Thursday April 18, 2019
Podcast Week: Mark Pesce’s car show, GoT, Denton, UMG & Wondery
By James Manning
Mark Pesce’s The Next Billion Cars
Podcaster, teacher, consultant and futurist Mark Pesce knows a lot about cars and what’s coming for drivers and the industry. And what he doesn’t know he tracks down specialists who do.
His latest podcast series is PodcastOne’s The Next Billion Cars.
“We manufacture two cars a second globally,” was his first impressive stat when he spoke to Mediaweek. “That means it only take 15 years to manufacture 1 billion cars. Everyone has agreed the car that we will have in 15 years will be very different from the car we have today. No one has agreed on what that means nor what that car looks like.”
He did note that it would not be petrol driven, either electric or using some sort of other fuel.
“One of the biggest industries of the 20th century is now being assaulted by massive change on every front.”
The Next Billion Cars examines all of those challenges across 10 episodes and what it means for drivers and the carmakers.
The first episode is called The Next Billion Problems. “We went to the Detroit Auto Show which is now a wasteland. The manufacturers are staying away from it. They are all at CES, which is the week before. CES is the future, Detroit is the past.”
Other topics are electric vehicles, changes in design and performance of cars powered by something other than petrol.
While some smaller countries are transitioning quickly to electric vehicles, Pesce said the game changer was when China said it hoped to be largely transitioned to electric vehicles by 2030. “When China made that announcement every auto manufacturer immediately went all in on electric cars.”
He noted the development of the electric car is linked directly to battery technology. “You need to have the right amount of battery storage to get people over certain distances.”
Working with Pesce on this series are Sally Dominguez, a rally driver, inventor, educator and journalist, plus Drew Smith, a designer working for a Volvo subsidiary in Gothenburg.
Listen to The Next Billion Cars here.
Game of Thrones podcasts multiply
There has been nothing bigger in entertainment than Game of Thrones this month. And as the world of podcasting thrives, so do the number of podcasts about Game of Thrones.
Even just a quick search on iTunes will bring up at least 40 different series and there could well be many more.
One destination with much on offer is iHeartRadio.
If you are a GoT fan then you have come to the right place, the platform said this week.
It’s top picks included Got Thrones?, Cast of Thrones, Storm Spoliers, Boars Gore & Swords, Binge Mode and A Cast of Kings.
There is no surprise that in the iTunes TV & Film category this week the chart was flooded with GoT podcasts.
One of the hottest local productions was Mamamia Recaps and their first episode dedicated to GoT episode one, season eight. After a long run of recaps of MAFS, the GoT episode is a welcome change of subject.
Major music group announces podcast initiative
Universal Music Group (UMG) and Wondery, which bills itself as the largest independent podcast publisher, have announced an agreement to develop premium original podcasts drawing upon the breadth and depth of UMG’s musical catalogue as well as its iconic roster of artists and labels.
Podcasts produced under the agreement will be available globally on any platform Wondery makes its content available.
The new podcasts will serve as an extension of the narratives and content that UMG is already creating around its artists, labels and catalogue. Working with Wondery’s network of storytellers, the podcasts are promising to provide fans and new audiences alike with deeper perspectives on artists, music and events that influence and shape culture.
The podcasts will also become an incubator for UMG’s growing slate of film and television projects, as well as a platform to reach audiences with content from short and long-form programming from the company’s Polygram Entertainment and its numerous record labels worldwide. UMG has been developing and producing podcasts for local audiences around the world since 2012.
Andrew Denton podcast launches today
Nova Entertainment and Acast this week announced the launch of a new Andrew Denton podcast series. Available from 18 April, Interview with Andrew Denton is a branded a podcast for anyone who wants to understand what makes people tick.
The first episode has now been published and features Denton’s 2018 TV interview with Daniel Johns.
Other episodes to follow will feature Magda Szubanski, Denise Scott, kidnap survivor Amanda Lindhout, Rebecca Sharrock (the woman who can remember every day of her life), Troye Sivan, Guy Pearce, Tim Winton, Rosie Batty, Dylan Alcott, Mick Fanning and Cher.
The Interview with Andrew Denton podcast is sponsored by Belong and Dairy Australia.
Listen to Interview with Andrew Denton here.
