Thursday March 14, 2019

Mediaweek TV

This week on Mediaweek TV James Manning speaks with Nine digital editorial director Kerri Elstub. Tune in to Mediaweek TV at 2.30pm on Your Money (Foxtel 601 and 95 FTA).

The combined audience of websites that are part of nine.com.au moved to second place in the February news website rankings as measured by Nielsen. Part of the success for the Nine Entertainment Co is its digital property 9Honey which is now the #1 lifestyle brand. To tell us about the audience growth and what’s ahead for the brand if Nine digital editorial director Kerri Elstub.

Podcast Week: Peacock Politics, NRL kick-off, Investigating Maddie

• New Peacock Politics podcast change of pace for sports broadcaster

Adam Peacock goes from Canberra to Washington & Westminster

By James Manning

Adam Peacock is a household name for watchers of Fox Sports, however you don’t immediately associate him with the innermost works of Canberra and the finer points of the democratic process.

When we got the new PodcastOne host of Peacock Politics on the line, the first question we asked was “Which Adam Peacock is this?”

“It’s the real one,” he laughed to Mediaweek.

Peacock said the concept of this podcast idea developed last August when Australia lost another prime minister before his term was up.

“I have always had an interest in politics and I thought to myself to have to go through this upheaval in Canberra again was so weird. A little later I thought about an idea for a podcast to guide viewers through how our political system actually works.”

He is right that many people now how things work, but we don’t always get to delve into the framework of why certain things happen. “The people at Fox Sports were good enough to let me do it and go exploring.”

His PodcastOne connection came via Mark Howard of The Howie Games who gave Peacock an introduction to the platform decision makers.

Peacock said he has a very neutral view in Peacock Politics when it comes to topical discussion about the left and right. “I wanted to find out from all sides about what their ideals are and how they would make the system work within that framework.”

The first eight episodes are now available from PodcastOne and the first episode we listened to was Dr Keith Suter on the genesis of our political system. (Suter says it is often referred to as the “Washminster” system.)

Others guests so far include:

Former speaker Anna Burke on the House of Representatives.

Natasha Stott Despoja on the Senate.

Professor John Warhurst talks about the left and the right in Australia.

Graham Richardson discusses the ALP, Christine Milne on the Greens, Amanda Vanstone on the Liberals and Corey Bernadi on Australian Conservatives.

“Corey is the only current politician I have spoken to so far because I didn’t want them to be conflicted. He doesn’t really care about the consequences of what he says.”

Peacock is planning to drop more episodes as we edge toward a federal election. “I am looking forward to covering the day-to-day workings of politics after initially covering the framework. We will look at the Canberra bubble and ask about winning election strategies and examine the media cycle.”

Listen to Peacock Politics here.

Football podcasts multiply as season commences

As the NRL season kicks off today, there are plenty of NRL-associated podcasts to choose from. The NRL has a suite of podcasts to choose from as do most NRL clubs plus broadcasters covering the sport.

NRL Fantasy Podcast: This is sponsored by youi. It offers listeners the latest NRL Fantasy info, team news, late mail and trade tips with the NRL Fantasy Podcast now coming out twice a week in 2019.

Chris Kennedy and Dom Brock take listeners through all the key selections, the best buys and traps to avoid.

Alicia Newton gets some breaking news on a potential early return for Jordan Rapana, listeners learn why Vil Kikau is going vegan and which Wests Tiger cub is likely to benefit from the injury to Chris Lawrence.

Brad Preston and Andrew Molinaroli judge NRL Fantasy line-ups, giving their expert opinion on the best keepers to own and what tweaks and adjustments listeners can make before kick-off.

Listen to the NRL Fantasy podcast here.

Other popular NRL podcasts include Nine’s Six Tackles With Gus, The Daily Telegraph’s Official SuperCoach podcast and Fifth And Last NRL podcast.

Nine.com.au launches investigative news podcasts with Maddie

Nine.com.au has launched its investigative news podcast series with Maddie, a nine-part examination of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the three-year-old British girl who vanished in Portugal in 2007.

Maddie is the culmination of two years of work on the McCann mystery by senior nine.com.au journalist, Mark Saunokonoko.

