More Greatness: Sarah Grynberg returns with season five

It doesn’t seem long ago Podcast Week spoke with Sarah Grynberg about the launch of her A Life of Greatness on PodcastOne Australia. This week she launched season five! The podcast journey of the interviewer, producer and author has included great chats with some iconic guests including Matthew McConaughey, Hamish Blake, Dr Joe Dispenza, Jay Shetty, Gabrielle Bernstein and Mark Manson.

In what Grynberg is promising will be her biggest season yet, her interviewing style is unlocking more inspiring untold stories and shared wisdom. This season more personalities will join Grunberg to reveal their research, knowledge and experiences, motivating others to cultivate an extraordinary existence.

In the first of the new episodes, Grynberg speaks with Aussie sweetheart, actor and singer-songwriter, Olivia Newton-John. Not missing a beat, Newton-John shares some of her most intimate memories never heard before and describes how they have shaped her to live a life of greatness.

Sarah Grynberg, said: “I have been blown away at the success of A Life of Greatness and can’t believe in just two years we are already up to our fifth season. I wanted this podcast to be an inclusive series that would resonate with everyone, irrespective of their personal beliefs.

“I believe everyone is capable of leading a great life. It is my hope the interviews in A Life of Greatness will give listeners the courage and motivation to make changes, big or small, to realise their true potential.”

Listen to the first episode of A Life of Greatness series five

Podcasting plans for Tim Ross

Freed up from the extraordinary commitment required to make radio five days a week, Tim Ross, aka Rosso, is continuing his love affair with audio via podcasting.

He found time to talk to Podcast Week recently during a publicity tour for his Designing a Legacy TV special. Broadcast on ABC this week, the series had an overnight national TV audience of just under 500,000.

“Podcasting is probably the thing I did more of in 2020 because it was very much a digital year,” said Ross.

“I did three podcasts for the Opera House and a series for the National Gallery. I did a couple of fun things for myself and we have an ongoing series for Brickworks.”

Ross said there will be more for Brickworks in 2021 and also new projects with the Opera House.

His “fun thing” was the Summer Breeze podcast where he also does the music. “It’s mad. Just good guests and funny songs. There will be another one for Easter.

“What I love about podcasting is how wonderfully niche it is. The media companies are looking for the broadest things, but the beauty of the medium is that it doesn’t have to be. I can be interested in something like someone collecting furniture in Belgium. [Laughs] Bring it on.”

The new series for Brickworks will be called Sanctuary. “It’s the concept of creating a space in these times.”

Listen to Summer Breeze.

Kevin Hillier: Podcasts from pastry and punk to Brian Mannix

Ruck ’N Roll and Food Bites were the first podcasts in the group for the growing podcast empire Howdy Partners run by broadcaster and author Kevin Hillier and his newsreader wife Sarah Patterson.

The two podcasts have continued since launch with a similar total number of episodes. Hiller said Cheeselinks has been a great partner, sponsoring Food Bites since launch. The other Howdy Partners podcast original had a bumpier road to profitability. “Ruck ’N Roll did have a sponsor early on, but without going to deeply into, they didn’t pay,” Hillier told Podcast Week.

“We have a good sponsor of the Brian Mannix podcast Life of Brian through Murcotts driver training programs. We have been pretty lucky attracting sponsors.”

Other podcasts in the stable include Authorised which features author interviews, Two Dogs is a series done for the AFL team Western Bulldogs, Talking Wyndham is a weekly podcast about the Melbourne city of the same name, and Living with Diabetes is released monthly for Diabetes Victoria.

There’s a few other niche series too like the Big W Podcast for the Werribee Football Club and others a little more irregular that were impacted by Covid during 2020.

“These days we are reluctant to start a new podcast without a commercial partner,” admitted Hillier. “But the paramount thing is the idea and if the idea is good enough we will run with it. For example, Ruck ’N Roll is between sponsors at present, yet we keep it going because we just love doing it.”

The podcast is anchored by Hillier, with Uncanny X-Men‘s Brian Mannix and footy journo Mark Fine (ex-SEN) who replaced the at-times controversial Rohan Connolly who went from The Age to his own platform, Footyology.

“We run the podcast business very lean so we can keep going when we need to. We have two great producers doing all our audio production and they help out because they love doing it for a bit of pocket money we give them.”

Life of Brian attracts the biggest audience. The podcast doesn’t take part in Triton Digital’s Podcast Ranker, but Hillier and the team are proud it has topped the Apple Australian Podcast chart previously.

“The episode we recently put up featuring Johnny Rotten and Miss Helena from Romper Room is doing some pretty good numbers.” Howdy Partners’ catchy promo promised: “This is the real Romper Stomper … Rotten and Helena with Mannix and Hillier.”

