Thursday August 9, 2018

Mediaweek TV

Don’t miss a special edition of Mediaweek on Sky News Business (Foxtel- 601) with two CEOs joining James Manning live at 2.30pm 

This week’s special guests are Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany and MCN CEO Mark Frain.

Ten’s Stephen Tate on Survivor Fiji, Russell’s departure and medical emergencies

The third season of Network Ten’s Survivor has moved to Fiji this year. The latest series launched last week with a bigger audience than the 2017 launch.

By James Manning

Ten’s head of entertainment and factual programs Stephen Tate told Mediaweek the new location has never been used by any broadcaster. It was previously filmed at a site in Samoa that had been used by other versions of the format.

“The change has been brilliant for us,” said Tate. “It has also been fantastic for the local community, which has loved having us there.”

The change of location meant more work to set up the site. “We had to start from scratch.

“The team at Endemol Shine Australia (which produces the series for Ten) led by executive producer Amelia Fisk found the location. It is extraordinarily beautiful, but it also offers the remote location we need.”

Tate’s first half of every year is spent in South Africa on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! and then in the Pacific for Survivor.

This year he was in Fiji for the start and the end of the new Survivor.

“I fly in and fly out. As much as I would like to stay in Fiji to see the whole season unfold, it is not a luxury I can have as I have quite a few other projects on the go.”

This is an excerpt from the full article, which appears on Mediaweek Premium. Read the full article here or subscribe to Mediaweek Premium here.

EP Samantha Rose on why Nova 106.9 breakfast is successful

The Brisbane radio market has seen a number of changes in breakfast in recent times with new additions and subtractions to on-air teams. However, Nova 106.9 has held steady.

By Kruti Joshi

The on-air breakfast team of Ashley Bradnam, Kip Wightman and David “Luttsy” Lutteral has stayed put for nearly a decade. Meanwhile, Susie O’Neill has been a familiar voice on the program for four years.

The changes to the show have been minimal, according to Samantha Rose, executive producer of Ash, Kip and Luttsy with Susie O’Neill.

She told Mediaweek: “It’s a very stable show. If we didn’t have that, it’d fall apart.”

This is perhaps the reason she can claim confidently that it is a show that “sounds very natural, like four mates having a chat. There is no fakeness.”

This virtue together with the stability factor has allowed the program to form a strong relationship with radio listeners in the Queensland capital.

Rose describes Brisbane as a “big country town”. Therefore, “localism is very important. People have been listening to Ash, Kip and Luttsy for the last eight or so years. They feel like they know them and have a connection with them. In other markets, listeners are bombarded with new shows all the time, so they may not have the connection that we can build with our listeners.”

This is an excerpt from the full article, which appears on Mediaweek Premium. Read the full article here or subscribe to Mediaweek Premium here.

Podcast Week: Crime with Adam Shand, Merrick & Rosso, EFTM & more

• This week: King of crime Adam Shand, Merrick & Rosso reunited, EFTM potty talk from new business partners, New from PodcastOne & Acast

By James Manning

True crime has long been a popular category for podcast listeners. The podcast is the perfect platform for investigations into the criminal world. The crime editor for PodcastOne is journalist, author, broadcaster and podcaster Adam Shand.

He was a foundation partner when PodcastOne launched with his series Trials Of The Vampire.

More recently he has launched the UnderState series, which investigates where justice is sometimes elusive after a police investigation.

The series goes back to August 1969 when a 20-year-old woman Lucille Butterworth disappeared from a bus stop in Hobart. Police believed she was a runaway who would return and they failed to respond adequately for weeks. Eventually, a suspect was identified but not charged and no trace of Lucille was ever found. In 2010, the boss of a suburban police station reviewed the file and discovered crucial evidence embarrassing for Tasmania Police.

There are five UnderState Lucille Butterworth episodes and Shand told Mediaweek there could be an update via a sixth episode with a development in the case.

Of his role as crime editor, Shand said: “We are looking for long-form stories in true crime. We are also recording interview-based podcasts, which will be discussions about crime. We did one on Chopper Reid and had his two managers, who basically debunked all the stuff that he talked about.

“There will be one podcast out this month about a guy who goes to his ATM and discovers he can take unlimited money and subsequently steals $1.6m.” That podcast will be released under the Adam Shand At Large brand.

Shand said there was an exciting start-up feel to PodcastOne with the platform looking for exciting projects.

