Business of Media
Stakes are high as Foxtel IPO decision looms
It’s been a busy week for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The company’s chief executive, Robert Thomson, flew into Melbourne to watch co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch decry the ABC and “the media elite” at an exclusive function hosted by a conservative think tank, reports SMH’s Zoe Samios.
Telstra, a company with a long history of unwittingly subsidising News Corp’s pay television ambitions, announced a new CEO, Vicki Brady. And the pay-TV business, Foxtel, held a board meeting.
Foxtel sources insist it was a “regular” meeting. But of course, it was anything but.
By the end of this month News Corp and Telstra will decide if they can float Foxtel, which also owns streaming services Kayo Sports and Binge, on the share market.
The likelihood of a Foxtel float is the talk of corporate media circles. It is seen as a referendum on not just the growth prospects of streaming services in Australia but News Corp’s strategy. Most bankers, analysts and executives not tied to the potential deal don’t think it can be done, arguing that it is too difficult to sell a content aggregation business when key contracts with HBO and ESPN/Disney may not be renewed in the coming years. Others working on the deal are, unsurprisingly, more confident.
Media code review won’t examine if Facebook should be designated
The Federal Treasury will not examine if Facebook and Google should be made subject to the landmark news media bargaining code in its review of the legislation, with the focus to be on how it has helped sustain public interest journalism, reports AFR‘s Miranda Ward.
The consultation paper outlines what information Treasury is seeking for its review of the news media bargaining code after its first year in operation. The paper suggests the review will examine how designation worked – meaning the process for making tech giants subject to the code – but will not consider whether individual platforms should be designated.
It comes after smaller publishers, including Broadsheet, Australian Jewish News and Australian Chinese Daily, froze the publication of news on their platforms for 24 hours, urging readers to email Treasurer Josh Frydenberg about the lack of accountability from Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, to negotiate with independent publishers.
IP law expert Katrina Rathie joins SBS board
Former long-time King & Wood Mallesons partner Katrina Rathie joins the SBS board as a non-executive director, adding to her board responsibilities at NSW Rugby Union and ASX-listed Bubs Australia, reports AFR‘s Miranda Ward.
Rathie brings to the board 35 years’ experience as an adviser to companies in the media industry, having been a partner at King & Wood Mallesons for 27 years, leading the Sydney practice and helping set up the IP/brad protection division, which now spans 350 people across China, Australia and the United States.
Sydney-based Rathie has been a non-executive director for the past decade, starting with the charity sector at the Starlight Foundation, adding her Bubs Australia non-executive director role in July last year, and joining the NSW Rugby Union board in January 2020.
D-Day looms for ABC’s troubled complaints handling system
The long-awaited independent review into the ABC’s complaints-handling process will be presented to the board of the public broadcaster next week, as some of the system’s fiercest critics sharpen their attack on the unit’s perceived lack of independence, reports News Corp’s James Madden.
The review, ordered by ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose last October in the wake of several controversies about how the media organisation’s in-house team of investigators deal with external complaints, is understood to have received dozens of submissions.
Former editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, Milton Cockburn, expressed his frustration over the ABC’s complaints-handling process in a seven-page submission, claiming his written objection to the airing of inaccuracies about former NSW premier Neville Wran in Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire was improperly handled.
Cision’s acquisition of Streem will result in expansion of real time media monitoring
Global communications intelligence company Cision’s acquisition of media monitoring company Streem will give its customers far greater insights into data and analytics, according to Streem boss Elgar Welch, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
Cision completed the acquisition last week and the deal will now allow Streem, a platform that provides media monitoring and insights in Australia and New Zealand, to provide more comprehensive insights and social media solutions.
It is also the first time Cision has entered the trans-Tasman market.
News Brands
ABC signs on for news-streaming service after ending talks with Foxtel’s Flash
Australia’s national broadcaster has struck a deal to make its news video available on a new video streaming platform, but the content will not appear on Foxtel-owned Flash despite previous talks of a tie-up, reports SMH’s Zoe Samios.
The ABC will give access to video content to LeadStory, an on-demand news platform launched last year by former Sky News and Seven journalist, Cameron Price, for the next three years. It is the latest commercial deal for the ABC, which was holding talks with Foxtel about a licensing deal for its content late last year.
LeadStory is a free online platform that allows users to follow local and international stories. It aggregates content from CNBC, Al Jazeera, Euronews, Bloomberg, Reuters, France24, CBC Canada,
Ticker News and Fox News.
The platform accessed some ABC content through a deal with Reuters, but the new arrangement gives it access to all news content from the ABC Now platform. The online service launched around the same time as Foxtel’s third streaming service, Flash, which is being run by former news.com.au editor-in-chief, Kate de Brito.
Publishing
RACAT Group launches new publishing arm after buying Junkee Media
Former Nine Entertainment chairman David Haslingden’s RACAT Group has pulled together its print, digital and social mastheads to launch Scout Publishing, headed up by Piers Grove, the former publisher of The Betoota Advocate, reports AFR‘s Miranda Ward.
The RACAT Group snapped up Junkee Media at the end of last year from oOh!Media for just $2.4 million, appointing Grove at the time to manage the youth publisher.
Now, the group has moved to bring Junkee Media – Junkee, Punkee and AWOL – together with its other mastheads, Australian Geographic and its sub-brands AG Adventure, AG Explorers and AG Travel, as well as social collective Brown Cardigan.
Scout Publishing is focused on maintaining the separate, existing editorial teams for its publications while it centralises common resources such as finance, production and sales.
Television
Channel 9 Admits it is ‘Absolutely Possible’ to go Too Far With ‘Married At First Sight’
Channel 9 has insisted that not all publicity is good publicity when it comes to its controversial ratings behemoth Married At First Sight, reports Variety Australia‘s Vivienne Kelly.
The show has been besieged by controversies in recent years, including allegations of promoting toxic relationships, misogyny, violence and racism.
This season has garnered further negative attention after one contestant, Olivia, shared nude photographs of another female contestant, Domenica, without her permission.
In light of the ongoing furore, Adrian Swift, Nine Network’s head of content production and development, said the program and its team don’t believe that all publicity is good publicity. Instead, he said, the program follows its own editorial edict.
Sport Media
Channel 7 sport presenter Jacqui Felgate to leave newsroom
Seven News and sports presenter Jacqui Felgate is leaving her position to pursue new opportunities, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
After joining the network nine and a half years ago, Felgate said it was time to give back to her young family.
“The last two years have been really hard on every family and while newsrooms are wonderful places and I’ve had a wonderful career in the newsroom, it’s time,’’ Felgate told the Herald Sun.
“And I’ve got a very young family and I haven’t been there enough for them and I want to be there for them over the next little while. And at the same time I’ve been presented with so many exciting and new opportunities that I’m really keen to explore and I’m looking forward to those too.”