As to how Hillier got John Lyon for his podcast, Hillier drew on his skills as a persistent DJ looking for talent in his radio days. “I just kept asking. I saw Lydon released a book and I used the contacts I have for our Authorised podcast. I knew Brian is a massive Sex Pistols fan and I knew it would make for a great episode. I eventually got on to Lydon’s manager who helped make it happen. Subsequently, I have got some great feedback from them how much they loved the interview. We did about 40 minutes and ended up editing very little out. He doesn’t suffer fools, but we can report he didn’t tell us to ‘get fucked’ once! [Laughs]

“The whiteboard of names I am trying to get has everybody on it from Paul McCartney through to various international sports superstars. I just keep asking until they say yes!”

Hiller used to host with Whooshkaa, but swapped to Omny after presented with what he thought was a more attractive deal. “The Omni technical back-up has been excellent, and their promotional help has been very good too.”

Hillier views the podcast portfolio as part of his overall business, as distinct from its own profit centre. “At this stage for us there is no big money in it. For something like Life of Brian we don’t make much because we pay the producer who does a great job and I pay Brian. I am happy it to be part of our business with is covering our costs.”

The rest of the Howdy Partners Media business includes commercial production, voice-over and corporate hosting. Hillier is a veteran radio announcer who worked in Queensland before moving to Melbourne, a stint which included time at the AM superstation 3XY and then years with the major FM stations Gold, Fox and Triple M. Most recently he hosted on SEN.

The general time rules for the big Howdy Partners podcasts are 30 minutes for Food Bites and an hour at the absolute maximum for Life of Brian. “We blew out the Christmas show to 90 minutes. I’d prefer 45 minutes though. Ruck ’N Roll is about an hour. For me 30 minutes works best for many listeners as it equates to your daily walk or other exercise routines and commutes.”

Listen to Ruck ’N Roll

Listen to Life of Brian

Listen to Food Bites

Acast in February for Sport, Celebrity, News, Knowledge and, er, Shit!

Podcast Week’s look at series making a mark on the Acast platform this month:

Afternoon Sport

Former first-class cricketer Shane Lee and Australian journalist Tim Gilbert team up to host a daily news show for hardcore sport lovers. Featuring a mixture of different guests everyday, Afternoon Sport drops two brand new episodes each day – a morning sports update and longer form later in the day.

Accidental Celebrity

Launching his month, Dr Fiona Reynolds explores how accidental celebrities deal with unenviable media fame following unfortunate events. In a six-part series Dr Reynolds interviews infamous Aussies about how they’ve been treated by the media and public since their rise to unprecedented fame. Accidental Celebrity features insights from Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, whose baby daughter Azaria was taken by a dingo in 1980; Bruce and Denise Morcombe, who sacrificed their privacy to appeal for help in the search of the son Daniel; and Rosie Batty, who became the face of change in the move against domestic violence after an unfathomable tragedy.

The Daily Aus

From February 15th, The Daily Aus podcast returns. Hosts Zara Seilder and Sam Koslowski are two lawyers who quit their jobs to run the popular news based Instagram and podcast full time. The podcast’s point of difference from their Instagram is that their followers are provided with the opportunity to get to know more about the personalities behind The Daily Aus. Each episode takes listeners through four daily news stories and one good news story.

What You Will Learn

Podcast Week doesn’t have time to read books. But self-proclaimed “average Aussie blokes” Adam Jones and Adam Ashton love to read nonfiction books. In What You Will Learn they share what they have learnt from their book of the week with listeners. Covering everything from health to wealth and relationships to personal mindset, the Adam’s want listeners to pick up healthier habits, and drop the ones that are holding them back.

The Shit Show

As proven by 2020, the world can be an absolute shit show! But maybe it would be less of a shit show if we all understood what was actually going on? New Zealand hosts Luce, Liv and Rubes (the team behind Shit You Should Care About), break down what’s going on in the world and help listeners navigate through the news, politics and pop culture. The Shit Show team reminds listeners that you can still have a good time if it all goes to shit!

Read more about Acast: Podcast giant Acast expands local sales and creative team with six new hires

Representatives from both major tech companies and Australian news providers have fronted the Senate committee to give their position on the Medis Code laws. Some platforms, such as Google and Facebook, have made it very clear that they do not agree with the current draft – Google, in particular, has suggested some amendments to the draft so that their Google News Showcase solution could work under it. They also threatened to pull their search engine from Australia if the laws were to pass in their current form.

Platforms including Nine, AAP, News Corp, Guardian Australia, Free TV Australia, ABC, and SBS all support the News Media Bargaining Code, and today Microsoft added themselves to that list.

In a statement made today Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, and Brad Smith (pictured), Microsoft President, outlined their position on the Media Code laws. The statement reads:

Last week, Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, and I spoke with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher about the Government’s proposed way of addressing the current bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news businesses. During that conversation, we made the following points:  

• Microsoft is committed to Australia and the news publishers that are vital to the country’s democracy

• Microsoft recognizes that the media sector and public interest journalism currently face many challenges from the digital era, including changing business models and evolving consumer preferences. That is why Microsoft has long supported the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) efforts to analyse these issues and propose world-first solutions.