Shand is developing both Trials Of The Vampire and Lucille Butterworth into a TV project with Bryan Cockerill and Gerri Coy’s Full Box for Nine’s third season of Australian Crime Stories.

Listen to Trials Of The Vampire

Listen to UnderState Lucille Butterworth

Teacher’s Pet now a global success story

News Corp Australia has reported The Teacher’s Pet podcast was this week #1 on iTunes podcast charts in Australia, the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, with more than seven million downloads.

Investigating the probable murder of Sydney mother Lyn Dawson in 1982, The Australian’s investigative series, by Hedley Thomas and co-producer Slade Gibson, is developing a huge international following as it uncovers new evidence and witnesses in the cold case.

Listen to The Teacher’s Pet podcast

Merrick and Rosso on Game Changers

Merrick Watts had some special advice recently for podcast listeners – “If you want to be a big on radio… do not compromise. All the big shows – no compromise.” Watts was speaking on the latest Game Changers radio podcast where he was reunited with Tim Ross. Game Changers podcast host Craig Bruce and executive producer Jay Mueller had the former triple j and Nova hosts working together again. The prolific podcasters have close to 60 radio interviews so far and other guests this year have included Dean Buchanan, Kyle Sandilands, Jo Stanley and Brad Blanks.

Listen to Merrick & Rosso on Game Changers

Potty talk during EFTM podcast

It got a bit grubby, but it was very entertaining, in a dirty kind of way.

In the most recent episode of Trevor Long’s EFTM podcast, he and his podcast co-hosts, and new business partners, Geoff Quattromani and Chris Bowen, started talking about toilets, which turned into a long, sometimes awkward, yet strangely compelling, discussion. It was as if they had returned to the early days of the EFTM podcast, which was a very edgy product, which made it an essential listen if you had an interest in tech, cars and lifestyle. In between then and now the podcast had become a lot about cars and became quite serious… until this week.

Long announced last week that Quattromani and Bowen had been given equity in the business along with videographer Rob Locke and Long’s original EFTM co-founders Damian Francis and Nick Broughall. Bowen, who has worked in radio with Long at 2GB in the past, will now work full-time for EFTM.

Long also co-hosts the long-running (350+ episodes) tech podcast Two Blokes Talking Tech with Stephen Fenech.

Listen to EFTM podcasts

Confessions of a Twenty Something Train Wreck

One of Acast’s most successful podcasts has been Confessions of a Twenty Something Train Wreck. (Acast operates in Australia in partnership with Nova Entertainment.)

Podcast host Phoebe Parsons won Acast’s inaugural Podquest competition and the podcast has gone from strength to strength – Parsons is recording a live podcast in Brisbane next month.

The pitch to listeners is that Phoebe’s got it all… a fancy degree and her dream job. But her personal life… it’s a train wreck!

The podcast has already had five seasons and the live show will be the season’s final episode.

Listen to Confessions of a Twenty Something Train Wreck

New from the midwife to the stars

PodcastOne has just released a new series of Birth, Baby and Beyond with midwife to the stars Cath Curtin. Having delivered thousands of babies, Curtin is known for being practical and realistic when it comes to advising people about their parenting issues. No judgment or idealism to be found here.

The second series of Birth, Baby and Beyond covers the fundamentals for parents after they have been through the first six weeks and Curtin widens the remit of content this series interviewing same-sex parents Natasha Hardy (vice captain of Essendon AFLW team) and her wife Natalie East. Their little girl Macey is the first baby in Australia to have her mothers recorded as “Married” on her birth certificate! The women talk about their personal journey, the lack of information out there for same-sex couples to get started, the options, donors, and also share some of the odd comments they have had, e.g. “Are you excited to be a Dad”?

Listen to Birth, Baby & Beyond

21st Century Fox reports annual income up 7% ahead of Disney sale

21st Century Fox (21CF) has reported its Disney/new “Fox” transactions unlocked enormous value for shareholders as the company’s stock price increased by approximately 75% during the fiscal year, ahead of both 12% average growth for the S&P 500 and a 10% average decline for its media peers over the same period.

The strength of the 21CF’s domestic and international cable brands led to double-digit affiliate growth in every quarter of the fiscal year with the domestic growth driven by pricing strength while maintaining our overall level of subscribers, including distribution on all emerging virtual MVPD platforms.

The controversial Fox News Channel dominated the cable news landscape maintaining its position as the #1 network on basic cable while Fox Business Network achieved its highest rated year ever.

