Thursday May 30, 2019

Paul Dykzeul retires: Bauer Media gets its sixth CEO in nine years

In a decision that will rock the publishing world, Bauer Media has revealed Paul Dykzeul, the publisher’s current chief executive officer, Australia and New Zealand, is retiring on June 1, 2019.

The world of magazines has been shaken by leadership changes at Australia’s biggest magazine publisher regularly. As Dykzeul departs, Bauer Media has announced the sixth chief executive to run the business since it acquired the titles formerly known as ACP Magazines in 2012.

The new chief executive of Australia and New Zealand is Brendon Hill who takes over on 1 June 2019.

Brendon Hill

In the media world it can be hard to keep a secret. Paul Dykzeul has done well though not to telegraph his intentions. Although he had told some friends and colleagues he was planning on departing some time this year, the sudden announcement today has taken many by surprise.

Mediaweek spent two hours with the outgoing CEO just seven days ago and there was no hint it might have been our last catch-up. We now realise there was something Dykzeul neglected to share.

Veit Dengler, chief operating officer of Bauer Media Group is in Australia to announce the handover. “Paul has been with the business for over 25 years and has made an incredible contribution to its development over that time,” said Dengler.

In a period of significant change for the publishing industry, he can be credited with growing both the New Zealand and Australian operations and driving market-leading innovation that has been recognised around the world.

“We are pleased to have found a new chief executive officer from within the business. Brendon is a natural and extremely capable successor with a strong commercial background and substantial experience in both Australia and New Zealand. He has worked closely with Paul for the last five years, and we look forward to the future under his leadership.”

Paul Dykzeul said: “I’ve had an extraordinary time at Bauer over the last decade. Our portfolio and our culture are second to none, and it’s been a privilege to work alongside such a passionate and committed team.

“When I was appointed CEO two years ago, I made it clear that part of my strategy was to find my successor. I’ve experienced first hand Brendon’s strong entrepreneurial skills, as well as his enthusiasm and vision. The Australian executive team is young, talented and vibrant, and under Brendon’s leadership, I expect to see great things.

Bauer Media Australia leadership

Matt Stanton (three years from 2012)
David Goodchild (one year 2015)
Andreas Schoo (interim)
Nick Chan (one year 2016)
Paul Dykzeul (two years from 2017)

Brendon Hill joined Bauer Media Australia in 2006 and when he was transferred to New Zealand in 2015, he was publisher of 30+ magazine and digital brands. He has been responsible for the management and performance of Bauer Media New Zealand since 2017, when he was promoted to managing director.

Brendon Hill said: “Under Paul’s leadership Bauer Media ANZ is in an incredibly strong position with nearly 7 million unique monthly users of our 24 websites, over 14 million users on our social sites, 800 thousand eDMs sent each month, and nearly 9 million monthly highly engaged readers of our 57 magazines.

“I will remain focussed on growing these audiences and creating unique opportunities for advertisers to engage with them. Our people are the heart of our business and I am excited about returning to Australia and leading them through the next stage of Bauer’s growth.”

Top Photo: Paul Dykzeul

New CEO of Australia’s biggest magazine publisher on priorities

Veit Dengler and Brendon Hill had a busy schedule on Wednesday. The visiting Bauer Media global COO and the incoming CEO Australia were co-ordinating the orderly departure of outgoing CEO Paul Dykzeul after two years at the head of the Australian business.

On paper Bauer has been blessed with the outgoing and incoming chiefs. Hill has been with the ACP/Bauer titles since 2006, while Dykzeul retires tomorrow after 25 years in magazines.

See also:
Paul Dykzeul retires: Bauer Media gets its sixth CEO in nine years

Dengler and Hill chaired a Bauer Media Australia meeting with staff on Wednesday as the announcement about the new CEO was made.

Brendon Hill

Brendon Hill told Mediaweek yesterday: “I told the staff I want to get around and meet them all, ask about the future and what we could be doing better. I will then work with the executive team and then get back in front of the staff to tell them what I have learnt from them and to talk about our strategy.”

Regarding Bauer’s commitment to Australia, Veit Dengler told Mediaweek: “We are committed to having a thriving business here. As we have shown with the acquisition of the home titles from News Corp. When it makes sense we are also willing to invest here.

When asked if Bauer was in a much better position now than two years ago, Dengler said “most definitely”.

Dengler has been planning this change at the top for some time: “Paul is turning 67 soon and this has been on the cards for a while. Talks have been ongoing for some time and this is the best practice of how succession should happen. We had a long time to talk about it and we had a strong internal bench and at the end we all agreed that Brendon would be the best successor.”

Veit Dengler

Dengler didn’t feel qualified to discuss any of Dykzeul’s Australia predecessors, but he did say: “I can tell you that Paul did a lot of transformation on what has been a turnaround in the past two years. Part of the work was establishing a young management team with a number of potential [future leaders].”

Hill has been with the magazine business since 2006 when it was still ACP Magazines, just before the titles were sold to private equity investors CVC. Asked if the business had been unstable since Bauer arrived, Hill replied: “Media is always changing and never stands still. There are always launches, acquisitions and other things and we will keep pushing the business into the future.

Magazine publishers, like many other people in the media, have been working hard to diversify their income streams. When it comes to how secure Bauer feels about its future, Dengler said: “Only the paranoid survive, to quote Andy Grove. If we are not paranoid we should be, and we are very conscious of that.”

