Time Out expands Australian coverage

Time Out has announced that it is expanding its coverage across Australia to reach a national audience through local content about the best things to do, see, eat and drink as well as travel news and recommendations. With a presence in Sydney and Melbourne since 2007 – and with these cities remaining just as important – Time Out says it is now engaging its audience and advertising clients with a national offering too.

The mission is to make Time Out Australia the go-to destination for the best cultural, culinary and travel experiences for both locals and tourists alike, added the publisher. Time Out says this next step comes after the success that Time Out has seen in the US and UK by complementing and expanding city content with national coverage and audiences to drive further growth.

Time Out says its global monthly brand audience currently stands at 136 million, with a growing Gen Z share; in Australia, Time Out is already in the top ten of lifestyle digital platforms, has over 10 million monthly page views and over 1.1 million followers across its existing social platforms with short-form video one area it continues to invest in. This is a active audience with 95% saying that they are travel users and 70% that they are passionate about travelling – and they take action when engaging with Time Out as 93% have visited a business, venue or event after seeing it on Time Out, the publisher continued.

Time Out says its content and multiple platforms spanning web, mobile, email, video, social and live events – plus its audience – form a differentiated proposition for advertisers for which Time Out’s Creative Solutions team is developing bespoke 360-degree campaigns. These campaigns span across digital platforms, often complemented by experiential elements and always rooted in engaging, immersive story-telling capabilities for clients across a variety of sectors from beverage, travel and transport to entertainment, retail, food and more.

The launch of Time Out Australia’s new proposition – with Wotif, an Australian travel site, as launch sponsor – will be supported by a burst of national digital and video content curated and created by Time Out’s local journalists across website and social media. Furthermore, the publisher says a consumer campaign will launch on 1 April to drive awareness: Part of the campaign is Time Out’s Cult(ure) Club – a curated collective of local tastemakers, from creatives to foodies and musicians and more, from every corner of the country. They will delve into their local scenes to take Time Out’s audience on a journey across Australia. In addition, a UGC social campaign will engage the audience by challenging them to ‘Show us the Best of Australia’. Selected submissions can stand to win an Australian holiday worth $10K sponsored by Northern Territory Tourism.

As part of Time Out Australia’s commitment to celebrating the local culinary and cultural communities across the country and to offer partnership opportunities, some of the upcoming activities will include – complementing the ongoing content creation – the Time Out Food & Drink Awards 2024 (in both Melbourne and Sydney) and the Time Out Arts & Culture Awards 2024 across Australia, added the publisher.

Time Out first launched in London in 1968 and today is a global digital brand with a global network of local expert journalists creating and curating content about 333 cities in 59 countries to inspire and enable people to experience the best of the city. In addition, this curation is also brought to life in Time Out Markets around the world – food and cultural markets which bring the best of the city together under one roof in one unique space: the best chefs, drinks and cultural experiences – all based on Time Out’s editorial curation. There are currently seven open Time Out Markets from Lisbon and New York to Dubai and Cape Town with more to come in the future, added Time Out.

Kaylie Smith, managing director Time Out Media APAC said: “Cities have been at the heart of Time Out since the brand first started in 1968 in London and expanded globally including to Sydney and Melbourne in 2007 – we are proud that people trust us to uncover and curate the best experiences for them. This puts us in the unique position to expand our content and reach nationally across Australia which is exciting for our audience as they can now find inspiration for the best things to do, see, eat and drink across the entire country. And it’s exciting for advertisers too as our new national proposition allows us to offer them even more impactful opportunities. From our data insights we know that we don’t just drive awareness but also action – therefore our bespoke, creative advertising solutions offer a credible and authentic route into the passions of a highly-engaged audience.”

Stacy Bettman, Time Out Media CEO added: “A global brand with a national footprint and a local voice, Time Out is trusted and established in the region and we are delighted that we can provide our advertising clients with bespoke solutions to connect with our authentic content and experience-hungry audience. We are thrilled to now bring that expansion and expertise to all of Australia. As we continue to innovate and develop our unique content across all of our channels this allows us to bring our creativity and strategy to all of our partners across the country. This is a very exciting time for our Australian team and our amazing brand.”