2018 was a year of big changes, with major mergers announced, high-profile names exiting businesses and a list of new streaming services launched.
AdNews covered the major stories with the first radio ratings of the year topping the list.
Readers were also interested in Snapchat's “horrendous” update that removed the dedicated Stories page from users' feed.
Nine went through big changes itself and officially merged with Fairfax. However, it was the network's decision to move the State of Origin to Sunday that grabbed AdNews readers' attention with Nine saying the shift will attract new audiences and advertisers.
This year key roles were emptied and filled, such as the Dentsu Aegis CEO position left vacant after Simon Ryan's departure. However it was news Mel Silva joined the Google Australia team as managing director that gained the most traction.
AdNews readers want important industry news, but they also enjoy lighter news, such as the Hungry Jack's campaign poking fun at vegans that made it into the top 10.
Other top stories just outside of the top 10 this year included AdNews' investigation that revealed Facebook ads in Australia are the most expensive in the world, UM's win of the $150m Fed Gov business, what Australian creatives thought of the Colin Kaepernick ad and the rise of influencer business Tribe.
What the list below illustrates is that our readers like a broad mix of content from pieces about big brand moves, the best creative work and hard-hitting industry news - it's about getting the balance right.
Here's the full list of the most read stories this year on AdNews.
1. First radio ratings of 2018
The first radio ratings of 2018 included digital radio ratings for the first time, which was set to boost awareness and advertising on the channel.
2. Users slam Snapchat update as ‘horrendous’ and ‘ridiculous’
Snapchat rolled out an update to its app with many users slamming the decision and petitioning for the company to reverse the update.
3. Fake Crocodile Dundee ad sees Tourism Australia lead Super Bowl charge
Tourism Australia cleverly tricked the internet into believing Chris Hemsworth and Danny McBride were starring in a reboot of the 1986-hit Crocodile Dundee. We looked at how the ad delivered for the tourism body.
4. Why Nine moved the State of Origin to Sunday
For our sports fans, Nine's decision to move one of the State of Origin games to a Sunday night caused quite a stir.
5. Optus secures UEFA Champions League rights
Following Optus' World Cup coverage blip, our readers were very interested to see if the telco could redeem itself after it secured the rights for the UEFA.
6. Hungry Jack's pokes vegans to promote new burger
It seems that Hungry Jack's didn't learn from the Meat and Livestock Australia ad that you don't want to get on the bad side of vegans.
7. Coles 'Little Shop' craze dents Woolworths sales
Coles’ Little Shop promotion was not only a phenomenon in stores, but on AdNews with our readers interested to see how the activation was impacting competitors Woolworths.
8. Foxtel launches dedicated sports streaming service
Foxtel officially launched a beta version of its dedicated sports streaming platform, Kayo, following rumours that the pay-TV business was looking to further its sports offering across multiple screens.
9. The AdNews Top 30 Emerging Leaders
In a new feature, AdNews shun a light on the next wave of leaders coming through the industry.
10. Mel Silva to replace Jason Pellegrino as Google Australia boss
In one of the biggest moves of the year, Google named Mel Silva as managing director for Australia and New Zealand replacing Jason Pellegrino who exited the business for Domain.
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