My Top 5: Elaine Quirke
•Group Director – Partnerships and Creative media, Wavemaker Australia
Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu
The long-form episodes have a lot of it-just-makes-sense content. Two stand-out episodes feature Yuval Noah Harari (of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind) and Laura Vanderkam, who is obsessed with topics of work-life balance and time management. Skip the short podcasts though, they can be cheesy and annoying.
In Good Company with Otegha Uwagba
I’ve fallen in love with the intelligent rants and inspiring women who feature on this London-based podcast focusing on the intersection of creativity and business. Each episode is an honest, open conversation with inspiring but accessible women, so it’s very much like being drawn into a conversation with them. I come out the other side full of ideas and ready for whatever life throws at me.
The Daily
I listen to this NYT podcast religiously, just before I go to bed – I actually miss it if I don’t. I’ve put all my friends onto it and I feel like I know the host personally after years of listening to his voice. I guarantee that you will fall in love with Michael Barbaro’s smarts, charm and wit (if you’re obsessed with US and global politics and are slightly left leaning).
Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History Podcast
Michael Gladwell can do no wrong in my eyes. I love everything he writes so listening to his podcast of counterintuitive tales about historical moments he’s deemed “overlooked and misunderstood’ is a no brainer. The marketer in me also loves that he’s bucked the advertising trends of Blue Apron and Mailchimp and went with a history orientated Chanel sponsorship, which just made me admire him and the podcast more.
TBD with Tina Brown
Tina Brown is the legendary editor of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The Daily Beast fame. I started my TBD journey by listening to her interview with Hillary Clinton and went on to spend a lovely afternoon listening to actors, politicians, journalists, and the newsmakers of tomorrow’s views on the world today. It helps me keep my finger on the pulse.
My Top 5: Tina Zissis
Executive Assistant, OMD Exec Team
Shameless
“For smart women who love dumb stuff”. Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews are two Melbourne based journalists who basically make you feel like you’re hanging with your friends talking all things pop culture. The best thing about it? There’s also a FB community where the chat continues. Intelligent conversation, and thought-provoking debate.
Guys We F*cked
I love everything about this “Anti-Slut Shaming” podcast. Corinne and Krystyna are two New York comedians who cover all things sex and relationships. Nothing’s off the table in their interviews which I love! They interview people from a wide range of communities from trans to polyamorous and everything in between. You’ll be in stitches.
Say Bible
A podcast for the Kardashian Konnoisseur hosted by Natalie Franklin and Kathleen E. Lee. I’m one of those people who hates to love the Kardashians yet here I am proudly announcing I listen to a weekly poddy on them! This podcast is my secret haven of Kardashian goss and, boy, do they get into the nitty gritty.
The Informed Pregnancy
Aside from being a busy EA to our CEO, I’m also a certified childbirth educator and doula! Dr Elliot Berlin is entertaining, informative and unbiased as he interviews a range of people covering all things pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. Think nutrition, tongue tie, hospital vs homebirth, induction methods and pelvic floor health to name a few. Some of my favourite episodes include Hilary Duff and Teresa Palmer’s before and after birth stories.
Mugglecast
I’m a Harry Potter nut. Andrew, Micah and Eric host the most in depth episodes on all things from the HP Universe. I listen to this and get so deep into the Wizarding World that I take my headphones out and get sad about being a muggle again.
VMO announces Aventus shopping centres win and network completion
Aventus is Australia’s largest fully-integrated owner, manager and developer of Large Format Retail centres in Australia, centres that include home and lifestyle retailers such as furniture, bedding and electronic goods. Annual sales by LFR retailers account for more than $68 billion or 22% of all retail sales in Australia.
The contract awarded VMO as the portrait format digital media partner for Aventus with its network rolled out in 19 of 20 Aventus home and lifestyle retail centres. It includes the latest technology with 136, large premium 75” 4K ultra-HD screens installed in high-traffic, high-dwell locations.
Paul Butler, managing director VMO, said: “This was a great win for VMO and further cements the business’ position of ‘engaging active consumers’. With Australians showing a rapidly growing interest in homewares and design, the addition of APG enables advertisers to connect with thousands of consumers who are actively looking for products to enhance their lifestyle. We have now successfully rolled out 136 screens with some key launch partners including King Furniture, Forty Winks, Sony and Webjet.”
Anthony Deeble, Hoyts group chief commercial officer added: “This new partnership is exciting, it is the first major 4k enabled network rollout in the country. We are proud to be in this partnership with Aventus, one of Australia’s leading retail centre operators.”