Hill added: “Media companies globally are chasing revenue streams. It will take brave decisions, and a few mistakes will be made along the way. I am very confident and comfortable with what we’ve got – great audiences and great storytellers and we are in a prime position to launch new revenue models and monetise audiences in different ways.

“We are very lucky we have access to a global company and we have a lot of knowledge to call on.”

Dengler on diversification: “We also have to make sure the core of Bauer Media is healthy, and the core is magazines. We think there is a lot of life in magazines. Bauer is different from other publishers because we are always focused on the reader. We do a lot of consumer research to make sure we have great products with high quality.

“In order to be future-proofed we need to find new revenue sources and that takes some experimentation and will require some acquisition and we are open to all of that.”

Hill said because of Bauer’s magazine expertise, it makes them able to launch and acquire titles that others might not be successful with.

“We are set up with great processes and systems and we have great relationships with printers and a global paper-buying network. We are very well positioned to consolidate and launch.

“We have done quite a bit of one-shot publishing and when they are successful we make them more regular. We are always looking for opportunities.”

Tomorrow: Part 2 of Bauer Media Australia in transition
Farewell to Paul Dykzeul: The new boss on the old boss
Australia’s importance to Bauer Media global revenues

Adelaide reporter rises through the ranks to edit Sunday Mail

News Corp Australia has appointed a new editor of its Adelaide Sunday newspaper after the incumbent retired.

News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller has told staff:

“I am delighted to announce Jessica Leo-Kelton has been appointed editor of the Sunday Mail in Adelaide.

Andrew Holman

“Jess, currently deputy editor of The Advertiser and Sunday Mail, replaces long-serving editor Andrew Holman who has decided it’s time to spend more time smelling the roses, literally. Andrew is retiring after a distinguished 31-year career with our company; 22 of those were in senior roles, including deputy editor in Adelaide before editorships of The Cairns Post, and The Mercury and Sunday Tasmanian in Hobart. He also plans more active pursuits such as running the Berlin marathon.”

Leo-Kelton began as a cadet reporter with The Advertiser 13 years ago, rapidly moving to senior reporting and news desk roles, before being appointed editor in chief of Messenger Community Newspapers, a role she filled for three years.

She was promoted to deputy editor 18 months ago.

Miller added: “This is an exciting step for Jess and deserved recognition of her skills, professionalism, commitment to our business and to journalism.

“As we celebrate her success, I’d also like to toast Andrew for his many achievements and thank he and his family for such dedication to our company. Over his three decades, Andrew has always given 100 per cent, demonstrated a strong, unique news sense and been a dynamic, passionate and energetic leader. I wish him the very best for this next chapter.”

Leo-Kelton will commence her new role on July 1.

Screen Aust $700,000: Screen greats attached to new funding spend

Screen Australia has announced seven television series, four online projects and 10 feature films that will share in nearly $700,000 of Story Development funding.

The slate includes Monash, a drama about celebrated army officer John Monash from director Bruce Beresford; a thriller from the author of Jasper Jones, Craig Silvey, called Cage in the Wild; as well as a television adaptation of award-winning novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart from Sarah Lambert and Made Up Stories.

Since July 2018, Screen Australia’s Story Development funding has had two strands – the Premium Fund for higher budget projects from established screen content makers, and the Generate Fund for lower budget projects with an emphasis on supporting emerging talent, or experienced talent wanting to take creative risks.

Graeme Mason, Screen Australia’s CEO said: “It’s great to see such an array of established creators utilising the Premium Fund to pursue projects of ambition and scale. We’re particularly pleased to see more television and online development coming through our doors.”

“The Generate Fund is bringing new voices into Screen Australia’s development slate, and I’m thrilled we are able to support emerging artists like Ashlee Page working on her first feature with Fat Lady, and Dan Prichard developing his first screenplay with online series Sundowners.”

The projects funded for development include:

Cage in the Wild: A feature film from Factor 30 Films that follows a young woman as she leaves the scene of a catastrophic event. She absconds to the forests of south-western Australia where she must learn to survive while being haunted by the horror of her past. This thriller is written by Craig Silvey, author of the best-selling novel Jasper Jones and co-writer of its screenplay adaptation. Director Ben Young and producer Melissa Kelly, who previously worked together on the AACTA Award-winning Hounds of Love, are on board alongside producer Ryan Hodgson (Blame).

The Sisters Antipodes: A drama from producer Imogen Banks and Endemol Shine. Co-produced by Asher Keddie with writers Fiona Seres and Rebecca Rigg. The story begins in 1965 when two families collide. Affairs ignite, couples switch and the scandal pushes the realigned families to opposite sides of the world. Reeling, two little girls are given each other’s fathers. The Sisters Antipodes is the ensuing story of the lifelong competition between them and the tragedy that ends it.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (working title): An eight-part series about a young woman whose violent childhood casts a dark shadow over her adult life. After a family tragedy, nine-year-old Alice is raised by her grandmother on a flower farm where she learns a language using Australian native flowers, to say things that are too hard to speak. Written and produced by Sarah Lambert, writer of Lambs of God and creator of hit drama Love Child, this series is based on the novel of the same name which won the General Fiction Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards 2019. It will also be produced by Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson, Steve Hutensky and Casey Haver from Made Up Stories.

