QMS Media NZ is backing next year’s World Masters Games as the official outdoor media partner. For the first time since they began in 1985, the Games are to be held in New Zealand with the world’s largest multi-sport event taking place across 48 venues throughout Auckland and Waikato. 

You could walk away from this year’s Semi-Permanent a lot smarter. The Pond, in collaboration with Crane Brothers and Kate Sylvester, are giving away two $1500 fashion vouchers at the event. That’s one for the guys and one for the girls. So make sure you enter while you’re there. 

Auckland service provider Able are offering captioning for free-to-air TV coverage of the Rio Olympic Games. Able says the first time captioning on Prime TV will make the Games accessible for Kiwis who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. 

Mumbrella warns there are less than two weeks before entries close to this year’s annual BEfest Awards – billed as the only programme recognising the best branded entertainment work created here and in Australia.

Fairfax has announced plans to enter the broadband market. Under the banner “Stuff Fibre” the media giant will be launching an internet provider to go up against Spark and Vodafone.

New Zealanders hunkered down over a cold weekend to watch the start of the Rio Olympics. Figures from Nielsen show more than three quarters of a million people watched the opening ceremony on Saturday with more than 1.6 million watching over the weekend.

Four Kiwi agency executives has been appointed to juries at this year’s Spikes Asia. Previously Unavailable founder James Hurman will be president of the Creative Effectiveness jury, Y&R CD Tom Paine will sit on the Direct and Promo & Activation jury, MediaCom ceo Nigel Douglas will sit on the Media jury, and Sherson Willis director Trish Sherson will sit on the PR jury.

Kiwi retailers are watching a hi-tech development in shopping options being offered by London’s famous Regent Street. In a first for Europe, Regent Street regulars have access to a dedicated mobile app which gives them shopping information direct to their phones.