Business of Media
Foxtel to pay back $4 million in unpaid wages
Rupert Murdoch’s cable TV and streaming company Foxtel will refund $4 million to more than 2000 former and current employees after a review found they were underpaid during their time with the company, reports SMH‘s Zoe Samios.
Foxtel, which runs streaming services Kayo Sports and Binge, told staff late on Thursday it had underpaid workers between July 2014 and November 2020. The announcement was made following a review of its remuneration practices and after a report was sent to the Fair Work Ombudsman
About 300 current employees are affected by the underpayments, while about 1900 former employees are also expected to be repaid. The repayments are expected to cost the company about $4 million at a time when it is still paying down debt and weighing up whether to list on the ASX.
Foxtel said most individual payments owed to current employees were below $500, but the group’s chief people officer Sally Connell apologised for the errors. Staff will receive their payments from next week after more than 10,000 employees’ pay was reviewed.
Southern Cross Media fielding calls on regional TV assets
Southern Cross has released a market update to investors with two new pieces of news, reports TV Tonight.
The first was an announcement that revealed the company has “received unsolicited approaches from several parties indicating potential interest in acquiring SCA’s regional television assets”.
The company, headed up by CEO Grant Blackley, stressed these offers were non-binding and incomplete, and did not include “details of timing, price or conditions”.
SCA also revealed a new on-market share buyback program worth up to $40 million.
‘More dead c***s’: MP Andrew Hastie takes stand in Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial
Federal MP Andrew Hastie has told a court Ben Roberts-Smith made a cryptic comment about “dead c***s” on a mission where it’s alleged the elite soldier ordered a junior SAS trooper to execute an unarmed Afghan, reports News Corp’s Perry Duffin.
It comes after Roberts-Smith’s lover was accused of a “deceitful charade” with an unconfirmed pregnancy, secret miscarriage and fake abortion.
Before Hastie joined parliament and became the Assistant Minister for Defence, he was an SAS officer who deployed alongside Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan.
Hastie and Roberts-Smith were among the SAS soldiers sent to capture a target in an area of Afghanistan known as Syahchow in October 2012, the court has heard.
Hastie said he and another soldier saw a dead enemy laying on the ground with a weapon and it was photographed.
Then Hastie said he noticed a junior soldier, known as Person 66, looking nervous and uneasy.
Why colourful Melbourne identity Mick Gatto is back in court
Colourful Melbourne identity Mick Gatto is back in court to argue he was defamed in an article published by the ABC, reports News Corp’s Caroline Schelle.
Gatto appeared in the Court of Appeal on Thursday to argue a judge made a mistake when his defamation case against the broadcaster was thrown out last year. He sued the ABC over an article in 2019 that reported allegations he threatened to kill lawyer turned police informant Nicola Gobbo.
Gatto claimed the article also aired allegations he was implicated in the gangland murders of Victor Peirce and Frank Benvenuto. But the case was thrown out, with the judge saying while Gatto was “unhappy” with the coverage the ABC “carefully recorded”, they were just allegations.
Fund manager HMI Capital sells its stake in oOh!Media
Fund manager HMI Capital has sold its stake in outdoor media specialist, oOh!Media.
The news comes as HMI’s managing partner, Mick Hellman (pictured), has announced that he is stepping down from the board. He joined the board in April 2020 when HMI Capital provided strong support to the company’s $167 million capital raising in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
oOh! Chair Tony Faure said “On behalf of the Board I want to acknowledge and thank Mick for his contribution to the Company over the past two years and wish him every future success.”
AFR Street Talk reported that the sale of the 10% plus stake brought in almost $100 million
Agencies
Milk+Honey co-founder Steve Jackson joins The One Club international board
Steve Jackson, the co-founder of Milk+Honey United in Sydney, will represent Australia as he joins the international board of directors of The One Club for Creativity.
The group is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to support the global creative community.
Board members are drawn from countries with the largest advertising communities, and selected based on three criteria: they must be prominent international creatives, be respected leaders in their given fields, and exert influence in their respective regions.
As a member of the international board, the Milk+Honey co-founder will provide input and feedback on the club’s ongoing global programming, help elevate The One Show and ADC Annual Awards in rankings in Australia, connect the club with advertising and design universities and schools, and recommend outstanding candidates to serve as awards judges.
This is Flow appointed to Carnival Australia account
This is Flow been appointed to the account for cruise operator Carnival Australia across four key brands: Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruises, Cunard Line, and Holland America Line. This is Flow will manage all of the brand’s media planning and buying in Australia and New Zealand.
The account was previously held by Initiative Sydney who took over in 2019.
This is Flow has been tasked with reconnecting audiences and putting cruising back on the travel agenda. Flow has been appointed as the agency on record for each of the brands.
The Carnival Australia brands moving to Flow include Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruises, Holland America Line, and Cunard Cruise Line. Ships under the Cunard Cruise Line brand include the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.
News Brands
Photographer hits back at Lisa Wilkinson in furious open letter after margarita saga
A man identifying himself as the photographer who snapped Lisa Wilkinson dining solo in Melbourne has requested an apology in a withering open letter to the Project host, reports News Corp’s Bella Fowler.
Wilkinson took to Instagram earlier this week to call out a press photographer who left her feeling “totally violated” as he took photos of her eating dinner and enjoying a cocktail on her own over the weekend. The media personality, 62, has also since addressed the saga on The Project after her colleagues made light of the matter.
Her original post came after the Daily Mail published an “exclusive” article that included the pictures and chronicled her every move during the meal in great detail.
In his response, posted on the website Michael Smith News, the photographer in question took umbrage at the “creepy old guy” jab, introducing himself as Steve before pointing out that’s he’s actually younger than Wilkinson.
Television
Byron Bay locals react to Netflix Byron Baes 2022 second season rumours
The first season of Netflix’s reality show Byron Baes was surrounded by controversy and now locals are putting the foot on the gas against a possible renewal of the show, reports News Corp’s Nicholas Rupolo.
Byron Bay locals labelled the first season cringe, insulting – even uncomfortable – because of what they believe was an inaccurate representation of Byron Bay.
While the show hasn’t yet been renewed for a second season, Audrey Lohr, who was born and bred in the area said the show doubled down on a stereotype of the Byron character.