Mumbrella’s live blog: Thursday, May 1
Welcome to Mumbrella’s live blog, the rolling diary of everything you need to know in the media and marketing space. Refresh the page for more updates.
Top stories:
- Initiative shuffles deck appointing Lee Leggett as CEO moving Andrew Livingston to COO
- Fans call for return of Notebook Magazine
- Yahoo!7 reveals this year’s nine media agency Digital Stars
- Fairfax raids AOL London for new programmatic head
- TV ratings: House Rules launch stronger than first season
- Aegis and Interpublic Group win out global Microsoft pitch
- Ex-Grey CEO Luke Waldren new marketer for former client Sportsbet
5:19pm – After delaying the airing of documentary Once Upon a Time in Punchbowl because of claims its main contributor was a fraud, SBS has now slated it to air in June. Story here.
3:39pm – Has Fairfax got itself a uniform? And are they numbering their staff now in case they lose any accidentally?
2.53pm – Dr Mumbo reports how the AFR’s “World is fukt” front page has not only gone global but is now appearing in advertising, with Dare Ice Coffee using it in their latest Facebook campaign. Read the story here. 
2.05pm – The Federal Government Commission of Audit report is out. The Guardian is recommending the abolition of the Australia Network altogether and that the ABC should be benchmarked against its commercial rivals reports The Guardian.
12.50pm – Fairfax Media has looked internationally to find a new head for its programmatic trading offering, as it looks to squeeze more revenue from the burgeoning area.
12.34pm – Fans of the defunct female-focused Notebook Magazine have launched a campaign to bring it back more than three years since its was closed by News Corp. Story here.
12.21pm – Digital marketing firm Cohort has announced it has hired Adam Powell, former managing director of DWA, as its new head of partnerships. Full story here.
12.10pm – JWT Sydney has followed up the ‘I Touch Myself’ music video with a campaign featuring new commercials, a digital outdoor presence and radio, PR and social media elements. Read about the campaign here.
12.03am – PayPal has launched a new global brand campaign which highlights how the company is making it easier and more secure for people to pay for their purchases. Story here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z2TBnvCHnY
11:22am – The man who founded Earth Hour in 2007 when he was communications manager for WWF Australia, Andy Ridley, has stepped down as CEO.
10:57am – More movement at MFA Grand Prix winning agency Initiative today, with CEO Andrew Livingston being shifted to the role of COO, to make way for Lee Leggett, former boss of UK creative hotshop Dare.
10:27am – Microsoft has been reviewing its global media and creative arrangements and has moved its media business to Aegis, meaning UM will miss out locally, and creative to Interpublic Group. At this stage it’s not clear which Aussie agencies will take on the accounts for the tech firm.
9:53am – TV ratings are in, and Seven wasted no time in launching its next reality franchise, House Rules, which managed a 300,000 jump on last year’s debut, and squeezed out Nine’s Big Bang Theory to win the night. A full ratings wrap up is here.
9:40am – The LA Clippers have had a bad trot in the last few days with owner Donald Stirling getting banned for life for racist remarks. AdWeek has the story of the brand trying to repair its reputation, adorning its digital sites with the message below:
9:20am – SBS was the surprise winner of the rights to the new TV series based very loosely around the Coen Brothers film Fargo, but so far it’s received rave reviews from critics in the US, UK and those who’ve seen it here. It’ll be interesting to see what sort of audience it picks up for the broadcaster when it starts tonight at 8:30pm.
9:05am – Some interesting speculation emerging in the Australian Financial review today around Foxtel, with the Street Talk section mooting the possibility the pay-TV provider may be set to float on the ASX, and Telstra could bow out from it leaving the field clear for News Corp to take complete control. Analysts reckon the telco could get $4.5bn for its 50 per cent share. See the full yarn here, although it is behind a paywall.
8:35am – Mystery teasers for fans of The Simpsons, with its executive producer Al Jean telling a conference one of the bigger characters on the show will be killed off in the 26th season which starts later this year – giving the clue it is someone who has won an Emmy for their work. Read more about it in the SMH here, although be warned the first line carries a hefty Game of Thrones season four spoiler.
8:21am – Here’s a new promo for Seven News. Someone’s finally raising the big questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR1HVJ1xQqA
8:04am – Pinch, punch, first of the month and all that mallarkey. We’ll start with a recap of news yesterday that the Australian Labor Party is launching its own newsletter to be “like Crikey”, and bypass the “filter” of the mainstream media. Promises to be interesting.
