Business of Media
Russel Howcroft calls for big media spend on vaccination campaign
Our vaccination hesitancy is third highest in the world. As a result, people within the advertising industry and in the broader marketing and communications field have been asking – with increasing volume – “where’s the vaccination campaign?!” writes Nine Radio’s Russel Howcroft in Nine newspapers.
“Have you seen the most recent vaccination ads, they’re not going to work are they?!” Indeed, “why can’t we do a vaccination campaign like New Zealand, like France, like Singapore – or even like China’s Szechuan Province, who used a rap song to inspire vaccination uptake?”
But it is not just the message we need to get right. The ‘media weight’ – the amount of money spent on vaccination advertising campaigns, needs to be reassessed.
The budget allocation is underweight, and the scales are not tipped in our favour. Plus, the economic cost of a lockdown should make a larger advertising spend easier to digest and understood to be entirely affordable.
Entertainment
Sony Music Australia’s toxic culture claims deepen
Two senior Sony Music Australia executives are “on leave pending further investigations” as a probe into allegations about toxic workplace practices at the major label continues, reports News Corp’s Kathy McCabe.
The development comes just a day after the separate departure of Denis Handlin after 51 years with the label.
His departure comes as Sony’s global head of HR continues his months-long investigation into wide-ranging allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination involving others at the company.
Staff at the music company were informed on Tuesday the executive team would liaise directly with their American counterparts on all business matters until a new CEO for the Australian arm of the company was appointed.
There is no suggestion Handlin was involved in any inappropriate behaviour or is accused of any wrongdoing in relation to the claims about the company.
Television
Emmys to allow nominees to opt for non-gendered description & ban all Oscar-eligible docs
In response to calls from some quarters to eliminate gendered acting categories in recognition of a wider spectrum of genders beyond males and females, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said on Monday that, beginning with this year’s Emmy nominations, it will invite people who are nominated for acting awards to opt to be recognized as a “performer,” rather than an “actor” or “actress,” reports The Hollywood Reporter‘s Scott Feinberg.
In other words, the categories themselves will not be changing names, but the description of the nominees will become a bit more malleable.
Additionally and unrelatedly, the TV Academy has declared that any film that is even entered for the best documentary feature or best documentary short Oscars will, starting next Emmy season, be ineligible for Emmy recognition.
Week of Ed Sheeran with James Corden coming to 10 Shake and 10 Play
Ed Sheeran will have a week-long residency on The Late Late Show with James Corden, from Monday, June 28 to Thursday, July 1 in the US. The nightly entertainment show is screened in Australia a day later on 10 Shake and is available on demand at 10 Play.
During his residency, Sheeran will perform some of his biggest hits each night, as well as the television debut of his new single Bad Habits, which will be released on June 25. Also, Sheeran will appear in-studio for a sit-down chat with Corden and in comedy segments on the show throughout the week.
Molly Meldrum comments on Samuel Johnson’s accident
Gold Logie winner Samuel Johnson has been flooded with support after it was revealed he’s in hospital following a crash, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
Johnson was hit by a car on Saturday night, but is awake and talking to family while he continues his recovery.
More than 10,000 comments have been left for Johnson on the Love Your Sister charity Facebook page where his sister Hilde Hinton first shared news of the accident.
Music guru Molly Meldrum, who was played by Johnson in his 2016 mini series of his life, sent a special message to the man a Gold and Silver Logie for the role.
“I thought that Sam having to play me on TV was already enough bad luck, so I’m terribly sorry to hear Sam’s had an accident,’’ Meldrum said.
Sport Media
Rupert Murdoch eyes UK sports broadcasting bid
Rupert Murdoch is exploring a tie-up with BT’s television arm as the nonagenarian attempts to reshape and secure his media legacy amid the decline of print newspapers, reports SMH‘s Christopher Williams.
BT has held talks about a potential partnership with News UK, the publisher of The Sun and The Times, sources said.
The telecoms operator is seeking to focus on upgrading its broadband network and reduce the risks posed by regular auctions of Premier League and Champions League football rights. Bankers from Lazard have been appointed to help secure a deal, which BT hopes will deliver a partner to share the burden of future investments.
Discussions with News UK are at an early stage and may not lead to an agreement, sources said. Murdoch, who turned 90 in March, faces opposition from the likes of Dazn, an international sports streaming business bankrolled by the billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik.