Monday April 15, 2019

Bauer Media on category focus and buying, selling & closing brands

Plus changes to business model & evolving brands with new editors.

By James Manning

The second part of our interview with the Bauer Media Australia’s commercial director.

“We have got quite a bit of good news,” said Paul Gardiner when he spoke to Mediaweek on Friday.

See also: After some tough times in 2017, Bauer revenues the best in 10 years

Has the death of magazines been over-reported? How gloomy are things really?

Our interview with Gardiner comes after SMI reported magazine agency adspend dropped double digits again in February 2019.

But things aren’t that dismal at Bauer Media Australia according to its commercial director.

“The Homes category is in growth mode across print and digital,” Gardiner told Mediaweek. “Homes is a category we are very focussed on growing. We purchased Inside Out and County Style late last year [from News Corp Australia] to add to our homes portfolio.

“Homes To Love, our digital homes portal, is also growing. That category is really strong for us.

“We have also seen our luxury titles come back. Both Elle and Harper’s Bazaar have had a significant start to 2019 with growth year-on-year across print and across digital.

“As I mentioned previously we are working hard on the weeklies, and more than making up any shortfall with our digital play.”

In its quest for profitability, Bauer has looked hard at its long publishing tail and there’s been a few causalities.

Gardiner is one of the people at Bauer Media making decisions about selling or shutting down brands. He gives his assessment on commercial potential, which impacts the titles’ futures.

We get a hard time from the market when we close titles. The titles that we have closed have really been the titles that don’t fit within our category focus.

“We have just sold Money magazine and while it is a fantastic magazine, it doesn’t fit in our strategy.

“While we do sell or close magazine brands, we now actually also purchase titles that fit in those key categories, something we haven’t done for a long time. To purchase Inside Out, and to purchase Country Style, is a vote of confidence from Bauer to the market.”

Gardiner explained there is no longer room for standalone titles that don’t fall within a category vertical, which is critical to offering a group solution to advertisers.

Our strategy is category-focused around homes, food, fashion and beauty, health, women’s entertainment and automotive. It won’t all be about adspend – ad revenue or circulation won’t save the day for us. For us it is about focusing on revenue generating streams that revolve around those categories.

What we are really good at is creating content and we are starting to create content for clients that doesn’t necessarily sit on our own channels.

One example of that is Bauer creating all the content for the Big W catalogues.

We have previously reported how Bauer Media has also invested in a movie, I Am Woman, the story of Helen Reddy.

Bauer is also about to reveal it has invested in a new product. Gardiner was unable to clarify what that might be, but stay tuned.

He did say though: “We will be using our platforms and our audiences to promote that product to the market.”

Gardiner didn’t want any misinterpretation of the Bauer business model. “Circulation and ad revenue play a major role in our revenue streams, but we need to also build ancillary revenue streams around those verticals.

As Bauer has navigated its way through some challenging times, it has lost some key editorial staff.

Gardiner: “The challenge is to keep our magazines evolving. We have lost some editors over the last 12 months, but most of the replacements have been promoted from within.

New editors have been installed in the past few months at Inside Out (Eliza O’Hare), Harper’s Bazaar (Eugenie Kelly), Elle (Genevra Leek), OK! (Shari Nementzik), NW (no new editor appointed yet after it was announced Mark Brandon was leaving in 2018), Australian House & Garden (Tanya Buchanan) and Belle (Gavin Kirk).

Our time with the Bauer sales chief ended with an outlook for 2019:

“After the massive changes last year we are really starting to see some positive growth this year. We have hit our numbers for Q1 and we are tracking ahead of where we were this time last year.

I am confident this will be the first year in 10 years we will get ad growth. That is significant for the business and significant for Bauer worldwide as it instils confidence in our business which will give us the opportunity to invest in more products.

Although the market is soft at the moment I think it will come back after the election. We expect the positive sentiment around our brands to continue.”

Nova shakes up daytime radio as Matt Tilley joins in Melbourne

Nova Entertainment is overhauling its workday radio with bold programming changes is Melbourne and Sydney.

After hosting hit breakfast shows for many years on Fox FM, and then a couple of not quite so successful years at KIIS breakfast, Matt Tilley is coming across to Nova 100 hosting a morning show weekdays after 9am from April 29.

Meantime in Sydney, after five years of winning evening surveys, Kent Small is expanding his hours on air with the addition of a Sydney morning show. He will continue to also host Smallzy’s Surgery nationally.

Kent Small

Paul Jackson, Nova Entertainment group program director said, “Nova Entertainment will be at the forefront of change, delivering a new sound in workdays from 29 April. We are giving listeners more reasons to listen across the day with one of the biggest radio announcers in Melbourne and the most highly respected music announcer in Sydney.

“We’ve put together the strongest line up in both states, from breakfast with Fitzy & Wippa and Chrissie, Sam & Browny to workdays, followed by Australia’s number one drive show Kate, Tim & Marty.”

One of the most successful announcers of the past two decades, Matt Tilley will make his return to Melbourne radio on a new station, in a new timeslot, on Nova 100, just 18 months since departing KIIS 101.1.

Matt Tilley said, “It’s been nice to have a break from radio but I’m super keen to get back on and thrilled to be joining Nova. The fact that this shift fits in nicely with my parole conditions is purely coincidental.”

Tilley hosted over 20 years in breakfast radio at Fox FM, including 14 years at number one. For six years he was co-host of Tracy & Matt in the Morning before joining The Matt and Jo Show in 2003.