• Microsoft fully supports the News Media Bargaining Code. The code reasonably attempts to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news businesses. It also recognises the important role search plays, not only to consumers but to the thousands of Australian small businesses that rely on search and advertising technology to fund and support their organisations. While Microsoft is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we’d be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us

• Microsoft will ensure that small businesses who wish to transfer their advertising to Bing can do so simply and with no transfer costs.  We recognise the important role search advertising plays to the more than two million small businesses in Australia

• We will invest further to ensure Bing is comparable to our competitors and we remind people that they can help, with every search, Bing gets better at finding what you are looking for

• We believe that the current legislative proposal represents a fundamental step towards a more level playing field and a fairer digital ecosystem for consumers, business, and society.   

One thing is clear: while other tech companies may sometimes threaten to leave Australia, Microsoft will never make such a threat. We appreciate what Australia has long meant for Microsoft’s growth as a company, and we are committed to supporting the country’s national security and economic success. 

The games will start airing from next season.

For the past five years, netball has been aired on Nine Entertainment, with a deal made between Nine and Netball Australia in 2016 that is set to expire at the end of the 2021 Super Netball season. The Netball Live App – which ran through Telstra – will be shut down.

As a part of Kayo Freebies, Foxtel will air two Super Netball games per week for free, as well as all finals matches. A different deal made with the Diamonds netball team will see all of their matches aired for free on Kayo.

Foxtel Chief Content and Commercial Officer Amanda Laing said: “We are incredibly pleased to be joining Netball Australia to play our part in consolidating Suncorp Super Netball as the world’s number one elite netball competition.

“By bringing the free and paid broadcast and digital rights together, we can establish a more consistent competition schedule which will strengthen audience engagement. We have a reputation for innovation and will use our production expertise and marketing capability across Foxtel and Kayo to support netball’s continued growth.

“Suncorp Super Netball players are extraordinary athletes and striking ambassadors for their sport. We will work with the players, clubs, sponsors and the whole netball community to raise their profile and deliver the recognition and rewards which they deserve”.

Nine released a statement saying that they were disappointed to lose the netball broadcast rights.

“We are disappointed that after working with netball to grow the game for the past five years we find they have taken the deal with Foxtel which is supported by government money which we don’t have access to,” said a Nine spokesperson.

The government money Nine refers to is a grant given to Foxtel to “support the continued coverage of women’s, niche and other under-represented sports.” A total of $30 million was given in 2017, but last year the government announced that they would be giving Foxtel another $10 million over two years, bringing the total grant to $40 million.

Foxtel commented yesterday:
“Netball is the premier elite women’s sport in Australia and has a well-established presence on television. The finances received by Foxtel in relation to the under-represented sports grant, which currently expires mid-2022, have not been used to acquire the rights as announced by Netball Australia commencing in 2022.
“The comments made by a Nine spokesperson regard this matter are poorly informed and simply wrong.”

“Nine and Telstra saw the potential of the league and provided support at a critical time,” said said Netball Australia interim chief executive, Ron Steiner. “We look forward to working closely with them during season 2021 and thank them for their commitment to the game,” 

Super Netball Commission chair, Marina Go, says that the deal will be positive for Australian netball. “There are many winners in this deal, and that includes the world’s best netball players who will enjoy contract security and some of the best conditions of any female athletes anywhere,” she said.

The upcoming 2021 Suncorp Super Netball Season will be broadcast on Nine, Telstra TV, and the Netball Live Official app from Saturday, May 1.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominees for the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the nominations were announced virtually – a first for the Golden Globes.

The 2021 Golden Globes will take place on February 28, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. It will be the fourth time the pair return as hosts. Fey will be live from New York’s Rainbow Room, Poehler will be live from the Beverly Hilton, in Beverly Hills, and nominees will video call in from various locations around the world.

Australian actresses Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett have both been nominated in the Best Performance By An Actress In A Limited Series, Anthology Series Or A Motion Picture Made For Television category. Kidman has been nominated for her role in the Foxtel series The Undoing and Blanchett has been nominated for her role on Mrs. America, which is streaming on Binge.

Netflix has dominated as a Motion Picture Distributor, with a total of 22 nominations – well ahead of second-place Amazon Studios with seven nominations. Netflix has also topped the list of Television Distributors, with a total of 20 nominations.

The full list can be seen below.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

The Father (Trademark Films; Sony Pictures Classics)

Mank (Netflix; Netflix)

Nomadland  (Highwayman / Hear/Say / Cor Cordium; Searchlight Pictures)

Promising Young Woman (Luckychap Entertainment / Filmnation Entertainment; Focus Features)

The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (Marc Platt Productions / Dreamworks Pictures; Netflix)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Drama

Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Andra Day  – The United States Vs. Billie Holiday

Vanessa Kirby – Pieces Of A Woman

Frances McDormand – Nomadland

Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama

Riz Ahmed – Sound Of Metal

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins-  The Father

Gary Oldman – Mank

Tahar Rahim – The Mauritanian

Best Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Four By Two Films; Amazon Studios)

