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All That Glitters

Digital Bush Telegraph - Australia to Hollywood and Silicon Valley Edition; Media Watercooler

December 22, 2025
Sydney, Australia

December 21, 2025
Wall St, New York

Australian Dollar: $0.6610 USD (down $0.0003 USD) Iron Ore: $104.50 USD (down $US0.50)
Oil: $56.52 USD (up $0.51 USD)
Gold: $4,340.10 USD (up $9.48 USD)
Copper: $5.4835 USD (up $0.0610 USD)
Bitcoin: $88,482.84 +0.23%
Dow Jones: 48,134.89 (up 183.04 points)

BTC 88,851.95 +0.26%
BNB $861.43 +0.84%
Dogecoin $0.1320 +0.04%

Market Favs

Closed Today

TKO $213.44 +1.81 +0.86%
Alphabet Inc Class A +$307.16 +4.70 +1.55%
Netflix Inc $94.39 +0.39 +0.41%

News

Trading

Schwab CEO Rick Wurster draws a ‘bright line’ between investing and gambling

When it comes to encouraging customers to invest for the long haul or live in the fast lane, Rick Wurster says he knows where his brokerage stands. And it is not on the side of the guy dressed as a race-car driver. Wurster, appointed Charles Schwab’s CEO in January, has delivered higher profit this year thanks to individual investors’ mounting confidence in trading everything from stocks and bonds to options and exchange-traded funds. An extended rally has led some ordinary Americans into riskier, more-volatile markets.

News

Las Vegas

30 years, millions of lights and one big party at downtown Las Vegas’s Fremont Street Experience

In Vegas time, 30 years is long enough to feel like forever. It’s a monumental chunk of time wherein generations of locals and visitors may have no understanding of what came before. That’s how long we’ve had the Fremont Street Experience—the historic casino-lined five-block pedestrian promenade Downtown, covered mostly by the 1,375-foot LED-screen canopy flashing Viva Vision shows every night—instead of “Glitter Gulch,” what we called Fremont Street when you could drive your car there. When the canopy came to life, there was no Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas, no Bellagio fountains, no faux Eiffel Tower.

News

Congressman urges Commodity Futures Trading Commission to review Kalshi-CNN deal

Congressman Abe Hamadeh has called on federal regulators to review the partnership between news broadcaster CNN and prediction market platform Kalshi, warning that the deal posed risks to market integrity and even national security. In a letter to Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairwoman Caroline D. Pham, Hamadeh requested details on how the regulator is reviewing the partnership between Kalshi and CNN. He argued that the arrangement creates a conflict of interest as it allows a major news organization to potentially profit from geopolitical events.

News

More Intel

Dec 19

Central banks did not scare the dollar

Central banks prefer to pause

The strengthening of the dollar prevented gold from reaching a record high. Global central banks are diverging in their policy paths. In the wake of the Fed's decision, Britain and Mexico have lowered rates, whereas the eurozone, Norway, and Sweden have signalled a continued pause. The Bank of Japan tightened its policy, raising the overnight rate to its highest level since 1995 at 0.75%. Nevertheless, the US dollar strengthened against major world currencies on expectations of a prolonged pause in the process of lowering the federal funds rate. The Bank of England lowered the repo rate to 3.75% by five votes to four. Andrew Bailey warned of limited room for manoeuvre in the monetary expansion cycle in 2026. As a result, the futures market reduced its expected scale to 25 basis points. The pound initially strengthened, but a reassessment of US inflation data brought GBPUSD back down to earth. As expected, the ECB raised its eurozone GDP forecasts to 1.4% in 2025 and 1.2% in 2026. The central bank expects inflation to remain below target until 2028. Christine Lagarde did not encourage the ‘hawks’ who had previously discussed raising deposit rates. The Frenchwoman repeated the mantra that the European Central Bank is in a comfortable position. The EURUSD's inability to break through resistance at 1.176 resulted in a sell-off. The Bank of Japan raised its overnight rate to 0.75%. This outcome of the December meeting was predicted by all 50 Bloomberg experts. In this regard, after the BoJ's verdict, a sell-off of the yen began on the facts. Moreover, the Governing Council did not signal a continuation of the cycle of monetary tightening. The US dollar strengthened against major world currencies as investors ignored the slowdown in US core inflation to 2.6% in November. This is the lowest level since the beginning of 2021. After the shutdown, the BLS is experiencing problems with data. It will take time for confidence in it to return. The market's reluctance to take US consumer price statistics at face value played a cruel joke on gold. The precious metal hit a new local high but failed to reach a record high and was forced to retreat due to the strengthening of the US dollar. According to Goldman Sachs, structurally high demand from central banks for bullion and cyclical support from the Fed's rate cuts will continue to create tailwinds for XAUUSD. (FxPro)

News

U.S/Tech/Search/A.I News

Google executive addresses calls to slow AI, highlights security and energy focus

Executive cites cybersecurity and energy as key areas where AI growth can be beneficial

Google executive Royal Hansen responded to some lawmakers' calls to slow the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the U.S., emphasizing the need to develop and use the technology responsibly rather than fall behind other countries.

"It's really… this idea of being responsible as we invest in and develop AI because there's a lot of upside to using AI well, whether it's in energy production or healthcare or science."

"But in cybersecurity," he continued, "it's an area where we need to keep people safe, help people learn to use AI well at the same time."

News

Dec 22

Australia

Dodgy $60m crypto mining scheme shut

The Federal Court last week ordered that NGS Crypto and two linked companies be wound up, with the three firms known collectively as the NGS digital mining scheme. The ruling followed an Australian Securities & Investments Commission investigation into the dubious scheme, with ASIC reporting that over 450 people invested about $60 million with the NGS companies over a period of six years. However, to date, only around $US4.5 million ($6.7 million) of that money has been traced. (RMS)

News

Dec 20

Show hits pay dirt, and some real gold

The Discovery Channel Australia will broadcast the 10th season of Aussie Gold Hunter from 8 January. The show was the highest-rating factual series across Foxtel's channels from 2017 and 2022, while it has an estimated global audience of 40 million people in 140 countries. Seven teams of gold prospectors will appear in the new season of Aussie Gold Hunters; the program is produced by Perth-based Electric Pictures, and executive producer Andrew Ogilvie says much of its appeal lies in its depiction of ordinary people finding gold - or not finding it. (RMS)

News

Dec 22

New-age 'showman' stalking Hollywood

Netflix and Paramount are battling for control of Warner Bros Discovery, with Netflix's bid for much of Warner Bros valued at $US72bn ($108.7bn). Some have claimed that Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is trying to destroy Hollywood with its bid, but he has stated he views it as a win for the entertainment industry. He promised in a speech in Paris to keep films in theatres, although he told a Time magazine event this year that he views traditional filmgoing as being outmoded for most people. Producer Greg Berlanti has stated that Sarandos "has that old studio showman flair", while US President Donald Trump has spoken highly of him. (A.I Newsfeed)

News

Gold

Gold prices surged over 65% this year, nearing $4,400 per ounce.

Rising central bank buying and geopolitical risks are driving gold demand and outlook.

It’s hard to imagine gold having a better year in 2026 than it has this year.

The precious metal is up more than 65% this year and has been retesting highs set near Halloween, gaining 7.5% in the last month to get within sniffing distance of $4,400 per ounce.

Markets that achieve that kind of vertical lift — and gold prices as measured by SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) are up 33.7% annualized and roughly 140% cumulative over the last three years — nearly always have similarly scary pullbacks, so investors’ gold nerves are on edge.

And while gold has always been considered a hedge against rising prices and inflation has proven persistent and sticky, gold’s recent rise appears to have little to do with inflation and more to do with geopolitical risk, tariff concerns, a weakened dollar, and more.

News

Dec 20

Sharemarket caps weak year of returns amid blue-chip exodus

Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is set to underperform its global peers in calendar 2025. It is on track to post a gain of about six per cent, compared with 8.4 per cent in 2024 and 11.4 per cent in 2023; in contrast, the US and UK bourses are set to post double-digit returns, while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong has gained nearly 30 per cent. Tony Sycamore from IG notes that the S&P/ASX 200's performance would have been much worse if it had not benefited from a rally by the resources sector, which has gained about 25 per cent in the year to date; this has been primarily due to a surge in the price of gold. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.39 per cent to 8,621.4 points on Friday. (RMS)

News Flashback

Markets, Biz, News, Resources, Culture

December 19, 2025
Sydney, Australia

Australia and World

S&P/ASX 200 8588.20 +0.37%
S&P 500 6778.28 +0.85%
NIKKEI 49001.50 -1.03%
FTSE 9837.77 +0.65%
AUD/USD66.15 +0.23%
GOLD 4331.30 +0.23%
BITCOIN $84,747.60 -1.52%

