Lifestyle

News on consumer habits, trends, and lifestyle spending.

Lifestyle
Hooters files for bankruptcy, to sell restaurants
American restaurant chain Hooters of America has filed for bankruptcy in a bid to restructure its US$376 million (A$597 million) of debts and sell its 151 restaurants to a group led by its founders. Hooters said it filed voluntary petitions for chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas on Monday (Tuesday AEDT). “The company expects to move through this process swiftly, with the goal of emerging from chapter 11 in approximately 90-120 days,” Hooters said in a media release. The privately-owned company said it had agreed in principle for a group of franchisees including the unnamed founders to buy its company-owned locations, which are distinct from the 154 restaurants, mostly in the United States, operated by franchisees. Hooters said it had entered into a restructuring agreement with near unanimous support from its key stakeholders to sell the restaurants and ensure the continued operation of the business under new ownership. Hooters of America President and CEO Sal Melilli said the announcement marked an important milestone in efforts to reinforce Hooters’ financial foundation. “Our renowned Hooters restaurants are here to stay,” Melilli said in a release. Hoote
Lifestyle
Making ground: NFL hands clubs new territories to settle
The United States is stepping up efforts to take American football to the world with the National Football League (NFL) expanding the program which awards NFL clubs international marketing rights. The NFL said it would add four clubs and two markets to its Global Markets Program (GMP) in 2025 while nine clubs with existing rights would expand to between one and three additional territories. The four clubs and their rights territories (including new markets) are:Baltimore Ravens: United Kingdom Green Bay Packers: Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom Los Angeles Chargers: Greece (new market), and Washington Commanders: United Arab Emirates (new market)The nine clubs that hold GMP rights will expand to additional countries: • Arizona Cardinals: Canada • Detroit Lions: Brazil • Indianapolis Colts: Switzerland (already in Germany and Austria) • Kansas City Chiefs: Spain, Ireland and United Kingdom • Las Vegas Raiders: Australia and New Zealand • Los Angeles Rams: United Arab Emirates • Philadelphia Eagles: Brazil • San Francisco 49ers: United Arab Emirates, and • Seattle Seahawks: Australia and New Z
Lifestyle
Streaming service Max launches in Australia
Streaming service Max has launched in Australia, as the platform continues its rapid international expansion. Max and HBO original series available on the platform include The White Lotus, House of the Dragon, and Succession. Max includes ad-supported, standard, and high-quality video subscription tiers, with a limited-time discount available on all plans following its launch. “The launch of Max in Australia continues our exciting global expansion,” said JB Perrette, CEO of Max’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. “While the Max brand may be new to Australians, the programming engines at the heart of it — including HBO, Discovery, Warner Bros., Harry Potter, the DC universe — are already loved by audiences here. Now for the first time, these brands come together alongside additional premium content from [Warner Bros. Discovery]’s portfolio, to offer a distinct streaming proposition for local fans.” Actors from Max programmes The Last of Us and The White Lotus appeared at a red carpet event in Sydney to mark both the release of The Last of Us’ second season and Max’s launch. Max has been quickly expanding internationally. While the platform was only available in the United States at the start of 2024, it had laun
Lifestyle
Mercedes-Benz sees lower emissions via electric CLA
Mercedes-Benz has reported a reduction in emissions in its 2025 Sustainability Update, with the company saying its new all-electric CLA model would contribute to its environmental targets. The company has seen a 75% drop in its production carbon emissions since 2018, as of 2024. The electric CLA model will be produced at a plant wholly supplied by renewable electricity. The CLA is “the most efficient Mercedes‑Benz ever built and sets new standards in terms of charging speed,” said Mercedes-Benz board of management chair Ola Källenius. “At the same time, it demonstrates our progress in decarbonising our value chain and closing the loop." “Increasing energy efficiency and expanding the share of renewable energy we use in production make sense not just from an ecological standpoint, but also from a business perspective. During 2024, we achieved savings of more than 300 GWh for the second year running and we are well on track to reduce the energy, water and waste part in production costs by a further 25 percent by 2030,” said board member Jörg Burzer. Both all-electric and hybrid versions of the CLA will be available by the end of 2025, the company has said. The CLA can add 325 kilometres of range within ten minutes of cha
Lifestyle
Boomers eye richest NBA contracts ever for Australians
Two Boomers are on track to sign the richest NBA contracts for Australian basketball players. Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, both 22, are in talks to sign new deals, which would blow past the record previously set by another Australian player, Ben Simmons. CODE Sports reports that the combined deal value for both players could reach over half-a-billion dollars combined, around $320 million each or $64 million per season over five years. Giddey is a key player for the Chicago Bulls, but will become a restricted free agent at the end of this season, leaving all other NBA teams up for negotiation grabs. Daniels, a Bendigo local, was drafted by New Orleans the year after Giddey, and is the youngest player to record 200 steals in the season, beating out the previous record from legendary Magic Johnson when he did it decades earlier.