Hamilton (Walt Disney Pictures / Radicalmedia / 5000 Broadway Productions / Nevis Productions / Old 320 Sycamore Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Music (Pineapple Lasagne Productions / Landay Entertainment; Vertical Entertainment / Imax)

Palm Springs (Party Over Here / Limelight Productions; Neon / Hulu)

The Prom (Netflix / Dramatic Forces / Storykey Entertainment; Netflix)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy

Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Kate Hudson – Music

Michelle Pfeiffer – French Exit

Rosamund Pike – I Care A Lot

Anya Taylor-Joy – Emma.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

James Corden – The Prom

Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton

Dev Patel – The Personal History Of David Copperfield

Andy Samberg – Palm Springs

Best Motion Picture – Animated

The Croods: A New Age (Dreamworks Animation; Universal Pictures)

Onward (Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Over The Moon (Netflix / Pearl Studio / Glen Keane Productions; Netflix)

Soul (Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Wolfwalkers (Cartoon Saloon / Melusine; Apple / Gkids)

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language

Another Round (Denmark) (Zentropa Entertainments; Samuel Goldwyn Films)

La Llorona (Guatemala / France) (La Casa De Producción / Les Films Du Volcan; Shudder)

The Life Ahead (Italy) (Palomar; Netflix)

Minari (USA) (Plan B; A24)

Two Of Us (France / USA) (Paprika Films; Magnolia Pictures)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture

Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman – The Father

Jodie Foster – The Mauritanian

Amanda Seyfried – Mank

Helena Zengel – News Of The World

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture

Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial Of The Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya – Judas And The Black Messiah

Jared Leto – The Little Things

Bill Murray – On The Rocks

Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night In Miami…

Best Director – Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

David Fincher – Mank

Regina King – One Night In Miami…

Aaron Sorkin – The Trial Of The Chicago 7

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell  – Promising Young Woman

Jack Fincher – Mank

Aaron Sorkin – The Trial Of The Chicago 7

Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton – The Father

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Alexandre Desplat – The Midnight Sky

Ludwig Göransson – Tenet

James Newton Howard – News Of The World

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – Mank

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste – Soul

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“Fight For You” — Judas And The Black Messiah

Music By: H.E.R., Dernst Emile Ii

Lyrics By: H.E.R., Tiara Thomas

“Hear My Voice” — The Trial Of The Chicago 7

Music By: Daniel Pemberton

Lyrics By: Daniel Pemberton, Celeste Waite

“Io Sì (Seen)” — The Life Ahead

Music By: Diane Warren

Lyrics By: Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi

“Speak Now” — One Night In Miami…

Music By: Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ashworth

Lyrics By: Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ashworth

“Tigress & Tweed” — The United States Vs. Billie Holiday

Music By: Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq

Lyrics By: Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq

Best Television Series – Drama

The Crown – Netflix (Left Bank Pictures / Sony Pictures Television)

Lovecraft Country – HBO (HBO / Afemme / Monkeypaw / Bad Robot / Warner Bros. Television)

The Mandalorian – Disney+ (Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Ozark – Netflix (Mrc Television)

Ratched – Netflix (Fox21 Television Studios)   

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series – Drama

Olivia Colman – The Crown

Jodie Comer – Killing Eve

Emma Corrin – The Crown

Laura Linney – Ozark

Sarah Paulson – Ratched

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Drama

Jason Bateman – Ozark

Josh O’Connor – The Crown

Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul

Al Pacino – Hunters

Matthew Rhys – Perry Mason

Best Television Series – Musical Or Comedy

Emily In Paris – Netflix (Darren Star Productions / Jax Media / Mtv Studios)

The Flight Attendant – HBO Max (HBO Max / Berlanti Productions / Yes, Norman Productions / Warner Bros. Television)

The Great – Hulu (Hulu / Civic Center Media / Mrc)

Schitt’s Creek – Pop Tv (Not A Real Company Productions / Canadian Broadcast Company / Pop Tv)

Ted Lasso – Apple Tv+ (Apple / Doozer Productions / Warner Bros. Television / Universal Television)   

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy

Lily Collins – Emily In Paris

Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant

Elle Fanning – The Great

Jane Levy – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy

Don Cheadle – Black Monday

Nicholas Hoult – The Great

Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek

Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso

Ramy Youssef – Ramy

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television

Normal People – Hulu (Hulu / Bbc / Element Pictures)

The Queen’s Gambit – Netflix (Netflix)

Small Axe – Amazon Studios (Bbc Studios Americas, Inc / Amazon Studios)

The Undoing – HBO (HBO / Made Up Stories / Blossom Films/David E. Kelley Productions)

Unorthodox – Netflix (Studio Airlift / Realfilm)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Limited Series, Anthology Series Or A Motion Picture Made For Television

Cate Blanchett – Mrs. America

Daisy Edgar-Jones – Normal People

Shira Haas – Unorthodox

Nicole Kidman – The Undoing

Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit

Best Performance By An Actor In A Limited Series, Anthology Series Or A Motion Picture Made For Television

