Business of Media
Foxtel to face questions on potential IPO plans
Foxtel is likely to face questions at its September 30 strategy day about its potential initial public offering plans, reports News Corp’s Bridget Carter.
DataRoom understands that any listing is likely to be some time off but owners News Corp, publisher of The Australian, and Telstra emphasised that Foxtel’s return to growth had created options in the future.
Should it head to the boards, the cable television and streaming service provider will likely call on the services of Bank of America and is also known to have close ties with investment bank Citi.
Foxtel prepares for launch of third streaming service ahead of investor strategy pitch
Foxtel boss Patrick Delany is expected to unveil a third streaming service based on news as soon as this week as the pay TV company prepares to present its strategy to current and potential investors in October, reports SMH’s Zoe Samios.
The News Corp-controlled Foxtel remains in talks with local media organisations including national broadcaster the ABC about being part of the platform, which will officially launch mid-October with access to videos and live footage from at least 15 different news outlets. The service, expected to be branded ‘Flash’ is expected to cost about $10 a month. Foxtel declined to comment.
Flash’s live news channels will include CNN, CNBC, BBC and Fox News as well as local players including News Corp’s Sky News. It will run similarly to Kayo Sports, which hosts live-streaming channels as well as small-clips of particular programs or events. But the plans, according to Foxtel sources, are to extend the content to other local news players. The service is currently led by former news.com.au editor-in-chief Kate De Brito.
Media industry veteran Pippa Leary joins News Corp’s executive team
News Corp’s push to be the premier marketing services provider for Australian businesses has been further bolstered by the appointment of Pippa Leary to the company’s executive team, reports News Corp’s James Madden.
Leary, a 25-year industry veteran, will take on the new role of managing director, client product, from November 1.
The Sydney-based executive said the way that media businesses engaged with their clients had significantly evolved in recent years, and News Corp was well-positioned to capitalise on the shifting trends.
ABC management defends the 50:50 Project to represent women equally in stories
The ABC has defended its controversial push to entrench gender quotas in editorial content, arguing the broadcaster’s policy was more than a “box-ticking exercise” and had driven “cultural change” in the three years since it was first introduced, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
Speaking at an Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union event recently, the ABC’s head of network and newsgathering Gavin Fang said despite some initial reluctance from staff about the project, it had been a success.
Dubbed the 50:50 Project, it was launched in 2018 and requires ABC reporters, producers and editors to think more carefully about who they use in their stories to ensure women are fairly represented.
Covid delays Australian Directors Guild Awards until December
The Australian Directors Guild has announced that the 40th anniversary ADG Awards have moved to Friday December 3. The Awards will be held live, in person and socially distanced at the Actor’s Centre in Leichhardt.
And to give ADG members the best opportunity for success at this year’s Awards, an additional submission period has been added and entries can now also be made between September 27 and October 1.
This year submissions are invited across 20 categories. The ADG is welcoming any new eligible entries and particularly encouraging new submissions in the following categories – Best Direction in TV or SVOD Drama Serial Episode, Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Title and Best Direction in an Animation Project.
Any Australian Directors’ Guild member can submit for the ADG Awards. The judging panels are drawn from ADG’s Full Members. The ADG also offers a discounted Associate Membership.
The Awards will be announced at a Gala Luncheon which will also be live streamed nationally and internationally, following the success of last year’s presentation, which was live streamed only, due to Covid restrictions.
To submit and for a full list of the 2021 award categories across a wide range of genres and formats as well as for eligibility criteria head to: https://adg.awardsplatform.com.
News Brands
Christian Porter has resigned from the ministry after accepting funds from a blind trust
Denying wrongdoing and railing against the ABC and Twitter “mobs”, Christian Porter has resigned as a minister, conceding his acceptance of secret donations was a distraction for the federal government, reports News Corp’s
Clare Armstrong.
Porter had held on as a member of cabinet for more than six months after outing himself as the subject of historic rape allegations, which he has strenuously denied.
But yesterday Prime Minister Scott Morrison accepted Porter’s resignation as Industry, Science and Technology Minister, following intense scrutiny over his decision to allow the anonymous Legal Services Trust to cover “part” of the bills for his now settled defamation case against the ABC.
Sam Newman ‘vindicated’ in defamation win against four media companies
Footy Show great Sam Newman has won a confidential settlement from four media organisations, including his long-time employer Channel 9, and an apology from an award-winning photographer, over online articles about the famous Nicky Winmar “jumper lift” which he claimed defamed him, reports News Corp’s Fiona Byrne.
Newman and fellow AFL great Don Scott launched legal action in the Federal Court in November against photographer Wayne Ludbey, the DailyMail.com Australia, ESPN.com.au, Nine Entertainment Co and Verizon Media Australia claiming they suffered reputational damage from interviews Ludbey gave to the DailyMail.com Australia and ESPN.com.au last year.
The comments were republished in stories on the Verizon Media Australia website Yahoo and Nine Entertainment Co’s website nine.com.au.
‘Lines are being blurred’ by journalists on Instagram gravy train
The growing trend of high-profile journalists looking to exploit their fame for personal gain by promoting products and services on Instagram has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the blurring of ethical boundaries, reports News Corp’s James Madden and Sophie Elsworth.
Many media identities, including on-air presenters and reporters at Australia’s major commercial networks, are using the popular photo-sharing site to publicise paid partnerships or sponsored posts to their tens of thousands of followers.
The products spruiked by TV journalists on their personal Instagram accounts include make up, alcohol, high-end restaurants, skincare products, stationery and fashion labels.