Matt Tilley recently joined Brad March’s roster of talent, which includes national radio stars Jackie Henderson, Ben & Liam, Robin Bailey and The Chaser plus a recent addition, Seven’s Andrew Denton.

Complementing Tilley during the Melbourne workday, Troy Ellis will move to the new time of 12pm to 4pm in the afternoon. Ellis has over 24 years media experience, spending 10 years working alongside Matt Tilley on The Matt and Jo Show and joined Nova 100 in February 2018.

Meanwhile in Sydney, Kent “Smallzy” Small will make the move to mornings on Nova 96.9.

Smallzy’s Surgery has been the number one national night show for more than five years, accruing 44 consecutive survey wins. Listeners across Australia will also continue to hear Smallzy’s Surgery weeknights on the Nova Network.

Smallzy said, “I can’t wait to start entertaining the people of Sydney while they are working! As someone who grew up in Sydney I’m looking forward to the opportunities to connect to the local market, something that you can’t always do when you host a national show.”

Hosting afternoons in Sydney is Dan “DC” Cassin who has been in radio for 20 years across different markets for various broadcasters.

Nova will launch its new workdays on Nova 100 in Melbourne and Nova 96.9 in Sydney from Monday 29 April.

Nova 100 (Melbourne) weekday line up

• Chrissie, Sam & Browny – 6am to 9am
•Matt Tilley – 9am to 12pm
• Troy Ellis – 12pm to 4pm
• Kate, Tim & Marty – 4pm to 6pm
• Best of Fitzy & Wippa – 6pm to 7pm
• Smallzy’s Surgery – 7pm to 10pm

Nova 96.9 (Sydney) weekday line up

• Fitzy & Wippa – 6am to 9am
• Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small – 9am to 12pm
• Dan Cassin (DC) – 12pm to 4pm
• Kate, Tim & Marty – 4pm to 6pm
• Best of Fitzy & Wippa – 6pm to 7pm
• Smallzy’s Surgery – 7pm to 10pm

New naming rights partner revealed for delicious. Produce Awards

delicious. editor-in-chief Kerrie McCallum has announced Harvey Norman as the exclusive naming rights partner for the delicious. Produce Awards 2019.

The delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards will unearth and celebrate the most innovative, sustainable and ethical produce and producers in the country. Now in its 14th year, the Awards continue to champion the best Australian produce and the people behind it.

McCallum said: “For 14 years, the delicious. Produce Awards has set the benchmark for Australian produce, thanks to our 50-strong panel of the country’s best chefs, experts and food journalists who volunteer their time.

Kerrie McCallum

“In 2019, we couldn’t be prouder to partner with Harvey Norman for this important and vital initiative: a pioneering Australian company that believes deeply in supporting Australia’s best farmers, artisans, producers, regions and the new generation of chefs that support them.

“I know our producers and chefs will be grateful for Harvey Norman’s support and commitment to help this important program thrive. We want all Australians to know their producers, and the people that set a great example and put the very best food on our plates.”

Harvey Norman executive chairman Gerry Harvey said: “Fresh produce is everything – if it is locally grown even better. Our quality of life depends on the skill and experience of our producers, without them our markets, restaurants, supermarkets and kitchen tables are empty.

“Our Harvey Norman partnership with the delicious. Produce Awards is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate those who make food and cooking possible. Top quality produce provides nutrition as well as the pleasure of cooking for family and friends. However the contribution of our producers runs deeper – farmers and their produce create jobs in the journey from paddock to plate and improve our community health standards.”

The delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards are judged by some of Australia’s leading chefs, including on the national judging panel: Awards Patron Maggie Beer, Matt Moran, Guillaume Brahimi, Christine Manfield, Shannon Bennett, Peter Gilmore, Andrew McConnell, Alla Wolf-Tasker, Colin Fassnidge and Neil Perry.

In the lead up to this year’s Awards, delicious. will launch a major consumer advocacy campaign supported by News Corp Australia encouraging readers to get behind Aussie farmers and small producers by buying locally and sharing stories via #knowyourproducer. The campaign will highlight stories of the people behind this country’s best produce and encourage Australians to purchase local produce – the very best way to support struggling farmers and small producers.

Winners of the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards will be announced in August 2019.

Sports Week

• Winx, Masters + SBS team at Women’s World Cup.

By James Manning

The biggest sporting event over the weekend without doubt was the final race of Winx’s amazing career. The race, just after 3pm on Saturday afternoon, could well be the biggest Seven Horseracing crowd this year given it doesn’t have the Melbourne Cup.

The audience was 902,000 across Australia on Seven and affiliate stations with 577,000 metro and 325,000 regional.

The US Masters was available via Fox Sports on Foxtel or on Gem via Nine’s Wide World of Sports. The Aussies had a terrible third round after Jason Day and Adam Scott had a share of the lead after the second round. Day recovered to finish equal third.

The tee off times for the final round were brought forward because of weather concerns meaning viewers had to get up very early or stay up very late.

The Nine metro audience for the third round on Gem was close to 90,000. The third round audience on Fox Sports was 78,000.

The Chinese Grand Prix was the 1000th Grand Prix and the timezone meant Australian viewers didn’t have to stay up late to watch Lewis Hamilton win again. The Fox Sports coverage featured a brilliant pre-show, which paid tribute to F1 history including interviews with some of the greats plus the former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and the current chief, Chase Carey.