Bryan Cranston – Your Honor

Jeff Daniels – The Comey Rule

Hugh Grant – The Undoing

Ethan Hawke – The Good Lord Bird

Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much Is True

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Supporting Role

Gillian Anderson – The Crown

Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown

Julia Garner – Ozark

Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek

Cynthia Nixon – Ratched

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Supporting Role

John Boyega – Small Axe

Brendan Gleeson – The Comey Rule

Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek

Jim Parsons – Hollywood

Donald Sutherland – The Undoing

Nominations By Motion Picture Distributor

Netflix – 22

Amazon Studios – 7

Focus Features – 5

Searchlight Pictures – 5

Sony Pictures Classics – 5

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures – 5

Warner Bros. Pictures – 4

Universal Pictures – 3

Hulu – 2

Neon / Hulu – 2

Stxfilms – 2

Vertical Entertainment / Imax – 2

A24 – 1

Apple / A24 – 1

Apple / Gkids – 1

Magnolia Pictures – 1

Samuel Goldwyn Films – 1

Shudder – 1

Nominations By Television Distributor

Netflix – 20

HBO – 7

Hulu – 6

Pop Tv – 5

Showtime – 5

Amazon Studios – 3

Apple Tv+ – 2

HBO Max – 2

AMC – 1

Bbc America – 1

Disney+ – 1

Fx Networks – 1

NBC – 1

Nominations By Motion Picture

Mank – 6

The Trial Of The Chicago 7 – 5

The Father – 4

Nomadland –  4

Promising Young Woman – 4

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – 3

One Night In Miami… – 3

Hamilton – 2

Judas And The Black Messiah – 2

The Life Ahead – 2

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – 2

The Mauritanian – 2

Music – 2

News Of The World – 2

Palm Springs – 2

The Prom – 2

Soul – 2

The United States Vs. Billie Holiday – 2

Another Round – 1

The Croods: A New Age – 1

Emma. – 1

French Exit – 1

Hillbilly Elegy – 1

I Care A Lot – 1

La Llorona – 1

The Little Things – 1

The Midnight Sky – 1

Minari – 1

On The Rocks – 1

Onward – 1

Over The Moon – 1

The Personal History Of David Copperfield – 1

Pieces Of A Woman – 1

Sound Of Metal – 1

Tenet – 1

Two Of Us – 1

Wolfwalkers – 1

Nominations By Television Series Or Program

The Crown – 6

Schitt’s Creek – 5

Ozark – 4

The Undoing – 4

The Great –  3

Ratched – 3

The Comey Rule –  2

Emily In Paris – 2

The Flight Attendant – 2

Normal People –  2

The Queen’s Gambit –  2

Small Axe – 2

Ted Lasso – 2

Unorthodox – 2

Better Call Saul – 1

Black Monday – 1

The Good Lord Bird –  1

Hollywood – 1

Hunters – 1

I Know This Much Is True – 1

Killing Eve – 1

Lovecraft Country –  1

The Mandalorian –  1

Mrs. America – 1

Perry Mason – 1

Ramy – 1

Your Honor – 1

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – 1

Amazon Prime Video and Swimming Australia today announced an exclusive, two-year live broadcast streaming deal, to distribute the Australian Swimming championship events globally on Prime Video at no additional cost to Prime members.  Live streaming highlights will include the 2021 Australian Swimming Trials in the lead up to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and the qualifying events for the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships and the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

This partnership will ensure that Australians and a global audience won’t miss any of the action as Australia’s elite swimmers compete in qualifying for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo later this year, and other global sporting events in 2022.

The first event available to stream on Amazon Prime Video will be the Australian Swimming Trials in Adelaide between 12-17 June. Key events in the swimming event calendar before this will be available to stream on Swimming Australia’s digital platform, SwimTV, and will be announced at a later date.

“We know live sport attracts passionate fan bases from around the world, many of whom are already Prime members,” said Marie Donoghue, Vice President of Global Sports Video at Amazon Prime Video.

“We are focused on giving our customers access to the best selection of content possible, including the ability to watch live sport when and how they want to watch it. Streaming the upcoming Swimming Australia championship events on Prime Video is a great step toward achieving that global vision, and offers tremendous new value for Prime members in Australia and beyond.”

Swimming Australia President, Kieren Perkins said, “To be able to partner our sport with one of the biggest streaming services in the world provides us with fantastic opportunities to deliver premium live swimming content to Australians and a global Prime Video audience.

“Swimming is ingrained in our culture, and we know that millions of fans support the Australian Dolphins Swim Team when they compete.  Also, our current generation of swimmers, including those who have an eye on competing in Paris 2024 and beyond, will love being able to live stream the sport wherever they are.”

“We’re excited to partner with Swimming Australia to bring live swimming events to Australian and global fans exclusively on Amazon Prime Video at no extra cost to Prime members,” said Hushidar Kharas, Head of Prime Video Australia. 

