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A Most Eventful Few Months For Boxing Promoters, Streamers/Broadcasters and Fight Fans

September 2025

TKO/Zuffa/Sela vs The World ... or collaborating with the combat sports world?!

TKO's/UFC's super-promoter Dana White has been notoriously vocal with his criticisms of the boxing biz world in the past, which makes his newfound involvement in the sport all the more motivating for a promoter as competitive as Eddie Hearn.

"I'm excited to cross swords with Dana," Hearn advised. "There will never be any disrespect, if I'm honest. You're never going to see me slagging him off or talking down about him. I'm excited by the challenge because I think it's a real challenge. I don't expect Dana and TKO to come into boxing and just sit in a corner and deliver some decent numbers for shareholders. I think they're going to want to have a presence and try and dominate the sport. It's the ego that they all are blessed with.

"It's good for me in many ways. ... If he really has ambitions to try and dominate the sport, it is going to be me and him duking it out. I don't think that's bad for boxing, honestly. He probably believes he can dominate boxing, dominate me, dominate everything. And I feel the same. So you've got two guys with a lot of ambition, with deep pockets and big egos. In a pleasant way, let a battle commence."

What may be a potential low blow for the sport, however, are TKO's ongoing attempts to circumvent the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which has protected fighter rights (to a considerable degree) since its creation in 1999. The act is not perfect, as is the case with most rules/acts, or whatever you want to call it old sport.

Hearn has navigated boxing for decades with the Act in place and not batted much of an eye, so naturally he's dubious or even suspicious, of the intentions White and company have with the newly-introduced Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, a TKO-backed bill which drew extensive criticism at a recent California State Athletic Commission meeting. The answer to that question, Hearn said, will provide clarity about Zuffa Boxing's future and intentions.

Eddie Hearn has some new competition in the boxing world.

This past weekend marked the first event of the long-awaited Zuffa Boxing era, helmed by UFC CEO Dana White and Saudi fight financier Turki Alalshikh. Terence "Bud" Crawford went toe-to-toe with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez to cap off the historic night Saturday in Las Vegas, with Crawford winning a unanimous decision to become undisputed super middleweight champion.

The foray into boxing has been on White's mind for several years, though ultimately it took a partnership with Riyadh Season's Alalshikh to make the ambition a reality. As a result, White and Matchroom Boxing's Hearn have now become rivals of sorts. And while the two powerhouse promoters have long maintained a friendly relationship, things did appear to shift in the lead-up to Crawford vs. Alvarez.

"Our relationship's good," Hearn said of White on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I've never had any kind of falling out with Dana. I can't stress enough the respect I have for him.

"But you can't expect me, a guy who is extremely competitive, to not want to roll up my sleeves and see who is the best in boxing, because I believe I am the best in boxing. We're the only global promotion company in the world, and I believe I'm head and shoulders above everybody as a promoter. Call that delusion, call that arrogance, or call that the truth. But that's what I truly believe."

White has been notoriously vocal with his criticisms of the boxing world in the past, which makes his newfound involvement in the sport all the more motivating for a promoter as competitive as Hearn.

What may be problematic for the sport, however, are TKO's ongoing attempts to circumvent the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which has protected fighter rights since its creation in 1999.

Hearn has navigated boxing for decades with the Act in place and not batted much of an eye, so naturally he's dubious of the intentions White and company have with the newly-introduced Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, a TKO-backed bill which drew extensive criticism at a recent California State Athletic Commission meeting. The answer to that question, Hearn said, will provide clarity about Zuffa Boxing's future and intentions.

"Why are you trying to get that Act changed or removed?" Hearn said. "The strange thing about that act is that on every [boxing] show, you have to declare to the fighters on the card the revenue of the event, which is quite unique.

"Clearly, there isn't really a problem with that in the boxing world because a significant proportion of the revenue is paid to the athletes. So maybe when there's a bigger TV deal [for TKO], the split of that revenue is not paid accordingly with the tradition of the industry, and I don't think they're going to go with the tradition of the industry. I think they will think that fighters are overpaid because [boxers] are in relation to the UFC and MMA talent."

White has already raised a few eyebrows within boxing circles in the lead-up to Crawford vs. Alvarez, boasting that he's promoted two of the three highest-selling gates in the sport's history between Saturday's event at Allegiant Stadium and the 2017 crossover spectacle between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.

While true, Hearn believes the claim to be a bit disingenuous.

"If you really want to come into boxing and call Mayweather-McGregor one of the biggest fights of all time, please. It was an exhibition. That's not a fight," Hearn said. "And by the way, Crawford-Canelo was not Dana White's fight. It was Turki Alalshikh's fight, and [White] was invited to be the promoter. Well done, well played.

"Let's not get it twisted. The work that Turki Alalshikh has done in boxing has paved the way for Canelo-Crawford. Without Turki Alalshikh, Canelo vs. Crawford never would have happened. In fact, it wouldn't have even been a fight that Dana White would have even considered or thought of making. So well done to Dana, well done to TKO. But let's give the credit of Canelo-Crawford to Turki Alalshikh, the man that truly paid up for the fight. The man that truly had the vision for two generational greats to meet in a ring. I didn't believe that fight could get made. He went out and made it."

The partnership between Alalshikh and TKO is an interesting one for Hearn, who's worked extensively alongside the Saudi money man. How will it continue to look? How much input do White and TKO actually have?

From Hearn's experience, the answer to the latter question might not be much.

"Working with Turki Alalshikh is a wild ride," Hearn said. "Dana works at a high level. Mark Shapiro, Nick Khan, all these people — they're very, very good at what they do. They're very smart, but they also like to do what they do and what they want to do. Turki Alalshikh, I'm just being straight, he doesn't really allow you to do what you want to do. He does what he wants to do, and you follow.

"I've learned over the years of working with him, your advice mainly falls on deaf ears. He's a very smart guy, and there's a method to the madness. But the traditional ways of going on sale through tickets or announcing the press conference or even announcing the fights, it's not the traditional way with him. And I think they're going to clash, but money's money, isn't it? It depends if you're prepared to keep your mouth quiet and do as you're told. I am. Are they? That's the difference for me."

All in all, Hearn believes everyone involved with this latest venture is smart, has good contacts and connections, and has the wisdom that guarantees them to succeed, at least to a certain degree.

Yet despite all White has laid out regarding his plans to take over the sport, Hearn isn't concerned with losing his position among the sport's promotional giants.

"I don't mean it disrespectfully when I say I think I'm on another level in boxing," Hearn said. "You can see that on the deliverance. When Dana does his UFC stuff, it's the same kind of passion that I probably have inside for boxing. I can't go into MMA and deliver it in the same way. Whether you think you've got a history in the sport, it's just not the same. It's 24/7, 365 days a year — live, breathe boxing.

"There's nothing I don't know about my fighters' careers. The opponents they've faced. BoxRec is the king of my browser. I've been sitting, watching, learning the sport for 40 years. It's just different."

News

Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen (Currently streaming via Netflix)

Reception

Early reviews praise the series for its gripping portrayal of the Hearns, drawing comparisons to Succession for its family drama and business intrigue, though some note a "hokey" reality-TV flair.

Boxing and sports fans have hailed it as essential viewing for its authentic glimpses into the industry, with one IMDb user calling it "brilliant" for fans of sales, sports, or the Hearns specifically.

Where to Watch

Stream all episodes exclusively on Netflix. A trailer is available on the official Netflix site and Matchroom's YouTube channel for a preview of the "rollercoaster" ride.

Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen is a six-episode sports documentary series that premiered globally on Netflix on September 17, 2025. It offers unprecedented access to the Hearn family and their Essex-based sports promotion empire, Matchroom Sport, which has been a cornerstone of British sporting culture for over four decades. The series highlights the high-stakes world of promoting major events in boxing, darts, snooker, and more, blending family dynamics, business rivalries, and behind-the-scenes drama.

Plot Summary

The documentary follows father-son duo Barry Hearn (Matchroom's founder and president) and Eddie Hearn (CEO of Matchroom Boxing) as they navigate the challenges of expanding their multi-sport promotion company.

Key storylines include: Eddie's intense focus on boxing, including high-profile fights involving clients like Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn (whose career faces uncertainty due to personal and professional hurdles).

Barry's strategies to boost visibility for sports like pool and darts, featuring rising stars such as Luke Littler.
A longstanding family rivalry that escalates both personally and professionally, adding tension to their partnership.

Appearances from other Matchroom stars like Katie Taylor and Ronnie O'Sullivan, showcasing the glamour and grit of the promotion business.

Produced by Box To Box Films (the team behind Formula 1: Drive to Survive and At Home with the Furys), the series mixes raw business insights with personal anecdotes, portraying the Hearns as competitive deal-makers who defy traditional corporate norms.

Cast and Key Figures

Barry Hearn: Founder of Matchroom, OBE recipient, and the patriarch driving the company's global ambitions.
Eddie Hearn: Charismatic CEO, known for blockbuster boxing promotions and his larger-than-life persona.

Guest Appearances: Anthony Joshua, Conor Benn, Luke Littler, Katie Taylor, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and other athletes under Matchroom's umbrella. (Grok)

Entertainment, Pop Culture And Streaming News

September 2025

September 17

1. Hollywood Legend Robert Redford Passes Away at 89.
Academy Award-winning actor, director, and activist Robert Redford died on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89. Known for iconic roles in films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and All the President's Men, as well as founding the Sundance Film Festival, Redford was celebrated for his deep commitment to environmental causes and Native American rights. Tributes are pouring in from across the industry, highlighting his enduring legacy in cinema and activism.

2. Sean Astin Elected President of SAG-AFTRA Actor Sean Astin, best known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Stranger Things, has been elected as the new president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
The union, representing tens of thousands of performers and media professionals, announced the leadership change amid ongoing discussions about AI's impact on the industry. Astin's win signals a focus on protecting artists' rights in an evolving entertainment landscape.

3. Broadway Revival: Starry Cast for 'Art' The Tony Award-winning play Art is returning to Broadway in a fresh revival featuring a high-profile cast.
Directed by Scott Ellis, the production explores themes of friendship and aesthetics through abstract art, promising to draw crowds with its witty dialogue and ensemble performances. Previews begin soon, marking a highlight in the fall theater season.

4. 'Demon Slayer' Breaks Box Office Records
The latest installment in the Demon Slayer anime franchise has shattered global box office records, becoming one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time. Fans are celebrating the milestone, with the film's stunning animation and emotional storytelling credited for its success. This comes amid growing international acclaim for Japanese anime in mainstream entertainment.

5. AI Copyright Lawsuit Rocks Entertainment Industry
An AI company faces a major lawsuit for alleged copyright infringement in generating content, spotlighting the escalating tensions between technology and creative industries. Entertainment giants are increasingly vocal about protecting intellectual property as AI tools become more integrated into film, music, and TV production. This case could set precedents for future regulations.

Streaming Spotlight: Netflix's September 2025 Lineup

Netflix is dropping a slew of must-watch titles this month, blending reboots, originals, and classics.

Highlights include:Wednesday Season 2 (Part 2): The Addams Family spin-off continues with more gothic mystery and Jenna Ortega's sharp wit.

Charlie Sheen Docuseries: A two-part deep dive into the actor's career highs, lows, and redemption arc.

Black Rabbit: A star-studded crime drama featuring Jude Law and Jason Bateman.

House of Guinness: A lavish period drama from the Peaky Blinders creator.

New Movies: Additions like 10 Things I Hate About You, The Amazing Spider-Man duology, Bridesmaids, and the zombie thriller 28 Years Later (streaming September 20 in the US).

Other OTT platforms are also heating up:

ETV Win: Telugu short drama Forever premieres on September 21.

Disney+: Live-action remakes and sequels, including a billion-dollar grosser from earlier this year.

HBO Max: Indie films Friendship and Warfare for prestige viewing.

Other Buzzworthy Updates

Music Milestone: Andrea Bocelli directed and performed at a historic concert in the Vatican, blending opera with sacred spaces.

Gaming & Anime Events: The Origin Summit features entertainment titans like BLACKPINK's label CEO and BTS/HYBE execs discussing AI, blockchain, and the $80T IP market.

TV Premieres: Fall lineup includes The Morning Show Season 4, Stranger Things updates, and new series like Chad Powers and Boston Blue.

Theater & Events: FirstBank sponsors the Calabar Entertainment Conference in Nigeria, focusing on African media growth.

In Japan, the live-action 5 Centimeters per Second film held its completion screening with stars like Hokuto Matsumura and Mitsuki Takahata. (Grok)

News

Movie Box Office (North America)

September 14, 2025

1. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle - $70m
2. The Conjuring: Last Rites - $26.1m
3. Downtown Abbey: The Grand Finale - $18.1m
4. The Long Walk - $11.4m
5. Toy Story - $3.5m
6. Weapons - $2.7m
7. Hamilton - $2.2m
8. Freakier Friday - $2.1m
9. Spinal Tap II - $1.7m
10. The Sound of Music - $1.6m

News

September 2025

September 15

Netflix News

Media Man: The List!

Movies: Top 10 (Australia)

1. The Wrong Paris
2. No Hard Feelings
3. aka Charlie Sheen
4. K-POP Demon Hunters
5. Unknown Number: The High School Catfish
6. The Little Things
7. Love Hurts
8. Force Of Nature: The Dry 2
9. Saiyaara
10. K-POP Demon Hunters Sing-Along

Highly Recommended:

The Beekeeper
The Running Man
Ali
Dune: Part Two
The Expendables
War
The Legend Of Baron To'a
Here Comes The Boom
Total Recall
The Mask Of Zorro
Edge Of Tomorrow
Moneyball
Happy Gilmore 2
Knives Out
Good Will Hunting
The Old Guard 2
American Made
The Dry
Gladiator
Dennis The Menace
The Fate Of The Furious
Battleship
K.O
The Legend Of Tarzan

Most Anticipated:

WWE Wrestlepalooza
WWE SmackDown
NXT Homecoming
WWE RAW
Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen

Media Man: What a month on Netflix!

Markets, Crypto and Culture

September 15, 2025

Sydney, Australia

Markets

ASX futures down 59 points/0.7% to 8804
Wall Street:
S&P 500 -0.1%
Dow Jones -0.6%
Nasdaq +0.4%
Europe:
Stoxx 50 +0.1%
FTSE -0.2%
DAX flat
CAC flat

Bitcoin -0.1% to $US115,849

Gold +0.3% to $US3643.14 per ounce
Oil +0.5% to $US62.69 a barrel
Brent crude oil +0.9% to $US66.99 a barrel
Iron ore +0.4% to $US105.90 per ton
10-year yield:
US 4.06%
Australia 4.21%
Germany 2.71%

News

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Bitcoin $116,036.73 USD +0.28%
Ethereum $4,624.75 USD -0.60%
Tether $0.9998 USD +0.14%
XRP $3.04 USD -2.20%
BNB $933.05 USD +0.18%
Solana $243.15 USD +1.40%
TRON $0.3491 USD +0.06%
Dogecoin $0.2799 USD -3.15%

Market Cautious, Mood/vibe rising!

Markets, Crypto and Culture

August 13, 2025

Sydney, Australia

Markets

ASX futures up 20 points/0.2% to 8858

Australian dollar -0.1% to 65.27 US cents

Wall Street:
S&P 500 +1.1%
Dow Jones +1.1%
Nasdaq +1.4%

Europe:
Stoxx 50 +0.1%
FTSE +0.2%
DAX -0.2%
CAC +0.7%

Bitcoin +1% to $US120,008

Gold +0.2% to $US3348.26 per ounce

US oil -1.3% to $US63.11 a barrel

Brent crude oil -0.8% to $US66.12 a barrel

Iron ore +0.9% to $US104.40 per ton

10-year yield:
US 4.29%
Australia 4.24%
Germany 2.74%

News

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Bitcoin $119,583.76 USD +0.87%
Ethereum $4,564.07 USD +8.51%
Tether $0.9993 USD -0.03%
XRP $3.26 USD +4.27%
BNB $832.17 USD +4.08%

News

Summer Break for the Crypto Market

Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market began August with a relatively narrow range of $3.6-3.8 trillion, ending Wednesday at $3.72 trillion. The support received in the area of previous peaks set in December and January suggests that this is a temporary pause to lock in profits and gain liquidity before a new surge. At the same time, however, such sluggishness is turning away the most active traders, who are used to seeing multiple rallies. Now they have moved on to very small projects.

On Tuesday, Bitcoin was again approaching its 50-day moving average. Such frequent testing of the medium-term trend signal line indicates accumulated fatigue in the first cryptocurrency. For comparison, the crypto market's total capitalisation is still moving significantly above its 50-day average, which is currently around $3.57 trillion.

News Background

Institutional investors are actively buying up Ethereum, while retail traders remain on the sidelines. SharpLink bought 83,561 ETH ($264.5 million) last week at an average price of $3,634. The company's reserves amount to almost 522,000 ETH (~$1.9 billion). However, Bitmine Immersion Tech remains the leader, with 833 coins worth over $3 billion. A total of 64 corporations now own 2.96 million ETH ($10.81 billion) or 2.45% of the total Ethereum supply.

Large companies continue to buy Bitcoin, adding 26,700 BTC to their reserves in July. Strategy bought 21,021 BTC for $2.46 billion last week. According to BitcoinTreasuries, public and private companies now hold 1.35 million BTC ($155 billion) on their balance sheets — more than 6% of the total digital gold supply.

US regulators have proposed new rules for the crypto industry. The CFTC has launched an initiative to legalise spot trading of cryptocurrencies on registered exchanges, and the SEC has updated its guidance on stablecoin accounting rules.

USDe from Ethena Labs has become the third-largest stablecoin. Since mid-July, its capitalisation has grown by 75% to $9.5 billion. Demand for the asset may have been spurred by high yields ranging from 10% to 19% per annum. The total capitalisation of all stablecoins has been growing for the seventh month in a row and is approaching $275 billion. (FxPro)

News

S&P500’s buy-the-dip sentiment helped Bitcoin

The sell-off of Bitcoin following Congress's passage of a law regulating the circulation of stablecoins and the retreat of US stock indices from record highs allowed Bitcoin bears to push prices below the lower boundary of the $116k—$120k consolidation range. When it looked like a severe correction was coming, US stocks stepped in again. Investors bought up the S&P 500 dip, and Bitcoin immediately bounced back.

Changes in global risk appetite continue to be the main driver of cryptocurrency prices. July saw a series of record highs for the S&P 500, making it a successful month for Bitcoin. Meanwhile, Bitcoin-focused ETFs attracted $6 billion, the third-best result in the history of specialised exchange-traded funds. Ether ETFs were not far behind, with a record inflow of $5.4 billion.

The situation changed dramatically at the turn of July and August. Interest in digital assets began to cool. Coinbase's Bitcoin premium fell into the red for the first time since May, indicating a decline in demand from US investors. Open interest in Bitcoin and Ether futures contracts fell by 13% and 21%, respectively, compared to Bitcoin's record high. According to Coinglass, on the last day of July, $800 million in long positions across all cryptocurrencies were liquidated.

Speculators doubt the rally's continuation, while crypto treasuries are buying Bitcoin under any conditions. On pullbacks or at market prices, ‘Strategy’ acquired more than 21,000 coins worth $2.46 billion during the week of July 28th to August 3rd. This is the third-largest cryptocurrency purchase by Michael Saylor's company since records began. The average price is the second highest in history. As a result, Strategy's reserves have grown to more than $71 billion.

The future dynamics of Bitcoin will depend on the fate of US stock indices and capital flows into ETFs. If the S&P 500's successes are temporary, Bitcoin will be forced to undergo a deep correction. If its quotes remain below the middle of the previous consolidation range of $116k—$120k, the bears are in control.

News

Bitcoin tests support at 50-day MA

Market Picture

The crypto market rolled back at the end of last week following a reduction in risk appetite in the financial markets. However, on Sunday, sentiment changed with the return of active buyers near the total capitalisation of $3.60 trillion. At the time of writing, the market is at $3.73 trillion (+3.6%). Less than 10% of the top 100 coins show gains over 7 days, among which the largest are TRON (+2.2%) and TON (+4.5%).

The crypto market sentiment index fell to 53 by Sunday morning, a six-week low, but recovered to 64 on Monday, reflecting a resurgence of bullish sentiment. However, another impressive upward move will be needed to confirm a local victory for the bulls.

On Saturday and Sunday, Bitcoin received support from buyers on declines below $112K near the 50-day moving average - the fourth touch of this curve since April. On the “buy the dip” sentiment, the first cryptocurrency recovered to $115K on Monday morning. The rebound from support is a bullish signal for the next couple of days, but the fact that it has been tested frequently raises concerns for the medium term. News Background

According to SoSoValue, net outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US amounted to $812.3 million on August 1, the highest since February 25. As a result, the weekly outflow from BTC ETFs amounted to $643 million, a record high for the past 16 weeks.

The net outflow from spot Ethereum ETFs in the US on Friday amounted to $152.3 million. However, inflows in the previous days of the week managed to keep the indicator in positive territory (+$154.3 million). The positive trend has continued for 12 consecutive weeks.

Analyst Ali Martinez says that over the past two days, Bitcoin whales have bought 30,000 BTC. According to Santiment, over the past four months, whales with balances ranging from 10 to 10,000 BTC have accumulated 0.9% of the total coin supply.

According to The Block, trading volume on centralised crypto exchanges exceeded $1.7 trillion in July (the highest since February 2025), and trading volume on decentralised exchanges (DEX) also reached its highest level since January.

Galaxy Digital warned of risks in the public company sector, which accumulates cryptocurrencies by issuing shares. The model creates systemic vulnerability and could lead to a cascade collapse.

US SEC Chairman Paul Atkins announced Project Crypto. The project’s key objective is to establish clear rules for cryptocurrencies and turn the US into the “world’s crypto capital.” (FxPro)

News Flashback

Three blows to oil in three days

Oil has been under triple pressure since the end of last week, losing more than 7% per barrel of WTI since 31 July, reaching the important psychological level of $65.

The latest wave of oil sell-offs began with the realisation that US trade tariffs from August will be higher than initially expected, as higher tariffs are associated with an economic slowdown and weaker demand for energy. Fears of an economic slowdown intensified after the release of unexpectedly weak US employment data on Friday. Over the weekend, concerns were heightened by OPEC+'s increase in production quotas, which was reflected in the markets on Monday.

After its latest meeting, OPEC+ announced that it would increase production quotas for eight countries by 547,000 barrels per day starting in September.

Considering the quota increases since April, the entire voluntarily reduced volume of 2.2 million barrels per day will return to the market. This is a rather bold decision, given the growing fear that the global economy is slowing down.

Some link such steps by the cartel to the risks of supply disruptions due to potential sanctions from the US and the EU. In our opinion, it is also worth considering the cartel's intention to regain its market share from the US in this way.

Oil producers in the US are very sensitive to price, sharply cutting investment when prices fall. At the beginning of April, there were 489 oil rigs in operation, but according to data published on Friday, this number has fallen to 410. In the long term, a gradual increase in production efficiency should be considered, but at intervals of six months, it is unlikely that there will be any sharp progress. Therefore, we can expect some US production reduction and a gradual recovery in the share of traditional oil producers such as Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UAE.

The price of WTI crude oil, which rose to close to $70 at its peak last week, has returned to the lower end of the range since early June at $65. Closing the day below 66 will mark a failure below the 200- and 50-day moving averages, increasing the potential for further declines.

If OPEC+ really plans to increase its share of the oil market, it may not oppose further price declines. The intensification of negative trends in the global and US economies could bring the price back to this year's lows of $55 by the end of September and to the lower end of the downward corridor of $50 by the end of the year. However, further trends will depend heavily on the reaction of monetary authorities and oil producers. (FxPro)

Markets, Crypto and Culture

August 13, 2025

Sydney, Australia

Markets

ASX futures up 20 points/0.2% to 8858

Australian dollar -0.1% to 65.27 US cents

Wall Street:
S&P 500 +1.1%
Dow Jones +1.1%
Nasdaq +1.4%

Europe:
Stoxx 50 +0.1%
FTSE +0.2%
DAX -0.2%
CAC +0.7%

Bitcoin +1% to $US120,008

Gold +0.2% to $US3348.26 per ounce

US oil -1.3% to $US63.11 a barrel

Brent crude oil -0.8% to $US66.12 a barrel

Iron ore +0.9% to $US104.40 per ton

10-year yield:
US 4.29%
Australia 4.24%
Germany 2.74%

News

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Bitcoin $119,583.76 USD +0.87%
Ethereum $4,564.07 USD +8.51%
Tether $0.9993 USD -0.03%
XRP $3.26 USD +4.27%
BNB $832.17 USD +4.08%

News

Summer Break for the Crypto Market

Market Overview

News Background

News

S&P500’s buy-the-dip sentiment helped Bitcoin

News

Bitcoin tests support at 50-day MA

Market Picture

Galaxy Digital warned of risks in the public company sector, which accumulates cryptocurrencies by issuing shares. The model creates systemic vulnerability and could lead to a cascade collapse.

US SEC Chairman Paul Atkins announced Project Crypto. The project’s key objective is to establish clear rules for cryptocurrencies and turn the US into the “world’s crypto capital.” (FxPro)

News Flashback

Three blows to oil in three days

Oil has been under triple pressure since the end of last week, losing more than 7% per barrel of WTI since 31 July, reaching the important psychological level of $65.

After its latest meeting, OPEC+ announced that it would increase production quotas for eight countries by 547,000 barrels per day starting in September.

News Flashback

July 29, 2025

Ethereum continues attempt to climb above $4,000

Market Picture

The crypto market lost 1%, falling back to a capitalisation of $3.9 trillion. This was a natural pullback against the backdrop of the dollar's impressive strengthening the day before. However, on Tuesday, the bulls were back in charge, bringing the market back to a level above Monday's opening but not yet reaching its peak.

Bitcoin is trading near $118.7K, unable to break through the resistance at $120K. This indecision to break out of the range is likely to continue until the market sees the Fed's key rate decision on Wednesday evening.

Ethereum rose to $3,930 at the end of the day, fell back to $3,700 on Monday, where it found interest from new buyers and rose to $3,830 at the time of writing. The last seven days have seen a fairly sharp upward trend, and if this trend continues, the price will rise above 4,000 by the end of this week.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment inflows into crypto funds last week amounted to $1.908 billion. Investments in Ethereum increased by $1.595 billion, Solana by a significant $312 million, XRP by $190 million, and Sui by $8 million. Investments in Bitcoin decreased by $175 million.

Japan's Metaplanet announced the acquisition of 780 BTC ($92.5 million) at an average price of $118,600. The company's total reserves now amount to 17,132 BTC, worth over $2 billion.

According to Blockware, Bitcoin will no longer show ‘parabolic’ rallies or ‘devastating’ bear cycles, as institutional investors have changed the market dynamics and reduced volatility.

According to Strategic ETH Reserve, the volume of the second cryptocurrency on the balance sheets of public companies has reached 2.32 million ETH (~$9.11 billion) — 1.92% of the total Ethereum supply. Bitmine Immersion Tech, associated with Fundstrat founder Tom Lee, pursues the most aggressive strategy. The company has ~566,800 ETH ($2.23 billion) on its balance sheet.

BNB, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by capitalisation, updated its historical high above $860 on Monday. Against this background, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao's estimated fortune exceeded $76 billion. According to Forbes, Zhao owns 64% of the BNB supply — about 89.1 million tokens. (FxPro)

News

Pop Culture News

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream Match Series

Million Dollar Man vs IRS
Michael Wall Street vs Billionaire Ted
Mr X vs Mr BTC
Mr Green vs Mr Cash
VKM vs Easy E
Vinnie Vegas vs Mr Corbin
Mr Corp Merch vs Mr Freelance
Masked Superstar vs John McAfee
Sid Justice vs Mr Blood Diamond
Mr Bluey Chipper vs Street Fighter - King Of The Streets Stipulation
Mr Dotcom vs Mr Wiki
Mr Gold vs Mr Green - Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Khan vs Khan - Winner Take All Match
Mr Wolff vs The Cleaner
Mr News vs Mr Vice - U.S Market Footprint Stipulation
Mr Paramount vs Mr Netflix
Mr ESPN vs Mr Fox
Mr Kross vs Mr H

News Flashback

July 29, 2025

Ethereum continues attempt to climb above $4,000

Market Picture

News Background

Japan's Metaplanet announced the acquisition of 780 BTC ($92.5 million) at an average price of $118,600. The company's total reserves now amount to 17,132 BTC, worth over $2 billion.

According to Blockware, Bitcoin will no longer show ‘parabolic’ rallies or ‘devastating’ bear cycles, as institutional investors have changed the market dynamics and reduced volatility.

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Pop Culture News

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream Match Series

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Cryptocurrency Movies
Documentaries

The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014) Follows early Bitcoin adopter Daniel Mross, exploring Bitcoin’s origins, its volatile rise, and the community behind it. Great for understanding Bitcoin’s early days and its potential to disrupt finance.

Banking on Bitcoin (2016) Examines Bitcoin’s history, ideological roots, and impact on global financial systems through interviews with pioneers and experts. A solid primer for newcomers.

Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the Future of the Internet (2020)

Directed by Torsten Hoffmann, this documentary dives into blockchain’s broader applications beyond cryptocurrency, addressing scalability and regulatory challenges. Ideal for those interested in blockchain’s transformative potential.

Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain (2018) Narrated by Rosario Dawson, it explores blockchain’s societal impact, from financial inclusion to voting systems. A comprehensive look at real-world applications.

Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (2015) Traces the history of money and introduces Bitcoin as a decentralized alternative, critiquing centralized financial systems. Features interviews with crypto experts.

Deep Web (2015) Narrated by Keanu Reeves, this documentary focuses on the Silk Road marketplace and its creator, Ross Ulbricht, highlighting Bitcoin’s role in dark web transactions.

Bitconned (2024) Explores the Centra Tech crypto scam, detailing how three individuals defrauded investors during the 2010s crypto boom. A cautionary tale about unregulated markets.

Feature Films

Crypto (2019) A crime thriller starring Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth, and Kurt Russell. It follows a young anti-money laundering agent investigating corruption and cryptocurrency in his hometown. Critics note its exaggerated portrayal but praise its entertainment value.

Silk Road (2021) A dramatization of Ross Ulbricht’s creation of the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace using Bitcoin. It explores his rise and fall, blending crime and drama.

Dope (2015) A coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Bitcoin as a plot device. High schooler Malcolm uses Bitcoin for a dark web transaction, reflecting its early association with illicit activities.

Bonus Mentions

Life on Bitcoin (2014): Follows a couple attempting to live solely on Bitcoin for 100 days, showcasing early adoption challenges.

