Latest news with #Brisbane
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
How the ABC bungled a $4billion payday - as Aussie show among the biggest in the world makes major move
The ABC has been left red-faced after the UK channel that airs Bluey announced it is set to make even more money off one of Australia's most successful cultural exports. This week, the BBC revealed plans to transform Bluey into a full-fledged lifestyle brand, marking another major commercial leap for the animated juggernaut. Alongside the expansion of its already booming merchandise empire, a Bluey feature film is now in the works, set to be released in 2027 and distributed globally by Disney. In just 2024 alone, Bluey was the driving force behind a bumper $4billion in commercial profits for BBC Studios through global licensing, product deals, and themed experiences. That staggering haul is more than four times the annual budget of the ABC, which is funded by the federal government and Australian taxpayers. The ABC was among the original co-commissioners of Bluey, which first aired in 2018, but failed to secure any significant merchandising deals. Despite being developed and produced in Brisbane by Ludo Studio, most of the benefits of show's commercial success has flowed offshore. Since its debut, Bluey has become a global sensation, celebrated for its heartwarming storytelling, gentle humour, and uniquely Australian character. Bluey-branded merchandise ranges from plush toys and puzzles to camping gear, clothing, and even nappies. In 2024, a large-scale Bluey-themed attraction, Bluey's World, opened in Brisbane, and was recently named one of Time Magazine's 'World's Greatest Places' for 2025. In the same year, Bluey was the number one most viewed show in the United States, recording more than 55billion minutes of viewing time on Disney+. 'From a retail sales standpoint, we are generating about £2.7bn in global retail sales across our entire portfolio and Bluey is a really, really big chunk of that,' Suzy Raia, who heads global consumer products at BBC Studios, told The Guardian. Yet despite its deep Australian roots, the ABC has reaped little financial reward from Bluey's explosive global success. As reported by The Courier-Mail in February, the ABC made no attempt to secure merchandising rights during the show's early development. Then-managing director David Anderson was present at the meeting where Bluey was first pitched to the network. 'We don't make money out of Bluey,' Anderson told the ABC in 2023. 'What Bluey does is provide joy to children and families all over the country and now all over the world. And that would be priceless.' In 2024, ABC Chair Kim Williams addressed the Australian Press Club, warning of declining public funding for the broadcaster and calling for greater government support. Just a few months later in June, the ABC slashed at least 50 jobs in a round of budget cuts, under the new leadership of Managing Director Hugh Marks. Among the casualties was the long-running current affairs program Q&A, once a flagship forum for national political and cultural debate. In an email sent to ABC staff, Marks justified the changes were part of the ABC stepping back from 'areas that no longer align with our priorities'.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Andy Farrell has ignored the old adage of 'if ain't broke don't fix it' with his Lions selection for the second Test against Australia, it's hard to justify Bundee Aki's inclusion at the expense of Sione Tuipulotu, writes CHRIS FOY
Amid all the deserved acclaim for Garry Ringrose's honesty about suffering concussion symptoms, a Lions selection gamble was partially hidden, but it was a shock all the same. As word began to circulate in the morning here that both Scotland centres, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, were being left out and replaced by their Irish counterparts, there was a mood of incredulity and disbelief. Why? It had worked a treat. Tuipulotu scored a try in Brisbane, Jones so nearly scored one of his own and he helped create another. They dovetailed beautifully with compatriot Finn Russell, as usual. Their performances helped the Lions take a 1-0 series lead. Eventually, when the selection for the second Test was officially announced, Jones was in there at 13 again, alongside Bundee Aki. Cue confusion. What was going on? It emerged that head coach Andy Farrell had picked Aki and Ringrose together, until the latter finished training and - following a case of concussion already on this tour - admitted to experiencing a headache. His candour meant he had to be stood down, sensibly, so Jones was reprieved. If he hadn't been, he would have been one of the unluckiest Lions in recent history. The official explanation for the removal of Tuipulotu, the Scotland captain, was that he had a tight hamstring, but it became apparent that he was going to be demoted anyway, as all the rumours had suggested. 'Bundee's well able,' said Farrell. 'That type of combination is something we certainly would have trusted anyway.' So, was it Tuipulotu's tight hamstring which led to the selection change at inside centre? 'No, not initially,' said the head coach - matching Ringrose's honesty. 'It all comes into the equation.' Asked about the midfield combination he has ended up with, Farrell added: 'They'll be good. Bundee and Huw will hit it off exactly like any other type of partnership.' But that is no certainty. The pair have only started together once - against the Reds in Brisbane on July 2. The old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' has been chased out of town. There is a widespread perception that Farrell wanted to deploy the Aki-Ringrose double-act all along, but circumstances conspired against him, when the latter suffered a head knock against the Brumbies in Canberra on July 9. On balance, it was deemed sensible to reunite the Scots at Suncorp Stadium last weekend and they did their duty well, but the writing was on the wall anyway. There were echoes of the 2013 Lions tour here when team news was being digested and debated this time. Farrell has defaulted to the Irish players he knows - nine of them in the starting XV - just