21CF reported annual income from continuing operations attributable to 21st Century Fox stockholders of US$4.48 billion compared to $3.00 billion in the prior year.

The company reported total annual revenues of $30.40 billion, an increase of $1.90 billion, or 7%, from the $28.50 billion of revenues reported in the prior year. This revenue growth reflects higher affiliate and advertising revenues from its cable business and higher streaming video on demand (SVOD) and theatrical revenues at the filmed entertainment segment partially offset by the absence of advertising revenues generated by Super Bowl LI in the prior year from the television segment.

Commenting on the results, executive chairmen Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch said:

“Our strategic plan over the last decade has been built on a singular focus on creative excellence to power our world-class video brands. The outstanding shareholder value created this year through our proposed transactions recognises the work we have done to position our businesses to succeed during a time of great change. We continued to make progress this past fiscal year. We delivered financial and operational momentum, including four consecutive quarters of double-digit domestic affiliate gains, one of the strongest six-month periods ever for our film studio, and continued dominance in live sports and news.

“We start a new fiscal year with tailwinds from last quarter’s double-digit topline growth across our business segments. As we move closer to combining our businesses with Disney and establishing new Fox, we are convinced that the paths we are creating for our iconic businesses will drive enduring and growing value for our shareholders.”

AM radio giant lifts profit, looks forward to benefits from Nine merger

Macquarie Media, the operator of Australia’s biggest AM radio network, has reported annual revenues lifted 4% to $136.3m. Net profit after tax climbed 24% from 17.3% last year to $21.5m in the recently completed financial year.

The company, which includes 2GB and 3AW amongst its stations, is majority owned by Fairfax Media, with John Singleton the next-biggest shareholder.

Chairman Russell Tate said he was excited about the prospect of Macquarie Media being in a position to work more closely with Nine Entertainment Co if the proposed transaction to merge Nine with Fairfax Media Limited, Macquarie Media’s majority shareholder, is completed. “Such a combination would in my view present opportunities for Macquarie to both deliver, and benefit from, significant synergies,” he said.

Commenting on the results, Tate said: “This is a solid result and reflects ongoing performance improvements across most of our business units. Our news-talk stations have continued their ratings dominance in Sydney (2GB) and Melbourne (3AW), and we have seen strong and sustained audience growth from 6PR in Perth and a healthy audience increase in the last survey of the year from 4BC in Brisbane.

“We have also seen in FY18 an exceptionally strong performance by our sales teams who have achieved year on year revenue growth on our news-talk stations of 9.0% compared to overall metropolitan market growth of 3.8%. We have also increased our overall share of market revenue despite the significant impact on short-term revenue potential of the switching of our three east-coast Talking Lifestyle stations to the new Macquarie Sports Radio format. This new format will take time to build audience and revenues and we are hopeful that it will achieve break even revenue levels during FY19 which will add a further 4.0% to our total revenues.”

“Broadcast radio, and in particular the commercial news-talk format which we dominate, has lost none of its appeal to listeners or advertisers. Of course we must continue to evolve our product and our presentation and be prepared to adapt to a changing media environment but we now have in place a leadership team, led by our incoming CEO Adam Lang, that has worked together and developed enormously since the merger of Fairfax Radio and Macquarie Radio in 2015, and a talented lineup of proven performers and future stars, which I am confident will continue to build on the success the company enjoys today”.

Chief executive officer Adam Lang said: “Under the leadership of Russell Tate, Macquarie Media was formed and has defined itself as a new company. The foundations of our stations began in 1925 and our continued operation has required substantial and exciting evolution. Our company has never been in stronger shape and we are dedicated to the customer service of our audience, clients, and staff. As we approach our 100th year and position ourselves for the second century of operation, we aim to grow our News-Talk and Macquarie Sports Radio networks to continue to give a positive return to shareholders.”

Top Photo: 2GB and 4BC’s Alan Jones broadcasting from the Gold Coast earlier this year with guest Peter Beattie

News Corp’s Weekly Times launches 2018 Farmer of the Year Awards

News Corp Australia’s The Weekly Times has launched the 2018 Farmer of the Year Awards with campaign partner Coles.

The Weekly Times Coles 2018 Farmer of the Year Awards recognise the best in the business – those who lead the way, who innovate, and realise success, often in the face of adversity.

Backed by News Corp Australia’s Sunday mastheads, The Weekly Times Coles 2018 Farmer of the Year Awards will be given exposure to a national audience along with an extensive campaign calling for award nominations over a five-month period. The program will culminate in an Awards night in February 2019.