Bitcoin Heist (2016): A Vietnamese action-comedy about hackers chasing a crypto criminal, blending humor and thrills.

Notes

Documentaries are generally more educational, focusing on Bitcoin’s history, blockchain technology, and real-world implications. They’re great for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Feature films often dramatize crypto’s association with crime or scams, sometimes oversimplifying or exaggerating for effect. They prioritize entertainment over accuracy.

For a deeper dive, check streaming platforms like Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or YouTube, where many of these are available.

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Wall Street (Movie)

Wall Street (1987), directed by Oliver Stone, is a drama about ambition and greed in the 1980s financial world. It follows Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young stockbroker desperate to succeed, who gets entangled with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a ruthless corporate raider. Gekko’s mantra, “Greed is good,” drives the story as Bud is lured into insider trading and unethical deals, compromising his morals for wealth and power. The film explores themes of capitalism, loyalty, and betrayal, with Bud navigating pressures from Gekko, his father (Martin Sheen), and his own conscience.

Key Details:

Cast: Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Charlie Sheen (Bud Fox), Daryl Hannah (Darien Taylor), Martin Sheen (Carl Fox). Runtime: 2h 6m. Genre: Drama/Crime. Rating: R. Box Office: ~$44 million (US).

Awards: Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Notable Aspects:

Gekko’s “Greed is good” speech is iconic, reflecting 1980s excess.

Inspired by real-life figures like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken.

A sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), continued the story.

Where to Watch (as of 2025):

Streaming: Available on platforms like Peacock or rentable on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV (check current availability). Physical: DVD/Blu-ray via retailers like Amazon.

News

Gold, copper, & silver: How metals are moving this year

Metal futures have made some pretty dramatic moves lately from safe haven gold to tariff sensitive copper. So let's take a look at the longer term trends. I'm Jared Blikre, host of Stocks in Translation. And I'm going to start by charting some of the moves in Dr. Copper because this is where we have the most zig and zags over the last 25 years. So this goes back to the beginning of the century and we can see right now, we're at $5.51 per pound. That is a record high. But if we go back to the beginning of the century, guess what? Uh we had a little bit of a slump in the wake of the dot com boom and then bust, but starting in 2003, we saw a big rise there. And that was as China actually joined the World Trade Organization or the WTO. That lasted into the global financial crisis. Then we had a pretty big bust in in Dr. Copper, and then we had another rise. And that rise was due to unprecedented stimulus, not only from the Chinese government, but also from the United States government, QE was in force, and then we saw kind of a strong dollar play. That weighed on this metal all the way into the beginning of 2016. The entire world, most of the world indices went through a bear market in 2015, and then 2016, we found the footing. And that was actually the year that Trump won, began his first presidency. And from there, we saw some zig and zags, and then we saw a shock into the pandemic. A couple of, a couple of years of deflation or a semi-deflation, disinflation, that caught up with it in 2022, but then it was off to the races again. And especially with the Trump tariffs now on copper, threatening to be threatening to be 50% on August 1st, we're seeing a lot of front running in this trade. Now, I also want to show you gold futures and I'm going to show you silver as well. And they follow a very similar pattern. We're not seeing the dramatic zig and zags that we did in copper, but we did see the same pattern of China joining the WTO, contributing to that huge rise in price to 1800, almost $2,000 an ounce by the beginning of the global financial crisis. So a little bit of a meltdown there. But in 2016 into 2018, we saw a bit of a rise into the pandemic, a little bit of a whipsaw there, and consolidation over a few years. Again, that 2022 bare market in US stocks that contributed to some deflation and disinflation globally, supply chain chain shocks came into force again, and then we saw this huge rise beginning in late 2023, and we are now at 3353. We've seen a high of as much as $3,500 per ounce. And gold is kind of unique among the precious metals and also the industrial metals, and this is because central banks have been a huge determining force in their buying of it. This is a bar chart that shows central bank buying in tons going back all the way to 2010. And what you notice here is the last three years, 2022, 2023, 2024, all of those had gold being bought by central banks of in the amount of over 1,000 tons. And so that's a pretty big dramatic increase from the prior years. And this has to do with the ongoing dedollarization in China, as well as Russia, but also a host of other countries, even some in western and eastern Europe. So this is a trend that we want to follow. Uh, I want to close out here with silver, and I'm going to just chart the price action. Again, very similar chart to gold and copper in terms of the big movements here. We saw a big price spike into almost $50 per ounce, and that was just as the global financial crisis was getting underway. And then the QE area in 2011, that's when we saw that high. Then we saw a dramatic, dramatic crash into 2016, kind of found its footing, saw a big squeeze in the early pandemic, 2020 was a great year for silver, but then we saw a little bit of a fallout. And again, silver is on the rise here at $38. It's still off of that $50 record high, but it is increasing very quickly. To round out the conversation, I want to just put on a table here. I have all three medals and just kind of grouping them together. I want to display how they are moving with their specific patterns with a trigger, and then to tell you which one of these is featured in these specific criteria. So here, under the pattern, we have acceleration. So that would be an economic acceleration. The trigger would be liquidity. And when that happens, we see all metals benefiting from that. And then when there's a safe haven scare, and that trigger would be a crisis of some sorts, you're going to see gold and silver outperforming the most, kind of leaving Dr. Copper behind. And then here's a bearish one, industrial drags, that affects copper disproportionately here, and the trigger there is typically a stronger US dollar because the US dollar surges when global global industrials tend to drag, and that's because the US is the least dirty shirt in the laundry basket of the world. And then finally here, we have a policy shock. This will affect all three medals, but especially copper and gold here. Um, arguably, the biggest reason is tariffs and debt, and we've seen both of those contribute to silver rising. So we could put all three in that basket as well. But when you put it all together, we have the perfect explosive mix for all three of these metals, including palladium and also platinum, which we didn't get to have time for, but all of these are experiencing huge thrust in 2025. And we'll have to see how these tariffs play out, especially on Dr. Copper with respect to that August 1st deadline. Remember, 50% there. So tune into Stocks in Translation for more jargon busting deep dives, new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Yahoo Finances website, or wherever you find your podcast. (Transcript from Yahoo! Finance podcast)

News

Best Quotes

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." — Benjamin Franklin

"Bottoms in the investment world don't end with four-year lows; they end with 10- or 15-year lows." — Jim Rogers

Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful." — Warren Buffett

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"Everything is a gamble" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

Pop Culture/Entertainment/Movies/Trends/Buzz

Media Man Watercooler

Very Early Bird Edition

Pro Wrestling News Domination By WWE: John Cena, Logan Paul, Miz, Karrion Kross, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, VKM, Rock and a cast of characters

August 9, 2025

News

The World Said Final Goodbye To Hulk Hogan; Tributes; Positive Based News Grasps Headlines As Fans, Insiders, Friends And Associates Share Personal Stories; The Legend Lives On! Real American Freestyle Wrestling Continues Under Izzy, Chad Bronstein, Eric Bischoff, Left Lane Capital and Elite Team

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Triplemania 33 Sees WWE's Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano Shine; WWE's Triple H Advises Show Will Be Broadcast via YouTube on August 16

UFC: Australia - Ulberg vs Reyes - September 27, 2025

WWE Clash In Paris - John Cena vs Logan Paul, Naomi vs Stephanie Vaquer - August 31, 2025. Paris La Défense Arena

Movie Box Office:

Weapons opens with $40M
Freakier Friday opens with $30M +
The Naked Gun performing stronly
Bad Guys 2 very solid

The Fantastic Four: First Steps dipping

Superman movie slipping after much hyped campaign

Jurassic World: Rebirth Set To Exceed $600m Global Takings

Business: Skydance merger with Paramount Global - $8B dollar deal! Less woke under revamp!

Good jeans coming in in movie and TV product placement?! Sydney to Hollywood and beyond! Copycat campaigns from others started!

Coming Soon:

Nobody 2 - August 14, 2025
War 2 - August 14, 2025
Eddington - August 21, 2025
Kangaroo Island - August 21, 2025
The Naked Gun - August 21, 2025
The Long Walk - September 11, 2025
Kangaroo - September 18, 2025
The Smashing Machine - August 2, 2025
Tron: Ares - October 10, 2025

News

Most Anticipated Movie?

Coyote vs. Acme - Ketch Entertainment Comes To Warner Bros. Rescue, so to speak ... Looney Tunes And John Cena Fans Rejoice!
August 28, 2026 (at this stage)

Netflix Rankings: Summary
Movies
1. Happy Gilmore 2
2. K-Pop: Demon Hunters
3. My Oxford Year
4. Happy Gilmore
5. Gladiator 2
6. Trainwreck: Storm Area 51
7. Hotel Translvania 3
8. Flight Plan
9. Rampage
10. Madea's Destination Wedding

Series
1. Untamed
2. The Hunting Wives
3. Amy Bradley Is Missing
4. Son Of Sam Tapes
5. The Sandman
6. Wednesday
7. Leanna
8. WWE RAW
9. WWE: Unreal
10. Ms. Rachel

others ..
Sullivan's Crossing: S2
Too Much: S1

News

WWE SummerSlam Contender For Wrestling PLE Of The Year

WWE SummerSlam
The Biggest Party Of The Summer
August 2 and 3!
The First Ever 2-Night SummerSlam
Killer Action, Drama, Creative Storytelling And More!!!
Cena vs Rhodes - WWE Title
CM Punk vs Gunther - World Heavyweight Title
Randy Orton and Jelly Roll vs Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul
Solo Siko vs Jacob Fatu - Steel Cage Match
Roman Reigns and Jey Uso vs Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed
Karrion Kross vs Sami Zayn - Grudge Match. "Say It"! KK
and much more!!!

Broadcasts:

Peacock in U.S
Netflix in many international markets including Australia!

*Dates may vary, especially for different international markets

*Correct to best of knowledge at time of publication

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Media Man

Brand News via Media Man

Netflix wins Media Man 'Brand Of The Month'; Runner-up: HBO (FKA MAX)

WWE wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award

UFC wins Media Man 'MMA Promotion Of The Month' award

TKO Group wins Media Man 'Entertainment Promoter Of The Month' award

AEW wins Media Man 'Challenger Brand Of The Month' award

Prime wins Media Man 'Beverage Of The Month' award

Nespresso wins Media Man 'Coffee Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-up: Claudio's Cafe

Pop Culture And Entertainment News

August 2025

Media Man Watercooler

Grappling With Culture Edition

Movie Box Office (North America)

August 3, 2025

1. The Fantastic Four: First Steps - $40m
2. The Bad Guys 2 - $22.2m
3. The Naked Gun - $17m
4. Superman - $13.9m
5. Jurassic World: Rebirth - $8.7m
6. Together - $6.8m
7. F1: The Movie - $4.1m
8. I Know What You Did Last Summer - $2.8m
9. Smurfs - $1.8m
10. How to Train Your Dragon - $1.4m

Heading For Streaming?!

Eddington
Elio
Oh, Hi!
The Home
Lilo & Stitch
28 Years Later
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
Materialists
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

Newsfeed

Robin Claim Denied for Batman Sequel

Entertainment journalist Jeff Sneider reported that Robin is featured in the script for "The Batman Part II," describing it as a bold evolution of the dark narrative from the 2022 original. DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn denied the claim, stating that only a few people have read the script and urging dismissal of the speculation. The film remains scheduled for release on October 2, 2026, with production set to begin in early 2025.

News

Upcoming Street Fighter Reboot (2026)

Overview: A new live-action Street Fighter movie, directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip), is in development by Legendary Entertainment and Capcom, with a planned release in 2026. Originally set for March 20, 2026, it was delayed after directors Danny and Michael Philippou left due to scheduling conflicts. No new release date is confirmed.

Cast:Andrew Koji as Ryu
Callina Liang as Chun-Li
Noah Centineo as Ken
Jason Momoa as Blanka
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog
David Dastmalchian as M. Bison
Cody Rhodes as Guile
Roman Reigns as Akuma
Orville Peck as Vega
Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki
Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim

Hirooki Goto as E. Honda

Plot: Details are scarce, but it’s expected to focus on the classic World Warrior Tournament, featuring rivalries like Ryu vs. Ken and battles against M. Bison’s Shadaloo organization. The tone aims to balance the games’ playful, over-the-top style with modern cinematic flair, learning from past adaptations’ mistakes.

Production: Filming is set to begin in September 2025 in Australia, with WWE stars Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns scheduled to film from September 2, with Reigns on set until late September.

Expectations: The diverse cast, including action stars, wrestlers, and musicians, suggests a bold, eclectic approach. Fans hope it captures the game’s vibrant characters and fighting spirit, avoiding the pitfalls of earlier films.

Additional Notes

Other Adaptations: Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994) is a well-regarded anime adaptation, closer to the game’s tone and often preferred by fans. Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist (2014) is a live-action web series focusing on Ryu and Ken’s early years, also better received than the live-action films.

Sentiment on X: Posts on X reflect mixed feelings about the 1994 film, with some calling it entertainingly bad but not on the level of cult classics like The Room. The upcoming reboot generates cautious optimism, with excitement for the cast but skepticism due to past failures.

Critical Perspective: The 1994 film’s campy style and deviation from the game’s tournament focus (e.g., no Hadokens or special moves) disappointed purists, while the 2009 film’s gritty approach failed to capture the franchise’s charm. The 2026 reboot has a chance to succeed by embracing the games’ colorful, exaggerated tone, but it must navigate the challenge of translating a fighting game’s minimal plot into a compelling narrative. (Grok)

News

Happy Gilmore 2

Happy Gilmore 2 is a 2025 American sports comedy film, a sequel to the 1996 cult classic Happy Gilmore. Directed by Kyle Newacheck and co-written by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy, it premiered on Netflix on July 25, 2025, and became the platform’s biggest U.S. film debut, garnering 46.7 million views in its opening weekend.

Plot:
The story picks up nearly 30 years after the original. Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler), now older and retired from golf after a tragic accident, struggles with personal issues and has turned to alcohol. He returns to the sport to raise $300,000 for his daughter Vienna’s (Sunny Sandler) ballet school tuition in Paris. Along the way, he faces his old rival Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) and contends with an energy drink mogul (Benny Safdie) pushing an extreme version of golf. The plot blends nostalgia with new challenges, focusing on Happy’s comeback and family life.

Cast Returning:
Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore), Julie Bowen (Virginia Venit), Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin), Ben Stiller (Hal L.).

New: Bad Bunny (as Happy’s caddy), Sunny Sandler (Vienna), Sadie Sandler, Benny Safdie, Travis Kelce (waiter), Margaret Qualley, Ethan Cutkosky, Conor Sherry, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Blake Clark.

Cameos: Golfers like Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jack Nicklaus, John Daly, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Paige Spiranac; celebrities including Eminem, Post Malone, Dan Patrick, Reggie Bush, Becky Lynch, Nikki Garcia, Ken Jennings, Cam’ron, Kym Whitley, Kevin Nealon, and more.

Key Details
Release Date: July 25, 2025, on Netflix (3 a.m. ET/midnight PT).

Trailers: First teaser dropped December 2024, a second in March 2025, and a full trailer at Netflix’s Tudum event in May 2025, showcasing cameos and the nostalgic tone with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone.”

Production: Filmed in New Jersey, with Sandler and Herlihy co-writing. The script was rewritten to honor Carl Weathers (Chubbs), who passed away in 2024, with references to his character instead of recasting.

Tributes: The film honors Weathers and includes a nod to Cameron Boyce. (Grok)

News

Hulk Hogan: News

Hogan’s legacy includes his role in popularizing professional wrestling in the 1980s, headlining the first WrestleMania, and becoming a cultural icon through media like “Rocky III” and “Hogan Knows Best.” His controversial moments, including a 2015 scandal involving racist remarks and a lawsuit against Gawker, also shaped his later years. He was active in politics, notably endorsing Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea ... passed away on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71. His death was due to a heart attack, as confirmed by a Florida medical examiner’s report, with contributing factors including a history of atrial fibrillation and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Tributes followed from wrestling figures like Ric Flair, Triple H, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, as well as public figures like Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who declared a “Hulk Hogan Day” in Florida, with flags flown at half-staff. Some posts on X speculated about undisclosed health issues, with one claiming his therapist suggested the death certificate might not fully reflect his condition, though no autopsy details have confirmed this. (Grok)

News

American Gladiators: News

The latest news on American Gladiators centers around its reboot on Amazon Prime Video, announced in 2025. The revival is hosted by WWE superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, with Rocsi Diaz as sideline reporter and Chris Rose on play-by-play.

The show features 16 new Gladiators—eight men and eight women, including bodybuilders, pro wrestlers, former Division I athletes, CrossFit champions, and military veterans. Notable names include AEW’s Wardlow and Kamille, former WWE wrestler Eric Bugenhagen (Rick Boogs), OVW’s Jessie Godderz (Mr. PEC-Tacular), and Jessica Roden (J-Rod).

The series will blend new events with classics like “Gauntlet,” “Hang Tough,” and “The Eliminator.” Two seasons have reportedly been filmed, though no premiere date is confirmed.

A 24/7 American Gladiators FAST channel with original episodes is also available on Prime Video, and a Live Nation tour is set for November 1 to December 21, 2025.

Concerns about potential tension between WWE and AEW talent were dismissed, with sources indicating professionalism on set. (Grok)

News

UFC Movie News

No other major UFC movie projects have been reported recently. Brawler stands out as the primary UFC-branded cinematic effort, leveraging the organization’s direct involvement and Snyder’s bold directorial style. Zack Snyder’s ‘Brawler’: Zack Snyder is directing a UFC-themed drama titled Brawler, in collaboration with UFC CEO Dana White and Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and owner of The Ring magazine. The film follows a young fighter from Los Angeles rising through the UFC ranks while battling personal struggles, aiming for a championship. Snyder is co-writing the screenplay with Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, and producing alongside Deborah Snyder and Wesley Coller under their Stone Quarry banner. Filming may include real UFC events in Las Vegas and Riyadh, promising authenticity. No official cast or release date has been confirmed, but rumors suggest Adam Driver could lead, with potential cameos from UFC figures like Dana White, Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier. The film is expected to blend Snyder’s signature visual style—slow-motion, gritty combat—with a grounded, emotional narrative, potentially setting it apart from other MMA films like Warrior or the Road House remake. A release is tentatively eyed for 2026.

Dwayne Johnson’s ‘The Smashing Machine’: Directed by Benny Safdie for A24, this UFC film wrapped filming early in Vancouver. It focuses on MMA legend Mark Kerr, with Dwayne Johnson starring. Unlike Brawler, it’s a biographical drama, not a fictional story, and has no direct UFC organizational involvement. The film has generated buzz for its intense portrayal of Kerr’s life and career. No specific release date has been announced, but it’s expected to hit theaters soon given the completed production.

Other UFC-Related Projects: Former UFC fighter Keith Jardine has ventured into filmmaking, writing and directing a horror movie called Kill Me Again, which is currently in theaters. While not a UFC-centric film, Jardine’s MMA background ties it to the sport’s community. Additionally, a Jordan Peele-produced film Him features former UFC and PFL heavyweight Maurice Greene, indicating UFC fighters’ growing presence in Hollywood.

Sentiment on X: Posts on X reflect excitement for Brawler, with fans noting its potential for UFC fighter cameos and heavy promotion by the UFC. Some see it as a fresh, grounded direction for Snyder compared to his superhero and sci-fi work. There’s also chatter about UFC’s broader media moves, like a potential Netflix deal for TV rights, which could amplify projects like Brawler. (Grok)

News

Netflix: Top 10 Series (August 2025)

Wednesday (Season 2, Part 1) - The highly anticipated return of the Addams Family spinoff, starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, navigating mysteries at Nevermore Academy. The first four episodes premiered on August 6, 2025, and it’s dominating viewership charts globally.

The Hunting Wives - A Starz series available on Netflix, this thriller has gained traction for its dramatic storytelling, landing high on the US charts.

Leanne - A comedy series featuring Leanne Morgan, noted for its humor and fresh appeal, ranking consistently in the US top 10.

Untamed - A series generating buzz for its unique premise, though specific details are less prominent in the data. It’s a top performer in global and US rankings.

SEC Football: Any Given Saturday - A seven-part documentary series diving into the 2024 SEC college football season, appealing to sports fans. Premiered August 5, 2025.

Perfect Match (Season 3) - A reality dating competition featuring singles from Netflix’s reality universe, hosted by Nick Lachey. It premiered in early August and is climbing the charts.

Amy Bradley Is Missing - A true-crime series capturing attention for its gripping narrative, ranking high in the US and globally.

Sullivan’s Crossing (Season 3) - A CW drama available on Netflix, focusing on emotional and romantic storylines, gaining steady viewership.

Love Life (Seasons 1-2) - An HBO Max anthology series now streaming on Netflix (starting August 5, 2025), with Anna Kendrick and William Jackson Harper exploring romantic journeys.

Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes - A true-crime docuseries delving into the infamous Son of Sam case, noted for its chilling archival content.

News

VideoGame Releases: August 2005 and Beyond

August 2025

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, August 28): A stunning 4K remake of the stealth classic, preserving its espionage gameplay and iconic moments.

Madden NFL 26 (PC, PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S, August 14): The annual sports title with updated rosters and gameplay enhancements.

Gears of War: Reloaded (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, August 26): A refreshed take on the gritty shooter series, optimized for modern platforms.

September 2025

Borderlands 4 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, September 12): The looter-shooter returns with chaotic gunplay, new characters, and signature humor.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (Switch 2, September 30): A tactical RPG revival, announced by Square Enix, generating excitement for strategy fans.

October 2025

Ghost of Yotei (PS5, October 2): A spiritual sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, featuring new samurai-themed adventures.

Ninja Gaiden 4 (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, October 21): A high-octane action title continuing the ninja saga, recently launched as Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound on August 1, 2025, to positive reviews.

The Outer Worlds 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, October 29): A sci-fi RPG sequel with expanded exploration and narrative depth.

November–December 2025

Few confirmed releases, but titles like Grand Theft Auto 6 were initially expected in 2025 but have been delayed to 2026.

Other anticipated games without firm dates include Hollow Knight: Silksong, Little Nightmares 3, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.

Recent News (August 2025)

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Launch (August 1, 2025):

This dual-ninja action game launched across PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox platforms, receiving strong early reviews for its intense combat and visuals. Dotemu and PlayStation highlighted its release on X, emphasizing its demon-slaying gameplay.

Square Enix Announcements (August 1, 2025):

Square Enix revealed multiple titles for the Switch 2, including Octopath Traveler 0, The Adventure of Elliot: The Millenium Tales, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (September 30), and Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. These announcements, shared via X, signal strong third-party support for Nintendo’s new console.

Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase (July 31, 2025): A presentation aired with updates on third-party Switch and Switch 2 games, providing new details on upcoming 2025 titles, as noted by IGN on X.

News

Media Man

Netflix wins Media Man 'Brand Of The Month'; Runner-up: HBO (FKA MAX)

WWE wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award

UFC wins Media Man 'MMA Promotion Of The Month' award

TKO Group wins Media Man 'Entertainment Promoter Of The Month' award

AEW wins Media Man 'Challenger Brand Of The Month' award

Prime wins Media Man 'Beverage Of The Month' award

Claudio's Cafe wins Media Man 'Coffee Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-up: Nespresso

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SEO News via Media Man: Ways to Improve your Site’s Ranking (SEO)

Ways to Improve your Site’s Ranking (SEO)

New strategies for Search Engine Optimization

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential digital marketing practice that plays a vital role in making your website visible to both visitors and search engine crawlers. The primary objective of SEO is to optimize relevant and authoritative content to assist visitors in finding solutions to their queries efficiently.

The ultimate aim of SEO is to create high-quality and informative content that increases the volume of traffic that your website receives daily. Optimizing your website involves creating and expanding your content to ensure that search engines will choose your site over its competitors.

The focus of SEO is to perfect the quality and quantity of your webpage to make sure that your website has an edge over others. Therefore, SEO plays an essential role in driving traffic to your website, which is crucial for the visibility and success of your online Business.

1. Publish Relevant, Authoritative Content

This article provides valuable suggestions on how to improve search engine optimization (SEO) and enhance website ranking on search engine results. Creating quality content that caters to the user’s needs is the driving factor of SEO marketing, and the article emphasizes that there is no substitute for great content.

The article further provides guidance on identifying appropriate keyword phrases for each authoritative content page and making use of them strategically throughout the content. Creating distinct web pages for each distinct targeted keyword phrase is advisable to enhance ranking.

The article suggests using keywords in headings, subheadings, URLs, and titles, and stressing the importance of readability and user-friendliness of the content. Using emphasis tags and strategically linking to relevant sources is also encouraged. By following these valuable suggestions, users can create SEO-friendly content that benefits the readers while improving their website’s overall ranking.

2. Update Your Content Regularly

Maintaining updated content is crucial to improve your website’s relevancy, and it is a crucial factor that search engines prioritize as well. We highly recommend scheduling regular content audits, for instance, on a semesterly basis, to update your webpages and blog posts accordingly.

Writing additional content frequently on your departmental news blog can enhance your search engine rankings by incorporating relevant keyword phrases. Brief blog posts can also be helpful if they offer specific updates related to your targeted topics.

Moreover, interlinking your related CMS webpages and blog posts can provide readers with a better understanding of your website’s content and additional information on the subject. Thus, keep your website updated and relevant to improve your visitor’s user experience and attract more traffic to your site.

3. Metadata

Website designers use metadata to provide information about a website’s content. When creating a webpage, a space between the “head” tags is reserved for metadata.

If you use a CMS website they have already filled in the metadata. However, as your content changes, it is important to review and update the metadata.

Title Metadata

Title metadata is the most important because it determines the page title that appears at the top of a browser window and in search engine results. For those with a CMS website, the web team has automated this process based on your page title. Therefore, it is essential to use well-thought-out page titles that include keyword phrases.

Description Metadata

Description metadata is a brief and interesting summary of what your website contains. It’s like a store’s attractive display that encourages people to visit. Usually, it should be two sentences long. Search engines may or may not use this summary, but it’s good to have it in case they do.

Keyword Metadata

Keyword metadata is not very helpful in improving your search engine ranking. However, it’s useful to include some of your important keywords in the metadata. You should select a few phrases with one to four words each and add three to seven of them. For example, “computer science degree” or "pop culture agency" are good keyword phrases to use.

4. Have a Link-worthy Site

Making your website popular involves efforts in developing valuable content and enhancing its search results. To achieve this, you must focus on creating informative and unbiased content that caters to the readers’ interests and queries.

Furthermore, your website might earn a backlink from other websites if it provides good value to the readers. This can improve its search engine ranking immensely, which can bring in more visitors. It is also crucial to incorporate descriptive hyperlinks in the text as opposed to generic “click here” links.

This helps in giving proper context to people who use screen readers and makes it easier for search engines to crawl your website. You can lift your website SEO performance by using appropriate keywords in your content and developing internal links. These techniques can help you build a better online presence and increase your website’s popularity.

5. Use ALT Tags

Want search engines to find your website and to make it more accessible for people who use text-only browsers or screen readers? Simply put, use alt tags to describe your media content, like images and videos, with alternative text descriptions.

These descriptions act as labels for search engines and help them identify your page better. They also provide context for those who cannot view the media directly. By making your website more accessible and searchable, you can improve its overall user experience.

News

New strategies for Search Engine Optimization

New areas of digital marketing are as changeable and require so much adaption and new-thinking as the world of SEO. Search Engine Optimization has come a long way from its beginnings in the 1990s, and the technologies deciding what is “good SEO” or not changes from year to year.

That’s why tech companies are launching new strategies aimed at long-term goals in both data-driven and relations-based SEO all over the world, by implementing tactics from both traditional PR and modern SEO and link-building.

Below, we will discuss the nature of SEO, how SEO is changing, and why choosing an agency will be the key to your SEO success.

Best SEO practices:

Find your customers with data-driven market analysis

Find authoritative marketing partners using data-driven PR

Reach your customers with high quality outreach and credible link-building

What is SEO?

In order to discuss the ways in which SEO works, it’s important to understand the basic principles on which the concept is built. SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization, and is an umbrella term for processes in which users optimize their websites in order to rank higher on search engines such as Google whenever customers search for keywords relevant to their website.

By optimizing the various aspects of a website, SEO aims to improve its ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs), thereby increasing the quantity and quality of traffic. In layman’s terms, it helps more people to find your website by increasing its digital visibility.

Why is SEO important?

There’s an old SEO joke that goes like this: A man asks a detective “Where’s the best place to hide a body?” The detective answers “Why, on the second page of Google, of course!”. In other words, ranking on the first page of Google is the key to getting traffic and therefore sales or viewings on your webpage, as few people bother to look past the first results page.

In fact, the first spot on Google is ten times more likely to get a click than results number ten, and the top three results receive over half of all clicks. That’s why the goal of every SEO strategist is to get a website into the top ten search results on Google, and preferably in the top three.

That’s why SEO marketing lives on, despite some people saying that SEO is dead. The answer is: it’s more alive than ever. It just doesn’t fit into the mold of the quick-results culture of the modern world, but it is still effective.

The evolution of SEO

SEO as a term first came into use in 1997, despite the first website being published in 1991. The coin was termed John Audette of Multimedia Marketing Group early that year, and so the hunt for the top of the search engine results pages began.

In the beginning, there were several competing names for the concept, including search engine ranking, website promotion, etc. The strongest competitor was the term “search engine marketing”, which was originally pitched as a successor to SEO. But ultimately, search engine optimization proved to be the most steadfast and all-encompassing term, while SEM is used to describe concepts like paid search marketing and advertising.

Google’s rise to power

In the 2000s, Google grew to become the search engine giant we know it as today. Soon enough, the organization was able to survive on its own. At that time, they also launched effective web crawlers and PageRank algorithms, which changed the SEO game.

Google began measuring both on-page and off-page content to decide SERP listings, forcing SEO to expand their work sphere and link-building took off as a popular tactic. Around the same time, Google also introduced PageRank scores, a website score between 1-10, which was an early version of today’s Domain Authority.

These measures were broken down further with the introduction of Google Analytics and the Google Webmaster Tools (Search Console) in 2006. Later major updates, such as Panda and Penguin in 2011 and 2012 respectively, were put in place to sort out poor quality SEO work and reward those with quality websites.

To this day, Google continues to release core and minor updates that impact the way that SEO can work. The platform has grown to be such a reputable platform that in 2022 it was estimated that Google accounted for more than 85 percent of the search engine usage, which is why it’s the platform that most SEO strategies focus on today.

