Tuesday August 14, 2018
Bite Club’s Todd Lasance on why he’s so passionate about new drama
By James Manning
Part of the interest is building around the talented cast, which includes Lost and Lord Of The Rings star Dominic Monaghan plus Deborah Mailman, Damian Walshe-Howling and Ash Ricardo.
Another reason to watch is former star of Janet King/Crownies, Underworld: Chopper and Bikie Wars, Todd Lasance. More recently he has been working in the US, scoring regular roles on US television series The Vampire Diaries and The Flash, both for CW Network. In Bite Club he plays Detective Constable Dan Cooper.
Playmaker and Nine pitched the Bite Club role to Lasance, who was attracted by the character and the show’s premise. Speaking to Mediaweek from Los Angeles, Lasance said: “To be honest with you, everything is driven by character for me. To move back home [for a role] I am essentially moving countries again and taking my family with me, which can be a big procedure.
“This role was literally a no brainer for me as far as the character, the team involved and the story. I jumped on board within a week. I was able to meet with Nine and the team including the director and we workshopped the tone of the series and what I wanted to bring to the character.
“They started to then build the cast and I was surrounded by some of the best people we have in the country. I have always had an interest in the police force and the military and it was right up my alley.”
The eight-episode series was produced by Sue Seeary, executive produced by Andy Ryan, Jo Rooney, David Maher, David Taylor and Sarah Smith, written by Sarah Smith and John Ridley, and directed by Jennifer Leacey, Geoff Bennett, Wayne Blair and Peter Andrikidis.
Lasance said he hopes viewers support the new show and stick with it. “It is a show that builds during the series. If people get in early there is a huge payoff.”
When asked if he had watched much of the finished product, Lasance said: “I have seen the whole thing, which is why I am so passionate about it. The producers have gone for something quite dark and edgy and it gets quite violent too. The intensity builds from episode one and you become aware of the imminent danger.”
As to fellow cast members, Lasance said he had met Robert Mammone a few times and had also worked with Marny Kennedy, who were both also in Janet King. “I had not met either Ash or Dominic. I didn’t know Deb Mailman before either.
“The whole cast became a close family within two weeks after we bonded immediately. We all wanted to work hard and produce the best product.”
When speaking about Monaghan, Lasance said: “He was such an interesting choice for the role because he has a perfect blend of edge and charisma, but also something about him that is not just quite right.”
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This is an excerpt from the full article, which appears on Mediaweek Premium. Read the full article here or subscribe to Mediaweek Premium here.
delicious. Produce Awards: 15 trophies, 37 gold medals to Australia’s finest
Some of Australia’s renowned chefs and food industry personalities joined the delicious. team and finalists at the annual ceremony.
Fifteen trophies and 37 gold medals were presented, plus one highly commended mention. Each of the state winners across the four major categories (From the Dairy, From the Earth, From the Paddock and From the Sea) were judged by the National Judging Panel, and considered for the overall Producer of the Year Award. This was awarded to Carla Meurs and Ann-Marie Monda of Holy Goat Cheese.
The National Judging Panel for the awards comprises MasterChef’s Shannon Bennett, Family Food Fight’s Matt Moran, chef Andrew McConnell, author and food manufacturer Maggie Beer, Quay Restaurant’s Peter Gilmore, chef and author Christine Manfield, My Kitchen Rules’ Colin Fassnidge, Lake House’s Alla Wolf-Tasker, Dinner by Heston London executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts and Bistro Guillaume head chef Guillaume Brahimi.
delicious. editor-in-chief Kerrie McCallum said: “With sustainability on the agenda more than ever right now, we are delighted that the delicious. Produce Awards serve to shine a light on trailblazing producers and artisans who are finding innovative ways to grow and raise not only some of the consistently best-tasting produce, but produce that is both seasonal and sustainable. Congratulations to all our winners and gold medallists.”
delicious. Produce Awards ambassador and national judge Matt Moran said: “It is always a privilege and honour to be a part of the delicious. Produce Awards National Judging Panel. Every year we are blown away by the standard of produce being grown and raised around this bountiful country that really lays the foundation for our world-class food industry. This year, it was wonderful to see some innovative new winners, together with some of the most consistently year-on-year extraordinary produce, like, of course, our worthy Producer of the Year, Holy Goat Cheese.”
