Business of Media
New York Times adds 230k subscriptions, but profits hit by The Athletic
Profits at The New York Times Company have dropped year-on-year due to losses from sports site The Athletic which it bought for $550m in January, reports Press Gazette’s Bron Maher.
In its Wednesday earnings release for Q2 2022 the NYT Co. reported revenue up 11.5% year on year to $555.7m but operating profit down $7.2m to $51.7m due to losses at The Athletic.
Subscription revenues increased 13.1% year-on-year to $383.6m, “primarily due to growth in the number of subscribers to the Company’s digital-only products and the benefit from subscriptions graduating to higher prices from introductory promotional pricing, as well as the inclusion of subscription revenue from The Athletic,” the company said.
Subscription revenue from digital-only products increased 25.5% to $238.7m year-on-year; print subscription revenue, in contrast, dropped 2.8% to $144.9m.
Beauty and the Geek star Jordan Finlayson sentenced for credit card theft
A troubled former reality TV star and ex-NRL cheerleader with a “serious” drug problem has admitted to stealing three credit cards from attendees at a buck’s party where she was waitressing, reports News Corp’s Lauren Ferri.
Jordan Ray Finlayson, 31, faced Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday via audiovisual link, where she was dressed in her prison greens with her long, blonde hair pulled into a half-up ponytail.
The former Beauty and the Geek contestant was charged with possession of identity information with the intention of committing fraud after she was caught with NSW drivers licences and debit cards of three men between January 29 and February 2 at Botany.
According to police, Finlayson had photos of the cards on her phone, which they claim she gave to someone else to use to defraud the three victims.
A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello charged with assault
A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello has been charged with assaulting a woman during a neighbourhood dispute in Melbourne, reports News Corp’s Carly Douglas.
The 35-year-old Nine Network journalist is facing two counts of unlawful assault following an incident earlier this year.
Costello had allegedly been involved in an altercation with a 23-year-old man and 22-year-old woman in a Richmond laneway on February 11.
While the victims had decided to revoke their original statement, Victoria Police are pursuing the charges.
Agencies
Publicis Groupe creates new regional role and promotes new ECD
Creative leader Jason Williams is stepping into a newly created regional role as head of creative excellence at Publicis Groupe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APAC & MEA).
He will report to Natalie Lam, chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe, APAC & MEA.
The shift recognises Williams’ contribution to Leo Burnett Australia over the past 15 years, where he is currently chief creative officer. The agency recently won the Innovation Lions Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2022 along with Silver and Bronze Lions for One House to Save Many, a transformative platform for Suncorp.
Williams is also behind projects such as Bonds Out Now, Reword, #MyFamilyCan, BYO Cup Day.
Podcasts
The masked vigilante behind the year’s wildest podcast
David Weinberg was nervous. When you have $US4000 in an envelope and you’re meant to hand it over to a guy who is a mixed martial arts fighter and a real-life costumed superhero who may or may not be a drug addict, you do tend to get the jitters, reports Nine Publishing’s Barry Divola.
Weinberg, a journalist based in Los Angeles, had been commissioned to make The Superhero Complex, a podcast about Phoenix Jones, a man who spent his evenings dressed in a black-and-gold hood and protective bodysuit, patrolling the streets of Seattle, breaking up drunken fights, helping people in distress and stopping crime. In real-life he was Ben Fodor, who had a background working with autistic children.
But he was proving elusive. He kept ghosting Weinberg, standing him up and coming up with excuses. Meanwhile, Weinberg was interviewing people who knew him, including fellow team members in the group Jones had led, The Rain City Superhero Movement. They had names such as El Caballero, Midnight Jack and Purple Reign, and were more than willing to dish the dirt, telling Weinberg that Jones was an egotist, a bully, a fame-seeker and a drug addict.
Then Jones finally showed up at Weinberg’s hotel.
Television
Hunted Australia to return for season 2 in 2023
Runaway ratings success story Hunted will return for a second season next year on 10, reports News Corp’s Lisa Woolford.
Some 941,000 viewers tuned in live to watch Fugitives Rob Harneiss and Stathi Vamvoulidis outwit the crack team of Hunters and reach the helicopter at Inverloch Coastal Reserve in the tense conclusion to the reality show on Tuesday night.
Hunted debuted as Australia’s No.1 new show of 2022, premiering with a total national audience of 1.25 million. It continued to break records including averaging 1.09 million total national viewers. It also dominated social media with #HuntedAU trending in the top 3 every night it was on air.
The call has also gone out for viewers who think they have what it takes to evade capture, and be part of Hunted season 2.
Those interested can head to 10play.com.au/casting for more details.
Hunted TV producers face questions after filming on the Metro network without permission
A reality television show filmed in Melbourne has been slammed after it failed to get permits to shoot in key city locations, reports News Corp’s Mitch Clarke.
The Andrews government and Metro Trains have slapped please-explains on production company Endemol Shine – which is behind the Network 10 hit show Hunted, after it filmed various scenes on the Metro network without permission.
In the first episode, which aired on July 17, contestants were dropped at Federation Square before dispersing on their journey to outsmart experts and avoid capture.
Two contestants – followed by a “covert camera operator” – were filmed purchasing Myki’s inside Flinders Street Station within the program’s first 15 minutes.
Other groups were recorded moving around the station platform and on-board train carriages.
Metro’s website clearly states that people must obtain “express permission” before accessing premises for filming and photography.
I’m a Celebrity (UK) heading back to Australia
The British original version of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! has confirmed it is returning to Australia for its upcoming season, reports TV Tonight.
For the past two years the show has been confined to Gwrych Castle in Wales, due to the pandemic.
ITV said: “Returning to its home in Australia after a two-year break, our celebrities will leave their plush pads and luxuries far behind as they spend up to three weeks taking on the Australian jungle with a whole host of surprises created for them.”
Ant and Dec will be returning to host the show. The cast is yet to be announced.