Business of Media
The media storm behind the NRL’s next billion-dollar play
Once the dust settles on this weekend’s grand final, rugby league bosses Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo will hit fast-forward on plans to secure a multibillion-dollar broadcast deal, reports The AFR’s Zoe Samios and Sam Buckingham-Jones.
There are more than two years left on the NRL’s existing agreement with Foxtel and Nine Entertainment – but the pair do not want to waste time.
The AFL made history in 2022 when it signed a $4.5 billion media rights deal with Seven West Media and Foxtel over seven years. This was a 36 per cent increase on the adjusted broadcast agreement made during the pandemic.
With more matches to sell when the new clubs start, as well as new timeslots and new markets, the NRL will want a record windfall. Media rights are critical to sports administrators – about 70 per cent of the NRL’s revenue comes from this deal.
Is ARN preparing to have another crack at SCA takeover?
Earlier this year, ARN Media – where Hamish McLennan is chairman – had its $250 million takeover pursuit of Southern Cross Austereo collapse, reports The AFR’s Mark Di Stefano. The media market is in a dire state, so who wouldn’t applaud consolidation. Though it never goes according to script.
That started last year with ARN being found by the Takeovers Panel to have improperly acquired SCA shares through fund manager Allan Gray, tripping ownership regulations. It ended in May when ARN’s private equity partner Anchorage walked away after seven months of negotiations. One person briefed on the deal said the parties seemed surprised to learn of massive, long-term contracts in SCA’s rapidly declining regional TV stations that affected the balance sheet, and thus a valuation. Even now, ARN might make another run at SCA.
McLennan was reported to have held “crisis” talks with chief executive Ciaran Davis to “chart a way forward”. So much of it hinges on another McLennan coup: the 10-year contract signed with breakfast hosts Kyle Sandilands & Jackie O, layered with ARN shares reported to be worth up to $200 million. Crucial to its success is taking the Sydney duo’s toilet humour to other states.
Amazon shook up the streaming ad market in 2024. Will it do it again?
Earlier this year, Amazon‘s Prime Video shook up the world of advertising, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
The streaming giant flipped a metaphorical switch, and turned on ads for all of its Prime Video users. Prime subs could pay a couple of dollars extra per month to avoid ads, but by all accounts very few did.
The switch instantly made Prime the largest ad-supported subscription streaming service in the world, and it took full advantage of the move, securing more than $1.8 billion in upfront commitments this year, per The Information.
Now Amazon is in prime position (pun intended) to continue that growth into 2025, as a number of strategic moves appear set to converge.
To start, Prime Video is expected to add more inventory to the service, though the exact nature of what that will look like remains unclear. It could mean more ad slots, or it could mean more types of marketing opportunities, as formats like the pause break and various forms of sponsorship continue to proliferate.
An Amazon advertising executive, Kelly Day, told the FT that Prime Video’s ad load would “ramp up a little bit” in 2025, though the company is expected to keep its overall ad load pretty light.
News Brands
Contextual reporting of Israel-Palestine focus of Imam demands
The nation’s leading group of Muslim clerics has called on journalists to report the anniversary of the October 7 massacre in the context of the 77-year history of Israel and Palestine, reports The Australian’s James Dowling.
The Australian National Imams Council put out a letter to the media that identified practices it claimed would push “the already increasing rise of Islamophobia, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate and prejudice”.
Among the ANIC’s demands from the media was a call for journalists to cover the one-year anniversary of October 7 – the single worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust – with “the complexities involved” at the centre of their reporting.
Sky News apologises after quoting fake Andrew Forrest tweet
Sky News Australia has apologised after a fake quote from a social media account posing as billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest was published in a news story criticising the ABC for a lengthy acknowledgment of country before an interview with managing director David Anderson, reports Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan.
The quote published by Sky originated from the account @AndrewT95711747 on X (formerly Twitter), which said the ABC would soon “be broadcasting an Islamic prayer in addition to a welcome to country before each news bulletin”, subsequently attributed to Forrest.
The account, while under the name “Andrew” with a picture of Forrest, has no description, and does not claim to be an official account for the mining billionaire. The profile had 79 followers and the post had two likes.
The social media post remains online, while the quote has been removed from the news story. Sky has since published a note below the article apologising to Forrest for quoting the spurious tweet in the original story.
ABC stars Mark Willacy and Paul Barry in bathroom dispute over war crimes reporting
Two of the ABC’s biggest stars — Media Watch host Paul Barry and investigative journalist Mark Willacy — were involved in a bathroom confrontation after Barry had criticised Willacy’s reporting on war crimes on his show, reports News Corp’s James Willis.