Monash: A feature film from acclaimed director Bruce Beresford, whose credits include Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy and Ladies in Black. The film tells the true story of Australian army general John Monash, who in World War I was faced with annihilation on the western front, and against extraordinary odds led those under his command to victory. Beresford is joined by writer Louis Nowra and producer Helen Leake who previously worked together on Heaven’s Burning and Black and White.

Fat Lady: A crime comedy about agoraphobic Joan, whose only contact with the outside world is her string of home carers. When Kelly takes on the job to escape an abusive relationship, they become unexpected partners in a new business venture – selling ecstasy on the dark web. This project is the first feature film from Ash Page, writer and director of award-winning short films such as The Kiss. Page will team up with producers Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton from Causeway Films whose previous projects include The Nightingale, Buoyancy and Cargo.

Partners in Crime: An eight-part television series from Hannah and Eliza Reilly and Bikeshed Productions, which follows sisters Katie and May as they quit their day jobs in their quest to become full-time criminals. Can they make it in the crime world without killing each other first? This dramedy is the latest project from the duo, off the back of their online series Sheilas, which received funding under Screen Australia’s Gender Matters initiative. The all-female creative team also features producer Julia Corcoran (assistant producer on Mr Inbetween), story producer Niki Aken (The Hunting), and a writers’ room featuring Yolanda Ramke (Cargo) and Sarah Lambert (Lambs of God).

Michele Lee on Secret Threads

Secret Threads: A six-part television series set in Melbourne’s tight-knit Hmong-Laos community. The series follows Parita Waters who, after her nephew dies suspiciously, is driven to uncover the truth of a government conspiracy and her family’s war-time transgressions. This project is created by Rebecca Ingram and written by Mike Jones, award-winning playwright Michele Lee (Hungry Ghosts) who will draw on her own Hmong-Laos heritage, as well as Kris Wyld (Pulse).

Sundowners: A six-part online series from On The Deck Productions, set in a world where a mysterious virus has attacked and transformed the female population. When young mother Dawn is infected, she comes to depend on her son Tash to protect her, from both the dangers outside her front door and those that lie within her. Sundowners is the first screenplay from writer and producer Dan Prichard, who participated in Screen Australia’s Developing the Developer program in 2018. Laura Scrivano (The Language of Love) is attached as director.

Goolagong: Joanna Werner drama with Wayne Blair set to direct. A two-part event mini-series based on the inspiring true life story of world champion tennis player Evonne Goolagong, one of Australia’s best known and most loved sporting heroes.

Top Photo: Craig Silvey, Ben Young, Melissa Kelly and Ryan Hodgson on Cage In the Wild

Europa League final kicks off big week of football on Optus Sport

• With one final decided, two more to come in next seven days

Optus Sport is anticipating to break its live streaming records when it delivers a 10-day schedule of unmissable sport, starting Thursday 30 May.

The first final was decided this morning when Chelsea clashed with Arsenal in the Europa League final.

Corin Dimopoulos, Optus’ Head of TV and content, revealed the extravaganza of football action promises to deliver a sensational experience for fans.

“European football has delivered us phenomenal audiences this year that have easily beaten our internal forecasts. The dedication of loyal football fans to this season has been unwavering and we’re delighted that our first-class viewing experience has been enjoyed by fans of all ages,” Dimopoulos said.

“The accelerated growth of Optus Sports’ industry-leading app highlights the power of our premium and engaging content and further demonstrates the unique power of streaming on mobile devices that gives viewers a way to consume their favourite content on the go.

“User experience is our top priority and during this very exciting time for football fans, our bumper schedule means Australian audiences will not miss a moment of the action.”

In addition, to celebrate the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019, in which all 52 games are available live and on-demand on Optus Sport, Optus is providing complimentary access to Optus Sport to school-aged children throughout the tournament. The complimentary offer aims to give women’s sport greater visibility and change the future Australian school children see. More information can be found at www.yesopt.us/sportforkids.

All the Optus Sport action can be viewed on the big-screen via Fetch, Apple TV, Apple Airplay, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV or Xbox, or via tablet, mobile, desktop or laptop.

Optus Sport is available as an optional extra on eligible Optus plans for no extra cost. Non-Optus customers, and Optus customers who are ineligible for a monthly subscription at no added cost, may subscribe to Optus Sport for $14.99 per month.

OPTUS SPORT SCHEDULE

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL – CHELSEA v ARSENAL
Played Thursday morning – now available on demand.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL – TOTTENHAM v LIVERPOOL

Date: Sunday June 2
Coverage commences: 4am (all times listed AEDT)
Match commences: 5am

Experts joining host Richard Bayliss for Optus Sport’s live and exclusive coverage: Michael Bridges, Craig Moore and Thomas Sorensen. Pitchside in Madrid will be Mark Schwarzer, Jules Breach, Ned Zelic and Kelly Somers.

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE

Portugal v Switzerland on Thursday June 6 and Netherlands v England on Friday June 7, before a match for third place will be played on Sunday evening June 9, and the final on Monday morning, June 10.

Finalists announced for Walkley Mid-Year Celebration on June 26

Peer-judged and selected on the basis of journalistic excellence, the Mid-Year Celebration suite includes the Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards, as well as the Arts Journalism Prizes, Women’s Leadership in Media, Freelancer of the Year, Best Industrial Reporting, the inaugural Media Diversity Australia Award and the Our Watch Award.

