Television
Karl Stefanovic set for major Nine payday despite Today’s runner-up status
Karl Stefanovic looks set to hold onto his kingpin status at Nine, with Steve Jackson reporting for The Australian he’s on the verge of locking in a fresh multimillion-dollar deal, worth around $3 million a year.
That’s a tidy raise on his current $2.8 million paycheck, and a head-scratcher for some given Today continues to trail Sunrise in the breakfast ratings race.
The deal reportedly comes as Nine’s executives push a cost-cutting narrative elsewhere, warning other on-air talent to expect leaner deals.
Nine and Optus inch closer on Premier League play
Nine and Optus are quietly circling a deal that could see Stan Sport snag the Australian streaming rights to the English Premier League from 2025–26.
As John Buckley writes in Capital Brief, if the deal goes through, it would mark the first time in nearly 10 years that the prized rights shift hands, but nothing’s inked yet.
Sources say an announcement is likely in the coming weeks, and Nine is already eyeing the upcoming British and Irish Lions Tour as a launchpad for its EPL pitch.
Nine sharpens Stan strategy ahead of NRL rights bid
Nine is gearing up for a fresh tilt at the NRL broadcast rights, but this time it’s putting Stan Sport front and centre.
According to James Madden and Steve Jackson in The Australian, As traditional TV ad dollars continue to shrink, Nine is leaning into streaming as its long-term play, and Stan is shaping up to be the main game plan.
Last week, Nine’s Amanda Laing revealed a new structure that brings Wide World of Sports and Stan Sport under the same leadership.
Film
Bronte boss says stop chasing blockbusters and back Aussie talent
Bronte Pictures CEO Blake Northfield has thrown a spanner in the well-oiled incentives machine, arguing Australia needs to stop bending over backwards for Hollywood and start seriously investing in homegrown talent.
Speaking at Screenworks’ Regional to Global conference, Northfield didn’t hold back, saying local industry bodies are too focused on landing flashy international productions at the expense of long-term sustainability.
As David Knox writes in TV Tonight, Northfield made the comments in a candid panel chat, recalling conversation with a Hollywood executive who helped bring Wolverine and Pirates of the Caribbean to Australia. The takeaway? The price was right.
Journalism
Trump-era media habits creep into Australian coverage
As Donald Trump edges closer to a second term, his influence over legacy media is once again shifting the editorial ground, this time with ripple effects reaching far beyond the US.
In a climate of threats, flattery and billionaire appeasement, American outlets that once resisted are now softening their coverage, often pre-emptively toeing the line.
As Christopher Warren writes in Crikey, The Washington Post’s old motto, democracy dies in darkness, feels increasingly ironic.
Companies
Canva hit with patent suit as it gears up for float
Canva has found itself in the crosshairs of Canadian patent troll Cedar Lane Technologies, which claims the Aussie design juggernaut pinched its AI voice tech.
The suit was filed in Texas, where Cedar Lane has been busy lodging similar claims against tech giants like Amazon and Zoom.
According to Amelia McGuire who writes in the Australian Financial Review, legal insiders will recognise the name, Cedar Lane has a reputation for shaky cases and strong-arming settlements.
Technology
Google pulls plug early on local news deal
Google has walked away from a multi-year content deal with two dozen small Australian publishers, cutting it short by two years.
As Sam Buckingham-Jones reports in the Australian Financial Review, outlets including The Australian Jewish News, The Greek Herald, Indian Link and Time Out were told last month that payments will stop in July, with Google claiming it wants to “broaden access” to its limited funding pool.
The agreement was brokered by the Minderoo Foundation back in 2022 as part of a five-year pact under the News Media Bargaining Code.
Tech
Apple faces lawsuit over AI claims tied to iPhone sales
Apple is being taken to court by a group of shareholders who allege the tech giant overstated how far along it was in rolling out AI features, particularly within Siri, contributing to sluggish iPhone sales and a dip in share price.
According to the New York Post, the proposed class action, filed in San Francisco, names CEO Tim Cook and senior execs as defendants.
The lawsuit centres on Apple’s June 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference, where the company unveiled “Apple Intelligence” and suggested a major AI leap for the iPhone 16.
Podcasts
‘I Catch Killers’ podcaster on justice and the cases that still haunt him
Gary Jubelin didn’t set out to be a ‘podcaster’.
But five years and 40 million global downloads later, the former homicide detective has become one of News Corp Australia’s most consistent audio performers with I Catch Killers, a podcast that peels back the layers of the criminal justice system with raw, unfiltered conversations.
The podcast, which launched in 2020 and now sits among the company’s longest-running series, has found a loyal audience in Australia’s somewhat overcrowded audio landscape, especially when it comes to true crime.