Predominantly located throughout the eastern seaboard and in metro locations, Aventus centres are home to an array of successful national retailers from Harvey Norman, Bunnings Warehouse, JB Hi-Fi, Adairs and Freedom to leading supermarket brands such as Coles and Aldi. With more than 570 retailers available across home, lifestyle, food, health and well-being, the centres attract over 890,000 shoppers weekly and offer a unique media opportunity to target shoppers directly who are optimistically looking to step up, upgrade or expand their home and life.
CEO APG Darren Holland said: “We look forward to working with VMO to enhance our sites and add value to the shopper experience via a unique media offering to our retailers and their brands. We’re confident that this premium, 100% digital signage network is the right fit for our centres.”
The VMO retail network is in 400 locations and reaches a unique audience of 10 million shoppers weekly.
Seven Studios announces Bevan Lee thriller with Hermione Norris
Filming has just started in Sydney on the intense and fast-paced new drama which is the latest in a long line of programs from Seven West Media’s expanding international production and distribution company, Seven Studios.
The Group’s slate includes Casketeers, the runaway sensation obdoc picked up by Netflix set in a Maori funeral home, created and produced out of Auckland, New Zealand by Seven West Media owned Great Southern TV, and A Place to Call Home, produced by Seven Studios Sydney for Foxtel.
This new commission is part of Seven Studios’ strategy of developing ambitious, international programs casting big name stars from Australia and across the globe, in a bid to not only continue to raise the game domestically but to create shows that will also prove to be big hits overseas.
This strategy is further bolstered by Damon Pattison taking up his new position of creative director of Seven Studios UK in March. Seven also recently announced its British production co-venture Slim Film + TV is to partner with The Alliance – formed by France Télévisions, ZDF Germany, and Italy’s RAI – to commission a new big-budget version of Around the World in 80 Days.
In Between Two Worlds, world renowned star Norris plays Cate Walford, whose relationship with vicious, business tycoon husband, Phillip, is on the ropes and sees a tempestuous home life trapped in a tangled web of lies and manipulation. Through a shocking twist of fate, this dark and murky world collides with the seemingly disparate and disconnected, warm and loving world of a widow and her footy star son and musical daughter. Destructive secrets are soon unearthed proving nothing is quite as it first might appear.
Norris joins an ensemble cast including Philip Quast (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Hacksaw Ridge), Sara Wiseman (A Place to Call Home), Aaron Jeffery (Wentworth) and up-and-coming actors Tom Dalzell, Melanie Jarnson and Megan Hajjar.
Hermione Norris said: “I am always script-led in decision making and I found Bevan Lee’s script full of well-drawn characters and a page turning narrative – it was a really entertaining read, and fun for me to consider something a little bit different. I think audiences will love the colour and vibrancy of this thrilling and complex narrative – many secrets to be revealed and rivalries to be exposed.”
Seven’s director of content distribution and rights Therese Hegarty said: “We are thrilled that the quality of Bevan Lee’s work has enabled us to attract a world class cast and crew to this project. Seven Studios has a history of creating programs that engage global audiences and we will continue to build out a local and global strategy.”
Between Two Worlds is created and written by Bevan Lee (A Place to Call Home), directed by Kriv Stenders, Lynn Hegarty, Caroline Bell-Booth, Beck Cole and Michael Hurst, executive producer is Julie McGauran, series producer is Chris Martin-Jones with co-producer Lesley Parker. The drama is a Seven Studios production for Seven Network.
Triple M farewells Ugly Phil again for top-secret UK project
It looks like the project has eventuated with the much-loved Australia broadcaster handing in his notice to his Triple M bosses Jamie Angel and Mike Fitzpatrick.
“It’s always sad when we lose someone from the Triple M family, and today I can let you know we’ll be saying farewell to Ugly Phil O’Neil. Again,” said Fitzpatrick this morning.
“Ugly is heading back home to the UK, where he was the winner of many radio awards, to do a top secret project – no doubt we’ll hear more in the coming weeks.
“Phil has a long history with our company. From SEA FM on the Gold Coast almost 30 years ago, Ugly Phil’s Hot 30 on the (the) Today Network, and most recently across Triple M Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane afternoons and Nationally on My Generation.
“Phil is a consummate professional and an amazing broadcaster and we’ll be sad to see the back of his bald head.”
Fitzpatrick thanked Phil for his great work and congratulated him on his new project.
A replacement for Triple M Afternoons and My Generation will be announced soon.
