Network 10 is suing its former political editor Peter van Onselen after he wrote a column in The Australia in which he expressed “reason to doubt its long term viability.”
The network is seeking an injunction against van Onselen in the NSW Supreme Court, claiming he breached a non-disparagement clause.
The column notes van Onselen’s former role at the network, before questioning its viability in the face of massive share price drop, and continued losses at Ten’s parent company, Paramount.
“Paramount’s share price has plummeted more than 30 per cent in the past month, down more than 50 per cent in just a year,” he notes.
“You could choose to be a little more upbeat about Paramount (and Network 10’s) future if the streaming part of the business was firing, but it’s not. That’s actually where the losses are centred, but it’s also where the hope for growth has long been too. Subscription growth hasn’t been strong enough to make streaming profitable yet, and while Paramount+ is big by Australian standards, and growing, it is dwarfed by others in the US, playing catch-up since entering the streaming business later than its major competitors. A missed opportunity to be an early adopter by management.”
The column also notes that Ten’s news share in Sydney dropped to 6 per cent, which van Onselen calls “a new low”, before concluding: “That’s despite Australia’s number one female news anchor, Sandra Sully, hosting. A sure sign the problem is the brand and management, not the host.”
The case is scheduled for a one-day hearing on June 29.