The big three: Local, social, mobile

There have been three major changes in the way that people search the web, that has not been a result of search engine updates. The first of these came in the mid-2000s, when there was an adaptation toward geographical searches, which birthed local SEO. This meant that people were now searching for businesses near them, such as restaurants or car washes, media, gaming and sports agents, thus increasing the need for separate local search engine strategies. This development also resulted in the advancement of end-user data, including search history and personalized interests.

Fast-forward another decade into the 2010s, and a whole new set of searching and web-using emerged. Rather than just using the universal search-functions, users were now turning to medias such as YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social medias for news and knowledge. Most importantly for SEO, these networks became revolutionary in building brand awareness. As such, the old term of search engine marketing (SEM) became ever more important on these platforms.

As users started to bring their lives and entertainment from the big screens, such as laptops or TVs, they also began to use search engines straight from their mobile phones. This third change in user patterns led to mobile searching overtaking desktop searches in 2015, and added mobile adaptability to the list of SEO tools.

The 2020s, AI, and the future of SEO

We’ve finally arrived at our current time. The 2020s have brought with it a continued increase in digital usage and SEO is perhaps more important than ever. One of the biggest challenges the world of SEO stands before today is generative AI. Chat GPT, X including Grok, the free global access to generative AI as a search function, was released in the winter of 2022/2023, and has garnered instant attraction from both customers and competitors, including Google. It is still unclear what impact generative AI will have on SEO practices such as keywords analysis, although it is already affecting the quality of content on the web.

New strategies for new challenges

As new SEO directives arrive from Google’s updates, they also require new strategies. However, some companies have decided to create new strategies with a focus on longevity. Among new strategies are both traditional link-building and outreach including, in combination with inspiration from the traditional PR marketing sphere.

The other two strategies that they’ve developed are strongly data-driven market research and PR. The market research is a process in which the company can help customers who want to scale globally to find the best geographical place for them to start their SEO journey, based on SEO factors such as demand and competition.

The market-driven PR can build on that market research or stand alone, as a new way of reaching new marketing partners in international business circles. From these new partners, it is then possible to continue with link-building as well as traditional PR strategies. This is a unique way of piercing niche markets across the globe to attract potential customers.

How does SEO work?

Now that we’ve seen the evolution of SEO it’s time to get to the real question: what is SEO marketing actually, and how does it actually work? In order to understand how SEO works, it’s important to understand these two things: what Google wants and what the customers want. Only by doing so will you understand how you should optimize your web page.

What Google wants

One of the reasons why Google rose to such immense heights early on was due to the founders’ initiative to implement RankPage, or clear guidelines for how to rank content on their platform. Initially, the program worked by ranking content dependent on the link structure of the website, that built the foundation for the modern link building strategies. Simply put, links to the webpage acted as votes of confidence for the webpage.

Today, this concept has developed into the E-E-A-T formula, where Google ranks content based on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These measures are interpreted by what the site’s link building looks like, such as what EEAT websites include links back to their landing page. They then ensure that the webpage produces reliable and accurate information, and are most likely to answer their customers’ questions.

Ultimately, the reason why Google wants to prioritize high quality content is because happy Google customers are more likely to return to Google for more information, and therefore generating income for the search engine.

So, how does Google find and rank the webpages? They do this through three stages: crawling, indexing, and serving results.

Crawling means that Google sends “bots” or computer programs to scan through large chunks of the internet to find new or updated pages. They can only find it by going through a link.

Googles then sorts through and organizes the content and puts it in the huge Google Index – a database for webpages.

Lastly, Google serves the results by how relevant they are to the customer queries.

What the customer wants

Broadly speaking, there are three types of searches that customers make, and they can be described as Do-Know-Go. Whenever we search the internet, we either want to do something (such as make a purchase or visit a tourist attraction), know something, or go somewhere. These three types of searches can be further broken down, but these are the basic concepts.

These three prompts can help you optimize your content so that you are answering the demand of the people. By realizing what your customer wants, you can provide SEO-optimized content which is relevant and fresh, which Google will reward you for.

SEO components, or how to do SEO

So how does a webpage get to that top of the search engine results page? While there is no quick fix, SEO provides a long-term strategy which aims at doing just that. SEO incorporates several different tactics in this long-term strategy, in which there are three main components:

Technical SEO

On-page SEO

Off-page SEO

Technical SEO refers to optimization on your webpage. This can for example mean implementing site maps so that Google can crawl the page more easily, increasing the website speed, or making the site mobile adaptable.

On-page SEO refers to edits to the content that is already on the webpage, rather than the technicalities behind it. This can for example include keyword optimizing headings, producing SEO-optimized blog posts, URL and picture optimization, and adding meta titles and descriptions.

Off-page SEO, on the other hand, is part of the link-building strategy. The focus here lies on building credibility and brand awareness by for example writing guests posts and linking to your webpage on other, reputable sources. The key here is to create backlinks, which give authority and endorsement to your website, and thus giving Google a sign that you are a credible source too.

To get good results, it’s important to implement all of the tactics above in a combined effort to get Google’s attention. However, these general descriptions are only scraping the top of the iceberg of SEO. Beneath these lay a whole science of various methods and strategies to rank at the top of the results page.

Link-building

The on-page and off-stage SEO practices can also be called SEO link-building. That’s because they both refer to building a link-system which Google will reward, whether it’s by driving links to your website from other credible sources or creating a seamless link-flow internally on your webpage.

Links to and on your website act as votes of trust, credibility and authority, which is why they are a crucial part of your SEO strategy. However, the links need to be carefully and thoughtfully crafted so that they maintain the right level of relevance and credibility, which can be done through producing high quality SEO content.

SEO content

For both on-page and off-page work, SEO content plays a huge role. As mentioned earlier, Google ranks webpages depending on both their link-building and how credible, authoritative, and expert their content is. However, these two factors are not as separate as one might think: with high quality content, it is also easier to build a good SEO link-building network.

Often when we discuss SEO content, we tend to think of texts of lesser quality that are packed with poor quality links. However, due to Google’s updates, such as Penguin, poor content is continually being phased out. That means individuals and agencies are having to spend more time recruiting better writers and spending more time on content.

As we discussed earlier, SEO content needs to be adapted to both the demands from the customer (a.k.a. the searching person) and Google. That means texts need to be relevant, authoritative, credible, and high quality. These texts also need to be SEO optimized using meta-data, such as titles and descriptions, and keywords in the headings in order for Google’s crawlers to pick up better on the relevancy factor.

That being said, the research and preparation for both good and bad content remains the same – all SEO content needs proper keyword research.

Keyword research

Finding the right keywords will not only make you more competitive as an SEO user, but will also help you understand your audience better. That’s because keywords are clues to who your audience is. For example, the keywords “how to ski” and “ski maintenance” could technically be placed in the same text contextually, but they imply that we’re dealing with skiers of different skill levels.

The keywords are both guides for the link-building process and the content. When building links, it’s important that both the link, the placement, and the publishing website are relevant in the context in order for Google’s crawlers to give it a credible ranking.

There are several tools on the market for finding the best keywords, and there are also a ton of metrics for understanding how good a keyword is and what the chances are of breaking into the competition for that specific keyword. Common metrics include keyword difficulty, traffic potential, cost-per-click, etcetera.

Brand awareness

Ultimately, what these various tactics aim to do is to bring brand awareness to your website. People are twice as likely to purchase from a brand they recognize. An American study found that 75 percent of shoppers tend to go for known retailers, and nearly 70 percent do the same when deciding what search result to click on.

Doing SEO: alone or SEO agency?

As you can tell, there is a lot of information and knowledge that goes into producing and completing good SEO strategies. If you are considering adapting some SEO strategies, you may be wondering whether you should do it all on your own or hire an agency.

Without sugar-coating it, doing SEO alone is a lot of hard work. First and foremost, you got to have basic understandings of both SEO tools, Google Analytics, and good writing skills. Then you need good networking skills and a sense of price bargaining to get your links out to credible sources. On top of this, you need to stay up to date with all the latest developments within Google updates, market changes, and new technologies such as generative AI which can impact your SEO strategies. All of this can be both time consuming and costly.

If it feels overwhelming, there are a ton of SEO agencies on the market that are ready to help. Some of them focus solely on SEO content production, whereas others focus solely on technical SEO or solely on SEO link-building.

Some agencies offer entire packages, where staying SEO updated, building and optimizing webpages, link-building, content production, and publishing is included. Together with the new data-driven strategies and tactics, Media Man Group offers services that are great for both those who are somewhat new as to those who are already familiar and wanting to grow beyond.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about SEO

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a digital marketing form that focuses on creating digital visibility on search engines such as Google by improving websites’ rankings in the search results.

What is the difference between SEO and SEM?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and works with creating organic ranking improvements on platforms like Google. SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing and focuses on paid promotions and marketing on platforms like Google.

How long does SEO take?

Good SEO typically takes between 4 months to a year to see good results. However, it’s crucial to understand that SEO is a long-term strategy, that is never really finished. If you are lucky enough to rank at 1 on Google, the job doesn’t stop there: then you want to maintain that spot by continuing your SEO work.

Why do you need SEO?

SEO helps to build brand awareness, which is key in gaining credibility amongst both Google and potential customers. That’s why SEO is worth it, even if it is a long game.

Media Man

The Media Man Group is primarily and online news, media and sports management firm and website portal developer. By default Media Man developed many effective SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) techniques and strategies since their launch in 2001. SEO helped elevate Media Man websites into Hitwise "Top 10" status (entertainment - personalities) category. Media Man also offers a range of media and convergent media services including article copy, PR (public relations), text link based campaigns, product placement and endorsement, buzz marketing (via websites and social media) and brand building. The company is best known for insightful media analysis, specalising in pop culture/entertainment, streaming and subscriber television including PPV (Pay-Per-View), PLE, pro wrestling aka sports entertainment coverage, MMA (mixed martial arts), and commentary and coverage on an array of trending topics, with strong focus on X (formerlly Twitter), Alphabet (Google, YouTube, Blogger etc) and new and emerging technology and news platforms and developments. MM is both organic search and AI search friendly. Media Man is often referenced in both mainstream, niche and alternative news media stories. The company motto remains "Putting Your Name Out There".

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July 14, 2025

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Brand Of The Month'

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Tariff-stricken copper left off Albanese's critical minerals list

Resources Minister Madeleine King says the federal government has no immediate plans to add copper to its critical minerals list. King adds that Labor has a "very active watching brief" regarding copper. The nation's copper sector is under scrutiny in the wake of warnings from Glencore that its smelter and refinery in Queensland may not be viable, while the Trump administration recently announced a 50 per cent tariff on copper imports. Meanwhile, some lithium producers have cautioned the government against including the battery metal in its proposed critical minerals strategic reserve, amid a global oversupply and depressed prices. (RMS)

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Listing 'proves industry, rock art can co-exist'

West Australian Premier Roger Cook has welcomed the decision by UNESCO to add the Murujuga cultural landscape to the World Heritage List. Located on the Burrup Peninsula, the landscape is home to the world's biggest collection of rock art engravings, and its listing will provide it with additional protection. Cook says UNESCO's decision shows that industry and protected sites can co-exist, with Cook noting that UNESCO was obviously convinced by evidence presented to it that emissions from Woodside's North West Shelf gas plant on the Burrup Peninsula had no material impact on the rock art. (Roy Morgan Summary)

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Trump announces 30 per cent tariffs against EU, Mexico to begin August 1

US President Donald Trump has announced 30 per cent tariffs on Mexico and the European Union in letters posted to his social media account, with the tariffs to take effect from 1 August. In his letter to the EU, Trump claimed that the US trade deficit with the EU was a national security threat, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU is willing to take the necessary steps to safeguard its interests if the US proceeds with its 30 per cent tariff. In his letter to Mexico, Trump acknowledged that it had been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the US, but it had not done enough to stop North America from turning into a "Narco-Trafficking Playground". (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Miners shield ASX as iron ore challenges $US100

Futures pricing suggests that the S&P/ASX 200 will shed about 13 points when the market opens on Monday. The US earnings season will be a key focus for investors in the coming week, while the release of US inflation data and Australian jobs data for June will also be closely scrutinised. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.11 per cent to 8,580.1 points on Friday. Meanwhile, iron ore futures in Singapore have now risen in each of the last three weeks, prompting a rally in the share prices of Australia's major producers over the same period. (RMS)

News

Banks driving gold rush

The world's central banks have collectively purchased over 1,000 tonnes of gold annually for the past three years, which is around $US80bn ($123bn) at current prices. The latest World Gold Council survey found 95 per cent of central banks expect their peers to keep buying gold over the next year, while 43 per cent of them plan to boost their own gold reserves within that period. With the price of gold having more than doubled since late 2023, RBC Capital Markets states that some of the factors behind the 'gold rush' by central banks include gold's liquidity and its performance during times of crisis. (RMS)

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Banks and big retail extend Armaguard's lifeline

Cash transportation business Armaguard has been given a $25 million cash injection by the banks and major retailers to enable it to keep operating until the end of the year. It comes after the banks and retailers paid Armaguard some $50 million in 2024 to keep operating after its parent company Linfox stated it was not profitable and could be closed down, while it was announced in May that the Australian Banking Association and Armaguard had agreed to appoint Deloitte Access Economics to come up with a pricing structure for its operations. (RMS)

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Italy's Ferrero agrees to buy cereal giant Kellogg in $4.7b deal

Italian confectionery business Ferrero International is to acquire US cereal maker WK Kellogg in a $US3.1 billion ($4.7 billion) deal. Ferrero is the maker of the chocolate nut spread Nutella while WK Kellogg is the maker of cereals such as Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops, and the purchase of WK Kellogg marks the latest in a number of US acquisitions by Ferrero, including ice-cream maker Bomb Pops in 2022 and Keebler and Famous Amos cookies in 2019. (RMS)

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Polestar lashes lobby for 'unfounded' EV attack

Scott Maynard has accused the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries of 'unnecessary and unfounded' attacks on proposed fuel efficiency standards, with Maynard being the Australian MD of electric vehicle car maker Polestar. Car makers have claimed the standards will lead to higher prices, while Maynard claims the attack on the standards by traditional car makers and the FCAI have hindered the uptake of EVs. EV sales accounted for just 7.7 per cent of the total new car market to June this year, although Polestar's sales are up 23 per cent on the first six months of 2024.

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Victoria's gas giants fight over access to Melbourne pipeline

Viva Energy is seeking to establish an LNG import terminal at Geelong in Victoria, and is seeking full access to a gas pipeline that currently delivers gas to Melbourne. Viva's bid to get access to the congested pipeline is causing friction with other gas producers and users of the pipeline, and there are claims that the value of the Iona gas storage plant, which is located in western Victoria, will be cut if its access to the pipeline is reduced. Viva has told the Australian Energy Market Operator that it may not proceed with the import terminal if it cannot secure full access to the pipeline. (Roy Morgan Summary)

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Global freight prices tumble, but not for goods shipped to Australia

The Drewry World Container Index has halved over the last 12 months, with the index tracking freight rates for 40-foot containers on the world's most popular shipping routes. Its decline has been attributed to reduced demand for Chinese exports to the US as a result of Donald Trump's tariffs, but rates for goods to Australia are defying the downward trend, with freight rates for consumer goods shipped from Asia to Australia increasing at the start of July, and shipping companies are predicting further increases. (RMS)

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ABC board shake-up favours 'outsider'

Sources have indicated that the federal government wants to replace the ABC's deputy chair Georgie Somerset with an external candidate. Somerset was appointed to the public broadcaster's board by the former Coalition government in February 2017, and she was elevated to the role of interim deputy chair for six months following the resignation of predecessor Peter Tonagh. With that temporary role set to expire, the government is believed to be keen make its own appointment to the ABC's board; Somerset herself is said to be keen to continue in the role. (RMS)

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Win for regions as Ten, Sky ink new deal

More than three million unique regional viewers watched Sky News Regional on free-to-air television in 2024. The Ten Network has struck a new multi-year deal with Sky News Australia to continue broadcasting the latter's content in regional areas of NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Sky News Regional was previously broadcast by Southern Cross Austereo, which sold its TV licences in these markets to Ten in late 2024. Sky News Australia is owned by News Corporation. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Nova links with Diary of a CEO podcast

Radio stations group Nova Entertainment has secured a deal to add the popular The Diary of a CEO to its podcast network. The deal includes new episodes of The Diary of a CEO, plus a back catalogue of more than 650 existing episodes. The podcast is hosted by British entrepreneur and author Steven Bartlett; it has 25 million followers and more than 11 million YouTube subscribers, making it the world's second-most popular podcast after The Joe Rogan Experience. Nova Entertainment also distributes podcasts produced by News Corp. (RMS)

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Magazine empire facing likely 'split' in sale

The founding editor of Marie Claire magazine, Jackie Frank, says finding a single buyer for Are Media may be difficult, and its stable of 22 titles could potentially be sold to several buyers. Private equity firm Mercury Capital recently revealed plans to sell Are Media, and there is speculation that it could be seeking about $50m for the business. However, some media industry insiders have suggested that such a price may be unrealistic given the decline in sales of print magazines. Are Media CEO Jane Huxley notes that the company's titles now reach more than 10 million women each month via print, digital and social media. (RMS)

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New gig's just the ticket for Banducci

Brad Banducci says he is looking at how he can use technology to boost Ticketek's market share of the event sector, with Banducci having joined Ticketek's parent company TEG as CEO in March. Formerly the CEO of supermarket chain Woolworths, Banducci says there is scope to implement technology that would allow someone to share an empty seat next to theirs with a friend, or to upgrade seats at venues if they can see ones that are better and empty. Banducci says he was determined to do something different after he left Woolworths, and that he spent six months contemplating executive and board roles at public companies before joining TEG. (RMS)

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Trump rare earth call adds to Rinehart fortune

The Pentagon is to acquire a 15 per cent stake in American rare earths producer MP Materials, which operates the only rare earths mine in the US. Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart owns an 8.2 per cent stake in MP Materials, and the announcement of the Pentagon's investment has seen the value of her stake rise to $US628 million ($955 million), with news of the Pentagon deal pushing MP Materials' shares up 50 per cent. It also boosted the share price of Australian rare earth producers on Friday, with Iluka Resources up 20 per cent to $4.80 and Lynas Rare Earths increasing 18 per cent to $9.80. (RMS)

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The Pentagon's bold move to secure U.S rare earth mineral needs

The price of MP Materials' common stock surged by 54 per cent on 10 July, following the announcement that the US Department of Defense had acquired a 15 per cent stake in the company. MP Materials owns the only operational rare earths mine in the US, and the Pentagon's investment is aimed at reducing the US's dependence on imports of rare earth minerals. As well as owning the only operational rare earths mine in the US, MP Materials refines and manufactures magnets at its California operation, with rare earth metals being critical elements in the high-grade magnets that go into every modern military weapons system, jets and ships.

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Coal sector: Qld's LNP making 'right noises' over royalties

Coal Australia CEO Stuart Bocking says the peak body will continue to work constructively with the Queensland government regarding its Labor predecessor's controversial coal royalty scheme. Bocking says there have been some "some very positive noises" from Premier David Crisafulli regarding the importance of coal mining to the state's economy. Bocking has warned that the royalty scheme and rising production costs could see some coal producers collapse, given that they must pay the royalty even if they are not making a profit. (Roy Morgan Summary)

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TKO Group wins Media Man 'Entertainment Promoter Of The Month' award

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The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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Markets

July 14, 2025

ASX futures down 13 points/ -0.2% to 8548

Australian dollar -0.2% to 65.63 US cents

Wall Street:
S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow Jones -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.2%

Europe: Stoxx 50 -1%, FTSE -0.4%, DAX -0.8%, CAC -0.9%

Bitcoin +1.6% to $US119,150

Gold +1% to $US3355.59 per ounce
US oil +2.8% to $US68.45 a barrel
Brent crude oil +2.5% to $US70.36 a barrel
Iron ore +0.5% to $US99.50 per ton

10-year yield: US 4.41% Australia 4.32% Germany 2.72%

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Bitcoin $107,414.36 USD-0.25%
Ethereum $2,424.39 USD -0.60%
Tether $1.00 USD -0.04%
XRP $2.12 USD -3.32%
BNB $644.25 USD -0.61%
Solana $141.41 USD -2.13%
USD Coin $1.00 USD +0.02%
Dogecoin $0.161 USD -3.01%
TRON $0.2711 USD -0.80%
Cardano $0.557 USD -2.59%
Wrapped Bitcoin $107,341.94 USD -0.25%

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Bitcoin News

Price and Market Trends: Bitcoin is trading around $95,000-$97,000, with recent volatility after hitting $100,000 in December 2024. Analysts predict a potential rally to $120,000 by Q3 2025, driven by institutional adoption and ETF inflows, though short-term corrections are expected due to profit-taking.

Mining Developments: Bitcoin’s hashrate dropped 15% in mid-June due to heatwaves spiking energy costs, leading to a 9% mining difficulty reduction, the largest since 2021. U.S. miners now control 31.6% of global hashrate, up 50% since April 2024. Chinese manufacturers are shifting production to the U.S. to bypass tariffs and sanctions.

Regulatory Updates: Norway’s planned ban on new crypto mining data centers starts autumn 2025 to prioritize energy allocation. France scrapped a study on using surplus energy for mining, citing climate goals. U.S. tax policies remain a hurdle, taxing mined coins immediately, pressuring miners to sell.

Institutional and ETF Growth: BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) saw $1 billion in inflows last week, pushing global Bitcoin ETF AUM to $110 billion. Institutional custody solutions, like Fidelity’s, are expanding, signaling mainstream adoption.

Technological Shifts: Bitcoin.?, a greener, quantum-resistant fork, is gaining attention as an alternative to Bitcoin’s energy-intensive mining, which emits 65 megatonnes of carbon yearly. Miners like MARA are integrating renewables, with MARA acquiring a Texas wind farm.

X Sentiment: Posts highlight Bitcoin’s 93% mined supply, fueling scarcity-driven bullishness. However, debates persist over energy consumption and regulatory risks. Some users speculate on Bitcoin’s role in a potential BRICS-backed currency shift, though unconfirmed.

Cryptocurrency News

The crypto market is on the verge of previous extremes

Market Picture

The crypto market cap increased by another 1% to $3.31 trillion, reaching the threshold of increased volatility. Just above that, in the $3.40–3.55 trillion range, is a turning point, which has activated sellers and prevented the market from consolidating higher.

The cryptocurrency sentiment index is at 74, just 1 point below the ‘extreme greed’ zone and in the range of the highs of the second half of May. At that time, the market capitalisation was at approximately the same level.

Since the end of Wednesday, Bitcoin has been testing the $108K mark, but it will sell off when it touches this level. Over the past couple of days, we have seen a smooth but steady intraday uptrend, accompanied by heavy buying from medium—and long-term investors. We see this as a sign of buying by professional market participants and link it to strengthening stocks, which increases the likelihood of reaching $110K or even $112K as early as this week.

News Background

Inflows into Bitcoin ETFs continue to influence the price of the first cryptocurrency, while companies' purchases for their Bitcoin reserves have virtually no impact, according to K33. Experts warn of likely high volatility in the crypto market due to Trump's upcoming budget bill and the 9 July tariff deadline.

According to The Block, the Bitcoin dominance index, which reflects its market share compared to other crypto assets, rose to 62% after falling to 59% in May. This raises questions about the onset of the altcoin season.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the US needs a regulatory framework for stablecoins. The GENIUS Act, passed by the Senate last week, is awaiting consideration in the House of Representatives.

Barclays, one of the UK's largest banks, has banned its customers from buying cryptocurrency with Barclaycard credit cards. The bank said that falling cryptocurrency prices could lead to debts that customers would be unable to repay.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company could become the largest Bitcoin miner by the end of 2025. According to him, the company's goal is not commercial gain but protecting its assets. The company owns more than 100,000 BTC and wants to participate in securing the network to protect these investments. (FxPro)

News

Blockchain News

Institutional Adoption: Franklin Templeton’s CEO, Jenny Johnson, emphasized blockchain’s compelling advantages, predicting a rapid shift to digital asset technology in traditional finance. The firm launched a Bitcoin and Ether ETF and expanded its tokenized US government money market fund to Solana and Base blockchains.

Stablecoin Developments: The US Senate passed a stablecoin bill, establishing a regulatory framework for the first time, signaling a milestone for the crypto sector. Wyoming’s Stable Token Commission selected Aptos and Sei for its state-backed stablecoin pilot, WYST, pegged to the USD.

Corporate Investments: The Blockchain Group, a Paris-listed firm, acquired 182 BTC for $20M, bringing its total holdings to 1,653 BTC, valued at over $170M, with a reported 1,173% BTC yield in 2025. Everything Blockchain Inc. committed $10M to a multi-token crypto treasury, including SOL, XRP, SUI, TAO, and HYPE, aiming for $1M in annual staking rewards.

Regulatory Moves: Vietnam legalized crypto under a new digital technology law, aiming to position itself as a global tech leader. Meanwhile, Norway plans a temporary ban on new crypto mining data centers starting August 2025 to curb energy use.

Innovations and Partnerships: Coinbase introduced a stablecoin payment infrastructure for Shopify merchants to accept USDC. Project Eleven raised $6M to protect the Bitcoin blockchain from quantum computing threats with a quantum-safe cryptographic registry. Kaia joined the Japan Blockchain Association as the first Layer 1 blockchain, focusing on adoption via mini DApps on LINE.

Security and Fraud: Hackers, possibly linked to Israel, drained $90M from Iran’s largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, with funds transferred to addresses criticizing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The US DOJ filed a $225.3M civil forfeiture complaint against a blockchain-based money laundering network tied to crypto investment fraud.

Market and IPO Activity: Plasma, a stablecoin-focused blockchain, raised $500M in a five-minute ICO, with 10 wallets securing 40% of tokens. MEXC’s COO highlighted a surge in crypto IPOs, with firms like Circle and Gemini capitalizing on regulatory clarity.

Gaming and Analytics: PENGU Game launched on the TON blockchain as part of Pudgy Penguins’ gaming strategy. Bubblemaps V2 also launched on TON, enhancing real-time token activity tracking.

These updates reflect blockchain’s growing integration into finance, regulatory progress, and ongoing challenges like security and energy concerns. (Grok)

News

Criminal use of stablecoins continues to rise: report

Most illegal activity happening on cryptocurrency ledgers now involves the tokens known as stablecoins, according to a report released on Thursday (Friday AEST) by an intergovernmental body that develops policies to protect the global financial system against money laundering and terrorist financing. The findings in the new report from the Financial Action Task Force land just as US lawmakers and businesses are pushing for the wider distribution of stablecoins, crypto tokens that are pegged to the US dollar or some other national currency. The task force, which brings together officials from most of the biggest countries in the world, found that a wide array of illicit actors — including terrorists, drug traffickers and North Korean hackers — have stepped up their use of stablecoins since the group’s last report on digital assets in 2024.The so-called “Genius Act” that was recently passed by the US Senate aims to normalise stablecoins by bringing them under a more standardised and rigorous regulatory regime than they have faced until now. This has led numerous companies to push forward with initiatives that would give consumers access to stablecoins and knit them into the traditional financial industry. The issuer of the USDC token, Circle Internet Group, went public in early June and its share price has risen more than sixfold since then. A company tied to President Donald Trump’s family, World Liberty Financial, has released its own stablecoin project.

Markets and Cryptos

June 16, 2025

Sydney, Australia

Markets

ASX futures down 20 points/0.2% to 8532
AUD -0.1% at US64.81¢
Bitcoin +0.6% to $US105,292
Dow -1.8%
S&P -1.1%
Nasdaq -1.3%
Gold +1.4% to $US3432.34 an ounce
Brent oil +7.0% at $US74.23 a barrel
Iron ore -0.7% at $US93.85 a ton

News

Cryptos

Bitcoin $105,646.18 USD +0.49%
Ethereum $2,549.30 USD +1.19%
Tether $1.00 USD -0.08%
XRP $2.17 USD +1.48%
BNB $648.26 USD +0.76%
Solana $153.19 USD +5.96%
USD Coin $1.00 USD -0.06%
Dogecoin $$0.1752 USD -1.00%
TRON $0.2734 USD +0.70%
Cardano $0.6329 USD +1.50%
Wrapped Bitcoin $105,633.91 USD +0.49%

News

Gold 2nd Ranked To USD In Global Reserves

Gold has firmly reasserted itself as a strategic anchor in the global financial system, now ranking second only to the US dollar—and ahead of the euro—in terms of official reserve holdings measured at market value. This structural shift, outlined in the European Central Bank’s latest report on the international role of the euro, underscores how price dynamics, central bank behavior, and geopolitical realignment have collectively elevated gold’s monetary relevance.

From Inflation Hedge to Geopolitical Barometer

In 2024, gold prices surged by 30%, followed by another 30% year-to-date in 2025, briefly reaching an all-time nominal high of $3,500 per troy ounce in April. This sharp rally signals more than just a technical or inflation-driven cycle—it reflects a broader revaluation of gold’s role amid rising global uncertainty.

Conclusion: Gold’s Strategic Repricing

The ECB’s findings reflect a broader paradigm shift in the logic of reserve accumulation. Gold has not only appreciated in nominal terms—it has been reconceptualized as a core asset for monetary sovereignty and geopolitical insulation.

Its elevation to second place in global reserves is more than symbolic. It signals a growing distrust in traditional reserve currencies and a collective desire among central banks—particularly outside the Western alliance—to build resilience against political and financial coercion.

In this new global context, gold is no longer a passive relic of the past. It is increasingly being recognized as an active pillar of reserve strategy, with implications that stretch far beyond price charts and interest rate models.

News

Market Background

Australian dollar -0.1% to 64.84 US cents
Wall Street:
S&P 500 -1.1%, Dow Jones -1.8%, Nasdaq -1.3%
Europe: Stoxx 50 -1.3%
FTSE -0.4%
DAX -1.1%
CAC -1%
Bitcoin -0.3% to $US104,682
Spot gold +1.4% to $US3432.34 per ounce on Saturday
US oil +7.3% to $US72.98 a barrel on Saturday
Brent crude +7% to $US74.23 a barrel on Saturday
Iron ore -0.7% to $US93.85 per tonne
10-year yield: US 4.40% Australia 4.15% Germany 2.53%

News

Gold News

Recent gold news highlights a surge in prices driven by geopolitical tensions and economic factors. Gold prices in Dubai spiked to near-record highs, with 24-karat gold reaching Dh412.75 per gram (approximately $112.84), following Israel’s military strikes on Iran, boosting demand for safe-haven assets. Globally, spot gold hit a one-week peak at around $3,424.6 per ounce, up 1.2%, fueled by Middle East conflicts and expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts. In India, gold prices crossed Rs 1,01,540 per 10 grams, a Rs 2,200 surge, driven by safe-haven buying amid the Israel-Iran conflict. Analysts note gold’s appeal as a hedge against market volatility, with prices up 29% in 2025, though jewelry demand has weakened due to high costs. Central banks are on track to buy 1,000 metric tons of gold in 2025, marking a fourth year of significant purchases to diversify reserves. Posts on X also reflect bullish sentiment, with some predicting gold could reach $4,000 per ounce, though such claims are speculative.

