Business of Media
Cash bid to trump ARN Media offer for Southern Cross
Analysts at Macquarie Group believe that a rival offer from Antony Catalano for Southern Cross Media Group would likely be more attractive to shareholders than what’s currently on the table from ARN Media if it was all cash, reports The Australian’s Bridget Carter.
As reported by DataRoom on October 23, speculation is mounting that Catalano, who controls Australian Community Media with Alex Waislitz, is keen to disrupt ARN Media’s buyout plans of the business, although some believe that if he does bid, it’s unlikely a full cash offer would be on the table.
Microsoft accused of damaging Guardian’s reputation with AI-generated poll
The Guardian has accused Microsoft of damaging its journalistic reputation by publishing an AI-generated poll speculating on the cause of a woman’s death next to an article by the news publisher, reports The Guardian’s Dan Milmo.
Microsoft’s news aggregation service published the automated poll next to a Guardian story about the death of Lilie James, a 21-year-old water polo coach who was found dead with serious head injuries at a school in Sydney last week.
The poll, created by an AI program, asked: “What do you think is the reason behind the woman’s death?” Readers were then asked to choose from three options: murder, accident or suicide.
Pinterest soars on rising Gen Z engagement, ad market rebound
Shares of Pinterest surged 17% on Tuesday after a strong quarterly performance indicated that the image-sharing platform was riding a rebound in the advertising market and making inroads among the lucrative Gen Z, reports Reuters’ Samrhitha A.
Monthly active user growth surpassed the pandemic surge to hit a record high of 482 million, with the company saying that a lot of that was driven by the younger Gen Z population, seen as a top target for mobile advertisers.
Andrew O’Keefe to return to court to fight allegations of spitting on, scratching woman
Embattled former television presented Andrew O’Keefe will return to court where he is fighting allegations he spat in the face of a woman before kicking her and leaving her with scratches all over her arms and chest, reports News Corp’s Lauren Ferri.
The 51-year-old is facing the second part of his hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court over charges of common assault, contravening an AVO, resisting a police officer and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
O’Keefe has already faced two days of hearing in February over the matters, which relate to an incident in September 2021 at a Sydney apartment.
Television
Matthew Perry’s ‘Friends’ co-stars pay tribute to fallen cast mate
The five surviving co-stars of the hit 1990s television sitcom “Friends” paid tribute on Monday to their fallen cast mate, Matthew Perry, in a joint message lamenting his death two days earlier as an “unfathomable loss”, reports Reuters’ Steven Gorman.
In a brief statement published by People magazine, actors Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer spoke out publicly for the first time since news broke that Perry was found lifeless in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home on Saturday. He was 54.
“It was always going to end badly”: The untold story of Tucker Carlson’s ugly exit from Fox News
Fox never explained that abrupt firing of cable news’ biggest star, allowing conspiracy theories to fester. Now, in his new book, Network of Lies, [Vanity Fair’s] Brian Stelter explores the myriad factors contributing to Carlson’s cancellation.
Carlson wasn’t given a path to sign off and pretend that it was on his terms, but Scott did offer him one thing—the chance to include his own comment in the press release.
Radio
‘Don’t bring the hate here’: Neil Mitchell calls out ‘obscene’ anti-Semitism in Australia and abroad
Neil Mitchell has called out the “obscene” anti-Semitism in the country as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in the Middle East, reports 3AW.
The 3AW Mornings host has implored the public not to “bring the hate” occurring in the Middle East into Australia, listing some examples of the “surging” acts of anti-Semitism in the country and abroad.
Entertainment
The hidden cost of the Hollywood Strikes
Charley Gilleran’s rigging-equipment warehouse on the outskirts of Los Angeles is a lot quieter than it used to be, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Suryatapa Bhattacharya and Sarah Krouse.
A Hollywood production freeze caused by months of writer and actor strikes has meant the chain hoists, trusses and ramps used in movies like “Oppenheimer” and Zack Snyder’s coming “Rebel Moon” now sit largely unused. Gilleran and his partner have borrowed against their homes to keep their company afloat and are pursuing work on live events and commercials instead of film and TV.
Sports Media
NRL clubs brace for multimillion-dollar hit from new gambling ad bans
Rugby league clubs are bracing for a multimillion-dollar hit as the government pushes ahead with plans to crack down on gambling advertising, including banning front-of-jersey sponsorships.
This masthead revealed on Monday Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was about to announce curbs on TV, online and outdoor betting promotions after talks with gambling, TV and sporting code executives.