Business of Media
Netflix explores investing in sports leagues, bidding on streaming rights
Netflix Inc. is warming up to the idea of offering live sports on its platform—as long as it can do so without breaking the bank, according to people familiar with the discussions, report The Wall Street Journal’s Jessica Toonkel and Sarah Krouse.
The company recently bid for the streaming rights for the ATP tennis tour for some European countries, including France and the U.K., but dropped out, one of the people said. It also discussed bidding for a series of other events including U.K. rights to the Women’s Tennis Association and cycling competitions, the people said.
Additionally, in an effort to bypass the ever-escalating costs of bidding for sports rights, Netflix executives have had discussions about buying lower-profile leagues, people familiar with the discussions said. The company late last year was in talks to buy the World Surf League, but negotiations fell apart because the two organizations couldn’t reach an agreement on a price, people familiar with the potential deal said.
Some Netflix executives believe that given the size of its platform, Netflix could turn lesser-known sports like surfing into big franchises, and create new sporting tournaments or events, the people said.
Meta won’t discuss content deal, says SBS boss
SBS managing director James Taylor said it was “particularly disappointing” that tech giant Meta had refused to engage in discussions about a commercial arrangement under the news media bargaining code, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Appearing at Senate estimates hearing via video link on Monday, Taylor said Facebook’s parent company had failed to give SBS a clear explanation as to why it would not negotiate a deal with them.
“SBS and I have gone to great lengths to seek to engage in collaborative discussions with Meta,” Taylor said.
“Meta, for reasons that have not been shared with SBS, have determined that they don’t wish to negotiate but also don’t wish to set up the reasons which they don’t wish to negotiate.”
Agencies
JP Media welcomes four new brands to its client roster
JP Media has announced the addition of four new brands to its client roster.
This includes the Adelaide Festival, international defence provider Nova Systems Australia, national telco Vonex and Minda Inc., a South Australian disability and support organisation.
JP Media will deliver a range of services across the four organisations, including corporate communication support and public relations, digital marketing, app development and event management.
Patrick Anderson, JP Media’s managing director, said all four clients were genuine leaders in their respective fields and added to the diversity of not only JP Media’s client pool but also service offering.
“For more than 60 years, the Adelaide Festival has been an event of artistic and cultural significance not just here in Australia, but internationally. We look forward to supporting the Adelaide Festival team as they continue to build their brand in a new era,” he said.
“We’re excited by the opportunity to continue to support the creative arts sector after a tough couple of years post-Covid,” Anderson added.
News Brands
Kevin Rudd accuses News Corp of ‘dog-whistling’ over reporting of Daniel Andrews
Kevin Rudd has accused News Corp Australia’s Herald Sun tabloid of “dog-whistling to conspiracy theorists” over its election campaign reporting of Daniel Andrews’ fall last year and a nine-year-old car crash involving his wife, report The Guardian’s Benita Kolovos and Adeshola Ore.
On Tuesday, the paper published its second front-page story in five days on the 2013 crash which showed photos of the Andrews’ damaged car after it collided with cyclist Ryan Meuleman. The photos were consistent with the statements made by the couple at the time of the accident.
The Sunday Herald Sun also devoted its front page to the premier’s 2021 accident, headlined “The steps that took down a premier”. The exclusive story provided no new information on the accident, other than a picture of the wooden steps at the Mornington Peninsula holiday rental.
Rudd, a former Labor prime minister who has spearheaded a campaign for a royal commission into News Corp, said the articles served to assist the Coalition at the upcoming state election.
ABC fires back at ‘grooming’ allegation
The ABC has fired back after a “deeply offensive” suggestion the broadcaster was “grooming children” in deciding to air a television show in which a drag queen reads a children’s story about dress ups, reports News Corp’s Ellen Ransley.
The claim came from South Australian Liberal senator Alex Antic said the reading of Kat Patrick’s The Spectacular Suit, by Courtney Act, was “adult content” and not appropriate for children.
He asked: “The program was rated G and has been heavily promoted on TV and on the app. Why is the ABC grooming children with this sort of adult content?”
His comments attracted the immediate ire of fellow senator Sarah Hanson-Young who labelled his question “deeply, deeply offensive”.
The ABC’s managing director David Anderson, to whom Senator Antic had asked the question, said the broadcaster was “not grooming Australian children”.
“What we are doing, that is about dressing up,” he said.
Radio
Sealed with a KIIS: Kyle and Jackie O nab top spot in Sydney
It’s not often that Kyle Sandilands is lost for words, but the radio veteran was left speechless following the seventh radio survey of the year, which saw Kyle and Jackie O on KIIS become Sydney’s most-listened-to breakfast show, reports Nine Publishing’s Thomas Mitchell.
“I’m never speechless, but this result has made me as close as I’ve ever been to it. It’s incredible that after 22 years together, Jackie and I are still growing our audience,” said Sandilands.
Kyle and Jackie O increased their total audience share to 14.9 per cent, up 2.1 percentage points.
The result sees Kyle and Jackie O nab the top spot from 2GB’s Ben Fordham, who dropped to second with 14.8 per cent total audience share, down 2.1 percentage points.
The win for Kyle and Jackie O comes just weeks after being inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame at the 33rd annual Australian Commercial Radio Awards (the ACRAs). The pair also won Best On-Air team at the awards.
Television
The Block 2022: Omar and Oz say they ‘deserved’ to win
The winners of what’s become the most controversial season of The Block have hit back at critics, declaring they “deserved” to win as they “did so well”, reports news.com.au.
Omar Slaimankhel and Ozman “Oz” Abu Malik took to Monday’s A Current Affair to defend their $1.68 million profit from the sale of a four-bedroom, four hectare property in Gisborne, Victoria.
During Sunday night’s chaotic finale, the pair triumphed after selling their house for $5.6m. Omar and Oz had the single largest win in The Block history, but some viewers had suggested there was more to the win.
The auction quickly became contentious as the bidding soared and a back and forth between wealthy would-be buyers. One of the men, Adrian Portelli, knew Omar and Oz (he greeted the pair with a hug when he arrived) which fuelled baseless rumours he was a fake bidder planted to push up the price for the rural home.
Omar and Oz told the Channel 9 program Portelli was not a dummy bidder and there was nothing remiss about their triumph.
“I feel like it happens in this country a lot where you do well and the next day you’re having to justify why you won,” said Omar.
“It’s unfortunate because we did deserve to win and we did so well”.