Winners will be announced at the Mid-Year Celebration in Sydney on June 26. At this event, the winning recipients will also be announced for the Jacoby-Walkley Scholarship with Nine, the Media Super Scholarship with Seven, the William Buckland Foundation Fellowship with The Age and the Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism.

Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards
These awards recognise and reward the hard work of our most outstanding young Australian journalists. They recognise the work of journalists aged 28 and under who demonstrate excellence in the fundamental tenets of the craft as well as the ability to present distinctive and original journalism that pushes the boundaries of the profession.

All media: Shortform journalism
Supported by ABC

• Avani Dias, Hack, triple j, ABC “A botched terror case and police failings: revelations of a wrongful arrest and an alleged revenge plot”
• Jennifer Duke and Michael Koziol, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, “‘They hate her’: emails show ABC chairman told Michelle Guthrie to fire Emma Alberici” “‘Dear directors’: explosive dossier reveals bitter war between Michelle Guthrie and ABC board” and “Tonightly c— skit: Ex-ABC chairman wanted to change editorial policy”
• Isabella Higgins, ABC News 7pm bulletin, ABC TV and ABC Online, “Life in the grips of a suicide crisis” “Strength in the suicide community” and “The fight of our lives”

All media: Longform feature or special
Supported by The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age

• Jack Banister, The Citizen and The Guardian, “More than a game in the Tiwi Islands, footy helps heal a hurting community”
• Oliver Gordon, Background Briefing, Radio National, ABC Radio, “The Black & White Hotel: Inside Australia’s Segregated Hotel Rooms”
• Laura Murphy-Oates, The Feed, SBS, “Turned Away”

All media: Coverage of community & regional affairs
Supported by Google News Initiative

• Rachel Baxter, PRIME 7 News North West (Tamworth), “Tingha Plateau Bushfire Coverage”
• Aneeta Bhole, ABC, “A tale of two seasons”
• Henry Zwartz, ABC News Regional, “‘This is Tasmania’s Ballarat’: Abuse survivors speak out”

All media: Visual storytelling
Supported by Sky NEWS

• Mridula Amin, The New York Times, “The Nauru Experience: Zero-Tolerance Immigration and Suicidal Children”
• Annika Blau and Zoe Osborne, ABC News,  “Extraordinary stories of women in Asia”
• Rebecca Metcalf, VICE Video, “South-Sudanese Australians Talk Police, Politics and the Media”

All media: Public service journalism
Supported by News Corp Australia

• Osman Faruqi, Radio National, ABC and ABC Life, “Exposing the terrifying new frontier in online abuse”
• Oliver Gordon, AM and Background Briefing, Radio National, ABC, “Segregation in Australia: Commissioner calls for law reform after two stories highlighting racial discrimination”
• Laura Murphy-Oates, SBS, “Reporting on Indigenous affairs”

All media: ​Student journalist of the year
Supported by Macleay College

• Matilda Boseley, Monash University, The Age and Mojo News, “‘I had no way of getting home’: Calls for changes to liquor laws,” “Grey Area: Let’s Talk About Rape” and “ZOE – Vegans Invade a Melbourne Slaughterhouse”
• Reena Mukherjee, UNSW, “Birds of Change: The Voices that Call to Us”
• Ciaran O’Mahony, University of Melbourne and The Guardian, “Killing Times: Stories of Aboriginal Massacres”

Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year
Supported by Jibb Foundation
The winner of each category will be in the running to win the overall Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Award. 

Helen O’Flynn & Alan Knight Award for Best Industrial Reporting
Supported by Ai Group, Australian Super, Unions NSW, ACTU, UTS and MEAA

• Ewin Hannan, The Australian, “Hunger Games”
• Ben Knight, Matilda Marozzi, Jessica Longbottom, ABC TV News, ABC online, “Lifting the lid on the hospitality industry”
• Ben Scheiders and Royce Millar, The Age, “SourDough: Australia’s High-End Restaurant Scandal”

Freelance Journalist of the Year
Supported by Media Super

• Yaara Bou Melhem, Witness, Al Jazeera English and Foreign Correspondent, ABC, “Maria Ressa: War on Truth” and “The Oasis”
• Jo Chandler, The Monthly and The New York Times,  “Our Nearest Neighbour: Reports from Papua New Guinea”
• Nina Funnell, The Mercury, news.com.au and The Daily Telegraph, “#Let Her Speak”

Women’s Leadership in Media
Supported by PwC

•Melissa Davey, Guardian Australia, “The investigation into Dr Gayed”
• Lorna Knowles, Jo Puccini and Alison McClymont, 7.30, ABC TV, AM, ABC Radio and ABC News Online, “#MeToo in The Australian Greens”
• Sherele Moody, Rendezview, News Corp Australia, Facebook: The RED HEART Campaign and Google Maps: The Australian Femicide & Child Death Map “Who. Where. When. How: Paying Tribute to Murdered Women & Children”

Our Watch Award
Supported by The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts

• Sarah Dingle and the Background Briefing Team, Radio National, ABC, “Australia On Trial”
• Carla Hildebrandt, Mandurah Mail, “‘Heartbreaking and frustrating’: Investigation into Peel domestic violence”
• Lisa Martin, The Guardian, “Navy shame”

Media Diversity Australia Award
Supported by Media Diversity Australia, CoHealth and The National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council 

• Sarah Dingle and the Background Briefing Team, Radio National, ABC, “Australia On Trial”
• Quentin McDermott, Natalie Whiting and Rebecca Latham, Australian Story, ABC TV, “The Invisible Man”
• Aaron Smith, Kirk Docker, Loni Cooper, Pauline Ernesto and Josh Schmidt, ABC and ABC iview, “You Can’t Ask That – Deaf, African Australians and Intersex”

Arts Journalism Prizes
Through the support of the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, winners of both of these two awards will each receive $5000 in prize money.

