Business of Media
Australians who drink, gamble and are in financial distress are being micro-targeted with online ads
Australians are being targeted with online advertising based on their classification as in financial distress, underage or even for having visited a casino or hospital, a new report has found, reports Crikey’s Cam Wilson.
Reset.Tech Australia, the local arm of an international technology policy advocacy group, reviewed a database of accidentally leaked online advertising data from Microsoft’s ad platform Xandr to understand how Australians were being tracked and sold to online.
This data listed more than 650,000 ways that people were being classified — known as “audience segments” — that advertisers could use to specifically target with their messages.
Lisa Wilkinson to give evidence today in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation action against her
Veteran journalist Lisa Wilkinson is today expected to begin her evidence at a defamation trial brought by Bruce Lehrmann in the Federal Court in Sydney, report the ABC’s Patrick Bell and Tahlia Roy.
Wilkinson interviewed Brittany Higgins on The Project in 2021, with Higgins alleging she had been raped at Parliament House in 2019.
Google’s epic legal defeat threatens $300 billion app store industry
Google’s legal defeat at the hands of Fortnite maker Epic Games threatens to roil an app store duopoly with Apple that generates close to $US200 billion ($305 billion) a year and dictates how billions of consumers use mobile devices, report Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Davey Alba.
The loss — handed down by a San Francisco jury on Monday — is a blow to the two companies’ business model in apps, where they charge commissions of as much as 30 per cent to software developers who typically have few other options. Google shares were down less than 1 per cent in New York on Tuesday morning at $US132.62.
News Brands
James Packer buys up $US80m stake in Ten owner, Paramount Global
James Packer has built a $US80 million ($123.4 million) stake in Paramount Global, the American media and entertainment conglomerate that owns Network Ten, signalling a broadening of the billionaire’s media interests, reports Nine Publishing’s Primrose Riordan.
Packer returned to the world of media earlier this year after several years’ absence when he emerged as a key multimillion-dollar investor in embattled broadcaster Alan Jones’ Australian Digital Holdings.
This is not Packer’s first dalliance with Network Ten. In 2010, he bought an 18 per cent stake for $244 million, later selling half of that to Lachlan Murdoch.
ChatGPT to summarize Politico and Business Insider articles in ‘first of its kind’ deal
Axel Springer, the publisher of Business Insider and Politico, said on Wednesday it was partnering with OpenAI, which will pay the German media group to allow ChatGPT to summarize current articles in responses generated by the chatbot, reports The Guardian’s Blake Montgomery.
“ChatGPT users around the world will receive summaries of selected global news content from Axel Springer’s media brands,” which also includes the German tabloid Bild, the two companies said in a statement.
Radio
Kingsmill the kingmaker: Triple J veteran who shaped Australia’s music tastes for decades departs ABC
I’ll never forget the first time Richard Kingsmill played my band. It was a Sunday night – of course it was a Sunday night – and I happened to be driving home from a friend’s house. Suddenly there he was in my car speakers, talking about my band, playing our song, reports The Guardian’s Ben Eltham.
Monday was like a montage from a movie. Friends texted their praise. The handsome blond sales assistant at my record store, a cool guy who didn’t do small talk, congratulated me. Even my parents somehow found out.
Of course it didn’t work out: I joined the long list of musicians who descend back into obscurity as quickly as we emerge. But for a fleeting moment that Monday morning after being played on Kingsmill’s show, it seemed as though I had a chance.
See Also: “I’ve given my heart and soul”: Richard Kingsmill leaves triple j
Television
Andre Braugher: Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Captain Raymond Holt dies aged 61
Andre Braugher, the star of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Homicide: Life on the Street, has died aged 61 following a brief illness, reports the BBC.
Braugher often portrayed police officers during his career, performing both in dramatic and comedic roles.
He won two Emmy Awards, from a total 11 nominations across his career, for his roles in Homicide and Thief.
SBS Rewind offers a summary of your SBS on Demand viewing
SBS on Demand has unveiled SBS Rewind – a new, personalised end-of-year viewing summary for users, reports TV Tonight.
SBS Rewind offers viewers a fun recap of interesting facts and figures relating to their consumption throughout the year, such as total minutes of content consumed, an interactive globe showing content’s country of origin, most watched genre, most consumed language and even how niche the viewer’s taste is.
Netflix plans Sonic the Hedgehog, Squid Game video games as it expands slate to familiar IP
Netflix is not slowing down on its video game ambitions, leaning on some key intellectual property to help it grow the business, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin.
The company on Wednesday published a post looking ahead to 2024 and beyond, and announcing a number of new titles coming to the platform.
Among the games in the works are a new Sonic the Hedgehog game, called Sonic Mania Plus, which will be exclusive to the platform. “You can relive the Sonic of the past with an exciting new twist on classic zones while fighting against new bosses and Dr. Eggman’s evil robot army,” the logline says.
Sports Media
NRL announces critical world-first partnership with UFC
The NRL’s bold foray into the US market has taken a gigantic step forward with the announcement of a critical partnership with the UFC – the biggest sport in Las Vegas and among the biggest in the world, reports Nine Publishing’s Andrew Webster.
Months of delicate negotiations between the pair came to a head on Tuesday morning at the official launch of next season’s double-header at Allegiant Stadium on March 2.