Business of Media
Payday for brothers behind nation’s biggest digital indie media agency
The two brothers behind one of the country’s biggest digital marketing firms, which handles $200 million in advertising for the likes of Estee Lauder, Catch, Temple & Webster, Webjet and Destination NSW, have sold their business to growing UK player Brainlabs, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
Morris Bryant, 37, and his brother, Cameron, 33, started Sparro in 2013, growing it to 120 people, about $29 million in annual revenues and a focus on digital and search engine advertising. Sparro spends more with Google than any other agency in Australia. In late 2021, it acquired creative agency and production company Jack Nimble.
Margot Robbie and Barbie snubbed in 2024 Oscars shock
Australian megastar Margot Robbie was snubbed by the 2024 Oscars as Oppenheimer dominated Barbie in nominations for the 96th Academy Awards, reports News Corp’s Justin Vallejo.
In an unexpected twist, both Robbie and Barbie director Greta Gerwig were overlooked for individual nominations while Ryan Gosling was recognised twice as Ken, for best actor in a supporting role and best original song.
The eight nominations for Barbie placed the year’s highest-grossing movie a distant fourth behind Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which scored 13 nods, Poor Things, 10, and Killers of the Flower Moon, 10.
Netflix’s head of film to depart
Scott Stuber, who brought Oscar-winning filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Jane Campion and Alfonso Cuarón to Netflix and in doing so helped to usher the entertainment industry into the streaming era, is leaving as the service’s film chairman, the company said on Monday, reports The New York Times’ Nicole Sperling.
News of Stuber’s departure came on the eve of the Oscar nominations. During his tenure, which began in 2017, Netflix has had eight films nominated for best picture, though a win in that category has proved elusive.
News Brands
‘Abhorrent and incorrect’: Ita Buttrose rejects staff attack on ABC management
The ABC board has strongly backed its managing director David Anderson following a union-led vote of no-confidence on Monday, with chair Ita Buttrose rejecting claims that the organisation was bowing to external influence when it sacked broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf, report Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan and Michael Bachelard.
The ABC board passed a unanimous vote of confidence in Anderson, and in a statement Buttrose said claims from staff that he did not support the broadcaster’s staff were “abhorrent and incorrect”.
Also on Tuesday, the ABC’s director of news Justin Stevens issued a long email to staff acknowledging that, “regrettably, internal issues are once again in the headlines”, but strongly defending his division and Anderson.
ABC denies sacking Antoinette Lattouf and attempts to have termination case thrown out
The ABC has claimed it did not sack the journalist Antoinette Lattouf from her casual radio role, paving the way to attempt to have her termination case thrown out, reports The Guardian’s Caitlin Cassidy.
It comes as pressure mounts on the broadcaster’s management, with union members passing a vote of no confidence in the managing director, David Anderson.
On 15 January, the broadcaster filed its defence in the Fair Work Commission (FWC), in which it asserted Lattouf’s employment was terminated on 20 December, and took effect the same day.
Condé Nast union members launch 24-hour walkout amid layoff talks
Union members who work at Condé Nast brands including Vanity Fair, Vogue and GQ will be walking off the job on Tuesday to protest negotiations conduct that they claim violates labor law, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Kate Kilkenny.
More than 400 Condé Nast Union members at those three publications as well as Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Glamour, Self, Teen Vogue and Condé Nast Entertainment are set to strike for 24 hours on Tuesday and hold a rally in front of the company’s offices in New York. The action stems from labor negotiations that have turned sour since Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch announced the company’s intentions to cut 5 percent of its workforce on Nov. 1.
See Also: Condé Nast to fold Pitchfork into GQ
Television
Better Homes and Gardens star steps back from Channel 7 show
Veteran Better Homes and Gardens presenter Karen Martini has announced she’s stepping back from the lifestyle show to focus on other projects, reports News Corp’s Lexie Cartwright.
The Melbourne chef, 52, who first appeared on the Seven program as a food presenter in 2007, told 7News she had her hands full with two new restaurants, as well as being a mother to two teenage daughters.
YouTuber MrBeast reportedly in talks for competition series on Amazon’s Prime Video in deal worth US$100 Million
YouTuber MrBeast, or James “Jimmy” Donaldson, is reportedly close to finalizing a deal with Amazon’s Prime Video for a new reality competition series, reports IGN’s Adele Ankers-Range.
The report comes via Puck News, with Variety verifying the information. Per the reports, MrBeast is in talks to launch a new series for Prime Video that would likely follow a similar format to his viral YouTube videos, which feature extreme challenges and large giveaways. The tentative deal is estimated to be around $100 million.
The 25-year-old creator, known under the alias MrBeast, is the most-subscribed individual on YouTube, with over 230 million subscribers on his main channel. He also has several other YouTube channels, including MrBeast Gaming (41.4M subscribers), Beast Reacts (31.9M subscribers), and Beast Philanthropy (21.2M subscribers).
Blackfella Films appoints head of scripted
Blackfella Films has appointed Netflix creative exec Penny Smallacombe as head of scripted, reports TV Tonight.
A member of the Maramanindji people, from the Northern Territory, she was, for six years, Head of the First Nations Department at Screen Australia, overseeing film and television projects including Total Control, Mystery Road, Little J and Big Cuz, Grace Beside Me, Spear, She Who Must Be Loved, Sweet Country, We Don’t Need a Map, Sweet As, and We Are Still Here.
Sports Media
Netflix to stream W.W.E.’s ‘Raw’ in US$5 billion deal
Netflix reached a multibillion-dollar, 10-year deal for exclusive rights to W.W.E.’s flagship weekly wrestling show, “Raw,” as the streaming giant broadens its offerings with more live content, report The New York Times’ Nicole Sperling and Gregory Schmidt.
The deal will bring “Raw” to Netflix starting next January, Netflix and TKO Group, W.W.E.’s parent company, said in a statement on Tuesday. Netflix will also own the rights to stream W.W.E.’s other shows and specials outside of the United States.
The agreement will cost Netflix more than $5 billion and will last for 10 years, with an option to extend an additional 10 years or opt out after five, TKO Group said in a regulatory filing.