Business of Media
Court plays footage of Paul Kent’s distraught alleged choking victim
Rugby league journalist Paul Kent allegedly held a woman to the ground and grabbed her neck, leaving her with injuries to her arms and chest, a court has heard, reports Nine Publishing’s Clare Sibthorpe.
Kent, 53, who has temporarily been stood down from his roles as a senior writer for The Daily Telegraph and host of Fox Sports show NRL 360, is defending the domestic violence allegations. He is accused of attacking the 33-year-old woman at his home in Lilyfield in May.
He is facing a two-day hearing at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, charged with common assault, intentionally choking a person without consent and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
See Also: Foxtel reportedly pulls NRL 360 back catalogue after Paul Kent arrest
Morry Schwartz steps back as publisher of The Monthly, Quarterly Essay
Morry Schwartz, publisher of The Saturday Paper, Quarterly Essay and The Monthly, has stepped back from his role as chairman of Schwartz Media, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
In an internal statement to staff shared by product chief Zoe Featherstone, Schwartz said he would step down to “give space to the next phase of growth and excellence”.
“Today I have made the decision to step aside as chairman of Schwartz Media and step back from day-to-day operations,” he wrote.
Brittany Higgins’s mother tells Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial her daughter has been a ‘broken soul’ since alleged rape
Brittany Higgins’s mother has told former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann‘s Federal Court defamation case that it was “a mother’s worst nightmare” when she heard about her daughter’s alleged rape, reports the ABC’s Elizabeth Byrne.
Today, Kelly Higgins told the court her daughter was now a “broken soul”.
She said before the alleged incident she had had a joy for life, and was thoroughly enjoying working at Parliament House in Canberra.
Vice Media CMO steps down to lead public affairs and marketing firm
Vice Media Group Chief Marketing Officer Nadja Bellan-White will leave the company in mid-December to accept a role as chief executive of SS+K, a marketing and public affairs firm based in New York, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Patrick Coffee.
Bellan-White will be the first person to hold the CEO title at SS+K, whose clients have included social-media company Meta Platforms, the Democratic National Committee and President Biden’s inaugural committee, according to the agency. She will report to co-founders and partners Lenny Stern and Rob Shepardson, with all senior managers reporting to Bellan-White.
Tucker Carlson to launch his own US$72-a-year subscription streaming service
Several months since his dismissal from Fox News, Tucker Carlson is launching his own $72-a-year subscription streaming service, reports The Guardian’s Michael Sainato.
“We’ve been out of work for seven or eight months now,” the host says in a video announcing the Tucker Carlson Network. “Hard to know, time flies when you’re unemployed. But actually, we’ve been working in secret and producing an awful lot of material for months now – interviews, etcetera – and all of it has now found its way to tuckercarlson.com. We’re launching a brand-new thing very soon.”
Carlson’s new venture arrives after the host claimed in a book that his April firing was part of Fox News’ $787m settlement of the defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox News denied the claim.
Entertainment
Aussies lead the charge as ‘Barbie’ tops Golden Globes nominations with nine
Margot Robbie’s Barbie has topped the newly revamped Golden Globes film nominations, reports News Corp’s Merryn Johns.
Barbie, a fun feminist satire and global box office phenomenon received nine nominations, including best comedy as well as acting nominations for stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
This year’s top-grossing movie, earning more than $1.4 billion (A$2.13bn) globally, Barbie also scooped three best song nominations, and recognition for its writer-director Greta Gerwig.
Stan to broadcast Golden Globes in Australia
Stan has announced it will be the exclusive home of the 2024 Golden Globes for the second year running, live from Los Angeles on January 8, same day as the U.S.
Now in its 81st year, the 2024 Golden Globe Awards will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles and is the first ceremony produced by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries, directed by Glenn Weiss.
The red carpet arrivals will also be available live from 11am AEDT on Monday January 8, followed by the three-hour awards ceremony from 12pm AEDT, only on Stan.
Television
Sydney is the star of the show in new NCIS spinoff
Sometimes the pleasure of TV can come from the thrill of novelty, the attention-grabbing new show that’s unlike anything you’ve seen before. And sometimes the pleasure can come from the comfort of the familiar: a series that dutifully delivers exactly what’s expected, reports Nine Publishing’s Debi Enker.
NCIS, the enduring drama series about the investigation of crimes involving US naval personnel, sits firmly in the latter category. What it lacks in buzz-worthiness it delivers in the rock-solid reliability of a formula honed over decades that’s won a global following.
Sports Media
Netflix plans live tennis match between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in sports expansion
Netflix is serving up more live sports. The streaming giant on Monday announced a live exhibition tennis match two of the sport’s biggest stars: 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal facing off against world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin.
The match is being branded as The Netflix Slam, and will be held on March 3, 2024 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
The event will feature other tennis matchups as well, with players TBD. It will stream in both English and Spanish for global markets. Both Nadal and Alcaraz are from Spain.