Business of Media
Fox CEO says company still needs scripted and unscripted entertainment amid “tough” streaming shift
Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch says that his company remains committed to entertainment even as it has pivoted its focus to news and sports, telling a Morgan Stanley conference that scripted dramas and reality shows are “important to bind the ecosystem” it has created, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin.
At the same time, Murdoch argued that Fox News, with its ratings dominance (he said that Fox News “competes more with broadcast” than with cable, at least with regard to ratings) and Fox Sports are helping the company improve its bottom line.
Specifically, Murdoch said that Fox has shifted its revenue mix to be distribution-heavy, relying on cable carriage fees and broadcast retransmission fees to provide growth. “Advertising to distribution was about 50/50,” Murdoch said. “That shifted with the strength of our distribution and in pricing, to about 45-55 advertising to distribution.”
News Brands
Inside the Financial Review’s 70th anniversary gala
Few rooms have ever held so many influential Australians as were ushered into the Hyatt Regency in Darling Harbour in Sydney to celebrate The Australian Financial Review’s Platinum 70 Year anniversary dinner, reports AFR’s Myriam Robin.
Captains of industry mixed with masters of the capital markets who bumped shoulders with prime ministers, treasurers and regulators, each as instantly recognisable as the next. Particularly if you read the newspaper.
There were, in fact, 300 guests in their best black tie assembled to mark the occasion.
Agencies
Alice Coulthard appointed as We Are Social general manager
Alice Coulthard has been appointed as general manager of We Are Social, as the creative agency continues to expand following recent key appointments last year.
Coulthard joins the social creative agency after just over three years at Ogilvy PR Australia, starting in the associate director role in 2018 before moving up to director in 2020.
She brings 15 years of experience and was also previously in senior account leadership roles at Seen Connects in London and Pulse in Sydney. In the past, she has worked with brands such as Ford, Telstra, Expedia, Kimberly-Clark, Getty Image, eBay, Microsoft and Coca-Cola.
Alice Coulthard
In the role, Coulthard will be responsible for overseeing the operations of the business and assist with driving the continued growth in creative momentum.
She will work across all agency departments and support all We Are Social clients, including Samsung, Foxtel, Audi, Kathmandu and Zip.
Coulthard said of her appointment: “We Are Social has a market-leading approach to socially-led creative and as the social and cultural landscape continues to evolve, I am excited to work with the team to develop ideas worth talking about for our clients and build an environment that nurtures and propels great talent to lead those conversations.
“I will work closely with the leadership team to support the growth of our in-house production offering, We Are Social Studios, managing the operations and supporting our talent in another year of growth.”
We Are Social CEO Suzie Shaw commented: “The very best thing about growth is being able to bring great new people into the business, like Alice. When we went looking for someone who could help us operationalise our recent growth, she came highly recommended and it’s fair to say she’s hit the ground running.
“Anyone who’s worked with Alice before will attest to her rigour, team leadership skills, and understanding of agency culture. We’re delighted she chose to take the next step in her career with us,” she added.
Last year, We Are Social announced the key appointments of Caitlin Hislop as head of strategy and Sarah Macrae as editorial director.
Radio
ABC breakfast radio takes hit in absence of Harmer, Buck
ABC Sydney’s new breakfast show with James Valentine took a ratings hit in the first radio survey of the year, in a sign Sydney listeners are still grappling with the departure of longstanding breakfast hosts Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck, reports SMH’s Zoe Samios.
The national broadcaster declared the survey a ratings’ success, despite a 1.6 percentage point fall in the number of people listening to the breakfast show, which runs from 6am to 9am. Valentine, who took the helm of breakfast in January after eights years of Buck and Harmer, reported an 11.6 per cent Sydney audience share in the 5:30am to 9am time slot, according to new data from measurement provider GfK.
Despite the fall, Valentine held the ABC’s place as the second most listened to breakfast show in Sydney, after Ben Fordham Live on 2GB (19 per cent, up 0.5 percentage points).
Ray Hadley takes radio ratings hit after adopting hard line on Covid
Ray Hadley has taken a huge hit in the first radio ratings survey of 2022, reports News Corp’s Jonathon Moran.