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Top Photo: Phil O’Neil with The Angels in his Triple M studio
Mercado on TV: Celebrating sexual diversity on the screen
Courtney’s creator Shane Jenek identifies as being pansexual and polyamorous, and he is a fabulous spokesperson for modern gender politics.
Netflix gets that kids are totally cool with all this, and that’s why they have a slew of sexually ambivalent shows about teenagers. Its biggest hits include Sex Education and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, with the former being set in a high school and in the latter, Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) has a pansexual warlock cousin called Ambrose (Chance Perdomo). The New York Times has described these shows as having “a refreshing lack of angst” about such subject matter, and the same could be said about its audience too.
The latest trend on Netflix is shorter episodes (15 minutes) like Special and Bonding, but sex is still on the menu. Special is about being gay and having cerebral palsy, as creator Ryan O’Connell turns his life into a mix of Ugly Betty and Please Like Me. Bonding, which starts next Wednesday, is the heart-warming story of a uni student S&M dominatrix and her gay BFF.
But the craziest of them is on Stan. Now Apocalypse, from indie filmmaker Gregg Araki and executive producer Steven Soderbergh, is about some sexy people in LA but because it has been inspired by Twin Peaks, there is also Henry Rollins and reptilian aliens having sex.
There are no aliens in Neighbours – yet – but they are still adventurous. Actress Mavournee Hazel (Piper) revealed she was demisexual, and soon Ramsay Street will feature its first transgender character to be played by trans activist Georgie Stone. It was way back in 1973 when Carlotta paved the way for them all, playing Arnold Feather’s girlfriend in Number 96.
Recently a passer by yelled out to Carlotta that she was “that bitch from The Bold and The Beautiful”. Think about it. He meant to say Beauty and The Beast, which also screened on 10 daytime. Hilarious. Talk about getting confused – let’s hope he never runs into Courtney Act.
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Top Photo: Dancing With The Stars Grand Finalists – Constance Hall, Samuel Johnson and Courtney Act
Mediaweek Easter podcast special
TV Business: How Nine ruled Q1 2019
We are closing in on a busy few weeks in the Mediaweek podcast studio.
Released in time for Easter is a preview of our special TV Business podcast, which we will feature more about next week.
Mediaweek is joined by one of Australia’s biggest TV advertisers, OMD’s national chief investment officer Melissa Hey, and the sales boss of TV’s #1 network, Nine chief sales officer Michael Stephenson.
Hear them both analyse the value of Married At First Sight, the rest of Nine’s schedule including the Australian Open and what Nine still has to come in 2019. Melissa also discusses the challenges at Seven and 10 and both guests discuss the changing ways TV is consumed and the ramifications for TV ad revenue.
Inside news.com.au: Kate De Brito on Australia’s biggest news audience
As editor-in-chief of news.com.au, Kate de Brito heads a team that attracts over 10m news readers every month. She tells Mediaweek about how people are now consuming their news, what some in the industry don’t understand about digital news and why it is so important to follow the readers.
Inside news.com.au: James Weir – digital news media’s recap king
Quite a recap industry has sprouted around the Nine reality series Married At First Sight. But no one does it better, or knows the show more thoroughly, than news.com.au reporter and columnist James Weir. He has covered all six series of the program and he tells Mediaweek about his journey and what watching so much reality TV has done to him.
Listen to the Mediaweek podcasts here.
Subscriber to Mediaweek podcasts here.
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Top Photo: OMD’s Melissa Hey with Mediaweek’s James Manning and Nine’s Michael Stephenson
TV Ratings analysis: April 17
Wednesday: Week 16 2019 (Easter week 1)
By James Manning
• Seven News 975,000/962,000
• Nine News 875,000/854,000
• A Current Affair 732,000
• ABC News 660,000
• 7.30 648,000
• The Project 269,000/479,000
• 10 News First 375,000
• SBS World News 135,000
Breakfast TV
• Sunrise 295,000
• Today 215,000
Seven
Seven has kept its post-MAFS winning streak alive, albeit winning with its lowest Wednesday share since it was up against Nine’s Australia Open in January.
Home And Away held above 600,000 again.
A US episode of Little Big Shots got the Easter Wednesday holiday slot with 354,000 watching.
The Front Bar then started earlier with no MKR to hold it up. The metro network audience was 366,000 with 250,000 in Melbourne. It remains well ahead of The Footy Show, which slumped big time last night.
