Paramount unifies linear and digital TV sales under Grant Madigan Natasha Lee for Mediaweek reports that Paramount Australia has unified its linear and digital television sales operations under Grant Madigan, who has commenced as Vice President, Sales. Madigan will oversee the Australian sales function and report to Paramount’s Lee Sears, who said the move would create a more cohesive commercial offering for advertisers. Madigan’s direct reports include Nick Bower, Diane Ho and Tamar Hovagimian, covering national sales, digital strategy and commercial partnerships. Paramount said the new structure would give advertisers more flexibility across linear and digital platforms. AI-powered, senior-only agency launches Melania Watson for B&T reports that former DEPT and M+C Saatchi executive Brad Stevens has launched Never. Always., an AI-powered, senior-only digital creative agency. Stevens said the model strips out traditional agency layers, handoffs and junior

If it’s not disturbing enough that AI is probably going to automate away your job and possibly eliminate the human species, there’s also the small matter of it spiking your energy bills. In The Fin today, Paul Smith and Campbell Kwan explain the predictable consequences of building a lot of power-hungry data centres. In a piece entitled AGL sounds alarm on power supply as data centre demand surges, they explain that AGL Energy has warned the market is sharply underestimating demand for power from data centres and risking a supply crunch amid the soaring needs of big technology companies and artificial intelligence developers. Damien Nicks, the chief executive of AGL, recently stated significantly more had to be spent on wind-power generation to meet that demand, which he flagged would be far higher than forecast by the market operator. “We don’t have enough assets built in this market to get anywhere near that sort of data centre growth,” said Nicks, e

IS-linked women and children return — police poised to arrest ‘brides’ Authorities are preparing for the arrival of four women and nine children repatriated from Syrian camps, with federal police expected to arrest and potentially charge some of the women on arrival while others face intensive monitoring. The story has ignited a political fight over national security, justice and duty-of-care to children, with some coverage also highlighting claims of coercion and exploitation inside ISIS networks. Covered by: The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The West Australian, The Australian, Courier Mail. Budget battlelines: Chalmers’ deficit trim vs inflation warnings Treasurer Jim Chalmers is set to show modestly improved deficit projections, but the politics are sharpened by Reserve Bank warnings that household and business relief could add to inflation and keep rates higher for longer. The Australian flags a revival of Covid-era business tax relief, while

“I’m overwhelmed, I’m grateful, proud and sometimes very teary,” says Suparna Sharma after winning the Pulitzer Prize alongside illustrator Anand RK, in a moment of global recognition for Indian journalism. The duo won in the Illustrated Reporting and Commentary category for their work on digital surveillance and cyber fraud. The winners, announced on Monday, shared the award with Natalie Obiko Pearson of Bloomberg for the project titled “trAPPed”. According to The Pulitzer Prizes website, the project presents a “riveting account” of a neurologist in India who was held under a “digital arrest” through her phone. The work combines visuals and words to highlight the growing global challenges of surveillance and digital scams. For over 30 years, Suparna Sharma has reported on crime, conflict, national disasters and corruption as a freelance journalist and editor. Her 2023 investigation for Al Jazeera into the deaths of two elderly residents in a Delhi facility

Image: Passengers evacuate an IndiGo aircraft following a power bank fire inside the cabin after it landed at Chandigarh international airport on Tuesday.     Wednesday, 6 May 2026 #1  ·  Front Page  ·  Breaking news Congress offers support to TVK but with a condition By N. Sai Charan   ·   The Hindu (Delhi City Edition, May 6, 2026)  ·  Page 1, 12 Following Tamil Nadu's Assembly election results in which TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, the Congress agreed to extend support to TVK chief C. Joseph Vijay on the condition that he not seek backing from the BJP or its alliance partners. The CPI(M), which won two seats, is scheduled to decide on its support at a State committee meeting on Friday. With Vijay needing to vacate one of two constituencies he won, TVK's effective strength would be 107, making the arithmetic of forming a majority government complex. The story goes

The Centre has announced 15,000 scholarships to train young professionals in artificial intelligence (AI) across media, entertainment, gaming, and animation. The initiative by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will be implemented with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), along with support from Google and YouTube. The programme focuses on areas such as animation, visual effects, gaming, and digital content creation, where AI tools are increasingly used. The ministry said the curriculum integrates advanced tools and workflows to ensure industry-ready training, Best Media Info reported.   The scholarships will provide access to specialised modules, tools, and mentorship, offering hands-on experience. The initiative aims to bridge skill gaps, improve employability, and support innovation in India’s evolving media landscape.

Note: This Influencing Insider was a subscriber-only edition. To tune into these subscriber-only edition's contact Jemma - jemma@influencing.com The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Technology Editor David Swan has offered his three best pitching tips to PRs. His first and most important piece of advice for PRs is to read his work to gain an understanding of what topics he writes about and how he writes. He also would rather PRs err on the side of sending too much information, rather than too little and try to provide a case study, where feasible.   “If you want to give me more content to work with, I prefer that,” said Swan when appearing on Influencing Insider recently.  Swan’s appearance came shortly after his recent victories at the Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards, which included the Gold Lizzie for Best Journalist.  He said of the win that he was “thrilled and surprised to have won,” adding that to win four Lizzies was “a real honour”. Swan believes