“It’s a fascinating case, but after more than a decade not all the evidence has come to light and Maddie is still missing,” Saunokonoko said. “We’ve pulled together all aspects of this case and a podcast seemed the most appropriate medium to really explore this well known yet not fully understood story.”

The podcast comes nearly 12 years after Madeleine McCann disappeared and explores what could have happened to her.

“Maddie was a huge undertaking for Nine.com.au, which included interviewing those close to the case across three continents,” said Simon King, editor of Nine.com.au.

“It demonstrates the commitment of Nine.com.au to strong original journalism and creating content that engages our audience, as proven by Maddie’s quick rise to the top of the iTunes Podcast chart. [Where it currently ranks #1.]

“We get asked why do this story now? The answer is pretty simple. First, an innocent girl is still missing and, as you will hear Mark reveal, not everything has been done to find her.

“Second, the case is complicated and it really does require and deserve a multi-episode investigation to properly examine what could have happened to Maddie.”

The podcast is supported with a content hub for listeners who want to read up on the case, look at images including maps of the resort Maddie was last seen in, and view the McCanns’ apartment from which she disappeared.

Listen to Maddie here.

Sky News and The Daily Telegraph announce People’s Forum

Sky News and The Daily Telegraph will host the People’s Forum on Wednesday March 20, three days out from the NSW Election.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Opposition Leader Michael Daley will be questioned live by 100 undecided voters, chosen by Galaxy polling.

Sky News political editor David Speers will moderate the live one-hour forum from Western Sydney University at 8pm AEDT.

David Speers said: “The upcoming Sky News/The Daily Telegraph People’s Forum will be a great opportunity to hear what’s on the mind of undecided voters and put the two leaders to the test. They have no idea what’s going to be asked and nor do we. It’s a raw and very real interaction between voters and the two leaders vying to be the Premier of NSW.”

Ben English, editor of The Daily Telegraph, said: “The Daily Telegraph’s political team consistently sets the agenda in NSW politics, breaking the big state stories in paper and online. We are proud to deliver the People’s Forum for our audiences to hear the final pitches from their leaders ahead of Saturday’s vote.”

Paul Whittaker, Sky News chief executive said: “We’re pleased to be taking our forum to the people of Western Sydney, who will play a major role in determining which party forms government. We are the only broadcaster to take a live debate forum into a key electorate ahead of the NSW Election. It continues our tradition of hosting People’s Forums in all elections around the country.”

Prior to the People’s Forum, David Speers will anchor his award-winning political program Speers Live from the venue at 4pm AEDT. Speers will be joined by News Corp political commentator Miranda Devine to discuss what viewers can expect from the People’s Forum.

Following the forum at 9pm AEDT, Speers will dissect the results with Paul Murray in a special edition of Paul Murray Live from Western Sydney. They’ll examine the leaders’ responses to the issues raised by the people of New South Wales. Speers and Murray will also be joined by The Daily Telegraph’s state political reporter, Anna Caldwell.

On Saturday March 23, Sky News will deliver coverage and analysis of the 2019 NSW State Election live from 5pm AEDT.

David Speers will anchor, NSW Decides 2019. LIVE with a panel of guests, including Sky News political experts Peta Credlin and Graham Richardson, Energy Minister Angus Taylor, Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and The Australian’s NSW Political Editor Andrew Clennell.

Speers will also cross live to Sky News anchors Alan Jones, Kieran Gilbert, Laura Jayes and Chris Kenny throughout the night.

NSW Election Programming Schedule

Wednesday March 20

• 4:00pm AEDT Speers with David Speers live from Western Sydney
• 6:00pm AEDT Credlin with Peta Credlin
• 7:00pm AEDT The Bolt Report with Andrew Bolt
• 8:00pm AEDT Sky News/ The Daily Telegraph People’s Forum live from Western Sydney
• 9:00pm AEDT Paul Murray live from Western Sydney

Saturday March 23

5:00pm AEDT NSW Decides 2019 anchored by David Speers with Peta Credlin, Graham Richardson, Angus Taylor, Michelle Rowland and Andrew Clennell.

