Australian has more than 100,000 paying Substack users, and might be about to mint its local first millionaires on the platform. The newsletter platform has just hired its first Australian recruit with Annabel Russel, joining as head of partnerships with a remit to support local writers. This morning The Australian Financial Review’s Sam Buckingham-Jones profiled CheckonChain, which is currently ranked as Australia’s number one Substack publication and is also ranked number one in the world in the crypto category. CheckonChain was established by co-founders James Check and Alec Dejanovic two and a half years ago and has 3000 paying subscribers netting an annual recurring run rate of $1.4 million. A third member of the team Jacinta O-Toole was brought on to work on design and creative and the three operate from a co-working space in North Sydney. Russell told the Fin that CheckonChain was a great example of what Substack could offer Australian writers and creators as

Middle East edges back to war as US-Iran strikes resume A fragile ceasefire appears to be collapsing, with the US and Iran exchanging attacks and fresh tension centred on the Strait of Hormuz — a flashpoint with direct implications for global energy prices and Australia’s cost-of-living outlook. Coverage also frames the conflict as sliding toward an open-ended phase, with Washington weighing limited response options as Tehran’s leadership rejects compromise. Covered by: The Australian, The Australian. Hanson’s slide: One Nation support drops as Coalition gains New polling suggests One Nation’s vote is slipping and flowing back to the Coalition, with Pauline Hanson’s personal ratings falling hardest among women and overseas-born voters after recent policy positions and controversies. The shift matters because it could reshape preference flows and Senate dynamics, and it sharpens the political stakes around Hanson’s media appearances and candidate credibility. Covered by

The BBC has crossed the 500 million mark for the first time since contemporary audience records began, reaching 502 million people every week across BBC News, the BBC World Service and content distributed by BBC Studios. The figure represents an 11 per cent year-on-year increase. India continues to be the BBC's largest international market, with BBC News reaching 74 million people every week, up from 64 million a year earlier. The United States, Nigeria, Iran and Tanzania follow as the broadcaster's other biggest international audiences. The growth in India was driven by the BBC's Indian language services. BBC News Hindi remained the largest language service with a weekly audience of 27.3 million. BBC News Punjabi recorded the fastest growth, rising 76 per cent to 2.2 million, followed by Gujarati (up 66 per cent to 5.5 million), Marathi (up 57 per cent to 8.2 million), Telugu (up 17 per cent to 7.5 million) and Tamil (up 14 per cent to 13.7 million). Rupa Jha, Co-foun

Debashis Sarkar has rejoined CNN-News18 as Technology Editor after a stint as Editorial Consultant at Verve Research. Speaking with Influencing Sarkar said he would lead technology content across News18 Digital and CNN-News18, with a focus on strengthening content-to-commerce initiatives, expanding technology and lifestyle video content, and building the team. "I'm genuinely excited to be back at CNN-News18. I'll be heading tech content across News18 Digital and CNN-News18, with a focus on building out content-to-commerce and videos for tech and lifestyle while growing the team from the ground up. It feels less like a new chapter and more like coming home, with a lot more to build this time around," he said. Sarkar brings more than 12 years of experience in digital journalism, editorial coordination and communications. He began his career as a trainee at EEY and has since worked across technology content, audience engagement and editorial strategy, helping drive

Earlier this week, the British Broadcasting Corporation had put out a report claiming that its global audience had grown to reach over half a billion people every week for the first time since they began taking note of audience reach. Across BBC News, the BBC World Service and content distributed by BBC Studios, the BBC saw its international audience grow to 502 million people – up 11 per cent year-on-year. In comparison, India's public service broadcaster Doordarshan, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting along with All India Radio under Prasar Bharati, has lost its relevance among Indian audience as a credible source of news although an MIB report earlier this year claimed that Doordarshan recorded a cumulative gross unique viewership of 372.8 crore between 2021 and January 2026, according to estimates by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). While Doordarshan can proudly boast of being the only channel that spans across the length and bread

@Derryn Hinch, one of Australia’s most recognisable media personalities, broadcasters and political figures, has died aged 82. Confirmed by his former employer, 3AW, Hinch died in his sleep at his Melbourne home after a career spanning more than six decades across print, radio, television and politics. Born in New Zealand in 1944, Hinch began his journalism career at 15 at the Taranaki Herald before moving to Australia, where he joined The Sun newspaper in Sydney. He later worked as a Fairfax foreign correspondent and New York bureau chief before returning to become editor of The Sun. Hinch became a major figure in Australian broadcasting after moving into radio, beginning a morning program on Melbourne station 3XY in 1978 before joining 3AW in 1979. He hosted 3AW’s morning program for eight years, alongside television roles including hosting Beauty and the Beast. In 1987, he launched his own current affairs program, which ran until 1994, and later returned to radi