Business of Media
TV networks to demand fee relief as $40m wagering hole opens up
Australia’s two biggest television networks will demand spectrum fees be slashed to offset a $40 million black hole from wagering firms pre-emptively cutting advertising ahead of a government crackdown on betting ads, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has proposed extending a ban on gambling advertising to an hour before and after live sport, introducing a cap of two ads per hour on free-to-air TV until 10pm, and a blanket ban on ads on social networks and other digital platforms.
The confidential proposal – which has not been finalised – has been rejected by independent and teal MPs as a “total cop out” and “betrayal” of the legacy of the late Peta Murphy, a Labor MP who led a review last year that recommended a total ban.
BBC wipes Huw Edwards from archive but role in state occasions presents challenge
Huw Edwards’s image and voice are being urgently removed from hours of BBC archive footage, starting with family and entertainment content on iPlayer, the Observer has learned, reports The Guardian’s Vanessa Thorpe.
Photographs of the disgraced Welsh television news anchor are also being removed by prominent institutions and charities, and from websites throughout Wales, where he was a national figurehead.
On Wednesday, Edwards, 62, who was paid more than £470,000 a year by the BBC, admitted accessing abusive images of children as young as seven at Westminster magistrates court in London.
Former Home and Away star Felix Dean allegedly assaulted friend in Sydney
Former Home and Away child star Felix Dean has been accused of assault, reports News Corp.
The 27-year-old appeared at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Friday via video link where he represented himself.
He pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and sought to be released on bail, The Daily Telegraph reported.
News Brands
New data shows ABC’s advertising spending soared in the 2023/24 financial year
The ABC’s spending on advertising, promotions and audience research has soared by more than 33 per cent in the past 12 months, increasing to $21.41m despite the public broadcaster registering a sharp decline in audiences, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
New data obtained under freedom of information showed in the 2023/24 financial year the ABC splashed $12.52m on advertising, $1.39m on promotions and $7.5m on audience research. On advertising alone, the ABC’s spending spiked from $8.29m in the 2022/23 financial year to $12.52m, an increase of 51 per cent.
‘I make no apology’: Kim Williams criticises ABC website priorities in staff briefing
ABC chair Kim Williams has criticised the priorities of the organisation’s digital news platforms, saying lifestyle stories were given too much prominence on the web and mobile sites at the expense of hard news, reports Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan.
In his strongest critique about news output at the public broadcaster since becoming chair in March, Williams, in an address to Radio National staff late last month, delivered a scathing assessment of the ABC’s failure to prioritise globally important news stories such as the Gaza war and the NATO summit, and foreign and state politics to its online audiences.
Murdoch thinks Fox, News Corp worth more right wing
Rupert Murdoch wants to preserve his media empire from being torn apart by his children, and is arguing it is better for everyone if Lachlan Murdoch oversees News Corp and Fox News’ editorial choices, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
In a bombshell lawsuit revealed by The New York Times, the 93-year-old media mogul is fighting to change the terms of an “irrevocable” trust that controls the family stake in News Corp and Fox Corporation.
According to a decision by a probate commissioner in Reno, Nevada, Rupert Murdoch argued a “lack of consensus” would “impact the strategic direction… including a potential reorientation of editorial policy and content”. In other words, the conservative approach works, makes more money, and benefits all the Murdoch children. Is this true?
Television
Why Seven News boss is still backing Mark Humphries comic spot
Despite backlash from viewers and commentators, Seven news boss Anthony De Ceglie continues to pump up the new three-minute comic spot at the end of the network’s nightly news bulletin, reports News Corp.
“Three million TikTok views (and counting) on the Trump segment of the satirical 6.57pm News by Mark Humphries,” he boasted on X this week.
Sports Media
The disgusting display from world’s media following Algerian boxer’s victory
If you wanted proof that the debate concerning Imane Khelif competing in Paris had descended into farce, you only had to witness the disgusting spectacle in the media mixed zone following her unanimous points victory over Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori, reports Nine Publishing’s Andrew Webster.
Khelif had entered the ring for the 66-kilogram quarter-final to rousing cheers and chants from the strong Algerian contingent in the stands. Hamori was booed.
The media tribune, which had been relatively quiet before her controversial round-of-16 win over Italian Angela Carini, was full hours before her bout.