Welcome to our ‘News In Brief’ column in which we digest all the news releases for you in no more than five paragraphs.
Below are snippets of all the media releases we received from Sept 7 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.
Sports Events Lift Online Spending
Perth, Sept 8: Australians are expected to spend more online during the footy finals season and Melbourne’s NFL game, according to Adobe Digital Insights.
ADI predicts online traffic to team merchandise will rise 53 per cent above average August levels between Sept 1 and Oct 4. Spending on screens is forecast to increase 14 per cent, while beer, soft drinks, pizza, corn chips and dips are also expected to record gains.
Its consumer survey found 40 per cent of Australians expect to spend more than $150 celebrating the finals. More than half plan to host or attend a Grand Final watch party.
Australian traffic to NFL merchandise rose 310 per cent year-on-year in August. ADI expects traffic to peak at 400 per cent above August levels during the opening weekend from Sept 11 to 13.
Adobe Adds AI Tools to Premiere
Perth, Sept 10: Adobe has rolled out a suite of AI-powered features for Premiere Pro and After Effects aimed at cutting time editors spend outside their timelines.
The centerpiece is Premiere’s new Generative Media Tool, which lets editors generate video and sound effects in-timeline using Adobe Firefly or partner models including Google Veo, Kling, Runway and Luma.
New audio tools in public beta — Enhance Audio, Separate Crosstalk and Dynamic Auto Ducking — target noisy recordings and overlapping dialogue.
After Effects gains its own AI Assistant in public beta, extending the project-wide automation already available in Premiere to motion design work. Premiere’s Color Mode (beta) adds new grading tools including Auto Color and Vignette and Midtones style modules, while Frame.io Mounted Storage is now available to all accounts for cloud streaming into the timeline.
The updates coincide with Premiere receiving an Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy for its 35-year role in post-production.
Talent Gaps Cost Aussie Firms
Perth, Sept 11: Australian businesses are losing customers and missing deadlines as skills shortages bite, according to the ConnectOS State of Offshoring Report: Workforce Findings, released 10 September 2026.
The survey found 33% of employers reported reduced service quality due to hiring difficulties, while 32% lost customers outright. Nearly a third missed project deadlines, 27% lost or delayed contracts, and 26% turned away new business. Critical onshore roles took 30–60 days to fill for 60% of respondents before they moved to offshore staffing.
Looking ahead, 66% of employers plan to increase offshore investment over the next 24 months, with the Philippines (36%), India (26%) and Eastern Europe (24%) the top destinations. South-East Asia was tipped by 56% as the region set for the strongest offshore growth.
AI adoption is also accelerating in offshore teams, with 79% of employers saying offshore staff were adopting AI tools at the same pace as, or faster than, onshore employees.
ConnectOS founder and CEO Steve Evans said: “Talent shortages have become a boardroom issue with measurable impacts on revenue, productivity, customer experience and long-term growth.”
Despite offshoring’s rise, staff loyalty remained strong: 84% of employees said they felt proud to work for their organisation, and 86% expected to stay for at least another 12 months.
Korean Air Launches Starlink Wi-Fi
Perth, Sept 11: Korean Air will roll out free, high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi powered by Starlink from 15 September, starting on four retrofitted widebody aircraft — three Airbus A350-900s and one Boeing 777-300ER — deployed across medium- and long-haul routes in the Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia, as well as select short-haul flights.
The satellite-based service, using SpaceX’s low-Earth-orbit constellation, will let passengers stream video, browse, game and use cloud apps at broadband speeds, though voice and video calls remain restricted. Aircraft still awaiting retrofit will keep the airline’s existing paid Wi-Fi in the meantime.
Korean Air plans to extend Starlink connectivity across its in-service fleet by the end of 2027. The rollout makes it
the first full-service carrier in East Asia to offer Starlink, and comes as part of a broader fleet modernisation push ahead of the airline’s merger.
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