“Sport is an intrinsic part of Australian’s lives, and Amazon Prime Video has already established itself as the home of captivating Australian sports docu-series including The Test and the upcoming AFL docu-series Making Their Mark. The launch of live sports streaming on Prime Video in Australia is a natural progression for us, and we are proud to be partnering with Swimming Australia to bring the iconic and beloved sport to Prime Video customers.”

“This is a great result for our community, including swimmers, clubs, state associations and fans,” added Mitch Larkin from the Australian Dolphins.

“Having our events streamed live on Amazon Prime Video will inspire the next generation of athletes who will be able to watch the best swimmers in the country compete.”

The new Screen Australia projects include feature film How To Please A Woman about a woman’s choice to take her all-male housecleaning business to a more intimate level; anthology drama series Fires set during last summer’s devastating bushfires for the ABC; and a comedy about a single woman and her database of potential sexual partners in Spreadsheet for Viacom CBS.

Sally Caplan, Head of Content for Screen Australia said, “It’s fantastic to kick off 2021 with such a great sample of the premium dramas that have been greenlit across the country. It’s a testament to the resilience of the screen industry to have so many projects move into production during such a challenging period.

“We’re so pleased to have supported writer/director Renée Webster’s debut feature How To Please A Woman through Gender Matters and now into production. Webster has created an authentic, moving and funny story exploring female desire and sexuality, and I can’t wait to see it brought to life. I’m also looking forward to bold new comedy Spreadsheet, from emerging creator Kala Ellis teaming up with talented writers Romina Accurso, Rhys Nicholson, Darren Ashton, Matilda Brown and Michelle Law.”

FEATURE FILM PROJECTS:

How To Please A Woman: The debut feature film from Western Australian writer/director Renée Webster (The Heights). This comedy/drama follows 50-something Gina who has an inspired business idea to launch an all-male house-cleaning business that also provides intimate experiences for the customers. The uptake is instant, and the challenges of the business help Gina realise she must embrace her own desires to have the life she wants. This film is produced by Tania Chambers (Kill Me Three Times) and Judi Levine (Falling for Figaro), and executive produced by Deanne Weir (Babyteeth), Roxana McMallan (Hildegarde), Olivia Humphrey, Adrian and Michela Fini, and Pam and Julius Colman. How To Please A Woman is supported in association with Screenwest and Lotterywest, and was also supported through the Screen Australia Gender Matters initiative.                                              

Gold: A feature film from writer/director/producer Anthony Hayes (Ten Empty), which follows two drifters (played by Hayes and Zac Efron) travelling through the outback who stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found. They hatch a plan to protect and excavate their bounty but, when one man leaves to get equipment, the other remains and must endure the harsh desert climate, while battling the creeping doubt that he has been abandoned to his own fate. The creative team also features writer Polly Smyth and producers John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz of Deeper Water Films (Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan). The executive producers are Andrew Mann (Buckley’s Chance), Peter Touche, Simon Williams, Paul Wiegard, Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, Nick Forward, and Mike Runagall. Gold will premiere as a Stan Original following a national theatrical release through Madman in 2021. It is financed in association with Stan, Altitude films, Ingenious Media and with support from the South Australian Film Corporation.

TELEVISION PROJECTS:

Fires: A six-part drama for the ABC inspired by extraordinary accounts from people who survived the catastrophic fire season of 2019/20. A serialised anthology, Fires weaves character studies based on true stories into a narrative about the biggest fires of this century. Each episode is based around reports from ordinary people caught in the unimaginable and the impossible choices they were forced to make. From volunteer firefighters risking everything, to families who lost homes and loved ones; from people who had to make agonising decisions about whether to stay or flee, to those who found themselves responsible for the lives of friends and strangers – Fires tells the story of how one summer changed us forever. The writing team, led by showrunner/writer Belinda Chayko (Safe Harbour) includes Jacquelin Perske (The Cry), Mirrah Foulkes (Judy and Punch), Steven McGregor (Mystery Road) and Anya Beyersdorf (Eden). Fires is produced by Elisa Argenzio (Lambs of God) and executive produced by Tony Ayres (Stateless), Andrea Denholm (How To Stay Married) and Liz Watts (The King). This project is financed with support from the ABC and supported by Film Victoria through the Victorian Screen Incentive and Regional Location Assistance Fund.

Frayed Season 2: A six-part second season for the ABC and Sky Studios from Merman and Guesswork Television. Season two picks up back in London, where the lives and secrets of the Cooper family unravel further as they deal with the ramifications of season one’s explosive finale and their Australian past insists on catching up with them. Returning for the second season is series creator, writer and BAFTA-nominated actor Sarah Kendall, director Shaun Wilson, producer Nicole O’Donohue and executive producers Kevin Whyte, Clelia Mountford and Sharon Horgan. The series is financed with support from Screen NSW and international sales will be managed by NBCUniversal Global Distribution on behalf of Sky Studios.

