Media
Allan Gray boss backtracks on remark
Allan Gray MD Simon Mawhinney has apologised to Southern Cross chair Heith Mackay-Cruise after suggesting the board should be “lined up and shot” over the $400m-plus merger with Seven West Media.
The Australian’s Eric Johnston writes that Mackay-Cruise called the remarks “inflammatory” and “inciteful”, stressing there’s no room for violent metaphors in corporate life.
Allan Gray no longer holds a stake in SCA, having sold its 14% share to ARN last year.
Stokes turns Seven West loss into tax benefit
The Australian Financial Review’s Sam Buckingham-Jones writes that Kerry Stokes’ long slide on Seven West Media is set to pay off in tax credits, with Southern Cross’ takeover allowing him to offset hundreds of millions in losses.
His original $730m stake is now worth just $90m on the books.
Ten faces déjà vu with struggling 10 News+
In this opinion piece The Sydney Morning Herald’s Calum Jaspan takes a close look at the success of Network Ten’s latest project, writing it’s a case of déjà vu.
In 2011 it poured $20m into George Negus’ short-lived 6.30 experiment, which flopped but paved the way for The Project’s long run.
Now in 2025, with The Project gone, Ten has sunk $15m into 10 News+ – and three months in, it’s already showing signs of strain.
Netflix faces backlash over Dead End
Netflix is copping heat after Dead End: Paranormal Park was accused by US conservatives of “pushing pro-transgender on children”.
The Daily Telegraph’s Susie O’Brien writes the uproar intensified when Elon Musk vowed to cancel his subscription, triggering a 2.3% share drop and $8.5b wipe in market value.
Writers’ Guild hits out at AI copyright reforms
TV Blackbox’s Kevin Perry reports that The Australian Writers’ Guild has accused the Productivity Commission of pushing unproven AI reforms that could cost the creative sector billions.
In a new submission, the Guild argued the Commission is overstating AI’s benefits while ignoring the industry’s cultural and economic weight, effectively giving tech companies a free pass.
Legal
Fanatics trademark fight heads to High Court
US$50b sports merch giant Fanatics LLC is taking its trademark battle with Warren Livingstone’s Aussie group The Fanatics to the High Court after losing twice in lower courts.
The Australian’s Angelica Snowden reports that Livingstone, who started The Fanatics in 1997 as a travelling cheer squad, has successfully defended his brand through multiple rounds of litigation.
Companies
Bari Weiss tipped to take CBS News helm
Paramount Skydance is expected to install Bari Weiss as editor in chief of CBS News while also snapping up her independent outlet, the Free Press.
The New York Post’s Alexandra Steigrad writes the move would hand the contrarian journalist rare influence inside the storied but struggling network.
NBCUniversal renews carriage deal with YouTube TV
The Hollywood Reporter’s Tony Maglio writes that NBCUniversal has signed a new carriage deal with YouTube TV, keeping NBC, Bravo and the Versant bundle – USA, Syfy, E!, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen and Golf Channel – on the service.
The agreement also brings the new NBC Sports Network later this year and adds Peacock to YouTube Primetime Channels and Google TV, though not directly inside YouTube TV.
Social Media
Wikipedia caught in teen social media ban confusion
Wikimedia Australia fears Wikipedia could fall under the government’s teen social media ban, risking fines of up to $49.5m if it cannot verify users’ ages.
Crikey’s Cam Wilson reports the group has asked for confirmation it is exempt, but no assurances have been given.
AI
Tech Council weighs copyright reform in AI push
The Tech Council of Australia is canvassing members on how to reshape copyright laws to attract AI data centre investment while still ensuring creators get paid.
Capital Brief’s John Buckley and Daniel Van Boom write that the lobby group, which counts Atlassian, Canva, Microsoft and OpenAI among its members, was absent from this week’s Senate hearing where creative groups slammed proposed text and data mining exemptions.