The audience watching the race was 188,000.

SBS reveals all-star broadcast team for FIFA Women’s World Cup

• Opening match, Matildas fixtures, and all finals live and in HD

As the official broadcaster of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament, SBS will bring Australian audiences all the action from France.

Tracey Holmes is returning to the broadcaster to lead the SBS team, alongside former Socceroo captain Craig Foster and Matildas legend, Joey Peters, who will share their analysis and insights from Sydney.

The SBS broadcast will feature live commentary from the stadiums in France from broadcaster David Basheer alongside former Matilda Sarah Walsh, who will have exclusive access to the Matildas camp throughout the tournament.

SBS director of sport Ken Shipp said: “We have assembled some of the most trusted, experienced football voices to bring extraordinary insight and bold personality to our coverage of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. We are proud of our football legacy, and following on from the huge success of Russia 2018, we are excited to deliver world-class coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup to all Australians.”

SBS’s coverage will begin with the opening match on Sunday, 8 June from 4.00am as hosts France face Korea Republic, kicking off a huge month of football on SBS.

Catch all of the Matildas’ matches live and in HD on SBS, as well as the opening match, all Quarter Finals, Semi-Finals and the Final.

SBS Radio will also broadcast all 52 matches of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, live and free via the SBS Radio app. Matches will be broadcast in up to three languages simultaneously; English and in languages of competing teams.

Disney reveals Disney+ direct-to-consumer strategy at 2019 Investor Day

• Streaming service to cost US$6.99 a month, in Australia within two years
• In year one Disney+ will release minimum of 25 original series and 10 original films
• All 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be available on the service on day one

The Walt Disney Company has provided an overview of Disney’s direct-to-consumer strategy, and included presentations on Hulu, Hotstar, ESPN+ and the upcoming Disney+ service, which will launch in the US market on November 12 2019 at $6.99 a month.

The service will offer content from the company’s entertainment brands, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, and will be available on connected TV and mobile devices.

There is no detail yet of Australian launch plans, however following its US debut, Disney+ will rapidly expand globally, with plans to be in nearly all major regions of the world within the next two years.

During the Investor Day event, which took place on the studio lot in Burbank, California, investors heard from Disney’s senior management team, including Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer; Kevin Mayer, chairman, direct-to-consumer and international; Christine McCarthy, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer; Lowell Singer, senior vice president, investor relations; and Jimmy Pitaro, president, ESPN and co-chair, Disney Media Networks.

Presentations also came from Michael Paull, president, Disney Streaming Services; Randy Freer, chief executive officer, Hulu; Russell Wolff, executive vice president and general manager, ESPN+; Uday Shankar, president, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and chairman, Star and Disney India; Ricky Strauss, president, Content and Marketing, Disney+; and Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+.

“Disney+ marks a bold step forward in an exciting new era for our company – one in which consumers will have a direct connection to the incredible array of creative content that is The Walt Disney Company’s hallmark. We are confident that the combination of our unrivalled storytelling, beloved brands, iconic franchises, and cutting-edge technology will make Disney+ a standout in the marketplace, and deliver significant value for consumers and shareholders alike,” Iger said.

Several creative executives from across the worlds of Disney –Jennifer Lee, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios; Pete Docter, chief creative officer, Pixar Animation Studios; Kathleen Kennedy, president, Lucasfilm; Kevin Feige, president, Marvel Studios; Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide; Sean Bailey, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Productions; Courteney Monroe, president, National Geographic Global Television Networks; and Jon Favreau, executive producer and writer, The Mandalorian – offered a glimpse into Disney+’s content slate.

Disney+ will launch in November with a library of theatrical and television content, and in its first year will release more than 25 original series and 10 original films, documentaries and specials by some of the industry’s most prolific and creative storytellers.

New original titles for Disney+ announced today include:

From Marvel Studios:

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, a live-action series with Anthony Mackie returning as Falcon and Sebastian Stan reprising his role as Winter Soldier

WandaVision, a live-action series with Elizabeth Olsen returning as Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany reprising his role as The Vision

Marvel’s What If…?, the first animated series from Marvel Studios and takes inspiration from the comic books of the same name. Each episode will explore a pivotal moment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turn it on its head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios:

Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2, a documentary series showing the hard work and imagination that go into making one of the most highly anticipated Walt Disney Animation Studios features of all time.

From Pixar Animation Studios:

Toy Story-based projects Forky Asks a Question, an animated short series, and the short film Lamp Life.

From National Geographic:

The World According to Jeff Goldblum, a documentary series where Goldblum pulls back the curtain on a seemingly familiar object to reveal a world of astonishing connections, fascinating science and a whole lot of big ideas.

Magic of the Animal Kingdom, a documentary series which takes viewers behind the scenes with the highly respected animal-care experts, veterinarians and biologists at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s SeaBase aquarium.

From Disney Television Animation:

The Phineas and Ferb Movie (working title), an animated film featuring many of the original voice cast.

Scripted originals previously announced for Disney+ include The Mandalorian, the world’s first scripted live-action Star Wars series; the exclusive new season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars; High School Musical: The Musical: The Series; the untitled Cassian Andor series starring Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk; the Marvel Studios’ series Loki starring Tom Hiddleston; Monsters at Work, Diary of a Female President; and live-action films Lady and the Tramp, Noelle, Togo, Timmy Failure and Stargirl.