News

Markets

ASX futures up 44 points/0.5% to 8627

Wall Street:
S&P 500 +0.8%
Dow Jones: +0.1%
Nasdaq +1.2%

Europe:
Stoxx 50 +1.1%
FTSE +0.7%
DAX +1%
CAC +0.8%

Australian dollar +0.1% to US66.12 cents

Bitcoin $85,077.30 -0.99%

Gold -0.3% to $US4325.33 per ounce

US oil +0.1% to $US55.98 a barrel

Brent crude oil +0.1% to $US59.71 a barrel

Iron ore +1.3% to $US105.00 per ton

10-year yield:
US 4.11%
Australia 4.74%
Germany 2.85%

News

Mining/Energy/Resources

Demand headwinds may put brakes on iron ore's run

The iron ore price has risen by about seven per cent so far in 2025, but Vivek Dhar from the Commonwelth Bank warns that oversupply concerns could soon see the price of the steel input fall below $US100 per tonne. He notes that demand headwinds are accelerating in China, while shipments from the Simandou project in Guinea have commenced. UBS in turn says factors such as rising iron ore port inventories, pressure on the steel sector and Simandou pose downside risks to iron ore prices. Despite the bearish outlook, the ASX 200 materials sector has gained 27 per cent in the year to date. (RMS)

News

Iron ore tipped to plunge into a bear market

Westpac is particularly bearish about the outlook for the iron ore price, forecasting that it will fall by 20 per cent to about $US83 per tonne by the end of 2026. The pessimistic forecast comes amid ongoing signs of a downturn in China's steel industry. Production fell by 11 per cent year-on-year in November, declining for a sixth consecutive month. In contrast, iron ore imports into China reached a record high during the first 11 months of calendar 2025, and inventories at the nation's ports have reached their highest level since March. (RMS)

News

US miners take on Simandou play in Guinea

The Rio Tinto-backed Simandou iron ore mine in Guinea is currently the world's biggest mining project. However, the Kon Kweni iron ore deposit in south-east Guinea is estimated to be of higher quality. It is owned by US-based Ivanhoe Atlantic, which has proposed a $US1.8bn mine and rail project to produce iron ore with 66.5 per cent purity. Ivanhoe Atlantic's president and CEO Bronwyn Barnes says every ton of iron ore produced at Kon Kweni will be reserved solely for US and allied supply chains. The company expects to start shipping ore in the first half of 2027, while it has received preliminary approval to list on the Australian sharemarket. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Bitcoin is holding, while Solana is on the edge

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation fell to $2.91T (-2.4% for the day). The surge at the start of the US session on Wednesday only fuelled the bears, who drove the market down to $2.89T by the end of the day, retreating only slightly from these lows. Under intense pressure, the major old altcoins — Ethereum, XRP, and Solana — retreated to multi-month lows, losing about 4% over the past 24 hours.

Bitcoin is trading near $87K, roughly where it was the day before. A sharp jump in price above $90K hit a wall of selling, and now just above this round level is a significant short-term resistance line, which was support until 14 December. However, it is also difficult for the market to find reasons to go below the $85K level, from which the price has been rebounding since the beginning of the week. Additionally, it is worth noting that BTC is trading significantly above its late November lows of $80K, outperforming major altcoins.

Solana's price fell to $123, testing an important support area from March 2024. Since its peak in September, this seventh-largest altcoin has lost half of its value. The technical rebound that began at the end of November has ended, and if support at $120 fails, the road down to $90 or even $70 will open up.

News Background

Long-term Bitcoin holders have almost completed their active selling phase, according to K33 Research, which anticipates a decrease in selling pressure. Over the past two years, 20% of the supply has returned to the market, and this process is almost complete.

Institutional investors have begun buying Bitcoin at a rate faster than miners can mine it, Capriole notes. For the first time since November, demand from companies has exceeded the inflow of new coins into the market amid a more than 30% drop in the asset from its October highs.

Strategy bought 641 bitcoins daily in 2025, according to Finbold Research. This allowed it to increase its holdings by 223,800 BTC (a 50% increase) in less than a year.

The capacity of the Lightning Network (LN) micropayment network has reached a historic high, thanks to technical improvements and the implementation of the solution by major exchanges. The growth of this indicator is a sign of demand for faster and cheaper transactions. (FxPro)

News

The dollar's wings have been clipped

Christopher Waller's dovish rhetoric halted the bears' attack on EURUSD.

Slowing British inflation caused the pound to fall, while the Bank of Japan is preparing to raise rates.

Christopher Waller's comments had as much of an impact on the US dollar as the US labour market statistics. The rise in unemployment to 4.6% and the acceleration in average private sector employment over three months from 13,000 in the summer to 75,000 in the autumn forced investors to change their views. They began to expect a prolonged pause in the monetary expansion cycle and a reduction in the federal funds rate to 3.75% in 2026. However, a senior FOMC official thinks differently.

Christopher Waller is one of the candidates for the position of Fed chair. He believes that the neutral rate is 2.75%, which is 100 basis points below current levels. This is significantly lower than the forecasts of the futures market. If the cost of borrowing falls to this level, Treasury yields will decline and the USD index will collapse. Moreover, the futures market is confident that the ECB's monetary expansion cycle is coming to an end. Investors are beginning to price in expectations of a rise in deposit rates. This is usually done when the risks of inflation accelerating increase or monetary policy becomes too loose. Neither of these conditions applies to the eurozone. It is too early to talk about a new trump card for EURUSD. On the contrary, weak data on business activity in the currency bloc and German business confidence from the IFO are disappointing ECB hawks and putting pressure on the euro. The regional currency appears too expensive. Japan has a different problem. The yen appears too cheap for a government fighting inflation. Therefore, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will not stand in the way of the Bank of Japan's intention to raise rates. Investors are eagerly awaiting Kazuo Ueda's signals about the regulator's actions in 2026. The BoJ is expected to very slowly normalise monetary policy. This fact supports the bulls on USDJPY. The slowdown in British inflation from 3.6% to 3.2% in November caused the pound to plummet. The futures market is confident that by April, the repo rate will be cut by 50 basis points to 3.5%. Investors doubt that the Bank of England will take a hawkish stance in December. They expect Andrew Bailey to signal a continuation of the cycle of monetary policy easing. (FxPro)

News

The Lead Up

Dec 18

ASX ends lower on oil stocks; miners rally

The Australian sharemarket lost ground on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 0.2 per cent to close at 8,585.2 points. Woodside Energy was down 2.4 per cent at $23.40, GrainCorp fell 15.5 per cent to $7.09 and DroneShield ended the session 12,1 per cent lower at $2.47. However, Liontown Resources was up 11.8 per cent at $1.51 and Humm Group rose 10.6 per cent to $0.73 in response to a takeover bid.

News

Markets/Resources/Commodities

Dec 18

Australian Dollar: $0.6600 USD (down $0.0030 USD) Iron Ore: $103.60 USD (up $US1.15)
Oil Price: $56.13 USD (up $0.94 USD)
Gold Price: $4,339.35 USD (up $28.14 USD)
Copper Price: $5.4205 USD (up $0.0545 USD)
Bitcoin: $85,642.68 USD (down 2.38%)
Dow Jones: 47,974.02 (down 140.24 points)

News

Currency Notes Under The Watercooler

Crypto Winter Darwinism

Digital asset treasuries were flying high earlier this year until bitcoin's sudden October crash. Now many of those companies are sitting on unrealized losses.

Over 180 public companies currently hold crypto on their balance sheets, with roughly 100 of that total having followed some version a the playbook that Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor pioneered in 2020 by issuing debt and equity to rapidly accumulate bitcoin.

Bitcoin's more recent volatility has prompted a sell-off across the digital asset treasury space.

Strategy's stock has fallen roughly 40% since bitcoin's Oct. 10 liquidation.

Investors have wrestled with Strategy's imitators even worse over the past month. KindlyMD (NAKA) has dived 39%. Eric Trump's American Bitcoin (ABTC) is down 60%. Anthony Pompliano's ProCap Financial (BRR) has fell 65%.

Other ether-holding treasury companies, like sports betting company SharpLink Gaming (SBET) and computing firm Bit Digital (BTBT), have seen their stocks tumble about 40% over the past two months.

"Market concerns on MSTR are overstated and there is no realistic scenario which threatens the longevity of MSTR," analyst Gautam Chhugani wrote in a note on Dec. 1. "However, several MSTR copy-cats may continue to trade at discount to their NAVs without a clear path to raise long term capital."

Restructuring and stronger players acquiring weaker ones are possibilities, according to Will Owens, a research analyst for Galaxy Digital.

"In other words, treasury companies are about to enter a Darwinian phase," Owens wrote earlier this month.

Bet with your head, not over it!

Best Quotes Of The Day

Cryptocurrency, Finance and World

"Volatility is Satoshi’s gift to the faithful." - Michael Saylor

"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

Media and Marketing News via Media Man Group

Niche media, marketing and media campaigns the way to go, says Media Man agency

Markets, Crypto and Culture

Cryptos Struggle again, Medium Bull Update: Round 1! Bloody Noses and Black Eyes Cont! Red And Black Attack! All That Glitters. Bells To Be Rung! Aussie - US Connection

November 24, 2025

Sin City Sydney, Australia
Mad Monday Aussie

ASX futures up 92 points/1.1% to 8519

Wall Street:
S&P 500 +1%
Dow Jones: +1.1%
Nasdaq +0.9%
Europe: Stoxx 50 -1%
FTSE +0.1%
DAX -0.8%
CAC flat

Australian dollar at US64.59 cents

Bitcoin +3.3% to $US87,532

Gold -0.3% to $US4065.14
Oil -1.6% to $US58.06 a barrel
Brent crude oil -1.3% to $US62.56 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% to $US104.25 per ton

10-year yield:
US 4.06%
Australia 4.46%
Germany 2.70%

Bitcoin: (Near Live) $87,749.31 +3.95%

News Update: (Near Live)

News

New York/Wall St via Mr Wolf!
The November Man!
23 Nov
NYC!

