Business of Media
Netflix’s new ad-based plan to launch in Australia in November
Australia is one of 12 countries that will be offered Netflix’s new ad-based budget subscription plan that will be rolled out next month, reports Nine Publishing’s Latika Bourke.
The Basic with Ads plan will cost $6.99 per month in Australia, four dollars less than the cheapest ad-free plan currently on offer. Ads will be rolled out on Netflix from November 1 in Canada and Mexico, followed by Australia, the US, UK, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and South Korea on November 4 and finally Spain one week later.
Subscribers to the new Netflix plan will be shown up to five minutes of ads per hour of viewing. New releases will feature ads only at the start to preserve the cinematic experience but television series will have them included mid-viewing as will older films.
Around ten per cent of Netflix inventory will have no ads because the original deals were struck when the company never contemplated including advertising, a position it’s been forced to reassess as it faces fierce competition from rival streaming platforms and the loss of one million subscribers following the end of pandemic lockdowns.
New Screen Queensland CEO Courtney Gibson
Screen Queensland appoints Courtney Gibson as CEO to replace Kylie Munnich
Screen Queensland has appointed Courtney Gibson as the organisation’s incoming chief executive officer. She replaces Kylie Munnich who stepped down for the role as the new chief executive of Goalpost Pictures.
Gibson is one of the screen industry’s most experienced executives, having been CEO of two state screen agencies and held leadership roles with multiple Australian broadcasters and production companies.
Gibson couldn’t be better qualified with previous roles including Executive Head of Content Creation and Head of Arts, Entertainment and Comedy at ABC TV, Programming Production Executive at Nine, Commissioning Editor of Documentary at SBS, Director of Programs at Endemol Australia and Managing Director of Jungle Entertainment, as well as serving as CEO of Screen NSW and the South Australian Film Corporation.
Gibson said she was thrilled to be joining the Screen Queensland team.
“Queensland is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to screen production, and it’s a state that really has it all — leading local producers, post-production companies and games developers, longstanding and extremely successful international partnerships, highly skilled crews, spectacular locations and leading-edge studios up and down the state, all underpinned by the best incentives in Australia.” Gibson said.
“I look forward to working with the Screen Queensland team and all its partners to support and attract even more production and to develop a new generation of Queensland screen makers, with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander key creatives and crew.”
Social Media
Erin Molan uncovers the truth about online trolls in TV expose
It’s the most fascinating part of my documentary, according to my radio co-host Dave Hughes, who has had a sneak peek at Haters Online: Erin Molan Fights Back, writes Erin Molan in a News Corp column.
As someone who has been on the receiving end of a fair bit of social media abuse over the years, he was dumbfounded by the question we posed (and answered): Who are the trolls?
Some of the worst abuse and online violence I’ve encountered has been at the hands of, well, people you’d probably never imagine.
Dads, some of them with daughters. Grandpas. Mums of multiple children. Teachers. Charity workers and even medical professionals.
Haters Online: Erin Molan fights back, screens next Tuesday at 7pm, on Sky News Australia.
News Brands
The War by Daily Telegraph short-listed for prestigious Walkley Award
The Daily Telegraph’s gripping video documentary series The War has been short-listed for a prestigious Walkley Award, reports the Sydney newsbrand.
The paper also garnered a nomination in headlines category, with the work of deputy editor Anna Caldwell among the finalists.
The War, about the worst gang war that Sydney has seen in decades, was put together by reporters Mark Morri and Josh Hanrahan, and produced by Ms Caldwell, editor Ben English, chief of staff Zac McLean and head of news Nick Hansen.
The Australian’s finest journalists nominated for Walkley Awards
The Australian’s groundbreaking journalism has again been recognised by the Walkley Foundation, with several award nominations across the most prestigious award categories, reports The Australian’s James Madden.
The national masthead’s former Gold Walkley winner Hedley Thomas, along with David Murray, Isaac Irons and Slade Gibson, have been nominated for the Investigative Journalism award for their work on hit podcast Shandee’s Story, and accompanying news stories.
The Australian’s senior political reporters Simon Benson and Geoff Chambers have been nominated for the Scoop of the Year award for their exclusive story on Scott Morrison’s “Ministry of Secrets”.
Greg Bearup, who writes for The Weekend Australian Magazine, and sports reporter Will Swanton, have both been nominated for the Feature Writing (under 4000 words) award.
Senior journalists at The Australian, Nick Evans and John Stensholt, have been nominated for a Walkley Award in the Business Journalism category, for their investigation, “Twiggy’s Green Dream”, which revealed how tycoon Andrew Forrest had enlisted some of the biggest names in politics, business, science and security to turbocharge his green hydrogen aspirations.
The Weekend Australian Magazine’s columnist Nikki Gemmell has been recognised in the Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique category, for a series of thought-provoking pieces canvassing various political and social issues.
News producer Simon Firth is nominated in the Headline, Caption or Hook category, for the following headlines: “Hits and Mrs: An Oscars like no other” for The Australian’s front page story on Will Smith’s onstage attack on Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards; “Pharma wants a knife” for a story about Mayne Pharmaceuticals cutting some fresh deals; and “Packer’s Act 3: Easy lies the head that no longer wears Crown”, which accompanied an exclusive interview with James Packer after he sold out of Crown.
Ukraine team leads Walkley Awards nominations at Nine Publishing
A large number of journalists and photographers from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have been announced as finalists in the 67th Walkley Awards for excellence in journalism, reports Nine Publishing’s Zoe Samios.
Distinguished photographer Kate Geraghty is shortlisted in three categories for her coverage of the war in Ukraine while her colleague, Anthony Galloway, is shortlisted for coverage of a major issue and production. The pair sit among other award-winning journalists Nick McKenzie, Adele Ferguson, Kate McClymont, Jacqueline Maley and Sarah Danckert who have been nominated across a number of categories for news breaking and investigative journalism over the past year.
Political editor Peter Hartcher is nominated in the feature writing short category for his piece, “Radioactive: Inside the top-secret AUKUS subs deal”, while former Europe correspondent and editor of the Herald, Bevan Shields, is a finalist in the scoop of the year coverage for his piece “I don’t think, I know”, where French President Emmanuel Macron accused former prime minister Scott Morrison of lying to him. Herald photographer Brook Mitchell is a finalist for Nikon press photographer of the year, alongside The Age’s Christopher Hopkins.
McKenzie is nominated in three categories. He is a finalist in print/text news report with Aisha Dow, and Joel Tozer for “Triple zero crisis”, which ran in The Age. His colleague, Melissa Cunningham, is nominated in the same category for her work, “The Melbourne ICU, where the unvaccinated die in disbelief”.
McKenzie is also a finalist in the business category with Tozer and Amelia Ballinger for the 60 Minutes program, “Star and the gambling industry’s reckoning”. The trio are also finalists in the investigative journalism category for “The downfall of the gaming industry”, alongside Adele Ferguson, Klaus Toft and Lauren Day, for “Cosmetic surgery in crisis”, who are also shortlisted in the television/video current affairs category.
McClymont is nominated alongside Tom Steinfort, Michael Evans, Dave McMillan and Tracey Hannaford for the podcast series, Liar Liar, which discussed the disappearance of fraudster Melissa Caddick.
McKenzie is nominated in three categories. He is a finalist in print/text news report with Aisha Dow, and Joel Tozer for “Triple zero crisis”, which ran in The Age. His colleague, Melissa Cunningham, is nominated in the same category for her work, “The Melbourne ICU, where the unvaccinated die in disbelief”.
McKenzie is also a finalist in the business category with Tozer and Amelia Ballinger for the 60 Minutes program, “Star and the gambling industry’s reckoning”. The trio are also finalists in the investigative journalism category for “The downfall of the gaming industry”, alongside Adele Ferguson, Klaus Toft and Lauren Day, for “Cosmetic surgery in crisis”, who are also shortlisted in the television/video current affairs category.
Danckert joins McKenzie, Tozer and Ballinger in the business journalism category for her work on Stake.com, while Maley is a finalist in the commentary category.
Entertainment
ARIA Awards: Best Solo Artist category backfires, with fewer women nominated
The Australian music industry’s attempt to make the ARIA Awards inclusive with a Best Solo Artist category has backfired, with fewer women nominated this year, reports News Corp’s Kathy McCabe.
While organisers have managed an equal representation of hosts, with Australian pop star Natalie Imbruglia and Scottish singer songwriter Lewis Capaldi to front the ceremony on November 24, the 2022 ARIA nominations are male dominated across every single category except Best Adult Contemporary Album.
Only three female musicians – Courtney Barnett, Julia Jacklin and Thelma Plum – have been nominated alongside seven male contenders in the combined Best Solo category of 10 nominees, which replaced the Best Male and Best Female awards.
Mallrat has taken to her Instagram stories to call out the male dominated list of ARIA nominees.
“F**k the ARIAs, when I looked at the list of nominees this morning my initial reaction was to feel personally underestimated and misunderstood by my album being snubbed.”
Television
The Block auctions lock onto November finale for Nine’s #1 show
The Block auctions are set to be held in Gisborne South on Saturday November 6 with estimated prices at an eye-watering $4m-$4.4m, reports TV Tonight.
With land size at 10 acres (4.04ha) each there’s a high probability of reaching record Block sales – last year one Hampton home also went for $4.4m.
Nine is yet to confirm if an Open Inspection will proceed for public, after two years of none due to the pandemic.
Nine’s finale is expected to screen on Sunday November 7, leaving a further three weeks in its survey to program.
Sports Media
Gary Lineker found in breach of BBC guidelines with Tory donors tweet
The BBC has found Gary Lineker in breach of the broadcaster’s own impartiality guidelines after he tweeted about the Conservative party taking money from Russian donors, reports The Guardian.
The Match of the Day presenter made the comment in February while responding to the then-foreign secretary, Liz Truss. She had said English football teams should not play in the Champions League final then to be held in Russia, due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Lineker quote-tweeted Truss’s demand with the observation: “And her party will hand back their donations from Russian donors?”
The BBC’s internal complaints department concluded that this comment breached its impartiality guidelines. This was because Lineker went out of his way to “highlight a perceived inconsistency in the Conservative party’s approach, at a time when relations between the UK and Russia were the subject of significant public debate”.
As a result the presenter has now been publicly reprimanded.