Nonfiction series also announced earlier this week include Be Our Chef, Cinema Relics: Iconic Art of the Movies (working title), Earthkeepers (working title), Encore!, the untitled Walt Disney Imagineering documentary series, Marvel’s 616, Marvel’s Hero Project, (Re)Connect, Rogue Trip and Shop Class (working title).

Additionally, Disney+ announced that all 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be available on the service on day one. In the service’s first year, audiences will also have access to family-friendly Fox titles like The Sound of Music, The Princess Bride and Malcolm in the Middle as part of a collection of more than 7,500 television episodes and 500 films including blockbuster hits from 2019 and beyond.

The Disney+ service will be available on a wide range of mobile and connected devices, including gaming consoles, streaming media players and smart TVs, and will adjust to the best possible high-definition viewing experience based on a subscriber’s available bandwidth, with support for up to 4K HDR video playback.

An unprecedented amount of content will also be available to fans for offline viewing.

TV Week 15: Q1 results in – Nine well ahead at Easter break

Nine has won another week making the champ on all weeks of survey prior to Easter except for week 14 when Seven narrowly won.

By James Manning

Driving the strong start to the year of course was Married At First Sight, which only screened twice last week, but with an average audience of 1.9m, those two episode pushed share high enough for Nine to win the week, despite Seven winning the last five nights of the week.

Also performing strongly for Nine last week was News plus 60 Minutes, which had an average audience over 1m.

The Big Bang Theory started its final season on Tuesday with 561,000, while Bad Mothers finished its season on Monday with 558,000.

After narrowly winning week 14, Seven has been unable to repeat the performance in week 15. The week 14 primary share of 22.5% was its best survey result so far this year.

Key timeslots in week 15 again performed well with Seven News, The Chase and Sunrise all winning again.

Seven’s most-watched program after News, My Kitchen Rules and Home And Away, was the final race of Winx on Saturday afternoon when the metro audience was 577,000.

10 wasn’t able to record a share above 10%, but the primary channel did have its best numbers in five weeks, while combined channel share was the equal best in five weeks.

The channel was celebrating the return of Bachelor In Paradise, which has launched as the #1 show under 50. 10 also noted its strong BVOD numbers with the first three episodes attracting over 100,000 additional viewers. Live streams were up 36% YOY.

The final episode of this season of Gogglebox also performed well winning its timeslot on Thursday night.

The re-branded 10 Bold continues to perform well when looking at YOY performance. The multichannel has now had 11 consecutive weeks of YOY growth.

10 Play had its biggest week of the year with Bachelor In Paradise the key driver with help from Dancing With The Stars and Gogglebox.

Top 10 Game Charts: Sekiro slices its way back to #1

Activision’s certified hit Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has sliced its way back to number one on the charts last week after being pipped for top spot by the debut of Yoshi’s Crafted World the week prior.

By Luke Reilly, games editor, IGN Australia

The success of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is not surprising considering developer From Software’s previous triumphs with games like Bloodborne and the fan-favourite Dark Souls series, but it remains slightly surprising it’s Activision that partnered with From to publish it. The punishing, single-player focussed Sekiro is entirely unlike Activision’s current line-up of family friendly platformers (Crash Bandicoot, Spyro) and mainstream blockbusters (Call of Duty). It’s also the first original game Activision has published in many years, but whether or not this represents a sustained shift in Activision’s general interest in new IP remains to be seen.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice sold two million copies in its first 10 days on sale.

The Division 2 is proving it has legs, holding onto second and doing what EA’s Anthem could not. Yoshi’s Crafted World slips a faction back to third, just in front of charts stalwart Red Dead Redemption 2, which holds onto fourth. There have been almost no other changes, save for the reappearance of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey.

ARIA Chart Report

• Singles: Many chart movers, none able to topple Billie Eilish
• Albums: Khalid debuts #2, Russell Morris charts, Queen up

Singles

Billie Eilish spends a second week at #1 with Bad Guy. Her tracks Bury A Friend and Wish You Were Gay also remain top 10, although three other tunes from her new album that were also top 10 last week have drifted lower.

Lil Nas X has a made massive move heading toward the top of the chart, with his country rap single Old Town Road climbing from #18 to #2 in its third week on the chart.

Also into the top 10 at a new peak is Khalid with Talk which is up from #11 to #5 on its ninth week on the chart.

Also hitting a new peak in the top 10 is Marshmello with Hear With Me featuring Chvrches up from #21 to #10 after five weeks.

Two new songs debuted in the top 50:

#18 Blackpink with Kill This Love. The K-pop girl group performed at Coachella early on the weekend.

#20 Khalid with John Mayer on Outta My Head. One of the charting tracks from Khalid’s new #2 album.

Albums

A massive month continues for Billie Eilish as When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? continues to not top just the Australian chart, but at least 10 markets globally including the US and UK. She also played Coachella on the weekend with fans able to live stream the performance via the YouTube music app.

Meanwhile Khalid just missed out on his first #1 album as Free Spirit debuted on the chart at #2 with the obligatory list of songs also invading the singles chart. His first album American Teen peaked at #13 in November 2017. And speaking of Coachella, BMW commissioned Khalid to create a fleet of “art cars” to transport celebrities to the festival. He painted up a fleet of BMW i8 hybrid sports cars.

The three Queen albums in the top 10 have all nudged a place higher following the announcement of a 2020 tour by the band with Adam Lambert handling vocal duties.

