Business of Media
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher fills three empty positions on ABC board
A former Channel 7 managing director, former Foxtel boss, and former Qantas executive will be joining the ABC board as directors, reports The Canberra Times’ Harley Dennett.
The new appointees are Mario D’Orazio, Peter Tonagh and Fiona Balfour who join the ABC board as non-executive directors with five-year appointments beginning immediately.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher named the three replacement directors following vacancies since November last year and complaints from ABC chair Ita Buttrose the board’s ability to function was threatened by the empty positions.
The new appointees join directors Peter Lewis, Georgie Somerset, Joseph Gersh, and staff-elected director Jane Connors.
They replace Kirstin Ferguson and Donny Walford, whose terms ended last year, and Vanessa Guthrie who resigned in the middle of her term this year.
The board meets six times a year, with non-executive directors collecting $58,670 a year.
New global TV giant? AT&T preparing to merge media assets with Discovery
AT&T Inc. is in talks to spin off its media business and merge it with Discovery Inc. in a blockbuster entertainment deal, according to people with knowledge of the matter, a surprising move for a company that spent US$85 billion to acquire the assets less than three years ago, reports Bloomberg.
Through its WarnerMedia unit, AT&T owns CNN, HBO, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT and the Warner Bros. studio. Discovery, backed by cable mogul John Malone, controls networks such as HGTV, Food Network, TLC and Animal Planet.
The Discovery deal could give the combined company enough programming to compete with Netflix and other streaming services in a global battle over the future of entertainment. In 2019, Disney bought 21st Century Fox Inc.’s entertainments assets for US$71 billion, largely to gain enough muscle to constantly refresh its streaming services. It launched Disney+ in November 2019 and already has more than 100 million subscribers.
SMH reveals FTA ad revenue: market shows positive signs of growth
Network 10, which is known for shows such as I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, The Bachelor and MasterChef, earned $141 million in advertising revenue in the first three months of this year, up from $113.3 million over the same time the previous year, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Zoe Samios.
Seven West Media, which aired shows such as Holey Moley and Ultimate Tag, made $192 million over three months, a slight improvement on last year’s $186.6 million.
The biggest income generator remains Nine Entertainment Co, which runs Nine Network and owns The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Nine, which ran Married at First Sight and Lego Masters, made about $232 million – almost the same amount as last year. It makes up 41 per cent of total revenue for the sector.
“It has been proven that TV and broadcast video on demand deliver better sales results for brands,” Nine chief sales officer Michael Stephenson said.
Former CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves receives nothing from exit package
Leslie Moonves, who led CBS as chief executive for 15 years before he was ousted in 2018, will receive nothing from the US$120 million the company had set aside in a potential severance package, according to a federal filing on Friday, reports The New York Times’ John Koblin.
Moonves left CBS on Sept. 9, 2018, after more than a dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct, allegations that appeared in two articles in The New Yorker by Ronan Farrow. Moonves has denied the allegations.
That October, as part of a separation agreement, the CBS Corporation board placed $120 million in a so-called grantor trust. That money would go to Moonves if the company found that there had been no grounds to fire him under his contract.
“The disputes between Moonves and CBS have now been resolved,” ViacomCBS said in a statement on Friday.
The company and Moonves also released a joint statement saying that Moonves had received money as part of a private settlement with a contractor that had been hired by CBS. The statement did not identify the contractor and added that Moonves would give all of that money to charity.
News Brands
ABC and Caro Meldrum-Hanna win defamation case over racehorse cruelty
Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys has failed in an attempt to sue the ABC and journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna for defamation over his portrayal in a 7.30 segment which revealed cruelty against former racehorses, reports The AFR’s Max Mason.
Federal Court judge Michael Wigney said he was not convinced the ABC program conveyed any of the imputations V’landys alleged and dismissed the application, ordering the Racing NSW chief executive to pay the ABC and Meldrum-Hanna’s costs.
“The ABC welcomes today’s decision in the Federal Court that its October 2019 7.30 investigation The Final Race did not defame Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys,” an ABC spokeswoman said in a statement.
Justice Wigney also ruled that the ABC and Meldrum-Hanna did not act with malice or dishonestly.