All media: Arts Journalism Prize 
Supported by: Facebook

• Drew Ambrose, Rhiona-Jade Armont and David Boyle, Al Jazeera English, “Straight Outta Bangkok: Thailand’s Rebel Artists”
• Michaela Boland, Greg Miskelly and Alison Branley, ABC, “At the Minister’s Discretion”
• Jane Howard, ABC, “How Australian theatre rebalanced its gender disparity”

All media: Walkley-Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism
Supported by: Geraldine Pascall Foundation

• Rosemary Neill, The Weekend Australian, “Shooting stars: exposing Hollywood’s hypocrisy over guns”
• Jeff Sparrow, Sydney Review of Books, “A Place of Punishment: No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani”
• Fiona Wright, Sydney Review of Books, “To be a tulip”

marie claire joins with Bumble & Estée Lauder for Glass Ceiling Awards

marie claire Australia has announced the inaugural marie claire and Bumble Glass Ceiling Awards, supported by Estée Lauder Companies.

The awards, to be held on June 19 in Sydney, are a celebration of game-changing businesses and trailblazing women smashing gender boundaries in the workplace. They will recognise companies breaking barriers and supporting equality at work as well as women paving the way for the next generation.

The judging panel is made up of high-profile “ceiling smashers” and business leaders, including former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, celebrated chef Kylie Kwong, fashion designer Camilla Franks, World Champion surfer Layne Beachley, Seven journalist Melissa Doyle, Business Chicks CEO Olivia Ruello, ABC host Virginia Trioli, Bumble’s Associate Marketing Director, APAC, Michelle Battersby and Estée Lauder Companies managing director Terry Little.

marie claire editor Nicky Briger (pictured) said: “For 25 years, marie claire has championed, empowered and supported Australian women and the Glass Ceiling Awards are a natural extension of our core brand mission. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the advances forged for working women as well as promoting the positive changes in Australian workplaces.”

Glass Ceiling Awards categories:

• MAJORITY RULES AWARD
A business where women make up the majority on the board or leadership team

• PAY EQUITY AWARD
A company who has achieved gender pay equity within its ranks

• FAMILY-FRIENDLY AWARD
A business dedicated to making the daily work/life/family juggle easier with flexible working hours or generous parental leave policies

• THE FUTURE- SHAPER AWARD
Next-gen thought-leaders revolutionising our future

• SOCIAL CONSCIENCE AWARD
A woman who’s paying it forward and making a difference to the world

• MENTOR AWARD
• A powerhouse woman who has supported and championed other women in her industry

• THE CEILING SMASHER AWARD
Celebrating an iconic woman who has paved the way for other women

• BUMBLE’S MAKING MOVES AWARD
A people’s choice award recognising local women who are smashing the glass ceiling in their chosen industry or making positive change in their community

Nominations are now open in Bumble for the Making Moves Award, where users can match with the “marie claire x Bumble Glass Ceiling Awards” card to put forward a woman in their network.

TV Ratings Analysis: May 29

• A Current Affair reports on road rage mum avoiding jail term
• Home and Away and Anh’s Brush With Fame best non-news
• The Weekly over 600,000 as Hard Chat Tom explains Logie prank

Wednesday Week 22 2019

By James Manning

• Seven News 1,20,000/1,074,000
• Nine News 962,000/934,000
• A Current Affair 760,000
• ABC News 683,000
• 7.30 606,000
• The Project 301,000/499,000
• 10 News First 419,000
• The Drum 195,000
• SBS World News 107,000

Breakfast TV

• Sunrise 295,000
• Today 201,000

Seven

Home And Away finished top 6 (#4 if we rank the news hours as just one program) with 695,000, slipping just under 700,000 after two previous nights close to 750,000.

House Rules ended its week with another early room reveal with 613,000 after two nights near 740,000 and one on 544,000. Wednesday last week was on 573,000.

A double episode of the UK drama The Bay did 322,000 and 262,000.

Nine

A busy episode of A Current Affair was hosted by Leila McKinnon. Stories included reporter Pippa Bradshaw outside the Southport Magistrates Court covering the case of a road rage mum and how she avoided jail time. The episode did 760,000, down from 792,000 on Tuesday and 865,000 on Monday.

Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation featured contestants Tayla Damir (Love Island), Joel Creasey and Jimeoin. The episode did 503,000 after 545,000 a week ago. 20 To One included judgements from Kathy Griffin, Jimmy Carr and Jane Fonda among others. The show had 357,000 watching.

The season final of New Amsterdam then did 222,000.

10

A team challenge featured on the midweek MasterChef as two Nonna’s helped out the teams. The show did 648,000, up on the Tuesday numbers and last Wednesday’s audience of 634,000. The episode last night ranked #1 under 50.

10’s new drama Five Bedrooms followed with 483,000, up from 428,000 last week.

