Thursday March 4, 2021

podcast week
Podcast Week: Fool Scott Phillips, Decade of Two Blokes, Brooke & Linda’s Dream Club

Compiled by James Manning

Podcast faves from mums Cath and Sarah, Squiz Sport, Vogue snares Jesinta Franklin.

Scott Phillips Fooling around

Since the Covid-19 pandemic finance podcasts have thrived, and one key example is Motley Fool Money which ranked #37 in the January Podcast Ranker, moving up 22 places.

Mediaweek’s Trent Thomas spoke with the show’s co-host and The Motley Fool’s chief investment officer in Australia, Scott Phillips, who said the LiSTNR podcast is a way to reach people who wouldn’t have searched for The Motley Fool or financial advice otherwise.

“A podcast is relatively easy listening and hearing normal people talking about normal stuff without jargon might actually help some people.”

Phillips admitted the idea for the podcast came from an unexpected phone call. “Mike Fitzpatrick at Triple M called me out of the blue and said he read my articles in the paper and asked about podcasting and thought there was something we could do to help people for free.”

Phillips said the return from podcasting is threefold, including putting a personality to the company name.

We have advertising revenue, people who take up subscriptions and the ability to enhance and build a brand through a new audience. Hopefully by doing the podcast we position ourselves to be one of the options for people.”

The last 12 months have seen an increase in the popularity of finance podcasts. Phillips said that along with recent events like GameStop, Covid has also had an impact, with people that kept their employment having more disposable income to invest.

“The uptake of podcasts is people realising there is a platform out there that is for entertainment, but can also be used as an alternative way to learn a few things and catch up while they are driving, exercising or walking the dog – finance really lends itself to that.

The Motley Fool is investors writing for investors, we aren’t trying to impress anybody, and we are not in big glass offices. We ask ourselves what would I want to hear if I was in their shoes. The financial industry tries to make things more complicated than they are, and we try to break it down into understandable chunks and explain you can do it yourself.”

Phillips said that he listens to a number of podcasts both local and abroad.

“In the US Motley Fool has been doing podcasts for about a decade and we took the US business lead and tried to Australianise it.

“I love Planet Money in the US, am a big fan of Freakonomics, and the Conversations podcast here in Australia.”

Listen to The Motley Fool podcast here.

Vogue Australia takes Baby Steps with Jesinta Franklin

Last week Vogue Australia launched Baby Steps, a podcast and fertility guide for women trying to conceive. Hosted by Remy RipponVogue’s senior beauty and health editor, and Jesinta Franklin, supermodel and spokesperson, each episode will feature an interview with obstetrics and fertility experts, unpacking the myths and realities of baby-making and fertility so you can get the practical, no-nonsense advice you’ve always wanted.

In the first episode of Baby Steps Remy and Jesinta talk to Dr Melissa Overton, general practitioner Coogee Beach Doctors, about when to stop contraception, visiting the GP, the importance of a healthy lifestyle, uncovering family history and whether genetic testing is beneficial.

Vogue Australia is also the publisher of the Vogue Codes podcast series.

Listen to Baby Steps here.

The Squiz launches daily sport news

Acast has extended its partnership with independent news provider The Squiz to host and distribute its new daily sporting podcast, Sport TodayThe new podcast launches with sports streaming service Kayo Sports as launch sponsor.

Sport Today’s hosts Greg Elliott and Gemma Ryan will keep sports lovers on the ball with independent and agenda-free analysis of the day’s biggest sporting news.

Since creators Claire Kimball and Kate Watson launched daily news program The Squiz Today in May 2018, their programming roster has expanded to include weekly explainer series Squiz Shortcuts and child-friendly daily show Squiz Kids.

The Squiz founder Claire Kimball said: “Our thing at The Squiz is making sense of the cluttered news cycle coming at our podcast listeners and newsletter subscribers each day. Sport Today will do that for sport fans who want more than results and opinion. In less than 10 minutes each weekday, we’ll take listeners through the headlines, and unpick what makes sporting disciplines across Australia and the world tick.”

Sport Today hosts: Greg Elliott
Desperate for a sports podcast as a companion to Squiz Today, Elliott pitched the idea to The Squiz in early 2020. Elliott has a background in the content industry and is, of course, a keen sports fan.

Sport Today hosts: Gemma Ryan
Ryan has played, coached, or run water for just about every sport Aussies love. Growing up alongside co-host Greg Elliott, the pair are lifelong mates and sport obsessed. Ryan’s an avid Sydney Swans fan with an appetite for sports news across all codes.

Listen to Sport Today here.

Brooke and Linda’s Dream Club

The Dream Club with besties Brooke Boney and Linda Marigliano launched on LiSTNR last week.

