Business of Media
BBC to resume English language reporting in Russia
The BBC is to resume English language reporting in Russia after it had temporarily suspended its coverage to assess the implications of the country’s new media law, reports The Guardian’s Tom Ambrose.
It paused the work of its news reporters and support staff in Russia on Friday after legislation was passed making it a criminal offence to spread “fake” or “false” news about the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
The BBC said it had “considered the implications” of the law and that after “careful deliberation” it would continue English language reporting from Tuesday evening.
Emmanuel Macron promises to scrap TV licence fee if re-elected
Emmanuel Macron has promised to scrap the French television licence fee if he is re-elected as president next month, prompting questions over the funding and independence of public television and radio, reports The Guardian’s Angelique Chrisafis.
In the first public appearance of his election campaign, Macron told voters in Poissy, outside Paris, that scrapping the broadcasting licence fee made sense since he aimed to continue lowering taxes.
Macron mentioned ending the licence fee of €138 (£115) a year – which is paid by about 27m homes – as part of a drive to help the increasing numbers of French people who are worried about making ends meet.
Agencies
Michael Di Natale appointed as first managing partner of Orchard
Michael Di Natale has been appointed as the first managing partner of Enero Group agency Orchard.
Di Natale steps into the newly created role following a stint at digital agency Versa where he was managing director.
He brings 15 years of experience to the position having previously worked at Accenture and Isobar and rose through the ranks of Dentsu to become executive director of experience, strategy and consulting.
Michael Di Natale
He has worked across a variety of sectors including travel, finance, government, education, professional services, utilities, sport, and entertainment with clients such as ANZ Bank, Australia Post, JB HI-FI, MCC/MCG, NSW Government, Qantas, Sensis, and Vic Roads.
In the role, Di Natale will continue to build Orchard’s customer service offering and consumer division, as well as leverage the great momentum the agency has with existing clients Hyundai, Tourism Tasmania, and Westpac.
Michael Di Natale said of his appointment: “Orchard is perfectly poised to go from strength to strength. The mix of talented individuals, excellent culture, and clear strategy and direction, has me very excited about what the future has in store.
“Building meaningful, connected experiences is my passion and something that many talk about, but it’s rare you come across the team, capabilities, structure, and strategies in place to actually ‘walk the walk’ and bring it to life.”
Trudi Sampola appointed as national head of people of Hero
Trudi Sampola has been appointed to the newly created role of national head of people for independent agency Hero.
Sampola joins the agency’s senior leadership team alongside founder Ben Lilley and chief operating officer James Greet.
She brings two decades of experience to the role and joins the agency having previously worked at carsales as group marketing manager and marketing transformation director.
Trudi Sampola
Sampola was previously a communication strategist Naked London, followed by a stint at OMD Australia as a communication strategist then strategy director.
She also worked at Ikon Communications in Melbourne as managing director and national chief talent officer. Sampola was also talent director at CHE Proximity.
Trudi Sampola said of her appointment: “There are moments in life when you know you are in the right place with the right people getting the chance to do work you love. Joining Ben, James and the awesome team at Hero is 100% that.
“With our clear focus on bringing Borderless Creativity to life with our people, my whole focus is on helping to build the mortar amongst us and make sure we all have what we need to do the best work of our lives together in a place we all love working in. Simple!”
Lotame announces changes to global executive leadership
Lotame has announced changes to its global executive leadership team, promoting three team members to key roles.
In North America, Eliza Nevers steps into the role of chief product officer as Hunter Terry takes on the new role as the commercial lead for Connected TV.
Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) managing director Chris Hogg will assume the role of global head of platform sales for the flexible data solutions provider.
Mike Woosley, chief operating officer at Lotame, said of the appointments: “We have phenomenal talent leading the company and I want to congratulate Eliza, Hunter and Chris for all their tremendous work over the years.”
“As we continue to innovate to create growth and value across the industry, we look forward to their stewardship to help us drive success in our next phase of growth,” he added.
Nevers, former SVP of Product at Lotame and a product and technology veteran, has been instrumental in driving global strategy, and building and delivering solutions for Lotame’s marketer, agency, and publisher clients.
