Television
Bruce Gordon’s TV licence sell-off fuels Nine power play
WIN Corporation’s long-planned sale of its northern NSW TV licences finally landed last week – but the timing has the industry buzzing.
As James Manning and James Madden report in The Australian, The deal, which sees Ten take over the licences (pending regulatory approval), clears the way for billionaire owner Bruce Gordon to tighten his grip on Nine. By converting equity swaps with Macquarie Group into shares, Nine’s biggest shareholder can legally lift his stake from 14.95% to 25.1%.
That extra muscle could see the 96-year-old media mogul push for a second seat on Nine’s board, which currently has seven members, including interim CEO Matt Stanton.
Sam Thaiday crowned king of the jungle for I’m a Celebrity
In one of the closest votes in the show’s history, Sam Thaiday has taken out the title of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! champion for 2025, winning $100,000 for his chosen charity, Find Ya Feet.
As the final three – Sam, Reggie Bird, and Matty J – neared the finish line, they reflected on their journey through the South African jungle: the relentless rice and beans, the gruelling trials, and the bonds forged along the way
Nine and ABC bench commentary teams for NRL’s Vegas showpiece
NRL is taking centre stage in Las Vegas, but don’t expect Nine or ABC’s commentary teams to be anywhere near the action.
As Phil Rothfield reports in The Daily Telegraph, For the second year running, Nine’s Matt Thompson will call the blockbuster season opener from a TV screen in North Sydney, rather than soaking up the atmosphere live.
It’s a baffling move from the same network that spared no expense sending a small army to last year’s Paris Olympics. Even Nine’s go-to sports host, James Bracey, won’t be making the trip.
ABC misses out on billion-dollar Bluey bonanza
ABC executives let a $1 billion payday slip through their fingers, handing over Bluey’s merchandising rights to the BBC without even making a play for a cut.
As Stephen Drill reports in The Daily Telegraph, despite commissioning the Queensland-made global phenomenon, the national broadcaster – often vocal about funding shortfalls – never approached creator Joe Brumm for a slice of the lucrative merchandise pie.
Outgoing ABC boss David Anderson signed off on a freedom of information request confirming the blunder. A two-month search found zero records of any attempt by ABC to secure merchandising rights between 2016 and 2018.
Seven pulls the plug on Mark Humphries’ newsroom comedy stint
Mark Humphries got the call late last week – his Friday night comedy slot on Seven News is no more.
As Briana Domjen reports in The Daily Telegraph, the former ABC favourite was a gamble for the network, meant to add a lighthearted touch to the week’s news. But his gags never quite clicked with commercial TV audiences.
News boss Anthony De Ceglie, who revamped Seven News last year, brought in both Humphries and astrologer Natasha Weber. Now, both are out as the ratings season gets underway.
Radio
Nine’s leadership turmoil puts radio sale in limbo
Nine Entertainment’s leadership limbo is stalling efforts to offload its radio division, with potential buyers questioning whether the sale will even happen.
As James Manning reports in The Australian, Industry chatter around a possible Nine Radio sale – home to talkback heavyweights 2GB and 3AW – has been swirling for months. Speculation ramped up last month when interim CEO Matt Stanton flagged a need to streamline operations.
Of Nine’s key divisions – TV, audio, streaming, digital, and publishing – radio remains the most likely to hit the market.
Brands
James Murdoch breaks silence as family power struggle heats up
James Murdoch has shattered his long-standing vow of silence, speaking out about the battle to stop his brother Lachlan from taking full control of the $US42 billion Murdoch media empire.
As Colin Kruger reports in The Sydney Morning Herald, James gave a rare interview with The Atlantic, revealing a deep frustration over family betrayals and dysfunction – allegedly orchestrated by Rupert Murdoch, who spent years playing his children against each other.
Rupert and Lachlan reject James’ version of events, but one thing’s clear – the family war is far from settled.
News Corp’s ‘Undercover’ café Sting goes off the rails
A covert News Corp operation took an unexpected turn this week when staff at a popular Egyptian café called police on Daily Telegraph journalists after a heated altercation.
As Daanyal Saeed reports in Crikey, internal files obtained by Crikey reveal the plan – dubbed “UNDERCOVERJEW” – was mapped out a week in advance and involved covert video-recording eyewear.
But things didn’t go as scripted. Footage shared online by Cairo Takeaway’s head chef shows tensions flaring between café staff and a Telegraph reporter, videographer, and the undercover individual after they left the venue.