The Weekly Times editor Ed Gannon said: “In the tough times we are currently seeing across much of Australia, it is vitally important we continue to recognise the great work of our farmers.

“These awards continue to unearth farmers who are innovative, enterprising and inspiring.

“Our partnership with Coles has shone a spotlight on farming’s best performers, and that will continue with these 2018 awards.”

See also:Understanding News Corp Australia’s rural division with publisher Ed Gannon

The hallmark of the awards is always the editorial campaign, with profiles and stories about our farmers featuring in The Weekly Times, theweeklytimes.com.au, Farm and Crop Gear magazines.

Each week, stories of farmers excelling in their field, from industry stalwarts to new players starting their agricultural journey, are recognised and put in the running to become Australia’s Farmer of the Year.

The awards seek the best farmers in six categories – cropping, beef, dairy, sheep, horticulture and niche. Each category winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize.

The Weekly Times Coles 2018 Farmer of the Year will be chosen from these category winners and receive a further $10,000 in cash. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Melbourne in February 2019, and profiled in the special Farmer of the Year magazine, inserted in The Weekly Times, Sunday Herald Sun, The Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mail (SA) and The Sunday Mail (Qld).

The awards kick off in The Weekly Times on Wednesday August 8, and the Sunday mastheads on August 12.

Thomas & Friends return to Australia to help AFL in second collaboration

AFL has launched a second series of the Thomas & Friends collaboration, featuring a special guest appearance by Geelong’s Gary Ablett Jr. He is the voice of Gary the Ute.

This year, three episodes have been produced and centre around Thomas the Tank Engine returning to Australia to help find the missing AFL Premiership Cup alongside his friend Shane the Train, voiced by Richmond great Matthew Richardson. During his search, Thomas reunites with his friend Tracy the Tram who is now working in Adelaide and voiced again by Brisbane Lions AFL Women’s star Sabrina Frederick-Traub.

Series one, released in 2017, was an international first collaboration between the two brands.

AFL general manager for digital, growth and audience Darren Birch said: “We’re excited to release the second series of our collaboration with Thomas & Friends as the first saw over one million views of the four episodes. The partnership opened the AFL up to a whole new audience in Australia as well as internationally through the Mattel network.”

“The reception to having two familiar footy voices, in Richo and Sabrina, involved in the project was great, and we hope the addition of Gary Ablett Jr in series two excites fans both young and old.”

Mattel Australia and NZ MD Chedney Rodgers said: “It has been a pleasure for Thomas & Friends to partner with the AFL for the second year running. Together, the brands share mutual values of teamwork, respect and discovery, which we appreciate are of great importance to parents as well.”

The first series of Thomas & Friends’ AFL Adventure can still be seen on the AFL Kids channel on YouTube.

Facebook Australia’s Andrew Hunter: ‘People define their networks’

Users have the control of the content they are exposed to, writes the social media giant’s news partnership lead for Australia.

Facebook is about connecting people in a meaningful way.

One of the ways people connect is by sharing news. Observing, comprehending and discussing a common set of stories each day helps us understand the world.

Some media organisations say Facebook’s effect on the news landscape is the opposite of this. A recent submission to the ACCC put it stated that Google and Facebook “create trends that exist purely on their own platforms… creating echo chambers and filter bubbles, where consumers only read content that confirms their own views and values”.

However, Facebook does not create content trends. They are established when people share updates, stories and pictures that others – including the news organisations themselves – choose to post to Facebook.

Despite a common perception that social media causes filter bubbles, a growing body of research shows these concerns are, if not unfounded, then at least overblown.

One study from Oxford University found that social media users are actually exposed to a greater diversity of news sources than non-users. Another, from academics at Oxford and Stanford, found that while articles discovered through search engines or social networks were likely to represent more widely segregated viewpoints, people on those platforms were more likely to be exposed to opposing views than those accessing news websites directly.

Additionally, people define their networks – and therefore the content they’re exposed to – by their choices. The cabbies who choose to listen to Ray Hadley and read The Daily Telegraph can also follow them on Facebook. They might also watch the ABC, scroll through Twitter and watch Sky News on Qantas. One person’s daily media diet might be seen as another’s filter bubble.

One of the most discussed stories in cabs, planes and everywhere else recently was the Thai cave rescue.

There are many reasons why this story was so compelling.

It was novel, relatable and emotional – most of us immediately connected with the fate of the trapped children. There was a deadline. The rescue was daring and ingenious and unfolded over days in real time. It was filmic.

Unsurprisingly the story blanketed the 6pm bulletins, news homepages and people’s Facebook News Feeds.

Social news can often reflect traditional news values, but quite regularly the stories leading news bulletins and websites differ from those trending on Facebook.

It’s important to understand that news is a small part of the content on Facebook, but the magic happens between news and Facebook when people share and comment on stories that are really meaningful to them. Often these are stories that appeal to people’s values and identities and stories that inspire and break news. This will always be a subset of “the news”.

That is why we have launched two pilots in Australia recently to help people find important, timely news and follow developing stories they care about.

Our breaking news pilot allows newsrooms – including the ABC, Seven, Nine, Fairfax and News Corp – to add red “Breaking news” tags to big, fresh stories. This helps them stand out in News Feed.

As News Feed is not strictly chronological and contains so much content, we wanted to find a way to help newsrooms present updates on a developing topic. With this in mind, we developed the ability for people to more easily follow developing stories and, while it’s very early days, newsrooms are excited by its potential.

These are just a couple of examples of collaboration between the news media and Facebook.

We’re also working with media organisations to help fund their journalism through revenue share and other means, despite assertions to the contrary in several ACCC submissions.

Some of the ways we’re supporting Australian publishers with revenue share include:
• Our Audience Network enables Australian publishers to monetise their great content on their own websites and apps with ads from global Facebook advertisers. This rich ad experience leads to a more engaged audience, better advertiser outcomes and ultimately revenue for publishers.
• Helping publishers create long-term value from their audience on Facebook through driving subscriptions, where publishers receive 100% of the revenue.
• Assisting publishers and broadcasters in extending sponsorships from TV and websites to Facebook, where they can collect 100% of the revenue.

There’s a saying at Facebook that our work is only 1% done. We acknowledge that there is more work to do in this space, but this is what drives us every day to invest and innovate in products and features to support a thriving news ecosystem in Australia and around the world.

We also feel a sense of urgency. This week’s merger announcement by Nine and Fairfax shows how quickly the media landscape can change. We understand the disruption of newsroom funding models and we’ve watched and acted as news consumption patterns have continued to shift and social media has altered the distribution of news. We will continue to work with publishers to support a sustainable media ecosystem. Because news is so important to people and society as a whole, we’re committed to helping solve these problems.

TV Ratings Analysis: August 9

• The Block rules the ratings as Nine wins fourth consecutive night
• The Weekly with its close links to Network Ten stars continues

By James Manning

Seven

Home and Away slipped for the second consecutive night as the ratings pattern has repeated this week: 700,000+, 672,000 and last night 628,000.

Two episodes of Highway Patrol then started on 578,000 but grew to 622,000 for the second episode.

The second episode of 9-1-1 then did 557,000 after launching on 563,000 last week.

Nine

Another good result for A Current Affair with 843,000 after two previous outings over 850,000 this week.

Episode four of The Block and the end of the first week. It was again just over 900,000 and a big winner for night.

The Block: Season 14, Week 1

Sunday 1.16m

Monday 1.13m

Tuesday 921,000

Wednesday 920,000

The final of Britain’s Got Talent then ran from 8.30pm through until close to 11pm with 371,000 watching.

TEN

Pointless dipped sharply to 232,000 after two nights just under 300,000.

The Project then did 271,000 and 475,000.

Survivor did 620,000 running second in the key demos behind only The Block. A week after launch, TEN has reported 931,000 capital city viewers, up 30% or 215,000 viewers from the overnight audience for the first episode number, with television playback and BVOD viewing plus television encore. That makes it the biggest ever seven-day BVOD rating for a launch of Australian Survivor.

The final episode of the first season of Instinct then did 267,000.

ABC

Carrie Bickmore was the guest on Anh’s Brush With Fame with 662,000 watching after 670,000 last week.

Her appearance on the ABC was the first from a string of Network Ten personalities on two shows within the space of an hour.

Guesting on The Weekly was Studio 10’s Sarah Harris on the Hard Chat segment. There were also cameos from Amanda Keller, Chris Brown, Todd Sampson, Steve Price, and Tommy Little in a very funny Gogglebox spoof branded Gogglenews Australia. The episode did 585,000 after 583,000 a week ago.

A very frank discussion with swingers followed on You Can’t Ask That for the audience of 352,000.