The Dream Club promises authentic conversations with two of Australia’s most connected entertainment tastemakers and real-life friends, talking through all the things happening around the globe from film and fashion to relationships, mental health, politics and everything in between. They are calling it a pop culture conversation you don’t feel guilty about.

Brooke Boney is best known as Nine Network’s entertainment reporter on the Today show. With a background in political journalism, Boney has interviewed some of the world’s biggest stars, politicians and leading thought leaders.

Co-hosting Dream Club is long-time radio announcer (FBi and triple j) and musician Linda Marigliano. She may also be recognised as bass player in her band Teenagersintokyo.

Earlier this year Marigliano also released her own podcast Tough Lov‪e.

Listen to The Dream Club here.

Podcast faves from mums Cath and Sarah

Last column we asked Podcast Week readers to venture into the world of Cathrine Mahoney and Sarah McGilvray and their new Nova Entertainment podcast. This week we have more from the hosts of Not Another Parenting Podcast – audio recommendations.

Podcast Week

Sarah McGilvray and Cathrine Mahoney

Cath’s list
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Fortunately from the BBC broadcasters Jane Garvey and Fi Glover
Gaba – Next generation meditation
Hay House podcasts – alternative health from HayHouseRadio.com

Sarah’s list
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Women on Top with actress Tammin Sursok (“She is so raw. Sometimes I swerve the car when she is talking”) and entertainment host Roxy Manning
9021OMG podcast hosted by Tori Spelling and Jenni Garth. “My guilty pleasure”

Nova Entertainment and Fox Sports

Nova Entertainment and Fox Sports Australia this week announced the launch of a strategic commercial relationship to amplify and extend the reach of their podcasting audiences.

Martin Medcraf, Foxtel Media sports sales and partnerships director, said: “Nova Entertainment is a powerhouse in the audio entertainment industry and we are delighted to be collaborating with them to reach their wide listener network, provide dynamic sports content, and help brands engage even more deeply with Australia’s passionate sports audiences.”

See also: Nova Entertainment and Fox Sports Australia announce commercial relationship

Podcast Week celebration: Two Blokes Talking Tech – The first decade

After the hosts were first introduced together on a Mediaweek podcast a long, long time ago, the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast was born. The Two Blokes – Trevor Long and Stephen Fenech – launched their new podcast soon after connecting on the Mediaweek podcast.

Podcast Week

Three blokes talking tech? Mediaweek’s James Manning (centre) with Trevor Long (left) and Stephen Fenech at the start of their podcast journey a decade ago

In the decade since they have hosted over 500 podcast shows in addition to continue hosting their flourishing solo podcast projects – EFTM Tech, cars and lifestyle (Long), and Tech Guide (Fenech). The weekly Two Blokes recording sessions are alternated between studios at Tech Guide and EFTM. When the tech gurus are on the road they broadcast from whatever city they are in.

Long and Fenech both segued from their day jobs in the media to start their own publishing/podcasting empires. Long was with 2GB and then SBS before diving into EFTM.com fulltime. Among Long’s other duties are weekly radio spots right around Australia in addition to his role as the Today show tech editor. Fenech also juggles media spots on radio and TV, after leaving his job as sporting editor of The Daily Telegraph over a decade ago to launch TechGuide.com.au.

Podcast Week

Trevor Long and Stephen Fenech celebrating their decade together

“We are lucky to make money out of this because it is such a low-cost venture. It’s not about the money, but the money validates what we do,” said Long. Sponsors along the way have included NetGear and Arlo. “Is it a coincidence that NetGear is now the #1 wi-fi brand in Australia,” asked Fenech in the 10th-anniversary episode of Two Blokes.

The two have remarkably similar views on tech, but what makes the podcast compelling is the constant testing of each other’s opinions and the vociferous arguments on things they don’t agree on. “How Stephen doesn’t like Star Wars I just don’t understand,” said Fenech last week – something that Jedi Knight Fenech brings up most episodes.

Listen to Two Guys Talking Tech here.

Podcast Week

Emma Cowdroy facebook aap
CEO Emma Cowdroy on AAP 2.0, Media Diversity, revenue streams, and NCA’s newswire

By Tess Connery

“We’ve been doing the same thing for 85 years, we are a really trusted source in the Australian media landscape”

Last year, AAP Newswire came dangerously close to closing down for good, but at the eleventh hour AAP was sold to a consortium of investors and philanthropists. Whilst the company still faced job losses, the change in ownership meant that the newswire continued to operate.

Mediaweek spoke to Emma Cowdroy, CEO of AAP about what 2021 looks like for the newswire, appearing at the Senate inquiry into media diversity, and the launch of News Corp’s NCA newswire.

AAP 2.0

Cowdroy says that despite a rough 2020, AAP is doing well.