She notably guided the product organisation through the evolution of the data management platform and launched Panorama ID (the first global cookieless identity solution for a privacy-first open web) in one of the most challenging times for the industry. Support for Lotame’s Panorama ID continues to expand within the industry as agencies and brands like Omnicom, Dr. Martens, and Advance Local among others participating in hundreds of tests globally.
In her new role, Nevers will continue to operate a first-rate product organisation, develop the talents of her team, and drive global product strategy. In addition to setting the product roadmap and business strategy for 2022, Nevers will be taking a more external focus to help cement the partnerships and relationships required in a very intertwined, complex, and evolving ecosystem.
Terry has spend a decade at Lotame in a variety of roles across data engineering, commercial sales, and client success in the APAC, Americas, and ANZ regions.
In his new role of commercial lead for Connected TV (CTV), he will be responsible for advancing Lotame’s technologies, capabilities, and progress in the CTV space on all fronts — customers, data, technology, and partnerships.
Leading Lotame’s EMEA operations, Hogg has been successful in spearheading Lotame’s success in navigating the practical and strategic challenges of operating in Europe and as a global company.
His leadership has helped shepherd Lotame’s Panorama technology – the evolution to a connected identity player – and innovations that led the organization to increase and enhance the scope, and scale of Panorama ID in Europe, even among non-customers.
Effective immediately, Hogg will be assuming the role of Lotame’s global head of platform sales, working with Lotame’s regional managing directors and sales executives to align the global organization and to increase leverage in platform, data, and identity solutions.
Television
Andrew O’Keefe: Former TV star’s brush with bikies behind bars
Troubled ex-television star Andrew O’Keefe could spend up to 12 months remanded in custody after his latest bid for bail was rejected, the NSW Supreme Court has heard, reports News Corp’s Ryan Young.
Justice Robertson Wright denied O’Keefe’s latest attempt to be released to a mental health rehabilitation facility on Tuesday, despite the court being told the former Channel 7 game show host was bullied by jail guards and placed in a cell surrounded by rival bikie gang members.
The 50-year-old has been locked up on remand for more than a month, after he was charged with choking and assaulting a woman on January 25.
How much cast of Byron reality show is really being paid
Byron Baes’ Nathan Favro says he was paid “handsomely” to appear on the Netflix reality show despite industry speculation the cast did the show for free.
Favro has previously appeared on The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise and is one of the known reality TV faces in the controversial Byron Baes format.
“We were paid handsomely, Netflix look after you,” Favro told Confidential.
“It was more a case of we were all a team and we were all working together and so they gave us a lot of creative direction, they wanted to actually tell the story of our lives and what we are doing.”
Sports Media
Apple enters sports arena with Major League Baseball streaming deal
Apple TV+ is getting into the live sports business, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Rick Porter.
The streamer has struck a rights deal with Major League Baseball to carry a weekly doubleheader of games on Fridays, starting with the 2022 season — whenever that may begin. Baseball’s owners locked out the players in December, and the two sides haven’t yet come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement. On March 1, Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled the first week of regular season games, which were slated to begin at the end of the month.
The MLB deal is the first foray into live sports for Apple TV+. Its Friday Night Baseball package will feature two weekly matchups along with pre- and postgame shows, with no local blackouts. Apple will also produce MLB Big Inning, a live show featuring highlights and look-ins to games on every weeknight of the regular season.
Why Jonathan Brown can’t wait for viewers to see different side of Nathan Buckley
While Fox Footy’s Jonathan Brown will miss the ease of jumping in his car quickly and getting home a whole lot faster, he can’t wait for capacity crowds to be back at the footy this season, reports News Corp’s Lisa Woolford.
“Looking at empty grandstands just felt funny from an energy point of view,” the former Brisbane Lions champ says.
“And I felt sorry for the players – I mean I know they are professionals, but it still must have been hard going with no crowds or smaller crowds.”
He adds with a laugh: “It’s like my last couple of years at the Brisbane Lions …”
Fox Footy launched its new line-up of talent and programs last week and taking centre stage was new recruit Nathan Buckley.