The thirteenth annual delicious. Produce Awards was a VIP event and Matt Preston was emcee for the evening. Guests were treated to a menu of canapés created by the QT Sydney team inspired by 2018 winners’ and gold medallists’ produce, with drinks from Qantas Wine.
Who magazine editor Keshnee Kemp: 'It’s not about gossip'
By Kruti Joshi
“Who is different in the celebrity market. It’s not about gossip. We speak to celebrities and they tell us their true stories,” Kemp told Mediaweek. “We are seen as more premium. In our market space, we retain more than 60% of audience share.
“While we are a weekly magazine, we operate like a monthly magazine in terms of the content, long reads and exclusive interviews.”
The brand wouldn’t spend a large sum of money on getting photos of Kim Kardashian and other paparazzi shots. Instead, “We spend it on our shoots, because we have an interview to go with it,” Kemp said.
The focus on Australian celebrities in the magazine and Who’s content online has increased in recent years.
“There has been a real resurgence in the love of local celebs and talents,” Kemp said.
However, Who readers still like a good dose of the royals. “Meghan Markle has really redefined what it means to be a celebrity.
“The Kardashians are not the Who talent any more. It’s more about personalities like Amal Clooney and Angelina Jolie.”
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This is an excerpt from the full article, which appears on Mediaweek Premium. Read the full article here or subscribe to Mediaweek Premium here.
Host Tom Ballard predicted demise: ABC cancels Tonightly
The ABC this morning confirmed it would not be returning.
It has issued the following statement:
The ABC will not renew Tonightly With Tom Ballard beyond its final airing on September 7. Attracting younger audiences requires bold approaches and we continually experiment with new content and new formats particularly on digital platforms. We remain committed to exploring and developing projects that connect with different demographics.
Tonightly deliberately pushed boundaries to inform and entertain. We are proud of the program and its role in supporting some of Australia’s best emerging comedy talent. Our thanks go to the very talented team members for their hard work and dedication in producing a complex and cracking show in quick time, over some 150 episodes. We look forward to working with them again in the future. A special thanks to Tom for helping us to laugh, cry and sigh about the world.
It is now time for a fresh approach. The ABC will continue to develop innovative content on broadcast TV and digital services, through comedies such as Back in Very Small Business and Get Krack!n’, and live shows such as the Splendour in the Grass TV special on Rage and the upcoming triple j One Night Stand and One Night Stand Up on ABC TV and iview.
Tom Ballard said: “Getting the chance to host Tonightly has been an absolute honour and privilege, even though we never got to be on Media Watch. I feel so proud of the ‘work’ we made and I feel so lucky to have been surrounded by laughter and stupidity for an entire year. My sincere thanks go to the brilliant Tonightly team, the ABC and the fans of Cory Bernardi.”
Women’s Health Women in Sport Awards to be shown on TV in a historic move
The event, to be held on October 17 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, will be aired on Seven.
The 60-minute broadcast of the event is scheduled during the week of October 28. It will mark the first time a female sporting awards night has aired on Australian free-to-air television.
Jacqui Mooney, editor of Women’s Health, said: “As a brand, Women’s Health has been championing women in sport for more than eight years. The broadcast of this year’s Awards on Seven is a tremendous recognition of the dedication of our world-class Australian athletes, and also the work Women’s Health has done to elevate the profile of women in sport since 2011.
“WinS is so much more than an awards night, it’s an always-on platform committed to supporting sportswomen at all levels and this is the natural next step for the property.”
The awards were established in 2011 as I Support Women In Sport to celebrate female athletes from grassroots to elite professional level. In this time, Women’s Health has helped generate more than $30 million worth of publicity for female athletes via a 365-day commitment to telling their stories and profiling sporting role models across the brand’s print, digital and social channels, which have a combined audience of more than 820,000.
Kurt Burnette, chief revenue officer at Seven West Media, said: “We’re thrilled to share the WinS Awards with the millions of Australians we reach across the Seven network every month. Securing the broadcast shows the combined power of Women’s Health and Seven West Media as a joint sporting force.”
A number of major corporate sponsors have already come on board for the 2018 WinS Awards including the Federal Government, Pantene, Rebel, Toyota and Samsung, as well as the Federal Government’s initiative, Girls Make Your Move.
Last year, WinS expanded to include a mentoring program to help Australian sportswomen achieve their goals in and away from the sporting arena by connecting the next generation of talent with WinS alumni. The new mentoring initiative has been designed to discover and nurture homegrown talent and support female athletes right through their career and into retirement.
Samantha Kerr
Past winners of the WinS Awards include surfer Stephanie Gilmore, who in April claimed the world #1 spot following her win at the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach. Matildas star Samantha Kerr won Sportswoman of the Year in 2017 and went on to be named 2018 Young Australian of the Year. Meanwhile, One to Watch category winner Ash Barty recently hit a career-high position of #16 on the world tennis ranking.
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Top Photo: Jacqui Mooney
Mission: Impossible and Mamma Mia! continue to drive box office dollars
By James Manning
The weekend total dropped 23% week-on-week with a total just over $10.16m. That was enough to rank as the second-lowest weekend gross this year after a weekend in late March did $9.72m.
#1 Mission: Impossible – Fallout $3.63m
A second weekend saw the movie holding on 626 screens with takings down 42%, which meant the screen average dropped from $10,089 to $5,905. After a second weekend the total earn so far is $12.11m.
#2 Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again $1.62m
After four weekends the movie is still sitting at #2 with a box office total to-date at $18.98m. The film remains on 369 screens with a weekend screen average on $4,400.
#3 The Spy Who Dumped Me $1.49m
The only movie to open wide on the weekend, with 364 screens, with a screen average of $4,117, was the action comedy. The movie stars Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon. In the US, analysts said the movie underperformed largely because it was sandwiched between the two movies that led the earnings this weekend.
#4 The Equalizer 2 $522,000
Also holding in the top five for a fourth week is this vigilante thriller that now has a total box office to date of $7.96m.
#5 The Wife $462,000
The attraction of a Glenn Close lead role in this drama has kept the movie hovering in the top five. With less than $500,000 in its second week, down just 13% week-on-week, it has taken $1.38m after two weekends.
New arrivals on TV Demand charts: Netflix’s Voltron and Insatiable
A new entry on the New Zealand Digital Originals chart (and yet to chart in Australia) is Netflix’s Insatiable. The controversial series has been copping it from all quarters being labelled “fat shaming” while others have said it’s yet another series that misunderstands teenagers.
On the Overall TV Shows charts in both countries, new at #4 is Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which has been screening on E! and returned last week with season 15. The Sinner and The Walking Dead charted again in Australia, while America’s Got Talenti American Horror Story and World Of Dance were new on the New Zealand chart.
TV Ratings Analysis: August 14
By James Manning
Seven
Seven had a shocker on Monday January 1 this year. Its next lowest Monday share came last night. The 7pm slot was the only slot over half a million after 7pm last night, just days after a rallying call from Kennedy Award winner David Richardson, who wants the primary channel to go into battle with Nine with a national current affairs product. But it’s later in the night Seven would perhaps rather be kicking goals in its 2018 second half.
After a week 32 average audience of 656,000, the daily soap Home And Away launched into a new week on 664,000.
Dance Boss started its second week on just 479,000 after a disappointing launch audience of 599,000 a week ago.
Ramsay’s 24 Hours To Hell And Back grabbed the 8.30pm timeslot with 314,000.
The Single Wives featured the last dates but the show had drifted later and started close to 10pm with 132,000 watching.
Nine
Troublesome neighbours and cosmetic surgery were two of the topics on the first A Current Affair of a new week. The week started on 880,000 after a week 32 average audience of 767,000.
Wallpaper and penthouses were among the talking points as The Block got into another week of renovation on guest bedroom week. Expect walk-in robes, king-sized beds and apparently even a library! The Monday episode did 961,000 after 1.13m a week ago.
The second episode in the new season of Doctor Doctor then did 671,000 after launching with 720,000 last week.
Footy Classified did 174,000 across three markets with 118,000 in Melbourne.
TEN
After a challenging Sunday share, the channel lifted off the back of Survivor and Have You Been Paying Attention?
Pointless did 277,000 after a week 32 average of 249,000.
The Project then did 296,000 after 6.30pm, climbing to 575,000 after 7pm. Benjamin Law and 5SOS were Monday guests.
Australian Survivor contestant Tegan has become the first person voted to Exile Beach. “WTF,” she mumbled last night when the result was read out in what was an intriguing episode. After 592,000 on Monday last week, the audience last night lifted to 651,000.
Has what might have been once referred to as the Have You Been Paying Attention? B team become the A team? A very solid performance last night saw regulars Ed and Sam joined by Urzila Carlson, Anne Edmonds and Dane Simpson and the audience loved it, lifting the show’s numbers week-on-week from 660,000 to 759,000.
Street Smart has been moved to after HYBPA?, which should have provided a better audience. The second episode, however, did 244,000, down from 356,000 at 8pm Sunday just over a week ago.
ABC
Australian Story was on 664,000 with an unsettling reminder of the Kathleen Folbigg story. She is serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing all four of her infant children.
Four Corners then looked at the cosmetic surgery industry with reporter Louise Milligan looking at doctors and their medical practices that are making them social media stars. The episode did 680,000, which is a turnaround from 517,000 last week.
Media Watch then did 623,000 followed by Q&A on 441,000.
SBS
Inside Windsor Castle pushed higher to 331,000 for episode three.
The final episode of Get Fit Fast lowered the audience to 142,000 before an improved 180,000 tuned in for 24 Hours In Emergency.
Week 33 TV: Monday
| Monday METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | Ten | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 15.2% | 7 | 15.1% | 9 | 21.1% | TEN | 13.5% | SBS One | 4.9% |
| ABC 2 | 2.6% | 7TWO | 3.7% | GO! | 3.5% | ONE | 4.3% | VICELAND | 1.0% |
| ABC ME | 0.6% | 7mate | 4.0% | GEM | 2.6% | ELEVEN | 2.3% | Food Net | 1.0% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.0% | 7flix | 1.9% | 9Life | 1.5% | NITV | 0.2% | ||
| TOTAL | 19.4% | 24.8% | 28.7% | 20.0% | 7.1% | ||||
| MONDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | Ten Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 14.6% | 7 | 14.9% | 9 | 21.0% | WIN | 10.1% | SBS One | 3.9% |
| ABC 2 | 3.0% | 7TWO | 5.8% | GO! | 4.7% | ONE | 4.7% | VICELAND | 0.8% |
| ABC ME | 0.7% | 7mate | 4.8% | GEM | 4.5% | ELEVEN | 1.6% | Food Net | 0.8% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.2% | 7flix | 1.4% | 9Life | 1.3% | NITV | 0.2% | ||
| TOTAL | 19.5% | 26.9% | 31.5% | 16.4% | 5.7% | ||||
| MONDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 85.9% | 14.1% | ||||||||
MONDAY FTA
- Seven News Seven 1,096,000
- Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 1,069,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 992,000
- Nine News Nine 977,000
- The Block Nine 961,000
- A Current Affair Nine 880,000
- Abc News ABC 785,000
- Have You Been Paying Attention? Ten 759,000
- Four Corners ABC 680,000
- The Chase Australia Seven 680,000
- Doctor Doctor Nine 671,000
- Home And Away Seven 664,000
- Australian Story ABC 664,000
- 7.30 ABC 653,000
- Australian Survivor Ten 651,000
- Media Watch ABC 623,000
- The Project 7 PM Ten 575,000
- Hot Seat Nine 527,000
- Dance Boss Seven 479,000
- Q&A-Le ABC 441,000
DEMO TOP FIVES
16-39 Top 5
- The Block Nine 288,000
- Have You Been Paying Attention? Ten 270,000
- Australian Survivor Ten 237,000
- The Project 7 PM Ten 168,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 165,000
18-49 Top 5
- The Block Nine 456,000
- Have You Been Paying Attention? Ten 422,000
- Australian Survivor Ten 350,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 295,000
- The Project 7 PM Ten 268,000
25-54 Top 5
- The Block Nine 520,000
- Have You Been Paying Attention? Ten 435,000
- Australian Survivor Ten 363,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 350,000
- Nine News Nine 343,000
MONDAY Multichannel
- Peppa Pig PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 192,000
- Hey Duggee PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 184,000
- NCIS Ep 2 (R) ONE 182,000
- The Big Bang Theory Tx2 9GO! 179,000
- Noddy Toyland Detective PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 178,000
- Fireman Sam PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 174,000
- Peter Rabbit ABCKIDS/COMEDY 173,000
- Pj Masks AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 170,000