Nine
A Current Affair managed to climb back above 700,000 with a story investigating what happened to elderly Vicki Ramadan who was murdered recently.
A repeat episode of Paramedics then did 509,000.
The Footy Show slot continues to be a major trouble spot for the network in Melbourne. You need to go well down the rankings to find last night’s episode, which had an average audience under 70,000 in Melbourne.
10
The stronger combined channel share was powered by a better primary channel share and another strong performance from 10 Bold on 5.1%, a number that has been consistent for the past three Wednesdays. Driving those multichannel numbers has been the NCIS franchise with five episodes back-to-back from 7.30pm starting with NCIS and then offering a double shot of NCIS: Los Angeles and then more NCIS.
On the primary channel Bachelor In Paradise was again a ratings winner with the under 50s audience. The metro audience of 520,000 was down marginally on last week’s 539,000.
ABC
Michael Clarke was the first subject on a new season of Anh’s Brush With Fame. The show ranked #1 entertainment show for the night and #1 in its timeslot with 625,000.
The Weekly then did 561,000. Craig Reucassel was the Hard Chat guest.
You Can’t Ask That pitched questions at Intersex Australians with 439,000 watching.
SBS
The Good Fight returned with 128,000 across two episodes from 8.30pm.
In the preceding hour Going Places With Ernie Dingo was on 180,000 followed by Great British Railway Journeys in Northern Ireland on 199,000.
Much earlier in the night the new 6pm quiz show Mastermind did 114,000. It launched on Monday this week with 112,000.
Week 16 TV: Wednesday
| WEDNESDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 13.8% | 7 | 18.3% | 9 | 16.2% | 10 | 11.4% | SBS One | 4.9% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 3.1% | 7TWO | 3.5% | GO! | 4.4% | 10 Bold | 5.1% | VICELAND | 1.6% |
| ABC ME | 0.8% | 7mate | 3.0% | GEM | 3.6% | 10 Peach | 2.5% | Food Net | 0.9% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.5% | 7flix | 2.0% | 9Life | 2.6% | NITV | 0.2% | ||
| 7Food | 0.7% | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 19.3% | 27.4% | 26.8% | 19.0% | 7.6% | ||||
| WEDNESDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | 10 Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 12.2% | 7 | 16.1% | 9 | 15.8% | WIN | 8.9% | SBS One | 3.7% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.7% | 7TWO | 4.1% | GO! | 5.3% | WIN Bold | 5.3% | VICELAND | 2.3% |
| ABC ME | 1.0% | 7mate | 4.2% | GEM | 5.4% | WIN Peach | 2.8% | Food Net | 0.9% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.9% | 7flix | 2.6% | 9Life | 3.0% | Sky News on WIN | 1.4% | NITV | 0.3% |
| TOTAL | 17.8% | 27.0% | 29.5% | 18.4% | 6.9% | ||||
| WEDNESDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 84.2% | 15.8% | ||||||||
WEDNESDAY FTA
Seven News Seven 975,000
Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 962,000
Nine News Nine 875,000
Nine News 6:30 Nine 854,000
A Current Affair Nine 732,000
ABC News ABC 660,000
7.30 ABC 648,000
Anh’s Brush With Fame ABC 625,000
Home And Away Seven 624,000
The Weekly With Charlie Pickering ABC 561,000
The Chase Australia Seven 553,000
Bachelor In Paradise 10 520,000
Paramedics – (R) Nine 509,000
Hot Seat Nine 498,000
The Project 7pm 10 479,000
You Can’t Ask That ABC 439,000
10 News First 10 375,000
The Front Bar Seven 366,000
Little Big Shots U.S. Seven 354,000
The Chase Australia-5pm Seven 333,000
Demo Top 5
16-39 Top Five
- Bachelor In Paradise 10 210,000
- The Project 7pm 10 134,000
- Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 125,000
- Home And Away Seven 109,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 98,000
18-49 Top Five
- Bachelor In Paradise 10 308,000
- The Project 7pm 10 216,000
- Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 207,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 202,000
- Nine News Nine 201,000
25-54 Top Five
- Bachelor In Paradise 10 308,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 266,000
- Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 264,000
- Nine News Nine 250,000
- Seven News Seven 247,000
WEDNESDAY Multichannel
- Bluey AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 270,000
- Peter Rabbit ABCKIDS/COMEDY 197,000
- Octonauts ABCKIDS/COMEDY 191,000
- Rusty Rivets ABCKIDS/COMEDY 178,000
- NCIS: Los Angeles Ep 2 (R) 10 Bold 177,000
- Floogals PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 172,000
- PJ Masks AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 171,000
- NCIS: Los Angeles (R) 10 Bold 170,000
- Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 169,000
