Welcome to the latest edition of the Unmade podcast. Today’s edition features another extract from the audio edition of my book, Media Unmade, which is published by Hardie Grant and available online and in book stores.
We have now reached the half way point of the book’s 26 chapters. And we are at a pivotal point for the TV industry.
The chapter opens with the day the now notorious “Jacketgate” video was leaked to Mumbrella.
The action then switches to the arrival of Hugh Marks, as the newly appointed boss of Nine, and his new strategy for the TV business. He soon faces a career-threatening crisis when a 60 Minutes crew is arrested in Lebanon after they get involved in a child custody battle.
Things were just as bad at Seven, with CEO Tim Worner’s affair revealed in the newspapers.
And the streaming services were on the rise. Quickflix moved too soon and went broke. Foxtel and Seven blew their attempt with their joint venture Presto. And Nine and Fairfax’s JV Stan started strongly, even as Netflix finally landed in Australia.
Meanwhile, Nine’s regional affiliate WIN was taking its partner to court over the streaming of Nine Now, and ad-supported streaming was getting off to a stuttering start.
One of the big shifts of the TV landscape was also in play. Nine was plotting a move to ditch the cricket and switch to the tennis.
And all of the media owners were lobbying the government to change the ownership laws.
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Audio production on Media Unmade comes courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers and sound design for corporate videos, digital content, commercials and podcasts.
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Time to let you go about your Friday. Have a great day.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Proprietor - Unmade
Media Unmade - Chapter 13: Predator and Prey