“We’ve done a pretty amazing job, even though we’ve obviously had editorial cuts. We’re down to 75 editorial staff from what was around 140, but we’re still managing to put out 220 stories a day. The data we have that we’re following quite closely shows that a lot of those, if not all of those stories are being picked up and run by our subscribers. 

“The usage stats we have are significantly higher than they were under AAP 1.0. That shows that we’ve got the service side, the actual newswire side, we’ve got that all down pat and we’ve got that going really well.”

Of those 220 stories AAP puts out per day, Cowdroy says that the most important stories they provide are the ones that allow small and medium media organisations to compete in the Australian media landscape.

“The areas that differentiate us – the stuff that our customers have said that they really rely on, and that’s across the board from regional customers to metropolitan customers – is our courts reporting and our sports reporting. Those were areas where we were really loath to make any adjustments to the service.

“Equally our political reporting, our national and state-level political coverage is really important, especially for regional customers who aren’t in a position to go and set up newsrooms in every capital city or in parliament house. That’s what newswires are traditionally set up to do.”

The Age staff members protesting the reported closure of AAP Newswire, 2020

Funding AAP Into the Future

Cowdroy says there are three main pillars of support for AAP.

“The first one is the commercial revenue that we’ve always had, and even without Nine and News [Corp] we’ve managed to keep or transfer 90% of our customer contracts… which is a really great endorsement of AAP, the service, and the new structure.

“The other area we’ve got is the philanthropic funding, and I guess that’s an area where we see some things that we might be doing differently in the future. We’re looking at the potential for philanthropically funded desks, where we provide a specialty or a specialised reporter that can work on an area that might have been a casualty of newsroom cuts over the last few years.

“The third area is government funding that we have been calling for throughout the various inquiries that we’ve appeared at over the last couple of months.”

Cowdroy says that if the government funding were to go ahead, it would be primarily used for journalist salaries and freelance salaries.

Appearing at the Media Diversity Inquiry

Cowdroy recently appeared in front of the Senate as part of the inquiry into media diversity. She says it was important to speak about how much impact newswires have on Australian media.

“For the first time in AAP’s history, the newswire was expressly referenced in the terms of reference of the Media Diversity Inquiry. It’s really interesting because often the wires have been structurally hidden. People don’t necessarily know how important we are and what we do, and so it was critical for us to show that we’re an essential pillar of media diversity in Australia. 

“It was our opportunity to show that to have a plurality of voices in the media landscape, a newswire is really critical to enable that to occur. It was the first time we’ve been able to be actually addressed, and you only have to look at the number of submissions that also spoke about our really critical role to see just how important it is that we have an independent national newswire.”

NCA Newswire

News Corp launched their own internal newswire last year, known as the NCA Newswire. A non-compete period with AAP was put in place, but the period has since expired and the service hasn’t been made public. News Corp also appeared at the Inquiry.

Cowdroy says that despite the release of the NCA Newswire, the independence of AAP is what their customers value.

“News Corp’s NCA newswire as they said in the inquiry is not independent and – to quote, Campbell Reid said – ‘we don’t pretend it is’. It’s really important to have an independent national newswire where all media outlets can take our objective, unbiased, accurate service and they can then use that to overlay their own commentary, opinion, and their own view on top of that.

“My view is that I would be surprised if many of our customers would be interested in taking a self-avowedly non-independent news wire, I just can’t see them wanting to take from a third-party source. So as the independent national newswire I feel really confident that our customers know our product. We’ve been doing the same thing for 85 years, we are a really trusted source in the Australian media landscape and I think our service actually speaks for itself.”

nine
Meet the press: Nine chair introduces new CEO, confirms revenue strategy

By James Manning

Peter Costello on choosing Mike Sneesby over internal options and board unity.

Nine’s Hugh Marks has left the company, before the announcement of Mike Sneesby as his replacement, in slightly dramatic circumstances.

Nine chairman Peter Costello introduced the new leader of Australia’s biggest media company yesterday, revealing that the person Stan’s Mike Sneesby is replacing had been admitted to hospital. “Hugh Marks is in hospital and has been tested for an infection,” said Costello, revealing Marks is OK with him revealing the news. “He’s been there for several days, but it is not life-threatening.” Marks took ill just after delivering the first-half results a week ago.

The Nine chairman took questions from journalists at the CEO announcement, with several probing about claims of a “fractured board”.

Costello: “The board is not fractured and the board is totally behind Mike Sneesby and this is a decision of the board. He will have every support of the board.”

To another question he added: “There is absolutely no division on the board. Patrick Allaway has become the chair of the Bank of Queensland. He gave notice [to stand down from Nine] when he accepted [that position]. Every member of the board is a valued member.

“And I want to make this clear. There is only one corporation here – Nine Entertainment. We all owe our obligations to the shareholders of the corporation and of course the employees.