The three albums are:

#4 Greatest Hits (333 weeks on chart, 15 times Platinum)
#6 Bohemian Rhapsody Soundtrack (25 weeks, Platinum)
#7 The Platinum Collection (104 weeks, 2 times platinum)

Australian music legend Russell Morris has charted for the first time since November 2015 as he releases Black And Blue Heart, which just missed the top 10 at #12. The release from the ARIA Hall of Fame member was produced by Bernard Fanning and Nick DiDia. Morris revealed last week he initially wanted to name the album after another track on the album – Fat Man and the Priest – but was talked out of by the label. Morris plays at Byron Bay Bluesfest next Thursday and then tours Australia for the next supporting the album release.

Other chart debuts this week:

#15 Brooks & Dunn with Reboot
#21 Periphery with Periphy IV: Hail Stan
#25 Sara Bareilles with Amidst The Chaos
#29 Pup with Morbid Stuff
#39 I Know Leopard with Love Is A Landmine

TV Ratings Analysis: April 14

• No rest for My Kitchen Rules as Seven wins Easter night 1
• 60 Minutes: What matters most – timeslot, lead-in or stories?
• ABC crime sleuth Vera the hottest property after 8.30pm

Sunday: Week 16 2019 (Easter week 1)

By James Manning 

• Seven News 1,032,000
• Nine News 876,000
• ABC News 673,000
• Insiders 293,000
• The Project 205,000/277,000
• 10 News First 229,000
• Offsiders 157,000
• SBS World News 134,000

Breakfast TV

• Sunrise 2231,000
• Today 197,000

Seven

Seven has traditionally rested My Kitchen Rules for the first weekend of the Easter break and then brought it back for the second.

Not this year – MKR was a winner last night with 826,000 from 7pm, up from 784,000 a week prior. The first of what could be a long round of finals started with the seven top teams wanting to get to the semi-finals. Ibby and Romel were the first team to make it after impressing diners at the MKR Restaurant.

Sunday Night then did 442,000 after 400,000 a week ago.

Nine

Just a week after averaging over 1m metro, 60 Minutes recorded an audience of 697,000 – down over 300,000, despite the move to 7pm. It featured a cracking lead story from Liam Bartlett on plastic too. It seems recycling might not be so sexy for viewers at 7pm Sunday. So what is more important – the timeslot, the stories, or the lead-in? The big difference last week of course was the lead-in, which was the penultimate episode of MAFS. (Liz Hayes did have a good story last week too though.)

Following 60 Minutes was Australian Crime Stories featuring the notorious child predator Mr Cruel. The episode did 321,000 after 425,000 a week ago.

10

A Sunday share of 7.8% is the channel’s second best since February, which tells you how fierce the battle for viewers has been at the start of each survey week.

The channel’s best was The Project, which was under 300,000 at 7pm.

The final episode of the Sunday Night Takeaway experiment did 254,000, was well up on 161,000 a week ago. The series launched with 378,000 back in February.

Hughesy, We Have A Problem was then on 224,000 after 198,000 a week ago.

ABC

The Easter ratings break is always an opportunity for the channel to shine and it did last night with its best Sunday share of the year – 16.9%. It’s also the channel’s second best on any night this year.

Restoration Australia was in McLaren Vale with a very ambitious project which proved you’re never too old to dream. The show ranked top 10 with 619,000.

The start of series eight of Vera then did 729,000, which was a clear timeslot winner later in the evening.

SBS

Episode two of Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle performed best with 162,000 at 7.30pm.

Then SBS World News and 5.30pm regular Hunting Nazi Treasure both managed to outrate 8.30pm’s Avalanche: Making A Deadly Snowstorm.

Week 15-16 TV: Friday-Sunday
FRIDAY METRO
ABCSevenNine10SBS
ABC9.6%725.0%917.3%10 9.5%SBS One4.2%
ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY3.2%7TWO3.1%GO!4.3%10 Bold3.5%VICELAND1.6%
ABC ME0.5%7mate5.3%GEM3.4%10 Peach2.0%Food Net0.9%
ABC NEWS1.7%7flix1.8%9Life2.6%  NITV0.2%
  7Food0.4%      
TOTAL14.9% 35.6% 27.6% 15.0% 6.9%

 

SATURDAY METRO
ABCSevenNine10SBS
ABC11.8%723.7%916.0%10 6.8%SBS One4.7%
ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY4.0%7TWO4.0%GO!5.1%10 Bold1.7%VICELAND1.0%
ABC ME0.8%7mate3.2%GEM4.5%10 Peach1.6%Food Net1.0%
ABC NEWS1.8%7flix3.5%9Life3.7%  NITV0.1%
  7Food0.8%      
TOTAL18.5% 35.2% 29.2% 10.1% 6.9%

 

SUNDAY METRO
ABCSevenNine10SBS
ABC16.9%720.1%917.9%10 7.8%SBS One3.5%
ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY3.1%7TWO2.4%GO!5.8%10 Bold2.6%VICELAND1.9%
ABC ME0.6%7mate3.4%GEM3.1%10 Peach2.3%Food Net0.8%
ABC NEWS1.5%7flix2.6%9Life3.0%  NITV0.1%
  7Food0.6%      
TOTAL22.1% 29.1% 29.8% 12.7% 6.3%

 

