Mumbrella live blog: Monday, April 7
This is Mumbrella’s live blog, a rolling media and marketing diary. For the latest updates refresh the page.
Top stories:
- Ten admits it paid for Schapelle cellmate interview
- Corby family criticises Ten for cashing in on interview
- Priceline appoints PHD after pitch
- Razorfish confirms co-founder Ian McDonald to depart agency
- Opinion: Australia’s class system for brands
- Ignite Media Brands to close as MCN takes last big client
- Fairfax says The Australian’s claims Sun Herald editor has been demoted as “defamatory”
7:04pm – There’s some good news for Rupert Murdoch as MP and sometime mining magnate Clive Palmer has said he will put aside his differences with the News Corp boss when deciding on the future of the media reform laws being discussed, according to the Australian financial review. Onya Clive.
6:01pm – So, following our story today Ten paid for the interview with Schapelle Corby’s ex-cellmate Renae Lawrence her family have hit back and accused them of exploiting the situation for “money and ratings”. See the full story here.
4:35pm – It was a bumper weekend at the box office which saw the new Captain America flick hold off The Lego Movie for top spot, raking in a massive $6m and $5.7m respectively. See the top 20 films this weekend here.
3:30pm – We’ve just updated the story about Ten paying for Schapelle Corby’s cellmate interview, with Australian Federal Police saying it is “inappropriate” for them to comment on it at this stage. See here and 2:05pm update.
3:05pm – The long-awaited season premiere of Game of Thrones has happened in the US, and is just 25-minutes away on Foxtel. But in the US the HBO Go system crashed with so many people trying to watch the show. See Mashable for more.
McDonald
2:22pm – Here’s some late breaking news, with Razorfish confirming co-founder Ian McDonald is set to leave next week, 16 years after starting Amnesia in Australia.
2:05pm – Ten has admitted to Mumbrella it has paid money for an interview with prisoner Renae Lawrence on the time she spent as a cellmate of Schapelle Corby, but says it doesn’t believe it breaches the Proceeds of Crime Act after police raided the Seven offices in February.
12:43pm – Ignite Media Brands has announced it is set to close following the departure of its last major account, with CEO Brian Gallagher quietly departing last December.
12:15pm – Bupa has confirmed to Mumbrella it has moved its creative account to Big Red, after 15 years with Clemenger BBDO Melbourne which did not retender for it.
11:10am – Here’s a sight for sore eyes on a Monday morning, Wippa (from Nova Sydney breakfast) is recreating Megan Gale’s now infamous Marie Claire naked cover…
10:41am – TV ratings are in, and it’s good news for Nine which saw The block move to top show of the night in the absence of My Kitchen Rules, with Seven splitting its schedule across various cities to play the AFL match. See the full story here.
9:50am – You may have heard by now, but Game of Thrones is back, airing today for the first time in the US and being fast-tracked by Foxtel. Ina piece in the AFR Maureen Dowd looks at how this unlikely show got her hooked.
9:33am – Last week Mumbrella’s content director Tim Burrowes had a rare treat, ‘turning left’ on a Qantas flight to business class. However, the experience has left him wondering about customer experience and staff treatment. See the full comment piece here.
8.41am – Still with the papers, and there’s an intriguing snippet in The Australian’s media diary. Traditionally, papers have an informal agreement to leave alone the private lives of proprietors. But today there’s an item speculating on James Packer and his “soft spot for models” such as Miranda Kerr. Interesting, given the closeness of returning News Corp boss Lachlan Murdoch and fellow Ten shareholder Packer.
8:25am – In The Australian Financial Review Rowan Dean has delved into the Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut ‘sex line’ execution revealed in Mumbrella last week, questioning whether it goes against the puritanical principles of a company founded on beliefs around healthy living and abstinence. To see what it’s all about check out Dr Mumbo from last week.
8:15am – Around the newspapers this morning and The Australian is claiming Seven West Media boss Kerry Stokes is interested in acquiring British TV network Channel 5, which has been up for sale for some months with a pricetag of around $1.2bn.
However, The Oz reports it could go for much less because there has been a lack of interest from local players. It could also explain why Seven has been less interested in pushing through media reforms in Australia.
8:08am – Morning all, we hope you had a wonderful weekend, and are looking forward to the week ahead. It looks set to be a busy last few days before Easter, so buckle up folks.