Talking to the media about taking on the CEO role, Mike Sneesby said:

“I’m extremely proud to be taking on this role. My media career has primarily been in and around Fairfax and Nine businesses over the years prior to the merger. To be able to work alongside the people I have loved working with for many years is a true honour.

“I am looking forward to working with Peter and the board. Hugh Marks has been a phenomenal driver of the success of this business over the years and we are looking on building on the success that Hugh has created.

“The recent half-year results reflected the content and journalism created by this organisation. We have Australia’s best content creators and Australia’s best journalists that underpins the financial results. The distribution of that content means that more of the revenues are coming from digital and subscription channels. Every part of this organisation, thousands of people across Nine have been involved in getting us to where we are today.”

See also: Stan man gets the Nine CEO gig: Hugh Marks successor named

Sneesby wouldn’t be drawn on any initial plans he had for the business.

“My role kicks off on the first of April and between now and then I will be spending time with the executive group and the board in setting targets and understanding where we want to take the business. Digital distribution and the subscription business remains an important part of our business.”

Costello added: “We have said it is our objective by 2024 to have more than 35% of group revenues from subscription. We are well on our way and we will meet that target.”

In answer to a question from Mediaweek about the selection process, Costello explained:

“When we announced last November Hugh would be standing down in the first half of this year it was always our intention, and Hugh’s intention, [for him] to be around to do the half-year results.

Immediately we had a number of executives who expressed interest in the position. That was a good thing, frankly. A number of those people would have been qualified for it. We would have been much more worried if no one had put their hand up.

“To have a plethora of candidates was great. We had a search and looked at international candidates and it was a very exhaustive process. In the end the board concluded that Mike Sneesby was the best-qualified candidate.”

Peter Costello and Mike Sneesby at CEO announcement

When asked if any of the unsuccessful internal candidates might move on, Costello told Mediaweek:

I want to say all of the candidates are very valuable members of this team. We value their contribution and we would like them all to be with us on this journey.

Sneesby noted he has more experience in some parts of the business over others. “This organisation is now very diverse in terms of executives. I don’t think there is a person with the exception of Hugh Marks who had led a company with the diversity of media assets that Nine has.

“It doesn’t surprise me that people may think my forte is one thing. The commitment I make to staff and the board is that I will be across all areas of the business and will make sure I understand the people in the business to get the best outcomes.

While Sneesby prepares to take on the top job from April 1, Stan will be managed by its executive team as a search for a new chief executive gets underway.

Mike Sneesby started his tour of the Nine group early on Thursday as he visited the Sydney Nine Radio facility, dropping in on breakfast host Ben Fordham and morning announcer Ray Hadley.

Michael Gudinski
iHeartRadio launches tribute station for Michael Gudinski

Gudinski passed away suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 68.

With the industry still coming to terms with the loss of Michael Gudinski, iHeartRadio Australia has created a station dedicated to his career. The tribute station features all the music he championed over his career including music from the artists on his Mushroom label or who toured with Frontier.

A Tribute To Michael Gudinski is available here.

Gudinski passed away suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 68.

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006, and is survived by his wife Sue, children Matt and Kate, and two grandchildren.

An official release from Mushroom said that Gudinski died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Melbourne.

“A larger-than-life figure, Michael was widely respected for his unwavering passion for all music – in particular Australian music.

“Most recently, with the music industry severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Michael conceptualised and developed Music From The Home FrontThe Sound and The State Of Music, platforms designed to showcase and support contemporary Australian music in an incredibly difficult time.

“It speaks to the man he was that of his countless illustrious career achievements these projects, that supported the industry he loved, were ones he was particularly proud of.

“Michael was renowned for his loyalty and dedication. His ability to achieve the unachievable against unsurmountable odds was proven time and again and spoke to his absolute passion for his career and life.

“Michael’s family loved him immensely and Michael, in turn, adored his wife Sue, son Matt and partner Cara, daughter Kate and husband Andrew and their children Nina-Rose and Lulu.  They meant everything to him, and he was immensely proud of them.  Michael often referred to his 200+ staff as the Mushroom Family, with many having clocked decades in his employment.

“Michael’s legacy will live on through his family and the enormously successful Mushroom Group – an enduring embodiment of decades of passion and determination from an incredible man.

“The family respectfully ask for privacy in this incredibly difficult time and thank everyone for their support.”

Harry and Meghan interview
10 acquires rights to Oprah With Meghan and Harry

The special is produced by Harpo Productions.

Network 10 has announced that it has acquired the Australian rights to Oprah With Meghan And Harry as Oprah Winfrey sits down with Prince Harry and Meghan Markel, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for an intimate conversation to air Monday, 8 March at 7.30pm on 10.  