Sky News will feature multi-platform coverage of the Sky News/The Daily Telegraph’s People’s Forum as well as the NSW state election. From polls opening through to the evening, audiences can see coverage of the New South Wales State Election online at www.skynews.com.au, with highlights across Twitter (@SkyNewsAust) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/skynewsaustralia).

Nielsen SportsLink: 24% of Australians attend, watch or follow F1

The 2019 Formula 1 season commences in Melbourne this weekend, and Nielsen has released a report examining the value of one of Australia’s major sporting events.

Ben Allen is a senior manager at Nielsen Sports and reports on a Nielsen SportsLink survey that shows the overall popularity of Formula 1 has held strong in recent years despite recent changes to competition and racing formats.

Here are the report’s highlights:

The popularity of F1 in Australia

In both 2017 and 2018, 17% of Australians identified themselves as fans of F1, while 24% of Australians attended, watched or followed Formula 1. The pinnacle of fandom is attendance, with approximately 4% of adult Australians claiming they attended Formula 1 in 2018.

The appeal for Victoria

Victoria is the most popular state across all the 2018 metrics for fandom, with 27% of 18+ Victorians having been involved with Formula 1 content; while 19% identify as fans of the sport, and 6% attended a Formula 1 Grand Prix event. When quizzed around the prestige and reputation of the Australian Grand Prix, once again it is Victorians who are most positive about the impact of the event. Sixty percent of adult Victorians agree the Australian Grand Prix positively impacts Melbourne’s reputation as a visitor destination; 66% agree the event increases the city’s international profile; and 61% believe the Grand Prix puts Australia on the global

Where to next for F1 in Australia?

While fans and followers have increased in the state of Victoria, overall claimed attendance for the F1 dropped slightly between 2017 and 2018, making it challenging to convert followers to attendees. The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has addressed this in three major ways:

• Leveraging global marketing assets locally: With the F1 being bought by Liberty Media, local championship organisers now have access to a wider range of marketing assets (like imagery) when promoting the sport. These assets are especially useful when attracting and engaging new audiences on digital channels.
• Food and entertainment: Food and entertainment has been expanded to improve the fan experience through options like the “M-Lane” (a food truck alley initiative) and Heineken Village. This follows in the footsteps of the Australian Open, in creating a festival; more than simply a sporting event.
• Corporate hospitality: As well as increasing the appeal of the sport directly with consumers, the event continues to be hugely successful in attracting corporate hospitality, seeing growth in this area year on year.

As well as raising the appeal for locals, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation looks overseas to attract tourists to Melbourne. According to Nielsen’s sDNA Global Fan Research, the F1 has high interest in markets including Italy, Spain, the U.K and Japan. Approximately half the population is Formula 1 mad in Italy (53% interest) and Spain (49% interest); whereas key tourism markets, the U.K. and Japan, have a 30% interest and 23% interest in the sport respectively.

With Daniel Riccardo making his Renault debut and Lewis Hamilton beginning his bid for a sixth world title, the eyes of the sporting globe will be on Albert Park.

TV Ratings Analysis: March 13

• Nine’s dinner party delivers: Drunken antics push crowd to 1.4m
• Next best entertainment audiences under 700,000: MKR & Hard Quiz

Wednesday: Week 11 2019

By James Manning

• Seven News 950,000/875,000
• Nine News 930,000/911,000
• A Current Affair 808,000
• ABC News 685,000
• 7.30 592,000
• The Project 253,000/397,000
• 10 News First 372,000
• SBS World News 139,000

Breakfast TV

• Sunrise 270,000
• Today 178,000

Seven

After audiences so far this week of 636,000 and 617,000, the 7pm soap Home And Away did 628,000 last night.

On My Kitchen Rules, leaderboard regulars Andy & Ruby and Lisa & John served near-perfect prawns, but when their paella didn’t pay off they were unable to match the score of 136 from Ibby & Romel and Victor & G. The last episode of the MKR week did 662,000 after 732,000 a week ago. Last night could well be a ratings record MKR didn’t want.

A repeat screening of the feature doco Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy then did 277,000 after premiering with 730,000 last year.

