Business of Media
Spotlight boss Mark Llewellyn may well be left to carry the can
Seven’s commercial director, Bruce McWilliam, has taken a brutal swipe at Spotlight executive producer Mark Llewellyn, with the outgoing senior executive blaming the current affairs boss for the network’s bungled search of its communications with Bruce Lehrmann, reports The Australian’s James Madden.
In response to judge Michael Lee’s query as to why Seven produced fresh documents on Thursday in relation to a subpoena it was compelled to respond to a year ago, McWilliam said the network had relied on an “untested assurance” from Llewellyn that there were no communications to produce.
‘Appalled’: Channel Seven responds to allegations in Federal Court
Network Seven has responded to the shock allegation in the Federal Court over claims Bruce Lehrmann partied with sex workers and cocaine, insisting it is “appalled” by the evidence, reports News Corp’s Samantha Maiden.
In a statement issued on Thursday night, Seven also rejected outside court former Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach’s claims that he was offered a promotion and a pay rise after the masseuse allegations.
“Seven is appalled by the allegations made in recent days. We do not condone the behaviours described in these allegations,’’ a spokesperson said.
See Also: Copied documents and financial perks: Lehrmann judgment delayed as new evidence emerges
Spotify names Christian Luiga as CFO
Music streaming giant Spotify Technology said Thursday that it has appointed Christian Luiga as its new chief financial officer, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Georg Szalai.
The executive joins Spotify, led by CEO Daniel Ek, from Saab AB, a European defense and security company, where he served as deputy CEO and CFO. He replaces Paul Vogel. Spotify had in December announced that Vogel would leave the CFO role.
Dismay as X’s most-followed accounts given blue ticks for free
Elon Musk has reversed one of his most notorious decisions since taking over X, the social network better known as Twitter, and started bestowing blue ticks on the site’s most-followed users – whether they want them or not, reports The Guardian’s Alex Hern.
The entrepreneur and one-time “Chief Twit” had tweeted last week that the service would grant free “premium” status to any user with more than 2,500 “verified subscriber follows” and accounts with more than 5,000 would get “premium+”. That policy is now being enacted.
The two tiers of paid-for service provide a number of benefits. The cheaper gives users fewer adverts and more prominent placement in the site’s algorithmic curation and the more expensive adds access to X’s “anti-woke” AI chatbot Grok, zero adverts and even greater prioritisation for replies.
TikTok turns to nuns, veterans, and ranchers in marketing blitz
In a TV commercial, Sister Monica Clare, a nun in northern New Jersey, walks through a church that’s bathed in sunlight and sits in a pew, crossing herself. Her message: TikTok is a force for good, reports The New York Times’ Sapna Maheshwari.
“Because of TikTok, I’ve created a community where people can feel safe asking questions about spirituality,” she says in the advertisement.
Sister Monica Clare is one of several fans of TikTok — along with drawling ranchers, a Navy veteran known as Patriotic Kenny and entrepreneurs — whom the company is highlighting in commercials as it faces intense scrutiny in Washington.
News Brands
Staff unrest at Nine
Nine executives were grilled in an all-staff meeting on Wednesday after staff were given the opportunity to submit anonymous questions. Media Briefs has seen some of the submissions which highlight a degree of staff unrest, reports Crikey’s Daanyal Saeed.
One submission complained that feedback provided in an ostensibly anonymous employee survey was “recited back to [them]”, making them “nervous” about completing another.
Another asked: “How can Nine expect to retain employees when they pay well under minimum wage?”
Television
Deal or No Deal applications break Endemol game show record
Grant Denyer-hosted game show Deal or No Deal has been winning over Aussies hoping for their chance at big bucks, reports TV Tonight.
Margaret Bashfield, Supervising Executive Producer, Endemol Shine Australia told TV Tonight, “We have been swamped with a record number of applicants, so far we’ve received over 42,000 applications for Deal Or No Deal, which is more than we’ve ever received for any other game show.
The password sharing crackdown is coming to Disney
Disney said it planned to crack down on password sharing for its streaming services starting with a few countries in June before implementing a wider rollout in September, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Alyssa Lukpat.
Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger unveiled the timeline to limit password sharing in a CNBC interview Thursday morning, a day after the company defeated activist Nelson Peltz in a bruising proxy fight. Iger didn’t say which countries would be first.
The company for months has said a crackdown was coming as it looks to cut costs and make Disney+ and Hulu profitable. Other streaming services, including Netflix and Max, have or are planning to limit password sharing to boost revenue.
Three feminists and a comedian hosted an event. It went horribly wrong
A prank featuring a member of comedy duo The Inspired Unemployed and three high-profile Australian feminists went awry on Wednesday night, with audience members furious at what they labelled a “fake event” that was “triggering” and “painfully unfunny”, reports Nine Publishing’s Karl Quinn.
Promoted on social media under the title Love Unboxed, the free event held at The Neilson on Sydney’s Walsh Bay, promised an evening of “insightful discourse and thought-provoking discussions as renowned feminists Antoinette Lattouf, Clementine Ford and Yumi Stynes engage in a lively conversation on the intricacies of sex, love, relationships and marriage”.
Stars reveal the art of collaboration to Virginia Trioli
For her new ABC Arts series, Virginia Trioli has sought to break away from the routine of artists selling their latest movie, album, book or exhibition, reports TV Tonight.
Instead, Creative Types with Virginia Trioli focusses more on the process of work and artistic collaboration.
“Rather than making it about, ‘What are you doing, what are you up to?’ which is when we mostly hear from these people… it was to give them time and space to actually delve into a discussion and a reflection on what that creative drive is for them,” she tells TV Tonight.
Natalie Gruzlewski on Farmer Wants a Wife’s secrets to success and its special place in her heart
Natalie Gruzlewski has grown quite comfortable spending her life on the open road – no matter what form that takes, reports News Corp’s Siobhan Duck.
Despite scaling back her commitments on Farmer Wants a Wife and leaving the travel series Getaway, Gruzlewski continues to do countless hours behind the wheel.