Business of Media
Majority of Australians believe journalists should stick to news rather than opinion on social media
The majority of Australians believe journalists should not express their personal opinions on social media and only 15% of respondents say they follow specific journalists, according to the latest report on digital news, reports Guardian Australia’s Amanda Meade.
The Digital News Report Australia, which is part of an international survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, also found that news brands are far more important to consumers than individual journalists, with 43% saying they pay more attention to the media outlet.
More than half (52%) said they should stick to reporting the news; one-third said reporters should be able to express their personal opinions on social media and 14% didn’t know.
Of the people who pay attention to individuals, the most recalled reporter is the chief political correspondent for 7.30, Laura Tingle, who was named by 10% of all respondents. Also on the list is Seven’s David Koch, Sky News’s Peta Credlin, Andrew Bolt, and Paul Murray, the ABC’s Leigh Sales and Guardian Australia’s Katharine Murphy.
Disney+ could hit $1.8B in ad revenue by 2025, Netflix may reach $1.2B, analyst estimates
With streaming giants Netflix and Walt Disney planning to roll out advertising tiers with lower subscriber prices, MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson has shared his estimates for how much ad revenue the companies may bring in over the coming years, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Georg Szalai.
Disney+ could generate $1.8 billion in U.S. ad revenue by 2025, with Netflix reaching $1.2 billion, he estimated in a Tuesday report entitled “Mad Men to the Rescue?,” which highlighting that “very little is known about the pricing and available commercial impressions of these new ad tiers.”
Nathanson summarized his view this way: “Netflix has the potential for much larger global ad growth, yet the domestic advertising opportunity for Disney+ appears greater due to a much lower starting revenue per user (RPU) versus Netflix, a more developed advertising infrastructure, pent up demand, affinity for Disney content and greater monetizable content availability as Disney owns the majority of their content.”
How Bluey went from a kids’ TV show to a global merchandising machine
Australia has long punched above its weight in children’s entertainment – think Skippy, Hi-5, The Wiggles – but in terms of global reach and range, nothing comes close to Bluey, the animated series created by Joe Brumm and made by Brisbane-based Ludo, reports SMH’s Karl Quinn.
Since its launch in late 2018, the adventures of a family of blue heelers have been spun off into books, albums, clothing, toys – even a live stage show. The show is now seen in more than 60 countries, including China, there are 110 merchandising licensees internationally, and more than 1000 Bluey-themed products are in the marketplace. Put simply, Bluey is an off-the-leash runaway smash – and, its rights holders hope, one with a very long tail indeed.
“When we think of things that are Australian that have gone around the world, there’s no comparison,” says Fiona Lang, general manager of BBC Worldwide for Australia and New Zealand. “It’s different from anything we’ve experienced before.”
Agencies
GroupM predicts ad spend growth in 2022 mid-year forecast
GroupM has released the This Year, Next Year Global 2022 Mid-Year Ad Forecast overnight. The forecast shows significant growth in advertising revenue despite fears of an impending recession and ongoing geopolitical situations around the world.
Seb Rennie, GroupM Australia chief investment officer says: “As consumer habits have gradually returned to normality, so have media consumption behaviours. We came into the year with confidence and we still have a lot of confidence in the market for the year ahead and into 2023. In Australia, we are impacted by the ongoing global factors including the war in Ukraine and global supply issues, but we are also impacted by a change in local government, inflation, local energy dynamics and by our geographical proximity to some of the supply issues coming out of the APAC region.”
The forecast found that e-commerce is finding its place in a world where in-person activities are resuming, all while pandemic-related lockdowns in China and supply chain bottlenecks from there and war-torn Ukraine contributed to a drag on growth in the first half of 2022.
Television
ABC TV presenter Lisa Millar says she ‘regrets’ her Nick Kyrgios racism comments
Lisa Millar, co-host of ABC TV’s News Breakfast, has apologised for making “clumsy” comments during a discussion about racism, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
Millar was speaking with sport presenter Tony Armstrong about tennis ace Nick Kyrgios and his claims of racial abuse from the crowd during a tournament in Stuttgart.
Millar said: “There’s no room for racism but I do wonder whether it’s good for him. There’ll be other people who’ll say you’ve just got to ignore that, you’ve got to block that out if his main aim is to go there and win.”
On Tuesday morning Millar offered a full apology, saying she regretted the comments.
Logie Awards 2022: “It’s going to be big!”
For six years Melinda Zahra has been a senior producer on the TV Week Logie Awards, reports TV Tonight.
This Sunday she takes the reins as Executive Producer for the very first time.
Currently Executive Producer for both Carols by Candelight and Postcards, she tells TV Tonight what’s in store for Television’s Night of Nights.
Sports Media
Socceroos qualifying for the World Cup is a big win for SBS
Australian multicultural public broadcaster SBS will be thinking $20 million invested in securing the rights to the FIFA World Cup 2022 was money well spent after the Socceroos beat Peru to qualify for the finals in Qatar in November, reports AFR’s Miranda Ward.
Early on Tuesday morning, the Socceroos secured the second last spot for the tournament, defeating Peru in a penalty shoot-out 5-4 thanks to a save from substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne.
The match was broadcast on Network 10 from 3:30am, with the Paramount-owned company securing the rights to the qualifiers of the World Cup while SBS clinched a deal back in 2011 for the World Cup tournament itself.
Indian Premier League signs five-year television deals worth £5bn
The Indian Premier League has vaulted into the broadcasting stratosphere with the announcement of new five-year deals for the UK market that will bring in excess of £5bn, or nearly £14m a match, reports The Guardian’s Simon Burnton.
With the IPL season consisting of 74 games, the new deal makes it the second most lucrative competition in the world on a per-match basis. The NFL continues to dominate that chart, having last year sealed a $113bn, 11-year domestic rights agreement involving five television networks and Amazon.
The value of each IPL game has nearly doubled under the new arrangement. The competition’s last five-year deal, agreed in 2017, brought in around 163.5bn rupees (about £1.74bn at today’s rates) with Disney’s Star network winning the battles for television and digital coverage. This time Star has paid 235.75bn rupees and ended up with only the television deal.
Apple strikes 10-year deal for Major League soccer rights
In its most expansive move into live sports yet, tech giant Apple will become the exclusive home for Major League Soccer matches globally beginning in 2023, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin.
Apple will launch a new MLS streaming service that will include every game, with “a broad selection” of matches and Leagues Cup available as part of the Apple TV+ subscription. Some games will also stream for free.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though a source familiar with the talks pegged the deal at $250 million per year. Broadcast and production details, as well as pricing on the standalone app, is still to be revealed.