For investors, gold remains attractive but experts caution against over-allocation due to its volatility. Always verify market trends with trusted financial sources before making investment decisions. (Grok)

News

Best Quotes

“Gold is the money of kings.” – Anonymous.

“He who has the gold makes the rules.” – Unknown.

“Gold is a living god and rules in scorn, all earthly things but virtue.” – Percy Bysshe Shelley.

“Gold is a deep and liquid subject.” – Anonymous.

“Gold is forever.” – Anonymous

News

Best Quotes

"Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it." - John Hersey

"In America, the president reigns for four years, and journalism governs forever and ever." - Oscar Wilde

"The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow" Rupert Murdoch

Markets, Cryptos and News Culture

Thank God It's Friday Edition

May 30, 2025

Markets

ASX futures down 23 points/0.3% to 8398
AUD +0.3% at US64.47¢
BTC -1.0% to $US105,880
Dow +0.3% S&P +0.3% NAS +0.4%
Gold +0.9% to $US3316.21 an ounce
Oil -1.1% at $US64.19 a barl
Iron ore +1.0% at $US97.05 a ton

News

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Bitcoin $106,376.59 USD -1.06%
Ethereum $2,656.66 USD +0.12%
Tether $0.9993 USD -0.18%
XRP $2.28 USD +0.59%
BNB $678.10 USD -1.57%
Solana $168.21 USD -2.02%
USD Coin$1.00 USD +0.01%
Dogecoin $0.219 USD -0.49%
Cardano $0.7335 USD -1.33%
TRON $0.2752 USD +0.41%
Wrapped Bitcoin $106,188.60 USD -1.12%
Sui $3.58 USD +0.03%
Chainlink $15.24 USD -2.09%
Avalanche $22.70 USD -2.33%

News

Ethereum Accelerates as Bitcoin Consolidates

Market Picture
Market capitalisation has changed little over the last day, hovering around the $3.42 trillion mark.

Cryptocurrencies prefer not to notice positive stock market movements as they are related to tariffs and company reports, not money supply. In addition, the dollar's exchange rate is rising for the third day.

The day before, Bitcoin retreated from the trading range's upper boundary at 110k to its lower boundary at 107k. This rest at previous highs effectively removes the local overheating of the market. As the institutional presence in Bitcoin expands, its dynamics are becoming more similar to the behaviour of stock and commodity market instruments, with less pronounced FOMO periods.

Ethereum was briefly above $2780 on Thursday morning, hitting new highs from February and the 200-day moving average. A consolidation above $2700 has the potential to attract the attention of broader traders, kick-starting momentum to $3300 or even $4000.

News Background
Bitcoin options maturing in June-July have been dominated by activity in calls with strikes of $115,000 and $120,000, Kaiko notes. The highest turnover was in contracts with expiry at $110,000, suggesting consolidation at established levels in the coming weeks.

Trump Media, a company linked to US President Donald Trump's family, will raise $2.5bn through the sale of stocks and bonds to build a bitcoin reserve. The company has signed private placement agreements with about 50 institutional investors to raise the funds.

Circle, which issues the USDC stablecoin, has updated documents for an IPO on the NYSE. The goal is to raise about $600m with the firm’s valuation of $5.4bn.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson announced a willingness to integrate Ripple's stablecoin RLUSD into its blockchain without charging fees, as a gesture of support for the XRP community.

News

Cryptocurrency News

Market Trends: Bitcoin (BTC) has been consolidating around $108,500-$109,700 after hitting a record high near $112,000, driven by institutional interest and optimism around U.S. regulatory developments like the GENIUS Act for stablecoins. However, analysts note signs of exhaustion in BTC, Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP), with ETH at $2,657.56 and XRP at $2.33. The market saw a dip on May 28, attributed to short-term corrections after rallies, but Bitcoin’s long-term strength remains firm, with predictions suggesting BTC could hit $175,000 in 2025 or even $900,000 by 2030.

Regulatory and Political Developments: The Trump administration’s pro-crypto stance has boosted market sentiment. Vice President JD Vance, speaking at the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas (May 27-29), called the administration a “champion” for crypto. Trump’s family is heavily involved, with ventures like the $TRUMP memecoin and World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin, raising ethical concerns due to potential conflicts of interest. The U.S. Senate’s advancement of the GENIUS Act signals potential regulatory clarity for stablecoins. Meanwhile, former CFTC Chair Rostin Behnam noted on May 28 that crypto markets remain unregulated without expanded agency authority.

Corporate Moves: Trump Media & Technology Group plans to raise $2.5-$3 billion to invest in Bitcoin, aiming to diversify its assets and support a Truth Social utility token. GameStop purchased $513 million in Bitcoin, reflecting a trend of public companies adding crypto to their balance sheets. Bybit established its European headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on May 29, signaling global exchange expansion.

Crime and Legal Issues: A cryptocurrency investor,:J ohn Woeltz, was charged in New York on May 24 with kidnapping and torturing a man to extract Bitcoin passwords, highlighting security risks in the crypto space.

Other Developments: Pakistan allocated 2,000 megawatts to support Bitcoin mining and AI data centers, aiming to legalize crypto and attract foreign investment. Binance’s Alpha program is reportedly impacting airdrops, and classic game MapleStory launched a blockchain version with $NXPC cryptocurrency.

Critical Note: While the crypto market shows bullish trends, the volatility of assets like $TRUMP memecoin (with 43% of top holders losing money) and ethical concerns around political involvement warrant caution. Always conduct thorough research before investing, as prices are highly volatile and regulatory landscapes are evolving. (Grok)

News

Blockchain News

Bitcoin 2025 Conference Highlights: The Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas drew significant attention, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivering a keynote, stating that stablecoins do not threaten the U.S. dollar and emphasizing the Trump administration’s support for crypto, calling it a “champion” for the industry. Jack Dorsey’s Block also piloted real-time bitcoin payments using the Lightning Network at a merch truck, marking a step toward mainstream adoption.

Bitcoin Price Surge: Bitcoin hit a record high near $112,000, with a 60% surge since Trump’s re-election in November 2024. Standard Chartered predicts Bitcoin could reach $200,000 by the end of 2025, driven by regulatory support and market momentum.

U.S. Banks and Crypto: Major U.S. banks are cautiously exploring cryptocurrencies, focusing on pilot programs and partnerships as regulators signal stronger endorsements. This reflects a shift toward integrating digital assets into traditional finance.

Global Blockchain Developments: Pakistan appointed Bilal bin Saqib as a special assistant on blockchain and cryptocurrency, signaling a push toward a digital economy.

Blockchain.com, a UK-based crypto exchange, plans expansion in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, targeting regulated African markets.

Webus International announced a $300 million financing plan for XRP blockchain integration, renewing a partnership with Toncheng Travel.

FIFA partnered with Avalanche to launch a custom Layer-1 blockchain for digital collectibles and ticketing.

Other Crypto News:
Solana is projected to reach $275 by year-end but may underperform Ethereum, which is forecast to hit $4,000.

XRP is expected to reach $27 by July 2025, following a 600% surge post-U.S. elections.

Tether plans to focus on non-U.S. markets while aligning with potential U.S. regulations.

Controversies:

President Trump’s involvement with the $TRUMP memecoin, including a $148 million gala, has raised ethical concerns about potential influence-buying.

A crypto investor in New York was charged with kidnapping and torture over a Bitcoin password dispute. (Grok)

News

ASX at three-month high; oil stocks rally

The Australian sharemarket posted a small gain on Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.2 per cent to close at 8,409.8 points. Woodside Energy rose 2.8 per cent to $22.73, Capstone Copper was up 4.7 per cent at $8.69 and Megaport ended the session three per cent higher at $13.95. However, BHP was down 0.8 per cent at $38.15 and Resolute Mining fell 2.4 per cent to $0.61.

News

News Culture: Australia

Sports

NSW Origin win draws biggest audience in years

Data from OzTAM shows that the first match in the annual State of Origin rugby league series had an average national audience of 3.8 million people. This makes it the most-watched TV event so far in 2025, and compares with an average audience of 3.4 million for the corresponding match in 2024. The figures also show that 963,000 people watched the match via the Nine Network's 9Now streaming app, compared with 760,000 in 2024. Ben Willee from media agency Spinach notes that State of Origin has been a ratings winner for more than 30 years; he adds that great-quality live sport will always rate well. (RMS)

News

Real Estate

ACCC confirms investigation into REA Group

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has formally confirmed that it is undertaking an investigation into REA Group. A spokeswoman for the ACCC has stated that the investigation is in its early stages, adding that it cannot comment any further because the probe is ongoing. REA Group has attracted scrutiny after some real estate agents complained of large increases in their monthly subscription fees for the realestate.com.au portal, as well as the cost of listing a property on the site. REA Group is majority-owned by News Corp. (RMS)

News

Last of the Mad Men steps away

Australian advertising industry veteran David Droga will step down as the global CEO of Accenture Song in September, after four years in the role. However, he intends to stay on at Accenture as its vice-chairman; Droga has ruled out starting another new advertising agency, having founded Droga5 in 2006. He joined Accenture Interactive when it acquired Droga5 in 2019, and the creative arm of the professional services firm was subsequently rebranded as Accenture Song. Its revenue has increased from $US12.5bn in 2021 to $US19bn in 2024. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Mining

Glencore moves $30b to Australia in restructure

Anglo-Swiss multinational Glencore has undertaken a restructuring in which more than $30bn worth of global assets were transferred to an Australian subsidiary, Glencore Investment Pty Ltd. These assets include coal mines in several countries and a manganese and vanadium business in South Africa. Glencore Investments already holds the group's coal mines in NSW and Queensland, and the subsidiary now has assets of about $US42bn ($65bn). Ben Cleary from Tribeca Investment Partners says the restructure suggests that Glencore is preparing for a transaction; he notes that none of its potential merger partners want the group's coal mines or its South African assets. (RMS)

News

Ellison on MinRes haul road show

Mineral Resources MD Chris Ellison and Malcolm Bundey have personally accompanied analysts and investors on a site tour of its Onslow Iron project. The tour included Mineral Resources' trouble-plagued 147-kilometre haulage road, which is used to transport iron ore from the Ken's Bore mine to a port near Onslow. The site visit took place just days after Mineral Resources issued a production downgrade for the Onslow Iron project, which prompted a sharp fall in its share price. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Services Of The Month' award

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News

Best Quotes Of The Day

"Bitcoin is a tool for freeing humanity from oligarchs and tyrants, dressed up as a get-rich-quick scheme." — Naval Ravikant

"We have elected to put our money and faith in a mathematical framework that is free of politics and human error." — Tyler Winklevoss

"You can't stop things like Bitcoin. It will be everywhere, and the world will have to readjust. World governments will have to readjust." — John McAfee

"Bitcoin is the most important invention in the history of the world since the Internet." — Roger Ver

"Cryptocurrency is such a powerful concept that it can almost overturn governments." — Charles Lee

"In the future, national currencies will become obsolete. Bitcoin will become the single global currency." — Jack Dorsey

"The future of finance is crypto, whether it’s in payments, contracts, or savings." — Changpeng Zhao

"Crypto offers freedom to the unbanked and hope to the underprivileged." — Elizabeth Stark

"The new frontier of innovation is in decentralization. Blockchain leads the charge." — Don Tapscott

"Digital currency is here to stay, and it’s only a matter of how long before governments embrace it." — Brad Garlinghouse

Crypto, Fintech, Markets, News and Politics via Media Man

March 12/13, 2025

The crypto bounces back from extreme fear

Market picture

The cryptocurrency market bounced 2% in the last 24 hours to $2.67 trillion. So far, the situation looks like a small rebound after the collapse. We should not talk about the beginning of recovery as long as the market is below its 200-day moving average of $2.83 trillion.

Sentiment in the crypto market has shifted from dread to fear at 34. The indicator was last higher more than three weeks ago, indicating that now is a good time to buy. However, it's worth paying attention to the nervous stock market before considering investments in more volatile cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin was climbing above $83,000 on Tuesday, hitting resistance in the form of the 200-day moving average. If a long-term trend line is repurposed as resistance, that's a worrisome bearish fact.

Ethereum ended Tuesday with growth and was trading near $1900 at the start of Wednesday, but this is a timid rebound within the steep peak the coin has been in since February 24th and the broader downtrend of the past three months.

News Background

CryptoQuant states a sharp drop in open interest in Bitcoin and Ethereum futures, suggesting a ‘leverage washout’ and a chance of market stabilisation. The Kobeissi Letter admits a wave of short position unwinding in risk assets after extreme fear levels are reached.

Clearstream, the post-trading arm of Deutsche Börse, will offer cryptocurrency settlement and custody services to institutional clients as early as next month, starting with Bitcoin and Ethereum. It then plans to add support for other cryptocurrencies and services for staking, lending and brokerage.

Glassnode notes that Solana fell below its realised price of $134 for the first time in three years. The metrics show the average cost for investors to purchase the coin.

According to Arkham Intelligence, on 11 March, bankrupt exchange Mt. Gox transferred 11,501 BTC (~$905 million) to an unknown address. Mt. Gox-related addresses hold a total of 35,915 BTC worth $2.89bn. (FxPro)

News

SEC vs Ripple Case: Negotiations Underway for Settlement

Recent developments indicate that the legal dispute between Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could be nearing a conclusion. Reports suggest that Ripple's legal team is currently negotiating more favorable terms related to a $125 million fine and an injunction on XRP sales to institutional investors. The anticipation of a settlement has led to increased interest and speculation within the cryptocurrency community regarding the outcome and its potential impact on XRP. (Grok)

News

U.S. Plans Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Acquisition

Senator Cynthia Lummis has reintroduced the BITCOIN Act, which proposes that the United States government purchase one million Bitcoins over five years to create a strategic reserve. This legislative move reflects a growing acknowledgment of Bitcoin as a digital asset for national economic strategy, garnering support from both traditional financial sectors and cryptocurrency advocates. Alongside this, there is an ongoing debate about the implications, risks, and potential benefits of such a reserve. (Grok)

News

Trump's Crypto Banking Deregulation

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to sign an executive order that would reverse regulations set by the Biden administration aimed at restricting banking activities for cryptocurrency firms. This move could impact how crypto companies interact with the Federal Reserve, potentially leading to greater integration of cryptocurrencies within the traditional financial system. (Grok)

News

Rumble's Strategic Bitcoin Acquisition

Rumble, a video platform and competitor to YouTube, has announced the purchase of 188 Bitcoins for approximately $17.1 million. This acquisition is part of Rumble's strategy to integrate Bitcoin into its treasury management, aiming to hedge against inflation and participate in the growing trend of corporate cryptocurrency adoption. The move reflects a broader acceptance of Bitcoin as a legitimate financial asset among companies. (Grok)

News

Trump Predicts Market Surge Amid Economic Indicators

President Trump has publicly stated his belief that the U.S. financial markets are poised for significant growth, making his comments at an event with business leaders. This optimistic forecast follows recent economic indicators showing inflation cooling to levels not seen in years, despite mixed responses from markets regarding Trump's economic policies including tariffs. (Grok)

News

Ethereum's Lowest BTC Ratio Since 2020 Triggers Liquidation Risk

The Ethereum Foundation faces potential liquidation of over $100 million in assets if Ethereum's price drops to $1,100, amidst a historic low in the ETH/BTC trading ratio not seen since May 2020. This financial maneuver is part of Ethereum's strategy to manage its treasury through decentralized finance (DeFi), highlighting both the risks and innovative approaches to crypto-asset management in a volatile market. (Grok)

News

Gold funds burst out of the blocks in 2025 as returns rocket

Australian gold funds are shaping up for a bumper year as mining companies start to capitalise on record prices, helping the stocks to finally catch up to the performance of the precious metal.

Portfolio managers were left frustrated last year after a jump in production costs held back ASX-listed gold producers from riding the rally in the spot prices to record levels. The VanEck Gold Miners exchange-traded fund climbed nearly 20 per cent in 2024 versus a 38 per cent rally for the gold price in Australian dollars.

But easing cost inflation that has plagued the mining sector for the last three years and an ongoing surge in prices has seen the trend reverse course. VanEck’s Gold Miners ETF is up 17 per cent already this year while the Aussie dollar spot price has climbed 6.3 per cent.

Local fund managers are bullish that gold has much further to run after the US dollar price climbed above $US2942 an ounce for the first time and the Australian dollar gold price breached $4500 an ounce.

Victor Smorgon Partners’ Resource Gold Fund returned a chunky 13.3 per cent in January and portfolio manager Cameron Judd believes the valuations of ASX gold stocks still don’t reflect the outlook for the yellow metal.

“Gold’s performance in times of uncertainty or crisis could see it push towards $US3600,” Mr Judd said. “Despite the strong gold price performance and fundamentals supporting further appreciation, gold miners are trading at discounted valuations on the ASX.”

Wall Street’s biggest banks believe a $US3000 price tag is imminent. Citi said it was possible within the next three months, while JPMorgan has a year-end target of $US3150. Bank of America said on Thursday that gold could reach $US3500 an ounce if investment demand rises 10 per cent this year.

The unprecedented surge in the gold price has been fuelled by investors seeking safe haven assets as US President Donald Trump unleashes aggressive trade and geopolitical policies. There are fears the president will accelerate inflation, forcing central banks to raise rates in a way that damages global growth.

Victor Smorgon’s top holdings include ASX-listed Vault Minerals and the world’s largest gold miner, US-based Newmont, which recently acquired Newcrest. The fund also owns Australia’s biggest gold miner Northern Star, which agreed to buy rival De Grey in a $5 billion deal. (AFR) *Full article and coverag via subscription to The Australian Financial Review.

News

Australia

Northern Star paying top dollar for gold rival

Northern Star has offered $5 billion to buy De Grey Mining, with De Grey shareholders to vote on the offer on 16 April. De Grey is the company behind the Hemi gold prospect in Western Australia, which is thought to hold at least 11 million ounces of gold and which is slated to produce 530,000 ounces annually in its first decade of operation. KPMG, which was engaged to provide an independent assessment of Northern Star's offer, has valued DeGrey at between $4 billion and $4.79 billion, inclusive of a premium for control. It concludes that the offer is "fair and reasonable and therefore is in the best interests of De Grey shareholders, in the absence of a superior proposal". (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

March 12, 2025

Crypto market tumbles after stocks

Market picture

Crypto market capitalisation has been falling to $2.5 trillion following the rumbling fall of the US stock market. It is dipping below the peaks of early 2024 and late 2021. Previously, a similar decline would complete a corrective pullback, attracting buyers. However, the chances of such an outcome are now lower than in previous years due to the powerful influence of traditional financial companies, which has strengthened the link between the crypto market and stock dynamics.

For now, though, we can argue that there is less terror in crypto. The Fear and Greed Index is at 24 (+4 points for the day), while the low point was a week earlier at 10.

Bitcoin slipped towards $76.5K in the early hours of Tuesday but has popped above $80K at the time of writing, approaching Monday’s consolidation levels. A bearish pattern persists on the daily timeframes, which suggests a strengthening sell-off after a failure under the 200-day moving average. The scenario of a pullback to the $70-74K area still looks the most probable for us. This is all the truer as the consolidation and rebound in early March has taken the short-term oversold stance out of the market.

Ethereum is trying to find a pivot point after falling towards $1750 at the start of Tuesday. These were the lowest values in the last 17 months. On weekly timeframes, the RSI oscillator hit its lowest point since mid-2022 - near the bottom of the bear market. Does this signify an opportunity for the recklessly bold or a breakdown in the leading altcoin? We will find out in the coming days.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global crypto fund investments fell by $876 million last week after record outflows of $2.911 billion a week earlier. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $756 million; in Ethereum, by $89 million. Investments in Solana rose by $16 million, in XRP by $6 million, and in Sui by $3 million.

As a result of another recalculation, Bitcoin mining difficulty increased by 1.43% to 112.15T. The growth did not compensate for a 3.15% drop two weeks ago. However, the figure came close to the all-time high of 114.17T reached in January.

Strategy (former MicroStrategy) intends to raise $21bn through the sale of preferred shares as part of its At-The-Market program. The proceeds will be used to buy Bitcoin and other corporate purposes. (FxPro)

News

March 11, 2025

US Senator And Congressman Introduce Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Bills To Buy One Million BTC

Speaking at the “Bitcoin for America” summit, lawmakers announced their plans to create a federal bitcoin reserve that would see the U.S. buy one million BTC.

Today at the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s “Bitcoin for America” summit in Washington DC, U.S. Senator from Wyoming Cynthia Lummis announced that she is going to reintroduce her strategic Bitcoin reserve legislation in the Senate today.

“I am so pleased to announce that today I will be reintroducing The Bitcoin Act,” Senator Lummis stated. “And I’ll be joined here shortly by Senator Justice of West Virginia, who is one of the cosponsors. And we have several other additional cosponsors. And a lot of it is a result of the excitement that’s been building.” (Bitcoin Magazine). *Full article via Bitcoin Magazine

News

XRP wins Media Man 'Crypto Of The Month' award

News

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6317 USD (up $0.0020 USD)
Iron Ore Apr Spot Price (SGX): $100.60 USD (up $0.15 USD)
Oil (WTI): $67.70 USD (up $1.14 USD)
Gold: $2,931.74 USD (up $13.03 USD)
Copper (CME): $4.8425 USD (up $0.0500 USD)
Bitcoin: $82,880.91USD (up 0.32% in last 24 hours)
Dow Jones: 41,350.93 (down 82.55 points)

News

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Company Of The Month' award

News Media

Australia

Peter Dutton More Crypto Friendly And Switched On Than Albanese (Media Man Group)

News

"Dutton A Genuine Contender" (Sky News Australia)

March 10, 2025

ASX futures are pointing up 69 points, or by 0.9 per cent, to 8011.

All US prices are as of 4.15pm Sunday in New York:

Bitcoin -3.7% to $US83,138
On Wall St: Dow +0.5% S&P +0.6% Nasdaq +0.7%
VIX -1.5 to 23.37
Gold -0.1% to $US2909.10 an ounce
Brent oil +1.3% to $US70.36 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% to $US100.70 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.3% Australia 4.4%

January 10, 2025

ASX futures up 33 points or 0.4%

AUD -0.3% to 61.98 US cents
UK pound -0.4% to $US1.2309
Bitcoin -2.9% to $US91,275 at 7.23am AEDT
US markets closed for Jimmy Carter’s funeral
Stoxx 50 +0.4% FTSE +0.8% DAX -0.1% CAC +0.5%
Spot gold +0.3% to $US2671.00/oz at 1.55pm in New York
Brent crude +1.2% to $US77.08 a barrel
Iron ore +1% to $US97.40 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.69% Australia 4.48% Germany 2.56%
US prices as of 1.59pm in New York

Movie Box Office (North America)

December 29, 2024

1. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 - $38m

2. Mufasa: The Lion King - $37.1m

3. Nosferatu - $21.2m

4. Wicked - $19.5m

5. Moana 2 - $18.2m

6. A Complete Unknown - $11.6m

7. Babygirl - $4.4m

8. Gladiator II - $4.2m

9. Homestead - $3.2m

10. The Fire Inside $2m

Media Man Scribe

Deep Dive Down The Rabbit Hole

Combat Sports - Is it both the participant fighting against his very self as well as against the competitor opposite him!

Niche Media and Alternative Media - exist because mainstream media wasn't giving the world enough of what they wanted - including the actual truth!

Pro Wrestling - is more honest that just about all other professional sports. Wrestling is up front about what it is and what it isn't.

World understanding via nature. Research the world, ancient civilizations, birds and animals.

Saltwater Wellness. We originated from water, but does it all go back to Atlantis!

Everything has an algorithm? Zeros, ones, webcode.

Energy and Frequency. Da Vinci researched straight line and curved energy and this can be seen in some of his paintings and artworks.

Some can see
Some can see when shown
Some can not see - Leonardo DaVinci

"The Matrix was a documentary" Keana Reeves

'They Live" the movie was more of a documentary" Roddy Piper

The moment a dollar or financial incentive is offered in sports it becomes professional, even if not promoted as such

"Some are consumers, some are producers and creators , and many are both, thanks in part to the advent of the internet" - Greg Tingle, Media Man Group/Media Man Australia/Media Man Int

Media Man Int

Media Man Int X

Movie Box Office (North America)

September 8, 2024

1. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - $110m

2. Deadpool and Wolverine - $7.2m

3. Reagan - $5.2m

4. Alien: Romulus - $3.9m

5. It Ends with Us - $3.8m

6. The Forge - $2.9m

7. Twisters - $2.3m

8. Blink Twice - $2.2m

9. Despicable Me 4 - $1.8m

10. The Front Room - $1.7

others ...

Afraid

Inside Out 2

Coraline

The Crow

Trap

Stree 2

Borderlands

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Cuckoo

Longlegs

The Firing Squad

A Quiet Place: Day One

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

The Fabulous Four

Fly Me to the Moon

Raayan

Bad Newz

MaXXXine

The Bikeriders

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot

Horizon: An American Saga

The Lion King

Kalki 2898 AD

Kinds of Kindness

The Garfield Movie

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Jatt & Juliet 3

Blue Lock Thee Movie - Episode Nagi

Daddio

Janet Planet

The Watchers

The Exorcism

Thelma

GHOST Rite Here Rite Now

Furiosa: A Mad Max Story

The Fall Guy

The Strangers: Chapter 1

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings

Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

In a Violent Nature

Ezra

Sight

* Correct at time of publication

Movie Box Office (North America)

August 18, 2024

1. Alien: Romulus - $41.5m

2. Deadpool & Wolverine - $29m

3. It Ends with Us - $24m

4. Twisters - $9.8m

5. Coraline - $8.4m

6. Despicable Me 4 - $6m

7. Trap - $3.4m

8. Inside Out 2 - $3.2m

9. Stree 2 - $2.6m

10. Borderlands - $2.4m

others...

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Cuckoo

Longlegs

The Firing Squad

A Quiet Place: Day One

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

The Fabulous Four

Fly Me to the Moon

Raayan

Bad Newz

MaXXXine

The Bikeriders

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot

Horizon: An American Saga

The Lion King

Kalki 2898 AD

Kinds of Kindness

The Garfield Movie

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Jatt & Juliet 3

Blue Lock Thee Movie - Episode Nagi

Daddio

Janet Planet

The Watchers

The Exorcism

Thelma

GHOST Rite Here Rite Now

Furiosa: A Mad Max Story

The Fall Guy

The Strangers: Chapter 1

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings

Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

In a Violent Nature

Ezra

Sight

* Correct at time of publication

Movie Box Office (North America)

August 4, 2024

1. Deadpool & Wolverine - $97m

2. Twisters - $22.7m

3. Trap - $15.6m

4. Despicable Me 4 - $11.3

5. Inside Out 2 - $6.7m

6. Harold and the Purple Crayon - $6m

7. Longlegs - $4.1m

8. The Firing Squad - $1.6m

9. A Quiet Place: Day One - $1.4m

10. Bad Boys: Ride or Die - $601,000

others...

The Fabulous Four

Fly Me to the Moon

Raayan

Bad Newz

MaXXXine

The Bikeriders

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot

Horizon: An American Saga

The Lion King

Kalki 2898 AD

Kinds of Kindness

The Garfield Movie

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Jatt & Juliet 3

Blue Lock Thee Movie - Episode Nagi

Daddio

Janet Planet

The Watchers

The Exorcism

Thelma

GHOST Rite Here Rite Now

Furiosa: A Mad Max Story

The Fall Guy

The Strangers: Chapter 1

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings

Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

In a Violent Nature

Ezra

Sight

* Correct at time of publication

News

Box office numbers down approx 70 percent from last year

(References: Wikipedia, Box Office Mojo, IMDb, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter)

Elon Musk’s X Files Antitrust Suit Against Global Advertising Alliance

August 6, 2024

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has launched a significant antitrust lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and several of its member companies, alleging an illegal ad boycott that targeted the platform. The lawsuit, filed in Texas, is aimed at GARM, its parent firm World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), and members including CVS Health, Mars, Orsted and Unilever.

In an open letter to advertisers, X CEO Linda Yaccarino highlighted the reasons behind the lawsuit, stating that it was a direct response to GARM’s actions which allegedly cost the company billions of dollars. “This is not a decision we took lightly, but it is a direct consequence of their actions,” Yaccarino wrote. “The illegal behavior of these organizations and their executives cost X billions of dollars” per The New York Post.

The lawsuit is seeking trebled compensatory damages and injunctive relief, according to a complaint viewed by The New York Post. GARM, led by Robert Rakowitz, is an initiative of the WFA, which represents many of the world’s largest companies and ad organizations, including Disney and Coca-Cola. Its members control 90% of global marketing spending, nearly $1 trillion per year.

Yaccarino emphasized that the issue extends beyond financial damages. “This case is about more than damages — we have to fix a broken ecosystem that allows this illegal activity to occur,” she added.

According to The New York Post, the suit argues that the boycott undermined the marketplace of ideas by financially harming certain viewpoints over others. (Credit: PYMNTS)

Full article and coverage via PYMNTS

https://pymnts.com/cpi-posts/elon-musks-x-files-antitrust-suit-against-global-advertising-alliance/

PYMNTS is a former Media Man 'Business News Outlet Of The Month' award winner and finalist

News

Elon Musk takes GARM, several companies to court over alleged advertising boycott of X outlined in bombshell report

August 7, 2024

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has taken several companies and an advertising alliance to court over allegations of a "boycott" of X.

Elon Musk has waged “war” against advertisers as his social media platform X filed an antitrust lawsuit against a global ad alliance and several major companies, accusing them of illegally boycotting the site.

X filed a suit in a federal court in Texas against the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and its members CVS Health, Mars, Orsted and Unilever.

The suit comes after a report from the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee found GARM and its members “directly organised boycotts” and employed other indirect tactics to target disfavoured “platforms, content creators” and news organisations to demonetise them.

It alleges that GARM’s boycott led advertisers to pull money from X under the guise of “brand safety” concerns.

X’s CEO Linda Yaccarino argued this tactic hindered users on the social media platform from accessing a wide breadth of ideas by funding alternative viewpoints.

