Business of Media
BBC says Chinese police assaulted and detained its reporter at Shanghai protest
Chinese police assaulted and detained a BBC journalist covering a protest in Shanghai on Sunday, releasing him after several hours, the broadcaster has said, reports The Guardian.
“The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai,” a spokesperson for the British public service broadcaster said.
“He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist.”
Lawrence later shared the statement from the BBC on social media and said he understood at least one local national was arrested after trying to stop police from beating him.
Speaking in Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said the BBC’s statement did not reflect what had happened, and that he did not identify himself as a reporter or show his press credentials.
“According to our understanding, the BBC’s statement is not true. According to authorities in Shanghai the journalist in question did not reveal his journalist identity at the time, he did not openly show his foreign press card,” Zhao said.
Foreign reporters in China are required to carry a government-issued card identifying themselves as accredited journalists when covering news events.
‘Publishing is not a crime’: media groups urge US to drop Julian Assange charges
The US government must drop its prosecution of the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange because it is undermining press freedom, according to the media organisations that first helped him publish leaked diplomatic cables, reports The Guardian’s Jim Waterson.
Twelve years ago today, the Guardian, the New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and El País collaborated to release excerpts from 250,000 documents obtained by Assange in the “Cablegate” leak. The material, leaked to WikiLeaks by the then American soldier Chelsea Manning, exposed the inner workings of US diplomacy around the world.
The editors and publishers of the media organisations that first published those revelations have come together to publicly oppose plans to charge Assange under a law designed to prosecute first world war spies.
“Publishing is not a crime,” they said, saying the prosecution is a direct attack on media freedom.
Assange has been held in Belmarsh prison in south London since his arrest at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019. He had spent the previous seven years living inside the diplomatic premises to avoid arrest after failing to surrender to a UK court on matters relating to a separate case.
Bob Iger dismisses megadeal talk, says Apple sale Is “pure speculation” and will keep Disney hiring freeze
On Monday morning Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger addressed employees at the company in a town hall for the first time since his sudden return a week earlier. KABC anchor Leslie Sykes moderated the town hall, reports The Holywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin.
Iger said that while the ask “was a surprise,” he also “had some inkling that the call could come that day,” so he prepared for the possibility by asking his wife Willow Bay if he should return to Disney if asked.
“Her reaction was, ‘If you are asked, you have to do it,’” he said, adding that while he was “emotionally distant, purposefully” from the company after he left, he was “never fully detached” given his affection for Disney.
Facing a wide range of questions from employees, some in the room and some remote, some on the record and some anonymous, Iger addressed everything from potential dealmaking, his desire to have employees back in the office, to the company’s relationship with the state of Florida, and whether it should wade into political controversies.
But he also noted that the hiring freeze that his predecessor Bob Chapek put in place will continue, calling it a wise move given the sector’s challenges, and as he figures out how to rationalize Disney’s cost structure. “We need to work quickly, but we also should be smart about it,” he said.
Netflix silent after arrest warrant issued for star Matt Wright
Netflix has refused to comment on whether another season of a popular show will be produced after an arrest warrant was issued for one of its stars, reports News Corp’s Eli Green.
Northern Territory police issued an arrest warrant for Outback Wrangler and Wild Croc Territory star Matt Wright as they continue their investigations into a helicopter crash which killed a presenter on the show earlier this year.
Chris “Willow” Wilson died in a helicopter crash in West Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory while undertaking a crocodile egg collecting mission as a part of the show in February.
Netflix declined to comment when asked by NCA NewsWire if they intend to commit to a second season of Wild Croc Territory after the incident.
‘Knives Out’ sequel delivers in theatres for streaming giant Netflix
Streaming pioneer Netflix Inc. gave movie theatres something to be thankful for this year, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Erich Schwartzel and Sarah Krouse.
The streaming platform’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery made $9.2 million between Friday and Sunday, or an average of $13,200 per screen, a higher per-screen performance than any other movie in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The strong showing for the Knives Out sequel is likely to bolster arguments in Hollywood that streaming services should release more highly anticipated films like Glass Onion in theatres before sending them to their in-home platforms.