“One can perhaps understand why Mr V’landys felt aggrieved that he was not shown the footage from the abattoir, or even made aware of its existence. There could be little doubt that he, like any fair and right-minded person, would have roundly condemned the cruelty depicted in the footage. He was not afforded the opportunity to do so,” Justice Wigney wrote.
Three day hearing scheduled over Christian Porter’s ‘conflicted’ lawyer
A three-day hearing has been scheduled to decide whether Christian Porter’s high-profile barrister should be stopped from acting for him in his defamation case against the ABC, reports News Corp’s Nicola Berkovic.
Jo Dyer, director of the Adelaide Writers Week, launched Federal Court action on Monday to restrain barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC from acting for the former attorney-general.
This was on the grounds that s Dyer had given Chrysanthou confidential information when she was acting for her in another matter, that was relevant to Porter’s defamation case against the ABC. Dyer is not a party to Porter’s case against the ABC.
Craig McLachlan facing allegations from three more actresses, court documents reveal
Three more actresses have accused actor Craig McLachlan of sexually harassing them on the set of The Doctor Blake Mysteries TV series and during the hit musical, The Rocky Horror Show, an explosive court document reveals, reports ABC’s Lorna Knowles.
The document, released to the ABC this week by the NSW Supreme Court, details fresh claims by actresses Tamzen Hayes and Anna Samson, who played opposite McLachlan in The Doctor Blake Mysteries, and Teagan Wouters, who played Janet in The Rocky Horror Show.
It also alleges that McLachlan bullied and intimidated actor Tim Maddren, who played the role of Brad in The Rocky Horror Show.
The revelations come on the eve of a Channel 7 documentary “Horror Show” featuring McLachlan, in which the actor denies allegations that he sexually harassed another three female co-stars in the 2014 stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.
McLachlan is suing the ABC, Fairfax (now part of Nine) and an actress for defamation over reports in 2018 that he indecently assaulted, harassed and bullied his fellow cast members during the 2014 tour of The Rocky Horror Show.
60 Minutes’ Beirut cameraman pursues compensation from Nine insurer
Five years after 60 Minutes’ disastrous Beirut child rescue/abduction story landed four crew members in a Lebanon jail, the cameraman charged over the incident, along with presenter Tara Brown and a producer and sound technician, is fighting a compensation claim with Nine’s insurer after being stricken with PTSD, reports News Corp’s Annette Sharp.
Ben Williamson said he was stripped, hit with rifle butts and essentially tortured for 72 hours after being separated from other crew members following their arrest in Beirut in 2016 for collaborating with a former soldier in a botched attempt to reunite Australian mum Sally Faulkner with her two children.
Williamson has been off work for three years after suffering panic attacks when he returned to work after the Beirut debacle.
Northern Territory journalists irate over government’s heavy-handed media tactics
Journalists in the Top End are demanding urgent changes to the Northern Territory Labor government’s long-running stance to hold invite-only media conferences at short notice, which they say is hampering press freedom, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s press team has been accused of cherry picking select journalists to attend media conferences and in some instances giving as little as 30 minutes notice beforehand to attend.
One news editor described the situation as “ridiculous” and “shambolic” and said in his long-running career he had “never seen anything like it”.
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s federal president Marcus Strom said “the Gunner government is fast developing a reputation as being hostile towards the media”.
Radio
Lauren Phillips tipped to take over as KIIS FM’s breakfast radio co-host
Lauren Phillips is set to make the transition from breakfast TV to breakfast radio as the short-priced favourite to land the KIIS FM breakfast co-hosting gig, reports News Corp’s Fiona Byrne.
Phillips is expected to join Jase Hawkins as host of KIIS breakfast following the departure of current co-host Polly ‘PJ’ Harding next month.
Harding announced in March that she was quitting the show to return to New Zealand to be with her fiancé.
Listen to the Mediaweek Jase & PJ KIIS 101.1 podcast. The two hosts talk about their six-and-a-half year on-air relationship and why they moved the show to Australia. Hear also about their plans for what is next.
Listen to Mediaweek podcasts here or on the LiSTNR app.
Television
Seven considering cooking up a My Kitchen Rules comeback for 2022 TV menu
One of Channel Seven’s most iconic television franchises could make a comeback as early as next year as the broadcaster looks to boost network ratings and attract lucrative advertising dollars, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Zoe Samios.
