Tim Worner


Seven West in Oz replaces CEO Tim Worner with James Warburton

Seven West Media (SWM), the Australian company behind the Seven Network, has appointed former Network Ten CEO James Warburton as its chief executive to replace the outgoing Tim Worner. Worner stepped down with immediate effect yesterday after six years in his current role of CEO at SWM and more than 25 years with the company. […]

Commercial TV licence fees abolished in Oz

Australia’s commercial broadcasters have welcomed a government plan to abolish the television licence fees they currently pay. As of the 2017/18 Australian fiscal year, channels such as Network Seven, Nine and Ten will no longer pay commercial TV licence and datacasting fees, but instead pay a spectrum-based charge. This will reduce their payments from around […]

Australia’s Seven buys UK drama prodco

Australian commercial broadcaster Seven Network has acquired a stake in British production company Slim Film + Television. The “major” shareholding expands Seven’s growing international production ranks. It already has a joint ventures in the UK, 7Wonder, and the US, 7Beyond, though these are primarily focused on unscripted and Slim hands the network a foothold in […]

Broadcast veteran Leckie exits Seven

David Leckie is leaving Australian commercial broadcaster Seven Network and will take a full-time role elsewhere. According to local news outlets, negotiations with Seven have ended with Leckie not renewing a multi-year agreement when his contract expires. Therefore, he leaves the broadcaster after 13 years on July 29. Seven has been the top rated Australian […]

TV legend Grundy dies at 92

Australian television legend Reg Grundy has passed away at 92. Reports say he died in Bermuda, where he lived, on Friday. Grundy (pictured above, in 1959; and below right) is credited with developing hugely successful Australian soap opera Neighbours, ground-breaking women’s prison drama Prisoner: Cell Block H (recently rebooted as Wentworth) and TVNZ’s Shortland St. […]

Aussie pubcasters get budget boost

Australian public broadcasters the ABC and SBS have avoided further budget cuts. The organisations feared they would be subject to more funding cuts as part of the Australian government’s latest budget statement, but the ABC will in fact receive A$3.1 billion (US$2.3 billion), while SBS will get A$814 million. This means they will receive around […]

Seven parent plunges with A$1.9bn loss

Seven West Media has posted a massive loss of A$1.89 billion (US$1.34 billion) in its 2015 full-year results. Despite SWM’s commercial channel, Network Seven, leading the Australian free TV ratings for the ninth year in a row, various impairments relating to TV licences saw earnings plunge into the red. Excluding these ‘significant items’ that totaled […]

Watchdog okays Seven, Foxtel SVOD JV

Australian media regulators have given Seven Network the greenlight to acquire half of new streaming service Presto TV and launch a planned JV with Foxtel. Seven revealed its involvement in Presto last year in a joint announcement with pay TV operator Foxtel, but had not been officially given the go-ahead to own its 50% stake […]

TV growth swings Seven back to profit

The parent firm of Australian broadcaster Seven Network has swung back into profit after reporting growth in its TV business. Full-year revenues at Seven West Media’s broadcast unit, which includes Seven and its affiliated linear and on-demand channels, has grown 3% year-on-year to A$1.3 billion (US$1.2 billion) – 70% of entire group sales. Earnings before […]

21st Century Fox to delist in Oz

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is delisting shares from the Australia Stock Exchange after regulators okayed the move. The company will stop trading on the ASX on May 1, with all Class A and Class B stock then trading on the NASDAQ in the US. Murdoch (left) split his businesses in two last year, with […]