Business of Media
ABC does deals with Google and Facebook that could see millions spent on regional news
The ABC has signed letters of intent with both Google and Facebook for payments under the news media bargaining code, the broadcaster’s managing director, David Anderson, has revealed, reports Guardian Australia‘s Amanda Meade.
“When these commercial deals are concluded, they will enable the ABC to make new and significant investments in regional services,” Anderson told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday.
“These investments will provide a huge boost to the regions at a time when many areas of regional and rural Australia have experienced a withdrawal of media services.”
Amazon agrees to buy MGM film studio for $US8.45b
Amazon agreed to buy the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie company for $US8.45 billion ($10.9 billion), a bet that a nearly century-old Hollywood icon can feed an insatiable demand for streaming content, reports Bloomberg‘s Kelly Gilblom and Spencer Soper.
The takeover is Amazon’s biggest acquisition since it agreed to buy Whole Foods in 2017 for $US13.7 billion but follows investments of about $US11 billion on content for its streaming video and music services last year alone.
“The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team,” said Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, in a statement. “It’s very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling.”
Jeff Bezos weighs in on MGM Deal; Andy Jassy to take over as Amazon CEO July 5
Amazon bought MGM because of its “vast, deep catalogue of much beloved intellectual property,” CEO Jeff Bezos said Wednesday during the company’s annual shareholder meeting, reports The Hollywood Reporter‘s Alex Weprin.
“And with the talent at MGM and the talent at Amazon Studios, we can reimagine and develop that IP for the 21st century. It will be a lot of fun work, and people who love stories will be the big beneficiaries.”
Bezos also revealed that Andy Jassy will succeed him as CEO of Amazon on July 5.
“We chose that date because it’s sentimental for me, the day Amazon was incorporated in 1994, exactly 27 years ago,” Bezos said.
ViacomCBS and A-League announce five year broadcast rights deal
ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) have announced a landmark media partnership deal, changing the way the A-League and Westfield W-League will be broadcast to Australians.
The five-year agreement, which commences next season, will give Australian football the greatest reach it has ever had.
Every Saturday night during the season is Football Night on 10, with the A-League’s match of the round broadcast live at 7:30pm.
10 Bold will be the new home of the Westfield W-League, with a match broadcast live every Sunday of the league. All free-to-air matches will also be simulcast on 10 Play.
See More: ViacomCBS and A-League announce five year broadcast rights deal
Discovery-WarnerMedia’s $3B in cost-savings: where will that come from?
The surprise May 17 reveal of WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery Inc. was met by a mixture of excitement and trepidation by employees at both companies, sources at each say. There was excitement at the prospect of building a competitor to streaming juggernauts like Netflix, and trepidation over that dreaded term “synergies,” reports The Hollywood Reporter‘s Alex Weprin.
The two companies say they expect $3 billion in cost-saving synergies after two years and plan to pour that cash back into creating streaming content. But where will those savings come from?
The most obvious place is layoffs associated with the merger. The bright side: There is little to no overlap on the creative or content side of the businesses, as WarnerMedia offerings like HBO and Warner Bros. focus on more scripted content while Discovery has leaned into reality and unscripted fare. The bad news: Back office staff, from attorneys and accountants to HR, sales and IT, are likely to see cutbacks.
News Brands
ABC says staff free to post opinions on social media
The ABC will not discourage staff from posting provocative personal opinions on social media, despite the recent resignation of a senior in-house lawyer who labelled the Coalition government as “fascist” and described Scott Morrison as “an awful human being”, reports News Corp’s James Madden and Sophie Elsworth.
“We are editorially responsible for what we do on our own official platforms; we are not editorially responsible for what our staff do on their personal social media, hence we have introduced the code of conduct to capture personal social media,” the ABC’s managing director, David Anderson, told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday night.
Associated Press vows to defend staff against online attacks after Emily Wilder firing
Management at the Associated Press have told staff that they stand behind their decision to fire newly hired reporter Emily Wilder who was targeted by a Republican smear campaign regarding her pro-Palestinian advocacy while a student, reports The Guardian’s Edward Helmore.
However, they also admitted to mishandling the situation and vowed to defend their staff against online attacks.
The AP have stated they fired Wilder for breaching their social media policies while she was an employee, not for her previous activities at college. But they have provided no detail on what those breaches were.
Wilder’s firing has triggered widespread internal unrest at the AP and also external criticism of its actions.
ABC’s Paul Barry and Norman Swan concede the Wuhun lab-leak theory is gaining support
Two prominent ABC journalists, Media Watch host Paul Barry and health reporter Norman Swan, have conceded there is compelling evidence to support the theory that a Wuhan research lab may be the source of Covid-19 – having previously denied there was evidence to support that claim, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
Barry, who has repeatedly criticised The Australian’s investigations writer Sharri Markson’s reporting on the Wuhan Institute of Virology, on Wednesday said there was “now expert support for the lab escape theory”.
That was a marked change of view from last May, when Barry told viewers: “We also think Markson should have told readers that almost every virus expert had dismissed the lab escape theory.”
Television
Kelly Clarkson to replace Ellen DeGeneres on US daytime TV
NBC has announced that Kelly Clarkson will take the daytime slot vacated by the talkshow anchor Ellen DeGeneres, once her eponymous show ends in 2022, reports The Guardian’s Adrian Horton.
The network announced on Wednesday that the 39-year-old pop singer – the original American Idol, judge on the popular competition show The Voice and host of her own talkshow owned and produced by NBC’s syndication arm – will take over DeGeneres’s slot on NBC-owned and affiliated stations in fall next year.
The Kelly Clarkson Show, now in its second season, currently airs on over 200 stations across the country.
Veronicas unhappy over Apprentice editing
It’s enough to cop a broadside from Lord Alan Sugar, reports TV Tonight.
The Veronicas have taken to social media to vent over the editing of Celebrity Apprentice.
So far the duo have featured in several challenges plus a bickering master interview but are yet to be hauled into the Boardroom for elimination.