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Moody: Cryptos lost shine!

Bitcoin $87,749.31 +3.95%
Ethereum $2,833.20 +3.10%
Tether $1.0005 +0.06%
Binance Coin $853.96 +2.91%
XRP $2.0762 +6.95%
Solana $133.00 +4.96%
TRON $0.2755 +0.52%
Dogecoin $0.1470 +4.85%
Cardano $0.4158 +3.49%

Market scares! Mood: Medium:; Picking up for some in traditional sectors! Hardcores keep dream! Many bears selling out!

Media Man Favs:

(Near Live)

Bells Rung by Mr Wolf! TKO kicks out. Comeback! Christmas Grinch Comes Early for some! Santa gives little for miners, gamers, some tech heads and grapplers!

Wall St, New York

TKO Group Holdings Inc $178.17 +1.680.95%
NVIDIA Corp $178.88 -1.76 -0.97%
Formula One Group Series A $85.18 -0.72 -0.84%
Alphabet Inc Class A $299.66 +10.21 +3.53%
News Corp Class A $25.69 +0.89 +3.59%
Netflix Inc $104.31 -1.36 -1.29%
Caterpillar Inc $550.43 +4.30 +0.79%
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp $10.33
-0.020 -0.19%
Tesla Inc $391.09 -3.96 -1.00%
Walt Disney Co $104.28 +1.58 +1.54%
Wynn Resorts Ltd $119.60 +2.46 +2.10%
Meta Platforms Inc $594.25 +5.03 +0.85%
Elders ADR $19.73 (US) 53.08 +0.50 +0.95% (NYSE)
Mercedes Benz Group ADR $16.45 +0.32 +1.98%
Elders ADR $19.73 (US)
Rio Tinto Ltd $84.00 -1.00 - 1.18% (US)
Paramount Skydance Corp $15.89 +0.21 +1.34%
Red Light Holland Corp $0.018 -0.0013 -6.84%

News

The Dollar's new edge: from shield to sword

• The dollar is losing its safe-haven status. • The scale of the Fed's rate cuts has been overestimated. • The yen is the main favourite for 2026. • BoJ may not raise rates until March. If the US dollar was previously a shield, it is now turning into a sword. (FxPro)

News

Crypto market accelerates decline

Market Overview

The crypto market is experiencing a sharp decline, losing another 4% over the past 24 hours and falling back to $3.07 trillion, its lowest level since early May. The decline is accelerating relative to the trend observed since 10 October. At this stage, the market is being dragged down by major coins — Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP — which are losing more than 5%, while some altcoins remain in the shadows. It is unlikely that this should be considered a sign of strength for coins such as Monero (+2.7%), Tron (-1.8%) or Bitcoin Cash (-2.4%). It would be more accurate to say that the bears have not yet reached them.

Bitcoin fell below $90K, trading at its lowest levels since the end of April. As expected, the dip below the 50-week moving average at the end of last week triggered sellers, confirming the breakdown of the bullish trend that had lasted for the previous two years. Now, the working scenario appears to be a chance for BTC to dip to its 200-week moving average. In 2022, this path took 9 weeks, and over 30 weeks to form the bottom.

Ethereum fell below $3,000, following Bitcoin, which rolled back below its 50-week moving average. In this case, the 200-week average (approximately $2,300) will deter sellers, and we are considering a decline to $1,700 as a working pessimistic scenario.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds declined by $2.036 billion last week, marking the third consecutive week of outflows. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.378 billion, in Ethereum by $689 million, in XRP by $16 million, and in Solana by $8 million. Investments in Sui rose by $6 million, in Litecoin by $3 million, and in ETFs with multiple crypto assets by $31 million.

The fall of Bitcoin from its record highs in October was triggered by the capitulation of short-term holders, rather than the distribution of coins by long-term investors, according to XWIN Research.

Ethereum is entering a Supercycle phase like the one that brought Bitcoin a hundredfold increase since 2017, said BitMine CEO Tom Lee. In his opinion, the market decline is attributed to issues with several large market makers attempting to provoke liquidations in Bitcoin.

The inflow of stablecoins to Binance reached $9 billion in 30 days. The indicator is close to historical peaks, which previously preceded strong market movements, notes CryptoOnchain analyst. In his opinion, capital in standby mode can quickly change the market dynamics in favour of the ‘bulls’.

Strategy's business model is entirely dependent on funds buying its shares and is built on ‘fraud,’ said Peter Schiff, a well-known cryptocurrency critic and gold advocate. Since July, Strategy's shares have fallen by more than 50%, and recently, its capitalisation has fallen below the value of its assets. (FxPro)

News

The crypto is set for a short-term rebound, not a full recovery

Market Overview

The crypto market cap has lost 9.5% over the past seven days. The decline took place on weekdays last week, with the level stabilising around $3.25 trillion over the weekend. Among altcoins, the standout is the unsinkable Zcash at $700, nearing its highs, and weak Solana and Ethereum, which have lost 45% and 40% from their August and September highs, respectively.

The crypto sentiment index recorded values of 10 on Saturday and Sunday, marking a return to the lows of late February this year. Although this was a good point to buy on the rebound in the following days, the downward trend continued for almost a month and a half. Market dynamics since the beginning of October have been reminiscent of those seen at the end of January. This is good news for short-term buyers but may cause medium-term buyers to stay on the sidelines for a while.

Bitcoin slipped below $93K during illiquid trading early in the day, but found impressive buyer interest there, rising to $95.6K. Whether this is a short-term rebound or the beginning of a recovery can only be determined after it consolidates above $100,000. There is a high chance that the strategy of selling on rebounds will remain prevalent.

News Background

Outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US continue for the third week in a row. According to SoSoValue, net outflows from spot BTC ETFs totalled $1.11 billion last week, slightly lower than the previous week's outflows, resulting in a total inflow of $58.85 billion into these products since January 2024.

Net outflows from spot Ethereum ETFs in the US continue for the second week in a row, amounting to $728.6 million. The cumulative net inflow since the launch of ETFs in July 2024 has fallen to $13.13 billion.

Inflows into the recently launched Solana spot ETFs in the US have continued for the third consecutive week, totalling $382.1 million. However, during this time, the price has fallen by a third, reinforcing the idea that entering traditional financial markets does not necessarily promise price growth.

Long-term Ethereum holders have increased their sales to 45,000 ETH per day, the highest level since February 2021, according to Glassnode. Long-term Bitcoin holders are also actively selling their holdings. According to CryptoQuant, they have dumped 815,000 BTC on the market over the past month.

Miner Bitfarms has announced a gradual phase-out of Bitcoin mining and a transition to developing infrastructure for artificial intelligence. The company reported a net loss of $46 million in its third-quarter report. (FxPro)

News

Gold stabilised at $4,000, but the upward trend has already broken down Gold has stabilised around the $4,000 mark over the last ten days, ending the week at roughly the same level as it started. Attempts by sellers to push the price below $3,900 are meeting with impressive buying interest.

This is facilitated by the Supreme Court, which is considering the illegality of US tariffs. If Donald Trump is defeated, the money will have to be returned. As a result, the budget deficit and public debt will increase, leading to chaos in the financial markets. Concerns about this are prompting investors to seek refuge in safe-haven assets. However, this all appears to be an attempt to play the old card, which can only delay the inevitable.

According to estimates by the World Gold Council, central bank purchases of bullion in 2025 are expected to amount to 750-900 tonnes. In each of the previous three years, the figure exceeded 1,000 tonnes. China's cancellation of VAT credits for precious metal retailers will increase prices for the jewellery industry and lead to a decline in demand. ETF stocks are falling.

HSBC, Bank of America and Societe Generale continue to stick to their forecasts of $5,000 per ounce. However, the gold rally has broken down. Selling on the rise is becoming relevant. (FxPro)

News

Crypto bulls fail to maintain momentum

Market Overview

The crypto market has gained 1% over the past 24 hours, the first increase after four days of decline. The market is stabilising at levels just above $3.4 trillion, close to May's local highs. The situation currently resembles a pause in the decline rather than a serious reversal, due to somewhat cautious sentiment in the stock markets and the strengthening of the dollar since the second half of September. Ironically, this reversal coincides with the resumption of the easing cycle of monetary policy. The sentiment index has emerged from the zone of extreme fear, which also coincided with a market rebound. According to the creators of such an index, now is the right time for bulls. Still, traders should be cautious with such an interpretation, as the previous rebound from extreme fear was not long-lasting, and the market is now 5% below the local low of 17 Oct, when sentiment last recovered from extreme anxiety. Bitcoin is trading near $103,000, pausing its rebound but remaining far from its recent lows. The bulls managed to bring the coin back above the 50-week moving average, but there is still a lot of time left until the end of the week, and for now, time is on the bears' side. On intraday charts, it looks as if the rebound has run out of steam and sellers are ready to seize the initiative again.

