Latest news with #AustralianTV
The Australian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Australian
TV's million-dollar journos
Who's the highest earner on TV? And who earns 600 grand for two hours' work? Today – the top salaries on free to air television. Find out more about The Front podcast here. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's website or on The Australian's app. This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Claire Harvey, and edited by Jasper Leak who also composed our theme. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack, Joshua Burton and Stephanie Coombes.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Karl Stefanovic and his Today co-host Sarah Abo's HUGE pay gap exposed in TV Rich List - as Nine's male stars earn over a million dollars more than their female colleagues
Disputes over pay parity in TV Land could be set to erupt again following a bombshell report revealing the salaries of Australian television's brightest stars. The Australian's inaugural TV Rich List report claimed that Nine star Karl Stefanovic is currently being paid an eye-watering $2million more than his Today show co-host Sarah Abo. The report has collated the 35 highest salaries among TV stars on Australia's three commercial networks - Channel Seven, Nine and Network 10. It revealed that Stefanovic, 50, is the highest paid small screen star, bringing home a formidable $2.8million annually, making almost three times as much as Abo, 39. This is in stark contrast to his Today counterpart who comes in at tenth place with a salary of $800,000. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. It was also reported that Stefanovic's salary is almost as much as sitting chief executive Matt Stanton ($1.6 million) and his predecessor Mike Sneesby ($1.5 million) combined. It appears that Nine has the deepest pockets out of the three commercial networks, with six of its stars making the top ten. The Block host Scott Cam trailed close behind Stefanovic on $2.4million, while Lego Masters star Hamish Blake sits third on $2million. The top ten Nine contingent is rounded out by newsreaders Alison Langdon ($1.2million), Peter Overton ($1 million) and Abo. Meanwhile Seven's highest paid star, Gold Logie winner Larry Emdur sits in fourth place at $1.6million, while Sunrise host Natalie Barr came in fifth on $1.3million. Meanwhile, Network Ten did not feature in the top ten at all, with their highest paid star Waleed Aly coming in at number 12 on $700,000. Stefanovic wears a few different caps at Nine, having worked as a reporter on 60 Minutes. He has also filled in for presenters on Nine Radio (formerly Macquarie Media) stations 2GB and 4BC This is also in stark contrast to Aly's Project co-star Sarah Harris, who clocked in at number 24 on $500,000 - $200,000 less than her co-host. While there is quite a considerable gulf in salary between Stefanovic and Abo, the former has been in the Today chair for almost two decades while his co-host joined in 2023. Stefanovic wears a few different caps at Nine, having worked as a reporter on 60 Minutes as well as helming the short-lived series, This Time Next Year. He has also filled in for presenters on Nine Radio (formerly Macquarie Media) stations 2GB and 4BC. Former Network Ten producer Rob McKnight told the publication these eye-watering salaries could soon be a thing of the past with the exception of the breakfast stars. 'The days of big network contracts are long gone,' he told the publication. 'With smaller revenues, TV networks can't afford to have big stars sitting on contracts doing nothing.' 'While there are still some exceptions due to historical deals, performers are more likely to be paid on a per show basis,' he added. 'The exception to this rule is news and breakfast shows. As these shows go all year round, hosts are signed up to multi-year contracts.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Nine for comment. It's not the first time discussions about pay parity have popped up around Stefanovic, with his former co-host Lisa Wilkinson leaving the network in 2017 over a reported salary dispute. The Australian had previously reported that Karl was earning at least $2 million a year in a three-year contract, with a potential bonus that could take his salary to $3 million if ratings were hit. Lisa was also was said by the Daily Telegraph to have been on a $1.1 million-a-year contract, with Nine only willing to increase the amount to $1.8million. The amount was claimed to have not been enough for her to stay with the network and she defected to Ten where she co-hosted The Project. Nine CEO Hugh Marks spoke out on the claims, saying he offered Lisa $1.8million, but that she asked for $2.3 million. 'I went to an incredible amount of trouble to build that [$1.8million] package for her. She wanted $2.3million,' he told the publication.