The incident, according to sources, occurred during a time of much internal drama at the public broadcaster, where Media Watch staff were feuding with members of the ABC Investigations team.
In December 2021, Media Watch called out a story by Willacy which alleged Australian soldiers executed an unarmed prisoner in Afghanistan.
It was after this segment went to air that Willacy and Barry found themselves in a bathroom disagreement, which a source at the public broadcaster said was “spoken about in the corridors.”
“Mark was furious with Media Watch for critiquing his journalism” the source said.
When asked to comment, Barry told The Daily Telegraph he and Willacy “had a minor disagreement about the Media Watch segment, which he (Willacy) thought was unfair. It was no big deal”.
An ABC spokesperson added: “We can confirm there was no physical confrontation and no investigation.”
Television
Australian TV icon Fiona MacDonald dies after battle with motor neurone disease
An Australian TV icon has announced her own death on social media after losing her “very tough” battle with motor neurone disease.
Fiona MacDonald died with her sister Kylie and sons by her side, writing in her final post she had “left the building.”
“Last night brought an end to a very tough few months,” she said.
“Was very peaceful, the boys and Kylie stayed with me to say goodbye. While I’ve never wanted to die, the thought of leaving my tortured body was a relief.”
MacDonald was a television regular during the 1980s as the host of popular children’s program Wombat alongside a puppet called Agro.
She was also the host of the gameshow It’s A Knockout.
MacDonald also had ties to one of the biggest shows of the era, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, which was hosted by her sister Jacki MacDonald.
She was first diagnosed with MND in 2021, and recently promoted the FightMND cause at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with Neale Daniher in June.
Aussie Shore has arrived and it’s so much more explicit than expected
There’s no better quote to sum up the latest reality show that’s just hit our screens. We’re calling it: This is perhaps the most explicit series in the history of Australian television, reports News Corp’s Lexie Cartwright.
Paramount+ has dropped the first two episodes of Aussie Shore, a local iteration of the smash hit Jersey and Geordie Shore franchises made famous in the US and UK, respectively.
It follows 11 housemates from all over the country as they live in the same house in Cairns, Queensland, for several weeks. Booze, parties, sex, full-frontal nudity? This show’s got it all, and then some.
Come episode two, we’re introduced to the “house boss”, Geordie Shore breakout star Charlotte Crosby, who featured in 12 seasons of that show from 2011 until 2016.
She’s now running the show down under, tasking the housemates with working various jobs around the city in between their partying lifestyles.
Crosby, now a mother-of-one with another baby on the way, was left speechless after entering the house and venturing into the shag pad, where she discovered a raunchy item she’d never heard of before.
Casting director departs The Block after 18 seasons
“After 18 seasons of The Block, it’s my turn to call ‘tools down’,” casting director Lucky Price has announced on social media, reports TV Tonight.
Price has been integral to the success of the Nine juggernaut since its revival in 2010.
On Instagram Price thanked collaborators, contestants and the “tens of thousands ” who applied for the show. Former contestants added their praise including Hayden & Sara, Elise & Matt and more.
“I’ve been doing this for a very long time. I was lucky enough to meet (Julian Cress & David Barbour) when I was 27 and started working with them on a show called Homemade, where I met Darren Palmer, and then started working on The Block,” he told TV Tonight.
“I started at Vaucluse and it’s been bloody amazing. I’ve just had the most incredible time.”
Executive producer Julian Cress said, “Lucky’s been an invaluable member of our team, for a very long time, and his ability to unearth some extraordinary talent, has delivered some of the most memorable series that we’ve ever made.
“In my mind, casting is the key role in the show. Casting the location is half the battle. Casting the people is most of it, and that’s what makes The Block a success.”
Publishing
Rolling Stone Australia reveals Oasis 2025 Australia concert dates
The Oasis supernova will blow into Australia for multiple east coast dates from late October 2025, Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s Lars Brandle exclusively revealed.
The Britpop juggernauts will head south for a concert Friday, October 31st at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, the first Australian date on their Oasis ’25 Live tour, well-placed sources tell RS.
Then, a week later, Sydney’s Accor Stadium will host the Gallaghers on Friday, November 7th.
If tickets sell like hotcakes, as they have done in the U.K., Europe and with recently-announced shows in the Americas, expect more Australian shows to unfold.
The seven-day gap between concerts is a blank canvas on which to pencil-in multiple dates, and the Sydney show could, presumably, mark the first in a brief, extended run.
Few tours next year, or any year, will come close to the excitement of a reunited Oasis.