Business of Media
Foxtel appoints new recruit as executive director, marketing
Foxtel this week announced a new senior appointment after undertaking a search for a member of its CMR leadership team to head up marketing functions. Hilary Perchard, Foxtel’s chief customer, marketing, and revenue officer, revealed the appointment of Michael Nearhos to manage Foxtel’s marketing centre of excellence as the new executive director, marketing.
Perchard said: “Michael, who starts with Foxtel on September 14, is a highly experienced marketer having worked in senior roles at Bank of Queensland, Virgin Australia, and National Australia Bank. Michael has played a key role in driving innovation in customer experience, transforming media strategy and buying, social and content marketing, as well as game-changing sports sponsorships.”
Perchard also noted that centralising marketing, creative, media and content communications functions will give Foxtel the opportunity to create more integrated and engaging marketing and communications campaigns.
Perchard joined Foxtel earlier this year from Activision Blizzard, a global interactive entertainment company, where he was chief revenue officer. Previously, Perchard was at Fox Networks Group in the United States where he was president, strategy, revenue and marketing, digital and direct-to-consumer. Perchard was formerly a long-standing executive at Sky UK where he variously led the customer marketing, customer retention, loyalty, product management, and product marketing team.
News Brands
Four Corners puts a stop to comments on post about Fox News ‘expose’
The ABC’s flagship program Four Corners has stopped viewers from posting comments on its Facebook and Twitter accounts after it copped intense criticism for its ‘expose’ into Fox News that aired on Monday night, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
The publicly-funded broadcaster put an abrupt end to social media users commenting on the program’s online accounts about the first episode of the two-part series, blaming breaches of their social media guidelines for the move.
The ABC is rejecting the suggestion it is a deliberate move to censor debate about Monday’s night’s controversial episode.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson slams Australia’s lockdown ‘lunacy’
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has unleashed over what he’s dubbed Australia’s Covid-19 “totalitarianism”, accusing state and federal governments of mindlessly embracing martial law, shooting rescue dogs and lockdown lunacy, reports News Corp’s Samantha Maiden.
The most watched cable news host in the United States, who pulls in three million viewers on average, has delivered an epic spray today in an editorial to open his program Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Lashing Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the TV host said Australia and New Zealand had gone too far.
“In Australia, the government has implemented total lockdowns nationwide, and imposed martial law to enforce them,” the Fox News host said on Tuesday.
“What’s the justification for this? Here are the numbers: from mid-July to last week, the entire country of Australia — a population of 25 million — has averaged about 1.5 Covid deaths per day.
Entertainment
Charlie Watts, drummer for The Rolling Stones, has died aged 80
Charlie Watts, best known as the prolific drummer for the rock band the Rolling Stones for more than half a century, has died, reports Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy. He was 80.
A representative for Watts told Fox News that the musician “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.”
No cause of death was given yet.
A brief statement issued via The Rolling Stones’ social media accounts spoke of “immense sadness” and asked for privacy for his “family, band members and close friends… at this difficult time.”
Television
Guy Sebastian lifts lid on The Voice Australia rumours
Guy Sebastian has set the record straight on reports suggesting coaches are told what to do and say on reality singing show The Voice, reports News Corp’s Jonathon Moran.
The chart topping singer also shut down claims coaches are told when to turn their red chairs during blind auditions.
“We make a big effort to make the artists feel valued and to add to their artistry in a safe environment,” Sebastian wrote on Facebook.
“Even when artists don’t get a chair turn we make sure it’s a positive experience by giving feedback, or joining them onstage with a duet etc to make sure they don’t go home feeling like it was a failure. Click bait false headlines undermines that. I have never once been told who to turn my chair for.”
Amount of Australian drama on commercial TV falls by 68% in two decades
The amount of Australian TV drama broadcast has dropped significantly in the past two decades despite the proliferation of extra channels and the arrival of the streaming services in 2015, reports Guardian Australia‘s Amanda Meade.
A new study by QUT, Australian Television Drama Index, has found that the number of hours broadcast on commercial television – Seven, Nine and Ten – fell by 68% between 1999 and 2019, declining at a compound average rate of 7% a year.
The broader industry picture for Australian stories on TV is also bleak.
Across all broadcasters, including the ABC, Foxtel, Netflix and the commercials, the total hours of adult TV drama dropped by 20%.
Sport Media
Channel 7 hunting State of Origin rights as NRL TV deal race heats up
Rugby league could change channels on free-to-air television for the first time in three decades with incumbent the Nine Network facing competition from rival Seven Network, with Seven keen to win rights to the popular State of Origin series, reports News Corp’s John Stensholt and Jessica Halloran.
Seven has expressed interest to rugby league executives in bidding for the three lucrative and high-rating Origin matches, generally among the most-watched TV programs each year, and one NRL game per round, sources have told News Corp.
Network 10 is also understood to have indicated it is considering a bid for NRL free-to-air rights, currently held by Nine through to the end of the 2022 season following the renegotiation of its deal last year under former chief executive Hugh Marks at the height of the first Covid wave in Australia last year.
‘Disappointing’: Netball anger as AFL schedule clash at same time as grand final
Netball Australia has expressed its disappointment at the AFL for scheduling the Swans-Giants final at the same time as the Super Netball grand final, reports News Corp’s Sarah Keoghan.
The Giants take on NSW rivals the Swifts in Saturday’s netball decider, with the scheduling clash causing particular consternation given the close affiliations of the clubs involved.
As well as the link between the Giants’ netball and AFL teams, the Swans also have a close relationship with the Swifts, and there are fears eyeballs could be lured away from the Super Netball decider.
Netball Australia chief executive Kelly Ryan said the AFL’s decision to put the Sydney derby on at the same time as the netball showpiece was “disappointing”.
Tubi adds 10 live streaming sports channels featuring NFL, MLB programming
Tubi, the ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox, is adding 10 live streaming sports channels in partnership with Fox Sports that will feature NFL, MLB, NASCAR and Real Madrid programming, the company said on Tuesday, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s J. Clara Chan.
Collegiate sports from the Pac-12 and ACC conferences will also be available to stream. The NFL channel, which comes a few months after the league announced a new multiyear deal with Fox, will feature “near-to-live” content, highlights, replays of past games from NFL history and past seasons of the Emmy-winning series Hard Knocks.
On the Real Madrid TV channel, soccer fans will get to watch two to three games a week during Real Madrid’s La Liga season matches, as well as games from the UEFA Champions League and Cup tournaments. The MLB channel will give viewers access to highlights and replays from past historic games. Other content available on Tubi’s sports hub will include the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
In a statement, Farhad Massoudi, CEO of Tubi, said there would be more channels added next year.