Business of Media
BBC presenter who announced Queen’s death quits over teen photo scandal
One of Britain’s highest profile TV presenters, who delivered the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, has resigned from the BBC in the wake of a scandal over claims that he allegedly paid a teenager for explicit pictures, reports Nine Publishing’s Rob Harris.
Huw Edwards, the broadcaster’s best-paid newsreader, was suspended last year following tabloid newspaper allegations an unnamed senior broadcaster had paid £35,000 to a man, who was 17 when their alleged relationship began, which was allegedly used to fund his crack cocaine habit.
A Sony bid for Paramount would be a win-win
A Japanese giant is lining up to buy an American corporate icon again—and not in the steel business this time. Sony is in talks with private equity firm Apollo to bid for Paramount Global which owns broadcaster CBS and the Hollywood studio behind classics such as The Godfather, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Jacky Wong.
The news sent Paramount shares up 13% Friday.
EU threatens TikTok Lite with ban over reward-to-watch feature
The EU has said it will ban a new service launched by TikTok in Europe that it believes could be “as addictive as cigarettes” unless the company offers “compelling” fresh evidence that children are safeguarded, reports The Guardian’s Lisa O’Carroll.
If the ban goes ahead, it would be the first time the EU has used sweeping new powers to impose sanctions on social media companies since its landmark Digital Service Act (DSA) came into force last August.
News Brands
ABC ombudsman clears 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson of breaching impartiality rules in an interview with an IDF spokesman
The ABC ombudsman has supported comments made by 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson in an interview with an Israel Defence Forces spokesman, where she rejected claims the killings of World Central Kitchen aid workers were a “mistake”, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
The public broadcaster received 52 complaints about the 11-minute television interview with Ferguson that aired on the ABC’s flagship political program on April 8.
During the interview, Ferguson told IDF spokesman Lieutenant Peter Lerner that she did not accept that seven aid worker deaths, including Australian Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom were unintentional.
How is Seven’s new venture The Nightly going?
Amid ongoing turmoil for Seven, with defamation cases deluxe and an incoming CEO who has declared he doesn’t “even drink coffee”, the network’s new venture The Nightly has largely passed under the radar since launching to much fanfare almost two months ago, reports Crikey’s Daanyal Saeed.
Helmed by The West Australian’s Anthony De Ceglie and Sarah-Jane Tasker, The Nightly promised it would fight for “common sense, mainstream middle and working class economic conservatism”, with its debut editorial claiming “on almost every issue, extremist fringes have hijacked respectful and meaningful debate”.
Television
MasterChef isn’t cooking with fossil fuels this season, so why are gas companies sponsoring the show?
The popular cooking show MasterChef Australia is being criticised for taking sponsorship from gas network providers to promote low-emission stovetop flame cooking, reports the ABC’s Emilia Terzon.
The 16th Australian season of the globally franchised reality television show, where budding chefs compete against each other in judged cook-offs, premiered on Network 10 last night.
This season’s official sponsors include gas network operator Australian Gas Network (AGN), which is a subsidiary of Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG).
Why Poh Ling Yeoh was ‘anxious‘ return to MasterChef series 16
MasterChef Australia veteran Poh Ling Yeow is “surprised” by how little the TV show’s format has changed in the fifteen years since she was runner-up in its very first season, reports News Corp’s Mikaela Wilkes.
She joins “straight-up no frills” Andy Allen, “old school classic French chef” Jean-Christophe Novelli, and food critic Sofia Levi “who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of flavour profiles” on the judging panel for season 16, which begins airing on Channel 10 tonight.
“We disagreed a lot,” Yeoh laughed.
See Also: MasterChef Mystery Box serves fans and foodies at Fed Square
Vale: MasterChef dedication to Jarred Bocca
MasterChef Australia last night dedicated its premiere episode to series producer Jarred Bocca, reports TV Tonight.
He was Series Producer with the series since August 2023, but first worked with Endemol Shine in 2014 and over a decade had undertaken various roles on the show including Production Co-ordinator, Challenge Producer and Series Producer.
Sports Media
FIFA said to be close to TV deal with Apple for new tournament
FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, is close to an agreement with Apple that would give the tech company worldwide television rights for a major new tournament, a monthlong, World Cup-style competition for top teams that will be played for the first time in the United States next summer, reports The New York Times’ Tariq Panja.
The agreement could be announced as soon as this month, according to three people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to discuss the deal publicly because it has yet to be officially confirmed. It comes after several false starts for a competition championed by FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino. Plans to hold it in China in 2021 were scuttled because of the pandemic.