Winfrey will speak with Markel, The Duchess of Sussex, in a wide-ranging interview, covering everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure. Later, the two are joined by Prince Harry as they speak about their move to the United States and their future hopes and dreams for their expanding family.   

The couple stepped down from full-time royal life in March of last year due to the media scrutiny and the strictures of their roles. 

In the interview, the couple sits opposite Winfrey and side-by-side in a garden setting. The couple lives in Montecito, California, where they are neighbours of Winfrey. The couple announced they’re expecting their second child earlier this year, following the birth of their first son in 2019.

In the interview, Markle wore an empire-style black dress with embroidery, while Harry wore a light gray suit and white dress shirt.

There was controversy last month when the Royal Family released this statement about Harry’s and Meghan’s royal roles: “Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” the palace statement said.

In response, Harry and Meghan pushed back with a statement: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

The special is produced by Harpo Productions. Executive producers are Terry Wood and Tara Montgomery, co-executive producer is Brian Piotrowicz. The special is internationally distributed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. The two-hour primetime special is scheduled to air on Sunday, March 7 from 8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network in the U.S. 

The Bachelor
The Bachelor Australia: 10 announces Jimmy Nicholson as the next Bachelor

The Bachelor Australia is made for Network 10 by Warner Bros. International Television Production.

Network 10 has announced Australia’s next Bachelor, Jimmy Nicholson. The 31-year-old airline pilot will star in the latest season of The Bachelor Australia.

10 described Nicholson as a self-confessed romantic, who is an intelligent and passionate go-getter who is ready to find his happily ever after.

On being the next Bachelor, Nicholson said: “I am a big believer in embracing any opportunity that presents itself, especially if it has the potential to change your life for the better.

“The journey ahead will be one of the most challenging experiences that I have ever undertaken, however, I am very excited to meet someone that I could potentially spend the rest of my life with.”

Past seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette Australia franchises have resulted in love matches for Tim and AnnaSam and SnezanaGeorgia and LeeMatty J and Laura.

Last year, in the finale of The Bachelor Australia Locky Gilbert pledged his love to nurse, Irena Srbinovska.

Battling intense feelings for both ladies, Locky struggled to make his decision. Not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings, he faced an inner battle to leave one of the ladies he had deeply fallen in love with.

As Bella arrived at the commitment ceremony, Locky immediately broke down into tears. Telling Bella that he meant it when he said he loved her, he felt Bella’s uncertainty about the future left them on two very different pages. Stunned at Locky’s rejection, Bella asked to leave. Not buying that Locky loved her, Bella was teary as she ended her chapter with Locky.

Locky couldn’t help but smile as he saw Irena approaching. Irena was everything he wanted in a partner and he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her. Telling Irena how in love with her he was, the two shared an emotional embrace to conclude The Bachelors latest season.

879,000 watched Locky choose Irena. The first part of the finale was on 694,000. The audiences for the series climax in 2019 was 936,000 and 1,170,000. Last night was the first time the Winner Announced has failed to crack 1m in eight seasons.

The list of achievements tough is long for what the 2020 final did last night:

• #1 entertainment show of the night
• Dominated the key demos: #1 in under 50s, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s
• #1 show on BVOD last night
• Final Decision was the #1 live stream event on 10 Play this year

Hosted by Osher Günsberg, The Bachelor Australia is made for Network 10 by Warner Bros. International Television Production.

mafs
TV Ratings Survey: Wednesday Week 10

By Trent Thomas

• Nine and MAFS continue hot streak thanks to Confessions Week
• Battle of the Game Shows: Hard Quiz outrates The Cube
• It’s over: After 89 memorable episodes, one final battle from Vikings on SBS

Primetime News
Seven News 900,000 (6 pm)/906,000 (6:30 pm)
Nine News is 815,000 (6 pm)/824,000 (6:30 pm)
ABC News 685,000
10 News First 308,000(5 pm)/198,000 (6pm)
SBS World News 143,000 (6:30 pm)/133,000 (7 pm)

Daily current affairs
A Current Affair 686,000
7:30 607,000
The Project 259,000 (6:30 pm)/403,000 (7 pm)
The Drum 191,000 

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 255,000
News Breakfast 197,000
Today 186,000

Late Night News
The Latest 131,000
Nine News Late Edition 110,000

Nine has won its 24th primary share in a row with 24.4%,  the show also had the #1 network share with 32.0% thanks to Married at First Sight which was #1 in all key demos.

932,000 tuned in to MAFS as the contestants continued their Confessions Week challenges, this was up on last Wednesday’s 891,000.

Nine’s new drama Amazing Grace followed MAFS with 504,000 watching the show’s premiere. 

