Business of Media
Ten settles its Lehrmann bill, but from a shrinking purse
Network Ten has already paid millions of dollars to cover its legal bills in its defamation battle against former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann, Ten’s corporate filings reveal, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
Meanwhile, its revenue and profit have been falling while its future is up in the air as parent Paramount faces the prospect of new ownership.
Meta ranks criminals ahead of journalists: Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones
Federal Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones has levelled a blistering accusation against trillion-dollar company Meta, accusing the Mark Zuckerberg-owned tech behemoth of being more sympathetic to the criminal world than a free press, reports The Australian’s James Madden.
The Labor government is awaiting advice from The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission and Treasury as to whether it can, or should, designate Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – under the news media bargaining code, and thus force the US-based giant to negotiate payments to Australian news publishers for the right to use their content.
‘News on Facebook is dead’: memes replace Australian media posts as Meta turns off the tap
Meta has refused to enter into new deals with Australian media publishers for the use of their content on Facebook, leading to fears it may again implement a ban on news content appearing on the platform. But an analysis of Facebook data suggests engagement with posts from news organisations is already at an all-time low, as memes fill the space, report The Guardian’s Nick Evershed and Josh Taylor.
Meta has argued that news makes up just 3% of what people engage with on its services.
An analysis by Guardian Australia has determined that this appears to be by design, with Meta turning off the tap for news in the past few years.
Ad giant Dentsu’s epic losses no big deal for Japanese parent
Global Japanese-owned advertising holding company Dentsu has delivered a fresh twist on this concept. A few days ago, Dentsu posted its financials for the year ending December 31, 2022, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
ASIC filings are a rough guide at best, but 2022 was clearly a tough year for Dentsu and its then 1097-strong team. Dentsu controls $1.2 billion worth of advertising in Australia, and runs ads for Woolworths, Medibank and The Lottery Corporation. Its performance hits the wider media landscape.
News Brands
Stokes lieutenant Anthony De Ceglie wants a ‘unified voice’ at Seven
The new head of Seven West Media’s embattled newsrooms, Anthony De Ceglie, has a mandate to create a unified editorial voice when he takes over as Seven’s first combined editor-in-chief and director of news and current affairs on Monday, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
De Ceglie says he doesn’t do drugs. In that, he is like his new chief executive, Jeff Howard, who took over the ASX-listed media company last month and volunteered to Seven’s nearly 1000 journalists in an all-staff memo that he is a disciple of “call me boring” clean living – no cigarettes, coffee or illicit substances.
Israel orders Al Jazeera to close local offices, escalating Netanyahu’s long-running feud with news network
Israel has ordered the local offices of Qatar’s Al Jazeera satellite news network to close, escalating a long-running feud between the broadcaster and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s hard-line government as Doha-mediated ceasefire negotiations with Hamas hang in the balance, reports the ABC.
The extraordinary order — which includes confiscating broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites — is believed to be the first time Israel has ever shuttered a foreign news outlet.
Radio
Kyle and Jackie O have hit Melbourne’s airwaves. I listened for a week … so you don’t have to
Kyle and Jackie O’s KIIS FM breakfast radio program is Sydney’s most popular, and last week it hit Melbourne audiences for the first time. It’s brazen, profane, sexual, demeaning and frequently flouts broadcasting standards, reports Nine Publishing’s Stephen Brook.
But at times, it’s weirdly compelling. Here’s what it was like to take in a full week of their antics, but be warned: there’s graphic content ahead.
Television
Feelgood story turns bad as Sky humiliates Indigenous teenager who caught $1m barramundi
It was the feelgood story of the year from the Northern Territory when 19-year-old Keegan Payne caught a barramundi worth $1m in a competition designed to promote tourism, reports The Guardian’s Amanda Meade.
“The whole family was shocked – they’re all proud of me,” he told the ABC. “We’re from Katherine, Mum’s from Kakadu.
But one live interview, on Sky News Australia, turned into a humiliating experience for the Indigenous teenager when the host, Peter Stefanovic, asked him a question about an incident he was involved in when he was 16.
The Masked Singer hangs in the balance for 2024
A sixth season of The Masked Singer is yet to be confirmed by 10, amid speculation it may not be returning this year, reports TV Tonight.
TV Tonight understands producers Warner Bros TV have been gauging interest from rival networks.
The guessing game singing show is understood to carry a very high price tag and while networks are under pressure from a tough ad market, at just over two hours of TV a week, its future looks unclear. By comparison other expensive formats allow for multiple stripped nights.
Sports Media
Why Paul Kent may have done Fox Sports a favour
The absence of Paul Kent from Fox Sports could be a bonus for the network if its ratings when he was stood down last year are any guide, reports Nine Publishing’s Danny Weidler.
The culture at Fox Sports is again in question after the street fight that resulted in the sidelining of its loudest and most prominent voice, but the company says what happened does not reflect the organisation.
Warren Tredrea avoids having to pay Channel Nine legal fees after losing unfair dismissal case
Former AFL footballer and Nine News Adelaide sports presenter Warren Tredrea has been spared from having to pay his former employer’s legal fees, reports the ABC’s Olivia Mason.
Tredrea launched legal action against Channel Nine in South Australia, claiming the network unfairly terminated his contract in January 2022 because he refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.