Business of Media
Google smashes sales records as digital ad market booms
Google’s parent company shattered sales records for the first quarter, fuelled by a surge in digital ad spending that has strengthened the tech heavyweight even as regulators try to curtail its power, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Tripp Mickle.
Alphabet reported first-quarter sales of $US55.31 billion, an increase of 34 per cent from a year earlier when advertising sales plunged as the coronavirus crippled the global economy. Profit more than doubled, with per-share-earnings far exceeding analysts’ expectations.
Rupert Murdoch scales back plan for News UK TV channel
Rupert Murdoch has drastically scaled backed plans for a new opinionated television service in the UK, after concluding that it is not financially viable to launch a fully fledged rolling news channel in the style of Fox News, reports The Guardian’s Jim Waterson.
Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of his News UK company, told staff the enormous cost of getting a television news channel on air meant it did not make business sense to push ahead.
She said the company would instead focus on reaching news audiences via shows on streaming platforms, adding: “While there is consumer demand for alternative news provision, the costs of running a rolling news channel are considerable, and it is our assessment that the payback for our shareholders wouldn’t be sufficient. We need to launch the right products for the digital age.”
News Brands
Seven ordered to pay former MKR contestant $425 per week compensation for ‘psychological injury’
Channel 7 has been ordered to pay a former contestant on My Kitchen Rules more than $22,000 a year in ongoing compensation after she was left unable to work due to “psychological injury” she suffered from her time on the show, reports News Corp’s Frank Chung.
Piper O’Neill, who appeared on the 2019 season of the reality cooking competition with her best friend and fellow beauty queen Veronica Cristovao, lodged a workers compensation claim against the broadcaster in August last year seeking payment of close to $1000 in weekly benefits, starting from December 24, 2018.
O’Neill, 38, was memorably revealed to be having a secret relationship with rival contestant Victor Aeberli in a much-hyped “sex scandal” storyline.
Fox News fights an election company’s defamation suit with a new court filing.
In the months since the election tech company Smartmatic sued Fox News and three of its anchors, the two companies have engaged in a prehearing back-and-forth that continued Monday when Fox filed briefs in support of a previous motion to have the lawsuit dismissed, reports The New York Times’ Jonah E. Bromwich.
In its defamation suit, which was filed in New York State Supreme Court on Feb. 4, Smartmatic accused Fox and the anchors Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro of promoting falsehoods about the company and widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Shortly after the suit was filed, Fox canceled Dobbs’s program on Fox Business and filed a motion for a dismissal of the suit, arguing that the claims of electoral fraud broadcast on Fox News and Fox Business were newsworthy and handled fairly. Smartmatic replied on April 12, with a brief stating that the three Fox anchors had played along as their guests promoted election-related conspiracy theories.
Entertainment
How to watch Global Citizen’s VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World
International advocacy organization Global Citizen has revealed additions to VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World, their live event on May 2 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The event will air and livestream on Saturday, May 8, 2021 (Sunday, May 9, 2021 AEST) on ABC, ABC News Live, CBS, YouTube, iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations and the iHeartRadio App.
Aussie audiences will be able to watch VAX LIVE on Global Citizen’s YouTube Channel at 10am AEST on Sunday 9th May (8pm ET on Saturday 8th May).
As the first large-scale music event for a COVID-compliant audience composed of fully-vaccinated frontline healthcare and essential workers, VAX LIVE calls for new commitments from governments, the private sector, and philanthropists toward the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. Melbourne-born Hugh Evans is co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen.
Among VAX LIVE line-up additions:
Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are serving as Campaign Chairs of VAX LIVE and will be delivering an important global message for vaccine equity during the event. To help ensure equitable access to the vaccine, they’ve also been leading a coordinated drive across the private sector to raise critical funds for the vaccine-sharing program COVAX.
Global Citizen is proud to announce a special appearance by President Biden, First Lady Dr Biden and Vice President Harris as part of Global Citizen’s partnership with the White House’s “We Can Do This” initiative to increase public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines while reinforcing basic prevention measures, such as mask wearing and social distancing. Additionally, President Macron of France, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, and Prime Minister Plenković of Croatia will make appearances.