On Seven, Billy Connolly: It’s Been A Pleasure had 433,000 which was followed by a double of The Pembrokeshire Murders with 319,000 and 255,000. Seven’s top-rating show of the night was Homey and Away with 525,000.

On 10, the second episode of The Cube Australia had 351,000 which was down on last weeks launch audience of 567,000.

The episode saw the grandmother and grandson team of Connie and Hayden take on The Cube in a game called ‘Replicate’, whereby the duo must memorise the colour formation of squares on the floor, before placing a red or blue block on the corresponding square.

The Project had 259,000 and 403,000 as the episode featured Australian of the Year Grace TameUrzila Carlson, and Rhys Nicholson.

On The ABC, Hard Quiz won the battle of the game show’s over The Cube with 579,000 viewers tuning. This was followed by The Weekly with Charlie Pickering with 459,000 and then the comedy Aftertaste with 258,000.

Hard Quiz featured the usual quirky subjects including a specialist on the Canadian teen TV drama Degrassi who was last night’s winner. The Weekly was very up-to-date with clips from yesterday’s Christian Porter press conference. Charlie Pickering was all over the vaccine rollout, noting there seemed to be similarities with the way various governments handled the NBN delivery.

Nothing extra special about the SBS share of 4.7% last night. However it was a big deal for many viewing. The most popular shows were Britain’s Most Historic Towns on 178,000 followed by Michael Palin’s Travels of a Lifetime on 169,000.

However the highlight for 103,000 metro viewers was the final episode of Vikings after 88 previous instalments over nearly eight years. The brutality was something that didn’t change with the storming of a Christian church in the early episodes as shocking as the final slitting of a throat in the final episode. The series ended with Floki, the shipbuilder we met in the first episode, looking out to sea with Ubbe, one of the surviving sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, as the sun set.

Along the journey series creator Michael Hirst managed to deliver truly epic adventures for the viewers that matched the grandeur of Game of Thrones yet didn’t generate nearly the same amount of publicity. The battle scenes alone deserve some sort of award with Hirst delivery monumental clashes in seemingly nearly every episode. The final episode too offered another, this time another battle in Wessex that finally was the end for one of the most memorable characters, Ivar the Boneless.

Week 10: Wednesday
WEDNESDAY METRO
ABCSevenNine10SBS
ABC12.3%718.5%924.4%10 9.4%SBS One4.7%
ABC KIDS/ ABC TV PLUS3.0%7TWO3.3%GO!2.4%10 Bold3.4%VICELAND1.1%
ABC ME0.4%7mate2.4%GEM2.4%10 Peach2.9%Food Net0.7%
ABC NEWS2.3%7flix2.7%9Life1.9%10 Shake0.5%NITV0.1%
    9Rush0.8%  SBS World Movies0.5%
TOTAL17.9% 26.9% 32.0% 16.2% 7.0%

 

WEDNESDAY REGIONAL
ABCSeven AffiliatesNine Affiliates10 AffiliatesSBS
ABC10.8%721.7%918.8%WIN8.2%SBS One4.7%
ABC KIDS/ ABC TV PLUS2.3%7TWO4.3%GO!3.9%WIN Bold4.6%VICELAND0.9%
ABC ME0.8%7mate2.8%GEM4.8%WIN Peach3.2%Food Net0.4%
ABC NEWS1.7%7flix (Excl. Tas/WA)1.7%9Life2.4%Sky News  on WIN1.8%NITV0.0%
        SBS Movies0.5%
TOTAL15.6% 30.6% 29.9% 17.9% 6.5%

 

WEDNESDAY METRO ALL TV
FTASTV
87.4%12.6.%
Wednesday FTA
  1. Married At First Sight Nine 932,000
  2. Seven News At 6.30 Seven 906,000
  3. Seven News Seven 900,000
  4. Nine News 6:30 Nine 824,000
  5. Nine News Nine 815,000
  6. A Current Affair Nine 686,000
  7. ABC News ABC TV 685,000
  8. 7.30 ABC TV 607,000
  9. Hard Quiz S6 ABC TV 579,000
  10. Home And Away Seven 525,000
  11. Amazing Grace Nine 504,000
  12. The Chase Australia Seven 460,000
  13. The Weekly With Charlie Pickering ABC TV 459,000
  14. Billy Connolly: It’s Been A Pleasure Seven 433,000
  15. The Project 7pm  10 403,000
  16. Hot Seat Nine 377,000
  17. The Cube 10 351,000
  18. The Pembrokeshire Murders Seven 319,000
  19. 10 News First  10 308,000
  20. The Chase Australia-5pm Seven 290,000
Demo Top Five

16 – 39 Top Five

  1. Married At First Sight Nine 220,000
  2. Nine News 6:30 Nine 113,000
  3. A Current Affair Nine 105,000
  4. Amazing Grace Nine 104,000
  5. Nine News Nine 100,000