Nine

A Current Affair has long followed the Karen Ritevski disappearance and reporter Martin King was leading the program last night when it covered the manslaughter plea of Karen’s husband Borce. The episode did 806,000 after 927,000 and then 778,000 earlier in the week.

More amazing Married At First Sight scenes as some of the couples go even further off the rails in their love experiment. The dinner party pulled 1.407m last night after 1.299m on Wednesday last week.

New Amsterdam then did 460,000 after 437,000 a week ago.

10

Wil Anderson was the star attraction on The Project talking about his new show and how he is still fine tuning the content without having given it much of a test run with audiences yet. Comedy Festival crowds should be in for a treat when it opens in two weeks. The 7pm segment of the show did 397,000, which was its first night under 400,000 this week.

Ejecting a spitter from the beach started off an episode of Bondi Rescue with 370,000 watching. A repeat ep was then on 328,000.

Two Law & Order: SVU episodes then did 153,000 and 168,000.

ABC

Hard Quiz was on 627,000 after 696,000 a week ago.

Rosehaven featured a town boycott of the real estate business and did 454,000 after 477,000 last week.

Get Krackin’ introduced a new co-host with 213,000 tuning in after 221,000 last week.

SBS

The Gourmet Farmer repeat was on 104,000 before the audience lifted to 165,000 for a Great British Railway Journeys episode from Blackburn to Manchester.

The second episode of Australia In Colour then did 339,000 after launching with 340,000 a week ago.

Week 11 TV: Wednesday
WEDNESDAY METRO
ABCSevenNine10SBS
ABC11.6%719.1%927.4%10 7.7%SBS One5.3%
ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY2.3%7TWO3.0%GO!3.7%10 Bold3.7%VICELAND1.4%
ABC ME0.5%7mate2.6%GEM2.3%10 Peach2.2%Food Net1.0%
ABC NEWS1.3%7flix1.6%9Life2.7%  NITV0.1%
  7Food0.5%      
TOTAL15.8% 26.9% 36.0% 13.6% 7.7%

 

WEDNESDAY REGIONAL
ABCSeven AffiliatesNine Affiliates10 AffiliatesSBS
ABC11.0%719.7%921.2%WIN8.0%SBS One4.5%
ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY3.3%7TWO4.8%GO!3.7%WIN Bold3.2%VICELAND2.1%
ABC ME0.9%7mate2.6%GEM4.1%WIN Peach2.7%Food Net0.7%
ABC NEWS1.5%7flix2.5%9Life2.7%Sky News  on WIN0.7%NITV0.1%
TOTAL16.7% 29.6% 31.7% 14.6% 7.4%

 

WEDNESDAY METRO ALL TV
FTASTV
84.6%15.4%
WEDNESDAY FTA
  1. Married At First Sight  Nine 1,407,000
  2. Seven News Seven 950,000
  3. Nine News Nine 930,000
  4. Nine News 6:30 Nine 911,000
  5. Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 875,000
  6. A Current Affair Nine 808,000
  7. ABC News ABC 685,000
  8. My Kitchen Rules   Seven 662,000
  9. Home And Away Seven 628,000
  10. Hard Quiz S4 ABC 627,000
  11. 7.30 ABC 592,000
  12. The Chase Australia Seven 565,000
  13. New Amsterdam Nine 460,000
  14. Hot Seat Nine 456,000
  15. Rosehaven ABC 454,000
  16. The Project 7pm 10 397,000
  17. 10 News First 10 372,000
  18. Bondi Rescue 10 370,000
  19. The Chase Australia-5pm Seven 369,000
  20. Australia In Colour SBS 339,000
Demo Top 5

16-39 Top Five

  1. Married At First Sight   Nine 408,000
  2. My Kitchen Rules   Seven 144,000
  3. A Current Affair Nine 128,000
  4. Nine News 6:30 Nine 119,000
  5. Bondi Rescue 10 119,000

 

18-49 Top Five

  1. Married At First Sight   Nine 682,000
  2. Nine News 6:30 Nine 252,000
  3. Nine News Nine 243,000
  4. My Kitchen Rules   Seven 236,000
  5. A Current Affair Nine 231,000