Spreadsheet: An eight-part comedy series for Viacom CBS about recently divorced, hectically busy mother-of-two Lauren who is looking for sex without commitment. With the help of her best friend Alex, the ‘Spreadsheet’ is born: a database of options to sleep with. Lauren is determined to prove women can play men at their own game, from mastering casual sex, to a career, her family and her own sanity. The creative team features creator and writer Kala Ellis, writers Romina Accurso (The Heights), comedian Rhys Nicholson, Darren Ashton (Here Come The Habibs), Matilda Brown (Let’s Talk About) and Michelle Law (Homecoming Queens). Spreadsheet is produced by Andy Walker (The Kettering Incident) and executive produced by Catherine Nebauer (Hardball). This project is supported by Film Victoria through the Victorian Screen Incentive, and ITV Studios will manage international sales.

CHILDREN’S SERIES:

Dive Club (pictured): A 12-part teen mystery drama for Network 10 and Netflix. Filmed in Port Douglas, Queensland, the series centres on teenage divers Maddie, Lauren, Anna and Stevie. When Lauren goes missing after a cyclone, the group are plunged into a search that raises more questions the deeper they dive. Dive Club is written by Georgia Harrison (Rip Tide), Claire Harris (Zelos), Adrian Powers (Paper Champions), Caera Bradshaw and Drew Jarvis, and directed by Rhiannon Bannenberg (Rip Tide), Christine Luby (This Little Love Of Mine) and Hayley McFarlane (Swimming for Gold). The producers are Steve Jaggi (Rip Tide) and Spencer McLaren (Swimming for Gold). Made by The Steve Jaggi Company, this series is a Netflix and Network 10 co-production, with support from Screen Queensland.

ONLINE SERIES:

Me and Her(pes): A six-part romantic comedy for YouTube, which follows twenty-something overachiever Saffie, who discovers she has herpes and reaches out to Bek, the one night stand who ghosted her and the only person she’s ever slept with. When Bek insists on helping Saffie as she recovers from her initial outbreak, the two, bound together by their shared virus, come to better understand herpes, sexuality, their bodies and each other. Director Vic Zerbst (of comedy duo Freudian Nip) teams up with writer/producer Gemma Bird Matheson (The Housemate), writer Kasia Vickery and producer Hannah Ngo (producer of upcoming SBS series Iggy & Ace) and executive producer Alexandra Keddie (The Housemate). This series is presented in partnership with ACON.

For more, visit the Screen Australia website.

After parachuting out of a plane late last year and securing a cameo appearance in new ABC TV series Aftertaste, Nova’s Ben & Liam embarked on their latest publicity stunt today – a Ben & Liam billboard broadcast.

It is not exactly on top of a huge high-rise, but eight stories above the ground is still high enough to induce vertigo for some.

That is where Nova Adelaide breakfast hosts Ben & Liam were this morning for a broadcast in front of a giant Nova billboard.

See also: Up in the air: Nova’s Ben & Liam scale new heights with human billboard broadcast

Situated at the corner of corner of West Terrace and South Terrace, the breakfast boys on the broadcast had a view across Adelaide Parklands and the Wester Terrace Cemetery. They even managed to work in some live reads for venues in their sights.

The duo carefully worked the maximum publicity from Channels Seven and Nine – weather from Seven Adelaide’s Amelia Mulcahy and a hopeful promise from Nine Adelaide newsreader Kate Collins the Ben & Liam billboard broadcast might be on the 6pm News. “Let’s hope it’s a slow news day,” she advised.

During the Ben & Liam billboard broadcast they spoke to a number of passers-by on the phone with some admitting they had switched channels from their normal breakfast radio choice.

There was also a bit a rain this morning too, getting a little heavier as they got close to the finish time of 9am.

ABC TV and Screen Australia have announced that a second season of the critically-acclaimed comedy series Frayed, written by and starring UK-based Australian comedian Sarah Kendall, has commenced filming in Sydney.

In the new 6-part season, we find Sammy (Kendall) and her kids, having made it out of Australia, living in a tiny London flat while she frantically tries to prove that her lawyer, Rufus (Robert Webb), stole her house. Barely able to make ends meet working in ‘exhaust management’ (she’s a secretary in a muffler repair shop), Sammy is desperate to find a way to reclaim her opulent London life.  She must also keep her kids far away from Australia and the truth about what happened to their neighbour.  

Meanwhile back down under in Newcastle, an ambitious cop heads up the missing persons case and simply does not believe Sammy’s neighbour would just disappear.  

With Jim (Ben Mingay), Jean (Kerry Armstrong), and Abby (Alexandra Jensen) trying to keep their secret hidden, and con artist Bev (Doris Younane) lurking on the scene, it’s only a matter of time until Sammy is called back to be a key witness in the case. 

Also reprising their roles from season one are Diane Morgan (Fiona), as well as Matt Passmore (Dan), George Houvardas (Chris), Frazer Hadfield (Lenny), and Maggie Ireland-Jones (Tess).  Joining them this season are Hamish Michael (Rosehaven, Janet King), Jane Hall (Wentworth, Neighbours) and rising talent Emma Harvie (The Letdown, Diary of an Uber Driver) as Emily.

