Business of Media
GroupM unveils products to help clients navigate digital marketing
WPP AUNZ’s media investment arm, GroupM, has unveiled a suite of digital products to help clients navigate the expanding world of digital marketing, as the advertising agency seeks to hold onto its place within the ever-changing advertising landscape, reports AFR‘s Miranda Ward.
As digital ad spend inches closer to a $10 billion share of the total advertising pie, GroupM has launched four new product propositions around artificial intelligence and machine learning, the future of digital out-of-home, “digital first” creative, and a first-party data tool designed for marketers to future-proof businesses from the demise of the cookie.
News Brands
Lawyer Chris Murphy awarded $110,000 after being defamed in ‘intrusive’ News Corp story
Criminal defence lawyer Chris Murphy has been awarded $110,000 after the federal court found he had been defamed by a “gossipy and intrusive piece” in the Daily Telegraph, reports Guardian Australia‘s Amanda Meade.
In an article chiefly about the breakdown of his marriage, gossip writer Annette Sharp wrote that the 72-year-old “continues to battle with the ravages of age and with it the associated deafness that has kept him from representing his clients in court during the past year”.
Justice Michael Lee said the article implied that Murphy’s role as a criminal lawyer – representing his clients in court like the lawyers in TV shows such as Law and Order, Rumpole of the Bailey, and Perry Mason – was made impossible by his age and hearing loss.
Journalists at Insider join a union wave
Journalists at Insider, the news site formerly called Business Insider, said on Monday that they had formed a union, joining a wave that has swept digital media companies, reports The New York Times‘ Katie Robertson.
A majority of more than 300 editorial workers, a group that includes reporters, editors and video journalists, voted in support, union representatives said.
The Insider Union is asking the company for voluntary recognition. It is represented by the NewsGuild of New York, which also represents editorial employees at The New York Times and other publications.
Television
More allegations of racism from former Neighbours cast members
More shocking allegations of racism have come out against long-running soap Neighbours, with one former cast member describing the show as the “worst environment I’ve ever worked in”, reports News Corp’s Anthony Piovesan.
Actor Shareena Clanton first detailed the alleged incidents behind the scenes in a bombshell post on Instagram, two weeks ago.
New damning allegations hit the show on Monday when Clanton spoke in her first television interview since going public.
“There’s a workplace environment that seems to have made it permissible for many years that discrimination, harassment and bullying has been allowed to occur,” she told ABC’s 7.30.
“There is something systemic here, there is something dangerous.”
Union intervenes on Neighbours race crisis
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance has now intervened on the crisis surrounding Neighbours, reports TV Tonight.
ABC reports the union met with producer Fremantle insisting on new anti-racism, sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training for all staff.
“This is standard practice in the US,” MEAA director Michelle Rae said.
“The allegations over the past two weeks of racist and discriminatory behaviour on the set of Neighbours must be the catalyst for industry-wide change to make screen workplaces safer and more inclusive.”
13 million in the UK tune in for live TV coverage of Prince Philip’s funeral
More than 13 million people in the UK watched live television coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral which saw a Queen in mourning, masked and sitting alone, during her first public appearance since the death of her husband of 73 years, reports The Guardian’s Caroline Davies.
The BBC’s coverage of the scaled-back military procession and St George’s chapel service at Windsor Castle attracted 11 million viewers at its peak, with ITV seeing 2.1 million and Sky about 450,000. The Queen Mother’s 2002 funeral was watched by 10.4 million, while that of Diana, Princess of Wales, had a record 32 million in 1997.
The service for Prince Philip incorporated impressive military spectacle despite Covid-19 restrictions, which limited mourners to 30, with no wake.
Melissa Leong delivers passionate opening speech on first MasterChef episode
Melissa Leong’s signature warmth has shone in the first episode of MasterChef 2021, reports News Corp’s Bella Fowler.
The beloved judge opened the season with a stirring speech, looking close to tears as she addressed the challenge that was 2020.
“Last year, our world turned upside down,” she began as she welcomed the new group of contestants alongside Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo.
“And although it was tough, it forced us all to reassess what is most important in our lives. Last year may have been a time of change, but this year is a time of opportunity.”