 

25-54 Top Five

  1. Married At First Sight   Nine 750,000
  2. Nine News 6:30 Nine 306,000
  3. A Current Affair Nine 289,000
  4. Nine News Nine 289,000
  5. My Kitchen Rules   Seven 278,000
WEDNESDAY Multichannel
  1. Talking Married 9Life 218,000
  2. Peppa Pig PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 179,000
  3. Kazoops! PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 166,000
  4. Wanda And The Alien PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 165,000
  5. Pj Masks PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 141,000
  6. Hey Duggee AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 136,000
  7. Noddy Toyland Detective PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 136,000
  8. Rusty Rivets ABCKIDS/COMEDY 135,000
  9. Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 134,000
  10. Thomas And Friends PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 133,000
  11. Shaun The Sheep ABCKIDS/COMEDY 133,000
  12. The Big Bang Theory Tx1 9GO! 131,000
  13. The Big Bang Theory Tx3 9GO! 129,000
  14. Ready, Jet, Go! PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 124,000
  15. The Big Bang Theory 9GO! 124,000
  16. The Big Bang Theory Tx2 9GO! 121,000
  17. Octonauts ABCKIDS/COMEDY 119,000
  18. School Of Roars AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 118,000
  19. Dinosaur Train PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 118,000
  20. Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom ABCKIDS/COMEDY 117,000
WEDNESDAY STV
  1. Live: ODI India V Australia Game 5 FOX CRICKET 203,000
  2. Gogglebox Australia Lifestyle Chan el 142,000
  3. Live: Innings Break FOX CRICKET 136,000
  4. Selling Houses Australia Lifestyle Chan el 117,000
  5. Live: ODI India V Australia Game 5 FOX CRICKET 78,000
  6. Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 49,000
  7. Live Now Sky News Live 46,000
  8. Border Security: Australia’s Front Line FOX8 45,000
  9. The Bolt Report Sky News Live 39,000
  10. PML Later Sky News Live 37,000
  11. The Queen Mother UKTV 37,000
  12. Paw Patrol Nick Jr. 36,000
  13. Credlin Sky News Live 36,000
  14. Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 36,000
  15. Curious George Nick Jr. 35,000
  16. Bones TVH!TS 33,000
  17. Location, Location, Location Lifestyle Chan el 32,000
  18. Beverly Hills: Real Housewives Of… ARENA 31,000
  19. Live Now Sky News Live 31,000
  20. Roswell, New Mexico FOX8 30,000

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

OMD Sydney announces dual investment leadership: Combes & Salib

OMD has announced a new investment structure for their Sydney office, which sees the appointment of dual Head of Investment leads.

Investment lead on Telstra, Jane Combes, has been promoted to share dual responsibilities with current Sydney Head of Investment, Marelle Salib. Both Salib and Combes have over 15 years’ media experience, and between them have worked across the entire OMD Sydney client portfolio.

Marelle Salib

OMD said the change in structure is a result of significant client growth in the Sydney office over the past 12 months, including the new business wins of Suncorp, Activision and The Fork. The agency is also home to clients such as Telstra, McDonald’s, TABCORP, NSW Government, Qantas, Estee Lauder Companies and Apple.

Jane Combes

The agency added the dual approach reflects OMD’s commitment to deliver a sustainable structure that continues to provide the right level of coverage and leadership for our clients. Salib and Combes will be responsible for developing the OMD Sydney Investment offering and will split responsibilities across the Sydney client teams. They will report into OMD’s National Chief Investment Officer, Melissa Hey.

Hey said of the new structure, “As the agency grows, we need to be set-up for the future to ensure we have the investment bench strength to cover our growing client portfolio. Marelle and Jane are the perfect duo to achieve this and will deliver the right level of leadership for our clients and support for our OMD teams.”

The new investment structure is effective immediately.

AFTRS announces recipient of its inaugural Storytelling Scholarship

AFTRS has announced Conal Osfield as the recipient of the inaugural Storytelling Scholarship.

The Scholarship, announced last year by director and AFTRS alumna Gillian Armstrong, is intended to support students throughout their student journey by covering their tuition fees.