 

18 – 49 Top Five

  1. Married At First Sight Nine 386,000
  2. Nine News 6:30 Nine 201,000
  3. Nine News Nine 187,000
  4. Amazing Grace Nine 183,000
  5. A Current Affair Nine 177,000

 

25 – 54 Top Five

  1. Married At First Sight Nine 445,000
  2. Nine News 6:30 Nine 248,000
  3. Nine News Nine 242,000
  4. A Current Affair Nine 224,000
  5. Seven News At 6.30 Seven 212,000
Wednesday Multichannel 
  1. Bluey ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 159,000
  2. Bluey ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 151,000
  3. Brave Bunnies ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 149,000
  4. NCIS (R) 10 Bold 144,000
  5. Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 138,000
  6. The Adventures Of Paddington ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 135,000
  7. ABC News Afternoons ABC NEWS 131,000
  8. Peppa Pig ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 131,000
  9. Kiri And Lou ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 130,000
  10. Rusty Rivets ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 122,000
  11. Peppa Pig ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 122,000
  12. Fireman Sam ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 121,000
  13. Afternoon Briefing ABC NEWS 116,000
  14. Floogals ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 113,000
  15. Kangaroo Beach ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 112,000
  16. Noddy Toyland Detective ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 111,000
  17. Neighbours 10 Peach 109,000
  18. The Big Bang Theory Ep 3 (R) 10 Peach 105,000
  19. Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 104,000
  20. Luo Bao Bei ABC Kids/ABC TV Plus 102,000
Wednesday STV
  1. Gogglebox Australia Lifestyle Channel 130,000
  2. Live: T20: NZL V Aus Game 3 FOX CRICKET 121,000
  3. Live: T20: NZL V Aus Game 3 FOX CRICKET 113,000
  4. Live: Innings Break: NZL V Aus Game 3 FOX CRICKET 93,000
  5. Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 76,000
  6. The Bolt Report Sky News Live 69,000
  7. Credlin Sky News Live 67,000
  8. Alan Jones Sky News Live 65,000
  9. Afternoon Agenda Sky News Live 57,000
  10. The Kenny Report Sky News Live 41,000
  11. PML Later Sky News Live 39,000
  12. Love It Or List It Australia Lifestyle Channel 37,000
  13. Live: Twenty20 Pre Game: NZL V Aus G3 FOX CRICKET 32,000
  14. Newsday Sky News Live 31,000
  15. NCIS FOX Crime 31,000
  16. Afternoon Agenda Sky News Live 30,000
  17. Live: Twenty20 Post Game: NZL V Aus G3 FOX CRICKET 30,000
  18. Afternoon Agenda Sky News Live 29,000

Shares all people, 6pm-midnight, Overnight (Live and AsLive), Audience numbers FTA metro, Sub TV national
Source: OzTAM and Regional TAM 2021. 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

No split says Costello as Nine picks Stan boss as CEO

Nine chairman Peter Costello says the media company’s board is united behind new chief executive Mike Sneesby and did not split along the old Nine-Fairfax lines on the appointment, as tensions between former directors of the two legacy businesses continue to bubble, reports AFR’s Miranda Ward.

Costello said Sneesby had the full support of the board as the new chief executive, and was “well placed to continue to drive Nine’s transformation as a digitally led business”. He praised Sneesby’s success in building up Stan – the Nine business unit he has run for the past 7½ years – as the top Australian streaming platform.

[Read More]

Nine CEO Mike Sneesby’s appointment seals it: the future is streaming

The appointment of Stan founder and chief executive Mike Sneesby to run Nine Entertainment is a sign of the times for the media ­industry, reports News Corp’s Glenda Korpraal.

The future is visual and digital, driven by subscription revenues.

Sneesby’s success in founding streaming service Stan — a business now worth more than $1bn, with more than 2.3 million subscribers (second to Netflix’s 5.4 million in the Australian market) — seven years ago has propelled him to the top of the company that owns more traditional media in the Nine free-to-air television ­network and former Fairfax Media newspaper titles.

[Read More]

The deal that changed new Nine CEO Mike Sneesby’s career

If it weren’t for a spivvy lawyer from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mike Sneesby might not be Nine Entertainment’s new chief executive, reports AFR’s Max Mason.

That’s not as weird as it sounds. At about 3am on August 27, 2014, Sneesby helped close a deal with Sony Entertainment, which would, among other shows, include Better Call Saul, a spin-off of critically acclaimed hit Breaking Bad, following the path of fictional lawyer Jimmy McGill into becoming his alias, the notorious and greedy criminal defender Saul Goodman.