- NCIS Late (R) ONE 168,000
- Death In Paradise 9Gem 166,000
- Go Jetters AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 165,000
- Floogals ABCKIDS/COMEDY 165,000
- Rusty Rivets ABCKIDS/COMEDY 161,000
- Luo Bao Bei PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 159,000
- The Big Bang Theory Tx3 9GO! 159,000
- Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 158,000
- Neighbours ELEVEN 156,000
- Little Roy PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 156,000
- The Big Bang Theory Tx1 9GO! 151,000
- Wanda And The Alien AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 151,000
MONDAY Subscription TV
- Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 95,000
- Live: On The Couch FOX FOOTY 80,000
- The Bolt Report SKY NEWS LIVE 72,000
- Paul Murray Live SKY NEWS LIVE 63,000
- Live: NRL 360 FOX LEAGUE 58,000
- Live: Golf: Uspga Championship FOX SPORTS 50 1 56,000
- Outsiders SKY NEWS LIVE 53,000
- Credlin SKY NEWS LIVE 50,000
- Live: Big League Wrap FOX LEAGUE 47,000
- Family Guy FOX8 44,000
- Play Along With Sam Nick Jr. 43,000
- Jeopardy! FOX Classics 42,000
- Curious George Nick Jr. 40,000
- Father Brown UKTV 40,000
- Family Guy FOX8 39,000
- Paw Patrol Nick Jr. 39,000
- American Dad! FOX8 39,000
- Criminal Minds TVH!TS 38,000
- Blaze And The Monster Machines Nick Jr. 38,000
- Criminal Minds TVH!TS 38,000
Shares all people, 6pm-midnight, Overnight (Live and AsLive), Audience numbers FTA metro, Sub TV national
Source: OzTAM and Regional TAM 2018. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) without the prior written consent of OzTAM
Media News Roundup
Business of Media
Minister: No ABC/SBS privatisation or merger, but might share resources
The Turnbull government announced a review to examine the efficiency of the operations of the ABC and SBS, along with an $84m indexation pause in the May budget.
It is the second efficiency review ordered by the Coalition in four years.
Announcing the terms of reference on Monday, Fifield confirmed the efficiency review will be jointly led by former Foxtel chief executive Peter Tonagh and communications bureaucrat Richard Bean.
Fifield spelt out that the inquiry would not consider: the editorial policies of the national broadcasters; allowing advertising on the ABC; the quality of programs; charging for digital services; privatisation of the ABC or SBS or a merger.
“The government will not merge or otherwise change the ownership arrangements of the ABC and SBS,” the terms of reference say.
“Efficiency options will be consistent with ABC and SBS continuing as distinct corporate entities in public hands and under separate legislation.
“In response to sector-wide technological developments the review will also explore opportunities for greater efficiency through innovation.”
Domain profit drops after listing as Sydney property market cools
The group swung to a full-year loss after being spun out from its parent company Fairfax and separately listed on the ASX in November, but took an upbeat view on its growth opportunities.
Domain (DHG) recorded a net loss after tax of $6.2 million for the year to June 24, compared with a net profit of $30.3m in the year to June 25, 2017.
After stripping out significant items such as a $26.9m net impairment of intangibles and investments, and $4.6m net in restructuring charges, the group booked $23.5m in profit.
The results come after rival REA Group last week reported a 23% rise in net profit to $252.8m, citing strong performance in its residential arm and the introduction of a financial services offering.
The group has poached former Google Australia boss Jason Pellegrino as its new chief executive, starting in late August, to replace Antony Catalano who resigned in January.
Netflix loses its chief financial officer David Wells after “14 wonderful years”
“It’s been 14 wonderful years at Netflix, and I’m very proud of everything we’ve accomplished,” Wells said. “After discussing my desire to make a change with CEO Reed Hastings, we agreed that with Netflix’s strong financial position and exciting growth plans, this is the right time for us to help identify the next financial leader for the company. Personally, I intend my next chapter to focus more on philanthropy and I like big challenges but I’m not sure yet what that looks like.”