Recording artist, actress and producer, Selena Gomez, will host, and musical headliners, Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin, and H.E.R. will be joined by Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, David Letterman, Gayle King, Jimmy Kimmel, Nomzamo Mbatha, Olivia Munn, and Sean Penn.
Cisco announced $5m, the Analog Devices Foundation announced $1m, and The Coca-Cola Foundation announced $500k to support COVAX. Cisco’s $5m contribution to the Gavi COVAX AMC will be matched by a Swiss Foundation who prefers to remain anonymous. These commitments, totalling $11.5 million, will fund the purchase of an estimated 2.3 million vaccine doses for health workers.
The Vax Live campaign is calling on businesses to donate dollars for doses via COVAX, wealthy governments to share excess doses immediately with COVAX, and for pharmaceutical companies like Moderna to make vaccines available at not-for-profit prices.
Mortal Kombat tops US box office on opening weekend
South Australian made action film Mortal Kombat has topped the US box office on its opening weekend, narrowly beating a Japanese anime competitor, reports News Corp’s Patrick McDonald.
Based on the long-running video game series, Mortal Kombat has made $US23.3m ($A29.9m) since opening there on Friday, compared to $US19.5m ($A25m) for Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, according to website Box Office Mojo.
See More: Box Office: Mortal Kombat fights its way to #1
Television
Free TV pays tribute to former director of engineering Dick Barton
Free TV this week announced the passing of former director of engineering, Richard “Dick” Barton on 21 April 2021.
Barton held the position of director of engineering at the Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations (FACTS – now Free TV) from 1981 to 2001. His broadcast engineering career commenced only three years after the Australian launch of television, during which time he worked as a broadcast engineer at NSW 9 Adelaide and TNQ 7 and FNQ 10 in North Queensland.
His time at the coalface of television production and transmission spanned the rapid expansion of this new medium across Australia and many technical advances, most notably the conversion to colour television in 1975.
Richard “Dick” Barton in Geneva. Monday 17 May 1999, Australian Delegation to ITU Study Group 11
Dick Barton demonstrated deep technical knowledge and industry leadership during his time with FACTS, where he was instrumental in guiding the industry through some major developments, most notably regional licence aggregation, the introduction of the new Broadcasting Services Act in 1992 and planning for the transition to digital television. He was deeply respected in the Australian media sector, and received recognition for his many achievements within the broadcasting industry including the Paul Marlan Engineering Award in 1997 for his significant contribution to commercial television engineering.
Free TV’s chief executive officer Bridget Fair said: “Dick Barton loved television and devoted his career to ensuring that every Australian could enjoy a world class service. He was a formidable champion for the industry over many years at the national and international level. He was admired and respected by his colleagues and was a true gentleman. His significant impact on the Australian broadcast industry will not be forgotten.”
Free TV’s director of engineering Roger Bunch said: “Dick Barton set a great example of the high values for accuracy required in science and technology to ensure standardisation achieved the intended scope and objectives for the end users. He displayed great insight from his foresight displayed in the intense debates on the Australian proposal for the global HDTV picture format.
“He will be remembered internationally as an excellent ambassador for Australia in his ITU activities and a dear friend to many in the broadcasting industries in many countries, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.”
‘The Crown’ rep denies Netflix hit “struggling” to cast Prince Andrew
A representative for The Crown has strongly denied reports that producers are having difficulty finding anyone to play controversial royal Prince Andrew for the fifth and sixth seasons of the hit Netflix drama, reports The Hollywood Reporter‘s Alex Ritman.
Season five is set to start shooting in June, and the show has so far lined up Imelda Staunton to take the throne from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth, Jonathan Pryce to succeed Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville to take over from Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and Elizabeth Debicki to replace Emma Corin as Princess Diana. Dominic West is reportedly set to swap with Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles, although this is yet to be formally announced.