNI APAC Innovation Challenges, and Junkee Media and Nine News Australia received GNI YouTube Innovation Funding. Both programs fund projects that inject new ideas into the news industry, and we hope to be able to share the successes soon.

What’s next?

Despite the enormous progress that's been made to help create a sustainable future for journalism in Australia, there is still much work to be done. We’ve recently launched the GNI Digital Growth Program in Australia, which has been designed with industry experts and news publishers across the world to help small and medium-sized news organisations grow their digital businesses. We invite Australian media to course through a range of free playbooks, interactive exercises, digital workshops and labs. We look forward to continuing our important work with local publishers across the country.

Posted by Nic Hopkins, News Lab Lead, Australia and New Zealand.

Passion takes precedence: reaching engaged audiences with YouTube Select

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

We’ve seen their passion reflected in significant watchtime increases across a range of content categories. Watchtime for home improvement videos has doubled. (1) Tourist destination videos have jumped by 70% (2), and there’s been a swell of 45% in watchtime for surfing videos (3). Engaged audiences are using YouTube to learn, discover ideas, and shape their real world experiences in new and interesting ways.

Australian advertisers have been searching for ways to better connect with audiences for years, but with the launch of YouTube Select, the game has changed. Advertisers and agencies now have direct access to the best content and most passionate audiences YouTube has to offer.

Driving the best Return of Investment (ROI)

YouTube Select is about personalisation, not programming. Brands can deliver precise messaging to audiences who are watching videos on topics they are passionate about, in the time and place that works for them. Through powerful, unique tools and signals, YouTube Select helps advertisers access more of the most relevant and contextual content with:

Lineups: YouTube generated packages that engage viewers through content and topic.
Programmes & Packages: Key moments and sponsorships across Sports, Music and YouTube Kids that spark interest and deepen brand association.

By building deep connections through shared interests and powerful moments, advertisers and agencies can drive exceptional ROI. In 2019, global lineups delivered an average awareness lift of 13% and an average purchase intent lift of 9% (4), with a US study also showing YouTube Select lineups drove greater ROI than TV in 73% of Marketing Mix Models that measured YouTube Select lineups, Other Digital, and TV in 2016-2018 (5).

The power and the passion

We know the days of the family sitting down around the TV after dinner to watch a show together are gone. These days, primetime is personal. Primetime is anytime. And primetime is about passion. In fact, Aussies’ number one criteria for valuable content is whether it aligns to their personal passions and interests (6).

YouTube Select’s content packaging approach empowers brands to connect with those passions and show up in primetime, whenever it may be. With precise audience curation tools across a diverse range of high-quality, brand safe content, advertisers can be sure their products will be seen when and where it matters. So instead of your hair spray product showing up with just any beauty video, you can speak to the eager at-home stylists that are watching hair tutorials specifically, at the time that is best for them.

As the beating heart of YouTube content, our creators continue to deliver the goods. In Australia there are now 100 channels with over one million subscribers, and a further 1,000 with 100,000+ (7), and Aussies pull their weight amongst the one billion people around the world who watch a music video on YouTube each month (8). Artists like Tones and I, who was busking in Byron in 2019, and now has over a billion views of Dance Monkey on YouTube, can now connect with fans through unique digital experiences like her intimate live performance in April.

For the sports nuts (and I most definitely include myself in this category), YouTube is the place for sport and fitness content that can’t be found anywhere else - a fact that 79% of YouTube sports viewers have noted (9). It just goes to show that YouTube is able to provide niche, personal content experiences for sports fans that they truly value and will come back to time and time again.

An interested audience that can’t be found anywhere else

YouTube is the most loved video content platform in Australia, and it shows. With 16 million monthly visitors and 7.5 million in the 18-39 demographic (10), YouTube has an expansive, connected viewer base that can’t be found anywhere else. And that base continues to grow.

Content consumption, as well as the use of SVOD services, jumped sharply in April and May, with 72% of Aussies now able to access at least one SVOD (11) service (2.6 million more than before COVID-19) and seven million people are streaming YouTube through connected TV - with a 65% jump in watchtime on TV screens since last year (12).

YouTube Select now offers you more capabilities on the TV screen, and gives you more choice in how you buy. In Australia, YouTube Select lineups are available via Google Ads, Display & Video 360 and reservation.

83% of the total Aussie adult population turns to YouTube (13) when they want to get deeper into their interests, to grow as people, to solve problems or achieve their goals. And with that in mind, we’re incredibly excited to offer YouTube Select to Australian advertisers and agencies. By partnering with some of the best content on YouTube through lineups and programmes, brands can deliver exceptional ROI by building deeper connections in more powerful moments than ever before. We remain committed to delivering engaging videos to everyone, everyday, and we look forward to seeing how these exciting new tools can help our advertisers grow!

Posted by Rhys Williams, Director Media Sales, Google Australia & New Zealand

Sources:(1) Google Data, AU, Apr 20 - Jun 20 vs. Apr 19 - Jun 19(2) Google Data, AU, Apr 20 - Jun 20 vs. Apr 19 - Jun 19(3) Google Data, AU, Apr 20 - Jun 20 vs. Apr 19 - Jun 19(4) Google Preferred Lineups (now part of YouTube Select) Brand Lift, 2019, Google Preferred launched countries (across all studies measured).(5) Commissioned Nielsen MMM Meta-Analysis, 2016-2018. Base: a list of studies selected and compiled by Nielsen, consisting of all available CPG studies completed in 2016-2018 that contain Google Preferred, Other Digital, and TV results. This list includes 45 studies for US Brands across all CPG categories. ROI is “Retail ROI,” defined as total incremental sales divided by total media spend. Incremental offline retail sales measured for TV represents average across all TV broadcasters.(6) [Google/Nature, Primetime is Personal study, AU, Aug 2019. n=1500 people age 18-65.] (7) Google data, AU, Jan 2019.(8) Source: YouTube Internal Data June 2020(9) Source: Google/Ipsos Connect, Sports Viewers Study, U.S. among adults aged 18-54 who watch sports/fitness content on YouTube at least monthly, n=1,501, Feb. 2016.(10) Source: Nielsen Digital Content Ratings, Monthly Total, Platform C/M, Video 0 seconds, Brand: YouTube, Unique Audience, Apr '20.(11) The Lab/Nature COVID Brand Navigator, Media Deep Dive, April – May 2020 (n=1600 Australians) (12) YouTube Internal Data, March 2020.(13) Nielsen Digital Content Ratings, Monthly Total, Platform C/M, Video 0 seconds, Ppl 18+, Brand: YouTube, Unique Audience, Apr '20.

Magpies, masks and a mullet: 5 trends that show what inspired Aussies to search, cheer and learn this footy season

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Over the past few years, we’ve been working to help Aussies connect with all things footy – whether we’re delving into our rich sport heritage, following live footy scores and fixtures or voting for the Mark of the Year directly in Search.
2020 has thrown us all kinds of curve balls – from pausing the season to putting clubs in hubs – but our spirit hasn’t been shaken. Search shows we Aussies have stayed dedicated to our game.
As we get ready for Saturday’s blockbuster AFL Grand Final between Geelong and Richmond, we’re looking back at what and how we searched this footy season:
1. Power to AFL Women

A clear standout in Search is the growing interest in AFLW – which hit a new all time high in 2020. With four new clubs entering the league in 2020, the rapid expansion of AFLW prompted uptick in Searches for clubs such as West Coast Eagles, which was the most Searched AFLW team this season.

2. Teams on top (in Search) While the Collingwood Magpies won’t be on the field this Grand Final day, they topped the ladder for the most searched for clubs in 2020. Here are the top AFL teams ranked by Search interest in Australia in 2020 so far:

1. Collingwood Magpies

2. Essendon

3. Carlton

4. Richmond

5. West Coast Eagles

6. Geelong Cats

7. Port Adelaide

8. Adelaide Crows

9. St Kilda

10. Fremantle Dockers

3. Should the AFL bring back State of Origin in 2021? Footy fans were fixated on the return of State of Origin footy, as the match was the top trending moment of the season related to AFL. Searches for the match, which was dedicated to bushfire relief, spiked 2000% this year.

4. Moments (and a mullet) to remember

This footy season graced us with iconic kicks and hair-dos that piqued our Search interest. Searches for “goal of the year” spiked +600% this season. Josh Daicos’ goal of the year also spurred an increase in searches for his dad, Peter – who was known as the Macedonian Marvel due to his wonder goals in the 80’s.
Meanwhile, Bailey Smith’s mullet drove a 5000% increase in searches year on year. And unsurprisingly, the pandemic also came into play – as Searches for “AFL coronavirus” and “AFL face masks” have also risen this year.
5. Tuning in, finding tickets and refining our ball skills Aussies came to Search to get help with a range of AFL related queries this season. We wanted to know how to bounce an AFL ball and dreamed of being an AFL player. We tuned in online – and as some cities began to welcome AFL fans back to games, we went looking for tickets. Here’s the list of trending “how to” searches for AFL in Australia in 2020 so far:

1. How to bounce an AFL ball

2. How to watch AFL online

3. How to handball AFL

4. How to bet on AFL

5. How to get a job in the AFL

6. How to score in AFL

7. How to tackle in AFL

8. How to kick a football

9. How to get tickets to AFL grand final

10. How to be an AFL player

We're proud to continue our partnership with the AFL through 2022 to help you make the most of each season – from kick off to Grand Final Day. And as you gear up for this weekend, check out this Great Sporting Land collection to relive some of the classic Grand Final moments in Australian history!
Posted by Aisling Finch, Director of Marketing, Google Australia and New Zealand

Google Play Points: a rewards program for the ways you Play

Friday, October 16, 2020

Since 2012, Google Play has been your place to find and enjoy apps, games, movies, TV shows, and books. More than 2 billion people in 190 countries use Google Play to discover blockbuster movies, apps that help you be more productive, and books that inspire imagination. To show our appreciation, we created a new rewards program called Google Play Points that lets you earn points and rewards for the ways you already use Google Play. Over the two years, millions of people in Japan, South Korea, the US, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have joined the program. Starting this week, Google Play Points is launching in Australia, as well as UK, France and Germany.
It’s free to join, and you can earn Play Points to use for special items and discounts in top games like Candy Crush Saga and Pokémon GO, or for Google Play Credit to use on movies, books, games, and apps.

Play your way and earn points With Google Play Points, you’ll earn points on everything you buy with Google Play, including in-app items, movies, books, subscriptions and more. You can also earn Play Points by downloading featured free apps and games. Weekly points events can boost your earning rate on movies, books, and select games.
Google Play Points has four levels, from Bronze to Platinum. Your level depends on how many points you’ve collected, and higher levels have perks like weekly prizes.

Redeem your Play Points how you’d like We’re partnering with developers of some of the top apps and games on Google Play so that you can redeem points for special in-app items like characters, gems and more. You can also use Play Points for Google Play Credit and rent an award-winning movie or buy a best-selling audiobook.

Join for free Google Play Points will be available over the next week. It’s free to join, there is no recurring or monthly fee, and you’ll earn three times the Play Points on everything you buy your first week. To get started, visit Google Play. Tap menu, then Play Points. Learn more about Play Points--and get ready to earn points and rewards.
Posted by Winston Mok, Product Manager, Google Play

Find A Way Together, #WithMe on YouTube

Saturday, October 10, 2020

But despite the uncertainty, something profound has been happening on YouTube. People are coming together to support each other, and creators are doing what they do best: showing up for their communities. Whether it’s pausing to check in, find a moment of joy, reflect or simply express vulnerability, creators are sharing their expertise, stories, passions, and a little bit more of themselves. And these simple acts are making a difference. For World Mental Health Day, Mental Health Week Australia and National Mental Health Month—we want to shine a light on our YouTube community, and creators who are sharing their stories, and helping others find ways to speak out, take care, and cope. Thank you to the registered mental health organisations like Black Dog Institute, Project Rockit and headspace Australia on the platform for sharing your expert knowledge and resources with us. And thank you to the many other creators—from yoga instructors to musicians, from gardeners to gamers—for providing emotional support and a sense of connection just by opening up and talking about what you’re going through. You are all helping us take better care of ourselves and each other.

Turning to YouTube for Support and Comfort Videos related to many practices associated with coping with anxiety and stress, including many hobbies, yoga and exercise, have seen increases in viewership this year. Aussie creator Chloe Ting, was one channel offering locals in lockdown an outlet. Videos with ‘Chloe Ting’ or ‘Chloe Ting Challenge’ or ‘#chloetingchallenge’ in the title generated more than 140 million views globally since March 15, 2020.1 Videos with prayer in the title are also among those seeing an increase in views—up 70 percent in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year.2 Prayer plays an important role in the lives of many, especially in handling stressful situations, and these videos may offer a feeling of solace. They also offer a way to continue participating in religious practices, and to maintain a routine during a time that is anything but routine. Mental health exists on a spectrum from illness to wellness and, as such, impacts every single one of us. If you’re looking for ways to take care or you’re interested to hear how others are coping with different experiences, below are a few videos to explore. For more, check out our Mental Health Awareness Playlist.

Meet Sarah Chrisp Kiwi entrepreneur Sarah aka Wholesale Ted usually shares advice on ecommerce with her 620k fans. This week saw a break in tradition though, when she posted this video on her struggle with anxiety, depression and burnout, and how she restored her sense of wellbeing, and balance.

Meet Maaz He’s a trained medical doctor turned animator extraordinaire. This video breaks away from Maaz’s renowned comedic take on life events and stories, as he talks about the discrimination he faced growing up as Muslim Pakastani in Australia, and how he has learned to be comfortable in his own skin.

Meet Jason Stephenson Average daily views of videos related to insomnia more than doubled after April 1 compared to the first quarter of the year,3 and in turn, average daily views of videos related to guided meditation with “sleep” in the title increased 25 percent in April, compared to March.4 So find a comfy seat, close down your eyes and take a moment. Jason has attracted almost two million fans to his channel, sharing weekly guided meditations, inspirational talks and affirmations to help you de-stress, find calm and get better sleep.

Meet Erin May Henry Based in Melbourne, Erin has become a go-to for videos on positive self-talk. Tune in for videos like this one on self-care routines, healthy habits and life lessons that’ll help you feel motivated, and supported.

Meet Jamie Perkins He shares honest stories about the ins and outs of being a dad to two young daughters. Jamie created his YouTube channel to provide fun, inspirational videos on his approach to life and raising little ones. In this video created for World Mental Health Day, he talks gratitude, and what helps him get through.

What creators are doing on YouTube is no small thing. Talking openly about coping matters. When creators promote healthy ways of coping and share adaptive skills and tips, they not only inspire us to try new strategies, but they also begin to chip away at the stigma associated with talking about and taking care of our mental health. And when stigma is reduced, we’re more likely to reach out and ask for the additional help we may need.
If you're looking for support or want to talk, help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anywhere in Australia and New Zealand: Lifeline Australia | 13 11 14 Kids Helpline | 1800 55 1800 Beyond Blue | 1300 22 4636
Lifeline New Zealand | 0800 54 33 54 Youthline New Zealand | 0800 376 633
For research-informed mental health resources and free support tools, check out Black Dog Institute.

1 YouTube data, Global, 15 March 2020 - 5 July 20202 YouTube data, Global, jan - Mar 2019, Jan - Mar 2020 3 YouTube data, Global, January - April 2020 4 YouTube data, Global, March - April 2020

Posted by YouTube Australia

Helping Australian retailers and shoppers

Friday, October 2, 2020

As more Australian businesses turn to e-commerce, we’ve been focused on supporting them in every way we can. And we’re pleased to announce that from mid-October we are making it free for merchants in Australia to list their products on the Google Shopping tab. More info here.

For retailers, this change means free exposure to millions of people who come to Google every day for their shopping needs, regardless of whether they advertise on Google. For shoppers, it means more products from more stores, discoverable through the Google Shopping tab.

For advertisers, it means paid campaigns can now be augmented with free listings.

In the US, where the change was made earlier this year, retailers running free listings and ads got an average of twice as many views and 50 percent more visits—and small and medium-sized businesses saw the biggest increases.