“The consequence - perhaps the intent - of this boycott was to seek to deprive X’s users, be they sports fans, gamers, journalists, activists, parents or political and corporate leaders, of the Global Town Square,” she wrote.

“To put it simply, people are hurt when the marketplace of ideas is undermined and some viewpoints are not funded over others as part of an illegal boycott.”

Mr Musk shared his colleague’s statement to the platform and boldly declared: “We tried peace for 2 years, now it is war.”

He later encouraged “any company who has been systematically boycotted” to file a suit.

Following his post, video sharing platform Rumble joined Mr Musk’s lawsuit, claiming it has also been impacted towards GARM’s alleged skew away from right wing voices and ideologies.

The platform announced its move on X where it accused GARM of being “a conspiracy to perpetrate an advertiser boycott of Rumble and others, and that's illegal”.

Since Musk took over the social media platform in October 2022, X has suffered a serious dive in ad dollars with the platform taking in US$2.5 billion in 2023, according to Bloomberg.

This was down from the US$1bn it was bringing in every quarter of 2022.

Musk triggered controversy again in November 2023 when he endorsed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jewish communities push “hatred against whites”.

The X owner responded: “You have said the actual truth,” sparking an advertiser exodus that was reported to have lost the company as much as $75m, per The New York Times.

He made headlines again in the same month after blasting advertisers boycotting the social media platform, boldly declaring: “Go f**k yourself”.

“If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f**k yourself. Go f**k yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is,” he said. (Sky News Australia)

Full article and coverage via Sky News Australia

https://www.skynews.com.au/business/media/elon-musk-takes-garm-several-companies-to-court-over-alleged-advertising-boycott-of-x-outlined-in-bombshell-report/news-story/7bac6243aada770042d14ca84afc23e7

Technology News (Media Man Int) https://mediamanint.com/news3.html

Advertising News (Media Man Int) https://mediamanint.com/advertising_news.html

Media News (Media Man Int) https://mediamanint.com/news2.html

Yahoo Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Outlet Of The Month' award

PYMNTS wins Media Man 'Businees News Outlet Of The Month' award

Market, Commodities and Financial News Snapshot via Media Man

August 7, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6520 USD (up $0.0024 USD)

Iron Ore Sep Spot Price (SGX): $102.85 USD (down $0.70 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $72.96 USD (down $1.02 USD)

Gold Price: $2,389.45 USD (down $19.96 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.0095 USD (up $0.0085 USD)

Bitcoin: $56,485.71 USD (up 3.10% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 38,997.66 at 5.02pm NY time (up 294.39 points on yesterday's close)

(Roy Morgan Summary)

News Media

The Benefits of Playing at Sol Casino with Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency stands as a transformative power, reshaping multiple sectors, notably digital wagering. Sol Casino, at the forefront of this transformation, offers a seamless and secure online hobby with the integration of cryptocurrency transactions. This paradigm shift not only enhances user experience but also introduces a plethora of benefits that traditional fiat currencies cannot match.

Enhanced Security and Anonymity

Using digital currency provides a high level of security and anonymity. Cryptocurrency transactions rely on blockchain technology, renowned for its strong security measures. The decentralized aspect of blockchain guarantees encrypted and unchangeable transactions, greatly minimizing fraud and unauthorized access risks.

Preserving Player Anonymity

Moreover, these transactions at Sol Casino maintain the anonymity of players. Unlike traditional banking methods, which require personal and financial information, crypto transactions do not divulge user identity. This feature is particularly appealing to players who prioritize privacy and wish to keep their online wagering activities discreet.

Swift Transactions and Reduced Fees

Deposits and withdrawals via cryptocurrencies are typically processed much faster than traditional banking methods. This efficiency ensures that players can fund their accounts almost instantly and enjoy their winnings without unnecessary delays.

Minimized Transaction Fees

Furthermore, digital commerce at Sol Casino comes with the added benefit of reduced fees. Traditional banking methods often incur significant processing fees, both for deposits and withdrawals. In contrast, crypto trades are subject to much lower fees, maximizing the amount available for gambling and winnings.

Crypto-Specific Incentives

The platform recognizes the value of cryptocurrency users by offering exclusive bonuses and promotions to players who opt for crypto transactions. These incentives can include enhanced deposit bonuses, cashback offers, and access to exclusive games and tournaments. Such promotions not only enrich the gaming experience but also provide additional value to cryptocurrency users.

The Best Cryptocurrency Options at Sol Casino

The website Sol Casino supports a range of cryptocurrencies, catering to diverse preferences. Among the most popular options are:

Bitcoin (BTC)

" Ethereum (ETH)

" Litecoin (LTC)

" Ripple (XRP)

" Dogecoin (DOGE)

Each cryptocurrency offers its unique advantages, from Bitcoin's widespread acceptance and Ethereum's smart contract capabilities to Litecoin's fast transaction speeds. Players can choose the option that best suits their needs and preferences.

Traditional payment methods often come with geographical restrictions and exchange rate issues, which can deter or limit players from different regions. Cryptocurrency, by its nature, is borderless, enabling users of the Sol Casino options from across the globe to participate without the hassle of currency conversion or the limitations imposed by regional banking regulations. This inclusivity fosters a diverse gambling community.

The Eco-friendly Aspect

Lastly, the use of virtual commerce options contributes to a more sustainable wagering ecosystem. Digital currencies are often praised for their lower environmental impact compared to traditional banking systems and paper-based currencies. By opting for cryptocurrency, players are part of a forward-thinking community that values innovation, security, and sustainability.

The integration of cryptocurrency at Sol Casino marks a significant milestone in the online wagering industry, offering players enhanced security, anonymity, faster transactions, and exclusive benefits. With a range of popular cryptocurrencies supported, players have the flexibility to choose the best option that aligns with their gaming strategy and preferences. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the website remains at the helm, providing secure, efficient, and rewarding wagering opportunities for the modern player.

Casino Movie; Bruno Mars in Casino

Gonzo Casino 'N Gaming Edition

Art Imitates Life and Visa Versa

Everything Is A Gamble

Casino was my last good role, says iconic actress Sharon Stone

Sharon Stone has said she never got a good part again after 1995's Casino and described herself as "the invisible actress".

The Basic Instinct star, now a stunning 66, has since appeared in films such as Catwoman, Lovelace and Basic Instinct 2.

Stone was passed over on snatching an Oscar for Martin Scorsese's crime thriller Casino to Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking.

Speaking on high profile Louis Theroux Podcast, Stone disclosed The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola warned her in advance that this would be the case.

She said: "Francis put his hand on my shoulder and he said: 'I need to talk to you.'

"He said: 'You're not going to win the Oscar.'

'I want you to feel like you're going to cry now. I don't want you to cry in the room, and that's why I'm doing this, and it feels so mean right now.

"'But I didn't win for The Godfather and Marty didn't win for Raging Bull, and you're not going to win for Casino."

Coppola said none of them won because the Academy couldn't "hear opera", she remembered.

"'This is not the level of films they want," she remembers him saying.

Discussing attending the Oscars when she knew she was going to lose, she said: "You have to pretend it's fantastic and it's not fantastic.

"And then I didn't get any good parts ever again for the rest of my entire life."

When Theroux replied: "That can't be true. I'm sure there were other movies you did that were good," she replied: "No, and guess what? I hate it."

She continued: "It's easier to say: 'She's cold', or: 'I don't like her', or: 'She's difficult', or: 'She must be sick', or: 'She's too old', or that 'she's hard to cast', or: 'We don't know what to do with her.'

Stone also touched on her experiences with disgraced and vulgar producer Harvey Weinstein, who is in the clink (jail) for sex offences and with whom she she crossed paths at events for the Aids charity Amfar.

She said: "I had a long time of dealing with Harvey and I'm really glad that he's in prison and I think he should stay there with the rest of the people who are like him. Harvey's a pig. He's an octopus and you're just always getting one of his tentacles off you."

Asked if she was too powerful for him to try to coerce into sex, she said: "He would say things to me like: 'You know, you think you're such a princess, Sharon,' as I would unwind him off me.

"And I'd say: 'Yeah, I think I'm the queen of France. F*** off.'

"But he was certainly comfortable with throwing me across the room. He was physically violent to me on more than one occasion because he was so angry at me because I wouldn't do what he wanted me to do."

News

Work Life Balancing Act For Mr Mars via MGM

News Travels Fast Via Vegas Casinos, Cafe and Dance Floor

Bruno Mars' shocking $50 million gambling debt report sparks wild fan jokes: 'He is high on…'

Bruno Mars owes millions to MGM casino for hefty poker debts, risking long-term partnership

Bruno Mars is renowned for lighting up the stage, but recent reports alleging a staggering $50 million gambling debt at the MGM Grand have fans buzzing for a different reason.

In 2016, the singer-songwriter announced a 'multi-year residency deal' with MGM Grand in Las Vegas. However, the recent report suggests that the collaboration between Mars and the gaming come hospitality and live entertainment hybrid brand has gone south somewhat due to mounting and almost unbelievable debt.

Bruno Mars reportedly in $50 million debt to MGM Grand

On March 16th, it was reported that Bruno Mars now owes millions of dollars to the MGM casino after reportedly accumulating hefty poker debts. The Talking to the Moon singer had a multi-year residency agreement with Park MGM in Las Vegas, where he performed on a regular basis.

Citing that MGM “basically owns him,” they continued, “He earns $90 million a year from the casino deal, but then he has to pay back his debt... after taxes (Mars earns $1.5 million per night).”

What’s going on between Bruno Mars and MGM Grand...

In 2016, it was announced that the hospitality industry had entered into a long-term partnership with Mars, which will feature his exclusive performances across an extensive portfolio of world-class entertainment venues. The president of MGM Grand delivered a statement claiming, “Bruno is among the most talented performers in the world and we are excited to start a long-term relationship with him.” Now, the once mutual relationship appears to have evolved into a feud due to piled-up casino debts.

Bruno Mars’ casino debt sparks meme frenzy

While the 24K Magic singer has never shied away from admitting that he supported himself by playing poker before pursuing music, fans are shocked that news of his casino debt has made its way onto the top of headlines.

“Bruno Mars having $50 million gambling debt lets me know his next album gonna be a classic, real degenerate.” A user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Others chimed in too, “Bruno Mars needs a movie about his life cause ik my mans be wylin…

50 MILLION DOLLARS in GAMBLING DEBT?”,

“Bruno Mars walking through MGM casino undercover trying to avoid that $50m gambling debt”, “He is high on debt”, “Bruno mars when the dealer gets blackjack.”

Another famous entertainer used to sing something about "Know when to walk away; know when to run".. Was Bruno listening, partying away, both or neither?

Life in the fast lane. Everything is a risk - especially in showbiz circles in a casino no less.

Casino, Entertainment And Internet Rumors

Casino And Entertainment Giant MGM Denies Claims Bruno Mars Has Debt With Casino

‘Any Speculation Otherwise Is Completely False’

MGM Resorts came to Bruno Mars’ defense on Monday after rumors circulated about the Grammy winner’s debt with the casino.

In the last week, a report from NewsNation made claims and the rounds that Mr. Mars had racked up over $50 million in gambling debt at MGM. They cited an anonymous source close to the situation that said Mars allegedly made $90 million a year through his residencies at MGM but was using a large chunk of that profit to pay off his gambling debt. “[He will] only make $1.5 million per night after taxes,” the report claimed. (“MGM) basically own him,” they added.

A "spokesperson" for MGM Resorts International told entertainment news staple Variety that these allegations are “completely false” as Mars has “no debt with MGM.”

“We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers,” they wrote in a statement. “From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe. MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests.”

Representatives for Mars declined Variety‘s request for comment and redirected the inquiry to MGM’s previous statement.

Mars has been performing for Las Vegas residencies since 2016 and has a multi-year partnership with MGM Resorts. In addition, Mars and the casino recently partnered to launch the Pinky Ring cocktail bar and entertainment lounge inside the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. The venue features live performances, all curated by Mars.

The chart-topping artiste’s last solo project was 24K Magic in 2016, which included hits such as That’s What I Like and Versace On The Floor.

Cryptocurrency News via Media Man and FxPro

FxPro

PxPro: News

July 1, 2024

Buyers failed to pick up on the crypto market

Market picture

The crypto market has been enjoying an influx of buyers since Saturday, with a visible acceleration on Monday. Over the past 24 hours, capitalisation has risen 3.6% to $2.33 trillion. Last week’s drop in the crypto sentiment index to 30 (fear zone) reversed the price twice, showing that the market is dominated by a ‘buy the dip’ pattern.

Bitcoin is trading near $63.3K, adding 5% since Saturday morning and reaffirming the importance of support at 61.8% of the Jan-March rally. From another perspective, Bitcoin is adding and bouncing off the lower boundary of the downward channel. Likely, the price is now moving towards the upper boundary at $67K. However, cautious buyers may prefer to wait for confirmation with the price rising above $72-73K - the pivot area of the last four months - which would be confirmation of the start of a new impulsive wave of growth.

Bitcoin ended June down 8.5% to $61.9K. In terms of seasonality, July is considered quite successful for BTC, adding eight times (22.3% on average) out of the last 13 and declining on five occasions (-7.8% on average).

News background

In terms of on-chain analysis, quotes have crossed the realised price level of short-term holders at $62,000, which historically can act as support during corrections in bull markets.

According to Arkham data, German authorities sent another 595 BTC worth ~$36.6 million to crypto exchanges on 26 June. Authorities began actively moving the cryptocurrency on 19 June, when some of it first hit the Kraken and Bitstamp exchanges.

Bitwise forecasts net inflows into spot ETH-ETFs in the US of $15bn in the first 18 months. Bloomberg expects trading in the new product to start on 2 July.

Solana Foundation has launched tools that enable it to turn any website or app into a gateway for cryptocurrency payments and other blockchain transactions.

On 26 June, the Blast development team completed the first phase of an airdrop, distributing 17 billion BLAST tokens (17% of the total issuance). Blast is an Ethereum-based layer 2 (L2) network that was launched in November 2023 by Blur founder under the pseudonym Pacman. In terms of blockchain value locked (TVL), the Blast ecosystem is ranked sixth in the DeFi Llama ranking with a value of $1.58bn.

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Box Office News (North America) - March 17, 2024

1. Kung Fu Panda 4 - $30 million

2. Dune: Part Two - $29.1 million

3. Arthur the King - $7.5 million

4. Imaginary - $5.6 million

5. Cabrini - $2.8 million

6. Love Lies Bleeding - $2.5 million

7, Bob Marley: One Love - $2.3 million

8. One Life - $1.7 million

9. The American Society of Magical Negroes - $1.3 million

10. Ordinary Angels - $1 million

Cryptocurrency News via FxPro and Media Man - arch 18, 2024

Crypto market deepens correction

Market picture

The crypto market lost 6% in 24 hours to $2.42 trillion. Solana reversed Tuesday's decline, losing 9% in 24 hours - the last of the major altcoins to fall into a correction.

Bitcoin is down 5% after falling to $64.4K. That's its lowest level in two weeks and 13.5% below its high. A close below $65.5K would signal a move to a deeper level – the classic 61.8% retracement of the rally with a potential target near $60K.

Solana had been above $210, reaching highs not seen since late 2021 before following the general corrective mood of the markets. A classic retracement pattern suggests a downside potential of $168. However, if this level is approached, one needs to look at bitcoin sentiment and global risk appetite to understand whether this support will be strong enough.

Ethereum is under selling pressure and has already pulled back to $3300, erasing all gains since early March. Having fallen below the 61.8% retracement of the rise from the January lows, ETHUSD can only hope for support in the form of the 50-day average ($3080) and $3000 (previous consolidation, plus the round level).

News background

According to CoinShares, crypto fund investments rose by a record $2.916B last week, surpassing the previous record set the week before ($2.685B) and continuing significant inflows for the seventh consecutive week. Bitcoin investments increased by $2.896B; Ethereum decreased by $14M, and Solana decreased by $2.7M. Investments in funds that allow shorting Bitcoin increased by $26M.

Bitcoin is in a bullish phase of a cycle like December 2020-January 2021. The current correction is "healthy" and removes some of the leverage in the system, said http://Crypto.com CEO Chris Marszalek.

Rekt Capital warned of a "danger zone" ahead of the upcoming halving in April. Historically, bitcoin has fallen weeks before the event. The depth of the correction was 20% in 2020 and 40% in 2016.

According to new data from Bitcointreasuries, 93.6% of total bitcoins (19,656,760 BTC) have already been mined as of mid-March 2024. Miners have only 1.34 million BTC left to mine, significantly limiting the future supply of the asset.

Ethereum issuance fell to its lowest level since August 2022 following the activation of the crucial Dencun update on 13 March, CryptoQuant noted. According to The Block, the ETH network has reached annual highs in the number of active and new addresses, daily transactions, and transaction volume.

The buzz around meme coins has boosted the token rate of the networks on which they are issued. The Solana (SOL) and Avalanche (AVAX) cryptocurrencies updated local highs. In pre-selling, users send network tokens to a wallet address in exchange for a corresponding number of coins when the meme token is launched. Solana has once again become the trendiest crypto asset among traders, with new Meme tokens appearing almost every minute, according to ContentFi Labs.

(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media

News Media

Showbiz News from Hollywood; Screenwriters reach tentative deal with studios to end strike

The show must go on - eventually, anyway! With or without a dash of AI et al.

The Writers Guild of America, which represents thousands of Hollywood writers, advised Sunday PM that it has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the major entertainment studios, paving the way to end the 146-day strike that has brought television and film production to a standstill. That's right - 146 days! That's some kind of record.

"The WGA and [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Produces] have reached a tentative agreement," according to an online WGA statement that discloses that more details will follow after the contract language has been finalized...ink had dried, you know the drum.

Though the AMPTP trade alliance of major film and television producers has yet to comment on the development, WGA described the contract to members in a letter as "exceptional." It contains "meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership," it said.

The roughly 11,000 writers were demanding "economic fairness," streaming-service residuals and regulation on the use of AI (artificial intelligence) - take that, you bots!

"What we have won in this contract ... is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days. It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal," it said.

The language of the contract was being finalized, it said, with guild members to vote on whether to accept it in the coming days.

Union members are being advised that "no one is to return to work" unless specifically authorized by the guild.

"We are still on strike until then," it said, though it was suspending picketing.

The Hollywood writers went on strike early May after negotiations with the studios and streaming services fell through, following six weeks of talks, which brought a halt to television productions.

Many insiders as well as regular consumers of streaming media shows and other had noticed a dive in overall quality.

In mid-July, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists joined the movement, shutting down any active studio productions.

The deal announced late Sunday does not mean the resumption of Hollywood productions, as SAG-AFTRA members remain on the picket lines, and WAG is encouraging its members to join in the actors' fight.

SAG-AFTRA issued a statement congratulating WGA on the deal it said it would review.

"We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand," it said.

The agreement was reached following a recent breach in a stalemate in negotiations, which began about mid-August.

The two sides were quiet until Sept. 14, when they said they had agreed to return to the negotiating table, and they have been hashing out a deal since Wednesday.

"After a nearly five-month long strike, I am grateful that the Writers Guild of American and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a fair agreement and I'm hopeful that the same can happen soon with the Screen Actors Guild," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.

"Now, we must focus on getting the entertainment industry, and all the small businesses that depend on it, back on their feet and stronger than every before."

The strike, which has waylaid productions for months, has hurt the bottom line of studios, with Warner Bros. Discovery telling the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month in a filing that the strikes have "negatively impacted" the company by a cost of up to $500 million. Some folks in and around the biz are pleased that that likes of a somewhat "woke and broken" Disney had lost so much money.

Under the watercooler Media heard, "More about fairness, distribution of funds, and a fair days pay for a fair days work. We showed the world and this script kind of wrote itself"!

If 99pc of start-ups fail, how do AirTree and Blackbird make money?

Starting an ambitious technology company is undeniably hard, but fresh data suggests failure rates aren’t as high as parts of the industry say.

On a darkened screen, a line of text lays out the stakes for The New Hustle, a 2017 documentary series: “Over 92 per cent of start-ups fail. What separates those who don’t?”

Six years later, the production company behind that feature, Founder Films, was back with a new documentary series called Founder on the same topic. This time, the odds seemed to be stacked even higher against start-up founders. “Ninety-nine per cent of start-ups fail,” the on-screen text from the documentary reads.

Apparently, those six years were a grim time for start-ups, whose founders were portrayed as valorous figures surmounting almost impossible odds. Yet between 2017 and early 2022, start-up funding soared in Australia, giving even questionable firms war chests of cash to sustain their dreams for years.

Statistics requested by The Australian Financial Review from the country’s biggest tech venture investors suggest many more start-up companies are staying afloat than the most heightened founder mythology suggests.

The disparate figures reflect an industry that does not have a uniform definition of failure even as commentators contend that failure is discussed too harshly, or too much, or not enough. And they show how failure rates are deployed to either showcase investment performance or valorise founders.

Startmate, the long-running accelerator, has reported that 63 per cent of the more than 230 companies it has a stake in are still active. AirTree Ventures, the large Sydney-based fund that was founded in 2014, said its failure rate – defined using the fairly common rule of investments where it has got back less than it invested – is lower than 20 per cent. Company closures in its portfolio are even lower, at less than 3 per cent.

Blackbird Ventures, meanwhile provided data from its first fund, raised in 2013, where 25 per cent of the companies have closed down, compared with the same number of exits and 10 that are still operating. Square Peg, the third major Australian venture fund, did not make any data available.

Better than regular businesses

Those start-up failure rates compare fairly favourably to the economy as a whole. For the past four years, failure rates for all Australian businesses with staff have hovered around 8 per cent, according to data from the Bureau of Statistics.

But unlike small-business investors who want to preserve capital and grow slowly, venture capitalists bet on a host of companies hoping a small percentage will become enormously valuable in the knowledge many will fail.

That has led some start-up industry figures such as Finder founder Fred Schebesta to argue some high-profile failures should be celebrated to avoid discouraging founders.

James Alexander, a partner at early-stage investor Galileo Ventures, said he did not support the idea of “celebrating” failure, though he acknowledged that founding a business, whether small business or start-up, was very hard.

“Do I think failure is positive? No, I don’t,” Mr Alexander said. “I don’t think [failures] are positive, but I don’t think they’re anywhere near as bad as people make them out to be.”

Mr Alexander’s portfolio has four failures, defined as firms shut down or sold that returned less than invested capital, out of 18 bets. But he said that if one of those surviving companies became a super valuable firm akin to Google, “No one’s going to mind if we lose money on five, 25 or 30 per cent of the investments or even more.”

Founder Films, owned by the founder of $2.7 billion start-up SafetyCulture Luke Annear, declined to comment on its figures, but a spokesman pointed to a 2012 Wall Street Journal article reporting Harvard research that 95 per cent of start-ups fail to hit projected figures. The 92 per cent failure rate number is also all over the internet, with the figure derived from a 2011 report by an organisation called Startup Genome that no longer appears online.

Mr Alexander said that high failure rate figures were a reflection of the way venture firms sought out exceptional results.

“When people throw out these things like ‘90per cent of businesses fail’, I think usually they mean 90 per cent of businesses never become big,” Mr Alexander said.

Murray Hurps, who runs the industry survey project Startup Muster, did not provide data on failure rates because the varying definitions make it hard to collect. But he said that average failure levels were not as useful as understanding the proposition of investing or building an individual firm.

“There are many kinds of lower risk, technology-enabled entrepreneurial pursuits that entrepreneurs should be considering, and more today than there ever were before,” Mr Hurps said.

What Lachlan Murdoch told fundies in Sydney two weeks ago - September 23, 2023

Lachlan Murdoch’s been in and around Australian business circles for most of his working life, but had little to do with the country’s big investors. Until a few weeks ago.

A couple of weeks ago, Lachlan Murdoch, 52, broke cover with Australia’s investor ranks.

Not one to normally front Australia’s fund managers on roadshows, Murdoch was the headline attraction at a small and private dinner held only a few kilometres from his home in Sydney’s inner-east.

The small crowd were all fund managers – big name stock pickers from the larger institutional equities shops in Sydney – most of who had little to do with Murdoch or his father Rupert over the years, and some of who had never met him despite him being in and out of Australian business circles his whole working life.

Murdoch spoke off the cuff. There were no notes or powerpoint slides, no script and no minders, just an update on the family’s two businesses News Corporation and Fox Corporation, and where he wanted to take them.

Perhaps playing to the small crowd, he repeatedly stressed he was 100 per cent focused on creating shareholder value, according to those at the dinner. It was a friendly crowd; money is the name of the game in funds management, and fund managers tend to bow down to billionaires. He was valued at $3.35 billion on this year’s AFR Rich List.

He was clearly proud some of the investments he had overseen – high growth and conviction bets like News Corp’s $13 billion stake in REA Group, student loans business Credible and streaming business Tubi Corporation for example – and gave the impression of a hands-on and pretty passionate senior executive.

He travels back to US head office every second week from his home in Sydney, where his children go to school. When he’s in Sydney, he tends to work New York hours. That’s the sort of stuff that top Sydney money managers are glad they do not have to worry about.

There were no hints about what was to come and fund managers left the dinner not knowing that only a few weeks later, Murdoch would finally get the keys to his father Rupert’s News Corporation.

He was announced as News Corp’s executive chairman on Thursday night, the same role he holds at sister company Fox Corporation, while his 92-year-old father would step off the board and become chairman emeritus of both companies.

Changing of the guard

Lachlan Murdoch’s succession may end a tumultuous 12 months for the family’s two companies. This time last year, the Murdochs were planning to reunite their News Corp and Fox businesses, calling it the next logical step of the strategy that led the media billionaires to sell entertainment giant 21st Century Fox to Disney in 2017 for $US52 billion.

It was about bringing together live sport and news, two things that consumers want immediately and are arguably less discretionary than TV entertainment and movies – but the deal was off a few months later called “not optimal for shareholders of News Corp and Fox at this time”.

In reality, it also faced considerable backlash from investors including Sydney-based Airlie Funds Management, who didn’t want to see News Corp combined with Fox. News Corp owns the company’s stake in REA and Move in the United States, Foxtel in Australia, Dow Jones and HarperCollins, among other businesses, and trades at a significant discount to its asset backing.

Soon after, it also abandoned talks to sell its US digital real estate business Move for about $US3 billion ($4.4 billion).

Murdoch’s comments from the dinner were ringing through those fund managers’ heads on Friday, as they tried to work out what it meant for the future of the family’s media empire.

It was a timely introduction to a man who’s well known in media circles – there are plenty of former News Corp executives who’ll give their two cents worth and recount fronting him when they hadn’t made budget or wanted money for something – but less in local markets.

Those close to him say he’s been fronting investors in the US for a while, just not Australia. Fox Corp isn’t listed in Australia, while News’ ASX-listing is small.

One thing that stuck in the Australian fund managers’ heads were Murdoch’s remarks about M&A.

He said large media sector deals were hard to get past the antitrust regulator in the United States – which is similar to deals in every concentrated sector (banking, energy, tollroads) in Australia.

So, investors are thinking there is unlikely to be any giant strategic pivot in the near to medium term, at least, although are fully aware that deals (big and small) have been a big part of the family business under Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan has been at the table for plenty of them.

“Evolution not revolution” is how his backers were putting it on Friday, pointing out that he’s done a long apprenticeship under his father at News Corp and has been Fox executive chairman since 2105 (it was 21st Century Fox before a $US50 billion sale of its film production business to Disney) . It is still all about news, sport and digital, and looking forwards not backwards.

Closing the gap in value

The ASX-listed shares were up 1.9 per cent to $32.25 in Friday afternoon trade.

Murdoch junior’s most notable was paying about $10 million for a 44 per cent stake in realestate.com.au (later REA Group), following a direct approach from Sydney real estate agent and company director John McGrath, while others for the company include Credible, where loans are up three-times since News Corp’s acquisition, Tubi, which has tripled subscribers.

Of course, it has not been all winners. He’s still remembered for One.Tel, a telecommunications company that collapsed in 2001, and Channel Ten owner Ten Network Holdings, which went into administration in 2017. News Corp’s betting play is also in trouble.

One of his loudest supporters in Australian markets is Sydney stockbroker Angus Aitken, who is known for backing family-led businesses and was quick to tell clients that News Corp was in good hands.

“Lachlan Murdoch has the same entrepreneurial genes as his Dad and has zero to prove, he already has proved himself in spades,” he said in a 1400 word note to fund managers that hit inboxes as the sun rose over Sydney Harbour.

“Anyone who has heard Lachlan talk about these businesses knows he knows these businesses inside out and knows how to allocate capital and back people within these firms with that capital for the long term.”

He said Rupert Murdoch had turned a three-paper tiddler into $US100 billion of assets, if you add the market capitalisations of News and Fox (about $US30 billion) and some of the big asset sales (c$US70 billion). “It is hard to think of anyone who will replicate that in life.”

Lachlan Murdoch will likely struggle to create anywhere near that much value, but he also doesn’t have to. Investors will be happy enough if he can close the discount between New Corp’s share price and asset value – which funds like Melbourne’s L1 Capital have talked about for years. That discount was so glaring that stockbroker UBS for a while was putting out a regulator News Corp note, pointing out the difference between the sum of its parts and share price.

The bigger news on Friday was the end of the Rupert Murdoch-era, after a career stretching seven decades. Lachlan’s ascension to the top of both companies was telegraphed by his father in the past few years. Second son James moved to the fringes of the family business after the Fox/Disney deal in 2019.

'Take it over’: Perth lands WWE’s first Aussie event in six years - September 23

One of the world’s biggest sporting organisations is coming back to Australia for the first time since taking over the MCG in 2018.

The WWE will return to Australian shores for the first time since 2018 in February after the Elimination Chamber event was announced for Perth’s Optus Stadium.

After months of speculation, the sports entertainment behemoth announced that the 60,000 seat stadium would host the live event on Saturday February 24.

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The last time the WWE came down under was in 2018 when the Super-Show Down took over the MCG with Ronda Rousey stunning a packed house before Triple H pinned The Undertaker.

In the meantime, Aussie Rhea Ripley has become one of the sports’ biggest names and is expected to star as the WWE comes back to Australia, while Grayson Walker is also a near certainty to fight.

While the schedule has not yet been released, it will culminate in at least one six-man cage match with some of the promotion’s biggest names set to visit just one month out from WrestleMania 40.

Wrestlers Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods joined WA Premier Roger Cook for the announcement.

“These are set to be the hottest tickets in town and fans can pre-register and secure their spot from today,” Cook said.

