Journalism
Nine EP’s Logies posts spark internal chatter
A Current Affair boss Amy McCarthy has drawn mixed reactions inside Nine after social posts from the Logies showed her joking about “getting drunk” and adding a cheeky hashtag to a shot of Jimmy Barnes onstage.
As Steve Jackson writes in The Australian, the screenshots have circulated widely in the Sydney newsroom, with some laughing it off and others questioning whether the comments crossed a professional line.
McCarthy, who has steered ACA since mid-2024, hasn’t commented publicly.
Streaming
Kayo and ESPN renew multi-year sports deal
Kayo Sports has extended its long-running partnership with ESPN, keeping NBA, NFL, MLB and UFC alongside AFL, NRL and cricket.
Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany called the 20-plus-year relationship “remarkable” and said ESPN’s US line-up is the perfect summer complement to Foxtel’s local sports dominance.
Delany also hinted more deals like this could emerge globally as rivals eye the Kayo model.
YouTube closes gap as Netflix viewing slips
Netflix’s share of Aussie TV screen time fell to 8.5 per cent in Q2, while YouTube rose to 7.9 per cent, OzTAM’s Streamscape report shows.
Disney+ lifted to 2.5 per cent, Prime Video dipped to 2 per cent, and HBO Max made its debut in the rankings.
As Sam Buckingham-Jones details in The Australian Financial Review, the report also counted HBO Max for the first time, following its Australian debut as Max earlier this year.
Technology
NBN to deliver major speed boost from September
Improving the Internet speeds for Australians, starting September 14, the NBN will boost speeds for homes and businesses on select plans.
David Swan reports for The Sydney Morning Herald, that the move has: “many plans set to double or triple in speed at no extra cost to consumers. NBN calls the new speeds a ‘monumental leap forward for the NBN network and Australia.'”
The move is a huge benefit to those who are working from home, or want greater quality & stability with streaming video. It could have a profound impact on Australian streaming consumption.
Mediaweek recommends that anyone who hasn’t looked at their plans for a while to take a look next month – save some money and get a significant speed boost while you’re at it.
AI
ABC urges AI firms to pay for content
ABC boss Hugh Marks says AI giants are still scraping the broadcaster’s work despite bans, and should pay for using it.
As Sam Buckingham-Jones writes in The Australian Financial Review, the national broadcaster’s stance mirrors that of other major players including News Corp, Nine and Seven, all of whom are pushing for AI firms to strike fair commercial deals.
With $1.2 billion in federal funding and a workforce of 4400, the ABC is making it clear that its journalism and creative output aren’t a free training ground for tech giants.
Labor backs away from AI laws amid tech push
Paul Sakkal writes in The Age that Labor is set to drop plans for new AI regulation, favouring industry engagement over tighter rules.
Assistant minister Andrew Charlton heads to the US this week to meet OpenAI, Nvidia and AWS, chasing a forecast $200 billion economic boost.
Unions and MPs like Ed Husic still want safeguards, but cabinet’s priority is securing Australia’s spot in the AI race.
Online
CoStar’s Andy Florance makes waves ahead of Domain takeover
With CoStar’s $3 billion Domain acquisition set to close this month, founder Andy Florance has drawn industry attention for his combative style.
According to John Buckley in Capital Brief, rivals REA Group and News Corp say money alone won’t topple their lead.
Incoming Domain president Jason Pellegrino has also named ex-Google exec Aisling Finch as VP of marketing and CMO.
Brands
Urban Decay taps OnlyFans creator as brand ambassador
L’Oréal-owned Urban Decay has signed US content creator Ari Kytsya as its latest ambassador, sparking chatter over the brand’s choice given her explicit work on subscription platform OnlyFans.
As Amelia Gentleman and Saranka Maheswaran write in The Guardian, Kytsya who calls herself a “mattress actress”. Get it?
She’s know for sharing beauty tutorials and lifestyle content with her 4.6 million Instagram and TikTok followers, while offering adult content to paying subscribers elsewhere.