Antony Catalano’s attempt to disrupt Australia’s property listings market has collapsed, with View.com.au set to close, staff impacted, and the broader venture wound down as part of a restructure of Australian Community Media (ACM), according to reporting in the Australian Financial Review.
The move effectively ends a high-profile push to challenge the dominance of REA Group and Domain Holdings Australia, with View positioned as a third major force in the residential property listings sector after launching in 2023.
The platform – View.com.au and associated agency marketing products – was developed by Mr Catalano and billionaire investor Alex Waislitz through View Media Group, backed by significant external investment and media exposure deals intended to accelerate market penetration.
Australian Community Media management has informed staff that the View brand would be removed from company publications from June, with the platform itself to be shut down and redundancies expected as part of the restructuring.
“Unfortunately, this closure will mean that a number of roles in [View] will be affected, with some redundancies expected,” ACM managing director Tony Kendall told the AFR.
Mr Kendall also sought to reassure staff about the underlying business, stating, “ACM’s core business remains stable and profitable,” and confirming the company’s focus would remain on its regional publishing and advertising operations.
View had been framed internally as a bold attempt to reshape the highly competitive residential real estate listings market, but it ultimately failed to gain enough traction to sustain its position against entrenched incumbents.
The shutdown follows a period of significant disruption across Mr Catalano’s media interests; he stepped back from his executive role last month and issued a public apology.
Separately, the SMH reported increasing speculation around the future of ACM, including whether the regional media group could be placed on the market. According to the SMH, chatter around a potential sale intensified following Mr Catalano’s legal issues, though management publicly denied any such process.
The closure of View marks a sharp reversal for what was positioned as a long-term disruption play in the property classifieds sector, leaving Australia’s established listing duopoly firmly intact.