“We expect the premium live event at Optus Stadium will be a sellout with thousands of east coast and international fans flocking to Perth, Western Australia to witness this exclusive show.”

The show is expected to reach an audience of one billion people worldwide and Kingston, who is one of the members of The New Day alongside Woods and Big E, said the Elimination Chamber could “totally change the trajectory of whatever is going on in the WWE landscape”.

“Two combatants enter and there are four pods with the other combatants within them,” Woods added.

“As time passes, one of those pods will open until all of their combatants are inside of the ring.

“And then the match officially begins and you lose by pinfall or submission until there is one combatant standing and they are the winner.

“And the reason that this is so intense is because you are waiting for people to get into this match.”

The wrestlers involved are expected to have community activations and meet-and-greets with fans, and Kingston said they “really come into a town and take it over”.

The WWE has recently merged with the UFC, which had a massive show earlier this year in Perth when Alexander Volkanovski lost a controversial bout to Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title.

Expend4bles

A new generation of stars join the world's top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world's last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give "new blood" a whole new meaning.—Lionsgate

The Unbreakable Bunch

An Alien Force Came To Conquer - They Had No Idea This Bunch Was In Town.

Producers Ray “Glacier” Lloyd and Steve Luther Wilson, aka “Big Sexy” Luther Biggs, trained at the Power Plant and broke into the business about the same time. A decade ago, the two started talking about a movie.

“We had this idea,” says Lloyd, “What if a bunch of pro wrestlers had to step out of their wrestling world and into a fantasy world where they have to battle aliens?”

“We’re both big fans of The Magnificent Seven, The Wild Bunch, The Dirty Dozen, and The Professionals. They were all ensemble casts, and most of them were somewhat diverse. We thought, ‘What if we could make a movie like that and celebrate the wrestling business?’”

Most wrestling movies either focus on the dark side, or they go for the campy humor,” says Lloyd. “They make movies like The Wrestler, which was very good and yes, that is how some guys turn out. Or they make fun of wrestling and wrestling fans. We wanted to celebrate what’s great about being a wrestling fan and what’s fun about the business without making fun of it. We didn’t think that anyone else was going to make a movie like that, and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t get it right.”

“The story changed a lot from that first draft, but we tried to stay true to the essence of the characters and what they stood for,” explains Lloyd.

Ernest “The Cat” Miller

Stan Hansen

Tonga Uli’uli Fifita, aka Haku, aka Meng

Larry Zbyszko

Diamond Dallas Page

David “Gangrel” Heath.

“An ensemble cast like this has never been done in a wrestling film.” says Lloyd. “We also worked with some great actors we cast in the non-wrestling roles. Nicholas Logan did a tremendous job in our movie, and he’s had some great roles before and after The Unbreakable Bunch. I’m excited to see where his career goes.”

“These are men like us who have their life together,” says Lloyd. “They have good jobs, a nice home. You also see how these guys come together to put on a show. It’s a team effort, whether it’s for one night or a tour. Then they all go their separate ways. That’s something we’ve never seen in a movie about wrestling, and we wanted to portray that.”

“Wrestling is at its best when everyone can enjoy it,” says Lloyd. “A lot of the fans I meet at shows and convention are grown ups who were kids when I was first on TV. Now they’re bringing their kids because they want the next generation to enjoy wrestling like they did. There’s definitely some action, but we kept it to a PG or PG-13 level. We really want families to enjoy this picture, even if they don’t watch wrestling.”

“We want this movie to be something that wrestlers and wrestling fans will be proud to recommend to people,” says Lloyd. “At the end of the day, it’s about camaraderie, loyalty, friendship. It’s about the noble side of professional wrestling.”

WWE Hall of Famer Larry Zbyszko via aQ&A on AdFreeShows.com. In addition to taking fan questions, he also talked about the movie, “The Unbreakable Bunch” that Ernest Miller, himself, and several other wrestlers are in:

"Ray Lloyd, Luther Biggs, had been working their butts off for some years to get this movie going. They wrote it, and then they had to get financed. At the end of 2009, we filmed it and it really came out great. I mean, it's a movie about wrestlers saving a town from aliens, but it's not a wrestling movie. It's kind of a science fiction action movie with emotion and you'll find yourself laughing when you don't expect to. I mean, it was really well done. It's a family friendly movie. Nothing dirty, nothing raunchy. I mean, if you're not a wrestling fan, you're gonna love it too because it's not about wrestling. But it was really well done. I've been dying to see it. As soon as we finished it, like at the end of 2019 right before Christmas, a couple of months later this stupid COVID hit and slowed it down a little bit with the editing, but there was the guy alone editing in the booth. So it's finally all done with the editing and the sound and the music and the special effects, and I hear it's going to come out October 13th. I can't wait to see it."

Zbyszko talking about two movies he should have been in:

"I should have been in two big movies. I'll tell you a story quickly. Alright, 1976 or something I was wrestling in California a little bit. I was wrestling a man and I got a message to talk to some producer in the audience. So after the match, I went to talk to this guy. He said, 'Hey, I'm making my first movie. It's a low budget movie, but I'd like to have you in it because I like the way you look and move.' So I said, 'Okay.' So I went down to his office which turned out to be a crap hole and got a script and read it and I'm going, oh my God. Three weeks in the desert shooting this movie for hardly any money for the guy's independent little movie. It's eating babies and stuff. I said, 'Oh God.' So I nicely told the guy I couldn't do it. I was busy. It turned out the guy's name was West Craven and it was his first movie, 'The Hills Have Eyes.' It became a classic and I'm supposed to be it."

"Then some years ago in like the mid 80s or something. I got a message at the NWA office to call Jerry Reed. I'm thinking Jerry Reed? The only Jerry Reed I know is the country western singer, unless it's Jerry Reed the IRS guide. So I call this number and it's Jerry Reed the singer. He says, 'Son, you're my favorite guy.' We talked and he wanted me to be in the last Smokey and the Bandit movie they were going to make because Jackie Gleason just died and they wanted me to play the part of a young a**hole sheriff after the bandit in the last movie. But right when they were going to do the last movie, that's when Burt Reynolds went off the deep end taking all the Halcyon pills and getting divorced from Loni and getting wiped out, so they never made the movie. So I was supposed to be in the Hills Have Eyes and the last Smokey and the Bandit never happened, but The Unbreakable Bunch, I'm in like the whole movie and I can't wait to see the thing."

AEW WrestleDream - October 1, 2023

Broadcast into Australia via FITE

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

AEW Tag Team Champions FTR defend against Aussie Open

ROH Tag Team Champions Adam Cole & MJF defend against The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch)

NJPW Strong & ROH World Champion Eddie Kingston defends both titles against ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata

TNT Champion Christian Cage defends against Darby Allin in a two out of three falls match

TBS Champion Kris Statlander defends against Julia Hart

Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita, and Sammy Guevara vs. Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and Chris Jericho

Additional matches have been added to next Sunday's AEW WrestleDream card.

Don Callis on Saturday’s Collision revealed that Will Ospreay will team with Konosuke Takeshita and his newest family member Sammy Guevara against Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, and Kota Ibushi. This stems from events that took place on Friday’s Ramapge, where Omega made the save for Jericho after Guevara and Takeshita jumped Jericho.

In addition, Christian Cage will defend the TNT title in a two out of three falls match against Darby Allin. On Saturday’s Collision, Allin had a three-way title match won between himself, Cage, and Luchasaurus when Cage posted Allin, allowing himself to pin Luchasaurus. In a backstage interview, Tony Schiavone told Cage he would be defending the title at WrestleDream.

Eddie Kingston in a promo revealed that he will be putting up both the ROH and New Japan Strong titles against Katsuyori Shibata at WrestleDream, saying that he wanted a match that would honor Antonio Inoki.

WWE PPVs

Saturday, Oct. 7

WWE Fastlane

Indianapolis

WWE Crown Jewel 2023

November 4, 2023

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Saturday, Nov. 25

WWE Survivor Series

Chicago

WWE Survivor Series 2023

November 25, 2023

Rosemont, Illinois (Chicago) - Allstate Arena

Lachlan Murdoch inherits a daunting to-do list. Observers are divided over how he will cope = 23rd September 2023

First among equals is how media mogul Rupert Murdoch once described his eldest son Lachlan, when asked about the succession plan at his global media empire. Now with Rupert’s retirement this week from the boards of Fox Corporation and News Corporation, Lachlan’s position at the top of the family-controlled empire is cemented.

However, 52-year-old Lachlan inherits a daunting task. He takes control of the global newspaper and television businesses as both face major challenges. He becomes head of one of the most influential American media companies as the US goes into perhaps its most important presidential election in recent history. And, his every step will be measured against his father’s legacy.

Former News Corporation executive John Cowley has no doubt that Lachlan is up to the task. “He was trained by the best. His father would have rubbed off on him, but he’s also his own man. He will do a good job,” Cowley said.

Lachlan’s first real job in the Murdoch empire was working for Cowley. It was three decades ago, when at the age of 22, he joined Queensland Newspapers as its general manager. Fresh from having studied philosophy at Princeton University, the young Murdoch would walk the newsroom floor with his shirt sleeves rolled up – exposing a tribal tattoo on his left arm – discussing stories with journalists, much as his father had once done.

Over seven decades, Rupert Murdoch, 92, built a global media empire from a single Australian newspaper. As his business expanded so did his influence and he became one of the world’s most powerful, polarising and right-wing businessmen, owning outlets such as Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, The Times, and The Australian.

R?upert pitted ?Lachlan from an early age against two of his siblings, older sister Elisabeth and younger brother James, to take over the family empire. ?

Lachlan, Elisabeth and James would come and go from the family business, vying for their father’s affection and at times falling out with him. But it would be Lachlan who would return to the fold and stay.?

The Murdoch family governs News Corporation and Fox Corporation through a family trust. Rupert has six children from three wives. The family trust owns almost 40 per cent of the voting shares in both companies.

Each of Murdoch’s children know how difficult it is being the progeny of a successful parent. Put simply, if the adult children of successful parents make good, it’s because of what their parents left them. If they don’t, people ask what’s wrong with them.?

This is what Lachlan is up against, even in his middle age.

Billionaire James Packer can sympathise, as he spent most of the first half of his life being compared against his father – the late media tycoon Kerry Packer.

James multiplied the wealth he inherited from his father. But then his publicly listed Crown casino business became embroiled in a Chinese money-laundering scandal. It was fined, and he sold it, and since then, has focused on private investments.

“Lachlan will do very well. He’s following in a legend’s footsteps, one of the biggest, being Rupert, and that’s never easy,” says Packer, who has been friends with Lachlan for more than three decades. “But I think Lachlan’s ready, and he’s the right man for the job.”

Not everyone agrees.

Rod Tiffen is an emeritus professor at the University of Sydney, who has published books on the news media, including about Rupert Murdoch. He’s critical of Lachlan’s rise to the top of News Corporation and Fox Corporation.

“The idea that a position like that should go by heredity belongs more in the age of Jane Austen than of the contemporary corporate world,” Tiffen says. “It might be okay for the corner store to pass from father to son, but a global corporation should be based on some sort of merit, and not just having the same surname.”

Lachlan becomes chair of News Corporation, which owns newspaper and real estate assets, and also the chair and chief executive of Fox Corporation, which owns Fox News and Fox broadcasting.

In 2019, Fox sold its $US71.3 billion film and television business to Walt Disney, predicting the streaming war that is now playing out, and which has cost companies such as Disney, Netflix and Amazon billions. It was a clever move hailed as Rupert’s crowning achievement.

However, it has left Fox much smaller than many of its peers, with a focus on news and sport. The broadcast and cable TV outlets in the US are declining, and Fox is also competing against bigger players such as Amazon, Netflix, Comcast, Disney and Warner Brothers in securing sporting rights.

The embattled news arm was also sued after broadcasting conspiracy theories and claims of vote rigging promoted by Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Earlier this year, Fox settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting systems for $US787.5 million ($1.2 billion). It is now facing another lawsuit from a voting machine manufacturer, Smartmatic, which is likely to be at the top of Lachlan’s to-do list to resolve.

?Another problem for Lachlan is that Donald Trump is shaping up as the most likely Republican candidate for the 2024 election, if he’s able to overcome the legal cases that he is facing.

However, it would be hard for Fox News to back him given Rupert has publicly criticised Trump and disowned him.? And yet, much of the Fox News audience are Trump supporters. Fox News will risk alienating its audience more if Trump becomes the Republican candidate, and it doesn’t back him.

News Corporation has real estate assets such as REA Group and owns newspapers such as The Times, The Australian and the Wall Street Journal. The print assets are declining while the digital side of those newspapers has been growing, particularly the Dow Jones group in the US.

Matt Williams is head of Australian equities at Airlie Funds Management. It owns 2 per cent of the voting shares in News Corporation, which he argues remains undervalued. “Over the last ten years management have done a very good job with the Dow Jones business in re-aligning the business from being reliant on advertising to much more now a subscription-based business.”

He says Lachlan has been a good steward of News Corporation, and expects the strategy of that group to remain unchanged.

However, Tiffen expects there will be pressure to shut print newspapers when Rupert dies. “Everyone rightly goes on about what a terrific global media empire Rupert Murdoch has built. On the other hand, if you were writing his obituary now, you would say that he’s lost more money on newspapers than anyone else in history. And chances are that won’t continue after he dies.”

Tiffen expects that Lachlan will not make any significant changes to either Fox Corporation or News Corporation’s strategy while his father remains alive. “It’s much more likely that any changes will have to be after Rupert’s death, and then it’s quite unpredictable.”

The unpredictability is over whether Lachlan’s siblings who have voting rights in the trust – Prudence, Elisabeth and James – will be happy with his leadership of Fox Corporation and News Corporation, and the right-wing agendas they have pursued.

“In the short term, while Rupert’s alive, the other three children are going to be respectful,” says Tiffen. “But after he dies, then Lachlan’s relations with his other siblings will be much more difficult to predict.”

(SMH)

Rear Window - September 14, 1999

Kostya, TAB go down fighting

It had more celebrities than a Saturday night in Atlantic City. In one corner, "Break Even" Bill Mordey; in the other, Russian-born dynamo Kostya Tszyu and a gaggle of heavy-hitters including Packer confidant Theo Onisforou and Jeff Fenech.

Mordey won round one when NSW Supreme Court Justice Russell Bainton last year ordered Tszyu to pay $7.3 million to Mordey's Fightvision Pty Ltd for breach of contract, in the process describing the Russian-born boxer as a "spoiled brat".

Yesterday, round two ended with a TKO to Break Even, who managed to deliver a haymaker to TAB boss Warren Wilson. Having bought Sky Channel from Packer's Publishing & Broadcasting and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp last year, TAB will now have to partially foot a $7.3 million damages bill after three appeal judges found Sky Channel had induced Tszyu to breach his contract with Mordey.

Sky Channel will have to pay the costs of Fightvision's original claim against Sky Channel and its appeal in a result Wilson said was disappointing. TAB is considering whether it has any further legal avenues.

The stoush began when Tsyzu appealed against last year's decision, claiming the damages awarded against him were excessive. That prompted Mordey's counterpunch, appealing against the cases he lost to the other five defendants: Fenech, Sky Channel, Onisforou, Tszyu's new promoter, Vlad Warton, and Tszyu's company, Tszyu Enterprises.

The NSW Court of Appeal yesterday dismissed Tszyu's appeal. Mordey had a victory against Sky Channel, Warton and Tszyu Enterprises, but struck out against Onisforou and Fenech. Warton and Tszyu Enterprises will be back for a third round after the court ordered a new trial in relation to Mordey's claims.

Mordey and Fightvision had sought compensation from Tszyu for lost promotion revenue after the fighter breached his contract in early 1995 by agreeing to give Optus Vision or Sky Channel exclusive rights to broadcast his bouts.

In his judgement, Justice Bainton found Tszyu entered into a binding three-year contract with Mordey's Classic Promotions in 1992 and that contract contained an option of renewal for two years. The company wound up in 1993 and Fightvision took over its promotions.

Justice Bainton found that the renewal option in Tszyu's contract had been effectively exercised in January 1995, and that the boxer had broken that contract almost immediately.

Fightvision was entitled to recover from Tszyu profits it would have made from promoting his fights from January 1995 to January 1997 in total $7.3 million.

Room with a view? Er, I'll settle for the ground floor, thanks all the same

While travelling always presents its challenges, Rear Window's Tasmanian tourism operative appears to have struck an unusual problem while cycling through the Apple Isle.

During a bracing journey down the Midland Highway from Launceston to Hobart, our peleton wanabee sought refuge at a cosy bed and breakfast in the hamlet of Campbell Town, where the civic motto is: "Reaching out across the land, over the sea, through the air, towards the stars, Campbell Town is reaching out to you."

Noting the prominent "Vacancy" sign, our operative entered, only to be told by the landlady: "Sorry, we have no vacancies."

But what about the sign? "We haven't got around to making a `No Vacancy' sign yet. Getting the floors fixed comes a long way ahead of a `No Vacancy' sign in our priorities."

We'd advise getting a room on the ground floor.

Rupert shows UK interest but his ratings keep falling

Not content with wading into the murky world of Chinese-Tibetan relations, Rupert Murdoch has turned his hand to matters economic.

Murdoch has attacked the Bank of England in the wake of last week's surprise decision to lift British interest rates, expressing dismay that the central bank should be worried about the United Kingdom's 1.5 per cent economic growth when "the US economy is charging along at 4 per cent with no sign of inflation".

In an interview with London's Sunday Business newspaper, Murdoch also attacked UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, claiming Brown was "wrong" to give the BoE the power to determine interest rate policy one of the central tenets of central bank indepence worldwide.

"We elect governments to govern, not to give up power to faceless bankers," Murdoch reportedly said, highlighting his growing schism with the government of Tony Blair, who only a few years ago attended News Corp's Hayman Island executive love-fest.

Just last week, Murdoch was kowtowing to the Chinese Government, claiming he had heard cynics say the Dalai Lama was "a very political old monk shuffling around in Gucci shoes" and questioning whether Tibet a "terrible old, autocratic society out of the Middle Ages" had any culture before China invaded.

It is all reminiscent of Murdoch's comments at News Corp's 1995 annual general meeting in Adelaide, where he blasted the Australian economy as "a disgrace" as he offered an opinion on all manner of non-media topics.

By 1997, a chastised Murdoch said son Lachlan had told him he was "not allowed" to talk about Australian politics. "I'm now under very strong instructions from my son to keep my mouth shut because I can go back to America and he has to live with what I have said," the elder Murdoch said.

The Sun King might be better off worrying about the performance of his News Corp empire, which recently suffered a hefty drop in profitability and has kicked off the latest United States television season in unspectacular fashion.

Ratings for News Corp's core Fox group are down an average 6 per cent, with not even the 10th series of its old standby, Beverly Hills 90210, improving the situation.

Guess who's late for dinner?

Here's hoping the 2000 Olympics are better organised than Rear Window, which battled the gremlins in yesterday's paper only to have an item about tomorrow night's glamour Australian Olympic Committee 1999 Countdown Dinner run about two weeks too late. Times have changed since the AOC first sought a plug for the function: the dinner is now sold out, with 1,000 people each paying $1,000 to raise a more than $700,000 for the Australian team. A number of team members will be there on the night, with dual gold medallist Kieren Perkins one of the 100 past and present Olympians who will each sit at the tables snapped up by companies including Telstra, CUB and Westfield. Major Olympic sponsor Westpac is holding its own function.

(AFR)

High Stakes: The ‘life-or-death’ battle over a company name

Two stars of Australia’s new economy – the similarly named share trading platform Stake and online cryptocurrency casino juggernaut stake.com – are locked in a life-or-death court battle over naming rights amid growing concerns the gambling outfit has major plans for its home country.

Stake the share platform launched legal action in the Federal Court in August seeking to enforce its trademarks and stop stake.com, a multibillion-dollar enterprise, from using that name for its business in Australia.

The fast-growing Sydney-based share trading platform, the third-largest broker in the country, alleges that the casino group stake.com has been breaking Australian consumer law and has misled consumers through the use of its brand in Australia and its marketing, including its sponsorship of the Alfa Romeo team and the sale of apparel.

Stake the share trading platform, which owns the URL stake.com.au, alleges stake.com’s use of the name in Australia has potentially led to consumers believing the two brands are related when they are not.

The share trading platform Stake, founded in 2017 by entrepreneurs Dan Silver and Matt Leibowitz, alleges there is a threat that more consumers could be misled if stake.com is allowed to continue with its plans to grow its business significantly in Australia under the brand name Stake.

The casino group, led by Melbourne-based twenty-somethings billionaires Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, is expected to seek to have the matter summarily dismissed.

A spokesperson for stake.com said: “We are aware of a frivolous claim lodged in the Federal Court by Stakeshop, which in part claims that our global Formula One team sponsorship impinges on their ability to sell trucker hats.”

“We are proud of the global stake.com brand. As a group, we abide by the laws of the countries in which we operate, and do not offer our stake.com platform to Australian customers. We believe the claim has no legal merit and will vigorously defend our rights.”

The court case has shed new light on stake.com’s expansion plans for Australia, where it remains blocked to Australian users.

Court documents reveal the casino group has sought to buy the stake.com.au website from the sharemarket trading platform business. According to the court documents, the casino group has also registered several Australian website domains for its Australian expansion and applied to register a slew of trademarks including Stake Australia, Stake Bet and Stake Casino.

The Federal Court action comes after years of simmering tensions between the two groups over the use of stake.com’s name in Australia.

Stake.com was established in 2017 but flew under the radar in Australia until late 2021, when this masthead revealed the local origins of the business that had grown to be one of world’s largest online casinos, processing hundreds of billions of bets on sports, virtual table games and online slot machines.

In early 2022, stake.com signed hip-hop megastar Drake as its lead ambassador. Later in 2022 it signed a multi-year deal to become lead jersey sponsor for English Premier League team Everton FC as well as its sponsorship of Alfa Romeo’s F1 team.

The significant increase in stake.com’s marketing and media presence was noticed at the share trading platform group that built its user base during the COVID-inspired boom in Gen Y and Gen Z investors, thanks in part to its ultra-low cost brokerage fee model, savvy marketing and the broadening into other financial services including a superannuation product.

A spokesman for Stake the share trading platform said that since the group was founded in Australia it had built a client base of more than 500,000 and more than $2.5 billion in assets under management.

“Over the past six years, we have established a trusted and culturally relevant Australian brand that reflects our dedication to meeting customer needs. It permeates all parts of our business, spanning products, content, internal culture, customer interactions and much more, making it our most valuable asset. We are committed to protecting the Stake brand and the high level of consumer trust associated with it,” the spokesman said.

“We are concerned by the threatened use of the Stake brand in Australia by stake.com in relation to gambling, casino and sports betting services, due to the potential for customer confusion and damage to our brand and reputation.”

Stake.com is not available in Australia but according to court documents, the group is already making arrangements for a major expansion in this country and is seeking a sports betting licence.

In October 2022, stake.com casino executive Brais Pena Sanchez contacted Stake share trading founder Silver on LinkedIn and arranged a video conference meeting where the pair discussed Stake the share platform selling its Australian URL, stake.com.au, to the Curacao-registered, Australian-operated casino group.

During those discussions, Sanchez – the casino group’s chief strategy officer – informed Silver that stake.com planned to launch in Australia under the name Stakebet, or similar, according to court documents. A deal never ensued and the website remains owned by the share trading platform.

Tensions flared again in early 2023 after stake.com the casino was announced as the new team sponsor for Formula 1 team Alfa Romeo, sparking a flurry of legal letters between the two groups ahead of the Melbourne race.

According to the court documents, the casino group’s lawyers assured the share trading Stake that it would not use its logo in conjunction with the Melbourne Grand Prix and did not intend to display the name on any vehicles or uniforms or as part of the Alfa Romeo team name.

However, the share trading Stake alleges that during the four days of the Grand Prix, Stake casino logos appeared on banners for official team merchandise, the team display and on signs at the event and in the race program.

In May, Stake.com was applying to register a large number of new trademarks for goods and services. This included Stake Australia, Stake Bookie, Stake Betting, Stake Gaming, Stake Esports, Stake Casino, Stake Sportsbook, Stake Bet, Stake Punt, Stake Sports, Stake Pokes and Stake Slots.

The casino group has also registered a series of Australian website names under the “.au” domain including stakebet.au; stakecasino.au, stakesports.au and playstake.au.

The case continues.

Crown to launch digital self-exclusion scheme for casinos - July 2023

People with gambling problems will be able to ban themselves from Crown casinos over the internet instead of having to do so in person, as part of a wider overhaul of the group’s approach to harm minimisation.

Crown Resorts’ new safer gambling program also includes the establishment of a dedicated gambling policy team, which will monitor customer playing behaviour and create interventions to better prevent gambling harm from occurring.

Crown boss Ciaran Carruthers joined the business last year following an overhaul of Crown’s management, after a series of bruising inquiries into the company. Carruthers, who has led other global casino groups including Wynn Macau, said the new leadership of Crown was committed to making gambling safer, even if it meant less turnover in its casinos.

“I have been in this business for 34 years and I can tell you – no one does this,” Carruthers said.

“It is critically important to me that when I look at the long-term viability of this business that people see our resorts as entertainment to enjoy safely.”

Under the changes, customers will be able to block themselves from entering a Crown casino through a new digital self-exclusion portal. Those who wanted to ban themselves from Crown venues were previously required to visit, in person, a designated responsible gambling centre run by the group.

The group has also moved to cashless gaming at Crown Melbourne and Crown Sydney – a condition of its temporary gaming licences in NSW and Victoria– as well as introducing $10 maximum bet limits on poker machines at Crown Perth. The technological overhaul required to facilitate the changes has so far cost the business $13 million.

Carruthers pointed to changes Crown has already made which go beyond government regulation, such as encouraging customers to take breaks every three hours, as an indicator of its commitment to shifting problem gambling patterns.

The group said it wanted to establish advisory panels to work with state regulators and community groups to improve gambling harm education and share its research.

Carruthers conceded some aspects of its new approach to harm minimisation, called Crown PlaySafe, would not be welcomed by heavy gamblers. But he argued the changes would make the casinos more appealing to the general public.

Crown’s new head of gambling policy research, Dr Jamie Wiebe, said the most critical shift in the groups gambling policy was a move away from harm minimisation to prevention.

“We want to prevent a problem from ever happening,” she said.

The new program was unveiled just weeks after the Federal Court determined Crown will pay one of the biggest penalties in Australian corporate history to the financial crimes watchdog, after past anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism failings in its Perth and Melbourne casinos.

The $450 million fine is about five per cent of Crown’s last listed market capitalisation before it was taken private by Blackstone Capital for $8.9 billion in May last year.

In 2019, an investigation by this masthead and 60 Minutes revealed Crown had been infiltrated by international criminal syndicates and money launderers.

Crown was forced to overhaul its board, management and procedures to satisfy the regulators, who approved a conditional licence for Crown to operate its Barangaroo casino in June 2022. The conditional licence is valid until the end of this year.

Carruthers said the integrated hospitality offerings at Crown meant the casino could afford to embrace the shift.

“I want people to enjoy the experience of our casinos whether they’re coming for dining, casino or retail. I’m fairly agnostic across which one of those experience or how many of those experiences you want to enjoy,” he said.

Reclusive Sydney gambling mogul emerges as kingmaker in South Africa -
September 2023

Reclusive online gambling mogul Martin Moshal is playing an increasingly influential role in a push to oust the South African government.

Mr Moshal, who lives on the exclusive Sydney Harbour row of Camp Cove alongside shopping centre billionaire Steven Lowy, is not on many rich lists but has made a fortune from online casino technology.

Herman Mashaba is the leader of ActionSA, one of a handful of opposition parties Mr Moshal has backed in the lead up to the 2024 South African national election. Mr Mashaba, known for taking a tough line on immigration and endorsing hard labour for prisoners, is hoping the gambling tycoon will continue his support.

“I wish he won’t give up on us and help us democratically remove the [incumbent African National Congress] and bring about a peaceful transition... please help ActionSA,” Mr Mashaba said in an interview with The Australian Financial Review.

“I have been lucky to have known Martin long before I went into politics,” he added. “I approached him and he was willing to back me up because he knows me as a capitalist... Martin was one of the first to come to the party.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s social democratic African National Congress party is set to come under pressure next year amid South Africa’s dire economic troubles. A senior party official has warned the country could become a failed state.

Mr Moshal is the largest individual political donor in South Africa in the last two years. He has given 46.5 million rand ($3.8 million), according to electoral records analysed by My Vote Counts, a non-profit advocating for more transparency in politics.

“Given the amounts donated it has become clear to us he now has a large stake in our politics,” said Robyn Pasensie, a researcher at the organisation.

The size of Mr Moshal’s wealth is unknown. He is extremely private and only admitted to his ownership of online gambling giant Betway after UK journalists traced his ownership back to offshore trusts. Mr Moshal did not respond to a request for comment.

Aside from ActionSA, Mr Moshal has donated to the Democratic Alliance (DA), Build One South Africa and said he also intends to support the Inkatha Freedom Party. Mr Moshal is ActionSA’s biggest backer. The Australian Financial Review is not suggesting Mr Moshal supports the party’s policies.

“I’m not saying these parties are all perfect, but we shouldn’t let perfect be the enemy of good... They are all far better than the government we have today,” Mr Moshal told The Jewish Report earlier this year.

“Pirkei Avot was my late dad – John Moshal’s – favourite part of the Talmud within which Rabbi Tarfon is quoted as saying, ‘It’s not up to you to finish the task, but you aren’t free to avoid it’.”

Mr Moshal said he believed South Africa needed a new government and was on its way to becoming a failed state.

“[This is a] government that’s corrupt, cannot provide basic security and opportunity to its citizens... we need the change of government and leadership that these parties can provide.”

ActionSA is known for advocating for life sentences and hard labour for serious offenders and also wants to repeal the ANC’s Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy, a form of affirmative action introduced post-apartheid.

“Martin knows my views on racial policies and how dangerous they are,” said Mr Mashaba, who started off in business and was the founder of African hair care brand, Black Like Me.

ActionSA has also been vocal on immigration, views labelled as “xenophobic” by some critics and politicians.

“We recognise that South Africa was built... on the back of migrants,” said Mr Mashaba. “But they must come here legally... you break our laws, we will send you back to your country, the country where you came from.”

One of South Africa’s main economic problems is mismanagement and corruption inside the country’s electricity utility Eskom. The utility has been forced to implement rolling blackouts, which have further stymied economic growth.

“If Eskom cannot run on a commercial basis then it must die a natural death,” Mr Mashaba said, adding changes were needed to give other companies the opportunity to compete.