- Kazoops! PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 157,000
- School Of Roars AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 151,000
- NCIS (R) 10 Bold 151,000
- Peppa Pig PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 146,000
- The Big Bang Theory Tx1 9GO! 146,000
- Dino Dana ABCKIDS/COMEDY 145,000
- Kiddets AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 143,000
- Little Princess AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 138,000
- The Big Bang Theory Tx2 9GO! 138,000
- The Hive AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 136,000
- The Terminator 9GO! 135,000
WEDNESDAY STV
- Gogglebox Australia Lifestyle Channel 219,000
- Selling Houses Australia Lifestyle Channel 165,000
- Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 65,000
- Live: NRL 360 FOX LEAGUE 52,000
- Paul Murray Live: Our Town Sky News Live 46,000
- Escape To The Chateau Lifestyle Channel 45,000
- The Bolt Report Sky News Live 44,000
- Criminal Minds TVH!TS 40,000
- Credlin Sky News Live 39,000
- Live: WWE Smackdown FOX8 37,000
- The Simpsons FOX8 37,000
- Alaskan Bush People Discovery Channel 35,000
- Curious George Nick Jr. 35,000
- Shimmer And Shine Nick Jr. 35,000
- Family Guy FOX8 35,000
- Beverly Hills: Real Housewives Of… ARENA 35,000
- Homestead Rescue Discovery Channel 33,000
- The Big Bang Theory COMEDY CHANNEL 33,000
- Live: League Life FOX LEAGUE 33,000
- Overboard Foxtel Movies Premier 31,000
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
Guardian Australia hires new commercial sales director to head team
Reporting to The Guardian Australia managing director Dan Stinton, Mason will oversee the Australian and New Zealand advertising and branded content sales team.
On his appointment, Rook said: “I’m really excited to be joining The Guardian at a time where demand for quality news content and journalism is of great value not only to our readers but also our advertisers. The opportunity to lead the commercial team, work with the best talent and develop the way in which we take this incredible offering to market really appealed to me.”
Dan Stinton, said: “Mason has an impressive track record leading strong teams to deliver meaningful revenue growth. His role will be critical to The Guardian Australia – one that ensures we are best placed to continue building upon the advertising success we have enjoyed over the last six years. I am delighted to welcome him to the team.”
Rook joins from Australian Radio Network where he was commercial director and has held senior roles at Daily Mail, Nine/Mi9 and Seven Network.
Gary Adshead one of 32 West Australian journalists taking redundancy
Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance WA director Tiffany Venning said 32 staff are confirmed to be going at this stage, with some still to hold talks with De Ceglie tomorrow.
De Ceglie said the group has been “pretty upfront about our process of moving the West into a proper seven-day newsroom”, and part of that process was voluntary redundancies.
Among those leaving is state political editor Gary Adshead, who is The West Australian’s big news breaker.
“Gary is among one of the people who has decided to put his hand up for the voluntary redundancies,” De Ceglie told radio station 6PR.
‘Love child’ joins fight for $880m inheritance of TV king Reg Grundy
Simon Thomas Russell has launched legal action alongside Grundy’s estranged daughter, Viola La Valette, previously Kim Grundy, for a slice of the fortune made on the back of TV hits such as Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right.
Up until now it was believed Grundy only had one child, Kim, by his first wife but the new plaintiff in the case has turned that belief on its head.
Russell’s barrister Nicolas Kirby told Justice Geoff Lindsay his client had commenced the legal proceedings to search for a biological sample belonging to Grundy so he could prove he was the multi-millionaire’s son.
“We have located such a sample and it is in the possession of (pathology company) Douglass Hanly Moir,” Kirby said.
Kirby said they expect to find out the results in the next week.
The case is set down for hearing next month.
As Netflix contends with more rivals, Hulu stands out
Almost stubbornly, Netflix sells one thing – a deep assortment of original and licensed shows and films meant to please almost every niche.
Hulu, on the other hand, has three products that may better reflect what the future of streaming will look like. It has a live-TV service that replicates a small cable bundle at $45 a month; a video-on-demand service that sells for $12 a month without ads (this one acts most like Netflix); and a streaming service with advertising that costs $6 a month.