Glass Onion is expected to bring in $13.3 million in ticket sales Wednesday to Sunday, the person said, for average revenue per screen of $19,050. The movie proved a bright spot for exhibitors over a weekend that is traditionally strong for ticket sales but this year saw several high-profile duds from major studios such as Walt Disney Co.’s Strange World and the cannibal romance Bones and All, from United Artists Releasing.
Neighbours stars rally around Kate Keltie as she battles breast cancer
Neighbours stars are rallying around former cast member Kate Keltie after news of her shock cancer diagnosis at age 36, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
A GoFundMe page set up by Keltie’s friends reveals the actor who played Michelle Scully from 1999-2004 has been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
Keltie joined Ramsay St when she was just 13 having first made a guest appearance on Blue Heelers at age eight.
She was part of the famous Scully family with siblings played Holly Candy (nee Valance) and Carla Bonner.
Agencies
303 MullenLowe Perth announces the departure of Todd Baker
303 MullenLowe Perth has announced joint managing director Todd Baker will depart the agency after 11 years and will now explore career challenges.
René Migliore, who shared the joint managing director role with Baker, will now oversee all media, creative, strategy and digital teams as managing director of 303 MullenLowe and Mediahub in Perth.
Baker said: “2022 has been an incredible year for the agency; we’ve won several new clients, expanded our remit with others and picked up a raft of awards, including two Effies and recent PADC awards.
“Our media and digital teams are growing, and our creative and strategy teams are producing outstanding and effective work. On the flip side, we’ll also be saying goodbye to one of our longest-standing clients ECU after 20 years.
“While this kind of growth and change is not unusual within an agency environment, it’s important to take the opportunity to look closely at the business and ensure our structure, capability and resources match what’s required to ensure we keep firing into 2023.
“As part of that process, we recognised that the agency has matured with a number of great younger team members ready to take on more – which also meant that two managing directors were no longer required as we move into our next phase. So we made a joint decision to no longer manage the business together.”
Television
Ally Langdon breaks down in tears after quitting Today
Today host Karl Stefanovic addressed the elephant in the room as soon as the show kicked off for the week at 5.30am on Monday morning – his co-host Ally Langdon’s imminent departure, to fill the hosting chair on A Current Affair, reports News Corp’s Nick Bond.
And the ribbing continued throughout the episode — and afterwards on social media — with Stefanovic promising Langdon’s last week on-air on Today would be a colourful affair.
But there was also time to get serious, as Langdon broke down in tears when she spoke about how bittersweet it was her late father-in-law, Mike Willesee, hadn’t lived to see her take on the same role he had for many years.
It was announced on Sunday night that Langdon would be leaving Today to take over the spot vacated by Tracy Grimshaw, who left A Current Affair after 17 years this week.
Time for 10 to return to 7pm Sunday starts
With 10 having finished behind ABC in 2022 it will be time for some soul-searching at 10’s Pyrmont headquarters, reports TV Tonight.
Admittedly, while the network lacks a sports code that attracts big crowds it will continue to have an uphill battle against its rivals.
Still, Aussies do love an underdog and 10 has a great reputation for taking risks and running its own race.
Hunted, the year’s biggest new show is one such example.
So should the show, and other big pillars, start at 7:30pm on Sundays, giving competition a 30 minute head start on the back of their big news crowds?
10 has traditionally favoured audiences knowing their big reality shows are 7:30 starts each night they are on.
But Seven and Nine have proven the audience has evolved, and can adjust perfectly well to a 7pm Sunday start then 7:30 weeknight.
Bluey wins BAFTA Award
Acclaimed ABC Kids series Bluey is going from strength to strength, now winning a BAFTA Award in London, reports TV Tonight.
Hot on the heels of Bluey‘s debut in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York, the Ludo Studios production has won the International category at the BAFTA Children & Young People Awards 2022.