Entertainment
Warner Bros. suspends deals with top show creators
When television and movie writers went on strike in May, studios quickly suspended certain first-look deals — mostly those for lesser-established writers. Star show creators like Mindy Kaling and J.J. Abrams were kept on the payroll. Worried about keeping them happy, even during a walkout, studios left their multimillion-dollar deals alone, shielding them from the pain of the strike, reports The New York Times’ Brooks Barnes and John Koblin.
No more.
In an escalation of the standoff between studios and the Writers Guild of America — it has entered its fifth month, with no end in sight — Warner Bros. moved late Wednesday to suspend deals with the 1 percent of television writers.
Mattel expects more than $125M in gross billings from ‘Barbie’ movie in 2023
The Barbie movie served as “a template” for Mattel, with 14 other live action movies in development and plans to expand into other verticals, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Caitlin Huston.
“What you saw around the Barbie movie was we believe a template, a case study, an opportunity to truly understand the value and appeal that our brands have, the cultural resonance, and importantly, our ability to execute these projects both creatively and commercially, and we hope to and expect to have more of those,” said Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz. “We’re not saying it will be as big or as successful as Barbie, but it will be the same approach, the same opportunity and the same capitalized methodology that we believe served us very well in this case.”
News Brands
ABC apologises for ‘regrettable’ Yes contribution
The ABC has been forced to apologise for providing video and audio for the Yes campaign’s John Farnham “You’re the Voice” television advertisement, reports News Corp’s Harry Brill.
The national broadcaster admitted on Thursday that it had made a “regrettable” error in allowing the Yes campaign to use the archival material.
Farnham gifted the Yes campaign his famous song last week, saying he hoped it would “change the lives of our First Nations people for the better”, and provide a boost for the bid to alter the constitution.
See also: YES campaign secures ‘You’re the Voice’: John Farnham classic helping to change history
More transgender people accuse Channel Seven of using images of them without consent
Following an Australian transgender content creator’s claims that Channel Seven used two photographs of her from before and after she transitioned without her consent, two more transgender people have claimed their photos and videos were also used by the program without their knowledge, reports ABC’s Megan Macdonald.
Olivia Gavranich, also known as Australian musician St. South, said she was “absolutely horrified, deeply hurt and anxious” that a video of her following top surgery “expressing how much better my life was because of surgery” was used in the episode without her knowledge or consent.
Daily Mail owner looks to Middle Eastern backers over Telegraph bid
The owner of the Daily Mail has tapped Middle Eastern investors about potentially backing his bid for the Telegraph, the second prospective suitor known to have turned to the oil-rich region for financial support, reports The Guardian’s Mark Sweney.
Lord Rothermere, the owner of the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) media group whose brands include the Daily Mail, MailOnline, Metro, the i and New Scientist, has held talks but not reached a formal agreement with any investor from the region.
Sports Media
Now a one-horse race for Melbourne Cup broadcast rights after Seven West Media withdraws
Nine Entertainment is almost certain to win the race for Melbourne Cup broadcast rights after rival Seven West Media withdrew from the bidding process, reports News Corp’s John Stensholt.
Seven is understood to have been frustrated with race host Victoria Racing Club’s preference for Nine, despite Seven showing racing most Saturday’s on its free-to-air channels.
Tabcorp, which is brokering a broadcast deal for the VRC had been hoping for Seven to win the rights given its overall racing coverage during the year.
See also: Tabcorp in talks for the broadcast rights to the Melbourne Cup
Social Media
YouTube draws industry ire on wasted advertising spending
YouTube’s advertising practices have drawn the ire of some media investors, who claim a lack of transparency over advertising returns could mean as much as 30 per cent of their spend is wasted, reports Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan.
Alphabet-owned YouTube makes between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in advertising revenue in Australia annually, according to multiple industry sources who asked not to be named so they could speak freely. YouTube and its search engine sister company Google dominate the digital advertising ecosystem in Australia.
Meta’s new ad campaign reminds people that VR is already here
New ads from Meta Platforms replace earlier campaigns’ visions of a futuristic metaverse with scenes depicting virtual reality as a real, present-day and even prosaic technology, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Katie Deighton.
In one video from the campaign, which is dubbed “The Impact Is Real,” welders practice welding with virtual metals, doctors rehearse surgeries on virtual eyeballs, and the English soccer player Marcus Rashford uses VR to stay connected to the pitch when recovering from an injury.