Business of Media
How oil money and oligarchs are shaping the sale of Foxtel
Rupert Murdoch’s pay TV baby Foxtel is inching closer to a sale with a privately owned British streamer the strongest contender, but the key to getting the complex deal over the line could be Saudi petrodollars, writes the SMH.
So what does Saudi Arabia have to do with the sale of Foxtel?
The British buyer in the frame for Foxtel – which owns Binge, Kayo and the pay TV business – is DAZN [“Da-zone”], which is founded and bankrolled by British-American billionaire Len Blavatnik.
Blavatnik, who made his fortune through the privatisation of natural resources after the fall of the Soviet Union, has been instrumental in keeping DAZN (a prominent part of his Access Industries investment portfolio) afloat by pumping billions of dollars into the company since its inception in 2015.
Those billions have gone into snapping up sports broadcast rights and rival platforms to aid DAZN’s quest to become the Spotify or Netflix of sports.
Michael Leunig, Australian cartoonist, dies aged 79
The Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig has died aged 79, his studio has announced on Instagram, writes The Guardian.
“The pen has run dry, its ink no longer flowing — yet Mr. Curly and his ducks will remain etched in our hearts, cherished and eternal,” the post on Thursday night read.
“Michael Leunig passed away peacefully today, in the early hours of December 19, 2024. During his final days, he was surrounded by his children, loved ones, and sunflowers — accompanied as ever, by his dear old friends, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.”
Leunig was born in East Melbourne in June 1945. He said his political consciousness intensified when he received a notice for military conscription in 1965 during the Vietnam War. He was rejected for service due to being deaf in one ear.
Leunig had drawn cartoons for the Age newspaper since 1969, before his contract was ended by the outlet in August this year, after 55 years.
Entertainment
Irish Actors are having a moment in Hollywood — and they’re doing it differently
It’s been a big year for A-list Irish actors:, writes the ABC.
Cillian Murphy cleaned out the best actor categories at the Golden Globes, SAG awards, BAFTAs and Oscars for Oppenheimer.
Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan starred in Bird, a Cannes Palme d’Or nominee, and dated “that’s me espresso” Sabrina Carpenter.
“Hot Priest” Andrew Scott was hailed as “spellbinding” in the critically acclaimed remake of the Talented Mr Ripley, after starting off the year breaking our hearts in tragic queer drama All of Us Strangers, opposite fellow Irishman Paul Mescal.
Mescal himself followed up by swapping his short shorts for a gladiator’s kilt in Ridley Scott’s epic sequel, and recently made his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live.
Nicola Coughlan’s ‘Polin’ season of Bridgerton shot into the stratosphere of Netflix streams and she’ll soon guest star in the annual treat of the Doctor Who Christmas special.
Former child prodigy Soairse Ronan starred in two films — and went viral for speaking one sentence.
And honorary Irish sister Ayo Edebiri added to her trophy collection for The Bear.
If you think 2024 has been the year of female chaos memes (thank you for your service, brat summer, Hawk Tuah girl, Raygun and Moo Deng), you’re right.
But another sleeper trend has been simmering in 2024 — and it’s the rise of hot Irish actors who gently DGAF about Hollywood norms, and continue to find success while speaking their minds.
Anything but Love, Actually: The alternative guide to Christmas movies
If you think you don’t like Christmas movies, you probably haven’t pushed beyond Miracle on 34th Street. Truth is, the Christmas movie isn’t a genre so much as a freewheeling grab-bag linked only by a date. And with horror, action, comedy, romance and goodwill all part of the mix, there’s truly something for everyone – maybe even you, Scrooge.
Horror flicks were once barely a rung above porn: that’s all changed
In the two decades since Leigh Whannell and James Wan launched their careers with the first Saw, there has been a dramatic change in respect for horror films.
“When the first Saw movie came out, horror was like one rung above porn in terms of industry respect,” Whannell says. “Now, all of a sudden, horror has been embraced wholeheartedly.”
After success with the Saw and Insidious series and the films Upgrade and The Invisible Man, the prolific Australian writer, director, producer and sometime actor is gearing up for the release of the Hollywood horror Wolf Man in cinemas next month.
“Similarly to The Invisible Man, it’s sort of a modern take on a monster movie,” Whannell says. “I’m right in the crosshairs of that phase where you’re nervous and excited about the release.”