Conal Osfield, who this year enters the AFTRS Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production program, was selected for the Scholarship based on his creative response to the story provocations in the AFTRS brand campaign, Storytellers Wanted.

The Storytellers Wanted campaign was developed by award winning agency 72andSunny and directed by emerging filmmaker and AFTRS alumna, Vedrana Music, with mentoring by Gillian Armstrong. The campaign featured a number of vignettes, “stories waiting to be told”, and Storytelling Scholarship applicants were invited to complete a story.

Osfield, 19, from Wentworth Falls in western Sydney, submitted a drama script and was chosen by the selection panel for his distinct point of view, originality and storytelling abilities.

“AFTRS has a clear mission to discover and enable diverse Australian voices and the Storytelling Scholarship was created to support this aim. The selection panel all agreed that Conal’s application revealed an exciting talent that will be nurtured through his time at AFTRS. We believe he has a very promising future in the screen industry,” said Nell Greenwood, AFTRS Director of Curriculum and Student Registrar.

The AFTRS Storytelling Scholarship will cover Osfield’s tuition fees for the duration of his course.

Fox News contributor salaries revealed in financial disclosures

Across US cable news, the salaries paid to on-air contributors remain shrouded in mystery, ranging by network and by market demand for the contributor’s expertise, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

But, because at least 10 former Fox News contributors have served in Donald Trump’s administration and been forced to file financial disclosure forms, a window into the network’s payroll has been opened.

Among the eight Trump staffers who were forced to disclose what Fox News paid them to contribute, salaries averaged about US$141,000 and ranged from a low of $31,336 for New York socialite Georgette Mosbacher (who serves as ambassador to Poland) to a high of $569,423 for John Bolton, who now serves as Donald Trump’s national security advisor.

[Read the original]

Television

Run To Paradise – Bachelor In Paradise season two cast reveal

Network 10 has announced the cast ready to take on paradise, hopeful of finding their true love:

Coming from both Australia and the US, these born-ready romantics made their mark across five seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette creating some of the show’s most controversial and heartbreaking moments.

Now with the odds in their favour, it’s up to these sexy singles to sort the cream from the coconuts and find themselves someone who is more than just a holiday fling.

Stepping up for season two of Bachelor In Paradise and joining Alex Nation and Richie Strahan who were announced earlier this week are:

Bachelorettes

• Alex, The Bachelor Season 4, Richie’s Season
• Alisha, The Bachelor Season 6, Nick’s Season
• Brittney W, The Bachelor Season 6, Nick’s Season
• Brooke, The Bachelor Season 6, Nick’s Season
• Cass, The Bachelor Season 6, Nick’s Season
• Cat, The Bachelor Season 6, Nick’s Season
• Rachael, The Bachelor Season 4, Richie’s Season, Bachelor in Paradise
• Shannon, The Bachelor Season 6, Nick’s Season
• Vanessa Sunshine, The Bachelor Season 6, Nick’s Season

Bachelors

• Bill, The Bachelorette Season 4, Ali’s Season
• James, The Bachelorette Season 3, Sophie’s Season”
• Nathan, The Bachelorette Season 4, Ali’s Season
• Paddy, The Bachelorette Season 4, Ali’s Season
• Richie, The Bachelorette Season 2, Sam’s Season / The Bachelor Season 5
• Alex Bordyukov, The Bachelorette US Season 13 (Rachel’s season)

How primetime TV became a single, over-stuffed reality show

Enough, already. The domination of reality shows in prime time has reached preposterous proportions on commercial free-to-air TV, reports The Age’s Debi Enker.

Evening viewing on Channels Seven, Nine and Ten is consumed by it. The year is a conga line of cooking and renovation contests, talents quests and mating and dating games that stretches from January to November. With its invitation to be watched live-to-air and potentially broad demographic appeal, the genre has been seized upon by the networks as a key weapon in their battle against encroaching pay-TV and SVOD providers. For many, though, the preponderance of reality TV from 7.30pm-9pm has killed prime time and confirmed that FTA is a dinosaur lumbering towards extinction.