The last one is Hulu’s most lucrative business and points to future profits. Even though it charges $6, the service generates more than $15 in revenue per subscriber each month, because of the high-cost advertising sold against those customers, according to two people familiar with the business.
That would explain why Hulu lowered the price of the ads-based service by $2 this year – and it might also explain NBCUniversal’s interest in starting its own ad-based streaming network by 2020.
Television
Return of Interview: Speak easy the secret for host Andrew Denton
The 58-year-old Sydneysider can extract more information with a pregnant pause or arched eyebrow than a bent copper brandishing a phone book.
Poised to launch into a second series of Interview with “an Australian who has been very much in the news … it’s going to be very powerful and quite wrenching” and “two American comedy legends” – he inscrutably refuses to reveal more – Denton says he’s looking for “first and foremost, an extraordinary story”.
His style has become far less confrontational than the first few seasons of Enough Rope, when he took on “one of Western Australia’s finest citizens” Alan Bond and One Nation founder Pauline Hanson in episodes that polarised his audience.
Times have changed. Denton says that he won’t be providing a platform for Hanson’s former party colleague Fraser Anning.
“Someone who is in the news now like Fraser Anning certainly would undeniably attract a lot of attention, make a lot of noise,” he says.
“But because we’re in such a divisive, fractured and fragile time, I don’t want to interview somebody that’s going to add more pain and division. We’re not looking to make a dark time darker.”
Russell Crowe stuns with transformation into disgraced Fox News chief
The Showtime series sees Crowe sporting extensive prosthetics to play Ailes, who was ousted from Fox News in July 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment by several of the network’s key personalities, including Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
His controversial Fox departure, negotiated by Rupert Murdoch and sons Lachlan and James, reportedly saw Ailes receiving a $US40 million payout. He died in May 2017, less than a year after the salacious headlines forced Fox’s hand, aged 77.
The seven-part series is based on journalist Gabriel Sherman’s reporting for New York magazine, and his bestselling biography on Ailes, The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News and Divided a Country.
The Loudest Voice is set to premiere on Stan on July 1.
Premium dramas grapple with difficult second season syndrome
They both feature a lead character who is a contract killer, they both profit from a mordant sense of humour that keeps the audience off-balance, and they both have a distinctive sense of how violence and identity can be twisted into fascinating perspectives. Now their second seasons have started, Barry and Killing Eve also have a new similarity: they have to figure out how not to repeat themselves.
That’s not easy because the distinct and ferociously entertaining tone of both series also created a countdown to repetition – the stakes they created are not easily carried over. This is the dilemma so many good shows face – and stumble over – on their second time around. Can they duplicate what viewers were taken by the first time, yet somehow move the plot forward, replenish the characters, and find fresh stakes to build?
Radio
Ray Hadley facing legal action from former colleague over ‘bullying’
Bowen has appointed John Laxon, of Laxon Lawyers, and The Australian understands Bowen is planning to launch legal action against Hadley over the alleged behaviour.
However, no documents have been filed in court.
Laxon, who runs Laxon Lawyers, is the lawyer behind the settlement made between Hadley and another former 2GB staffer, Richard Palmer, in early 2014. He was also the lawyer for former 60 Minutes producer Stephen Rice, who was fired from the Nine Network over the child-snatching scandal.
Macquarie Media chief executive Adam Lang told The Australian yesterday it was awaiting a response from Bowen’s legal representative but reiterated all complaints were a matter of confidentiality.
Sports Media
Hockeyroo Sophie Taylor lauds new national league, Hockey One
Taking cues from cricket’s Big Bash League, Hockey One is a new, seven-team, city-based domestic competition that replaces the old Australian Hockey League.
And Taylor says she can’t wait to represent Victoria’s entrant, Hockey Club Melbourne, when the six-week tournament begins in September.
“It’s been a long time coming, but it’s so exciting for hockey to have a new domestic league that we can all be a part of,” Taylor, who has 12 international caps, said.
“It will mean more exposure for hockey — we have a massive supporter base in hockey itself, but we’ll actually be taking the game out there to people who maybe haven’t seen hockey before.
“And for them to be able to turn on the TV or turn on Kayo Sports and go, ‘there’s regular hockey for me to watch’, is exciting.”
Matches will be streamed live on Kayo Sports and stretch over six weeks from mid-September to late November, with Fox Sports broadcasting live finals.