Earlier in the night The Project featured Waleed Aly with Julia Gillard and then Sammy J sat at the desk. The audience was 499,000, just short of the best this week.

ABC

Anh’s Brush With Fame pushed higher to 682,000 after 624,000 a week ago. Sitting for the artist last night was Dannii Minogue.

Also up week-on-week was The Weekly With Charlie Pickering – from 574,000 to 605,000. Roy and HG made an appearance as did Taron Egerton. Jessica Mauboy was grilled about her Eurovision appearances and Tom Gleeson also explained his Gold Logie prank.

The first episode of the second season of The Letdown then did 364,000. The final episode of season one screened 18 months ago to 344,000.

SBS

24 Hours In Emergency did 199,000 at 8.30pm.

Earlier Great British Railway Journeys was on 180,000 and Going Places With Ernie Dingo did 145,000.

Week 22 TV: Wednesday
 WEDNESDAY METRO
ABCSevenNine10SBS
ABC13.4%720.3%917.1%10 13.6%SBS One4.4%
ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY2.5%7TWO3.7%GO!4.2%10 Bold4.8%VICELAND1.0%
ABC ME0.6%7mate3.1%GEM1.6%10 Peach2.2%Food Net1.0%
ABC NEWS1.6%7flix1.9%9Life2.5%  NITV0.1%
  7Food0.4%      
TOTAL18.0% 29.3% 25.4% 20.6% 6.6%

 

WEDNESDAY REGIONAL
ABCSeven AffiliatesNine Affiliates10 AffiliatesSBS
ABC12.1%722.1%913.1%WIN11.3%SBS One4.6%
ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY2.5%7TWO4.5%GO!5.1%WIN Bold4.9%VICELAND0.9%
ABC ME0.9%7mate3.4%GEM3.1%WIN Peach2.6%Food Net1.2%
ABC NEWS1.2%7flix (Excl. Tas/WA)2.2%9Life2.4%Sky News  on WIN1.7%NITV0.1%
  7food (QLD only)0.3%      
TOTAL16.7% 32.5% 23.6% 20.4% 6.8%

 

WEDNEDAY METRO ALL TV
FTASTV
85.1%14.9%
WEDNESDAY FTA
  1. Seven News Seven 1,120,000
  2. Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 1,074,000
  3. Nine News Nine 962,000
  4. Nine News 6:30 Nine 934,000
  5. A Current Affair Nine 760,000
  6. Home And Away Seven 695,000
  7. ABC News ABC 683,000
  8. Anh’s Brush With Fame ABC 682,000
  9. Masterchef Australia 10 648,000
  10. House Rules Seven 613,000
  11. The Chase Australia Seven 608,000
  12. 7.30 ABC 606,000
  13. The Weekly With Charlie Pickering ABC 605,000
  14. Hot Seat Nine 567,000
  15. Talkin Bout Your Generation Nine 503,000
  16. The Project 7pm 10 499,000
  17. Five Bedrooms 10 483,000
  18. 10 News First 10 419,000
  19. The Chase Australia-5pm Seven 385,000
  20. The Letdown ABC 364,000
Demo Top 5

16-39 Top Five

  1. Masterchef Australia 10 182,000
  2. Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 154,000
  3. Seven News Seven 152,000
  4. Five Bedrooms 10 142,000
  5. Talkin Bout Your Generation Nine 140,000

 

18-49 Top Five

  1. Masterchef Australia 10 306,000
  2. Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 273,000
  3. Seven News Seven 262,000
  4. Nine News Nine 251,000
  5. Nine News 6:30 Nine 247,000

 

25-54 Top Five

  1. Masterchef Australia 10 337,000
  2. Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 318,000
  3. Seven News Seven 309,000
  4. Nine News Nine 304,000
  5. Nine News 6:30 Nine 304,000
WEDNESDAY Multichannel
  1. NCIS: Los Angeles (R) 10 Bold 190,000
  2. Bluey AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 176,000
  3. NCIS (R) 10 Bold 173,000
  4. PJ Masks AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 165,000
  5. NCIS: Los Angeles Ep 2 (R) 10 Bold 164,000
  6. The Big Bang Theory Tx1 9GO! 156,000
  7. Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 151,000
  8. Rusty Rivets ABCKIDS/COMEDY 147,000
  9. Peter Rabbit ABCKIDS/COMEDY 146,000
  10. Hey Duggee AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 143,000
  11. The Big Bang Theory 9GO! 140,000
  12. Octonauts ABCKIDS/COMEDY 140,000
  13. Air Crash Investigations PM 7TWO 137,000
  14. Nella The Princess Knight AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 135,000
  15. The Big Bang Theory 9GO! 133,000
  16. Bluey ABCKIDS/COMEDY 133,000
  17. The Big Bang Theory Tx2 9GO! 132,000
  18. Neighbours 10 Peach 131,000
  19. Border Security – Australia’s Front Line 7TWO 128,000
  20. Bondi Rescue Ep 2 (R) 10 Bold 128,000
WEDNESDAY STV
  1. Selling Houses Australia Lifestyle Channel 133,000
  2. Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 88,000
  3. Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 79,000
  4. The Bolt Report Sky News Live 67,000
  5. Credlin Sky News Live 65,000
  6. Live: NRL 360 FOX LEAGUE 58,000
  7. PML Later Sky News Live 51,000
  8. Richo Sky News Live 47,000
  9. The Simpsons FOX8 46,000
  10. Grand Designs Australia Lifestyle Channel 45,000
  11. Family Guy FOX8 45,000
  12. Family Guy FOX8 44,000
  13. Beverly Hills: Real Housewives Of… ARENA 43,000
  14. The Simpsons FOX8 41,000
  15. NCIS TVH!TS 39,000
  16. Shimmer And Shine Nick Jr. 39,000
  17. The Matty Johns Podcast FOX LEAGUE 37,000
  18. Outback Opal Hunters Discovery Channel 37,000
  19. On The Mark FOX FOOTY 37,000
  20. American Dad! FOX8 36,000

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

CNBC appoints WeThinkMedia as rep in Australia and New Zealand

CNBC has appointed WeThinkMedia to exclusively represent its advertising business in Australia and New Zealand, effective immediately.