News Background

Cryptocurrencies are under pressure from general risk aversion in global markets. Among the factors are concerns about the Fed's interest rate and the situation in the credit sector, according to Hashdex. Wintermute attributes the worst performance of cryptocurrencies among all other asset classes to the redistribution of cash flows to other markets. Short-term Bitcoin holders continue to sell cryptocurrencies at a loss, using any rebound as an opportunity to sell, notes analyst Darkfost. However, accumulator addresses — wallets that only buy and never sell — have acquired a record 375,000 BTC over the past month. Amid the asset's decline, French company Sequans Communications, which accumulates Bitcoin, was forced to sell 970 BTC to partially repay its convertible debt. The company's reserves fell from 3,234 to 2,264 BTC. Japanese company Metaplanet, on the other hand, is raising funds to purchase bitcoins. On 31 October, the company received a $100 million loan secured by its reserves. Ripple announced that it had raised $500 million in strategic investments (with a valuation of $40 billion) from major institutional players. Zcash (ZEC) could become an alternative to Bitcoin among those who fear the centralisation of BTC due to Wall Street and are concerned about the tracking of on-chain transactions, according to Galaxy Digital. Supporters of the private coin refer to it as ‘encrypted Bitcoin’ and a return to the principles of the cypherpunks. (FxPro)

News Lead Up

Price Movements and Market Outlook

Spot Gold Dips Slightly: Gold traded at $4,068.70 per troy ounce on November 17, down 0.36% from the previous day. This extends a two-day losing streak amid fading bets for a December Fed rate cut, with the probability dropping below 50%. However, the metal remains up 55.75% year-over-year, supported by broader safe-haven demand.

Recent Rally: Prices surged nearly 3% earlier in the week to a two-week high, driven by soft U.S. economic indicators that bolstered rate-cut hopes and lifted non-yielding assets like gold.

Forecast: Analysts see potential upside if gold sustains above $4,100, targeting $4,140–$4,145, and possibly $4,200. A break below $4,000 could accelerate declines toward $3,900. A weaker USD and softer risk sentiment are keeping a floor under prices, amid concerns over the ongoing U.S. government shutdown impacting economic momentum.

Global Demand and Regional Updates

India and China Cooling: Physical demand in India stayed subdued due to volatile prices, leading to steep discounts for the first time in seven weeks post-festivals. In China, a state bank halted new retail gold accounts after tax exemptions were tweaked, likely curbing demand in the world's top consumer market. Premiums rose in other Asian hubs as global rates eased.

Investment Trends: First-time gold investing hit its strongest levels since the Global Financial Crisis, per recent surveys, signaling renewed interest amid uncertainty.

Buzz on X (Recent Posts) Social discussions highlight gold's role as a hedge against crypto volatility and inflation: Users are buying gold amid Bitcoin's dip into the $80Ks, viewing it as a tangible alternative to "digital tulips."

News

Gold: correction is not over yet

The strengthening of the US dollar and higher Treasury yields have brought the gold price back below $4000.

Yellow metal is gradually losing its wild cards. It managed to reach a record high thanks to devaluation trading, expectations of aggressive monetary expansion by the Fed, Donald Trump's threats of 100% tariffs against China, geopolitics, pessimistic forecasts for the global economy, and active purchases of bullion by central banks.

However, the White House is no longer attacking the Fed as aggressively as before. The US and China have found common ground. The Middle East conflict has been resolved, and the global economy is proving resilient in the face of tariffs. The Fed is cautious about lowering rates, and central bank activity in the bullion market is declining.

The other two examples of similar velocity of gold rose were 1979 and 2011. The experience of those years shows that the surge and collapse were followed by long periods of consolidation. In other words, after a period of retreat from the top, the precious metal will find its trading range and settle within it. But for the weeks ahead, we continue to see more risks of further decline. (FxPro)

News Flashback

Oil Holds Strong Despite Bearish Fundamentals

Weekly data from the EIA noted that the US returned to record oil production rates last week, supplying an average of 13.6 million barrels per day to the market, according to the latest EIA data. The trend towards increased supply began in August, but producers have only now returned to the peak levels recorded at the end of last year. Despite a 5.5-million-barrel increase in US commercial inventories over the past two weeks, inventories stay at the lower end of the range seen over the past decade, leaving considerable room for growth. The same can be said for the strategic reserve, which holds nearly 40% less oil than it did five years ago, before the start of the active sell-off. It is an interesting game in which, on the one hand, the US (the largest oil producer) is increasing supplies, while OPEC+ is increasing quotas on a monthly basis. This extremely bearish combination of factors did not cause oil prices to collapse; it was only because of global trade in currency depreciation that caused precious metals, stock indices, and cryptocurrencies to rise. Oil prices have not peaked in recent weeks .. To be cont .. (FxPro)

News

Gold hits new highs due to political turmoil

Gold is outside the realm of politics.

While currencies and securities depend on the actions of presidents and governments, precious metals do not. Therefore, political turmoil forces investors to use them as safe-haven assets.

The impressive 52% rally in gold started in April with the introduction of tariffs on America's Liberation Day. It continued due to the US government shutdown, the political crisis in France, and the change of leadership in Japan. he rise of gold above 4,000 dollars per ounce is not only the result of the weakness of fiat currencies. There are tectonic shifts in the structure of investment portfolios and fears of financial crises due to government recklessness.

The share of precious metals is growing both in speculators' assets and in the gold and foreign exchange reserves of central banks. The indicator has already exceeded the share of the euro. According to Eurizon Capital, if it equals the share of the US dollar, the price per ounce will soar to 8,500 dollars. The Supreme Court's abolition of tariffs will inflate the US budget deficit. France does not intend to reduce it, and Japan plans to increase bond issuance. All this creates a tailwind for commodity assets. (FxPro)

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Cryptocurrency Movies
Docos

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.

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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

Media Man "Bullish is a mindset"

Mining/Energy/Rare Earths/Biz/Culture/Politics: Australia, U.S and World

Mad Monday Edition

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November 2025

Markets

Nov 17

Australian Dollar: $0.6529 USD (up 0.0001 USD)
Iron Ore: $102.50 USD (down 0.35 USD)
Oil: $60.09 USD (up $1.34 USD)
Gold: $4,080.78 USD (down $82.66 USD)
Copper: $5.0500 USD (up $0.0015 USD)
Bitcoin: $94,324.41USD (down 1.62%)
Dow: 47,147.48 (down 309.74 points)

Bitcoin: (Near Live) $95,096.48 -0.79%

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Heavy Industry Awards

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

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Wyloo bets on nickel future as part of critical minerals boom

Wyloo's financial accounts show that it booked a $377.6m profit in 2024-25, after a massive impairment charge on its nickel assets resulted in a $352.8m loss for the previous financial year. The private company of Andrew and Nicola Forrest is continuing to explore for nickel near its mothballed mines in Western Australia, while it is also considering the construction of a nickel concentrator near Kambalda. Wyloo's CEO Luca Giacovazzi stated in its latest annual report that its future growth is likely to be on mining and selling nickel, while this focus is expected to be expanded to include rare earths. (RMS)

Nov 15

Make coal great again or China gets your data: Hanson

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson will release details of the party's energy policy during the last parliamentary sitting week for 2025. However, Hanson contends that amongst other things Australia must withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and extend the operating lives of the nation's existing fleet of coal-fired power stations. Hansen has emphasised the importance of coal-fired power generation to data centres in Australia, warning that they will not be able to compete with China. Hanson adds that it "frightens the hell out of me" that China will dominate global data storage due to its lower electricity prices, which will be at least partly due to coal imported from Australia. (RMS)

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Former Rio boss called to Mongolian probe

A Mongolian parliamentary inquiry into cost blowouts at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine was announced in September, with public hearings due to be held between December 8 and 12. Slated to be one of the world's top-five producers of copper by the end of the decade, the Oyu Tolgoi mine cost almost $US1.7 billion more than planned and took almost two years longer than expected to build. Former Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques is one of close to 300 witnesses called to appear before the inquiry, with Jacques having been CEO of Rio from 2016 to 2020. (Roy Morgan Summary)

Nov 14

BHP to learn class action fate for $72b Brazil dam disaster

The UK's High Court will shortly issue a ruling on whether BHP is legally for an iron ore tailings dam disaster in Brazil which killed 19 people and caused massive environmental damage in November 2015. The tailing dam was owned by the Samarco joint venture between BHP and iron ore rival Vale. Should BHP be found to be legally liable, individual claimants' eligibility for compensation and the size of any payouts will be determined in the next stage of the long-running case. BHP and Vale have already paid billions in compensation to people who were affected by the disaster. (RMS)

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Fresh probe launched into MinRes, Ellison

It has been revealed that the Australian Taxation Office has launched a new investigation into Mineral Resources and its billionaire founder Chris Ellison. News of the investigation was revealed in a request sent by the ATO to the Federal Court in October for access to previously sealed documents that had been filed in the unfair dismissal case brought by MinRes' former procurement manager Steve Pigozzo in 2022. The new investigation will focus on how MinRes and Ellison calculated income and fringe benefit taxes, with the revelation regarding the new probe coming as MinRes prepares to hold its AGM next week, at which shareholders will be asked to approve a lucrative share options package for new chairman Malcolm Bundey. (Roy Morgan Summary)

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Rio ends two-decade Serbia lithium mining dream as cost cuts bite

Rio Tinto has advised that its Jadar lithium project in Serbia has put in 'care and maintenance' mode. The company will cease undertaking environmental, heritage and geological surveys at the site in the Jadar Valley, four years after revealing plans to invest $US2.4bn ($3.7bn) on developing what it claimed would be the biggest lithium mine in Europe. There is growing competition for capital within Rio Tinto's lithium division, and its $10bn deal to acquire Arcadium Lithium earlier in 2025 added several mines that are already in production to its lithium portfolio. (RMS)