Frayed debuted on ABC TV in Australia and on Sky in the UK in October 2019. The series was nominated for five AACTA Awards and Kendall also garnered a BAFTA Television Award nomination for Female Performance in a Comedy Programme.

Creator, writer, and star Sarah Kendall says “I’m so excited to be home making season 2 of Frayed. The last year has been pretty grim, so we’re all really grateful for this opportunity to bring back a lot of these frankly appalling characters.”

ABC TV Head of Comedy Todd Abbott says “The first season of Frayed made Australians realise that Sarah Kendall is a true triple threat: writer, performer and fashion icon. The second season promises to make her a fully-fledged national treasure, as a stellar cast and top-shelf production team bring to life the sharp, suspenseful, audacious and flat-out funny scripts she has created.”

Executive Producer for Merman, Clelia Mountford says: “We’re delighted to be working with Sarah, the ABC and Sky to bring Frayed and its wonderfully dark humour back for a second season. Sarah’s bold writing and vibrant characterisation, combined with the cast’s fantastic performances received such deserved acclaim for season one, and we’re excited for audiences to see what’s in store as the trail of destruction continues to unfold.”

Frayed Season 2 will film in both Australia and the UK and airs later in 2021 on ABC TV and ABC iview.

One of Western Australia’s sharpest political minds – columnist and 6PR breakfast host Gareth Parker – joins WAtoday, rounding out the newspaper’s political news team in the lead up to the March 13 state election.

Gareth is a Walkley Award nominee and former winner of the Matt Price prize for WA columnist of the year. He joins WAtoday as a weekly columnist in a state election campaign set amongst the backdrop of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and a booming economy. His first column came out yesterday, and tackles the real, urgent, and growing health crisis in WA that is flying under the radar while all eyes apparently are on COVID-19.

“I can’t wait to get stuck in and write for WAtoday readers, especially at this unique moment in the State’s history,” said Gareth, host of 6PR Breakfast and former state political reporter at The West Australian.

“Amid the global pandemic and recession, we’ve got a bizarre combination of a seemingly roaring economy, extraordinary gains flowing to resources companies and their shareholders while the story for small business and employment is patchy.

“You’ve also got an incredibly popular Labor Government with a personally dominant Premier supported strongly by big business in an election year. And extraordinary restrictions on ordinary people’s liberties have been quickly embraced without any clear sense of the path out. Rarely has independent thinking in the coverage of the life and affairs of our great state been more important.”

WAtoday Editor Fran Rimrod says Gareth’s unrivalled political knowledge will add to the strong editorial coverage the publication will be devoting to the state election.

“Gareth is one of the state’s best political minds, his intelligent analysis and strong opinions will further boost WAtoday‘s political and business coverage as we head into the election campaign,” said Fran. “He’s won awards for his political columns and there is a reason for that. Gareth Parker holds the powers that be in our state to account, in a time when that couldn’t be more important.”

Seven’s Holey Moley’s third episode of the week had 543,000 viewers which was down on the 737,000  from Tuesday night. The show was #1 in the key demographics 16-39 and 18-49.

The week’s ratings for Seven’s new tentpole program were:

Monday: 983,000 
Tuesday: 737,000
Wednesday: 543,000

Holey Moley helped Seven win its third night in a row with a primary share of 19.7% and a network share of 27.8%.

In last nights episode AFLW West Coast Eagles assistant coach Michelle Cowan was on fire in more ways than one when she won the plaid jacket and faced the Dragon’s Breath hole.

Holey Moley was followed by the Marvel film Captain America: The First Avenger which had 254,000 viewers.

On Nine, Travel Guides took viewers to Tasmania as the guides went to markets, Ghost tours in Port Arthur, Cradle Mountain and saw a lot of roadkill. The episode brought in 600,000 viewers which was down on last Wednesday’s 658,000.

Travel Guides was followed by Aussie romantic comedy Top End Wedding which had 263,000.

10’s The Amazing Race Australia took the contestants from the glitz and glamour of the Gold Coast to the blistering heat of Winton in Queensland where the team’s toilet papered up to compete in Winton’s famous Dunny Derby. 

The episode saw the Kimberley Cousins, Dwes and Katherine return to the race as the Super Sikhs enjoyed their First-Class pass as they skipped the leg of the race. The Super Sikhs influence wasn’t over after handing The Power Couple a Salvage which meant they could jump a queue during this episode while The Mums were given a Sabotage, which meant one of them couldn’t speak for the entire leg. The Mums ended up going home. The episode had 447,000 which was down on Tuesday nights ratings of 493,000.

Amazing Race Week 1 TV Ratings:
Monday: 501,000
Tuesday: 493,000
Wednesday: 447,000

The Project had 437,000 as the episode covered the battle of the pollies in a Canberra corridor clash and Lehmo brought the laughs when he dropped in to celebrate the return of comedy festivals.

On the ABC Hard Quiz returned for the year and was the top non-news show of the night with 622,000 while the first episode of ABC’s new comedy Aftertaste had 479,000 viewers.