CRIKEY! ROBERT IRWIN NAMED AUSTRALIA’S MOST POPULAR BROADCAST PERSONALITY
Hugh Jackman takes out top overall talent
Australian Talent Index accurately measures celebrity popularity and brand fit
Wildlife warrior and Network 10’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! host Robert Irwin has been named Australia’s most popular broadcast personality in the 2024 Top Talent Report’s Australian Talent Index released today.
Just 20 years old Irwin, a relative newcomer to Australian screens, took out the top broadcast talent spot, eclipsing the last report’s winner – comedian and TV personality Hamish Blake – in his debut appearance on the list.
Alongside his top broadcast position, Irwin was also voted number one broadcast talent by females and was considered to be the top celebrity who gives the most back to the community, according to the Australian Talent Index.
Irwin is the son of world-renowned conservationist and founder of Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin, where Robert now works. The multi-talented Robert Irwin has already won a Logie in 2013 for Most Popular New Male Talent following the TV series Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors, has co-authored a book series, Dinosaur Hunter and was runner-up in the junior category of Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.
Commenting on the report, Robert Irwin said: “I’m so excited to be honoured with the top spot in broadcast in this year’s Top Talent Report. Having an even greater platform to share my family’s message of conservation means the world to me.”
Australia’s ‘Greatest Showman’ Hugh Jackman ranked number one on the overall celebrity list, alongside Chris Hemsworth, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie.
| Top 10 Broadcast Media Talent 2024 | Top 10 Overall Talent 2024 |
| 1. Robert Irwin +46 2. Hamish Blake +38 3. Andy Lee +34 4. Dr Chris Brown +31 5. Manu Feildel +29 6. Kitty Flanagan +24 7. Peter Overton +22 8. Ally Langdon +20 9. Natalie Barr +20 10. Sophie Monk +19 | 1. Hugh Jackman +69 2. Chris Hemsworth +56 3. Nicole Kidman +52 4. Margot Robbie +47 5. Robert Irwin +46 6. Ash Barty +46 7. Hamish Blake +38 8. Cate Blanchett +38 9. Andy Lee +34 10. Sam Kerr +31 |
The Top Talent Report showcases the latest findings of the Australian Talent Index – a first-of-its-kind comprehensive talent measurement system that gauges consumers’ awareness, attitudes, and sentiments towards a range of Australian talent, including celebrities, actors, broadcasters, sports stars, and politicians. A nationally representative sample of more than 7,000 Australians were surveyed by Lewers Research since the report’s inception, rating more than 400 personalities, and providing comments on how they felt about each one*.
The Australian Talent Index is calculated by subtracting the proportion of people who disliked a personality from those who liked or loved them, giving each a score ranging from -100 (universally disliked) through to +100 (universally liked).
How broadcast talent rank
Most Trusted – Long-time Better Homes & Gardens presenter Graham Ross and iconic 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes were considered Australia’s most trusted broadcasters, followed by renovating queen Cherie Barber and Nine News presenter Peter Overton.
Best Awareness – In terms of awareness among Australian singer and The Voice host Guy Sebastian topped the list.
Most Likeable – When it came to likeability, comedian and Kenny star Shane Jacobson took out the top spot.
Most Controversial – KIIS FM radio host Kyle Sandilands was considered Australia’s most controversial broadcaster, followed by shock jock Alan Jones on 2GB.
Most Authentic – Comedian, writer, actor and host of Thank God You’re Here Celia Pacquola was considered to be the most authentic.
Most Entertaining – Australian comedian, radio and television presenter, writer and producer, host of The Front Bar and regular on Have You Been Paying Attention?, Sam Pang, topped the most entertaining list.
Most Relatable – KIIS FM radio host, Mitch Churi, who recently shared his weight loss journey to shed 40kgs, was named most relatable.
Breakfast TV and radio – Most Likeable – When it comes to breakfast TV and radio, Today Show presenter Sarah Abdo was deemed the most likeable broadcaster, while The Fox radio host Fifi Box was dubbed the most likeable radio personality.
TV news and current affairs – Most Trustworthy – Nine’s Peter Overton and Liz Hayes were considered the most trustworthy broadcasters.
Talent Corp Managing Director, Mark Noakes, said: “The Talent Index is unique combining like and dislike into a single powerful metric. We developed the index to respond to the growing needs of studios, media operators and marketers to have access to a reliable, robust, and affordable way of measuring a personality’s appeal with an audience. Social media measurement is one dimensional and just not cutting it in 2024.
“We were excited to see Robert Irwin top the Talent Index for the very first time. It demonstrates that he is significantly more liked than disliked by audiences nationally. That makes him a great choice for Network 10 to cast him in the forthcoming series of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.”
Lewers founder and Managing Partner, Lisa Lewers, said: “We are excited to be involved for another iteration of the Australian Talent Index. It’s a comprehensive lens into how talent makes Australians feel.
“In today’s competitive market, every marketing dollar must yield maximum impact. For media and marketing companies, understanding the true influence of celebrity endorsements and appearances is not just desirable – it’s essential.
“In a world where the allure of celebrity partnerships and influencers is undeniable, the true impact of these collaborations often remains masked in uncertainty. Through data-driven insights, media and marketing companies gain invaluable insights into the preferences, behaviours, and influence of celebrities on Australians.”
Celebrity endorsement is big business, with brands investing millions to collaborate with well-known personalities. Irwin recently partnered with iconic Australian brand Hard Yakka, with its Australian head of marketing noting the company would be “hard pressed to find a more authentic endorsement.” Irwin also made his runway debut at the Melbourne Fashion Festival this month.
Hugh Jackman’s partnership with RM Williams helped increase the company’s earnings by almost 50% in just 12 months after engaging the actor as global brand ambassador in 2019. Jackman’s ambassadorship was fundamental to the company’s expansion into new international markets.
ENDS
*Methodology: A survey of nearly 5,000 Australians were asked their opinion on a range of personalities across media, broadcast and sport. The Talent Corp Australian Talent Index ranges from -100 to +100 based on how recognisable and liked a personality is (the higher the number the better). Lewers also asked people to provide a few words to describe how they felt about each personality. These words were classified into emotions based on an extensive library of over 20,000 words and phrases to identify how people feel about a personality. As a final step, respondents played a type of word association game to understand their gut reaction to different personalities.
For further information contact:
Rochelle Burbury
Third Avenue Consulting
0408 774 577
About Talent Corp
Formed in April 2020 by former Macquarie Media executives, Talent Corp is a specialist agency that actively aligns brands across a broad range of activities including Brand Ambassadorships, Influencer Campaigns, Media Campaigns, Content Creation, Speaking Engagements and more. Underpinning everything is a sharp focus on driving increased media and marketing ROI for brands via the power of trusted messages. TalentCorp.com.au
Talent Corp commissioned the first Top Talent Report in 2022 in conjunction with Lewers Research which captures consumers’ awareness of, and attitudes towards a range of Australian talent, including celebrities, actors, broadcasters, sports stars, and politicians.
About Lewers
Lewers is a research, insights and strategy firm established in 2005. It adopts a unique approach to research to provide insights that create clarity. Critical thinking underpins the team’s approach. This centres upon getting to the heart of the problem so that individuals have the courage to make the right business decisions. Lewers has considerable experience across a diverse range of industries and is adept at both quantitative and qualitative research. The overarching objective on any engagement is to equip organisations with everything they need to make well informed, commercial choices for the future. Lewers.com.au
