Media Roundup: Four Corners EP exit, Betoota's Sportsbet gag, Teen ban expands, Burry shorts AI boom, and The Mummy returns

Media

Four Corners boss exits

The program's executive producer Matthew Carney has called time after a quarter-century at the ABC, letting colleagues know he will wrap up at year’s end.

As The Australian's James Madden reports, the timing lands as the ABC continues looking into one of Four Corners’ high-profile reporters, Mahmood Fazal, after a messy public dispute with podcaster Ryan Naumenko.

There is no suggestion the two are linked.

Sportsbet ‘bid’ for Betoota? Yeah, nah

Well, that was a fun reprieve.

Turns out Sportsbet's attempt to buy Australia's most prestigious publication, The Betoota Advocate, wasn't real.

Alas, writes Crikey's intrepid reporter Cochon Truffier, the 'acquisition letter' shared by Betoota was a fake, with the whole gag played out as a tidy plug for Betoota’s new paid membership tiers.

Social Media

Roblox sidesteps teen ban as Reddit and Kick get pulled in

Canberra has widened its under-16 social media rules, pulling Reddit and Kick into the December crackdown alongside TikTok, Meta’s apps, Snapchat, YouTube and X.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald's Brittany Busch, platforms that do not take “reasonable steps” to keep teens out face fines nudging $50 million.

AI

Google eyes space for next wave of AI power

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a giant AI data centre.

The Guardian's Robert Booth reports that Google wants to trial AI datacentre tech in space from 2027, with a long-term vision of orbiting clusters of solar-powered satellites handling compute around 400 miles above Earth.

Meanwhile...

Remember Michael Burry? He's the trader depicted in Adam McKay's brilliant 2015 film The Big Short, who betted against the US housing market, predicting its collapse.

Well, now he's done the same with the AI boom. He's taken positions against tech heavyweights Nvidia and Palantir, betting on their demise.

Entertainment

The Mummy rises again

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are dusting off the adventure gear for a fresh round of The Mummy, marking their first return to the franchise in years.

Horror-hit makers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, will steer the fourth outing.

However, as Variety's Rebecca Rubin reports, Universal is keeping its lips zipped for now.

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