Emma Sirca, Vice President, APAC Ad Sales and Client Partnerships of CNBC International, said: “CNBC remains the number one business and financial news network across the region, with a dedicated news bureau in Sydney focusing on telling the Australian business story to our global audience. With consistently strong double-digit audience growth year-on-year in both our TV viewership and online readers in Australia, we made the decision to increase our commercial presence in this key market. We’re delighted to be partnering with WeThinkMedia to allow easier access for even more Australian clients to engage our network’s influential C-suite audience.”

Peter Wiltshire

Peter Wiltshire, Founder and Director, WeThinkMedia, said: “CNBC offers advertisers direct access to a high value, high yield audience. These aspirational, affluent, influential and decisive consumers turn to CNBC to both stay informed and to get ahead: some 84% of CNBC’s audience take action upon seeing the content – whether making a business decision; buying or selling shares; conducting further research on a company, market or issue; or discussing the subject matter with others. The early market response has been fantastic as we present the CNBC offer to advertisers.”

CNBC joins WeThinkMedia’s portfolio of media brands that includes The New York Times, New Zealand digital outdoor company LUMO, and foundation client MediaWorks New Zealand.

Bruce Gordon reshuffles stake in regional broadcaster Prime Media

Bruce Gordon may have sold most of his shares in Prime Media, but the Bermuda-based media mogul has actually increased his exposure to the regional broadcaster, reports The AFR’s Max Mason.

Gordon, owner of rival regional broadcaster WIN Corp, has effectively sold down from his 14.99% shareholding in Prime to 3.25%.

However, the 89-year old increased his total economic interest in Prime via new cash-settled share swaps with Deutsche Bank and a Swiss-based bank, Vontobel.

Cash-settled share swaps allow investors to have an economic interest in a company without voting rights, which means they do not fall foul of ownership limits.

Gordon now has an economic interest in Prime of about 65.3 million shares, or about 17.8% of the company – 3.25% in shares and 14.59% via swaps.

[Read the original]

Impact of Netflix and Spotify: TV, radio to suffer as streaming lifts off

The rise of video and music streaming services will do to free-to-air television and radio services what online classifieds did to newspaper print revenue and could have implications for commercial and public broadcasters, as well as the value of sporting rights, according to new research from Morgan Stanley, reports The Australian’s Andrew White.

Analysts at the investment bank said free-to-air services that rely on selling viewer numbers to advertisers face a dramatic loss of audience to streaming services such as Stan and Netflix that will hurt their revenue and profitability and investors are underestimating the risk.

The analysts said they expected the value of traditional media businesses to decline sharply and in some cases fall to zero, with the biggest risks facing Nine Entertainment Co, Seven West Media, Network Ten, Prime Media Southern Cross, WIN, HT&E and Nova, as well as subscription TV operators

In a grim examination of the impact of streaming services on traditional media, the investment bank said the federal government might need to consider licensing fees for streaming services to replace the licensing fees for radio and TV broadcast spectrum.

As audiences move to streaming businesses such as Netflix and Stan, the loss of audiences and the advertising revenue that is based on them would fall away and with it the licensing revenue collected by the government.

[Read the original]

ABC-SBS merger possible after impact of streaming on Gov’t revenue

The ABC and SBS could be forced to merge as streaming services wreck the broadcast licence revenue that the government has used to fund public broadcasting, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley, reports The Australian’s Andrew White.

Historically the fees are collected as a percentage of advertising revenue – around 10% for television and 3-4% for radio, peaking at $300 million in 2009 and declining ever since with the rise of streaming services.

Morgan Stanley said around 40% of Australian households have at least one streaming service and this would rise to 60%, putting pressure on traditional media revenues.

“One of the considerations for the federal government looking forward would be … with the eventual disappearance altogether of TV and radio licences fees, how can these dollars be replaced?” the Morgan Stanley analysts said.

[Read the original]

More diverse views needed at ABC, says new chair Ita Buttrose

ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose has said some staff at the broadcaster unconsciously let their biases show through, as she revealed she had no plans to cut jobs despite the almost $84 million budget reduction facing the organisation, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Nick Bonyhady.

“Sometimes I think we might be biased. I think sometimes we could do with more diversity of views,” Buttrose told ABC Radio on Wednesday. “Sometimes I think, people without really knowing it, let a bias show through.

“I haven’t got a problem with anybody’s view but I think we need to make sure ours is as diverse as it can be … The more diverse views we can represent, the better it will be for us,” Buttrose said in remarks that dovetail with the demands of some of the ABC’s conservative critics.