Some TV reporters and presenters are even offering online promotional giveaways to followers as part of paid commercial arrangements.
Under the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s code of ethics, journalists must follow a set of standards including: “Disclose conflicts of interest that affect, or could be seen to affect, the accuracy, fairness or independence of your journalism”.
‘I was a minority of one’: Andrew Neil reveals why he quit GB News
Andrew Neil has said he stepped down as chairman of GB News after differences over the direction in which the channel was heading, reports PA Media for Guardian Australia.
The journalist and broadcaster appeared on BBC’s Question Time on Thursday night days after announcing his departure from the fledgling channel in a tweet where he said it was “time to reduce my commitments on a number of fronts”.
GB News launched in June with Neil saying it would not “slavishly follow the existing news agenda”, would cover “the stories that matter to you and those that have been neglected” and deliver “a huge range of voices that reflect the views and values of our United Kingdom”.
Publishing
The Voice coach Rita Ora discusses love, life and fame in Vogue Australia
Singing superstar Rita Ora has opened up about her relationship with New Zealand director Taika Waititi, and the burnout she suffered going at “150 miles an hour”, reports News Corp’s Nadia Salemme.
“I wanted things to happen then and now,” Ora told Vogue Australia.
“I’ve realised that’s not how life works. I exhausted myself.
“This next phase of my life, I’m protecting myself. It’s all really about making the right choices and focusing really hard on my work and my health.”
Wearing a Bottega Veneta skivvy and skirt, Ora appears on the cover of Vogue Australia’s upcoming music-themed October issue.
Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann said: “The idea to make October a music-themed issue came about very organically”.
“We shot Rita Ora when she was here earlier this year filming The Voice Australia, so already had an amazing cover lined up, but the devastating resurgence of Covid in the middle of the year brought the plight of our talented musicians back into conversation,” McCann said.
Vogue Australia’s October issue is out on September 27.
Harper’s Bazaar is back but different
Harper’s Bazaar is back on shelves this week after a rocky start, more than 16 months after previous publisher Bauer Media hit pause in the height of an advertising shock as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports AFR’s Miranda Ward.
The fashion bible is now in the hands of niche publisher Switzer Media and Publishing, which scooped up the licence after the title was shut down last year.
The relaunch got off to an awkward beginning after editor-in-chief Eugenie Kelly quit a week before the first issue, due to “creative differences”, a move Switzer Media owner Maureen Jordan said was amicable. A new editor-in-chief is set to be announced in the near future.
Radio
‘Too woke’ Ray Hadley helps Leigh Sales over ‘Liberal bias’
The world has tipped on its axis when Australia’s highest-paid shock jock contacts the ABC’s marquee current affairs host to lament claims he has become “too left-wing and woke” — and she replies that she has copped a pile-on for being a “lickspittle for the Liberal Party”, reports News Corp’s Nick Tanakoff.
But that’s how it rolled when 2GB’s morning host Ray Hadley and the ABC’s Leigh Sales exchanged messages last week.
Hadley confides to Diary that he got in touch with Sales just as the 7.30 host was writing a column on the ABC website to reveal the vicious pile-on she has endured on Twitter recently for allegedly becoming a Liberal Party stooge.
Television
A look at how much Sam Burgess and others are earning on SAS Australia
It is the elephant in the room for reality TV stars, particularly when it comes to celebrities giving the genre a go – who earns what? Reports News Corp’s Jonathon Moran.
Top tier talent don’t want to divulge their earnings for fear of coming off cocky and drawing unwanted attention, while some of the ones taking home the smallest pay packets want to look like they are big players and therefore often inflate their earnings
Confidential provides an indication of who is earning what for season two of SAS Australia. Note, this is total potential earnings.
Sam Burgess – $150-200k
Pete Murray – $50-70k
Mark Philippoussis – $100k
Jana Pittman – $50-70k
Manu Feildel – No special fee – part of network contract so appearance rolls into annual contract requirements.
Koby Abberton – $50-$60k
Brynne Edelsten – $50-70k
Dan Ewing – $50-$70k
Alicia Molik – $60-80k
Bonnie Anderson – $50-$60k
Emma Husar – $25k
Erin Holland – $60-80k
Heath Shaw – $60-$80k
Isabelle Cornish – $60-$80k
Jessica Peris – $50-$70k
Jett Kenny – $50-$70k
John Steffensen – $60-80k
Kerri Pottharst – $50-$70k
Sports Media
Billy Brownless quits Footy Show after 27 years
Former Geelong star Billy Brownless has quit Nine’s AFL Footy Show after 27 years.
Larrikin Brownless started his TV career on the Thursday edition of The Footy Show in 1994 and joined the Sunday Footy Show a couple of years later. He was stalwart of the Thursday Footy Show until its demise in 2019 and informed Channel 9 that he would not be returning to Sunday Footy Show in 2022 last week.
“I have been part of the Footy Show world for 27 years,” Brownless said.
“The time has come to hang up the boots and microphone and to have Sundays off.”
Blind auction for English Premier League rights could reshape Aussie streaming landscape
English Premier League officials have begun informal talks with local media companies about broadcast rights to the world’s most watched soccer competition ahead of a blind auction that could reshape the Australian streaming market, reports the SMH’s Zoe Samios and Vince Rugari.
The EPL rights, currently held by telecom operator Optus, are expected to fetch as much as $80 million annually in the auction which will be held before the end of the year, according to industry sources who requested anonymity because the process is confidential.
Optus snatched the EPL rights from Fox Sports in 2015 but its existing deal expires at the end of the current season, in the middle of 2022.