The Last Leg then did 227,000.

Tonightly With Tom Ballard featured Skye Leckie talking about her role in Filthy Rich And Homeless coming to SBS next week. The episode did 108,000 on the primary channel.

SBS

A repeat episode of Great British Railway Journeys did 259,000 followed by episode two of Food Safari Water on 170,000.

The audience then climbed to 215,000 for a doco on Mont Saint-Michael.

The third episode of the drama Dead Lucky then did 161,000.

Week 32 TV: Wednesday
WEDNESDAY METRO
ABCSevenNineTenSBS
ABC12.1%718.8%922.4%TEN12.0%SBS One4.9%
ABC 23.0%7TWO3.4%GO!4.6%ONE3.1%VICELAND0.9%
ABC ME0.7%7mate3.4%GEM1.6%ELEVEN2.0%Food Net1.3%
ABC NEWS1.3%7flix2.3%9Life1.8%NITV0.3%
TOTAL17.1%27.9%30.3%17.2%7.5%

 

WEDNESDAY REGIONAL
ABCSeven AffiliatesNine AffiliatesTen AffiliatesSBS
ABC11.3%720.3%919.1%WIN9.8%SBS One4.2%
ABC 23.7%7TWO4.7%GO!5.6%ONE3.5%VICELAND1.0%
ABC ME1.4%7mate3.7%GEM2.6%ELEVEN2.2%Food Net1.5%
ABC NEWS1.6%7flix1.9%9Life2.0%NITV0.2%
TOTAL18.0%30.6%29.3%15.5%6.9%

 

WEDNESDAY METRO ALL TV
FTASTV
85.6%14.4%

 

WEDNESDAY FTA
  1. Seven News Seven 993,000
  2. Nine News Nine 975,000
  3. Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 967,000
  4. Nine News 6:30 Nine 944,000
  5. The Block Nine 920,000
  6. A Current Affair Nine 843,000
  7. ABC News ABC 716,000
  8. Anh’s Brush With Fame ABC 662,000
  9. Home And Away Seven 628,000
  10. Highway Patrol E2 Seven 622,000
  11. Australian Survivor Ten 620,000
  12. The Chase Australia Seven 607,000
  13. The Weekly With Charlie Pickering ABC 585,000
  14. Highway Patrol Seven 578,000
  15. 9-1-1 Seven 557,000
  16. 7.30 ABC 522,000
  17. Hot Seat Nine 509,000
  18. The Project 7pm Ten 475,000
  19. Ten Eyewitness News First At Five Ten 388,000
  20. Britain’s Got Talent Nine 371,000
Demo Top Fives

16-39 Top 5

  1. The Block Nine 250,000
  2. Australian Survivor Ten 203,000
  3. Nine News 6:30 Nine 158,000
  4. Nine News Nine 149,000
  5. A Current Affair Nine 142,000

 

18-49 Top 5

  1. The Block Nine 408,000
  2. Australian Survivor Ten 332,000
  3. Nine News 6:30 Nine 264,000
  4. Nine News Nine 256,000
  5. A Current Affair Nine 248,000

 

25-54 Top 5

  1. The Block Nine 466,000
  2. Australian Survivor Ten 349,000
  3. Nine News 6:30 Nine 307,000
  4. Nine News Nine 305,000
  5. A Current Affair Nine 288,000
WEDNESDAY Multichannel
  1. Noddy Toyland Detective-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 180,000
  2. Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom ABCKIDS/COMEDY 178,000
  3. Floogals ABCKIDS/COMEDY 176,000
  4. The Big Bang Theory TX2 9GO! 175,000
  5. Rusty Rivets ABCKIDS/COMEDY 173,000
  6. Peppa Pig-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 172,000
  7. Andy’s Prehistoric Adventures ABCKIDS/COMEDY 170,000
  8. Peter Rabbit ABCKIDS/COMEDY 166,000
  9. Octonauts ABCKIDS/COMEDY 165,000
  10. The Big Bang Theory TX1 9GO! 164,000
  11. Little Roy-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 163,000
  12. The Big Bang Theory TX3 9GO! 161,000
  13. Hey Duggee-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 160,000
  14. Shaun The Sheep ABCKIDS/COMEDY 159,000
  15. Neighbours ELEVEN 159,000
  16. Under Siege 9GO! 150,000
  17. Fireman Sam-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 145,000
  18. Pingu In The City-AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 138,000
  19. Go Jetters-AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 137,000
  20. Luo Bao Bei-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 136,000
WEDNESDAY Subscription TV
  1. Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 70,000
  2. Live: NRL 360 FOX LEAGUE 69,000
  3. Selling Houses Australia LifeStyle Channel 69,000
  4. The Bolt Report SKY NEWS LIVE 64,000
  5. Paul Murray Live SKY NEWS LIVE 54,000
  6. Criminal Minds TVH!TS 52,000
  7. Credlin SKY NEWS LIVE 47,000
  8. Wentworth showcase 47,000
  9. Richo SKY NEWS LIVE 44,000
  10. NRL 360 FOX LEAGUE 44,000
  11. Ncis TVH!TS 40,000
  12. Mrs. Brown’s Boys UKTV 37,000
  13. George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces LifeStyle Channel 37,000
  14. Curious George Nick Jr. 37,000
  15. The Greatest FOX LEAGUE 36,000
  16. League Life FOX LEAGUE 36,000
  17. Paw Patrol Nick Jr. 35,000
  18. Peppa Pig Nick Jr. 34,000
  19. Blaze And The Monster Machines Nick Jr. 33,000
  20. The Simpsons FOX8 33,000