Buttrose said ABC staff should not be afraid of losing their jobs, despite a 2018 funding indexation freeze that will cost the broadcaster $83.7 million over three years.

She said she planned to meet with new Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher and the Prime Minister to discuss funding.

[Read the original]

Netflix and Amazon score in battle with UK streaming services

Netflix and Amazon made £1.1bn in revenues from UK streaming customers in 2018, double the amounts the UK’s biggest broadcasters were able to make from their own streaming services. The figures have highlighted just how much the absence of a true British rival to the Silicon Valley giants is a missed opportunity, reports The Guardian.

Netflix is estimated to have made £693m in revenues from its 10 million UK subscribers last year, while rival Amazon notched up £400m from an estimated 7.7 million subscribers to its Prime Video service, according to research from media regulator Ofcom.

The streaming services of the UK’s main commercial broadcasters – ITV Hub, Channel 4’s All 4, Channel 5’s My5 and Sky’s Now TV – made about £530m last year.

The British services make money from a combination of advertising revenues and subscription income – such as for daily, weekly and monthly passes to Now TV and the 265,000 viewers paying £3.99 a month to get ITV Hub ad-free. The BBC’s iPlayer service, the biggest streaming service in the UK in an estimated 13.4m homes, does not take advertising or subscription revenue.

Overall, Netflix offers a staggering 32,600 hours of films and TV shows to UK viewers, with Amazon providing 22,600 hours of content. By comparison, Sky’s Now TV offers access to 12,600 hours of content and the BBC iPlayer, which currently is only allowed to keep shows on its service for 30 days, has 5,100 hours.

[Read the original]

News Brands

Does new owner Catalano have plans to overhaul The Canberra Times?

The Australian’s Christine Lacy reports in the Margin Call column:

We hear the latest Canberra Times owner, Antony “The Cat” Catalano, is considering turning it into a national newspaper in the style of The Washington Post.

The ink is still drying on his $115 million purchase with billionaire Alex Waislitz of Fairfax’s regional newspapers – which include the national capital-based masthead – but the Cat is clearly kicking around some big ideas for his new plaything. We hear he and Waislitz were even spotted in the Canberra Times offices last week.

All the Cat has said publicly so far about his ambitions is he wants to strengthen the identity of the paper as a “highly regarded political commentator”.

[Read the original]

Facebook removes more coordinated inauthentic behaviour from Iran

Facebook released this statement about cleaning out more fake accounts:

Today we removed 51 Facebook accounts, 36 Pages, seven Groups and three Instagram accounts involved in coordinated inauthentic behaviour that originated in Iran.

The individuals behind this activity – which also took place on other internet platforms and websites – misled people about who they were and what they were doing. They purported to be located in the US and Europe, used fake accounts to run Pages and Groups, and impersonated legitimate news organizations in the Middle East. The individuals behind this activity also represented themselves as journalists or other personas and tried to contact policymakers, reporters, academics, Iranian dissidents and other public figures. A number of these account owners also attempted to contact authentic Instagram accounts, some of which later posted content associated with this activity.

[Read the original]

Twitter cancels 2800 fake accounts, some falsely linked to US media

Earlier this month, we removed more than 2,800 inauthentic accounts originating in Iran, said Twitter head of site integrity Yoel Stone.

These are the accounts that FireEye, a private security firm, reported on today. We were not provided with this report or its findings.

As we conduct investigations into the wider networks and actors involved in information operations, we typically avoid making any declarative public statements until we can be sure that we have reached the end of our analyses.

These accounts employed a range of false personas to target conversations about political and social issues in Iran and globally. Some engaged directly through public replies with politicians, journalists, and others.

Several of the accounts falsely represented themselves as media based in the United States and claimed affiliation with outlets like the New York Daily News, Newsday, and the Seattle Times.

Read more about recent Twitter public policy:
Addressing the abuse of tech to spread terrorist and extremist content

Sports Media

AFL’s biggest coach/journo blow-ups: Scott v King plus others

Brad Scott’s run-in with David King is the latest incident in a series of bizarre and occasionally terrifying coach v media blow-ups, including the day Terry Wallace took aim at a Herald Sun journo, reports News Corp’s Al Paton.

Footy is a stressful and emotional game, especially when you’re sitting in the coach’s box and the media is turning the heat up on your club.

It’s not surprising those emotions sometimes boil over in the heat of the moment, with Brad Scott’s run-in with Fox Footy expert David King last Saturday just the latest example.

Scott later denied he made a “beeline” for the Kangaroos champ at three-quarter time on Saturday, but he appeared to brush past King, who was working as boundary rider, as he made his way to the team huddle. The outgoing Kangas coach then made a few comments that weren’t hard for any lip reader to decipher.

“I probably would (take that back),” Scott said on AFL 360 his week. “But I don’t live my life in hindsight. Life’s full of mistakes and if you don’t make mistakes, you don’t get better. I pride myself on certainly my professional life living on the edge, and I’ve been an absolute competitor. And when you are on the edge, you’re going to tip over the edge a couple of times. I don’t waste any time on it (watching it again).”

Other coach v clashes covered by Paton include:

Terry Wallace v Geoff Poulter
Luke Beveridge v Damian Barrett
Alastair Clarkson v Matt Thompson
Mick Malthouse v the media
Ross Lyon v Shane McInness
Damien Hardwick v Patrick Keane
Tony Lockett v Eddie McGuire

[Read the original]

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