Business of Media
Seven sues Olympics broadcast ex-partner
The Seven Network and a former broadcasting services partner are locked in battle, with the former seeking an urgent Supreme Court order to access Olympic broadcast software developed for it, reports News Corp’s Liam Mendes.
The network is suing Gravity Media, an Australian-based “global leader in broadcast solutions”, with Seven sources claiming the production company was paid more than $14m to assist in the production of Seven’s top-rating Summer and Winter Olympic coverage in 2021 and earlier this year.
It is understood Gravity Media, formally known as Gearhouse Broadcast, provided services to produce Seven’s Olympic coverage, with the network claiming the intellectual property is owned by them.
Sources say Gravity Media’s refusal to provide the requested system is in retaliation for Seven awarding the Commonwealth Games contract to competitor NEP, which produces AFL and cricket for Seven and Fox Sports.
Channel 4 privatisation plan could be dropped by next prime minister
Channel 4’s privatisation could be dropped by the next prime minister, with plans to sell the channel unlikely to be published before September, reports The Guardian’s Jim Waterson.
Boris Johnson had already signed off on proposals to sell the publicly owned broadcaster, and the culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, had been preparing to push the law authorising the change through parliament in the autumn.
Detailed proposals to sell the broadcaster were due to be published next week as part of a wider piece of legislation on the media topics, ensuring scrutiny could begin before parliament goes off on summer recess.
However, government sources said delays in drafting the media bill – along with uncertainty over what the current caretaker government can do – meant this deadline is likely to be missed.
Twitter shares plunge after Elon Musk backs away from $44B deal
Shares in Twitter have tumbled after Elon Musk abandoned his $44 billion deal for the social media giant, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Etan Vlessing.
On Monday, Twitter’s stock price was down $4.16, or 11.3 percent, to $32.65 after news that Musk had terminated the takeover deal on grounds the target company was in “breach” of the merger agreement.
On Friday, in a letter to Twitter, Musk reiterated the social media giant did not provide enough information about its bot and spam accounts on the platform, and did not give Musk and his team enough data to conduct their own analysis.
Netflix interviewing multiple external candidates for new senior role overseeing ad-supported tier
Netflix is searching for an executive to lead the creation of an ad-supported tier of its service, according to people familiar with the matter, and has interviewed candidates outside the company, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Jessica Toonkel.
Among the candidates is Pooja Midha, chief growth officer of Comcast Corp’s advertising unit, who has interviewed with Netflix extensively in recent weeks, the people said.
The company has also considered several other candidates, including Peter Naylor, Snap Inc’s vice president of sales for the Americas and a former Hulu executive, they said.
The executive the streaming company taps for the role will face an urgent task as Netflix tries to bring ads to its service for the first time. The company in April said it was exploring offering a lower-priced ad-supported version as it posted its first quarterly subscriber loss in more than a decade.
See More: Why an ad-supported Netflix tier would be “Nirvana for advertisers”
Agencies
Icon Agency appoints Hamish Fitzsimmons as director of strategic advisory and public affairs
Icon Agency has announced the appointment of corporate affairs practitioner, Hamish Fitzsimmons, as director of strategic advisory and public affairs.
Fitzsimmons’ appointment to the role at the creative communications agency strengthens its government and stakeholder relations practice.
The new director of strategic advisory and public affairs brings plenty of experience with him to the role. He was recently head of corporate affairs with the Australian Energy Council.
Fitzsimmons was also senior manager of government affairs at NAB, he held a number of senior roles in government and stakeholder relations for BUPA. He was also previously head of corporate affairs with the Australian Energy Council.
Television
First pictures of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan reunion on Neighbours revealed
Neighbours fever arguably peaked in November 1988, when the wedding of Scott and Charlene was broadcast to around 20 million people in the UK, almost 18 months after it was broadcast in Australia, reports Nine Publishing’s Karl Quinn.
Now, with the end in sight for Australia’s longest-running soapie, Ramsay Street’s most beloved couple is once again whipping fans into a frenzy of excitement.
Details of the 90-minute finale, which will air on 10 on July 28, are being closely guarded, but one “secret” was too good to keep: Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue will return to the street, 34 years after they said goodbye.
On Monday, the pair released images from their recent return to the Nunawading studio where the show has been filmed since 1986 (following its move to 10 after a year on Seven).
Mad As Hell star scared he ‘won’t be an actor anymore’ as hit ABC show comes to an end
Shaun Micallef has announced he’ll no longer be hosting ABC’s long-running Mad As Hell, leaving the show’s future in limbo, reports News Corp’s Lexie Cartwright.
The 59-year-old Australian comedian took to Twitter to deny rumours the show had been axed, but said it was “true” he won’t be returning next year.
The news has rattled one of the show’s core cast members, Australian actor Tosh Greenslade, who posted a flurry of concerning tweets saying he was “anxious” about his future after filming on Micallef’s final season wraps in September.
Rhys Nicholson reveals why he was dropped from ‘I’m A Celeb’
Comedian Rhys Nicholson has opened up about being brutally dropped from I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here two weeks before filming was set to begin, reports News Corp’s Andrew Bucklow.
Nicholson told the story on news.com.au’s I’ve Got News For You podcast, which he appeared on to promote the upcoming season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under which launches on Stan on July 30.
Nicholson said he was meant to appear on I’m A Celeb in 2018 when it was still being filmed in South Africa.
“I got all the needles for it … like, proper rabies needles and stuff, which really hurt by the way,” Nicholson said. “And two weeks before I was meant to go, they bumped me!”
Nicholson said he was most likely “bumped” from the show because of a well-known Aussie tennis player.
Beauty and the Geek’s Emily McCarthy charged with drink driving
A newly announced Beauty and the Geek contestant who was convicted of drink driving at more than three times the legal limit has expressed her remorse in a public statement.
Emily McCarthy, 25, was charged with high range drink driving on November 7 last year after she blew a whopping 0.168 in a roadside breath test.
The Cronulla flight attendant who has travelled to 56 countries revealed she had been cast as a beauty in the popular Nine Network reality TV show hosted by Sophie Monk just last Thursday.