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

Facebook fighting against fake news, promises to boost quality

Facebook’s global head of news partnerships, Campbell Brown, has admitted the social media network will not be able to eradicate fake news, but said it had made significant progress and was deleting 1 million fake accounts a day, reports The AFR’s Yolanda Redrup.

“Fake news or false news has been around since the beginning of time, so this is something that we will have to always be vigilant about,” she told The Australian Financial Review while in Melbourne to speak with local news organisations about what metrics Facebook can “boost” to preference quality news content.

“We have discovered that most false news is financially motivated, so there’s work we can do to disrupt financial incentives and it’s similar to how we fought spammers.

“[But] there are bad actors that are going to always try new things, that are well resourced and are highly motivated. So we’re making significant investments and will continue to.”

Brown, who was previously a news correspondent with NBC and a CNN anchor, joined Facebook in early 2017, heralding a shift from the social media company in the way it approached the media.

[Read the original]

Fairfax Media’s John McDuling reports:

This week, Brown met with major Australian publishers, including representatives from Fairfax Media and News Corp to outline the company’s new initiatives, including tools it hopes will help news outlets grow their subscriptions.

“We are making a lot of progress,” she said. “We want to get to a place where journalism not just survives, but thrives. I want publishers to succeed.”

[Read the original]

Optus reports revenue up, profit down: operating model rethink

Optus chief executive Allen Lew says the telecommunications sector needs to focus on costs and using new technology to help tackle the hyper-competitive mobile market and shrinking margins on the National Broadband Network, reports The AFR’s Max Mason.

Lew described Optus’s first quarter result as “strong” in the face of growing competition. Operating revenue rose 5.7% to $2.2 billion. Mobile and broadband subscribers grew, but profit took a hit, sliding 3.5% to $154 million, compared with the prior corresponding period, thanks to a delay in NBN migration payments and falling margins. Lew said factoring out the NBN migration revenue, profit grew by 10%.

While Optus experienced disastrous technical difficulties during its broadcast of the FIFA World Cup in Russia, Lew said the telco’s football strategy will push forward – it secured rights to the UEFA Champions League last week and its English Premier League coverage kicks off this weekend.

The telco grew its subscriber base by 66,000 in the quarter – 31,000 subscribers were postpaid.

As of June 30, Optus had a total of 10.2 million mobile subscribers, including 5.3 million postpaid, 3.7 million prepaid and 1.1 million on mobile broadband. Mobile revenue increased 8.1 per cent year-on-year to $1.4 billion.

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Financial Fully Monty: Shane Jacobsen earnings revealed in court battle

Entertainer Shane Jacobson is locked in a legal battle with his former manager for a cut of more than $1 million in earnings he will bank for appearing in ads, stage productions and TV shows, reports Fairfax Media’s Tom Cowie.

Jacobson’s longtime manager and publicist Deb Fryers filed a writ last month in the Victorian County Court claiming she had not been paid commission for his work in Little Big Shots, The Real Full Monty and The Rocky Horror Show.

Court documents lodged by Fryers’ lawyers outline Jacobson’s income for various appearances this year, including $215,000 for hosting Seven Network talent show Little Big Shots.

The documents also show he earned $54,000 for stripping off on Seven’s The Real Full Monty; $180,000 for his role as the narrator in The Rocky Horror Show; and $200,000 to appear in ads for supermarket chain IGA.

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News Brands

New York Times reports $24 m profit as digital subscriptions grow

The New York Times has reported continued digital growth in the second quarter of 2018, adding 109,000 digital-only subscribers.

With that rise came an increase in revenue that counteracted a decline in print advertising.

The company said on Wednesday that revenue from digital subscriptions rose to US$99 million in the second quarter, a jump of nearly 20% compared with the same period a year ago. Over all for the second quarter, total revenue increased 2%, to $415 million, and the company reported a profit of almost $24 million.

The Times now has 2.9 million digital-only subscribers, out of 3.8 million total.

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Television

Peter FitzSimons’s Twitter slip over breakfast TV ratings war

It has yet to be consummated but the cracks are showing in the Fairfax Media-Channel 9 marriage, reports The Daily Telegraph.

The ailing newspaper company’s star Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons ripped into the broadcaster’s flagship breakfast show Today – using a Daily Telegraph report to do it.

Yesterday FitzSimons told his 67,000 social media followers the struggling program was pretty much doomed, drawing on that day’s devastating Telegraph revelation that Today had lost 22 of 23 ratings weeks this year to arch-rival Sunrise, right across the country.

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Oscars add popular category, move awards date, trim broadcast

In a move that will turn the Oscars into a sort of gilded version of the Logies, a category for “outstanding achievement in popular film” is to be added to the already cumbersome telecast, reports Fairfax Media’s Michael Idato.

Among the other changes approved by the board of governors are shifting the telecast date earlier in the year and taking some categories out of the live telecast.

Next year’s Oscars date, scheduled for February 24, is unchanged. But the 2020 telecast, which was planned for February 23, will now move to February 9.

The telecast, which is broadly seen as overly long, will be capped at three hours.

However, in order to meet that deadline, and include the new category, some categories will be shifted out of the telecast.

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ITV Studios’ Love Island Australia series screening on ITV next week

Love Island British fans have something new to obsess over as the Australian version of the show is going to air on screens as of next week, reports London’s Evening Standard.

The record-breaking first series of the reality show, which aired in Australian earlier this summer, proved to be the talk of social media as UK fans were forced to rely on small snapshots of the drama going on in the villa.

Housed just a few miles away from the Love Island UK villa, the Australian villa saw everything from passionate romances to explosive break-ups and even a fight or two.

Listings show that ITVBe will begin airing Love Island Australia from 11pm on Monday August 13, starting with the 90-minute launch show.

The reality program is hosted by singer-turned-presenter Sophie Monk while the voiceover is provided by witty Irish radio bod Eoghan McDermott.

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CBS bringing ITV Studios’s Love Island to US with series order

CBS is setting sail to Love Island. The network has secured rights for an American version of the dating show, which has become a big hit in the United Kingdom, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The show wrapped its fifth season on ITV2 last week with series-high ratings, becoming the most-watched program in the digital channel’s history.

Love Island has been a massive success overseas,” said Sharon Vuong, senior VP alternative programming at CBS. “We’re thrilled that ITV has partnered with us to bring their most successful show to American television. Having seen the reaction of audiences across the pond and around the world to this most recent season, we expect American viewers will be captivated by this engaging format.”

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Sport Media

Nine promising three big weekends of Suncorp Super Netball finals action

Nine has begun its official Suncorp Super Netball Finals countdown, announcing it will broadcast the 2018 Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final live on Sunday August 26 from 1pm AEST on Nine and 9Now.

Grand Final teams will be decided over the coming weeks as they battle it out in the semifinals and preliminary final – beginning Saturday August 11 from 3pm AEST on Nine.

Hosting all the Suncorp Super Netball finals action will be Clint Stanaway and Aislin Kriukelis. They will be joined by an expert commentary team including Australian netball legends Liz Ellis, Anne Sargeant, Cath Cox, Sharelle McMahon, Clare McMeniman and Sue Gaudion.

Nine’s head of netball Keeley Devery said: “It really has been an amazing second year of Suncorp Super netball. With such a close lead-up to the finals, we can’t wait to see who will play it out in the Grand Final live on Channel Nine.”

Former Australian captain and Wide World of Sports commentator Liz Ellis added: “Finals are what you dream of in pre-season, and I’m so excited to see the best netballers fight it out for a spot in the grand final.”

Suncorp Super Netball will also be broadcast via 9Now, Telstra TV and the Netball Live app.

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