Business of Media
Netflix dumps Meghan Markle’s animated TV series
Being a Sussex presumably confers many privileges, but immunity from the Netflix axe is not among them, reports SMH’s Karl Quinn.
So Meghan Markle has discovered as her animated series Pearl, which has been in development since last July, was given the chop over the weekend as the streaming giant began making some major adjustments in response to its declining fortunes.
Pearl, which was being produced by Markle with Elton John’s husband David Furnish, was announced last year as one of the first fruits of the $US100 million development deal signed by Archewell, the production company set up by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with Netflix. It was billed as “a family series that centres on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration in a variety of influential women throughout history”.
Netflix faces losing licensed hit shows to streaming rivals
Netflix faces the threat of an exodus of a number of hit shows as it battles to reignite subscriber growth, with almost a third of its most popular content with viewers – from Friends and Pretty Little Liars to Paw Patrol – licensed from rivals building their own streaming services, reports The Guardian’s Mark Sweney.
Earlier this month, Netflix’s market value was slashed by almost $60bn as investors panicked that the decade-long streaming boom has come to an end, after the company forecast it would lose millions of subscribers in the first half of this year.
However, research shows that Netflix continues to have a significant dependency on licensed content, with major titles potentially moving off the service when contracts come up for renewal in the next few years.
Lionsgate, Peacock ink movie output deal
Lionsgate has signed a multiyear movie output deal with Peacock for all theatrically released Lionsgate films, starting with the studio’s 2022 slate, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Etan Vlessing.
The agreement with the NBCUniversal streaming platform brings movies exclusively to Peacock and NBCUniversal networks for their Pay 2 window, starting in 2024. The first Lionsgate film to hit Peacock will be The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, starring Nicolas Cage.
Other titles in the agreement include John Wick: Chapter 4, the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Expendables 4, Borderlands and Kelly Fremon Craig’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, produced by Oscar winner James L. Brooks and adapted from the Judy Blume classic.
Agencies
Royals appointed as creative agency of record for Don Smallgoods
Royals have been appointed as the creative agency of record for Don Smallgoods after a competitive pitch.
The creative agency will take over from DDB Melbourne and will create a brand platform and campaign that will renew the iconic company’s status among Australian consumers which is set to be launched later this year.
The new brand platform and campaign will seek to drive long-term growth for iconic brand, which is part of George Weston Foods, in a saturated and competitive category.
The Royals appointment to the Don Smallgoods creative account follows the announcement of several other creative wins this year.
In March, the agency announced it had won the creative and strategy account of Deliveroo.
The creative agency was tasked with the food delivery platform’s marketing and advertising strategy, following a competitive five-way pitch.
Additional recent client wins for Royals includes Smartpay, Real Pet Food Co, Guide Dogs Australia, MYOB and Open Universities.
Radio
Craig Hutchison says radio ratings an ‘old school’ metric
SEN boss Craig Hutchison has launched a strong defence of his station’s lowly ratings, saying he’s not too fussed by the “old school” way of measurement, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
After opening the radio ratings year with dire figures for its marquee shows, Hutchison said he was pleased with SEN’s improvements in the second survey and expects the numbers to keep rising.
He labelled his empire a progressive business which was more interested in modern metrics.
“Over the summer period we had a lot of challenges with people away and Covid and all of those things,’’ Hutchy told Time On.
“We had some new people come in like Nathan Buckley and others. We had the core teams on a bit later than normal. I knew that our next survey would be much stronger and it was.”
Kyle Sandilands responds to going viral in the US after kicking podcast host off air
Kyle Sandilands has just realised he’s gone viral in the US — but there’s one widespread remark his new-found fans have made with which he’s taken issue, report News Corp’s Bella Fowler and Lexie Cartwright.
The 50-year-old radio shock jock made waves overseas after he launched an explosive rant at a guest on his KIIS FM show on Friday, booting a US podcast host off air in a rage.
During a chat with the hosts of self-purported “world’s No. 1 men’s podcast” Fresh and Fit, Sandilands became incensed when one half of the podcast, Myron Gaines, claimed that men should be allowed to cheat in relationships, among other problematic assertions.
“Women want attention, men want sex, so my thing is men are capable of having sex with other women while still loving his girl the same,” Gaines said.
“That’s crazy. You can’t just go throwing that thing around …” Sandilands began, before Gaines exclaimed “Let me finish!”
Television
Seven secures final Leader’s Debate
The Seven Network has secured the third and final Leader’s Debate between PM Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, reports TV Tonight.
Mark Riley will moderate the event on Wednesday May 11 following Big Brother (time is TBA).
Seven Network director of news and public affairs, Craig McPherson, said: “This will be a showdown unlike any other debate, perhaps the most crucial hour of this campaign for both leaders, and there’s no better moderator than Seven’s Mark Riley.
“Mark has been with the leaders on the road since the campaign started. He is across all the key issues voters want answers to and with his encyclopaedic knowledge, it is sure to be a true test just 10 days out from when Australia votes for who will be our next leader.”
Karl Stefanovic’s massive federal election coverage snub revealed
Karl Stefanovic has been ditched from Channel Nine’s election night coverage – despite grilling the nation’s pollies on an almost daily basis on Today, reports News Corp’s Alexis Carey.
According to The Australian’s Media Diary column, Stefanovic and his co-host Allison Langdon were reportedly snubbed by the network after applying for the coveted gig of leading the network’s coverage on the big day on May 21.
Their regular interviews with Australian leaders was allegedly a major part of their pitch – but wasn’t enough to get the pair over the line, Nick Tabakoff reports.
See More: Nine announces lineup for 2022 federal election coverage
There would be no Jason and Kylie without Scott and Charlene
The last time Kylie Minogue as Charlene Robinson set foot in Pin Oak Court, the famous Vermont South cul-de-sac that doubles as Neighbours’ fictional Ramsay Street, it was 1988, and the world was a vastly different place, reports SMH’s Thomas Mitchell.
John Howard was toiling away in opposition, yet to become our second-longest-serving prime minister. The world’s first website was three years away, so there was no tweeting, Instagramming or pretending to know what the acronym NFT stands for. Neighbours was one of the most popular shows on Australian television.
Much of that popularity came down to Minogue, who, alongside Jason Donovan, formed the show’s most enduring couple, Scott and Charlene Robinson. She was the rough-around-the-edges mechanic, he was the handsome boy next door, and together they captured the nation’s fascination.
Kath & Kim house is being demolished
“Chateau Kath” -the famed “Fountain Lakes” house used in Kath & Kim – is being demolished, reports TV Tonight.
Workers from Dig Dig Demoliton are on site at 4 Lagoon Place, Patterson Lakes, south east of Melbourne, as demolition on the once-famous house begins.
It is expected to be fully demolished within two weeks, consigned to TV history.