[Read More]

What Mike Sneesby must do to succeed at Nine

Mike Sneesby is inheriting a business firing on (almost) all cylinders. But if the incoming Nine Entertainment chief is to succeed at the top of what is now the nation’s largest media company, he will need to overcome some significant strategic challenges, reports SMH’s John McDuling.

The tensions on Nine’s board between directors from the former Fairfax Media and those from Nine’s legacy television business exposed in this masthead over the past week have obscured the reality that the 2018 merger between the two companies has been a resounding success.

[Read More]

Nine CEO’s four big challenges

Nine Entertainment’s new chief executive, Mike Sneesby, is unique among the CEOs of media companies listed on the ASX because he does not answer to a powerful proprietor, reports the AFR’s Tony Boyd.

This is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, he doesn’t have a powerful and interventionist owner breathing down his neck such as Rupert Murdoch at News Corp or Kerry Stokes at Seven West Media.

On the other hand, he has to be a bulwark against the myriad political and commercial players who want to bully their way into shaping Nine’s media coverage across TV and newspapers.

[Read More]

News Brands

Sunrise, Morning Show, 7News to relocate studios

CEO James Warburton has announced SunriseThe Morning Show and Seven News will relocate by the end of 2022, bringing all of Seven’s Sydney teams under one roof, reports TV Tonight.

The decision is understood to be a cost-saving move away from CBD property leasing.

Seven West Media managing director and chief executive officer, James Warburton said: “For the first time in 40 years, all divisions of Seven Sydney are being brought together in one place.”

[Read More]

Entertainment

Disney CEO says pandemic has probably changed moviegoing forever

Walt Disney chief executive officer Bob Chapek said he believes there have been fundamental changes in people’s attitudes toward moviegoing, trends that will probably continue after the global pandemic passes, reports SMH’s Christopher Palmeri.

“The consumer is probably more impatient than they’ve ever been before, particularly since now they’ve had the luxury of an entire year of getting titles at home pretty much when they want them,” Chapek said at a Morgan Stanley media and technology conference. “I’m not sure there’s going back.”

[Read More]

Golden Globes: Australian HFPA member says black representation “not really anything we focused on”

The controversy over the lack of Black representation at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the body that organizes the Golden Globe Awards, rumbles on as an Australian HFPA member admitted that the organization did not see the lack of Black journalists as a “problem” and that the body was previously not really “focused” on upping Black representation, reports Hollywood Reporter’s Abid Rahman.

In an interview on the Australian morning show Today, HFPA member Jenny Cooney was asked directly about the controversy and why, given the global discussion over the issue of Black and minority representation over the last year, the organization had not looked to change the makeup of its members before this year’s Golden Globes ceremony.

[Read More]

Michael Gudinski honoured with state funeral

A state funeral will be held for legendary Aussie promoter Michael Gudinski following his sudden death, aged 68, report News Corp’s Cameron Adams and Kathy McCabe.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews spoke with his grieving widow, Sue, on Tuesday after the music industry icon passed away unexpectedly on Monday night.

[Read More]

Television

‘Television is capable of ripping you apart,’ says Liz Hayes

Having spent 25 years on the road for the critically acclaimed news magazine 60 Minutes, journalist Liz Hayes easily projects an aura of self-assurance. When the cameras stop rolling, she concedes, that is not always the case, reports SMH’s Michael Idato.

“I’ve reached a point where I do know I’m good enough, but I continually ask myself whether I’m doing a good enough job,” Hayes says. “It took me ages to get there because I didn’t come with a bucket load of confidence. I’ve never been that person who can say openly, I’ve got it. That’s not me.”

[Read More]

Has Married at First Sight changed?

The scene: a psychologist’s office. A couple sit on a sofa, reports SMH’s Louise Rugendyke.

Mr MAFS: “I’ve changed. Things won’t be the same, I promise. Just give me a chance.”

Ms MAFS: “I just don’t know if I can trust you any more. You keep saying things will be different but all I see is the same schtick – the lying, the tantrums. We don’t even have anything in common. You won’t even wear socks and don’t get me started on that turtleneck.”

End scene.

[Read More]

Sports Media

Will Eddie McGuire be missing from Fox Footy and Nine in 2021?

Eddie McGuire has retreated from public life with increasing uncertainty over when he will return to television, reports News Corp’s Scott Gullan.

Close friends and associates are concerned about the former Collingwood president with reports he’s in a “very bad way”.

Despite the enormity of what he’s dealing with, McGuire went to pay tribute to the family of another Melbourne icon, music legend Michael Gudinski, on Tuesday night.

Fox Footy is preparing for the host and commentator to be missing from the opening rounds, possibly for up to a couple of months.

There are also contingency plans being drawn for McGuire’s Wednesday night hosting gig on Channel Nine’s Footy Classified which his company Jam TV produces.

[Read More]

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