Business of Media
Nine’s bankers asked private equity if they were interested in Domain
Nine Entertainment’s bankers canvassed major private equity firms to gauge their interest in the company’s controlling stake in Domain, the ASX-listed property sales platform which is valued at more than $2 billion, report Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones and Emma Rapaport.
Nine owns 60 per cent of Domain, which listed in 2017. Nine’s position in the major residential and commercial property listing platform makes up around 38 per cent of the media group’s $3.2 billion valuation.
Nothing sheepish about new lamb ad that sizzles on TikTok
Meat and Livestock Australia’s annual lamb campaign is shaping up to be one of its most popular since it went viral on TikTok earlier this month, breaking digital viewership records on social media channels, reports The Australian’s Kate Racovolis.
It is also likely to benefit from additional awareness this year, following a partnership with Domino’s, with an ad that aired on Wednesday featuring the face of Australian lamb, Sam Kekovich, to promote its new lamb pizza range.
Disney takes $110m more from Australia, hikes streaming price by 28pc
Disney paid its offshore related parties almost $430 million in royalties last year as the global entertainment giant licensed more of its shows to local networks and streaming platforms to boost global cash flow, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
New filings with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission show The Walt Disney Company’s local subsidiaries paid $426.1 million in royalties, up from $300 million one year earlier.
Inversely, it made more in revenue from selling shows within the wider Disney network – up from $39.1 million to $49.6 million, meaning it was paid for locally made content such as The Clearing and The Artful Dodger.
Margot Robbie to receive AACTA ‘Trailblazer Award’ at star-studded ceremony on home turf
Queensland golden girl Margot Robbie will return to the Gold Coast to pick up one of Australia’s most coveted acting awards next month after controversially missing out on an Oscar nomination, reports News Corp’s Georgia Clelland.
Robbie will make a star appearance at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA), being held in Queensland for the first time on February 10.
Television
OzTam begins its new VOZ measurement system in an overhaul of viewing data
The television industry will launch its new ratings system on Monday, in what will be a significant overhaul of the way viewing audiences are calculated and distributed to media and advertisers, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
TV ratings firm OzTAM will provide a revamped data set to reflect the way Australians view television content, whether it be on linear TV or broadcast viewing on demand (BVOD), and it could inflate numbers given consumers only have to watch as little as 15 seconds of a program for it to register.
See Also: New year, new ratings data from OzTAM: Big changes in TV audience measurement
Netflix is the king of streaming. Is it a benevolent dictator?
In Netflix’s global smash hit Squid Game, the penultimate challenge sees the last few surviving competitors make their way across a glass bridge. One wrong move, and the player falls to their demise, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin.
But as the players progressed, they hit upon a revelation: Yes, there will only be one winner of the final game, but if they work together, they can cross the chasm and survive for one more day.
Netflix, led by co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, has won the streaming wars (Morgan Stanley proclaimed it “The Undisputed” in a Jan. 23 research note, and the next day Bernstein declared the company “clearly the winner in streaming”), and the company and Wall Street see plenty more room to grow.
The real reason Marcia Hines won’t be brutal on new season of Australian Idol
For seven seasons in the 2000s, Marcia Hines offered a mix of encouragement and constructive criticism to future stars such as Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy as a judge on Australian Idol, reports News Corp’s Siobhan Duck.
Now, the 70-year-old music legend returns to the series to pass judgement on a new crop of talent in 2024. But will she switch up her caring and pleasant persona for a more controversial critique? Not a chance. As Hines tells The Binge Guide, “It’s so easy to be kind.”
Why Kyle Sandilands believes he has earned his place on Australian Idol
Kyle Sandilands was out of his comfort zone the first season he filmed Australian Idol in 2005, questioning whether he belonged on the panel at all. Tomorrow he’s back on our screens in his ninth season of the hit music show and, like fellow judges Marcia Hines and Amy Shark, he’s earned his place, reports News Corp’s Lisa Mayoh.
“I remember the first year I ever did it, I thought: ‘F–k, what am I doing? Like, what am I supposed to say?’,” he recalls. “Marcia didn’t like me. Mark (Holden) was weird and he and I would get stoned on the sly — everything was just a bit odd.
“I was out of my comfort zone — and I was sitting there for 16 hours a day where I’d normally do three or four radio hours — and I’d say something and Marcia would go: ‘I disagree completely’ and I’d think: ‘do I not know what I’m talking about? I just say what I think.’”
Grant Denyer reveals he almost died during horror TV collapse: ‘Convulsing’
“She thought that I was slipping away, permanently.” Grant Denyer’s dramatic collapse during filming of an episode of last year’s Amazing Race generated plenty of headlines – but months later, he’s now admitted the reality of what unfolded was even more terrifying, reports News Corp’s Bronte Coy.
The alarming medical emergency unfolded during the Celebrity Edition of the series, which aired in October, and saw Denyer appear dehydrated and disorientated after competing in a dance challenge with his wife, Chezzi, in the humid heat.
Sports Media
Sports streaming in Australia booms as fan sign up to services including Kayo, Stan and Optus
Live sport is the most popular viewing category for streamers with Australians having the biggest appetite in the world for watching sport, new data shows, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Research from data and insights firm Kantar reveals that 25 per cent of Australians put sports streaming as their preferred viewing category last year, ahead of genres including comedy, drama, reality programs, thrillers and animation.
This is also ahead of other countries where sport is a consumer’s No.1 genre choice, including the US (22 per cent), France (21 per cent), UK (19 per cent), Germany (18 per cent) and Spain (15 per cent).
Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE after sex-trafficking claims
Wrestling icon Vince McMahon has resigned from WWE’s parent company the day after a former employee filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct, including offering her to a star wrestler for sex, reports AP.
McMahon stepped down from the board of directors at WWE’s parent company, TKO Group, according to a statement. He continued to deny wrongdoing following the lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, who worked in the company’s legal and talent departments.
The suit includes allegations that McMahon, now 78, forced Grant to perform sexual acts in exchange for employment and that she was trafficked to other men at the company. McMahon also allegedly passed around pornographic pictures and videos of her to other men, including other WWE employees.