Mr Moshal’s Entrée Capital is one of Israel’s most active funds in the Israeli VC space. He is the beneficiary of a trust which is the largest individual shareholder in Super Group, which became the parent of Betway and online casino brand Spin after a 2022 listing. The group reported net gaming revenue of €1.3 billion ($2.1 billion) in 2022.

“Moshal is one of the least visible betting entrepreneurs in the world,” Guardian reporter Rob Davis wrote in his book Jackpot: How Gambling Conquered Britain.

“Moshal made much of his fortune from his home in Durban where he patented a series of technological solutions for the online gambling world and developed them via his company Microgaming. The company has since become one of the industry’s leading software players”

A philanthropist, he sits on the capital management advisory committee of Sydney’s Moriah College, alongside Steven Lowy and former Babcock & Brown chief executive Phil Green. He is also a life trustee of the Moriah Foundation and previously donated to Israel’s SpaceIL project attempting to land spacecraft on the moon.

SkyCity puts aside $45m for potential AUSTRAC penalty - August 2023

SkyCity Entertainment set aside $45 million for a penalty if it is convicted of breaches of anti-money laundering and counterterrorism laws.

The financial crimes watchdog, AUSTRAC, lodged proceedings against SkyCity in December over alleged serious and systemic non-compliance with the laws at its Adelaide casino.

SkyCity said on Monday it was difficult to determine the size and timing of the penalty, given the proceedings are in the early stages. But it decided to lodge a $45 million provision on the basis that each breach attracts a maximum civil penalty of between $18 million and $22.2 million.

“Estimating the potential exposure to penalties with any degree of accuracy at this stage of that ongoing process remains challenging, particularly given the outcome is highly dependent on a range of factors which are not yet known,” a statement said.

AUSTRAC has alleged “serious noncompliance” with anti-money laundering laws against SkyCity, claiming the company allowed 59 suspicious patrons to churn more than $4 billion in dirty cash through its Adelaide casino. The independent review is on hold because of the Federal Court action.

The company cut full-year earnings expectations at an investor day in May, with a slowdown in revenue from the international business and rising legal and compliance costs related to a crackdown on money laundering weighing on its bottom line. Analysts have provisioned about $50 million for the AUSTRAC fine, but there is no guarantee that will be enough.

In late May, SkyCity announced it would hire an independent expert to review its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism programs. It is still waiting for South Australia’s investigation into whether it should hold a casino licence to recommence.

“Judgements in civil penalty proceedings bought by AUSTRAC to date demonstrate that the Court’s determination of the appropriate penalty ... is very specific to the fact in each case and that the Court will have regard to a broad range of factors,” SkyCity said.

SkyCity’s provision announcement coincided with a $45.6 million write-down of the Adelaide casino licence, which was attributed to the value and timing of future discounted cash flows.

The company said the impairment and provision were non-cash and would not affect earnings for fiscal year 2023. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation remain in line with guidance of $NZ300 million ($276.6 million) to $NZ310 million.

SkyCity’s provision comes a month after the federal court agreed on rival casino operator Crown’s $450 million fine for breaches of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism laws. The fine is being paid over a two-year period without interest.

Shares closed on Friday at $2.09.

Hotel room rates plummet for F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend - September 2023

Hotel room rates for Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend have fallen by nearly 60 percent in some cases since they were first posted last fall. But an industry expert says that does not necessarily mean interest in the event is failing to meet expectation.

When select Las Vegas resorts in November 2022 opened their booking schedules for race weekend, listed prices were as high as they have been seen in the city’s history. While still at higher than normal rates, a major decrease has occurred.

When a drop in booking pace occurs, it automatically triggers revenue management systems to suggest the lowering of room rates, according to Dr. Mehmet Erdem, professor of hotel operations and technology at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.

Pennsylvania online casinos cross $5 billion in lifetime revenue - September 2023

Business is booming in Pennsylvania. The Keystone State is the clear market leader when it comes to online casino revenue within the US. After August’s total of $171.9 million, Pennsylvania surpassed the $5 billion threshold for lifetime revenue.

Pennsylvania online casinos are constantly upgrading and adding new content, and customers are responding. It doesn’t appear the market will be slowing down anytime soon, either.

Pennsylvania has set the US online casino revenue record four times over the last 11 months, and almost did so again. August’s revenue total of $171.9 million came second to March’s figure of $181.5 million. It was the second-best month of all time for any state with legal online casinos.

Atlantic City: Five-year turnaround of Ocean Casino Resort among city’s greatest successes - September 2023

In the winter of 2019, if any New Jersey sportsbook had tried to offer odds on the Atlantic City casino hotel then known as Ocean Resort Casino making it through another summer, no gambler in their right mind would have taken the bet.

Fast forward to the end of summer 2023, and the property now called Ocean Casino Resort is one of the city’s best performers. In fact, an argument can be made that Ocean’s rise to the upper echelon of the Atlantic City casino market is the most remarkable turnaround of any gambling parlor in history.

From its failed origins as Revel Casino Hotel to its seemingly doomed trajectory in February 2019, the $2.4 billion casino at the north end of the AC Boardwalk felt almost cursed (if you believe in that kind of stuff). But, apparently, the gambling gods decided Ocean was deserving of a better fate.

Once shunned by casino operators, responsible gaming campaign turns 25

At a time when problem gambling matters were rarely mentioned in gaming company boardrooms, Harrah’s Entertainment decided the issue needed to be raised on casino floors.

But it wasn’t just rival corporate executives that looked askance at the idea of employees learning how to spot signs that a customer might have a gambling problem.

“Our own lawyers tried to block it,” recalled Jan Jones Blackhurst, who was then a Harrah’s senior vice president. With the support of company CEO Phil Satre, she led Harrah’s launch of the casino industry’s first responsible gaming initiative in the mid-1990s.

“We had employees that wanted to be educated on the subject. They wanted to be able to help,” said Jones Blackhurst, who completed two terms as Las Vegas mayor before joining Harrah’s. “Maybe because I came out of politics. You have a responsibility to your communities, your customers and your employees. We believed it was the right thing to do.”

Sportsbooks ratchet up targeted advertising at start of NFL season

Shortly after the NFL forged authorized gaming partnerships with a host of leading sportsbooks in the 2021 offseason, operators began flooding the airwaves with a series of humorous spots that featured celebrities hawking their products.

Caesars Sportsbook spent lavishly on an ad package starring the Manning Brothers and actor J.B. Smoove as the eponymous emperor. During Super Bowl LVII last February, Kevin Hart expressed his displeasure for “taking the under” in a DraftKings spot while standing mere feet from WWE wrestler The Undertaker. Another commercial from FanDuel featured a live field goal attempt by former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, one that drifted wide left of the upright at the last second.

Former lieutenant governor calls for Nevada Gaming Commission cyber briefing after MGM and Caesars hacks - September 2023

In light of cyberattacks on MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, former Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, now a Nevada Gaming Commission member, called for a briefing on the hacking incident to shed more light on what happened and how it can be prevented in the future.

The suggestion comes the same day the Massachusetts Gaming Commission met in executive session “to consider information related to an MGM cybersecurity issue.” It held a similar closed meeting on Monday.

After it returned to the public session on Thursday, the Commission entered into an executive session regarding security at MGM Springfield, according to the Commission agenda.

Krolicki made his comments at the end of Thursday’s five-hour meeting of the Nevada Gaming Commission. Since it was made during the public comment session, the commission could not take up the matter, but it’s likely the issue will return to the Commission and the Nevada Gaming Control Board at some point.

In the latest cyberattack that started being felt Sept. 10 and went into this week, hackers knocked slot machines out of commission and created havoc with ATMs and computer systems. MGM, which is reported by a Wall Street analyst to have lost between $4.2 million and $8.4 million a day with the hack, said its systems were operating normally across their properties nationwide as of Wednesday. Caesars reported it was hacked in late August and had customer information stolen but paid a $15 million ransom that avoided any shutdowns.

In December, the Commission approved cybersecurity regulations for the state’s gaming industry to protect operators’ information systems from attacks that could shutter casinos and compromise customer data. The rules went into effect Jan. 1. That approval came right after BetMGM reported that its customers’ personal information – including Social Security numbers – was obtained in an unauthorized manner and included information on their transactions.

In the regulations, casinos were required to do a risk assessment of their systems by the end of 2023 and take any necessary steps on an ongoing basis to ward off an attack. If any breach was successful that compromised player data, credit card information and other records, including that of employees, properties would be required to report it to gaming regulators within 72 hours.

“It would be important and enlightening given the recent events of the past week regarding cyber security and ransomware in particular at MGM and our friends at Caesars and look at how it impacts our world and regulatory responsibilities,” Krolicki said, later adding, “I think at some point in time when there’s the energy and understanding of what just happened if we could get some kind of briefing of what transpired that’s appropriate for public record and perhaps policies going forward of how do we avoid these things and if they do happen whether the reporting schemes on whether it was immediately reported to the Gaming Control Board. There are a lot of questions and a lot of publicity. It’s a global story, and I just think it would behoove all of us to get a good handle on what just happened.”

The Nevada Gaming Control Board released a statement on Sept. 13 saying Gov. Joe Lombardo and the board “are monitoring the cybersecurity incident with MGM Resorts and are in communication with company executives. Additionally, the Nevada Gaming Control Board remains in communication with other law enforcement agencies.”

Casino consultant Brendan Bussmann, managing partner of B Global, which tracks gaming boards and commissions, said the Massachusetts hearing won’t be the last and expects states across the country to hold similar sessions wanting to hear from MGM executives.

“Nevada is the second regulator that I know has raised their hand on this after Massachusetts,” Bussmann said. “It should be about what happened and how it happened, which should be considered confidential information. This is going to be a question that every regulator for both commercial gaming and tribal gaming is going to be concerned about. Since we’re still trying to figure out what happened, then we can see what tools we need as an industry to beef up our efforts on cyber-related events.”

While everyone is focused today on MGM and Caesars, this is not the first cyber attack, Bussmann said.

“This can go back to the Las Vegas Sands attacks in 2014 from the Iranians and any other data breaches that happened between then and now,” Bussmann said. “I would expect every state at a minimum has MGM and Caesars in it to at least say what happened and what can we do regulatory to help this and what can we do with testing and what can we do IT and host of things.”

Bussmann said the regulators can’t be reactionary but instead should get evidence on how it happened and use the best resources outside of the casino industry, such as security firms, to do it right.

“There’s no one better suited to regulate Nevada on this issue than the Gaming Control Board in working with law enforcement partners across the country,” Bussmann said.

Pop Culture, Streaming, Wrestling, MMA, Combat Sports, Movies, Sports Business...

Netflix finally reveals how much it makes from Australians - 1st June 2023

Netflix made more than $1 billion from Australians last year, a figure the company reported for the first time after deciding no longer to funnel revenues through a Netherlands-based subsidiary.

Accounts lodged by the streaming giant show Netflix Australia made $1.06 billion in 2022, up from $30.7 million the year before.

The increase in reported revenue came after the company’s local subsidiary changed how it bills. It now describes itself as a “distributor of access” to Netflix Service as opposed to a provider of services for its parent company.

It was previously estimated that Netflix made between $790 million and $1.4 billion from Australians, but customers were billed by Netflix International BV. But from January 1 last year, customers were billed by Netflix Australia, meaning subscription revenue was recognised and taxed locally.

The accounts, filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, show Netflix Australia paid $966 million to the Netflix Group in distribution fees and other costs, meaning it made just $22.7 million from total revenues of $1.06 billion.

After paying $6.9 million in income tax, it reported $15.8 million profit for the year.

“As Netflix continues to grow and invest in Australia, we want our corporate structure to reflect our business activities here,” a spokesman for Netflix said last year when The Australian Financial Review reported the structural change.

In 2021, Netflix Australia reported $30.7 million in revenue, $2.4 million in profit pre-tax, and $1.5 million in profit after its $868,000 income tax bill.

Netflix does not disclose subscriber numbers for Australia, but the revenue figures included in its latest accounts implies the service has around five million customers locally, if its standard plan, $16.99 per month, is used as a guide. It has four monthly price tiers including a new, cheaper one that now adds some advertising.

According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, streaming services made a combined $2.49 billion in Australia in 2021.

The disclosure of Netflix’s true Australian revenue comes as the federal government considers introducing quotas that would force streaming companies to spend a certain amount making shows locally.

Some suggestions have been forcing them to spend between 10 and 20 per cent of local revenue on Australian shows, meaning Netflix would be required to spend, depending on the rate, between $100 million to $200 million.

ACMA estimates streaming providers spend $335.1 million on Australian content in the 12 months to the end of June last year, up from $178.9 million the year before.

Netflix has been contacted for comment.

News

Mistakes and miscalculations: How the Murdochs and Fox got it so wrong - 30th May 2023

In August 2021, the Fox Corp. board of directors gathered in Los Angeles. Among the topics on the agenda: Dominion Voting Systems’ $US1.6 billion ($2.5 billion) defamation lawsuit against its cable news network, Fox News.

The suit posed a threat to the company’s finances and reputation. But Fox’s chief legal officer, Viet Dinh, reassured the board: Even if the company lost at trial, it would ultimately prevail. The First Amendment was on Fox’s side, he explained, even if proving so could require going to the Supreme Court.

That determination informed a series of missteps and miscalculations over the next 20 months, according to a New York Times review of court and business records, and interviews with roughly a dozen people directly involved in or briefed on the company’s decision-making.

The case resulted in one of the biggest legal and business debacles in the history of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire: an avalanche of embarrassing disclosures from internal messages released in court filings; the largest known settlement in a defamation suit, $US787.5 million; two shareholder lawsuits; and the benching of Fox’s top prime-time star, Tucker Carlson.

And for all of that, Fox still faces a lawsuit seeking even more in damages, $US2.7 billion, filed by another subject of the stolen election theory, voting software company Smartmatic.

Caught flat-footed

Repeatedly, Fox executives overlooked warning signs about the damage they and their network would sustain, the Times found. They also failed to recognise how far their cable news networks, Fox News and Fox Business, had strayed into defamatory territory by promoting President Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories — the central issue in the case. (Fox maintains it did not defame Dominion.)

When pretrial rulings went against the company, Fox did not pursue a settlement in any real way. Executives were then caught flat-footed as Dominion’s court filings included internal Fox messages that made clear how the company chased a Trump-loving audience that preferred his election lies to the truth.

It was only in February that Murdoch and his son with whom he runs the company, Lachlan Murdoch, began seriously considering settling. Yet they made no major attempt to do so until the eve of the trial in April, after still more damaging public disclosures.

At the centre of the action was Dinh and his overly rosy scenario.

Dinh, a high-level Justice Department official under President George W. Bush, declined several requests for comment, and the company declined to respond to questions about his performance or his legal decisions. “Discussions of specific legal strategy are privileged and confidential,” a company representative said in a statement.

The second half of 2020 brought Fox News to a crisis point. The Fox audience had come to expect favourable news about Trump. But Fox could not provide that on election night, when its decision desk team was first to declare that Trump had lost the critical state of Arizona.

In the days after, Trump’s fans switched off in droves.

The Fox host who was the first to find a way to draw the audience back was Maria Bartiromo. Five days after the election, she invited a guest, Trump-aligned lawyer Sidney Powell, to share details about the false accusations that Dominion, an elections technology company, had switched votes from Trump to Joe Biden.

Soon, wild claims about Dominion appeared elsewhere on Fox, including references to the election company’s supposed (but imagined) ties to the Smartmatic election software company; Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan dictator who died in 2013; George Soros, the billionaire investor and Democratic donor; and China.

‘Fox News did its job, and this is what the First Amendment protects. I’m not at all concerned about such lawsuits, real or imagined.’

Fox’s chief legal officer Viet Dinh

On November 12, a Dominion spokesperson complained to Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott and Fox News Media executive editor Jay Wallace, begging them to make it stop. “We really weren’t thinking about building a litigation record as much as we were trying to stop the bleeding,” said Thomas A. Clare, one of Dominion’s lawyers.

As Fox noted in its court papers, its hosts did begin including company denials. But as they continued to give oxygen to the false allegations, Dominion sent a letter to Fox News general counsel Lily Fu Claffee, demanding that Fox cease and correct the record. “Dominion is prepared to do what is necessary to protect its reputation and the safety of its employees,” the letter warned.

Fox, however, did not respond to the Dominion letter or comply with its requests — now a key issue in a shareholder suit filed in April, which maintains that doing so would have “materially mitigated” Fox’s legal exposure.

Three months after the election, another voting technology company tied to the Dominion conspiracy, Smartmatic, filed its own defamation suit against Fox, seeking $US2.7 billion in damages. Dominion told reporters that it was preparing to file one, too.

Dinh was publicly dismissive.

“The newsworthy nature of the contested presidential election deserved full and fair coverage from all journalists. Fox News did its job, and this is what the First Amendment protects,” Dinh said at the time. “I’m not at all concerned about such lawsuits, real or imagined.”

The Fox legal team based much of the defence on a doctrine known as the neutral reportage privilege. It holds that news organisations cannot be held financially liable for damages when reporting on false allegations made by major public figures as long as they don’t embrace or endorse them.

An early warning came in late 2021. The judge in the case, Eric M. Davis, rejected Fox’s attempt to use the neutral reportage defence to get the suit thrown out, determining that it was not recognised under New York law, which he was applying to the case. Even if it was recognised, Fox would have to show it reported on the allegations “accurately and dispassionately”, and Dominion had made a strong argument that Fox’s reporting was neither, the judge wrote in a ruling.

That ruling meant that Dominion could have access to Fox’s internal communications in discovery.

That was a natural time to settle. But Fox stuck with its defence and its plan.

Treasure trove

At nearly every step, the court overruled Fox’s attempts to limit Dominion’s access to private communications exchanged among hosts, producers and executives. The biggest blow came mid-last year, after a ruling stating that Dominion could review messages from the personal phones of Fox employees, including both Murdochs.

The result was a treasure trove of evidence for Dominion: text messages and emails that revealed the doubts that Rupert Murdoch had about the coverage airing on his network, and assertions by many inside Fox, including Carlson, that fraud could not have made a material difference in the election.

The messages led to even more damaging revelations during depositions. After Dominion’s lawyers confronted Rupert Murdoch with his own messages showing he knew Trump’s stolen election claims were false, he admitted that some Fox hosts appeared to have endorsed stolen election claims.

During Carlson’s deposition last year, Dominion’s lawyers asked about his use of a crude word to describe women — including a ranking Fox executive. They also mentioned a text in which he discussed watching a group of men, who he said were Trump supporters, attack “an Antifa kid”. He lamented in the text, “It’s not how white men fight,” and shared a momentary wish that the group would kill the person. He then said he regretted that instinct.

There is no indication that Carlson’s texts tripped alarms at the top of Fox at that point.

The alarms rang in February, when reams of other internal Fox communications became public. The public’s reaction was so negative that some people at the company believed that a jury could award Dominion more than $US1 billion. Yet the company made no serious bid to settle.

All along, the Fox board had been taking a wait-and-see approach.

But the judge’s pretrial decisions began to change the board’s thinking. Also, in those final days before the trial, Fox was hit with new lawsuits. One, from former Fox producer Abby Grossberg, accused Carlson of promoting a hostile work environment. Another, filed by a shareholder, accused the Murdochs and several directors of failing to stop the practices that made Fox vulnerable to legal claims.

The weekend before the trial was to begin, the board asked Fox to see the internal Fox communications that were not yet public but that could still come out in the courtroom.

The board learned for the first time of the Carlson text that referred to “how white men fight”. Dinh did not know about the message until that weekend, according to two people familiar with the matter.

By the time the board learned of the message, the Murdochs had already determined that a trial loss could be far more damaging than they were initially told to expect. A substantial jury award could weigh on the company’s stock for years as the appeals process played out.

“The distraction to our company, the distraction to our growth plans — our management — would have been extraordinarily costly, which is why we decided to settle,” Lachlan Murdoch said at an investment conference this month.

The text also helped lead to the Murdochs’ decision to abruptly pull Carlson off the air. Their view had hardened that their top-rated star wasn’t worth all the downsides he brought with him.

Still pending is the Smartmatic suit. In April, Fox agreed to hand over additional internal documents relating to several executives, including the Murdochs and Dinh. In a statement reminiscent of Dinh’s early view of the Dominion case, the network said that Fox was protected by the First Amendment.

“We will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events when it goes to trial, likely in 2025,” the statement said.

News

Lachlan Murdoch explains $1.2b settlement, says Fox News won’t change ‘successful strategy’ - 10th May 2023

Fox News paid $US787 million ($1.16 billion) to settle a recent lawsuit on its reporting after the 2020 election to avoid a divisive trial and lengthy appeals process, its parent company’s chief executive said.

Lachlan Murdoch, executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corp., also noted that a Delaware judge “severely limited” Fox’s defences against Dominion Voting Systems, which said the network defamed it by airing bogus charges of election fraud that it knew was untrue.

Fox Corp announced that it had lost $US50 million the previous three months, which it attributed to the lawsuit settlement. Murdoch, who answered questions from financial analysts, was speaking in public for the first time since the case ended and Fox fired its most popular anchor, Tucker Carlson. Carlson has just announced he is launching a new show on Twitter.

Murdoch said viewers, and investors, should expect no change in direction from Fox News.

“We made the business decision to resolve this dispute and avoid the acrimony of a divisive trial and multi-year appeal process, a decision clearly in the best interests of the company and its shareholders,” he said.

Fox still believes it was properly exercising its First Amendment rights to report on newsworthy fraud allegations made by former President Donald Trump, even though that defence was shot down in a pre-trial court ruling in the Dominion case, Murdoch said.

That’s important, since Murdoch said Fox intends to use the same defence against a similar lawsuit by another elections technology company, Smartmatic. That case is not expected to go to trial until at least 2025, he said.

Despite being asked directly about Carlson’s exit, Murdoch didn’t mention the former prime-time host’s name and referred to his reign obliquely. Fox has not explained why it cut ties with Carlson.

“There’s no change in programming strategy at Fox News,” he said. “It’s obviously a successful strategy. As always, we are adjusting our programming and our lineup and that’s what we continue to do.”

Although hurt by the Carlson exit, Fox News remains the leading cable news network.

Fox has lost viewers following Carlson’s firing. Last week’s substitute host, Lawrence Jones, reached between 1.28 million and 1.7 million last week in a time slot where Carlson usually drew around 3 million, the Nielsen company said.

Yet Fox has gained more than 40 new advertisers in that hour, the network said, confirming a report in Variety. Advertisers like Gillette, Scott’s Miracle Gro and Secret deodorant that had considered Carlson’s show a toxic environment have signed on.

(AP)

News

Jesse Armstrong on the roots of Succession: ‘Would it have landed the same way without the mad bum-rush of Trump’s presidency?’ - 27th May 2023

It has been the TV drama of our time – a brutal, hilarious unpicking of how power works. As the series comes to an end, its creator looks back at its origin and the unholy trinity of men who helped inspire Logan Roy

My first vivid memory of the project that would develop into Succession was trying to get out of it. It was about 2008 and I was on location for the filming of Peep Show, the UK sitcom my longtime writing partner Sam Bain and I wrote together. Between that show and my work on The Thick of It and In the Loop, and a bunch of other things, I was feeling overcommitted. That particular day we were pretending a very normal field in Hertfordshire was a safari park. I sloped off from set and, hiding from imaginary lions, tried to elegantly step away from the project.

I failed. And in the following months as I wrote, slowly, I became certain the script was a dud. It was stodgy and odd. The original idea, a faux-documentary laying out Rupert Murdoch’s business secrets, with them delivered straight to camera, evolved as I worked into a sort of TV play, set at the media owner’s 80th birthday party. Channel 4 were supportive, but it was an odd form, this docudrama/TV-play, and difficult to make happen. Around 2011, after a read-through in London where John Hurt played Rupert, the project essentially died.

My US agent was the first person I recall suggesting a totally different approach. A fictional family, a multi-series US show. For five years or so, I dismissed the idea, certain that a portrayal of a fictional family would never have the power of a real one. Four works changed my mind: HBO’s excellent Robert Durst documentary, The Jinx; Sumner Redstone’s grimly business-focused autobiography, A Passion to Win; James B Stewart’s propulsive DisneyWar; and Tom Bower’s fascinating Robert Maxwell biography Maxwell: The Final Verdict. These turned the idea of doing a media-family drama without a singular real-life model from a terrible betrayal of reality into a tantalising chance to harvest all the best stories. Here was an opportunity to explore all the most fascinating family dynamics within a propitiously balanced fictional hybrid media conglomerate. I took a long, deep dive into rich-family and media-business research.

I talked about this, as-yet-unwritten, idea in half-ironised terms as ‘Festen-meets-Dallas’

When Sam and I decided to bring things to a close on Peep Show, I flew out to pitch this media show around LA. I had a clear idea of where I wanted to develop it, but my agent persuaded me appetites would be whetted if we had a number of potential homes. So I spent three days doing a round of pitch meetings where I talked about this as-yet-unwritten idea in half-ironised terms as “Festen-meets-Dallas”. No stars, Dogme 95 camerawork. Scared of driving on the five-lane highways, I bumped around town in the back of a Honda Civic while a nice young man from my US agent’s mailroom ferried me between rooms stocked with identical tiny bottles of water and executives of vastly varying degrees of interest.

Eventually, I got to HBO, the place I most wanted the show to land, home to The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. I knew they might be receptive. Frank Rich – once known as the “Butcher of Broadway” for his theatre criticism, but now an in-house consigliere – had championed my work there to the boss, Richard Plepler, and I’d previously developed a show with them. So, out the back of a French-style bistro on a three-cappuccino high, I pitched it to their head of drama and comedy, Casey Bloys.

Sometimes a pitch stretches thin and threadbare, the fabric renting as you go, the other party peeping grimly through the holes. Other times, the air thickens, and you can feel the atmosphere in the room turn oxygen-rich as the enthusiasm you are trying to project transforms into an enthusiasm you are actually feeling.

By the time I left LA, HBO had made an offer and Adam McKay, fresh from The Big Short, had said he would be interested in directing. I’d written another Succession forerunner, a script about the US political strategist Lee Atwater, for Adam and his producing partner Kevin Messick. It had been one of the few LA experiences I’d had where the excitement expressed at the start of the project sustained through the writing and attempts to get it made.

This was 2016 and, once back in the UK, I wrote the pilot through the spring and summer in a one-room flat I rented on Brixton Hill, south London, walking across Brockwell Park each morning, listening to podcasts and reading news about the Brexit referendum. Scotland had recently voted by a narrow majority to stay inside the UK and the abiding sense right before the Brexit vote was, yeah, change looms, it glistens, menacingly, promisingly, but it doesn’t happen. Not really. Really, everything stays the same.

But then it did happen. And across the Atlantic, the Trump campaign was igniting – even if initially his candidacy felt like a slightly amusing, slightly too-vivid flash in the pan. Into early autumn, in fact, all serious people were still explaining to one another that Trump couldn’t happen. Although I suppose, looking back, there was a notable lack of detail in terms of the mechanism by which he would be stopped.

I think a lot of the better films and TV shows I’ve been involved with have at their heart a quite simple impulse around which the more subtle layers are spun. In the Loop’s spark was anger at the Iraq war. Chris Morris’s Four Lions I think was driven by his gut feeling that something was very wrong with the way we understood jihadi terrorism in the UK. Peep Show was about oddball male friendship, perhaps even “masculinity”.

I guess the simple things at the heart of Succession ended up being Brexit and Trump. The way the UK press had primed the EU debate for decades. The way the US media’s conservative outriders prepared the way for Trump, hovered at the brink of support and then dived in. The British press of Rothermere, Maxwell, Murdoch and the Barclay brothers, and the US news environment of Fox and Breitbart.

The Sun doesn’t run the UK, nor does Fox entirely set the media agenda in the US, but it was hard not to feel, at the time the show was coming together, the particular impact of one man, of one family, on the lives of so many. Rightwing populism was on the march across the globe. But in the fine margins of the Brexit vote and Trump’s eventual electoral college victory, one couldn’t help but think about the influence of the years of anti-EU stories and comment in the UK press, the years of Fox dancing with its audience, sometimes leading, sometimes following, as the wine got stronger, the music madder. It was politically alarming and creatively appealing: to imagine the mixture of business imperatives and political instinct that exist within a media operation; to consider what happens when something as important as the flow of information in a democracy hits the reductive brutality of the profit calculation inside such a company. How those elements might rebound emotionally and psychologically inside a family as it considered the question of corporate succession.

For Logan Roy, Murdoch, Redstone and Maxwell were my holy trinity of models. But Conrad Black, Brian L Roberts of Comcast, Robert Mercer of Breitbart, Julian Sinclair Smith of Sinclair, Tiny Rowland, Rothermere, Beaverbrook and Hearst all fed in. The three central models were wildly different, of course: the self-made refugee Maxwell and the already-rich Murdoch, a scion of Australian journalistic royalty, both so different from the tough Boston lawyer Redstone who started with a couple of his father’s drive-in cinemas.

But they were connected by a strong interest in a few things: a refusal to think about mortality (Redstone and Murdoch both used to make the same joke about their succession plan: not dying); desire for control; manic deal-making energy; love of gossip and power-connection; a certain ruthlessness about hirings and firings. And most of all, an instinct for forward motion, with a notable lack of introspection.

Perhaps the best part of Redstone’s autobiography for a casual reader is the opening, where he recounts clinging by one hand to a hotel balcony through a fire. Despite suffering third-degree burns over half his body, years of rehabilitation, excruciatingly painful skin grafts, he says this event, after which he made all his biggest business plays, had no impact whatsoever on the trajectory of his life.

Whether due to all this grist, or the aligning of the political planets (in)auspiciously, the pilot came unnervingly easily. Getting names in a script to feel real can be hard for me – they’re a tell-tale sign of whether I’m living inside it. Kendall, Shiv, Roman, Connor. They all felt right straight off the bat. Their inspirations, I suppose, were the children of these magnates: three of the Maxwell kids, the ones closest to the business (the boys, Ian and Kevin) and to their father (Ghislaine). Brent and Shari Redstone, with whom Sumner played a tough and complicated game of bait-and-switch over CBS-Paramount succession. And the Murdoch children, Prudence, Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, Chloe and Grace.

But getting those names for the Roy children made them feel like their own individuals to me. It allowed me to pour in just what I wanted from the real world, fill each with all the faults they might have inherited, while giving me room to add some extra, just for them.

