This Month
How young sports fans are changing the game
Thanks to social media, team loyalty is being replaced by devotion to individual athletes.
- The Economist
MrBeast’s giant game show faces safety complaints
Some of the contestants vying to win the $US5 million prize say they lacked access to food, water and medication, and competitors were injured.
- Thalia Beaty and James Pollard
Can a series about alien toilets really be the new Marvel?
Born on YouTube as a series of short episodes, this surreal apocalyptic sci-fi has attracted the attention of Hollywood.
- Taylor Lorenz
June
How Bridgerton gets sex right for women
Netflix’s hit series’ formula is hours of tension and longing that culminate in a lengthy sex scene.
- Kara Kennedy
The creative force who persuaded Malala to appear in a comedy show
The creator of “We Are Lady Parts’, a show about an all-girl punk band, wants people to see Muslim women as more than trauma victims.
- Alexis Soloski
May
- Opinion
- Media & marketing
New laws risk the end of free sports on TV
The government has one chance of modernising how broadcast rights are organised. Otherwise, iconic sporting events will be harder to find.
- Greg Hywood
There hasn’t been a series this complex – and funny – in a long time
One of the bigger gags in this Vietnam War tale, is the casting of Robert Downey jnr in several make-up-heavy roles.
- Jordan Hoffman
April
How Spotify beat the artist boycotts
Taylor Swift, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Thom Yorke have all pulled their music from the streaming giant. Eventually, all of them gave up.
- Ellen Pierson-Hagger
Netflix smashes user expectations after reducing shared accounts
The company posted its best start to the year since 2020 thanks to a strong slate of original programs and a crackdown on password sharing.
- Lucas Shaw
The TV show that got Americans hooked on Japanese success is back
The 1980 miniseries Shōgun is credited with making Japan’s history and even sushi popular in the West. Now, a remake is driving renewed interest in the country.
- Constantine Nomikos Vaporis
The strange Chinese murder behind Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’
The billionaire with the film rights to the cult sci-fi novel was killed in a plot “as bizarre as a Hollywood blockbuster”.
- David Pierson
Spotify is increasing its prices again – and you can blame audiobooks
By the end of this month, the streaming giant will raise fees for the second time in a year in five markets, including the UK, Australia and Pakistan.
- Lucas Shaw and Ashley Carman
February
EU hits Apple with $825m fine in Spotify music streaming fight
Apple’s policy of stopping streaming services sending customers away from its App Store for cheaper options elsewhere was against EU law, and Spotify complained.
- Javier Espinoza
The 4½-hour podcast you’re missing out on
Spotify says Gen Z want shorter podcast episodes and more lighthearted content, but that hasn’t stopped others listening to 4.5-hour epics featuring Ken Henry.
- Gus McCubbing
Disney boss bets on Fortnite and Taylor Swift
CEO Bob Iger unveiled a slew of announcements as he hit back at activist investors seeking bigger profits from Disney’s streaming service and movies.
- Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine
- Opinion
- Art
Culture is being poisoned by lazy, unoriginal, populist ideas
The arts have always thrived because of new work – but that situation is now endangered, and it’s reaching crisis point.
- Ben Lawrence
Calista Flockhart is back, with a flock of toxic swans
It’s been a while, but the actress is back on our screens playing Jackie Kennedy’s sister Lee Radziwill in the series “Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans”.
- Maureen Dowd
January
Disney takes $110m more from Australia, hikes streaming price by 28pc
It will cost more to have the same service on Disney+ from March. The global entertainment giant posted a nearly 30 per cent jump in profit in Australia.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
Seven Aussie TV shows worth bingeing
Our storytellers have always punched above their weight with an array of vibrant offerings worth the viewing time.
- Terry Pontikos
Netflix reels in viewers with three-word hooks
One of the reasons the streaming giant’s engagement is so high is that it deploys tools to coax a viewer to watch. But executives know they have less than a minute to work.
- John Koblin
