A number of news and current affairs personalities were in attendance at the event, including Angela Bishop, busy with red carpet reporting and on stage for an interview with NCIS: Tony & Ziva stars Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo, and Liz Cantor, doing a live cross into Queensland’s local 5pm news.
Also present were familiar faces from across the network: Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace, hosts of 10 News+, Sharyn Ghidella, Queensland news presenter, and Tara Rushton, Sydney sports presenter and face of Football on 10, showcasing Paramount’s strong presence across its news teams.
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Network news stars on the night — L‑R: Sharyn Ghidella, Tara Rushton, Denham Hitchcock, and Amelia Brace, representing 10’s strong news and sports lineup (image – supplied)
They were joined by a parade of Network 10 entertainment stars, including Sam Pang, Julia Morris, Beau Ryan, Grant Denyer, Mel Tracina, Gretel Killeen, Tom Gleisner, Ed Kavalee, Andy Allen, and new Survivor host David Genat — a reminder that 10’s stable of on-air personalities remains one of the most recognisable line-ups in Australian television.
One notable absentee — Rebecca Gibney, who sent her regards via video from the set of Millionaire Hot Seat (the reboot first revealed by TV Blackbox earlier this year). The first look clip offered a glimpse of the warmth and humour she’ll bring as host to the revived quiz show in 2026.
Of course, there was no shortage of laughs on the night. When Have You Been Paying Attention? favourites Tom Gleisner and Ed Kavalee took to the stage, a crew member was briefly spotted behind them (seemingly manually opening the Big Brother doors) — prompting Gleisner to quip, “Great to have Jonathan LaPaglia with us here tonight,” a playful nod to the former Survivor host recently replaced by David Genat.
Top brass and talent — Paramount execs Tamara Simoneau, Kevin MacLellan, Beverley McGarvey, alongside Big Brother host Mel Tracina and Chief Sales Officer Rod Prosser (image – supplied)
Front and centre of the presentation were Beverley McGarvey — President of Network 10 and Head of Streaming, alongside Chief Sales Officer Rod Prosser, and visiting special guest Kevin MacLellan, Paramount’s new President of Global Content Distribution and International Media (or as Bev joked, “my new boss”).
Not on stage but spotted in the crowd were Tamara Simoneau, Vice President, Content, recently appointed to oversee Paramount’s Australian content slate following the departure of longtime content executive Dan Monaghan — a move we first reported, with Monaghan later confirmed to joining Foxtel/Binge — and Martin White, Head of News, representing the network’s newsroom leadership.
MacLellan’s speech struck a chord, emphasising the untapped power of CBS (US), Channel 5 (UK) and Network 10 working together — a combined network footprint he noted boasts the largest reach of any English-language broadcaster globally. He drew loud cheers as he confidently declared an end to Paramount’s long and uncertain “for sale” period, a moment that at least appeared to reassure the crowd that 10 isn’t going anywhere.
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He also teased fresh tech developments under Paramount-Skydance’s new ownership, led by Oracle founder Larry Ellison’s son, David Ellison — hinting that the company’s next phase will merge technology and storytelling in ways that could finally resolve those dreaded “tech stack” issues agencies love to hate.
The crowd at Dreamworld — advertisers, media buyers, and network stars soaking up a high-energy Paramount showcase ahead of the Big Brother return (image – supplied)
Meanwhile, Rod Prosser took to the stage with plenty to boast about — announcing Paramount as the exclusive representative for LG Channels across LG’s webOS devices from January 1. The partnership unlocks valuable ACR data and puts the network in front of a “switched-on audience” across a quarter of Aussie households.
In his speech, Prosser highlighted that Paramount Australia is now leaning into the over‑40s demographic, noting they reach well over 9 million viewers in this group — “more in the sweet spot for marketers, more affluent, more employees, more life events” — and describing them as more open to new brand choices, a shift that sets the network apart from competitors.
Elsewhere, a surprisingly sleek 10 News promo drew attention for its polish — a nod to a news division that consistently punches above its weight and rarely gets a shout-out at these sorts of events. Could it make its way onto broadcast to promote the network’s news? Stay tuned, we hear.
A sneak peek inside the Big Brother house — where alliances will form, secrets will be revealed, and the drama kicks off this Sunday at 7 pm on 10 (image – supplied)
Programming-wise, there wasn’t much new beyond what had already been confirmed— such as The Traitors Australia returning with new host Gretel Killeen, but we did get confirmation of two new factual titles for 10 — Sydney Harbour Cops and The Animal Sanctuary — plus a new Paramount+ drama Dalliance.
A lively 2026 promo for I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! was teased in the show’s usual all-singing, all-dancing style, with Julia Morris seemingly confirming that Robert Irwin will fly straight from Dancing with the Stars US to South Africa to shoot the show later this year — backing our earlier reporting that taping will take place ahead of its usual January “live” broadcast window.
The high-energy event was a slickly produced affair, packed with entertainment, star power and a few moments that only this industry could deliver. Hats off to Head of Publicity Paula Butler, Comms Manager Vanessa Menser, and the wider team, whose efforts clearly meant very little sleep this week in pulling it all together.
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In all, it was a big, bold, and confident night from a network eager to remind the industry that it’s still in the game — and ready to play hard.
Chookas to the entire team at Paramount ahead of Big Brother’s iconic return to Dreamworld and 10 tomorrow!
Don’t miss the return of Big Brother Australia tomorrow, Sunday 9 November at 7 pm on 10, continuing Monday – Friday nights at 7:30pm.
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