as Warren Gatland went into full-scale Welsh mode for the series decider a dozen years ago. His decision to select 10 players from the Principality for that tour finale in Sydney unleashed a tide of toxic Irish outrage, when the great Brian O'Driscoll was replaced by Jonathan Davies on legitimate form grounds. Some icons of the sport in Ireland accused Gatland of betraying 'the whole ethos of the Lions', before they stormed to a 41-16 victory, to win the series 2-1. This is no betrayal, nothing of the sort, but it is hard to justify the plan to overhaul the heart of the back line, which has left the Lions with a half Irish, half Scottish cut-and-shut job in midfield. Unless his hamstring was troubling him so much that he couldn't be considered, Tuipulotu deserved to play again. There is no room for sentiment in selection, but he duly misses out on an emotional home-coming appearance in front of extended family in Melbourne, where he grew up. If it ain't broke… The Glasgow centre has an innate understanding with Russell and Jones. While the argument is that the Lions have been in camp long enough now to have all grown accustomed to each other, they repeatedly spoke about a lack of training time during the hectic, two-games-per-week phase of this tour. Then all the focus was on the Tuipulotu-Jones alliance being prepared for the series opener after Ringrose's head knock spoiled the plan of deploying him with Aki. These are two of the preferred men. All coaches have them, of course. Ireland head coach Farrell now has nine Irishmen in his XV and it was 10 before Ringrose's honest declaration which forced a late reshuffle. Aki was picked in the match-day squad last week when his familiar midfield partner was unavailable, came on for Tuipulotu with more than a quarter of the game remaining and made very little impact as the Lions lost momentum, but he's in. He is a thunderous carrier and breakdown threat, but he cannot match the attacking repertoire of the Scotland captain; a superior distributor who also has an effective kicking game. Some of the Leinster and Ireland contingent are earning a lot of leeway on this trip, not least James Lowe, who has somehow been retained on the left wing after his erratic performance in Brisbane maintained an extended pattern on this tour. He has a powerful left boot, but no form to speak of. Granted, there are limited options as Mack Hansen - who was on a roll - is still injured and Daly went home early, but Blair Kinghorn could have been worth the risk out wide.
SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Siang Lu just won Australia's most prestigious literary prize — more than 200 rejections later
Brisbane writer Siang Lu has won the Miles Franklin Literary Award for his novel Ghost Cities, after more than 200 publishers rejected the manuscript. The 39-year-old author said he was shocked to find out he had won the $60,000 prize after being shortlisted for the first time. "I just sat down and actually lost all feeling in my hands and legs, and I lost my voice," he said. "It was one of the first times in my life where I actually had to ask someone with complete seriousness, to just tell me that I wasn't dreaming." Australia's most prestigious literary award was announced at a ceremony in Sydney on Thursday night, at which Lu revealed that he finished the manuscript for Ghost Cities a decade ago in 2015, but it was rejected more than 200 times by publishers in Australia and overseas. Siang Lu accepted the $60,000 prize at an event in Sydney on Thursday night. Source: AAP / Jane Dempster "I used to print my rejections and Blu-Tack them on the glass pane between my office, and my bedroom. My youngest child, Madeleine, had just been born — she is nine now — and she would nap on that big bed while I worked and kept an eye on her," he said in his acceptance speech. "The rejections kept piling up. Eventually, they grew so numerous that I could no longer see through the glass, into the bedroom where my daughter slept." A 'landmark' in Australian literature Having finally been published by University of Queensland Press, the winning book has been described by critics as both intellectually ambitious and zany, and by the Miles Franklin judges as a "genuine landmark" in Australian literature. "Siang Lu's Ghost Cities is at once a grand farce and a haunting meditation on diaspora. Sitting within a tradition in Australian writing that explores failed expatriation and cultural fraud, Lu's novel is also something strikingly new," the judges said. "Shimmering with satire and wisdom, and with an absurdist bravura, Ghost Cities is a genuine landmark in Australian literature." Lu says his win changes things dramatically — not only financially, but in terms of recognition for the quality of his work. Ghost Cities was inspired by megacities built in China during the nation's real estate boom, many of which have been left uninhabited and falling into ruin. The manuscript for Ghost Cities was completed in 2015, but rejected more than 200 times by publishers in Australia and overseas. Source: AAP / Jane Dempster It weaves together multiple stories — including that of a young man who is fired from his job as a translator at the Chinese consulate in Sydney, when it is discovered he is monolingual and has been relying on Google Translate. There's also a chess automaton with a secret, and an ancient emperor who creates a thousand replicas of himself. Since his novel hit the shelves in 2024, Lu has found what he describes as a perverse joy in chatting to his readers, as they try to guess what Ghost Cities is actually saying. The answer is less complex than readers might imagine: "It is trying to be funny," he promises. Siang Lu's debut novel was 2022's The Whitewash, while his online tracking project The Beige Index — described as "the Bechdel Test for race" in the film industry — has found an audience worldwide. The 2025 shortlist was dominated by writers of colour, including veteran Brian Castro, who has made the shortlist four times, and two-time winner Michelle de Kretser. The six authors shortlisted for the Miles Franklin also receive $5,000 from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund.