SUNDAY REGIONAL
ABCSeven AffiliatesNine Affiliates10 AffiliatesSBS
ABC9.8%717.0%919.4%WIN11.3%SBS One4.4%
ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY2.9%7TWO4.7%GO!3.6%WIN Bold4.1%VICELAND1.9%
ABC ME1.6%7mate3.9%GEM3.2%WIN Peach2.4%Food Net1.3%
ABC NEWS2.2%7flix2.9%9Life2.1%Sky News  on WIN1.1%NITV0.3%
TOTAL16.5% 28.5% 28.3% 18.9% 7.9%

 

SUNDAY METRO ALL TV
FTASTV
82.8%17.2%
All People Rankings

Friday Top 10

  1. Seven News Seven   843,000
  2. Seven News / Today Tonight Seven   819,000
  3. Nine News Nine 734,000
  4. Nine News 6:30 Nine 713,000
  5. A Current Affair Nine 582,000
  6. Seven’s AFL: Friday Night Football Seven   553,000
  7. ABC News ABC 552,000
  8. Better Homes And Gardens Seven   483,000
  9. The Chase Australia Seven   479,000
  10. Gardening Australia ABC 407,000

 

Saturday Top 10

  1. Nine News Saturday Nine 785,000
  2. Seven News – Sat Seven   767,000
  3. Seven’s Horse Racing 2019 – Queen Elizabeth Sta Seven 577,000
  4. Seven’s AFL: Saturday Night Football Seven   561,000
  5. ABC News-Sa ABC 545,000
  6. The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco ABC 451,000
  7. Call The Midwife ABC 420,000
  8. Seven’s AFL: Saturday Night Football – Pre Mat Seven 405,000
  9. Getaway Nine 337,000
  10. Just Go With It Nine 307,000
Sunday FTA
  1. Seven News   Seven   1,032,000
  2. Nine News Sunday Nine 876,000
  3. My Kitchen Rules   Seven   826,000
  4. Vera ABC 729,000
  5. 60 Minutes Nine 697,000
  6. ABC News Sunday ABC 673,000
  7. Restoration Australia ABC 619,000
  8. Sunday Night Seven   442,000
  9. RBT – (R) Nine 393,000
  10. Australian Crime Stories Nine 321,000
  11. Seven’s AFL: Sunday Afternoon Football Seven   317,000
  12. Insiders Am ABC 293,000
  13. Sunday Afternoon NRL Live Nine 290,000
  14. The Sunday Project 7pm  10 277,000
  15. Bluey Am ABCKIDS/COME DY 255,000
  16. Chris & Julia’s Sunday Night Takeaway  10 254,000
  17. Weekend Sunrise   Seven   231,000
  18. Killer On The Line Nine 231,000
  19. 10 News First Sun  10 229,000
  20. Hughesy, We Have A Problem  10 224,000
Sunday Multichannel
  1. Bluey AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 255,000
  2. Spectre   9GO! 186,000
  3. Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 168,000
  4. PJ Masks AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 137,000
  5. Finding Nemo 9GO! 136,000
  6. Play School AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 135,000
  7. Bananas In Pyjamas AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 134,000
  8. Bing AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 132,000
  9. Would I Lie To You? ABCKIDS/COMEDY 131,000
  10. NCIS (R) 10 Bold 130,000
  11. Fixer Upper   9Life 129,000
  12. Olobob Top AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 129,000
  13. Little Princess AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 129,000
  14. Octonauts ABCKIDS/COMEDY 126,000
  15. Fireman Sam PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 125,000
  16. Peter Rabbit ABCKIDS/COMEDY 123,000
  17. Wanda And The Alien PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 119,000
  18. Floogals ABCKIDS/COMEDY 119,000
  19. School Of Roars AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 118,000
  20. Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 117,000
Sunday STV
  1. Live: NRL Raiders V Eels FOX LEAGUE 248,000
  2. Live: NRL Dragons V Bulldogs FOX LEAGUE 191,000
  3. Live: Motorsport: F1: China Race FOX SPORTS 506 188,000
  4. Live: Supercars Phillip Island: Race 10 FOX SPORTS 506 156,000
  5. Live: Sunday Night With Matty Johns FOX LEAGUE 128,000
  6. Live: AFL St Kilda V Hawthorn FOX FOOTY 123,000
  7. Live: Bounce FOX FOOTY 120,000
  8. Live: Supercars The Grid FOX SPORTS 506 111,000
  9. Live: Supercars Live FOX SPORTS 506 106,000
  10. Live: AFL Gold Coast V Carlton FOX SPORTS 503 104,000
  11. Live: Supercars Phillip Island: Qual 10 FOX SPORTS 506 104,000
  12. Live: Supercars Phillip Island Supports FOX SPORTS 506 87,000
  13. Live: Supercars Trackside FOX SPORTS 506 85,000
  14. Live: Controversy Corner FOX LEAGUE 78,000
  15. Live: The Masters FOX SPORTS 505 78,000
  16. Live: Supercars Live FOX SPORTS 506 74,000
  17. Angel Cabrera At The Masters 2009 FOX SPORTS 505 63,000
  18. Live: Supercars Phillip Island Supports FOX SPORTS 506 62,000
  19. Live: Supercars Phillip Island: Prac 4 FOX SPORTS 506 59,000
  20. Jordan Spieth At The Masters 2015 FOX SPORTS 505 58,000

Shares all people, 6pm-midnight, Overnight (Live and AsLive), Audience numbers FTA metro, Sub TV national
Source: OzTAM and Regional TAM 2018. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) without the prior written consent of OzTAM

Media News Roundup

Business of Media

News Corp approaches Nine about Stan streaming partnership

News Corp has raised the prospect of a video streaming partnership involving Stan and Foxtel as part of informal discussions between the rival media organisations in another sign there will be further deals in the sector, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Jennifer Duke.