News

American activist claims IperionX more dud than minerals gem

Trading in the shares of Australian-listed IperionX were halted on Thursday, following the release of a report into the company by New York hedge fund Spruce Point Capital Management, which specialises in short-selling. With the US-based IperionX seeking to develop titanium extraction technology and having been backed by the Trump administration as part of its bid to secure domestic production of critical minerals, Spruce Point's report sought to raise doubt about IperionX's prospects. (RMS)

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Biotech gets $20m in critical minerals push

US-based biotechnology firm Endolith has raised $US13.5m ($20.6m) via its initial round of venture funding, while it aims to raise an additional $3m in a second tranche. The start-up is developing technology that can be used to extract critical minerals such as copper from low-grade ore and waste rock that would be unprofitable to process using traditional methods. Endolith's technology uses microbes and artifical intelligence, and the company aims to commence real-world trials at a mine site within 6-12 months. (RMS)

News

Oversupply of oil could create glut of 4m barrels a day, says energy watchdog

The International Energy Agency has stated in its latest monthly report that the world is producing more oil than it needs, and that there could be a glut of 4m excess barrels a day entering the market by 2026. The IEA's warning has come in the same week that it issued its latest energy outlook report, which included a controversial scenario in which global oil demand would continue to grow until 2050. It had dropped the scenario in 2020 after it was accused of repeatedly criticised for underestimating the growth of renewable energy in its annual report, but returned the scenario to its outlook this year after calls from the White House to present a more optimistic view for the future of oil. (RMS)

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Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6528 USD (down $0.0012 USD) Iron Ore: $102.85 USD (up $0.20 USD) Oil: $58.75 USD (up $0.33 USD) Gold: $4,163.44 USD (down $33.38 USD) Copper: $5.0485 USD (down $0.0345 USD) Bitcoin: $98,332.56 USD (down 3.01%) Dow Jones: 47,460.49m (down 794.33 points)

Bitcoin: (Near Live) $97,618.71 =5.38%

News

The cryptocurrency market is stagnating, lagging its competitors

Market Overview
The cryptocurrency market capitalisation has changed little over the past day, fluctuating around $3.5 trillion. The cryptocurrency fear index has fallen to 15, its lowest level since 4 March. Notably, the cryptocurrency market has been left out of the recent rally in precious metals and stock indices. If this is not an attempt by whales to lock in profits from the rally since April or even from the growth of the last two years, then it is an alarming signal of deep-seated risk aversion that is about to manifest itself in larger markets.

Bitcoin continues to struggle to remain within the bull market on weekly timeframes, trying to stay above the 50-week moving average. Last week's close was on the edge and attempts to develop an offensive this week are running into sell-offs, despite the favourable external backdrop. The previous such transition occurred at the end of 2021, and so far, everything aligns with the 4-year halving cycles that many were quick to dismiss.

News Background

Over the past three months, a clear break has occurred in the correlation between Bitcoin and the stock market. The S&P 500 stock index has risen 7% during this time, while BTC has lost 15%. Judging by four years of close correlation, it can be argued that Bitcoin is currently undervalued, according to Santiment.

Jan3 founder Samson Mow attributes Bitcoin's decline to a massive sell-off by investors who bought it over the past 12 to 18 months. They are rushing to lock in profits amid rumours of an imminent bearish trend in the crypto market.

The crypto market's growth phase is nearing its end, so it is time for investors to consider locking in profits and reducing the share of crypto assets in their portfolios, according to Morgan Stanley, which cites a four-year cycle that the cryptocurrency market has consistently followed since 2009.

The bitcoin mining industry is facing a difficult period due to growing competition and declining profitability, said MARA CEO Fred Thiel. According to him, only those miners who have access to cheap energy or new business models will survive.

According to SoSoValue, spot Solana ETFs in the US have attracted more than $350 million in 11 trading sessions. The steady inflow of funds into new SOL ETFs came as a surprise to the market. The results significantly exceeded initial conservative forecasts, according to LVRG Research.

Visa has unveiled a pilot project called Visa Direct, which allows US customers to make direct cross-border payments in USDC stablecoin to recipients' wallets. The initiative is aimed at content creators and freelancers.

The crypto industry is entering a new phase of capital raising. The launch of Coinbase's ICO platform is expected to be a key event in this trend, according to Bitwise. The exchange will select and launch one verified project per month. (FxPro)

News

The dollar emerging from the data fog

• The US government shutdown is over. • Central bank policy convergence helps EURUSD. • Political scandal causes the pound to fall. • Japan's currency interventions are ineffective The House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 to resume government operations. The president immediately signed the document. The record-long shutdown is over. This fact promises that the Fed and investors will soon begin to exit their positions. The president immediately signed the document. The record-breaking shutdown is over. This fact suggests that the Fed and investors will quickly start to emerge from the fog once statistics are published again, allowing them to make data-driven decisions. But will they like what they see when the picture becomes clearer?
Alternative sources show a slowdown in the US GDP. The IMF forecasts a decline in its growth rate from 2.8% to 2% in 2025. The eurozone, on the other hand, is expected to accelerate from 0.9% to 1.2%. At the same time, the Bank of France plans to raise its estimates for the country, despite the ongoing political turmoil. The narrowing divergence in economic growth argues in favour of maintaining the upward trend for EURUSD. The same can be said about monetary policy. The ECB has most likely ended its easing cycle, barring any major shocks. The federal funds rate is likely to continue falling amid a cooling US labour market and economy. The euro has advantages over the dollar. However, in the short term, mixed data could lead to mixed movements in EURUSD.
The conflict on Downing Street has allowed GBPUSD bears to launch a new attack. When Labour came to power in Britain in 2024, the pound gained preference thanks to hopes for political stability after constant ministerial changes under the Conservatives. However, since then, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ratings have been falling. Rumours of a plot to replace the leader have made investors nervous and prompted them to sell sterling. Doubts about the effectiveness of potential currency interventions continue to push the USDJPY pair higher. The current conditions differ from those of last year. Back then, Tokyo intervened in the FOREX market before raising the overnight rate. Now, Sanae Takaichi is sticking to a policy of fiscal and monetary stimulus. Any purchase of the yen will only have short-term success. In addition, it will require the expenditure of foreign exchange reserves. These are needed to make the investments in the US economy promised to Donald Trump. (FxPro)

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Heavy Industry Awards

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

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Google Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Website Of The Month' award; Runner-up: Yahoo! Finance

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award; YouTube and Paramount Plus are runner-ups! Strong mention: Tubi

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Landman (Paramount Plus)

Plot

Set against the backdrop of the booming West Texas oilfields, Landman follows Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a crisis manager and landman for an independent oil company. Tommy navigates cutthroat deals, family tensions, and moral dilemmas while trying to keep his business afloat. The story kicks off with an investigation into a fatal accident involving an out-of-town lawyer, weaving in elements of drug cartels.

Landman is an American drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, inspired by Wallace's podcast Boomtown. It explores the high-stakes world of the oil industry in West Texas, blending themes of fortune-seeking, corporate intrigue, and personal drama amid roughnecks, billionaires, and geopolitical shifts.

The series premiered on Paramount+ on November 17, 2024, and has been renewed for a second season.

Landman: Season 2. Trailer (Paramount Plus)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mhzQawESdqg

"You think you understand how this business works, but you don't." Things are heating up in the final Landman trailer. Season 2 premieres November 16, 2025, only on Paramount+.

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Gold Movie

Gold is a 2016 American epic crime drama film directed by Stephen Gaghan and written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Craig T. Nelson, Stacy Keach and Bruce Greenwood. The film is loosely based on the true story of the 1997 Bre-X mining scandal, when a massive gold deposit was supposedly discovered in the jungles of Indonesia; however, for legal reasons and to enhance the appeal of the film, character names and story details were changed.

Trailer

Gold (YouTube Movies and TV)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yc0S96OZhi0

Gold is the epic tale of one man's pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf Of Wall Street) as Kenny Wells, a modern day prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story.

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Best Quotes

The best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."

"You are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig to find it and make it real."

"Your mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will find something golden."

"Don't die without mining the gold in your mind."

"We're like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."

"If you want to find gold, you've got to love the process of digging."

"Even if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to dig."

"Develop men the same way gold is mined"

"Don't go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in looking for the gold."

"A prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"

"A prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't find much gold"

"The world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not." "Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"All that is gold does not glitter."

"Gold is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears out"

"Gold is the money of kings"

"Mining is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit. An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher of a dead mule."

"Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold."

"True gold fears no fire."

"The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit."

"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"When taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes considered like cheap copper – so are people."

Media Man

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Provider Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: X, Google News, Yahoo! Finance

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Dirty Dominik Mysterio, New Double Champ Spying Whole WWE/TKO Group For More Gold!

Logan Paul Has Focus On WWE Gold And International Tours Including Australia and Saudi including WrestleMania and numerous PLE's (Premium Live Events)

WWE Powers That Be Continue To Mention Some Non-WWE Signed Talent Including Chris Jericho

Some Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Talent May Appear On Upcoming RAW's, SmackDown's And Wrestlepalozza this coming weekend!

News

Netflix: Top 3 (World)

1. Wednesday: Season 2
28.2 million views

The Addams Family spin-off returns with Part 2, topping the English TV list and driving massive buzz for its gothic mystery and Jenna Ortega's performance. It's a major highlight for September releases.

