Think TV and News Media Works merge to form the Premium Content Alliance
Industry bodies Think TV and News Media Works will merge later this year to form the Premium Content Alliance.
The new industry body, titled the Premium Content Alliance, will be headed by current Think TV CEO, Kim Portrate. Michael Miller, the executive chairman of News Corp, will be the inaugural chair.
For now, the industry body is made up of stakeholders from Think TV (Ten, Nine, Seven, Foxtel and Foxtel Media), and News Media Works (Nine, Seven West Media and News Corp).
The Premium Content Alliance will be divided into three subdivisions – Think TV, Think News Brands (formerly News Media Works), and Think Premium Digital.
Think Premium Digital “will demonstrate the power and effectiveness of advertising in premium digital content to help advertisers grow their brands and deliver business results”, according to the body.
Think TV will continue its efforts to convince marketers of the power of advertising on television, while Think News Brands will produce research to demonstrate the power and effectiveness of advertising in brand-safe, trusted news environments.
Existing CEO of News Media Works, Peter Miller, will join the premium content alliance in a senior strategy role.
Other staff of the existing organisations are eligible for roles within the new super body, however external talent may be brought in.
In an interview with Mumbrella, Portrate said the coming together of Think TV and News Media Works wasn’t about rationalisation or cost-cutting, but instead came about to make life easier for marketers.
“Australia’s premium content creators have come together to protect something all Australians hold dear: professionally produced content – from news through to the entertainment programs they love – across broadcast, print and online publications,” she added via a statement.
“Ensuring the future sustainability of these treasured assets – in light of the business practices of global digital platforms – is critical today, tomorrow and into the future. It’s time to stand together to champion the value of locally produced premium content to brands.
“What we’re launching today is so much more than an organisation. We’re launching a crusade to protect something beloved by our community.”
Miller added: “Media companies today are multi-media businesses, and Australian advertisers are seeking media partnerships that provide wholistic marketing solutions. Marketers require campaigns that bring together effective combinations of broadcast, digital and news media.
“This new industry alliance will provide advertisers, agencies and marketers with clear evidence of how best to use media combinations for their product or service, in a varied range of trusted media environments.
“The Premium Content Alliance will support companies to utilise trusted media and premium content to grow their reputations, customers and businesses.”
The Premium Content Alliance inaugural board members:
- Patrick Delany, CEO, Foxtel Group
- Paul Anderson, CEO, Network 10 and Executive Vice President ViacomCBS Networks Australia & NZ
- Rod Prosser, Chief Sales Officer, Network 10 and ViacomCBS Networks Australia & NZ
- Michael Miller, Executive Chairman, News Corp Australasia (Inaugural Chair)
- Damian Eales, Chief Operating Officer – Publishing, News Corp Australia
- Hugh Marks, CEO, Nine
- Michael Stephenson, Chief Sales Officer, Nine
- James Warburton, CEO, Seven West Media
- Kurt Burnette, Chief Revenue Officer, Seven West Media
Think TV board members:
- Mark Frain, CEO, Foxtel Media (Chair)
- Rod Prosser, Chief Sales Officer, Network 10 and ViacomCBS Networks Australia & NZ
- Richard Hunwick, Director of Sales – Television, Nine
- Kurt Burnette, Chief Revenue Officer, Seven West Media
Think News Brands board members:
- Damian Eales, Chief Operating Officer – Publishing, News Corp Australia
- Chris Janz, Managing Director – Publishing, Nine (Inaugural Chair)
- Nathan Cave, Chief Advertising Officer, Seven West Media
Think Premium Digital board members:
- Nev Hasan, Director, Advanced Advertising, Foxtel Media
- Sophie Hicks-Lloyd, Digital Sales Director, Network 10
- Neil Robinson, Managing Director – Digital, News Corp Australia
- Nick Young, Director of Sales – Digital, Nine
- Gereurd Roberts, Chief Digital Officer, Seven West Media (Inaugural Chair)
How’s that gender balance working out for you?
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It’s very amusing they’ve called it the “Premium Content Alliance” and yet the tree diagram they provided looks anything but premium…
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If you wanna know why these mediums may be struggling so badly, just look at the makeup of those boards. Representative of the vested interests and status quo which has held them back for the last decade. As a media buyer I’ll wait with bated breath for more of the self-serving ‘research’ to come from this group…
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Aka the no women club. Cmon fellas.
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Wow, so dynamic! So fresh! Congratulations on convincing the market to back dinosaurs of media brands with 5% female representation in total across the Board and three sub-boards.
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Sorry but a lot of smoke in that room, looks more like blended sales teams than anything else.
The Australian market may be sophisticated but our best people aren’t being utilised in smart initiatives
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Two major issues
1. The board is a sausage feat. Zero woman at PCA. No younger people. No ethnic diversity.
2. More of an issue is the board has NO external influence. This is bad corporate governance.
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More like Pre”Man” Content Alliance…amirite media peeps??!!
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This isn’t about growth or even an attempt at something new, it’s about survival. Any of the puff generated by these groups will immediately lack any credibility in market. How stupid do these arrogant outdated executives think the ad industry is? It’ll all be tired spin and the approach comes across as entitled and desperate. Aussie publishers were once world leaders and to watch them continue to behave like this, to the detriment of everyone but themselves, is so sad.
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#boysclub culture continues for FTA
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Most alarming thing about this is it shows the self awareness of this group is basically zero – they’re very comfortable with a maintenance of the status quo in all ways.
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Quite a few board companies of the IAB coming together for this – does this mean they will move in a different direction? Does the IAB just become a measurement body?
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The composition of this board is exactly why FTA cannot remain relevant in a modern world. What a waste of time.
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What the heck is that clip art? Shocking
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What a complete and utter sausage fest joke.
I’m sure Facebook and Google are laughing their heads off.
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As a former employee, I can assure you that Clip Art is still widely used at News Corp.
Also, when you turn on their computers, that little paperclip guy pops up and assures you that climate change is liberal garbage.
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And let’s be clear, they think their is nothing wrong with this. Lots of very senior, strong and smart women at these companies but again these men only want to be in the spot light. Imagine having a different point of view on a board… that might mean they won’t have their names and faces in the press at all times. Sad we are still here.
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Need younger neutral/non bias executives on this. Former or current trade journalists or more independent industry types makes sense and gives some credibility instead of the puff puff train of same old.
Kim what were you imagining with this board?
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While I agree there are very few women in this list, the groups seem to be composed of the people with the right job titles from the various member organisations.
To not include those people would probably be to not include the people that should be there.
The gender imbalance isn’t coming from the choice of board members, rather from the appointment choices within the member organisations.
Hopefully the new group will take their name to heart. The newspaper body at least comes across as a distribution method for half-truths about a specific decaying medium. What sets these companies apart is not that they print things on presses, or broadcast channels of television, but rather they produce and commission rather a lot of A-grade Australian content, and exclusively distribute a lot of A-grade overseas content as well. Much of which is consumed online.
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