While a local partner is a possible option, Stan may prefer to pursue a deal with Disney. Its agreement with the US entertainment giant ends later this year and both Disney and Nine staff have signed non-disclosure agreements. There is widespread industry speculation Nine could offer Disney equity in Stan as part of a more substantial partnership in the future.

[Read the original]

Facebook to introduce livestreaming restrictions this month

Facebook is preparing a global livestream crackdown on its 2.3 billion users with some to be blocked from live broadcasting videos ahead of a meeting with the Australian government, as the US-based tech behemoth continues to grapple with the fallout of the Christchurch massacre, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Jennifer Duke.

Sources close to the social media platform said those who broke the site’s rules, such as spreading hate speech on Facebook, would be stopped from going live under the changes.

The new restrictions will likely be introduced before a government-led taskforce meeting later this month and ahead of the $500 billion business’ first quarter earnings call.

A YouTube spokeswoman said the platform “regularly re-evaluate[s] our eligibility requirements and decided to raise the threshold for streaming”.

Twitter has not made any announcements about changing its livestream options.

[Read the original]

Free TV slams Government incentives to streaming platforms

Free TV has expressed its dismay and frustration at the Government’s last minute announcement to make Government funding available to Netflix.

Free TV CEO Bridget Fair said: “This announcement is outrageous. It has been six years since the Coalition Government was elected. Free TV has consistently sought meaningful reform of content regulations that have been in place since the 1980s. The Australian Content Review was conducted in 2017. After two years, Minister Fifield has seen fit to announce a single initiative five minutes before the commencement of the caretaker period that benefits foreign multinational streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

“Commercial television broadcasters are the source of more Australian production than anyone else in this country. The Government should be looking to how broadcasters can be assisted to continue the important role they play in the Australian production industry, not making piecemeal decisions that advantage unregulated competitors on digital platforms.

“It is deeply disappointing that the only significant Australian content policy announcement from this Government in six years is to make Australian tax dollars available to fund Netflix productions. It defies logic to prop up unregulated foreign streaming platforms with Government funding while commercial broadcasters remain saddled with a range of content obligations that no longer reflect how Australians are consuming content and are in urgent need of a complete overhaul.

“The Australian Content Review conducted in 2017 was supposed to look at how we should update these out-dated regulatory settings. We are still waiting for the Government to provide a meaningful response.”

The Government announced last week online platforms are now able to claim refundable tax offsets if they meet the other eligibility requirements.

Minister Fifield extension of the Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) and Location Offsets for online platforms such as Stan, Ten All-Access, Netflix and Amazon Prime, will allow the industry can capitalise on opportunities and attract more investment in Australian screen production. The move aligns with eligibility of the Producer Offset.

News Corp director Rod Eddington joins HWT board

One of Australia’s most distinguished businessmen, Rod Eddington, is joining the board of the Herald and Weekly Times in Victoria, extending a 20-plus-year association with News Corp.

The Herald and Weekly Times chairwoman Penny Fowler described Sir Rod as a friend and mentor with considerable corporate experience and a long association with the group.

“He is an executive of the highest calibre, with an intrinsic understanding of our business and our priorities and will provide valuable guidance and advice,” Fowler said.

Eddington’s career stretches across a wide variety of industries including finance, aviation, mining, transport, infrastructure and media

After starting in transport and aviation, he went on to become chief executive of Cathay Pacific, Ansett Airlines and British Airways.

“I look forward to being back in the Australian media industry and working with the Herald and Weekly Times board on the future growth and direction of such a significant Victorian business,” Sir Rod said.

Sir Rod joins fellow HWT board members Michael Miller, the executive chairman of News Corp Australasia; Damian Eales, the chief operating officer, publishing; Peter Blunden, the Victorian managing director, editorial; and Peter Zavecz, the Victorian managing director, commercial.

The HWT board oversees the company’s publishing businesses in Victoria and Tasmania.

Photo: News Corp Australia

Telstra, JCDecaux ring up profits from phone box advertising

Telstra and global giant JCDecaux could split up to $1 billion in revenue from outdoor advertising as part of five-city refurbishment of public phones that has already sparked resistance from councils in Melbourne and Sydney, reports The Australian’s Zoe Samios.

The estimated minimum payment is part of a 15-year deal signed by the telco and French outdoor advertising operator two years ago, which involves the ­rollout of 1860 new phone boxes with improved Wi-Fi access, USB charge docks and 72-inch “smart” electronic billboards, available for six advertisers at a time. Telstra and JCDecaux’s proposed upgrades have raised concerns the billboards would undermine revenue on council-owned billboard sites, potentially costing them millions of dollars in lost revenue.

[Read the original]

News Brands

George Pell media contempt case in court today

Some of Australia’s top editors and journalists face prison for contempt over their coverage of the trial of Cardinal George Pell and lawyers are due in court on Monday on their behalf, reports AAP.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has named 36 organisations and individuals, asking they be found guilty of contempt of court for breaching a suppression order and prejudicing Pell’s sex abuse trial.

Among those listed include Herald Sun editor Damon Johnston, The Age editor Alex Lavelle, Sydney radio shock-jock Ray Hadley and Today show host Deborah Knight.

Organisations are standing by their stories, including News Corp, which said it would “vigorously defend all charges and resolutely stand by our editors and journalists”.

