Business of Media
In rebuff to Disney, Comcast signals Hulu will not come cheap
Comcast Corp Chief Executive Brian Roberts used the unusually public forum of a Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on Wednesday to signal that the company will seek market value for its minority stake in Hulu, report Reuters’ Helen Coster and Dawn Chmielewski.
Roberts was asked to respond to Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Bob Chapek‘s comments to the Financial Times published on Monday in which he said he would like to accelerate the timetable for acquiring Comcast’s one-third stake in Hulu.
Chapek said he would love to settle the matter of Hulu sooner than January 2024 but he told the publication that Comcast has seemed reluctant. It’s a sentiment the executive repeated Wednesday, in remarks at the Goldman Sachs conference.
The deal, reached in 2019, established a minimum valuation of $27.5 billion for Hulu, in a transaction that would give Disney complete ownership of the service. Chapek noted that market sentiment has cooled significantly since the original agreement was struck and investors have grown more skeptical about streaming, suggesting a more modest payout.
Death of Queen sees biggest traffic surge to UK news brands since 2020 US election
The death of the Queen has led to a large jump in audiences turning to established news brands, with some recording their most-read online stories ever, reports Press Gazette’s Charlotte Tobitt.
More than one UK national newspaper brand saw their most traffic since the 2020 US election after the news broke at 6.30pm on Thursday.
Not every news brand was willing to share details of audience figures, but we have compiled several interesting statistics below.
‘This isn’t an acceptable part of the job’: How journalists and publishers can tackle online abuse
The UK media industry’s first dedicated online safety editor is trying to help journalists move away from the idea that abuse is “something you should have to put up with,” reports Press Gazette’s Charlotte Tobitt.
Rebecca Whittington, who took on the role at Reach last year, also told Press Gazette’s Future of Media Explained podcast why she has become a “critical friend” to social media platforms like Meta and Twitter and why she believes collaboration between publishers will make them a more “robust force” against the blight of attacks against journalists.
Part of her job involves supporting Reach’s national and regional journalists being abused because of their job. The publisher had a support system in place previously but it was more “ad hoc”.
Agencies
Poem announces restructure and promotions to its leadership team
Poem has announced its restructure, revealing appointments to newly created roles on the leadership team.
Katie Raleigh has been elevated from the newly created position of managing partner. She joined the agency from Samsung in 2018 where she helped launch, lead and grow Poem’s production and creative division, Poem Studio.
Raleigh said of her promotion: “I’m really proud of what the Poem team has achieved so far and what I’ve been able to add over the past few years on several key accounts and then with Poem Studio.
“But there is a whole lot more to do, and I’m more excited on how much we can still achieve by working to a clear vision and setting everyone up for success from top to bottom.
“I’ve worked under exceptional leaders over the years, and now with these three great leaders, it feels like the best time for me to contribute and help implement change at the agency,” the newly appointed managing partner said.
History Will Be Kind welcomes two new team members and an internal promotion
History Will Be Kind has announced the addition of two new team members, which strengthens the agency’s travel and third-sector offering.
Lizzy Chadwick has been appointed to the role of senior account director. She joins the senior leadership team from GTI, a marketing and PR agency for the travel and leisure industries.
With over 13 years of experience, Chadwick is an integrated operator who has led award-winning campaigns for global brands like Marriott International, W Hotels and LATAM Airlines.
Chadwick will lead a number of key travel accounts, including the launch of Sydney Airport’s new luxury retail precinct located at T1 International terminal and Celebrity Cruises.
Jack Hazeldine has been appointed as account manager, joining from an in-house role at St Mungo’s, the UK’s leading homelessness charity.
Prior to this, he worked for a boutique agency servicing clients across the tech, creative and innovation sectors, working with global brands including Panasonic and Penguin Random House with a focus on thought leadership.
News Brands
Tony Gallagher lined up as next editor of the Times, say insiders
Tony Gallagher is being lined up as the new editor of the Times, according to sources at the newspaper, with its current boss, John Witherow, expected to leave the outlet, reports The Guardian’s Jim Waterson.
Witherow, 70, has been in charge of the newspaper since 2013 but has spent much of the last year off work due to illness. During this period, Gallagher, his deputy editor, has effectively been running the Rupert Murdoch-owned title.
A formal announcement about Witherow’s departure had been expected soon, but it may be delayed due the royal funeral. He is due back from sick leave and may be given another job elsewhere in Murdoch’s News UK company.
Radio
Radio legend ‘Ugly’ Phil O’Neil opens up about ‘secret’ Jackie O marriage
Radio legend “Ugly” Phil O’Neil has opened up about the current state of his relationship with ex-wife Jackie “O” Henderson in a candid new interview, reports News Corp’s Nick Bond.
He also speaks for the first time about his private six-year battle with multiple sclerosis, a potentially disabling disease of the brain and central nervous system.
Speaking on the latest episode of LiSTNR’s The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show, O’Neil reflects on his “secret” marriage to Jackie O, back in the ’90s when they were co-hosting a nightly radio show together.
More than 20 years after they split, O’Neil admitted it could be slightly frustrating to still be referred to as “Jackie O’s ex”.
Television
‘It’s been nice to offer something a bit brutal’: Shaun Micallef on the end of Mad as Hell
Throughout the political turmoil of the past decade, a deceptively simple sketch show has soothed with uproarious caricatures, incisive parodies and delicious absurdity. So it is hard to believe that, beyond this week, Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, so beloved by a fan base that has remained unchanged in viewing numbers since the beginning, will be gone, reports Nine Publishing’s Bridget McManus.
The host insists the shock exit is unrelated to the change of government. Rather, Shaun Micallef wants to make way for new talent.
“We didn’t feel like our job was done [when Labor won the election] and throw our hands up and say: ‘Well, balance has been restored to the universe! It’s time for us to go’,” says Micallef, laughing.
“I just felt like 11 years and 15 seasons was a good summer. I’ve always felt it’s important to know when to get off before the audience starts readying the rotting fruit. There are limited resources here at the ABC and I wanted to hand over the mic to somebody who was younger. Perhaps a show that has more than just the attitudes of my age group. I’d like to see more of a younger and more diverse bit of programming.”
‘Wasteful’: OzHarvest CEO roasts cooking shows
That sad lettuce turning to mush. The bottle of verjuice bought for a dinner party recipe in 2004 and untouched ever since. The skanky horrors that pile up at the back of the office fridge, reports News Corp’s David Mills.
Food wastage is a costly and under-appreciated problem, with the average Aussie household blowing $2000-$2500 per year on edibles that are never actually eaten, according to research by the food rescue organisation OzHarvest.
The charity founded by Ronni Kahn 18 years ago to tackle waste in the food industry is now turning its attention to the domestic sphere, encouraging Aussies to reduce the estimated 2.5 million tonnes of food we let spoil in our homes each year.
While there are many reasons for the wastage, Kahn said our obsession with cooking shows and premium cookbooks is helping fuel it.
CNN overhauls its Morning Show
CNN is about to drastically overhaul its morning hours, reports The New York Times’ John Koblin.
The network announced on Thursday that one of the network’s prime-time mainstays, Don Lemon; a midmorning anchor, Poppy Harlow; and a White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, would be the new faces of a completely revamped morning show.
The new show is Chris Licht’s biggest programming move since he took over as CNN’s chairman in May, and it has big implications for the network’s prime-time lineup, too. Licht is still searching for a host for the 9 p.m. role that Chris Cuomo occupied before he was fired late last year, and he will now need to fill Lemon’s 10 p.m. hour, too.