Business of Media
Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign kickoff on Twitter mired by major glitches
Turns out Twitter Spaces isn’t the best place to make a major announcement, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s J. Clara Chan.
Ron DeSantis learned this the hard way Wednesday evening (US time), when the Florida governor was scheduled to kick off his presidential campaign during a live audio conversation with Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces after filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier Wednesday.
More than 20 minutes after the conversation was scheduled to begin, DeSantis wasn’t even able to speak as the live audio room repeatedly crashed and featured echoing audio, which Musk said was due to Twitter’s servers being overloaded by the number of listeners in the room. The Space appeared to be cut short after 21 minutes, and a recorded version of the conversation-that-wasn’t noted 347,000 users had tuned in.
Though the conversation later moved to a new room with fewer technical difficulties, the snafu also didn’t go unnoticed by Joe Biden’s social media team, which tweeted out a link to Biden and Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign with the comment, “This link works.”
DeSantis’ presidential announcement Wednesday was poised to be a major event for Twitter Spaces, the live audio service that Twitter first launched in 2021 in response to the popularity of live audio platforms like Clubhouse. It’s not immediately clear what kind of resources are now allocated to Spaces under Musk, especially given that the mass layoffs that hit Twitter shortly after Musk’s takeover included key employees who worked on Spaces.
Experts claim other streaming platforms could ban password sharing after Netflix’s blitz
Australian Netflix users are reeling after the streamer announced a crackdown on password sharing – and it could be a sign of things to come as other streamers look to follow suit, reports News Corp’s Alexis Carey.
Netflix’s move will be a major blow to the thousands of families who share their login details – and the cost of a subscription – with relatives who no longer live at home.
Emails began landing in subscribers’ inboxes on Wednesday, alerting them that their IP address was being used to determine whether all of the account users live under the same roof.
Now, attention is turning to other major streaming services, with users left wondering whether Netflix’s tough new rules could become the new normal.
Speaking to the ABC, Ramon Lobato, an Associate Professor at RMIT’s School of Media and Communication, said we could easily see other major streaming services follow Netflix’s lead in future.
He explained that providers have long had the technology to stop password sharing outside individual households, but have held off while they were busily growing their profile and subscription base.
“Now, as the streaming market has matured and subscriber numbers are starting to plateau, the strategies are shifting again,” he told the ABC.
“Providers are becoming more focused on maximising the revenue that they can generate from each customer.
“Hence the password-sharing crackdown; the aim is to encourage password-sharers to sign up for separate accounts or to move them to a higher payment tier.”
Radio
KeBoxing match: Tommy Little to combine his love of kebabs with boxing
Comedian and radio host Tommy Little has taken his interest in boxing to a new level — challenging Tim Tszyu to a bout with a difference, report News Corp’s Regan Hodge and Jackie Epstein.
Little was ringside at Wednesday night’s No Limit Boxing fight night where he met Tyson Fury.
He is taking on Tszyu on Friday, combining his love of kebabs with boxing for a KeBoxing match. He is eating a full kebab before each round dressed as a kebab.
His Fox FM radio co-host Carrie Bickmore has named herself Tommy’s ‘Momager’ and will be on the sidelines with a bucket.
PM Anthony Albanese responds to rumours of friendship break-up with Erin Molan
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has returned to Erin Molan’s breakfast radio show after she accused him of “ghosting” her, report News Corp’s Ellen Ransley and Madeleine Achenza.
The PM made jabs at Molan on Thursday for an opinion piece she wrote in March, titled “Trust me Albo it’s over, I’m breaking up with you”, telling her he never read the piece on Thursday.
Albanese joked with Molan and co hosts Dave “Hughesy” Hughes and Ed Kavalee on 2Day FM as he defended his silence towards the show after the piece was published.
Albanese has reportedly had no contact with Molan for almost two months and reportedly refused invitations from the hosts to appear on the show.
His comments come a day after Molan, the daughter of late Liberal senator Jim Molan told listeners about the apparent rift.
Television
Would Alone Australia return to Tasmania?
There seems little doubt SBS will greenlight a second season of its hit show Alone Australia, reports TV Tonight.
The broadcaster has had an open call for S2 casting since early April.
Since then the show has drawn bumper numbers through VOZ for the broadcaster, with the first six episodes passing the 1 million viewer mark.
SBS Head of Unscripted Joseph Maxwell recently told TV Tonight a second season was under consideration.
“We’re scoping out. We’re not committed at the moment but basically we’re exploring all possibilities. With a show of this scale, it takes a very long time to do anything. So it makes absolute sense while there is attention for this show to go, ‘Okay, what would what would happen if we were to go again?’” he said.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle plan ‘juicy’ Netflix film after ‘$1.5m’ lawsuit fail
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly planning their next Netflix project inspired by Prince Andrew’s disastrous BBC interview, reports News Corp’s Justin Vallejo.
After Netflix revealed the feature film Scoop, starring Rufus Sewell and Gillian Anderson, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to tell their own story filled with “juicy stuff” from behind closed doors.
Sources close to the couple told Closer magazine they were “obviously happy” with their payday from their docuseries Harry & Meghan and were “keen” for another project, but that Netflix had no interest in documentaries or children’s TV shows.
The new bid for movie stardom comes after it was revealed Prince Harry could be almost $A1.5 million in the hole after a UK High Court threw out his bid to turn the Met Police officers into “bodyguards for the wealthy”.
Figures revealed in a Freedom of Information request show taxpayers have so far footed a bill of £304,881 ($A576,500) on government legal costs, general counsel, and court fees, according to The Sun.
Sports Media
A game-changer for Australian sport: How Tina Turner became the face of league
Just three years ago — and three decades after an American grandmother became an enduring symbol of Australian sport — the NRL revived its Simply The Best marketing campaign, reports Nine Publishing’s Andrew Webster.
The original advertisements, and a legendary performance at the 1993 grand final, soundtracked a golden era for the-then NSWRL in the years before the Super League war.
“I am thrilled the NRL is still excited about Simply The Best and will use it again after 30 years,” Tina Turner said on the eve of the 2020 season.
“Thirty years on, to see the song being celebrated and the campaign relaunched is very humbling.
“The grand final was my first rugby league game and I’ve never forgotten it. I wish the NRL all the best with the campaign.”
Turner was adored across the planet, right up until her death on Wednesday at the age of 83. The Tina Turner Musical opened in Sydney just this month, after wowing audiences on Broadway and in London’s West End.