Business of Media
Elon Musk says Twitter, now X, could charge all users subscription fees
Elon Musk has indicated that X, formerly known as Twitter, is considering charging all users for accessing the platform. The X owner said erecting a paywall around the business would ward off the bots, or automated accounts, that have become a bugbear for Musk, reports The Guardian’s Dan Milmo.
Speaking in a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, the Tesla CEO and world’s richest person suggested that X was going to charge its user base. Currently, Twitter only charges users for its subscription service X Premium, which offers perks such as a verified account checkmark and costs $11 a month in the US for iPhones and £11 in the UK.
“We’re moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system,” Musk said.
YouTube suspends Russell Brand from advert income
YouTube has suspended Russell Brand‘s channels from making money from adverts for “violating” its “creator responsibility policy”. The video platform said it was taking action “to protect” its users, report the BBC’s Paul Glynn and Tom Gerken.
It comes after he was accused of rape and sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013. He denies the claims, saying his relationships were “always consensual”.
Earlier on Tuesday, a YouTube spokesperson said: “If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action.”
US argues Google wants too much information kept secret in antitrust trial
The US Justice Department on Monday objected to removing the public from the court during some discussions of how Google prices online advertising, one of the issues at the heart of the antitrust trial under way in Washington, reports Reuters’ Diane Bartz.
The government is seeking to show that Alphabet’s Google broke antitrust law to maintain its dominance in online search. The search dominance led to fast-increasing advertising revenues that made Google a $1 trillion company.
David Dahlquist, speaking for the government, pointed to a document that was redacted that had a short back and forth about Google’s pricing for search advertising. Dahlquist then argued to Judge Amit Mehta, who will decide the case, that information like the tidbit in the document should not be redacted. “This satisfies public interest because it’s at the core of the DOJ case against Google,” he said.
Can you name your baby ‘Methamphetamine Rules’ in Australia?
Are there any names you can’t legally call your baby in Australia? It’s a question many wanted answered by the ABC’s new show What the FAQ, says Kirsten Drysdale, a journalist at the public broadcaster. So when Drysdale gave birth to her third son in July, she decided to put it to the test, reports The Guardian’s Jordyn Beazley.
She submitted his given name to New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages as “Methamphetamine Rules”.
“We thought we would submit the most outrageous name we could think of, assuming it would be rejected,” she said. “But it didn’t turn out that way – unfortunately Methamphetamine Rules slipped through the cracks.”
Radio
Neil Mitchell reflects on his 33 years in the radio business
For 33 years Neil Mitchell has been a constant in the life of many Melburnians. His long stint as 3AW’s Morning’s presenter started back in 1990 and he’s had a front row seat to the city’s immense growth and change over that period, reports The ABC.
But that run is coming to an end, with Mitchell announcing his final show will go to air in December. Neil Mitchell speaks with 7.30’s Laura Tingle about the changes in the industry over that time.
A radio segment where 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham revealed he started Uber driving is under investigation by ACMA
Sydney 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham is under investigation by the media regulator over a segment on his top-rating program where he revealed he had started working as an Uber driver, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Fordham, who has a commercial partnership with Uber, revealed in a three-minute on-air segment with business commentator Peter Switzer on August 3 that he had signed up to become an Uber driver to earn extra money.
The regulator is investigating whether the 2GB host should have disclosed in the segment that he was in a paid partnership with Uber in the segment.
Sports Media
Where on the ladder did your favourite AFL show finish this year?
The formula is simple. A host, guests, questions to draw them out, bright topical banter, maybe a live audience. Over the years, you’ll have become familiar with the set-up: on quiz, comedy, talk and current-affairs programs, and, perhaps the most pervasive of all (especially if you’re a Fox viewer), sports shows, reports Nine Publishing’s Tom Ryan.
For cynics, they’re cheap options, not too demanding on production crews and facilities. Yet, at their best, they can be lively, funny and informative, introducing a range of new perspectives on subjects viewers might have thought they already understood pretty well. Like Australian Rules football.
The AFL panel shows are among the most basic of them all. Their blueprint is a host to keep the ball bouncing and two or three hopefully astute observers to assess form and make sense of the game’s complexities. All the production team has to do is let it play out: the right mix of guests, a set that doesn’t distract, unobtrusive camerawork and editing, and a judicious use of clips, ideally to illustrate what panel members are saying.