Business of Media
PE funds tune into New Zealand’s Sky Network Television
Private equity groups have been encouraged to take a fresh look at dual-listed pay-TV provider Sky Network Television, to see whether they could find new channels of growth and be tempted into a $500 million-plus buyout, reports AFR’s Anthony Macdonald, Sarah Thompson, and Kanika Sood.
Street Talk’s aware of two private equity funds that have been encouraged to kick Sky Network’s tyres this month, with both promised a close look at the books if interested. The firms were approached by bankers on the company’s behalf, sources said.
Sky Network’s understood to have been pitched as a turnaround story – and the sort of profitable old world business that could do with a few years of investment away from the ASX/NZX boards, before finding a new owner.
SBS apologises for misleading audiences over Katherine Deves
SBS has admitted to misleading audiences over Katherine Deves’ tweets, reports 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
The network admitted to a breach of its own code after a viewer complained about the way old tweets were written by the Liberal candidate for Warringah.
The viewer wrote: Shame on you for willfully misrepresenting a woman who is in hiding because of death threats.
SBS has since acknowledged the error.
Agencies
GroupM NZ appoints Manjit Singh as head of product and technology
GroupM New Zealand has appointed Manjit Singh as head of product and technology, as the media network expands its tech capabilities and builds its future technology roadmap to deliver better advertising experiences for clients.
Singh joins from Foresight Digital, where he was head of digital, and replaces Nick Henderson. His appointment is immediate, and he will report to Christophe Spencer, who was recently appointed GroupM chief digital officer.
Singh’s core focus is on accelerating GroupM’s product, technology, and data and identity solutions, including addressable media and commerce.
The newly-appointed head of product and technology will work closely with GroupM agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker and newly formed EssenceMediacom, to combine local and global capabilities to solve clients’ business challenges.
Singh brings more than a decade of experience in digital roles at both holding groups and independent agencies. His expertise spans the media ecosystem, from media strategy, audience segmentation, ad operations, performance optimisation, analytics, data and automation, all with a focus on commercial outcomes and driving ROI for clients.
The head of product and technology has worked on some of the biggest local and global accounts including FMCG, Retail, Finance, Tech and Entertainment brands.
Singh experience, both as a digital expert and across marketing, media, and business, make him well placed to provide sought after consultancy for clients on digital and data strategy development, and the latest industry trends and techniques to create a higher-value exchange.
Podcast
NPR programming boss denies accusations of ‘catastrophic’ staff exodus
A vice president at US public radio broadcaster NPR has hit out at accusations of a “catastrophic” staff exodus at the organisation, as she revealed it had surpassed 100 million podcast downloads a month, reports Press Gazette’s Andrew Kersley.
Speaking at The Podcast Show in London, NPR senior vice president for programming and audience development Anya Grundmann admitted that NPR’s set-up “is not for everyone” but said the organisation was such a good place to work that its current annual staff turnover rate is just 5%.
Earlier this year, the US non-profit broadcaster was hit by a spate of resignations of senior talent including Audie Cornish, the long-term host of flagship news programme All Things Considered, Noel King of Morning Edition and Lulu Garcia-Navarro of Weekend Edition.
Publishing
FT’s How To Spend It magazine rebrands as big spenders go out of style
The Financial Times magazine How To Spend It has long provided inspiration to bankers wanting to blow their bonuses on designer goods – but the publication has been rebranded because spending big is no longer seen as a positive quality, reports The Guardian’s Jim Waterson.
The luxury magazine, packaged with the FT’s Weekend edition, is stuffed with expensive adverts for high-end watches, safaris, and yachts aimed at its jet-set wealthy readership – making it a money-spinner for the newspaper.
Yet the FT says the How To Spend It name no longer reflects the “changing times and priorities” in a world of financial inequality and the invasion of Ukraine. As such the magazine has been rebranded as HTSI, with the FT inviting readers to “to interpret the ‘S’ in line with their own deeper interests”.
Television
Eyeballs on the march as free-to-air TV slumps
For the most telling insight into the inexorable decline of free-to-air television in Australia, look no further than the once-lucrative breakfast show market, reports News Corp’s James Madden and Sophie Elsworth.
According to official OzTAM data stretching back to 2012, and exclusively obtained by The Australian, Seven’s Sunrise and Nine’s Today have both lost massive chunks of their audiences over the past decade – and those eyeballs are never coming back, at least not in the “traditional viewing” sense.
In 2012, Sunrise enjoyed an average weekday viewership of 364,445 across the five major capital cities, while Today drew 334,954.
In 2021, the average weekday metro audience of Sunrise was 260,650, down 28 per cent from a decade earlier. On Today, its average audience in 2021 was 219,032, a 35 per cent drop since 2011.
“A whole cast still to come”: 10 defends The Bachelors casting
10 has defended its casting of three male leads in a revamped Bachelor series after some commentary that criticised a lack of diversity, reports TV Tonight.
Former Bachelor franchise participants including Angie Kent and Abbie Chatfield were amongst those who took to social media to question the ethnic make-up of the three Anglo Bachelors, Felix Von Hofe, Thomas Malucelli, and Jed McIntosh.
Paramount also has a strict “no diversity, no commission” rule across its productions – but there is a wider interpretation of this which extends to cast and crew as a whole.
Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, Paramount Australia and New Zealand, Beverley McGarvey told TV Tonight, “Diversity looks at many things, and even to cast the way that it’s been cast, those guys don’t necessarily all print like your typical Bachelor of years gone by. There’s a whole significant portion of that cast still to come, which will make people probably slightly rethink their position.”
Controversy over new Voice winner
The 2022 winner of The Voice Australia has been announced, taking home $100,000 prize money and a recording contract with Universal Music Australia, reports News Corp’s Nick Bond.
And the winner is… Lachie Gill, from Rita Ora’s team. The 24-year-old Melbourne PE teacher and former footy player said he “never, ever would’ve expected” to win, before he performed his new winner’s single Wasted Time.
The four remaining contestants battling it out in Sunday’s finale were Thando Sikwila from Team Keith, Team Guy’s Jordan Tavita, Team Rita’s Lachie Gill, and Faith Sosene from Team Jess. There wasn’t a weak link among them, with the coaches heaping praise on every performance.
But Lachie’s win wasn’t without some social media controversy, with some viewers complaining he was picked as the winner among a diverse top four.