“David has been a valuable partner to Netflix and to me. He skilfully managed our finances during a phase of dramatic growth that has allowed us to create and bring amazing entertainment to our members all over the world while also delivering outstanding returns to our investors,” said Reed Hastings. “I look forward to working with him during the transition as we identify a new CFO who will help us continue to pursue our ambitious goals.”
News Brands
How News Corp’s New York Post found a way to create newsstand buzz
The New York Post dressed its entire newsstand run in a full wraparound cover with the Supreme logo, the first time it had done so for any brand.
“We knew that this would be a collector’s item,” said Jesse Angelo, the paper’s publisher. “Supreme is such a cool brand and we have so much affinity, to the design kinship of the logos, to being bold, and never shy, and New York-based.”
And while Angelo said that he did not have early numbers, he said anecdotally that “the papers were flying off the shelves”.
Supreme, which opened in 1994, has become the ne plus ultra of street wear brands, famously selling out its new collections – or “drops” – within hours and drawing huge lines at its flagship store in New York’s SoHo neighbourhood. The company has satellite shops in Los Angeles, Tokyo and London, too, which attract comparable crowds.
US newspapers planning joint action on Thursday to fight Trump attacks
The Boston Globe has been contacting newspaper editorial boards and proposing a “coordinated response” to President Trump’s escalating “enemy of the people” rhetoric.
“We propose to publish an editorial on August 16 on the dangers of the administration’s assault on the press and ask others to commit to publishing their own editorials on the same date,” The Globe said in its pitch to fellow papers.
As of Saturday, “we have more than 100 publications signed up, and I expect that number to grow in the coming days,” Marjorie Pritchard, the Globe’s deputy editorial page editor, told CNN.
The American Society of News Editors, the New England Newspaper and Press Association and other groups have helped her spread the word.
Television
Sports Media
Primetime sport returning to Network Ten with game one of Bledisloe series
Playing on home turf at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, the Wallabies will kick off their 2018 Rugby Championship campaign, a match that doubles as the first of the best of three Bledisloe encounters against the All Blacks.
Michael Cheika’s men will travel across the ditch for their return fixture against the world champions a week later.
The Wallabies face a do-or-die opening fortnight of Test rugby if they hope to get their hands back on the Bledisloe Cup in 2018.
TEN Sport’s Matt White will host the access-all-areas broadcast, flanked by former Wallaby and TEN Eyewitness News presenter Matt Burke, the voice of rugby Gordon Bray, rugby legend Nathan Sharpe and reporter Scott Mackinnon.
The action will also be streaming on tenplay.com.au.
NRL Footy Show apologises after accusations of fat shaming player
Taylor’s rugby league club has slammed Molan and co. for making fun of the towering prop’s weight.
Taylor, who is playing for the Central Queensland Capras in Queensland’s top league after playing for the Canberra Raiders last season, was labelled the “Gutsy Player of the Week” during a segment on Sunday’s show.
Several members of the show’s panel –which included Erin Molan, Peter Sterling and Brad Fittler – laughed as they poked fun at Taylor’s appearance.
Molan apologised on Twitter shortly after the media storm:
“(I’m) absolutely appalled by this,” she wrote. “Unreservedly apologise on behalf of the show to Dave Taylor. The panel were expecting the vision to show a gun try or a big hit as our gutsy play. There was no malice or intent to offend but that doesn’t matter. We are sorry.”
A Nine Spokesperson took to The NRL Sunday Footy Show Twitter account to respond to the controversy.
“We apologise to Dave Taylor for yesterday’s segment on the Sunday Footy Show. It was not the intention of the show to embarrass him,” statement said.
AFL Footy Show loses another host, speculation again about its future
The Herald Sun on Monday confirmed with Channel 9 that Maddern, who gave birth to her first child four months ago, would not feature again on the show this year.
While Nine isn’t confirming the show will be back, insiders say it will definitely return in 2019 with a new format.
McGuire Media’s offshoot company JAM TV produces The Footy Show.
Maddern joined The Footy Show with much fanfare as the first woman on the panel in 2016. She co-hosted alongside James Brayshaw after switching from Seven.
When Brayshaw was dumped, the co-hosting gig went to Craig Hutchison, who was axed after less than one season.
New Magazines This Week