Greg and Tom came fast, too. Tom from two roots. One was thinking about the sort of lunks I’ve occasionally seen powerful women choose as partners. Plausible, manly men with big watches and a soothing affable manner. That mixed with the deadly courtier, a more 18th-century figure, minutely attuned to shifts in power and influence, an invisible deadly gas that occurs in certain confined places and rises to kill anyone unwise enough not to take precautions. A hanger-on sustained by some Fitzgeraldian illusions about the world, a sense that perhaps the rich really are different from us and a romantic ambition to make it in New York City.

Greg, I guess, was a distant relative of the sort of political adviser I had myself briefly been. Gormless, clueless, out of place and gauche. But not without an eye for a deal. And, I hope, a little more wheedling and insinuating than I ever was.

The scenes flowed. I put all research aside and followed my nose and wrote pretty much exactly what I wanted

The charge between these two semi-outsiders struck me from the start as toxic and comic. Tom, the interloper, is like an organism that has found a precarious but rewarding perch above some deep oceanic vent and adapted itself to conditions perfectly. He is not pleased at all to see a similar creature scuttling along hoping to share the same cramped evolutionary niche. That first half-bullying, half-provocative exchange they share in the outfield at a softball game in the pilot landed them right in the middle of a stew they’ve been cooking in ever since.

The scenes flowed. I had eaten a very large amount of research, but once I was writing I put it all aside and followed my nose and wrote pretty much exactly what I wanted. It felt funny but odd and broken-ended, fragmentary, abrupt, oblique and slightly brutal. When I emailed it off, I had the familiar feeling that Adam, Frank and HBO might email back to say not only was it not good, it wasn’t even actually, technically, a script. But their response was frighteningly positive. Almost as though the script was finished, after what was, I thought, a quick first draft. I think every other episode of Succession has gone to at least 30 drafts – usually 50. The pilot barely hit 15.

We had our read-through in New York on US election day 2016. Before we started, I made the sort of joke lots of people made that day, assuming the polls were right and Hillary Clinton was going to squeeze it. That night we gathered in Adam McKay’s apartment to watch the results roll in. Much later, I walked a long walk back from Soho to where I was staying near the United Nations looking at the electoral college numbers projected on to the Empire State Building.

We started filming the next day.

I still wonder whether Succession would have landed in the same way without the mad bum-rush of news and sensation Trump’s chaotic presidency provided. Trump wasn’t the firebombing of German civilians, and nor is Succession Slaughterhouse-Five, but I do sometimes think about Vonnegut saying no one in the world profited from the firebombing of Dresden, except himself.

This is an edited extract from Succession: The Complete Scripts – Seasons One, Two and Three (Faber & Faber), out now at £20 each. To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copies for £17.60 each from guardianbookshop.com.

The final episode of Succession airs in the UK on Sky Atlantic/Now on Monday. Jesse Armstrong donated the fee for this article to the Writers Guild of America strike assistance fund.

News

LIV Golf announces new pay-per-view option - 26th May 2023

"The hope for LIV is to grow off the success first seen on YouTube in 2022, where the league attracted tournament audiences of several hundred-thousand views in the U.S. and abroad."

Going forward, LIV Golf Series events will be available via a pay-per-view option on YouTube.

The new deal was detailed by James Colgan of Golf.com.

“Less than six months after signing a media rights agreement with the CW, LIV announced Friday that it has created a new, pay-per-view broadcast option to run on YouTube,” Colgan reported. “The PPV broadcast will cost $3 per tournament day, LIV said in a release announcing the decision, and will run in addition to the league’s agreement with the CW.”

Colgan also detailed that “A LIV source indicated that the CW is aware of the decision to introduce a pay-per-view model, and that the decision does not violate any of the league’s preexisting broadcast agreements.”

“The hope for LIV is to grow off the success first seen on YouTube in 2022, where the league attracted tournament audiences of several hundred-thousand views in the U.S. and abroad. The league already has its own direct-to-consumer subscription platform, LIV Golf Plus, which the PPV channel will run counter to. LIV broadcasts will continue to be streamed for free on the CW app.”

This announcement comes less than two weeks after a rather embarrassing moment for the tour. One week before LIV’s Brooks Koepka triumphed at the PGA Championship, the Saudi-backed golf series was in Tulsa.

On one hand, it was a perfect showcase event for LIV. Two of its most high-profile players, Dustin Johnson and Cam Smith, went to a three-way playoff (along with Branden Grace). But most of the people watching did not get to see Johnson’s eventual triumph.

The CW, the league’s primary broadcast partner, went away from coverage in the vast majority of its markets, showing “regularly scheduled programming.” Jim Nantz was quick to make a joke at LIV’s expense on the matter at the PGA Championship. The CW also announced a change, saying that all events will be shown to their conclusions going forward.

[Golf.com]

News

WWE Night Of Champions Reportedly Earned Highest Viewership Of Any Saudi Arabia Show - 31st May 2023

According to a report from Fightful Select, Saturday's Night of Champions PLE scored WWE the highest viewership out of any of the company's Saudi Arabia events since the partnership between the two began in 2013. The report states that Night of Champions brought in an 18% increase in viewership compared to last year's Crown Jewel event, and the company is reportedly quite happy with its holiday weekend results.

Night of Champions was headlined by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn successfully defending the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa of The Bloodline, with a major angle taking place on the show that saw The Usos turn on Reigns after more than a year of build-up and tension.This marks the second time a tag team match has served as the main event of a major WWE show in recent months. Additional matches on the show included Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles to decide the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion, a singles match between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus, and a Backlash rematch pitting Brock Lesnar against Cody Rhodes, among others.

To date, WWE has held nine PPVs and PLEs in Saudi Arabia, along with three house shows. Back in 2019, WWE announced that they had "expanded their partnership" with Saudi Arabia, and that they would be hosting two major events per year in the Middle Eastern nation through at least 2027. Though it hasn't been announced yet, WWE will likely return to Saudi Arabia for another Crown Jewel event later this year.

News

Pat McAfee Comments On Empty Seats At AEW Double Or Nothing - 31st May 2023

All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing pay-per-view took place this past weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the event, Wrestlenomics' Brandon Thurston tweeted images of empty seats inside the venue. Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez also posted a photo from his ringside position, which showed many unoccupied places behind Orange Cassidy after he retained the AEW International Championship in a Blackjack Battle Royal. Former "WWE SmackDown" commentator Pat McAfee has weighed in with his thoughts.

"Anytime you get a shot away from hard cam, you know what I mean, you can really see a lot of things," McAfee said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "AEW found out this weekend or whatever at one of their events, it's like three quarters of an arena completely empty. They don't want that photo out anywhere."

Ahead of the pay-per-view going live on Sunday night, WrestleTix revealed 10,229 tickets had been distributed for an 11,641 setup inside the T-Mobile Arena, leaving 1,412 tickets available. An Anarchy in the Arena match headlined the show, with Blackpool Combat Club's Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, reigning ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta picking up the win in that bout against The Elite's Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and "Hangman" Adam Page.

AEW's next major standalone show, All In, which will take place on August 27 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, has currently sold over 65,000 tickets and has a gate of over $8 million. No matches have been announced for AEW's first event across the pond as of this writing. Ticket sales for All In have slowed following an initial surge.

News

WWE-UFC merged company to be called ‘TKO Group Holdings’ - 16th May 2023

A name has emerged for the group.

Coming out of WrestleMania, it was announced by Endeavor that an agreement had been reached with WWE and the company would be merging with UFC to form a new sports and entertainment company.

The deal has not been formally finalized but a name for the merged group has been revealed. CNBC’s Alex Sherman and Mike Calia published a story and an Endeavor spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the new group is going to be called ‘TKO Group Holdings’.

It will trade under the New York Stock Exchange as ‘TKO’.

The merger between WWE and UFC is being valued at $20 billion. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel will be the CEO of TKO Group and Vince McMahon is going to serve as Executive Chairman.

News

Nick Khan Says WWE In Talks With International Cities For 2024 PLEs

It sounds as though WWE will continue expanding its PLEs into international markets next year. Speaking at the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media & Communications Conference, WWE CEO Nick Khan stated that the company was discussing the potential for additional overseas shows in 2024.

"We're in conversations now with a lot of international cities about doing 2024 shows there," Khan said. "Also, part of the intent is to match those up with our media rights, even if they're not up to over-deliver for incumbent partners who can then invite their partners in the international city to the event, and host them. It's good for our overall business." Khan's comments came as part of a conversation about countries offering subsidies to WWE for bringing shows there, as the company brings a great deal of revenue to the city for major events. Khan cited recent events in Puerto Rico as well as the Dallas, Texas area as examples.

Previous rumors pointed toward Australia as a potential location for a future international WWE PLE. However, it's unknown if negotiations with the country have progressed in the months since.

WWE has steadily ramped up its major international shows over the last five years, with the company holding several yearly events in Saudi Arabia, as well as last year's Clash at the Castle and the upcoming Money in the Bank both being held in the United Kingdom. It seems fans around the world should stay on the lookout for upcoming announcements regarding WWE's international schedule in 2024.

News

“We Let People Go”: Months After $21.4 Billion UFC-WWE Deal, Endeavor CEO Recalls “Horrible” Time for Organization - 2nd June 2023

The year 2020 brought unprecedented challenges for individuals and organizations alike, and the UFC was no exception. The promotional frontman Dana White has reflected on those uncertain times and shared the struggles the organization faced in keeping things going. Despite the pandemic, White was determined to keep the show running and provide entertainment for fight fans worldwide. While the rest of the world was shut down, the UFC managed to organize consistent events, albeit on a smaller scale. However, this arduous journey was not without its fair share of hardships.

Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC and William Morris Endeavor talent agency, revealed the significant challenges they encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though Endeavor recently secured a massive $21.4 billion deal to acquire the WWE, during the COVID-19 days, the company found itself at rock bottom struggling to stay afloat.

When Covid-19 posed a threat to the UFC

In an interview on the “Freakonomics Radio” podcast, Emanuel shared how the pandemic affected the company financially. During the interview, podcast host Stephen Dubner asked Emanuel, “Did you think COVID might kill Endeavor?”. Reflecting on this, the 62-year-old CEO replied, “It was bad,” He continued, “I’d never had to fire that many people.”

Emanuel mentioned that the continuation of UFC fights during the pandemic played a crucial role in saving the company, accounting for approximately 70% of their revenue that year. Further talking about the struggles to keep the organization alive during the pandemic, the Endeavor CEO stated, “We had our ESPN deal. We then started making deals for writers. So we stored all the cash. We didn’t let anything out. We let people go, which was horrible, or furloughed them.”

Through the storm, Endeavor’s leadership team, led by Emanuel, proved to be the lighthouse that guided them to safer shores. The UFC’s resilience and the implementation of innovative strategies, such as the ‘Fight Island’ events, not only salvaged the company but also became a beacon of hope for other professional sports leagues.

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“Very, Very Easy for Jon Jones”: Ex-UFC Star Ruthlessly Shuts Down Tyson Fury Days After Boxer’s Callout of UFC Champ in Ugly Public Feud - 1st June 2023

The claim made by Joe Rogan that Tyson Fury would stand no chance against Jon Jones has sparked an intense and never-ending debate. Recently, another prominent figure from the UFC, the world of mixed martial arts, has jumped into this heated discussion. However, ‘The Gypsy King’ himself strongly opposed the take of the UFC commentator and didn’t hold back in expressing his views. In fact, he went as far as bashing Rogan and proudly proclaimed himself to be ‘the baddest man on the planet’.

As the back and forth continued between Fury and Rogan, UFC president Dana White has stepped in, proposing a potential fight between Fury and Jones. However, the WBC heavyweight champion firmly refused to step into the octagon, dismissing the idea altogether. This decision faced an immediate backlash from fans who had eagerly anticipated the materialization of this debate inside the fighting arena.

Despite the disappointment felt by fans, it becomes evident that the 34-year-old boxer has no intention of venturing into the octagon. On the contrary, a former UFC welterweight challenger believes that Fury would fare well in the realm of mixed martial arts. However, he warns that there may be unforeseen challenges along the way.

Tyson Fury will have a Jon Jones threat in MMA

During a recent interview, the former UFC fighter Dan Hardy shared his reflections on the latest happenings in the combat sports world, ranging from boxing to MMA. However, it was the Tyson Fury-Jon Jones debate that took center stage.

The 41-year-old Hardy began by heaping praise on ‘The Gypsy King’ for his potential in MMA, stating, “Tyson Fury doesn’t come from a boxing background. He comes from a fighting man background. Tyson Fury sees himself as a fighter first that boxes, and I think he looks at mixed martial arts and sees lots of ways he can capitalize on the changing of the rules.”

Continuing his analysis, Hardy mentioned Fury’s collaboration with Tom Aspinall and how he has showcased proficient elbows and knees in the videos shared with him. ‘The Outlaw’ confidently stated, “I feel like Tyson Fury would be really good if he crossed over to mixed martial arts. Of course, there’d be a lot for him to learn. The main issue would be, he’d be very, very easy for Jon Jones to take down. And I think that’s something that Tyson has not experienced and has not and has not really quite comprehended.”

Meanwhile, Jon Jones recently made a strong statement in his heavyweight debut, securing a first-round victory against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 after returning from a three-year-long hiatus.

This certainly explains Dan Hardy’s warning to Tyson Fury. How do you think ‘The Gypsy King’ would fare in MMA?

News

Dwayne Johnson to Return as Luke Hobbs in New ‘Fast and Furious’ Standalone Film - 7th June 2023

Dwayne Johnson is returning to the “Fast and Furious” universe with a new standalone film, reprising his franchise role as Luke Hobbs.

Universal Pictures announced the project on Thursday. Longtime “Fast and Furious” collaborator Chris Morgan wrote the untitled film’s script. Plot details were not available, though individuals familiar with the deal said the new movie will bridge between the events of the just-released “Fast X” and the upcoming “Fast X: Part II,” which is expected in 2025. Johnson just appeared as Hobbs, a diplomatic security service agent, in a credits scene for “Fast X.”

Johnson will produce the film with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia for their Seven Bucks Productions, along with Vin Diesel and Samantha Vincent via their One Race Films. Additional producers include Chris Morgan for his Chris Morgan Productions, Jeff Kirschenbaum for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films and Neal Moritz for Original Film.

Screenwriter Morgan wrote and produced “Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” and “The Fate of the Furious.” He’s also scripted and executive produced the fifth, sixth and seventh entries in the franchise. Directed by Louis Leterrier, “Fast X” opened at No. 1 around the world in May with $320 million and became the second-biggest global opening of 2023.

Johnson announced Hobbs’ return with a video posted to social media with the caption: “Your reactions around the world to Hobbs’ return in ‘Fast X’ have blown us away. The next ‘Fast & Furious’ film you’ll see the legendary lawman in will be the Hobbs movie that will serve as a fresh, new chapter & set up for ‘Fast X: Part II.'”

“Last summer Vin Diesel and I put all the past behind us,” Johnson added. “We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve – and always take care of the franchise, characters & fans that we love. I’ve built my career on an ‘audience first’ mentality and that will always serve as my north star.”

Johnson is repped by WME, lawyers Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman, Inc. and The Lede Company.

Seven Bucks has co-produced films like Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” and the DC Studios entires “Black Adam” and “DC League of Super-Pets.” Original series include NBC’s “Young Rock” and “The Titan Games.” Johnson will next produce and star in “Red One” at Amazon Studios and Disney’s live-action “Moana.”

News

13 States Comment On Possibility Of Allowing Gambling On WWE Matches

In March 2023, CNBC reported that WWE was working toward legalizing gambling on wrestling matches, enlisting the services of accounting firm Ernst & Young, with Michigan, Colorado, and Indiana mentioned as the initial targets. As of now, betting on WWE matches is only available at offshore sportsbooks like BetOnline.ag, based out of Antigua, and Bovada, based out of Latvia. Betting on matches in America would open up new streams of revenue for WWE and add some mainstream legitimacy to the sports entertainment powerhouse.

Since that report broke, however, it's been nothing bad news for WWE in the gambling department. Dave Meltzer has reported that WWE's efforts aren't going well — Colorado denied talking to WWE and said that "By statute, wagers on events with fixed or predicted outcomes ... are strictly prohibited in Colorado." Indiana told Casino.org that it had "no interest in approving wagering on scripted events," and Michigan also denied any recent talks with WWE, while New Hampshire Lottery Commission executive director Charlie McIntyre deemed it "very unlikely" betting on WWE gets approved in New Hampshire.

In light of this, Wrestling Inc. reached out to multiple states about the possibility of legalized betting on WWE matches. Each gambling commission was asked 1) how likely WWE would be to succeed if they pitched gambling on matches to them, and 2) if there were any regulations, laws, or statutes that barred betting on something with predetermined outcomes. 13 states -– Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington -– responded. While their responses varied slightly, overall, they paint a picture of increasingly fewer opportunities, and increasingly more obstacles, for legal gambling on WWE matches to get approved.

At least three states say they wouldn't allow gambling on WWE as a matter of policy, even if there are no explicit laws against it.

Kerry Hemphill, Manager of Sports Betting Product at the Oregon Lottery, made it clear that gambling on WWE wouldn't be allowed as a matter of policy in the Beaver State: "Although there is no law or statute that forbids it, Oregon Lottery sports betting policy is to not accept wagers on scripted events with predicted outcomes."

Seth Elkin, Assistant Director of Communications for Public Affairs for Maryland Lottery and Gaming, also told us his state had made a determination on the matter. "Maryland's sports wagering law and regulations prohibit forms of wagering that are contrary to public policy or unfair to bettors," he said. "We've determined that it is unfair to bettors, and therefore not in the public's interest, to accept wagers on sports entertainment events that have predetermined outcomes, like professional wrestling."

Meanwhile, a representative from the South Dakota Department of Revenue simply said, "WWE wrestling matches would not be eligible for sports wagering in South Dakota."

Iowa and Ohio say no to betting on predetermined events

Two more states said that predetermined events weren't permitted, but made a point to highlight policy and procedure. Brian J. Ohorilko, Administrator of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, also shot down gambling on wrestling for the time being.

"Predetermined events are not permitted in the State of Iowa," he told Wrestling Inc. "Iowa law defines and permits professional sporting events and sports-related events; however, fixed or predetermined outcomes are not explicitly permitted. As such, and for other integrity concerns, the commission has not permitted predetermined events in any of the approved wagering markets."

Ohorilko also brought up the process that would be required for any kind of legalization: "From a practical standpoint, any request would need to come with a legal opinion as to how this would be permitted under Iowa law," he said. "It would need to go through legal review with consultation from the AG office. If legal review passes, the commission would still need to review policy and integrity concerns with respect to the activity having predetermined outcomes. Approval would be needed before this type of wagering activity could take place."

Ohio tells a similar story. Jessica Franks, Director of Communications for the Ohio Casino Control Commission, pointed us towards Rule 3775-11-01 of the Ohio Administrative Code — the process for adding to Ohio's catalog of wagers and events. She said the Commission's review of such requests includes, but is not limited to, the following criteria:

The quality of the governing body's documented integrity program.

The general availability of information related to the governing body.

The professional or skill level status of athletes.

The history of integrity related to events sanctioned by the governing body.

This already puts the WWE in shaky territory, but it's seemingly locked out for good with the following consideration: "Please note that the Commission will not approve requests for wagers/events involving 'Events which are pre-recorded or in which the outcome has been otherwise previously determined.'"

Arizona and Connecticut have laws against betting on fixed outcomes

At least two states have laws in place that would ban gambling on WWE matches.

Max Hartgraves, Public Information Officer at the Arizona Department of Gaming, provided a straightforward statement: "Arizona statute prohibits gambling on fixed events."

Meanwhile, when asked how likely WWE would be to garner approval for gambling on matches, Kaitlyn Krasselt, Communications Director at Connecticut Department of Consumer Protections, said "I cannot speculate on that." That said, she did inform Wrestling Inc. about state regulations on gambling: "Connecticut law only allows wagering on sporting or athletic events. WWE is sports entertainment. The 'matches' are predetermined by the company and are scripted. There is no regulation body for professional wrestling, and WWE is one of several companies that offers this type of entertainment. With a predetermined outcome, this would not be considered a sport. It is considered entertainment. Wagering on the Oscars, for example, is also not permitted in Connecticut."

That last part is significant, since CNBC's report mentioned that WWE executives were using Oscar betting as an example for regulators.

Maine and Montana agree with most of their colleagues

Two states specifically cited the statements from Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, and New Hampshire in their responses. After hearing that four other states had expressed skepticism over betting on WWE, Maine Gambling Control Unit Executive Director Milton Champion said, "On the surface, without looking into the matter, I would concur with my colleagues. Operators will submit with their application events that they want to take wagers on, and I shall approve them."

Daniel Iverson, Content Manager for the Montana Lottery, said something similar. "Montana does not intend to add WWE markets, for the same reasons our counterparts cited," he advised, before directing any questions on state law to the Montana Department of Justice Gambling Control Division.

New Jersey and Massachusetts punted, for now

Two states we contacted declined to comment on the matter, not wanting to address issues that haven't come before them yet. Thomas Mills, Communications Division Chief of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said, "I appreciate your question, but am unable to speculate on a hypothetical action the Commission may or may not take."

Dan Prochilo, Public Information Officer at the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, responded that "The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) cannot comment on any hypothetical discussion with an operator or league about future sports betting opportunities." He added that "In New Jersey, an entity seeking permission for a contest to be authorized for wagering on a sports event is required to submit its proposal to DGE for evaluation and approval pursuant to state law and regulations."

Prochilo also provided the state's legal definition of a "sports event" for the purposes of gambling. Notably, it includes the phrase "A 'sports event' shall include any live competition or talent contest, including awards competitions[.]"

New Jersey and Massachusetts are two of the only states that allow betting on the Oscars, with New Jersey okaying it in 2019 (the first state to do so) and Massachusetts greenlighting it in 2023. It's unknown if WWE will approach either state or how each state would respond, but at bare minimum, WWE's argument to treat wrestling like the Oscars for betting purposes might carry some weight.

Washington and New Mexico illustrate the challenges of Tribal gaming

Washington is unique among the states who responded to us, in that sports wagering is only available on Tribal lands yet still regulated by the state. Sports wagering was legalized, subject to terms of Tribal/State Compacts, on Tribal lands in 2020. All wagering, even online betting, must take place on Tribal lands, and each casino decides bets within certain limitations. The Angel of the Winds Casino and Resort and the ilani Casino Resort, for example, don't 100% overlap on sports offered for betting.

But WWE, or any wrestling, won't be joining those offering under current rules and regulations. Dan Wegenast, Agent In Charge for the Tribal Gaming Unit of the Washington State Gambling Commission, pointed Wrestling Inc. towards the Tribal/State Compacts for sports wagering. He also stated that "Washington State law and the Tribal/State Compacts for sports wagering ... prohibit wagers on events with known outcomes."

To further illustrate the complications of garnering approval for gaming on Tribal lands, a representative from the New Mexican Gaming Control Board told Wrestling Inc. that sports betting is illegal in their state, but legal with some Tribes. That said, New Mexico does not regulate Tribal gaming, meaning that approval would likely have to be worked out with each Tribe individually.

There are other obstacles, too

It's worth noting that gambling laws are constantly changing. Many states without gambling –- such as North Carolina -– have spent years hammering out legislation that would approve gambling off Tribal lands. Additionally, for states with legalized gambling, internal policies are not inherently laws, and can be subject to change under the right circumstances.

That said, even if WWE manages to get gambling on matches approved anywhere, that's only one part of the battle: They still need casinos and/or sportsbooks to be willing to accept wagers at all, and there's resistance in this field, as well, as demonstrated in subsequent coverage from CNBC. FanDuel deems it unlikely that they'd ever accept bets on WWE, noting that the Academy Awards –- which held once per year -– are vastly different than dealing with WWE's weekly programming. Additionally, when BetCEO Adam Greenblatt was asked if he had any interesting in accepting bets on WWE, he responded "NFW."

Between the overwhelming majority opinions of the 13 states who responded to Wrestling Inc., the states that have already responded, and the reluctance of sportsbooks to include anything that looks less than credible, WWE faces an increasingly uphill battle if they want to make betting on wrestling matches legal anywhere in the United States.

News

News.com.au holds number one news traffic ranking in April for fourth consecutive month - May 22, 2023

News.com.au has retained the number one news website traffic ranking for the fourth month in a row, reaching 12.71 million Australians in April.

The latest Ipsos Iris report showed the news website has resolidified its market-leading stance, although there was a three per cent dip month-on-month in unique audience. Average time on site per person, sitting at 29 minutes and 55 seconds, also slipped modestly compared to March.

Oliver Murray, news.com.au editor, pointed out April was a month when many should’ve switched off to enjoy Easter and the school holidays.

“It’s testament to our team that we kept serving up news they needed to read,” he said.

That content offering drew in the largest and most engaged audience in the news category, he pointed out – six in 10 online Australians.

“We saw a 17 per cent month-on-month increase in our sports audience to become the number one sports brand, driven by our NRL and AFL coverage,” Murray said.

“Australians also turned to us for travel news, reaching an audience of 2.541 million and leading the travel news category.”

The gap between news.com.au and rival ABC News, sitting in second spot, is sizeable. The national broadcaster’s web offering attracted the eyeballs of 11.14 million Aussies.

Rounding out the top five was nine.com.au with 10.73 million unique viewers, 7news.com.au on 10.06 million, and Daily Mail Australia on 8.35 million.

The Ipsos Iris report found 20.2 million people used a news website or app in April, with engagement increasing by 1.2% to almost six hours per person, per month.

Major news events ranging from the death of comedian Barry Humphries to the arrest of former US President Donald Trump and the federal budget helped fuel the increase, it said.

The report called out travel-related browsing in the month, given Easter and the school holidays, with 16.9 million Aussies aged 14 and above visiting a travel website or app in April.

Those in the 55-plus age bracket spent the most time browsing – 33% more than those under 55 – while women were more likely to use travel sites and apps than men. People aged 25 to 39 are the largest cohort engaging with travel content online.

(News.com.au)

News

Sydney Morning Herald is the country’s best-read masthead May 22, 2023

The Sydney Morning Herald has retained its position as Australia’s top masthead, with more readers across all platforms than any other over the 12 months to March this year.

Total News figures from the industry’s official data provider, Roy Morgan, showed 7.7 million people, or about one in three Australians, read the masthead. It puts the Herald ahead of its traditional NSW rival, the News Corp-owned Daily Telegraph, which has 3.98 million readers.

The Herald’s sister paper, The Age, cemented its place as the most-read Victorian masthead with 5.2 million readers, and the outlets’ Good Weekend magazine was the premier Saturday insert. It had an average print readership of 754,000 people, up 4 per cent for the quarter.

Print was a particular bright spot for this masthead, with the Monday to Friday newspaper recording 17 per cent growth year over year and quarterly growth of 4 per cent, taking its average readership per edition to 417,000. It marks the sixth consecutive quarter of growth for the physical newspaper, while the Sun Herald’s Sunday print edition was steady, up 1 per cent, to a readership of 423,000. In the last four weeks, an average of almost 1.9 million people read the printed paper.

The Herald and Age’s Good Food and Traveller titles had audiences of 1.49 million and 1.56 million, respectively, each month. Sunday Life had an average issue print readership of 419,000, and Domain defied a softening real estate market, seeing annual growth of 7 per cent and quarterly growth of 5 per cent, to record an average issue print readership of 537,000.

“I am proud of our team for achieving such a strong result, particularly given the challenging environment all publishers are finding themselves in right now,” Herald editor Bevan Shields said.

“The Herald continues to set the benchmark for quality journalism in Australia and I want to thank our subscribers and readers for their continued support for what we do.”

Roy Morgan’s data covers all news brands and digital news websites and tracks audiences on Apple News and Google News.

(The Sydney Morning Herald)

News

Financial Review most-read business masthead. By Sam Buckingham-Jones - May 22, 2023

The Australian Financial Review is the country’s most-read premium business masthead, reaching a print and digital audience of 3.5 million people, figures released by Roy Morgan show.

More than 1.1 million people read the print edition of the Financial Review over the past four weeks, and the masthead reported its third consecutive quarter of growth and a year-on-year increase of 6 per cent. The Australian suffered an annual drop of 17 per cent in print readership for the same period.

The Financial Review’s combined print and digital audience fell slightly from last quarter, from 3.6 million to 3.5 million, but the decline was smaller than rivals.

The AFR Weekend print edition readership grew 59 per cent, on the Roy Morgan figures, and 11 per cent in the last quarter. The weekend and weekday print editions have recorded their highest quarterly result since 2018.

The Australian Financial Review Magazine recorded a print readership of 481,000, after quarter-on-quarter growth of 12 per cent and annual growth of 14 per cent. This is AFR Magazine’s highest quarterly result since 2018.

“After the hit from COVID-19, it’s encouraging to see readers return to the newspaper edition of the nation’s premium business, finance and political publication,” said the masthead’s editor-in-chief, Michael Stutchbury.

“That’s an endorsement of the newsroom’s journalism, including our breaking and ongoing pursuit of the PwC tax scandal.

“At the same time, the Financial Review continues to hold the most digitally focused readership of any newspaper brand as we increase our share of that national market.”

Nine’s total publishing assets – including the Financial Review, nine.com.au, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WA Today, Domain Digital and more, reach a de-duplicated audience of 16.6 million Australians across print and digital.

ThinkNewsBrands, a group representing news publishers, says 16.5 million Australians read news each week and 20.6 million or 96 per cent of Australians read news each month.

The Total News readership figures are produced each quarter by Roy Morgan for ThinkNewsBrands.

(The Australian Financial Review)

News

Bikini, swimsuit, lifestyle bloggers and influences gone wild online; Instagram, Instamodels, Facebook fashionistas

How this bikini babe makes $215K a year on Instagram - August 2017

A day in the life of Natasha Oakley: Australia’s most famous bikini blogger - 6th August 2017

Preity Üpala wins Media Man 'Blogger Of The Month' - August 2017

World Supermodel Australia 2017

Pirelli calendar campaigns

Bikini besties Tash Oakley and Devin Brugman make waves on Bondi - 7th March 2016

Published on 29 Mar 2016
Natasha Oakley and Devin Brugman talk fitness and their new activewear line, Monday Active with E! news host Ksenjia on Bondi Beach.

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Greg Tingle

Definition of Blogging

On a Web site, a blog, a short form for weblog, is a personal journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site and its purpose. Topics sometimes include brief philosophical musings, commentary on Internet and other social issues, and links to other sites the author favors. The essential characteristics of the blog are its journal form, typically a new entry each day, and its informal style.

The author of a blog is often referred to as a blogger. People who post new journal entries to their blog may often say they blogged today, they blogged it to their site, or that they still have to blog.