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Roundup: Disney hack, Trump interview, Murdoch on print's future

Telegraph Sale, The Western Australian backlash, Grant Denyer interview, Fassnidge on TV, 'Beef' Creator on 'The Bear'

By Mediaweek AdminPublished Jul 16, 2024
6 min read
disney JpegPhotographer Shutterstock

Business of Media

Internal Disney communications leaked online after hack

Data from Disney’s internal Slack workplace collaboration system have been leaked online, including discussions about ad campaigns, studio technology and interview candidates, according to files viewed by The Wall Street Journal, reports The Wall Street Journal's Sarah Krouse and Robert McMillan. 

An anonymous hacking group that calls itself Nullbulge said in a blog post that it published data from thousands of Slack channels at the entertainment company, including computer code and details about unreleased projects. Slack is widely used within large companies for group communications about strategic initiatives.

The group’s claims about the scope of documents taken and how it obtained them couldn’t immediately be verified.  Material viewed by the Journal includes conversations about maintaining Disney’s corporate website, software development, assessments of candidates for employment, programs for emerging leaders within ESPN and photos of employees’ dogs, with data stretching back to at least 2019.

See also: Mercado on TV: Aussies Jackie Weaver and Cleopatra Coleman star in Disney’s Clipped

[Read More]

Donald Trump says ‘I’m supposed to be dead’ in first interview after assassination attempt

Donald Trump has given his first interview since he was the target of an assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, reports The Brag's Ellise Shafer.

In a joint interview with The New York Post and The Washington Examiner on Sunday from his private plane en route to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump said: “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead.”

The presidential candidate was rushed off stage at a rally in Butler, Pa. after he was struck in the ear by a bullet, the U.S. Secret Service said on Saturday. 

[Read More]

Print newspapers have 15 years left, at best, says Rupert Murdoch

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has declared print newspapers have as little as 15 years left, in a long-awaited interview on Sky News Australia, which went off-air for an hour ahead of the broadcast because of technical difficulties, reports Nine Publishing's Calum Jaspan.

“Fifteen years, with a lot of luck,” Murdoch, chairman emeritus of News Corp and founder of The Australian, said in a documentary commemorating the 60th anniversary of the newspaper.

The comment came in response to a question asked by Sky Australia boss Paul Whittaker on how long printed newspapers had before they were no longer viable.

[Read More]

Telegraph sale: DMG Media blames ban on foreign investment as it exits race

Daily Mail owner DMGT has pulled out of the race to buy The Telegraph as the auction process starts for a second time, reports Press Gazette's Charlotte Tobitt.

DMGT, which also owns the Metro and the i newspapers, feared a “protracted regulatory process” amid potential competition concerns if it won the auction and said this could affect its ability to grow its own existing business.

It also warned that a ban on foreign governments investing in UK newspaper titles passed by the last government had curbed its ability to raise capital. 

[Read More]

Global smartphone market grew 6.5% in Q2, led by Samsung and Apple, IDC says

Global smartphone shipments rose 6.5% in the second quarter, driven by Samsung Electronics and Apple, preliminary data from IDC showed on Monday, but a full recovery in demand is yet to come around as it remained challenged in some markets, reports Reuters.

Global shipments grew for the fourth consecutive quarter, according to the research firm, as smartphone makers look to artificial intelligence to entice price-wary consumers and capture a larger market share.

There is "lots of excitement" in the smartphone market, thanks to higher average selling prices and the buzz around gen AI smartphones, which are expected to capture 19% of the market this year, said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC's Worldwide Tracker team.

[Read More]

Sports Media

Brutal response to AFL coach sacking is a reminder that a line has been crossed

Adam Simpson tossed the coin, waved to the crowd and went on his way. “Let’s get on with it,” he said. West Coast gave them a scare but Brisbane were too good in the end. For Eagles fans, it was time to give thanks and move on. For others, it was a chance to reflect on how this sport is covered and how its people are treated, reports The Guardian's Jonathan Horn.

Whenever a coach loses his job, there’s usually a villain – the journo who breaches trust, the player who leaks, the board member who knifes. In this instance, it was The West Australian newspaper, which ran with a tasteless but hardly atypical front page – “See ya Simmo”, with a conga line of Ls.

The newspaper has been trafficking in outlandish, almost cartoonish front and back pages. Some are vicious. Some are quite funny. Most, like the dozens devoted to Harley Reid in the past 12 months, are pretty harmless. The editorial thought process is clear – we’ll piss off all the usual suspects on the eastern seaboard, triple our clicks and in a few days there’ll be some other outrage.

[Read More]

Television

Grant Denyer: “I was not a very authentic host”

Since hosting Deal or no Deal for 10, Grant Denyer has been surprised by the reasons some contestants have signed up to compete, reports TV Tonight's David Knox.

Yes there is the cash prize, but he has learned of deeper motivations too.

“I thought people would be frivolous with their aspirations for the money. I thought they’d be coming on to pay for a sleeve of tattoos, or some Botox, or a golden Lamborghini, or just stupid stuff,” he tells TV Tonight.

“We had a 22 year old who was born without a hand. She wanted to win enough money so she could have some prosthetics …. we’ve got people who are coming on to win money to be able to afford IVF… we had 96 year old Jack, the oldest contestant in Australian history who just wanted to win enough money to afford a push lawn mower so he can mow the lawns of the ladies houses in the retirement village

[Read More]

Panic attacks, the ‘horrible land of TV’ and the cesspool that is social media: celeb chef Colin Fassnidge tells it like it is

Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge has spoken of the panic attacks he suffered as life returned to normal after Covid while detailing the “horrible land of television”, reports News Corp's Jonathon Moran.

“I don’t buy into it that much (fame),” Fassnidge said. “I think TV, the people who run it are a horrible land of people. If you thought kitchens were bad, TV and the entertainment world, they will knife you in the back while talking to you. If I was 20, I would have bought into that and believed everything they said. But now I’m 50, I’m very sure of who I am and I know who my friends are and I don’t really need to get my arse sucked up.”

Fassnidge shared the harsh observations in the latest episode of the Mental As Anyone podcast, covering everything from his own health to family, social media and the pressure chefs endure in their line of work.

[Read More]

Seinfeld in a kitchen: Beef creator on why The Bear is ‘comfort’ viewing

The Bear is basically Seinfeld in a kitchen, and Beef is a Trojan horse, say the creators of two of Hollywood’s most successful streaming hits of recent years, who are in Australia to share the secrets of making “elevated drama” for the global market, reports Nine Publishing's Karl Quinn.

“The Bear is like a workplace comedy,” says Joanna Calo, co-writer/producer/director of the Disney+ hit.

“It really is,” agrees Beef creator Lee Sung Jin, known to all as Sonny. “There are archetypes you revisit every episode, you know exactly how each character is going to be. You know Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) is gonna be really upset and anxious, and then Neil (Matty Matheson) is gonna come in and say something funny.

[Read More]

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