Business of Media
What Bruce Lehrmann could do next
Where to now for Bruce Lehrmann after the defamation case that turned into a de facto trial for rape? And for the legal system as it navigates relatively new standards around consent, asks Nine Publishing’s Michael Pelly?
Women’s groups hope the way Justice Michael Lee tackled the issue will guide judges across Australia – provided his judgment is not overturned on appeal. Lehrmann has 28 days to file a notice of appeal, but he needs to find the lawyers and the money first.
The case returns to court on Monday for submissions on costs. It is expected Lehrmann will be ordered to pay the costs of the Ten Network and journalist Lisa Wilkinson, which have been estimated at $6 million-$8 million.
Politicans ramp up battle to snare SBS headquarters
Western Sydney councils have made their final pitches in a bid to woo SBS decision-makers to select their region as the best spot for the possible relocation of the multicultural broadcasters’s headquarters, with a feasibility study on the mooted shift now months overdue, report The Australian’s James Madden and Cameron England.
The Albanese government committed to conducting a feasibility study, costed at $1m, into the possible relocation of SBS’s Sydney-based headquarters and studios to Western Sydney before the last federal election.
TV networks have lost 83pc of young viewers to TikTok, YouTube
Free-to-air broadcasters are preparing for a furious lobbying effort to change proposed laws that put at risk one of their crucial sources of revenue, live sport, as new figures show young viewers have all but switched off their networks, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
In 2011, teenagers spent on average 75 minutes every day watching commercial television. Nowadays, broadcasters say, that figure is 13 minutes – an 83 per cent decline. For children between 5 and 12, viewership has fallen to 15 minutes, from 59 minutes.
The figures are included in a submission from Free TV to the government as part of its argument against restricting junk-food advertising.
Elon Musk’s response to Sydney stabbing footage prompts fury, with vows to crack down on social media giants
The Coalition says it is prepared to back the government’s proposed misinformation laws in light of the social media response to the violent scenes at two stabbing attacks in Sydney last week, reports the ABC’s Jake Evans.
Billionaire Elon Musk has provoked fury from Labor and Liberal politicians after fighting an order to remove graphic footage of the stabbing attacks from social media platform X.
Overnight, Musk said the e-safety commissioner’s takedown order on the footage was a demand for “global content bans” by Australia’s “censorship commissar”.
News Brands
Seven CEO James Warburton exits with $6.6m in shares
James Warburton left the company’s Eveleigh headquarters on Thursday for the last time, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
Outgoing CEOs will usually have non-disparagement clauses written into their contracts, but in Warburton’s case, it really wouldn’t have been necessary. So confident in 2019 was Warburton in his ability, and in Seven’s future success, that he took roughly half the cash salary of his predecessor, Tim Worner, and the rest in equity.
As a result, he is leaving the company as one of its biggest shareholders.
Seven news boss Craig McPherson addresses staff for the first time following Taylor Auerbach-Bruce Lehrmann-Spotlight saga
There’s no denying the Seven Network has had a horror few weeks after claims were aired in court that the station reimbursed costs for sex workers and cocaine (which the channel vehemently denied) and then came the bungling of the biggest news story of the year – the naming of the wrong man as the Bondi Junction killer, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Staff at the station’s investigative program, 7News Spotlight, became embroiled in the Bruce Lehrmann and Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson defamation proceedings after the show’s former producer Taylor Auerbach unleashed in court against his former employer leaving some staff very concerned about the program’s future and if it would forge ahead.
But spies told Diary they can now rest a little easier after the station’s director of news and public affairs, Craig McPherson, gave staff a much-needed pep talk last week to assure them the only way is up for the program after a rough few weeks.
ABC’s spending on advertising, marketing and promotions has soared, new data shows
The ABC’s spending on advertising has soared in 2024 and has included spending more than $3.8m in the March quarter to advertise the broadcaster despite being hit with declining audiences, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
New figures obtained under freedom of information showed in the first quarter of 2024 the ABC spent a total of $6m on advertising, promotions and audience research compared to $3.6m in the same quarter in 2023 – or a 69 per cent increase.
For the 12 months to the end of March, the ABC has also spent $20.1m on these three categories.
Television
Emmysborough: Australia’s Neighbours cracks daytime TV’s big time
Australia’s long-running soap Neighbours has been nominated in the best daytime drama category at the 51st Daytime Emmy awards, a coup which catapults it to the giddy heights of fellow nominees The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless, reports Nine Publishing’s Michael Idato.
The nomination means that Paul, Jane, Susan, Toadie, Terese and Leo can finally stand shoulder pad to shoulder pad with the likes of Brooke, Ridge, Taylor, Roman and Marlena, and Victor, Nikki and Jill, characters whose fictitious lives are the staples of one of America’s weirdest (and oldest) drama genres.
‘Surprise’: Move that left Bluey fans worldwide in shock
Fans of the beloved Aussie cartoon Bluey have gone wild after the creators dropped a secret episode amid fears the series could be coming to an end, reports News Corp’s Courtney Gould.
The new episode, aptly titled The Surprise, was stealthily aired by the ABC on Sunday morning without notice.
In order to keep the secret, the national broadcaster went as far as to hide the episode from television listings, telling viewers they could expect a rerun.
See Also: When brand partnerships go bad: A love letter to Bluey