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Some of the most iconic queer film and TV moments including the kiss that changed Aussie TV forever
When Lana and Sky (Bridget Neval and Stephanie Mcintosh) locked lips on Neighbours in 2004, it was a groundbreaking moment for Australian TV. It also created controversy, with talkback radio flooded with calls from more conservative viewers arguing the kiss was 'inappropriate' for a 6.30pm timeslot. Thankfully, times have changed. So much so that when Mcintosh reprised her role for the show's 35th anniversary in 2020 (this time her character marrying Lana), she noted: 'It's refreshing that a same-sex relationship is no longer something out of the ordinary and there is no fuss around it.' Since that 2004 kiss, we have seen dramas such as Wentworth, Bump and Offspring showcase female love stories. Brooke Blurton has romanced men and women as the first bisexual Bachelorette and Dannii Minogue has played matchmaker to same-sex couples on British dating show I Kissed A Girl. Minogue, a longtime LGBTQIA+ ally, believes that representation matters just as much in fictional storytelling and reality TV, previously telling The Binge Guide, 'My friends and our casts tell me the same thing after watching [ I Kissed A Girl ]: 'My life would have been so different if I had a TV show like this when I was growing up.'' Given the demand, she is hopeful that one day Australia will have its own version of the series. For Lilydale Films head of content Ric Forster, the dawn of the streaming age means the 'one-size-fits-all' approach to TV has given way to an era of more inclusive storytelling. 'There's been a shift in society in the last 10 years, thanks to the so-called 'woke movement', which unfortunately has some negative connotations but has actually been hugely positive,' Forster tells The Binge Guide. 'You see a lot more conservative shows exploring this space now, which is fantastic. But when you look back, when they used to introduce a gay character – usually as a guest – the story seemed to be geared around acceptance. 'Audiences have seen that 100 times now, frankly. And so, what we've done is skip that part of the story. And we've certainly seen a better response from our audience, who really just want to see the romance.' Having grown up watching the original Heartbreak High on TV, Forster created the YouTube series Flunk in 2018 to capture teenage angst for a new generation. After receiving hundreds of letters from fans about the romance between two girls on the show, Forster realised audiences were hungry for authentic queer romances on screen, and created a string of spin-off films to meet that demand. Making this sort of content isn't without its challenges, and Forster notes that some countries still censor programs that feature same sex-couples and advertisers 'don't tend to support it, either'. 'I remember that we put LGBTQI in the title of a video and it instantly got demonetised,' he reveals. Nonetheless, Forster's films are finding audiences around the world. Likening the Victoria-based film series to the blockbuster Marvel cinematic universe, Forster says films such as The Sleepover and My First Girl Crush have an ardent fan base and network of interlocking stories and characters. 'They're quite small scale, but they've clicked,' he says. 'Historically, in queer content the characters either had to either break up in the end or there were typically downbeat endings. 'So something we've done, off the audience feedback, is to inject a little bit of that Hallmark feeling with some positive, happy endings. I think that means so much to the audience.' But I'm A Cheerleader: Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face, Orange Is The New Black) plays a cheerleader who is sent to a gay conversion therapy camp to 'cure' her but instead comes to embrace her sexuality. My First Girl Crush: Part of a trilogy, the film sees shy schoolgirl Ingrid (Jessica Li) juggling the pressures of her Chinese-Australian family and her growing feelings for her best friend. The Sleepover: Heidi and Tabby (Madelyn Sheahan and Georgia Crisfield-Smith) attend a friend's sleepover for the first time since their break-up. Will sparks fly or will these exes decide to move on as friends?
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Episode of leading Australian TV travel show being filmed in Sligo
Set to air this summer on the Seven Network, a major TV network in Australia, the special Ireland episode will showcase Sligo's outdoor experiences, breathtaking landscapes and warm hospitality to an audience of around 1 million viewers across Australia. Called The Great Outdoors the show's production in Sligo is supported by Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland. The TV crew – including Australian TV presenter James Tobin – has been filming at numerous locations such as Sligo Oyster Experience, Coney Island, Strandhill, Gleniff Horseshoe, VOYA Seaweed Baths and Atlantic Sheepdogs. Sofia Hansson, Tourism Ireland's Manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: 'Tourism Ireland was delighted to invite Australian TV presenter James Tobin and The Great Outdoors crew to come and film on our beautiful island. It's a wonderful opportunity to highlight our fantastic outdoor activities and spectacular scenery to around 1 million Australians, inspiring them to come and experience the destination for themselves.'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The VERY surprising TV game show smashing Farmer Wants A Wife in the ratings
Channel Nine's new game show The Floor Australia has proved to be a massive - and surprising - prime time ratings winner for the network. Hosted by Underbelly actor Rodger Corser, the family friendly quiz show has won its 7.30pm slot ever since it dropped three weeks ago. Based on a hugely successful Dutch format that spawned a hit US iteration featuring 80s star Rob Lowe, the Aussie version scored a staggering 1,171,000 viewers nationally when it debuted on April 28. Over on Seven, long-running dating show Farmer Wants a Wife got nowhere near its new rival on the same night, attracting an average Total TV national audience of 833,000. Screening on Mondays and Tuesday evenings, the trivia game is the biggest entertainment show on Australian TV right now. For three weeks, it has finished in the third spot in the Total TV Overnight Top 30 Programs survey. Tuesday's episode pulled in an average national audience of 1,073,000 while Farmer Wants A Wife managed 764,000 viewers across the country. The Total TV national audience combines audience averages calculated by networks in the metro and regional areas on free-to-air television and broadcast video on demand. While the show has shed viewers over the last few weeks it remains enormously successful. Created as an elimination game that starts with 81 contestants, players have a chance to win $200,000 in prize money. Using a large floor with covered tiles that flash topics, contestants go head-to-head as they are tested on topics such as Australian cuisine, famous characters, and gold medallists. The loser of the trivia 'duel' goes home while the winner claims their space on the floor and their trivia category. Despite its popularity, some viewers on Nine's Facebook think the show is 'slow-paced'. 'Love Rodger and a game show but it's a slow process which will lose viewers,' wrote one. Screening on Mondays and Tuesday evenings, the gripping trivia game is the biggest entertainment show on Australian TV right now 'Too slow to get results.... quick game is a good game,' added another fan. I was excited about this show but I'm finding it drawn out,' agreed a third viewer. The Floor Australia has still attracted gushing praise online from many others who appear enthralled by the ratings hit. 'My kids and I are loving this show. My 8 year old knew so many of the water creatures,' wrote on fan. 'Love a good quiz show, especially something like this where we can play along at home,' said another. 'Personally loved it. Something for the whole family to watch,' agreed a third viewer.