2. My Life With the Walter Boys: Season 2
10.9 million views

This teen romance drama sees fans divided between love interests, maintaining strong viewership from its first season.

3. Hostage: Limited Series
5.5 million views

A tense thriller that's emerged as a sleeper hit this month, praised for its pacing and plot twists in WIRED's best shows roundup. Scary good. Not for kids.

News

Foxtel 'thriving' under DAZN

Foxtel Group's CEO Patrick Delany says the pay-TV group is is more committed than ever to serving the Australian market under new parent company DAZN. Delany says the global sports-focused streaming group bought Foxtel due to its current strategy of continuing to grow through streaming while maintaining its traditional pay-TV service; DAZN finalised the acquisition of Foxtel in April. Meanwhile, Delany says there are compelling reasons for the NRL to renew its broadcasting rights deal with Foxel. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Lachlan's win means his mates Down Under can breathe easily

Andrew Bolt is perhaps the News Corp Australia employee most relieved that Lachlan Murdoch has won the succession battle regarding control of the Murdoch family media empire. Bolt had stated last year that he would quit if James Murdoch and the other siblings of Lachlan Murdoch involved in the battle had won control of the empire. Lachlan Murdoch is also a big supporter of News Corp Australia boss Michael Miller, who retains his role despite ongoing rumblings that Sky News boss Paul Whittaker is after his job, while Daily Telegraph editor Ben English is said to be Lachlan Murdoch's favourite editor. (RMS)

News

Paramount/Warner deal could buck merger trend (RMS)

Peter Supino from Wolfe Research estimates that a merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery would generate initial cost synergies of about $US3bn. He says it would create the world's biggest film and TV studio and one of the top five streaming video companies. Shares in both companies have rallied in response to media reports that Paramount is preparing an all-cash takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery. The merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media was completed in August. (RMS)

News

September 12, 2025

Fox's path now clear, says Lachlan

Fox Corporation's executive chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch says the deal to resolve a long-running family trust dispute will ensure clarity about the media company's future strategy. The $US3.3bn deal will give Lachlan Murdoch full control of the family's stakes in both Fox and News Corporation. Murdoch says the deal with his siblings will allow Fox to continue on the path that it set in 2019 when the Murdoch family sold its entertainment assets to Disney. He notes that Fox's revenue has increased by $US5bn since the sale to Disney. (RMS)

News

September 10

Siblings paid to exit Murdoch media empire

Sources have indicated that the Murdoch family has settled the long-running dispute over future control over its media empire in a deal worth $US3.3bn ($5bn). Rupert Murdoch's eldest son Lachlan is set to assume full control of the family's stakes in News Corp and Fox Corporation, ending the dispute with his siblings. Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch will each receive $US1.1bn, while they have also agreed to sell all of their shares in the two companies over the next six months. The family trust that was at the centre of the legal dispute between the Murdochs will be dissolved as part of the deal. (RMS)

News

September 8

News

Meta tries diplomacy as ban looms

The federal government is set to reveal further details of its age-limits policy for social media in coming weeks. This includes the 'reasonable steps' that technology group will have to take in blocking people under the age of 16 from accessing their platforms. Meta executives Antigone Davis and Dustin Ho recently visited Australia to hold talks with the government regarding the looming age restrictions. Other social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have launched advertising campaigns in recent weeks to promote the educational value of their platforms. (RMS)

News

Kayo, Binge remain key pillars of Foxtel

Foxtel Group executive Mark Frain has emphasised that the pay-TV company remains committed to the Binge streaming service under its new owner, the sports-focused DAZN. The CEO of Foxtel Media says the entertainment-focused Binge is a key part of the group's future plans; he argues that Binge provides DAZN with an opportunity to bolster and complement sport. Meanwhile, Frain expects demand for Kayo Sports to continue growing amongst both from advertisers and subscribers. Foxtel will hold its 2006 'upfronts' event ths week. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Antitrust suit against Fox News dismissed

US District Court judge Aileen Cannon has ruled in favour of Fox News in an antitrust case launched by cable news rival Newsmax. The latter had alleged that Fox News had used its market power to coerce distributors into unfair terms that bar them from carrying its competitors' broadcasts. Cannon essentially found that the complaint against Fox News had been poorly drafted, but she ruled that Newsmax can lodge a revised complaint by 11 September. (RMS)

News

Netflix: September 2025

Highlights include:

Wednesday Season 2, Part 2 (Sept. 3): The second half of the season continues with four episodes, following Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) at Nevermore Academy as she faces new mysteries and threats, including her Season 1 rival Tyler’s Hyde form.

Black Rabbit (Sept. 18): A limited series starring Jude Law as a restaurateur and Jason Bateman as his brother, diving into New York’s criminal underworld.

Alice in Borderland Season 3 (Sept. 25): The Japanese thriller returns with new death games and challenges for Arisu and Usagi.

House of Guinness (Sept. 25): A new drama series exploring the family behind the iconic brewery.

aka Charlie Sheen (Sept. 10): A two-part documentary offering an unfiltered look at Charlie Sheen’s life and career.

Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford (Sept. 13): A live boxing event with a behind-the-scenes series, Countdown: Canelo v Crawford (Sept. 4). *just hit. Record breaking viewership/audience!

Love Is Blind: Brazil Season 5 and Love Is Blind: France (Sept. 10): New seasons of the reality dating franchise.

Next Gen Chef (Sept. 17): A culinary competition featuring 21 chefs under 30 at the Culinary Institute of America.

Pokémon Concierge Season 1, Part 2 (Sept. 4) and Pokémon Horizons Season 2 – The Search for Laqua Part 4 (Sept. 26): Animated series for fans of the franchise.

Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish (Sept. 8): An animated preschool series based on the classic book.

The Wrong Paris (Sept. 12): A rom-com featuring Miranda Cosgrove as a woman who joins a dating show, expecting France but landing in Texas.

Inspector Zende (Sept. 5): A Bollywood drama about a serial killer evading capture in Mumbai.

Love Con Revenge (Sept. 5): A documentary series following victims of romance scams seeking justice.

Licensed Movies (Sept. 1):

Classics like:

8 Mile (RT: 96%)
The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2
Boyz n the Hood (RT: 96%)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (RT: 99%)
La La Land
Shrek series
Billy Madison
Willy Wonka (original)
The Expendables (1 to 4). Carry over from August
Against The Ropes (has returned)
The Legend Of Baron To'A (just hit)

WWE RAW
WWE SmackDown (numerous international markets. Not US)
WWE NXT

News

Media Man

Google Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Website Of The Month' award

Runner-ups: Yahoo! Finance, The Australian Financial Review, FOX Business and Sky News Australia

Yahoo! Finance Sports Report wins Media Man 'Sports Business Podcast Of The Month' award

News

Brand News via Media Man

Netflix wins Media Man 'Brand Of The Month'; Runner-up: 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

Siblings paid to exit Murdoch media empire
10 September 2025

Roy Morgan Summary

Media/Marketing/Comms/Brands/News/Culture/
Streaming: Australia and World

September 8, 2025

News

Meta tries diplomacy as ban looms

News

Kayo, Binge remain key pillars of Foxtel

News

Antitrust suit against Fox News dismissed

News

Netflix: September 2025

Highlights include:

Black Rabbit (Sept. 18): A limited series starring Jude Law as a restaurateur and Jason Bateman as his brother, diving into New York’s criminal underworld.

Alice in Borderland Season 3 (Sept. 25): The Japanese thriller returns with new death games and challenges for Arisu and Usagi.

House of Guinness (Sept. 25): A new drama series exploring the family behind the iconic brewery.

aka Charlie Sheen (Sept. 10): A two-part documentary offering an unfiltered look at Charlie Sheen’s life and career.

Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford (Sept. 13): A live boxing event with a behind-the-scenes series, Countdown: Canelo v Crawford (Sept. 4).

Love Is Blind: Brazil Season 5 and Love Is Blind: France (Sept. 10): New seasons of the reality dating franchise.

Next Gen Chef (Sept. 17): A culinary competition featuring 21 chefs under 30 at the Culinary Institute of America.

Pokémon Concierge Season 1, Part 2 (Sept. 4) and Pokémon Horizons Season 2 – The Search for Laqua Part 4 (Sept. 26): Animated series for fans of the franchise.

Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish (Sept. 8): An animated preschool series based on the classic book.

The Wrong Paris (Sept. 12): A rom-com featuring Miranda Cosgrove as a woman who joins a dating show, expecting France but landing in Texas.

Inspector Zende (Sept. 5): A Bollywood drama about a serial killer evading capture in Mumbai.

Love Con Revenge (Sept. 5): A documentary series following victims of romance scams seeking justice.