Lifestyle
Brand on the run: Making big bucks in the music industry
Every musical artist dreams of reaching the heights of iconic bands like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, but this can rarely be sustained on music alone. In order to make money in the music industry, artists must diversify their income. The president of the International Music Business Research Association, Dr Guy Morrow said there are five key income stream groups for artists. These revenue streams are recorded music, live performances, income, merchandise, song publishing and sponsorship. The key reason Morrow believes artists need to diversify their income for sustainability. “Having a diverse way of looking at revenue across a music artist career will quite often change which of these income stream groups is really meaningful to them at a particular point in an artist's career,” he tells Azzet. While the music industry has changed, Morrow says there is plenty to learn from the past and bring to the present. What brings in the most revenue? Morrow says revenue streams for artists have changed over time. This is partially due to talent managers' changing role. Morrow says in the 90s through to the 2000s they tended to have a bigger hand in artists' deals but now artists gravitate towards mor
Lifestyle
Ferrari to raise prices, tariffs hit global automakers
Ferrari revealed on Thursday (Friday AEDT) that it will increase prices on select models by up to 10% after 1 April in response to new auto tariffs. The Italian luxury carmaker stated that prices will remain unchanged for vehicles imported before 2 April. However, three of its key models - the Ferrari 296, SF90, and Roma - will retain their existing pricing beyond that date. In contrast, some of Ferrari’s most popular models, including the Purosangue SUV, the 12Cilindri, and the F80, will see price hikes of up to 10%. Despite the pricing adjustments, Ferrari reaffirmed its financial targets for 2025. However, the company cautioned that profitability percentage margins could face a potential risk of 50 basis points. The move follows United States President Donald Trump's announcement of a 25% tariff on all cars not manufactured in the U.S. Ferrari, which produces all its vehicles at its Maranello factory, is among the many global automakers affected by the decision. The move has drawn significant criticism, with Hildegard Müller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), warning that it sends “a disastrous signal for free, rules-based trade” and could severely disrupt global supply chai
Lifestyle
Amazon is testing out AI in shopping and health
Amazon is pushing deeper into generative artificial intelligence (AI) through testing shopping and health assistants. The new Interests feature for shopping allows users to enter personalised shopping prompts based on their interests and price range. Amazon’s store then sends them notifications of products that are relevant to the prompts. The feature is available to some U.S. users through the app or mobile website in the “Me” tab. Amazon plans to roll out Interests to all of its U.S. users in the coming months. The company is also exploring ways to use AI for medical needs through testing a chatbot on its website and mobile app called “Health AI”. The aim is for the Health AI to be able to provide common care options and suggest products. Unlike Amazon’s Rufus, which can suggest products like ice packs and ibuprofen, the Health AI will also be able to provide medical guidance, such as common ways to treat cold symptoms or the flu. After Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical for roughly US$3.9 million, the Health AI can also steer users to Amazon’s online pharmacy and clinical services offered by the clinical care provider. The chatbot uses Bedrock, a service created by Amazon’s cloud unit that accesses AI mode
Lifestyle
Under Armour becomes NFL footwear, glove partner
Sportswear company Under Armour (NYSE: UAA) will become an official footwear and glove partner of the National Football League (NFL) under a long-term partnership announced on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT). Under the multi-year partnership: the NFL will support Under Armour (UA) grassroots initiatives such as the UA Next platform to promote youth sports and development Under Armour will receive rights and intellectual property to include UA logos on on-field UA footwear and gloves, and Under Armour will have access to NFL media platforms, content creators and distribution channels to collaborate on content and initiatives.The NFL did not disclose how much it would receive from the agreement, but it has been estimated at between US$10 million (A$15.9 million) and $15 million per year, a small proportion of the league’s estimated $13 billion of annual revenue. The NFL’s Senior Vice President of Consumer Products Joe Ruggiero said the NFL was excited to embark on the partnership with Under Armour, bringing its innovative products to NFL football to enhance player performance. “With the partnership, we hope to continue engaging current and future football players and fans around the world,” Ruggiero said in a media release.