The 2GB mornings host has notched up his 139th consecutive survey win, despite a significant 3.5 percentage point drop in audience share to a lead of 14.9 per cent in the timeslot.
The result comes after Hadley’s show has been dominated by discussions around Covid-19 and the health orders, when other programs on the station have moved on to other news. Hadley too has been strongly critical of Premier Dominic Perrottet, repeatedly criticising him for not going hard enough when it comes to the pandemic.
The veteran broadcaster usually dedicates at least a few minutes of his show to discussing the ratings and his success but on Thursday kept it to just a few sentences after the ratings were released.
Kyle Sandilands reveals unborn baby’s name live on air
He’s not due to be born for months, but Kyle Sandilands has already revealed the name of his son, reports News Corp’s Bronte Coy.
The shock jock, who’s fiancee Tegan Kynaston is due to give birth in August, announced during the Kyle and Jackie O Show that he is planning on naming the baby Otto.
The surprise reveal came about after co-host Jackie “O” Henderson said she was hoping her 11-year-old daughter Catalina, nicknamed Kitty, would follow in her footsteps and work in radio.
“I was thinking, because Kyle’s having a boy, in 20 years’ time, like, it’s the ‘Kitty and whatever-you’re-going-to-call-your-kid Show’,” she said.
But Sandilands was happy to fill in the blank.
“Otto. That’s what we’re going to call him,” he told her, before adding that the decision hadn’t “gone down too well” with members of their families.
Television
Number 96 celebrates 50th anniversary
Sunday March 13 marks 50 years since Number 96 was first broadcast on Australian television, reports TV Tonight.
The soap set in a fictional apartment block ran for 5 years on Network 10, breaking taboos, causing outrage, massive TV ratings and creating world firsts in the process.
No other show on television dared to tackle the subjects of its racy scripts in 1972: the world’s first sympathetic gay character, an interracial romance, transgender, rape, illegal abortion, satanic black mass, nudity, a knickers snipper, pantyhose murderer, -and viewers couldn’t get enough of it.
Creator David Sale, who had previously executive produced The Mavis Bramston Show, recalls producers Don Cash & Bill Harmon taking him to lunch to ask him to write a treatment for 10. Sale, who was about to jet off to London for his book publication, was barely interested.
Khloe Kardashian defends nine-figure pay cheque for new Hulu reality show
Khloe Kardashian fiercely defended her family raking in a reported nine-figure pay cheque for their upcoming Hulu reality show, reports Caroline Blair in the NY Post.
“We give so much of our personal lives up for entertainment,” the Good American co-founder, 37, said in a Variety cover story published on Wednesday.
“We always have our private family conversations, and we’re pretty brutal, me and my sisters, with what we will settle for or not settle for.”
Kardashian, whose clan moved to the streaming service after 20 seasons of Keeping Up With the Kardashians on E!, added, “Not all money is good money. It has to be a good fit, and Hulu was just the perfect fit for us.”
Sports Media
Broadcaster Erin Molan says relentless online abuse led her to quit NRL
Broadcaster and journalist Erin Molan has revealed the relentless online bullying and harassment she suffered while working in the media reporting on the rugby league was a key reason she eventually stepped away from the sport, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
The 39-year-old gave evidence on Thursday at a public hearing in Canberra into the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill and said the “vile” attacks she received during her time on the show including threats to rape her two-year-old daughter caused her immense pain.
“I haven’t said this publicly before but the trolling element and some of the attacks that I have been subjected to for a long time are probably one of the big contributors in me walking away from rugby league, because to be honest I could either choose to be subjected that or to be a present mother to my daughter,” she said.
‘Like PTSD’: NRL coach reveals online bullying toll
Former Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold has revealed he sought professional help after being subjected to relentless online bullying, likening the aftermath to post-traumatic stress disorder, reports News Corp’s Courtney Gould.
The rugby league coach appeared before a Senate inquiry into the government’s “anti-trolling” legislation when he made the bombshell revelation.
“The best way to describe it for some family members, and myself, it’s almost like PTSD, like that’s the significance of the impact that had on us,” Seibold said via videolink from England.