Licensed Movies (Sept. 1):

Classics like:

WWE RAW
WWE SmackDown (numerous international markets. Not US)
WWE NXT

News

Media Man

Google Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Website Of The Month' award

Runner-ups: Yahoo! Finance, The Australian Financial Review, FOX Business and Sky News Australia

Yahoo! Finance Sports Report wins Media Man 'Sports Business Podcast Of The Month' award

News

Brand News via Media Man

Netflix wins Media Man 'Brand Of The Month'; Runner-up: 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

Media/Marketing/Comms/Brands

Australia, New Zealand, USA, World

News

August 28, 2025

Nine sitting tight on cash pile

Nine Entertainment Company has posted a 2024-25 net profit of $194m, which is 10 per cent lower than previously. The media group's EBITDA was six per cent lower at $486m, although revenue rose by two per cent to $2.67bn. Shareholders will receive a final dividend of $0.04 per share, plus a special dividend of $0.49 from part of the proceeds of selling Nine's controlling stake in property listings group Domain. Nine's CEO Mike Stanton has downplayed the potential for acquisitions, but he says the company will consider opportunities that are a "creative fit" for its strategy. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

August 27, 2025

Fewer shoppers, bigger splurges: Aussies spending up on Father's Day gifts

Research from the Australian Retailers Association in partnership with Roy Morgan shows that around 4.7 million Australians are expected to spend a combined $720 million on gifts for dads, grandads, partners and father-figures this year. This is down $100 million from 2024, as cost-of-living pressures continue to impact discretionary spending. While overall participation in the retail event has dropped this year, many are set to spend more per person, with an average of $145 planned per gift-buyer; this is an increase of nearly 44% compared to 2024. ARA CEO Chris Rodwell says older Australians in particular continue to make Father's Day a priority, while younger groups are tightening their spending, likely because they face the greatest mortgage and budget pressures. (RMS)

News

In mid-2025 an impressive 2.7 million New Zealanders read newspapers and more than 1.6 million read magazines

(Market Research Update)

Roy Morgan's latest readership results show that an estimated 2.70 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (61.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, an estimated 1.65 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (37.5%) read magazines whether in print or online either via the web or an app.

The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,812,000; this up 96,000 (+5.6%) on a year ago.

In a clear second place, reaching an audience of 355,000, is the Dominion Post, following an increase of 26,000 (+7.9%) on a year ago.

Meanwhile, 25 of the 49 magazines measured increased their print readership during the year to June 2025.

New Zealand's most widely read magazine is the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 367,000 in the year to June.

These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,233 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to June 2025. (RMS)

News

Sports Media/Sports Betting

Ex-AFL umpire among four men charged over alleged Brownlow Medal betting scandal

Former AFL umpire Michael Pell was initially arrested in November 2022 over allegations that he had passed on information about Brownlow Medal votes. Pell was not charged with any offences at the time, but he has now been formally charged with corrupting the betting on the AFL's best and fairest award. It will be alleged that Pell had shared details of his 'best on ground votes' with three of his friends, who then placed bets on the players who had gained the most votes in each match. The other three men have also been charged over the betting scandal. (RMS)

News

Marketing News

AI-Driven Personalization:

AI continues to dominate, with 70% of digital marketing strategies leveraging AI for personalization, automation, and data analysis. Tools like ChatGPT and Claude are enabling hyper-personalized content, with 73% of consumers demanding tailored experiences. However, 71% of marketers emphasize balancing AI efficiency with authentic human connections to maintain trust.

Rise of Short-Form Video and Influencer Marketing: Short-form videos on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram deliver the highest ROI, with 21% of marketers citing them as top performers. Influencer marketing is also surging, with 84% of marketers increasing investment in 2025, driven by live-stream shopping and authentic creator content.

Shift to Long-Form Content: Despite the popularity of short-form media, 70% of marketers plan to boost long-form content like newsletters, videos, and podcasts to engage audiences seeking deeper connections.

Social Media Evolution: Platforms like Threads and Bluesky are gaining traction as marketers experiment with unfiltered, real-time content. Social listening is helping brands decode consumer moods, with 60% of social content aimed at entertaining or informing. YouTube remains a dominant search engine, with 40% of Gen Z using TikTok for search.

Unexpected Brand Collaborations: Unconventional partnerships, like CeraVe with Michael Cera, are creating buzz and expanding reach. These limited-edition campaigns leverage FOMO to drive engagement.

Sustainability and Value-Driven Branding: With 93% of consumers prioritizing sustainable lifestyles, brands are integrating ESG principles into messaging. Meanwhile, 82% of consumers, especially Gen Z, prefer brands aligned with their values, pushing companies toward authentic, mission-driven campaigns.

Retail Media Networks (RMNs): RMNs are among the fastest-growing ad channels, enabling brands to target shoppers with precision during purchase journeys.

Challenges in Measurement and Privacy: With Google’s shift away from third-party cookie deprecation, marketers are focusing on first-party data and marketing mix models (MMMs) like Google’s Meridian for better measurement. Privacy concerns and data provenance are critical, with 43% of consumers distrusting AI-generated ads. (Grok)

News

Media Man

Google Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Website Of The Month' award

Runner-ups: Yahoo! Finance, The Australian Financial Review, FOX Business and Sky News Australia

News

Brand News via Media Man

Netflix wins Media Man 'Brand Of The Month'; Runner-up: 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

Media/Marketing/Comms/Tech: Australia and World

August 20, 2025

Magazines matter to clear majority (64%) of Australians: over 14.7 million read magazines in print or online

The Roy Morgan Australian Readership report for the 12 months to June 2025 shows that 11 million Australians aged 14+ (48.2%) now read print magazines. This market broadens significantly to more than 14.7 million Australians aged 14+ (64.2%) who read magazines in print or online either via the web or an app. Overall, nine of the top 25 most widely read magazines have increased their readership over the last year. The most widely read magazine category is still Food & Entertainment, with a readership of 6,925,000 (well over 2,5 million ahead of any other category, and reaching 30.2% of the population). Meanwhile, Better Homes and Gardens is still Australia's most widely read paid magazine, with a print readership of 1,696,000; the second-placed The Australian Women's Weekly has a print readership of 1,206,000. Australia's two most widely read free magazines are still Coles Magazine (with a print readership of 4,995,000) and Woolworths' Fresh Ideas (4,477,000). These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey of 67,653 Australians aged 14+ in the 12 months to June. (Roy Morgan)

News

Google inks first commercial AI news deal in Australia

Newswire service Australian Associated Press has secured a content deal with Google regarding the latter's generative artificial intelligence platform. AAP's news articles will be made available to the Gemini AI app. Nic Hopkins from Google says the deal with AAP will deliver a feed of real-time information to enhance responses in the Gemini app and will assist Australians when they look for locally relevant and up-to-date information. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. (RMS)

News

Guardian struggles to fill political editor role eight months after Middleton exit

A spokesperson for Guardian Australia has confirmed it has renewed its search for a replacement for Karen Middleton as its political editor, with Middleton having left the role in March. The Guardian interviewed candidates for the job between April and July, but then paused the process. Katina Curtis, who is the The West Australian's Canberra bureau chief, is considered a potential front-runner for the job, while The Saturday Paper's special correspondent Jason Koutsoukis is also believed to be under consideration. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Seek CEO 'sure of position' in Employment Hero legal stoush

It has been previously reported that human resources group Employment Hero has taken online recruitment firm Seek to court over the latter's decision to terminate its access to the Seek API. This tool enables companies to automate new listings on Seek's website, with Employment Hero arguing Seek's action amounts to an attempt to restrict competition. Seek CEO Ian Narev says it is considering counter-suing Employment Hero, and that it is "very sure of its position" in the dispute. (RMS)

News

'Censorship is never the answer': Writers festival organisers call for braver spaces after Bendigo boycott

Queenscliffe Literary Festival program director Elizabeth McCarthy has applauded the actions of the writers who withdrew from the Bendigo Writers Festival. Over 50 participants withdrew from the Bendigo event last week after they were asked to sign a code of conduct that required them to "avoid language or topics that could be considered inflammatory, divisive, or disrespectful", with many seeing as an attempt to restrict comment on the events in Gaza. For her part, Sydney Writers' Festival CEO Brooke Webb says that "Censorship is never the right answer". (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Opera Australia lifts curtain on new team

Opera Australia has advised that former federal bureaucrat Glyn Davis will succeed Rod Sims as its chairman. Davis was previously the head of the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, and he is also a former vice chancellor of Melbourne University. Meanwhile, Italian conductor Andrea Battistoni has been appointed to the role of music director, although Opera Australia has yet to announce a director of opera; this position will replace that of artistic director.

News

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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

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

Media, Comms and Streaming News: Australia and World

News

August 12, 2025

The heavy hitter behind Netflix's biggest gamble

Brandon Riegg has been attributed with Netflix's expansion into the streaming of live events, and he recalls he had difficulty persuading its executives to go along with the idea when he first raised it in 2019. Live programming is now a major priority at Netflix, with one of the sports it has paid rights for is a decade of weekly WWE shows, which cost it $US5 billion ($7.6 billion). However, its expansion into sports streaming is not without its risks; sports rights are very expensive, while Netflix has not yet fully overcome the technical issues needed to seamlessly stream live events to its 300 million subscribers throughout the world. (RMS)

News

Cat soap operas and babies trapped in space: the 'AI slop' taking over YouTube

Analysis shows that nine of the 100 fastest-growing YouTube channels in July solely featured AI-generated content. The research is based on data from analytics firm Playboard, and shows that while these channels have millions of subscribers, much of the content is low-quality and mass-produced. Dr Akhil Bhardwaj from the University of Bath says that so-called 'AI slop' is flooding the internet with content that is essentially "garbage". YouTube has advised that it has removed three of these channels from its platform, while two have been blocked from receiving advertising income. (RMS)

News

Stars sell the city's sleepless charms

August 11, 2025

Around 80 people from Sydney took part in the inaugural Last Flight Club, which is a Virgin Australia and Visit Melbourne initiative that aims to promote Melbourne as an after-hours destination. They landed at Tullamarine Airport to be greeted by a DJ set from Client Liaison (Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller), before going on to visit attractions such as the Star Wars Lego exhibition and the MCG, where they took part in a game of kick-to-kick with AFL champions Anthony Koutoufides and Darcy Vescio at 3am. (RMS)