Once considered Australia’s most popular cooking show, MKR at its peak reached millions of viewers with each episode. It was axed last year by chief executive James Warburton who said it was “stale” and needed a pause. The show had been running since 2010 with hosts Manu Fieldel and Pete Evans.
Sports Media
A-League could kick off Paramount’s sport ambitions, Stan Sport also interested
ViacomCBS’ soon-to-launch US streaming service Paramount+ could use popular A-League and W-League football games to spearhead its entry into the crowded Australian streaming market, report The Sydney Morning Herald’s Vince Rugari and Zoe Samios.
However other sporting events such as the 2023 Women’s World Cup may be spread across rival television networks and streaming services as deals are finalised on broadcasting rights.
Industry sources familiar with the broadcast talks, who spoke anonymously for confidentiality reasons, said Network 10 is one of two primary contenders for the broadcast rights to the A-League and W-League, which are likely to be settled this week after a lengthy negotiation period.
The other major contender, according to the sources, is Stan Sport, which is looking to bolster its inventory of rugby and tennis content with another sport.
The sources said 10 has tabled the highest bid thus far for the A-League and W-League – more than $20 million.
Paralympics legend Kurt Fearnley joins Seven’s team for Tokyo 2020
Kurt Fearnley will join the Seven Network’s team for one of elite sport’s greatest events, the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Sunday marked just 100 days to go until the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, which, together with the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, will be Australia’s biggest-ever broadcast and digital event – all to be broadcast in HD on Seven and 7plus.
To celebrate Paralympic milestone, Seven has launched a campaign about what donning the iconic green and gold uniform means to Paralympic team members, accompanied by footage of Tokyo 2020 gold medal hopes such as Dylan Alcott, Ryley Batt, Madison de Rozario, Curtis McGrath, Ellie Cole and Scott Reardon.
In a wheelchair racing career, Fearnley won 13 medals, including three gold, across five Paralympic Games, in events ranging from the 100m relay to the marathon. The rare talent, grit and sportsmanship he displayed over two decades made him an Australian sporting icon.
Fearnley will join Johanna Griggs and fellow Paralympics gold medallist Annabelle Williams to anchor Seven’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games coverage, including the opening and closing ceremonies.
Starting 16 days after the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 close, Seven’s coverage will take fans inside the Paralympic Games across 13 action-packed days.
From morning to midnight every day on Seven and 7plus, viewers will be able to choose from up to 16 live streams.
After SEN deal, Cameron Smith joins Origin mates as TV commentator
There has been no more talked-about footballer in the past 20 years than Cameron Smith. And now he is going to do the talking after joining Wide World of Sports as an NRL expert commentator, reports Nine reporter and Sydney Morning Herald columnist Danny Weidler.
Just weeks after landing Sonny Bill Williams, Nine Entertainment – the owners of this masthead – has signed Immortal-in-waiting Smith. There had been much speculation about Smith’s next move – including murmurs of a late-season on-field cameo – but the only time we are going to see him on the field is with a microphone in hand.
“I’m excited to be joining Nine’s Wide World of Sports and being a part of the biggest rugby league matches of the year, including State of Origin and the NRL grand final,” Smith said.
“I grew up listening to Ray Warren, so to now join him in the commentary box for these history-making moments is surreal and very humbling. JT and Billy have transitioned seamlessly since stepping off the field and I can’t wait to join them at Nine. It’s going to be a big challenge.”
See also: Australian rugby league great Cameron Smith joins SEN
Melbourne pitches conference chaired by Eddie McGuire as ‘Davos’ of sport
Melbourne will pitch a new conference tied to its global sports events as the “Davos” of global sports business events, when it unveils a line-up of some of the world’s best executives on Monday, reports News Corp’s John Stensholt.
The inaugural SportNXT conference will be held in Melbourne in mid-November during the week of the rescheduled Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, with a goal of attracting the best leaders of sport around the world as major events take place in the region over the next decade.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, considered one of the most powerful sports leaders in the world, is among the names who will appear at the conference, though it will be in a virtual capacity for at least the first edition given COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The program will be announced in Melbourne on Monday morning at an event featuring Sport Australia chair Josephine Sukkar, AFL boss Gillon McLachlan, Telstra chief executive Andy Penn, ARL commissioner Kate Jones and other local sports leaders.
The SportNXT organisers have struck a multi-year deal with the Victorian state government to help fund the event, which will be chaired by broadcaster and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire.