News
Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code could be in the firing line as Donald Trump prepares for more tariffs
Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code has been name-checked in the annual US Foreign Trade Barriers report and labelled an issue for America, the ABC’s Brianna Morris-Grant reports.
In 2021, Australia sent a message to social media giants, cough up the cash or lose access to news content. The world-first News Media Bargaining Code proved controversial.
Meta immediately blocked access to news content for Facebook users, later back-pedalling to sign deals worth millions of dollars.
Last year, it announced it would not be renewing those deals, opting to invest the up to $200 million it was spending elsewhere. In December, the federal government announced plans to tighten the code, unveiling an incentive tax on platforms that do not make deals.
Amazon targets 9 April launch of first Kuiper internet satellites
Amazon.com said on Wednesday it plans to launch the first 27 satellites for its Project Kuiper internet network next week, pinning down a long-awaited start to the company’s plan to deploy a massive constellation that will rival Elon Musk’s Starlink system, Joey Roulette from Reuters reports.
In a statement, Amazon said it will launch the “Kuiper Atlas 1” mission on 9 April at noon EDT (1600 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. An Atlas 5 rocket from the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture, United Launch Alliance, will send the satellites to space, as part of a giant multi-launch deal Amazon signed in 2022.
The mission will kick off Amazon’s full-scale deployment of Kuiper, a mesh-like network designed to top 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit that will provide high-speed internet globally and rival SpaceX’s Starlink.
OnlyFans founder, crypto foundation submit late-stage bid to buy TikTok
A startup run by Tim Stokely, founder of adult content social media site OnlyFans, has partnered with a cryptocurrency foundation to submit a late-stage plan to acquire short video app TikTok from Chinese owner ByteDance, the two said on Wednesday.
The intent to bid was sent this week to the White House by Zoop, billionaire Stokely’s new company, and the Hbar Foundation, which manages the Hedera cryptocurrency network’s treasury, Reuters’ Anna Tong reports.
“Our bid for TikTok isn’t just about changing ownership, it’s about creating a new paradigm where both creators and their communities benefit directly from the value they generate,” Zoop co-founder RJ Phillips told Reuters.
Brands
New look for Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport has released a new look to mark its centenary, retiring its existing branding 13 years after it was introduced.
The new logo consists of two coloured ribbons, vaguely in the shape of a ‘B’, with the name of the airport alongside, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Cameron Atfield.
Brisbane Airport Corporation brand marketing head Sarah Whyte said the 100-year milestone for the airport, which was originally located slightly to the south-west at Eagle Farm, was the perfect opportunity to introduce a new look.
“For decades, jet streams have been part of our logo, and that continues in the new brandmark through the ‘ribbons’ you see, although there’s a greater sense of motion and freedom now,” she said.
“And the colours of the ribbons reflect the transformation from land, over sea to sky, mirroring the experience of taking off for a flight.”
Social Media
30 under 30: Young Aussie influencers followed by millions
It may be the most controversial, hated yet desired to many ‘job’ in the world and the truth is, being an influencer can make the big bucks.
It all starts with making some videos, or content, gaining followers then a once private life becomes the spotlight for the world to comment on.
Zara Powell, Sydney Confidential, from The Daily Telegraph asks: What makes an influencer successful?
Morgan Barta, a long time industry expert and managing director of talent agency Atarimae said influencer success is not purely based on cash earnings.
“I believe it comes down to authenticity,” Barta told Confidential. “Which is that an influencer that remains authentic to the person they were when they started. “This helps build a strong personal brand.”
At the top of the list is Sophia Begg (aka Sopha Dopha), 21, 1.3 M TikTok and 607K Instagram, followed by Abbie Chatfield, 29, 621.8K TikTok and 529K Instagram, Michael Finch, 28, 2.6 M TikTok and 699K Instagram, Deja Clark, 14, 3.3 M TikTok and 1.6 M Instagram, rounding out the top five is Sam Fricker, 22, 2.1M TikTok and 163K Instagram.
Trump to consider final proposal on TikTok as US ban deadline looms
Donald Trump will consider a “final proposal” over the sale of TikTok’s US operations on Wednesday, according to reports, as a Saturday deadline looms for the Chinese-controlled app to find a buyer, The Guardian’s Dan Milmo reports.
The White House is finalising plans for a deal involving US investors, possibly including the tech firm Oracle and the private equity firm Blackstone, CBS News reported. Even Amazon has thrown in a last-minute bid to buy the popular social media app, according to multiple reports.
TikTok’s parent, the Beijing-based ByteDance, has until 5 April to sell the app’s US unit or be banned in the country, under an executive order signed by the US president.
The potential transaction, which is reportedly a “final proposal”, will involve new investors such as Blackstone joining existing non-Chinese shareholders in ByteDance in providing fresh capital to bid for the business, Reuters reported.
Streaming
Max rolls out the post-apocalyptic red carpet for Aussie launch
Sydney’s revered State Theatre last night resembled an overgrown, desolate ramshackle as Max transformed the venue for their official Australian launch and the premiere of The Last of Us Season 2, TV Tonight’s David Knox reports.
Busy Market Street traffic was surrounded by red carpet action on one side of the street, with frenzied fans on the other.
In attendance were cast members Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna,, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino and Jeffrey Wright along with The White Lotus (season 3) cast, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Leslie Bibb, Natasha Rothwell and Morgana O’Reilly.
Netflix enhances language options on TV to attract global viewers
Netflix on Wednesday rolled out enhanced language options for television viewers, allowing users to select from the full list of available subtitles and dubbing languages for any title, Reuters reports.
The update aims to make Netflix’s global catalog more accessible at a time when nearly a third of all its viewership comes from non-English language shows, the company said.
Language availability for popular titles such as South Korean drama “Squid Game,” Spanish series “Berlin” and the Oscar-winning German film “All Quiet on the Western Front” has helped them attract fans beyond their country of origin.
Val Kilmer passes, aged 65
Hollywood actor Val Kilmer, best known for Top Gun, Batman Forever and The Doors, has died, aged 65, TV Tonight’s David Knox reports.
He died from pneumonia in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes told The New York Times. Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, he had recovered after chemotherapy and trachea surgery, but the cancer had reduced his vocal capability.
Kilmer was one of the youngest students ever admitted to the acting programme at the Juilliard School, aged 17. He started out as a stage actor and rose to prominence in the late 1980s with his roles in movie comedies Top Secret! and Real Genius before landing a role as Iceman in the box office smash Top Gun.
Gaming
Nintendo announces Switch 2 release date – and a new Mario Kart game
Nintendo has revealed the Switch 2, the long awaited successor to one of the best-selling consoles in history, will be released on 5 June, report the BBC’s Tom Gerken and Tom Richardson.
Fans have been impatiently waiting to find out more since January, when the Japanese gaming giant ended months of speculation by confirming basic information about the new device.
In a Nintendo Direct online presentation, watched by more than a million people, it gave further details of the hardware, as well as confirming it would be accompanied by Mario Kart World, a new edition of Nintendo’s most famous game.
It also announced a series of other new titles for the console, including Elden Ring and Street Fighter 6.
The company said the new device would have better graphics and audio than its predecessor, and a chat button allowing players to speak to each other while playing.