National Post
3 hours ago
- Business
- National Post
Gate Bioscience Enters into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Lilly to Discover and Develop Molecular Gate Medicines
Article content BRISBANE, Calif. — Gate Bioscience, a biotechnology company developing molecular gates, a new class of small molecule drugs to eliminate disease-causing proteins at their source, today announced a collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company ('Lilly') to discover, develop, and commercialize molecular gate therapeutics. The collaboration will leverage Gate's molecular gate drug discovery engine to identify molecular gates capable of eliminating specific difficult-to-drug proteins, bringing forth medicines with a new mechanism of action for diseases of high unmet medical need. Article content 'This collaboration fuels our vision to make molecular gates into medicines,' said Jordi Mata-Fink, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Gate. 'Our drugs eliminate disease-causing proteins at their source with a convenient pill. Lilly's expertise in developing innovative therapeutics to address unmet medical needs for the benefit of patients stands apart. Lilly is an ideal partner for Gate as we develop the first wave of molecular gate drugs.' Article content Under the terms of the agreement, Gate will receive an upfront payment and equity investment, will be eligible to receive milestone payments upon achievement of certain development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties on global net sales. Gate can also receive certain preclinical R&D support from Lilly ExploR&D, a pillar of Lilly Catalyze360, for their internal programs. Article content 'Lilly has shown its commitment to building the biotech ecosystem through win-win partnerships with innovative start-up companies,' said Vineeta Agarwala, M.D., Ph.D., board member at Gate and general partner at a16z Bio + Health. 'With this collaboration, Lilly gains access to a transformative new drug modality and Gate taps into Lilly's deep expertise in delivering meaningful therapeutics. Ultimately, patients will be the big winners.' Article content About Gate Bioscience Article content Gate Bioscience is creating a new class of medicines called molecular gates, small molecules that eliminate a disease-causing secreted or membrane protein at its source. Secreted and membrane proteins pass through a common channel in the cell before they are secreted into the body. Molecular Gates recognize and block a specific protein from crossing the channel, causing it to be degraded by the cell instead of being secreted. By eliminating the harmful protein at its source, Gate aims to eliminate the disease for patients. Founded in 2021, Gate is backed by Versant Ventures, a16z Bio + Health, ARCH Venture Partners, and GV. Learn more at Article content Article content Article content Article content
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'We've all got a point to prove'
Women's summer series: Australia v WalesVenue: Ballymore, Brisbane Date: Saturday, 26 July Kick-off: 05:00 BSTCoverage: Watch on BBC Sport online and BBC iPlayer, listen on Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and BBC Sounds Wales head coach Sean Lynn says he and his players have a point to prove on their tour of Australia, but warns they will be far from the finished article. Wales lost all five games for the first time in their history in a disastrous Six Nations, slumping to 10th in the world had very little time to make an impression in what was his first campaign, but has since benefitted from a full say they are the fittest they have ever been and that will certainly be tested on Saturday when Wales take on the Wallaroos in the first of two Tests."I think we've all got a point to prove, we know that as a group, we had some honest conversations when we started pre-season," said Lynn. "Fitness is coming on really well, also you can see the intensity in training and the accuracy has improved massively, I'm really pleased with that."The areas that I want us to be stronger in is making sure that we're being more competitive. The more competitive we are the more we can put sides under pressure."It's making sure that we're moving the ball, having that accuracy and being much more disciplined." Despite the strides taken this summer, Lynn says Wales' transformation from a wooden spoon side to world beaters will take matchday squad has six players under the age of 21, with three set to make their debuts from the bench. The captain Alex Callender is only 24 herself."We're improving, everything that we want to be doing is making sure that we're taking small steps moving forward," said Lynn. "I'm not going to say we are the finished article, we're moving forward with it, but the girls and the staff have all been working hard over this pre-season and Saturday is going to be a really good test for us."