But even if predictions of the death of FTA have been exaggerated, the networks are doing themselves no favours as they allow these shows to balloon beyond their scheduled times. And we’re not talking about five or 10 minutes, but half an hour and sometimes more.

[Read the original]

Matt Le Nevez is back from the dead in new Amazon Prime series

The new Amazon Prime series The Widow stars Kate Beckinsale as Georgia Wells, “the widow”, and Matt Le Nevez as her perhaps not-so-late husband, Will Mason, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Idato.

As the eight-part drama unfolds, Will is seen in flashback, to seemingly happier times in the couple’s past, though it seems inevitable that he will make a dramatic return to the present.

Landing in Kinhasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia teams up with African journalist Emmanuel Kazadi (Jacky Ido), who lost his wife in the plane crash that was assumed to have killed Will. She also reconnects with Judith Gray (Alex Kingston), an aid worker who was close friends with Will and who, like many characters in the narrative, leaves you with the lingering feeling she is not what she seems.

The series comes to television with a very high pedigree: it was written by Harry and Jack Williams, the sibling partnership responsible for two critically acclaimed television thrillers, The Missing and Liar, and it is directed by Sam Donovan (Skins, Humans) and Olly Blackburn (Victoria).

[Read the original]

Andy Lee ready to surprise on Hamish & Andy’s ‘Perfect’ Holiday

When Nine announced Hamish & Andy’s “Perfect” Holiday at its 2019 upfronts there wasn’t much detail on he show, reports TV Tonight.

But Andy Lee has revealed the format, telling TV Tonight, “The twist this time around is I have organised a bunch of activities for Hamish and he’s organised a bunch of things for me to do.

“It’s been interesting in the research phase because we’ve spent a little less time together,” he said.

“There will be genuine surprises along the whole trip. So there is a touch more trust in the preparation of this show, which I’m really excited about. We had an element of that with Gap Year but about 50% of that we knew where we were going together.”

Filming is due to begin in May. Like the Gap Year series, this will shoot overseas, returning to some familiar continents, but with some new destinations.

“Perfect” Holiday may also indicate the duo have mellowed somewhat.

[Read the original]

Sports Media

Marina Go fires parting shot at NRL over women in leadership

Outgoing Wests Tigers chair Marina Go has fired a parting shot at the NRL, claiming she felt disrespected during her time as an NRL club executive, reports The Australian’s Adrian McMurray.

Go announced last week she would leave the position she has held since 2014, replaced by former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell.

In a frank admission during Fox League’s fan forum League Life: Taking Back The Game, Go said the NRL has some way to go to meet the progress made in the corporate world in the area of women in leadership.

Go appeared alongside NRL CEO Todd Greenberg, Broncos CEO Paul White, Raiders coach Ricky Stuart and Fox Sports’ Yvonne O’Keefe, Lara Pitt and Mark Gasnier during the panel show, the NRL chief conceding there was plenty of room for improvement in promoting a stronger female voice.

League Life: Taking Back The Game screens tonight at 7.30pm on Fox League.

[Read the original]

Bob Murphy and Nick Riewoldt on players switching to media roles

The journey from elite AFL athlete to professional pundit is a very well-worn path, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy one, reports News Corp’s James Wigney.

For players who have spent the bulk of their youth honing their bodies, dedicating themselves to competing at the very highest level, with their lives structured and shaped by their clubs, suddenly losing that routine and support system can be confronting and confusing.

Certainly that was the case for modern greats of the game Nick Riewoldt and Bob Murphy, who both retired at the end of the 2017 season after more than 300 games as one-club players and captains for St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs respectively.

Both are looking forward to returning as panellists on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 having successfully transitioned into the media last year, but they admit that this time last year they were facing their first season out of the game with varying degrees of uncertainty.

“In a word, I was anxious,” says Riewoldt, a five-time All Australian who holds the record for most marks taken in AFL history.

“I was anxious about how I would perform in the media. I was anxious about watching my old team, I was anxious about how they were going to go. I was a bit fearful as to how much I was going to miss playing. It was just the unknown — I didn’t know what lay in front of us.”

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