Australia’s changing retail landscape

Free listings for Australian retailers comes at a time of huge change in the way people shop and sell across the region. Even before the pandemic, e-commerce was growing fast—over FY19, Australians spent more than $29 billion on online goods, which was up 20.8 percent year-on-year. (1)

COVID-19 has accelerated these trends:

Between March and August 2020, more than 900,000 new households shopped online for the first time. That’s 35.4% more than the same period in 2019. (2)
68 percent of online shoppers believe they will increase the number of online purchases after the crisis. (3)

To help retailers adjust to these changes, we’re offering skills training through Grow with Google and sharing research and insights to inform their business decisions. We’ve launched a playbook and webinar series to help retailers better manage digital storefronts. And we’re working closely with many of our partners to help merchants manage their products and inventory. This includes partners like Shopify, BigCommerce and Dynamic Creative.

In advancing our plans with Google Shopping, we hope to build on these programs, providing extra support and relief for Aussie retailers when it’s needed most.

What’s next?

Existing users of Merchant Center and Shopping ads don't have to do anything to take advantage of the free listings. For new users of Merchant Center, we'll continue working to streamline the onboarding process over the coming weeks and months.

We’re looking forward to working even more closely with retailers throughout Australia, helping shoppers find the products they need more easily, contributing to the recovery from COVID-19, and preparing for longer-term change in local commerce.

Posted by Renee Gamble, Industry Director, Retail, Google Australia
Sources: (1) Australia Post, Inside Australian Online Shopping: 2019 eCommerce Industry Update (2) Australia Post, Inside Australian Online Shopping Report, September 2020 (3) Kantar COVID-19 Barometer, n=500 Australians, 18-90 years 14-18th August

Our best Chromecast yet, now with Google TV

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Best Chromecast yet

Chromecast with Google TV has your favourite Chromecast features and now comes with the all-new Google TV entertainment experience. Google TV experience brings together movies, shows and more from across your apps and subscriptions and organises them just for you. We're also bringing our most requested feature—a remote—to Chromecast.

A new look, inside and out

The new Chromecast with Google TV comes in a compact and thin design and is packed with the latest technology to give you the best viewing experience. It neatly plugs into your TV's HDMI port and tucks behind your screen. Power it on and you'll be streaming crystal clear video in up to 4K HDR at up to 60 frames per second in no time. With Dolby Vision, you’ll get extraordinary colour, contrast and brightness on your TV. We also support HDMI pass-through of Dolby audio content.

More power in your hand

The new Chromecast voice remote is comfortable to hold, easy to use and full of new features. It has a dedicated Google Assistant button that can help you find something to watch, answer everyday questions like “how's the weather?” or play your favourite artist on YouTube Music all with just your voice. And when it's time to cozy up on the couch for movie night, you can control your smart home lights to set the mood or check your front door with Nest Camera to keep tabs on your pizza delivery. We also have dedicated buttons for popular streaming services, YouTube and Netflix, to give you instant access to the content you love. Best of all, you won't have to juggle multiple remotes thanks to our programmable TV controls for power, volume and input.

TV just for you

In need of some good movie or TV recommendations? Google TV's For You tab gives you personalised watch suggestions from across your subscriptions organised based on what you like to watch—even your guilty pleasure reality dramas. Google TV’s Watchlist lets you bookmark movies and shows you want to save for later. You can add to your Watchlist from your phone or laptop, and it will be waiting on your TV when you get home.

Best of all, you'll also have access to thousands of apps and the ability to browse 400,000+ movies and TV shows sorted and optimised for what you like—ask Google Assistant to see results from across your favourite apps, like YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Stan, 9Now and ABC iview, among others.

Starting today Chromecast with Google TV is available for pre-order in Australia for $99 in three fun colours to match your decor or personality: Snow, Sunrise and Sky, and will be available from the Google Store as well as other retailers like JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, OfficeWorks, and The Good Guys starting from October 15. Sunrise and Sky will be exclusively available on Google Store.

Posted by Gerardo Capiel, Director of Product Management, Entertainment

Australia Blog

Reflecting on our Google News Initiative work in Australia

Passion takes precedence: reaching engaged audiences with YouTube Select

Magpies, masks and a mullet: 5 trends that show what inspired Aussies to search, cheer and learn this footy season

Google Play Points: a rewards program for the ways you Play

Find A Way Together, #WithMe on YouTube

Helping Australian retailers and shoppers

Our best Chromecast yet, now with Google TV

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