News

August 11, 2025

Streaming platforms leave free TV behind

The Australian Subscription Television & Radio Association' 2023-24 annual report highlights consumers' growing shift to streaming video platforms. ASTRA notes that 91 per cent of Australians watched online content every week in the year to 30 June 2024, with 69 per cent watching content via a paid subscription in any given week; in contrast, just 46 per cent of Australians watched free-to-air TV during this period, compared with 71 per cent in 2017. ASTRA chairman Patrick Delany says the majority of content is now being viewed via streaming, and outdated government regulations such as the anti-siphoning list for sports events need to be updated to reflect this. (RMS)

News

YouTube closes the gap on Netflix

OzTAM's Streamscape report has found there was a signifificant decline in the number of people watching Netflix in the three months to 30 June, along with an increase in people watching sport and YouTube. The Streamscape report seeks to measure the cumulative minutes Australians spend free-to-air TV, free and paid streaming services and YouTube, and although Netflix accounted for 8.5 per cent of all viewing on Australian TV screens in the June quarter and remains the biggest single streaming platform, YouTube narrowed the gap, increasing from 7.7 per cent to 7.9 per cent. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Don't build trillion-dollar firms using our content: ABC boss

The ABC has evidence that AI firms are continuing to 'scrape' its content, despite explicit instructions that they not do so. The public broadcaster is not the only Australian media organisation having this problem, with Nine Entertainment having recently revealed its mastheads were crawled and scraped almost 10 times a second in June despite explicit instructions in an online file not to do so. Although the ABC's content is free, MD Hugh Marks does not believe AI firms should be using it without the ABC being renumerated in some way. (RMS)

News

Labor warned: Beware march of AI

The European Publishers Council and the News/Media Alliance have warned the federal government against amending copyright laws to add a 'fair dealing exception' for AI platforms. The EPC's executive director Angela Mills Wade contends that allowing technology companies to 'scrape' news publishers' content to train their AI models will threaten the viability of original, properly-researched journalism. News/Media Alliance CEO Danielle Coffey in turn says the general public supports the rights of copyright holders to retain ownership of their work and to be properly remunerated when it is used by others. (RMS)

News

Retail media's data boom fuels industry

More than 62 per cent of Australian businesses now use retail media networks, according to research from media agency IPG MediaBrands and advertising technology business The Trade Desk. The research also shows that 39 per cent of respondents intend to increase their retail media expenditure in the next 12 months, while 59 per cent will keep their spending at current levels. Meanwhile, 53 per cent use social media as a primary source of retail data, while 43 per cent use retail media networks for such data. The retail media sector is forecast to be worth $3bn by 2027. (RMS)

News

Sports Streaming News

Sports streaming in 2025 is a rapidly evolving landscape, driven by increasing demand for flexible, on-demand access to live sports. Here’s a concise overview of the latest developments based on available information:

New Joint Streaming Venture: ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery have launched a joint sports streaming platform, combining content from ESPN, ESPN+, ABC, Fox Sports, TBS, and TNT. This service, which aims to be a one-stop shop for sports fans, covers NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college sports, golf, and more. It’s available as a standalone app or bundled with Hulu, Disney+, or Max, with a launch expected in fall 2024. Pricing details remain undisclosed, but it’s positioned as a potential game-changer, though it lacks NBCUniversal and Paramount’s sports content (e.g., CBS Sports, Olympics).

Streaming Market Growth: The global sports streaming market was valued at $33.93 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $75.17 billion by 2030, growing at a 12.6% CAGR. Growth is fuelled by high-speed internet, mobile device adoption, and OTT services. Platforms are leveraging AI and data analytics for personalized content and 5G for enhanced streaming quality. VR and AR features are also emerging to boost fan engagement.

Key Players and Rights: DAZN leads in sports streaming rights spending (33% share), followed by Amazon Prime Video (23%), YouTube TV (16%), and Netflix (5%). DAZN secured a $1 billion deal for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, while Amazon expanded its NBA rights. Netflix streamed NFL games on Christmas 2024, drawing 26.5 million viewers, and is eyeing Formula 1 and UFC rights for 2025.

Top Services for 2025:

Hulu + Live TV: Offers major networks (CBS, ESPN, FS1, NBC Sports) and NFL Network/RedZone. Lacks some league-specific channels like MLB Network. Includes Hulu’s on-demand library.

YouTube TV: Provides 90+ channels, unlimited cloud DVR, and features like Key Plays for NFL/MLB/NBA. It’s the home of NFL Sunday Ticket ($479.99/season for 2024).

Fubo: Strong for sports with CBS, ESPN, NFL Network, and international channels like beIN Sports. Offers unlimited DVR but lacks Turner channels (TBS, TNT).

ESPN+: Streams exclusive UFC, baseball, college basketball, soccer, and golf for $11.99/month or $119.99/year.

Apple TV+: Features MLS games and sports documentaries, with a 7-day free trial or three months free with eligible Apple devices.

Prime Video: Streams NFL, NBA, and Premier League (UK), included with Prime or add-on subscriptions.

Piracy Concerns: Illegal streaming, particularly via modified Amazon Fire Sticks, is a growing issue, costing broadcasters revenue and exposing users to cyber risks.

A 2025 report highlighted 59% of UK piracy users accessed streams via Fire Sticks. Sky and DAZN have called for stronger action from tech firms and governments.

Other Trends: Disney plans a direct-to-consumer ESPN streaming service by August 2025, potentially accelerating cord-cutting. Netflix’s sports strategy focuses on ad-supported live events, while Deltatre’s acquisition of Endeavor Streaming aims to enhance OTT capabilities. (Grok)

Update

August 11, 2025

*see recent WWE PLE - ESPN news for U.S

*see overnight news on UFC - Paramount Global/Paramount Plus

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Brand News via Media Man

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

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Brand Of The Month'; Runner-up: Paramount Plus

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

Media/News Media/Comms/Streaming/Websites: Australia, U.S and World

News

August 7, 2025

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp reaches out to Trump in AI plea

News Corporation has advised that its net income from continuing operations rose by 71 per cent to $US648m in 2024-25. Revenue was two per cent higher than previously at $US8.45bn, while EBITDA rose 14 per cent to $US1.42bn. News Corp Australia's revenue fell by four per cent to $US895m; it sold pay-TV and streaming company Foxtel to UK-based DAZN in April. Meanwhile, News Corp Robert Thomson says AI companies must compensate publishers for using their content. He noted that AI 'theft' means that US President Donald Trump's book The Art of the Deal has become The Art of the Steal. (RMS)

News

AI bots crawling Nine news sites 10 times a second

Nine Entertainment Company has in recent months been tracking the number of times AI companies' bots and crawlers have 'scraped' its websites. Nine's data shows that its websites are crawled almost 10 times every second by AI firms, with ChatGPT owner OpenAI being the most active. Nine's CEO Matt Stanton says the scraping of its websites constitutes theft; he adds that the Productivity Commission's proposal to relax copyright laws by creating a 'fair dealing exemption' for AI platforms would give a green light to scraping Nine's websites. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

REA delivers payday amid CEO search

REA Group has posted a 2024-25 net profit of $564m, which is 23 per cent higher than previously. Revenue was up 15 per cent to $1.7bn, and shareholders will receive a record final dividend of $1.38 per share. However, the number of properties listed for sale on its platform rose by just one per cent nationwide year-on-year, with an eight per cent decline in listings during the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, REA chairman Hamish McLennan has indicated that the company expects to complete the search for a successor to CEO Owen Wilson in the next month. (RMS)

Media

August 6, 2025

Nine's publishing to out-earn TV

Jarden analyst Tom Beadle recently said that the value contained within Nine Entertainment's publishing business could potentially be the most underappreciated part of the media group. The investment bank has valued Nine's publishing assets at $885m, ahead of streaming video platform Stan ($655m) and the broadcast division ($601m); Jarden estimates that Nine's radio stations are worth about $25m. Looking forward, Nine's publishing assets are forecast to generate EBITDA of $156m by 2028; this compares with expectations of $153m for the group's television network, which is facing higher costs. (RMS)

News

Australian editor to lead Murdoch's new US tabloid

News Corporation has advised that it will launch a new Los Angeles-based masthead called the California Post in early 2026. It will be a localised version of News Corp's popular right-wing tabloid, the New York Post. Sean Giancola, the CEO of News Corp subsidiary the New York Post Media Group, says the new masthead will offer a similar mix of "common-sense journalism", sports, celebrity and entertainment news across multiple platforms, including a daily print edition. The Herald Sun's Sunday editor Nick Papps will be the inaugural editor-in-chief of the California Post. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Trump and Murdoch agree to pause in battle over Epstein article

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch may not have to give evidence in US President Donald Trump's $US10bn libel lawsuit after the two parties agreed to delay Murdoch's deposition. Trump's lawyers had sought an urgent deposition, citing the age and health of 94-year-old Murdoch. However, the agreement means that Murdoch will only have to face court if the Wall Street Journal's motion to dismiss the case is rejected. Trump had named Murdoch, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson and two journalists as defendants in the libel case, which centres on a Wall Street Journal article that linked him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019. (RMS)