Business of Media
Nielsen names a new CEO amid swirling change in media measurement
Nielsen is shaking up its leadership, tapping veteran executive Karthik Rao as chief executive of the media ratings juggernaut, succeeding David Kenny, who will become executive chairman, the company said, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint.
Kenny said in a memo to staff that he will focus on assisting Rao on “industry-related issues and relationships where I can be of help.” Kenny, a veteran of the ad industry, had been chief executive of Nielsen for five years.
See Also: Nielsen Ad Intel reveals Australia’s highest spending advertisers
Call for investigation into misinformation bill submissions
Opposition communication spokesman David Coleman has written to the Information Commissioner to call for an investigation into the Albanese government’s delay in publishing submissions responding to Labor’s proposed laws to combat online misinformation, reports The Australian’s Rhiannon Down.
The proposed laws will grant the Australian Communications and Media Authority the power to fine social media giants millions of dollars for misinformation and content it deems “harmful”, and has raised concerns that it will undermine freedom of speech.
Barbie could turn Mattel into a movie powerhouse
When Ynon Kreiz arrived at Mattel in April 2018, the newly installed chief executive had one mantra when it came to a feature film starring Barbie, a project he really wanted to get off the ground: he didn’t care if the movie sold a single additional doll, reports The Australian Financial Review’s James B. Stewart.
But Barbie the film had to be good and a cultural event. It had to be different. It had to break moulds.
And if that meant turning the CEO of Mattel – i.e. himself – into the object of comic ridicule in the portrayal of the CEO character in the film (“vain and foolish to the nth degree,” as The Guardian put it), then so be it.
See also: Box Office: Barbie is finally dethroned as The Equalizer 3 takes the top spot
Television
‘Frasier’ trailer brings back Kelsey Grammer in sitcom revival
Kelsey Grammer appears to have slipped effortlessly back into his famed sitcom character Frasier Crane in the first trailer for Paramount+’s revival of the classic NBC series, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s James Hibberd.
“Fraiser is back … and he’s basically the same,” declares the trailer below, which shows the snooty shrink in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston and tries to improve his relationship with his son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott).
See Also: First Look: Paramount+ Australia reveals premiere date for NCIS: Sydney
Tom Felton keen to be part of Harry Potter TV reboot as new face of Uber Eats campaign
It’s been 12 years since actor Tom Felton last brought magic to the screen as Draco Malfoy – now he’s keen to be part of the highly-anticipated TV reboot of Harry Potter, reports News Corp’s Adriene Tam.
Potterheads around the world have been speculating about the reboot’s cast ever since Warner Bros. announced a TV series was being developed by HBO.
Felton, who filmed Uber Eats’ latest TV ad in Australia, said he “wouldn’t say no” to joining the show.
British TV ‘allowed monarchy to censor coverage of king’s coronation’
British television channels agreed to let Buckingham Palace censor television coverage of King Charles’s coronation, according to the former boss of Sky News, reports The Guardian’s Jim Waterson.
John Ryley, who stepped down in May after 17 years, said the monarchy imposed “extraordinary restrictions” on channels covering this year’s ceremony, including demanding the “Orwellian” right to retrospectively ban footage after it had been broadcast.
News Brands
How the Australian media is grappling with AI
News Corp’s global CEO, Robert Thomson, offered a stark warning against artificial intelligence in journalism last week, calling its arrival “epochal” and going on to warn against a potential “tsunami” of job losses that would come as a result, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Calum Jaspan.
Thomson isn’t the only media boss navigating this ethical conundrum at a time AI might offer respite against the tightening of budgets caused by a weak advertising market and slowing subscriber growth.