[Read the original]

Nine to muzzle stars of the Twitter and other social media platforms

The freewheeling days of social media postings by reporters at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age appear to be over, reports The Australian’s Elias Visontay.

A new social media policy introduced by Nine Entertainment after its takeover of Fairfax last year could land several of its mastheads’ high-profile commentators in hot water given their past history on the social media platform.

The changes, which come just in time for the federal election, seek to put an end to journalists and contributors personally advocating for a political cause or expressing a bias online, and were prompted by “recent incidents involving staff use of Twitter and Instagram which reflected poorly on the staff involved and on our mastheads”, the new policy says.

A spokesman from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age said the new policy was consistent with social media policies at other major newsrooms around the world, including those of the BBC and New York Times.

“The policy was introduced at the end of last month to better reflect the standards we and our readers expect from journalists whether they are published on our mastheads or on a third-party platform,” he said.

[Read the original]

Judge wants online news reports relating to case removed

News reports that have been available online for years would need to be removed from media websites if publishers agree to a request they received on Friday from the NSW Supreme Court, reports The Australian’s Chris Merritt.

The request, from judge Elizabeth Fullerton, would have the effect of imposing significant costs on the media and is aimed at ensuring past news reports do not adversely affect a high-profile criminal trial that is due to start next month.

That trial is already affected by a suppression order that the judge issued on April 3 that prevents publication of “any information concerning the evidence” in that case.

[Read the original]

The TV and radio shows Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten avoid

The Australian’s Nick Tabakoff has detailed the TV and radio programs that the prime minister and the leader of the opposition are avoiding as we head toward the election.

For the prime minister it is Q&A and The Kyle and Jackie O Show. The radio show had no success at getting either of Australia’s two most recent PMs.

Sandilands’ personal manager, Bruno Bouchet, told The Australian last week: “From day dot, we never existed to them. They have had zero interest in coming on – not that our show’s really suffered.

“I would counsel him that we are the show with the largest number of swing voters,” he says. “They’ve pretty well made up their mind at 2GB and the ABC. But if you want to sway things, you do appearances with Kyle and Jack.”

Labor leader Bill Shorten also has a list of shows he has been ducking, having religiously avoided 2GB’s “big four”, Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Chris Smith and Ben Fordham, along with 3AW’s Neil Mitchell, for some time.

[Read the original]

Television

Channel 7 star Andrew O’Keefe ‘emotionally exhausted, needs a break’

Production on Channel 7 quiz show The Chase has been suspended due to “emotionally exhausted” host Andrew O’Keefe taking a sudden leave of absence to deal with a long-term health crisis, reports News Corp’s Annette Sharp.

O’Keefe’s manager Mark Klemens confirmed on Saturday O’Keefe would be on a month’s leave from all his professional commitments to deal with “some personal issues” that have overwhelmed him during the past year.

“Andrew O’Keefe is currently taking some time off from his demanding and busy schedule to regroup and work through some personal issues,” Klemens, of Profile Talent Management, said in a prepared statement.

The Chase will run repeat episodes next week.

[Read the original]

Radio

Would Alan Jones really leave 2GB for this new employer?

Radio network proprietor Bill Caralis rarely shows his hand but this month the eccentric recluse made a call from his Gold Coast bolthole that brought his extraordinary radio dream into focus, reports News Corp’s Annette Sharp.

Caralis, radio sources have confirmed, reached out to soon-to-be-out-of-contract 2GB breakfast star Alan Jones two weeks ago in the hope of enticing Jones to make the jump to Caralis’s 2SM Super Network, the largest privately owned radio network in the country.

In making the call, Caralis – renowned for being as private as he is patient – has done a rare thing and shed light on his hopes of reuniting two of Australian radio’s biggest stars – Jones and broadcasting legend John Laws.

[Read the original]

Sports Media

Sport stars embroiled in legal stoush: Player’s Tribune v PlayersVoice

An Australian sports publishing website counting Nick Kyrgios, Michael Clarke and Cameron Smith among its contributors is being sued by a rival American platform founded by legendary baseball player Derek Jeter, reports The Age’s Anthony Colangelo.

Jeter’s website, The Player’s Tribune, pioneered the popular trend of athlete-written, first person publishing platforms with contributors including Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Maria Sharapova.

The Player’s Tribune (TPT) claims in documents lodged in the Federal Court of Australia that Australian website PlayersVoice is too similar to it in both design and purpose and therefore has infringed on TPT’s Australian trademark.

PV raised an estimated $4 million in funding from investors including Kyrgios and Young Rich List member Matt Berriman, and also has a content sharing deal with News Corporation’s Fox Sports. It has published over 800 original articles since launch, attracting more than 6.2 million unique visitors.

The matter is listed for further case management in the Federal Court on April 17.

[Read the original]

AFL boss visits US digital giants to discuss possible partnerships

The Australian has revisited a report published a month ago that AFL boss Gillon McLachlan had privately been approached by global streaming players, including Amazon and Facebook, about the next AFL media rights deal from 2023.

The AFL boss has not wasted any time exploring his options, four years before the next media deal is even due to commence, reports The Australian’s Nick Tabakoff.

Last week, McLachlan and an AFL entourage made a flying visit to the US west coast to visit Amazon, Facebook and Google on the issue.

McLachlan’s scouting mission sends an unmistakable message to sports fans: that one of the global giants could well become a major player in the next AFL rights deal.

[Read the original]

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