Alongside all the smashes, foot faults, and epic rallies in professional tennis, the Australian Open represents a very busy two weeks of corporate entertainment, deal-making and relationship building.
For Seven West Media, it is a crucial event that kick starts network promotion for the rest of the year.
More Victoria News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:09
Seven executive's extra-marital affair in ...
Seven executive's extra-marital affair in legal battle
Legal stoush after Seven West Media boss Tim Worner's messy affair with a 35-year-old executive assistant goes public after negotiations breakdown.
Up Next
Toorak jewellery store robbed again
- Video duration
- 00:23
- Video duration
- 00:23
Toorak jewellery store robbed again
Toorak jewellery store robbed again
The store's manager was injured in the armed robbery, in what was the second daylight attack on the premises in three months. (Video courtesy ABC News 24)
Up Next
Melbourne stretches into beer yoga
- Video duration
- 01:37
- Video duration
- 01:37
Melbourne stretches into beer yoga
Melbourne stretches into beer yoga
Think you can balance on one leg and drink a beer? Your chance is here with Bier Yoga starting in Melbourne and Sydney.
Up Next
Body discovered in Sorrento bushland
- Video duration
- 00:00
- Video duration
- 00:00
Body discovered in Sorrento bushland
Body discovered in Sorrento bushland
A body has been found at Sorrento on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula after police received a tip-off from the public. Video courtesy Network 10.
Up Next
'Extremely creepy and disgusting'
- Video duration
- 01:23
- Video duration
- 01:23
'Extremely creepy and disgusting'
'Extremely creepy and disgusting'
A man is wanted by police for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at a bar in St Kilda on Saturday night.
Up Next
Brazen jewelry theft in Canterbury
- Video duration
- 01:29
- Video duration
- 01:29
Brazen jewelry theft in Canterbury
Brazen jewelry theft in Canterbury
Thieves smashed their way into a Canterbury Road jeweller Thursday afternoon, making off with a "large quantity" of jewellery.
Up Next
'I thought they were going to kill me'
- Video duration
- 00:58
- Video duration
- 00:58
'I thought they were going to kill me'
'I thought they were going to kill me'
A gang of four men punched and carjacked a women in Brighton, leaving her fearing for her life. Vision courtesy Network 10.
Up Next
Most popular baby names in 2016
- Video duration
- 01:13
- Video duration
- 01:13
Most popular baby names in 2016
Most popular baby names in 2016
There was an ode to old-school and a royal influence in the most popular baby names in Victoria in 2016.
Seven executive's extra-marital affair in legal battle
Legal stoush after Seven West Media boss Tim Worner's messy affair with a 35-year-old executive assistant goes public after negotiations breakdown.
About 1 million Australians will watch the tennis broadcast live on Channel Seven, and even more tune in to the finals.
Seven West Media paid $200 million in 2013 for the 2015-2019 broadcast, digital and mobile rights to the Australian Open. However, the circumstances surrounding that deal have been questioned, after Tennis Australia failed to put the rights out to competitive tender.
Related Content
Seven also uses advertising breaks during matches to heavily promote its programming for ratings season, which starts soon after the Australian Open. Expect to see up to a third of ad breaks taken up by network promotion.
Apart from broadcasting the tennis and getting its logo on all the vision, Seven also uses the Australian Open to entertain and host its major advertisers and key business partners. Its chief executive, Tim Worner, has been a senior network executive for years and is usually present to meet with important guests. He is expected to be there again this summer.
Different dynamic
But this year Seven's corporate entertainment may be overshadowed by a particular relationship between the company's chief executive and ex-colleague Amber Harrison, who is now calling for a major shake-up of the company's blokey culture.
According to Harrison, the 2014 Australian Open was one of the events Worner asked her to use her company credit card to travel down to see him. The two were having an affair at the time and in December Harrison exposed racy details about their 18-month relationship, including stories of lunch-time sex breaks and work-trip cocaine binges.
Seven says her allegations contain wide-ranging inaccuracies and false statements.
After the affair ended in mid-2014 Harrison was promised another job within the company. She claims Seven West Media then changed tactics to tried and punish her into silence by pursuing her for two years over alleged credit card fraud. Both sides have since spent more money on lawyers than the original fraud was worth, and Harrison maintains most of the spending was work-related or incurred by other executives. She has never been charged or reported to the police.
After she went public the board of Seven West Media announced on December 22 it would commission an independent investigation to determine "all the facts" of Harrison's story to allay shareholder concerns.
Support for CEO
Harrison has offered to cooperate with the investigation being conducted by law firm Allens, but has not yet been interviewed.
Mr Worner's attendance could conceivably be quite awkward for Seven's clients and guests.
Sefiani Communications director Nick Owens
Despite all the revelations to date, Seven West Media has stood by its chief executive, who sent a pre-Christmas email to all staff apologising for his behaviour.
"What I did was wrong," Worner wrote, adding the company's culture should improve.
A spokesman refused to comment this week on how appropriate it is for their chief executive to continue represent the company at the Australian Open while also under investigation.
Director of crisis management and publicity firm Sefiani Communications, Nick Owens, said it would be unusual for the company's chief executive not to be at such an important event.
"But these aren't normal circumstances," Owens said.
"In light of the issues aired, Mr Worner's attendance could conceivably be quite awkward for Seven's clients and guests and simply give the whole controversy new oxygen (it would certainly be a powerful reminder of it)."
Delegation strategy
A better strategy might be to delegate representation to other senior managers, but ultimately it is up to Worner and the board.
"If they see any risk to Seven's standing with stakeholders in Mr Worner representing the group at the tennis then they'll likely opt against it. In that case, I'm sure clients and other guests would understand why the CEO wasn't in attendance."
Seven West Media, chaired by Kerry Stokes, chases live sports rights aggressively. The network sees exclusive sport events as a major marketing advantage even if it does not get a dollar-for-dollar return on the million dollar cost of securing broadcast rights for AFL, the winter Olympics, the summer Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. Sports is a launching pad for drama, news and entertainment.
Frustrated by Seven's response and continuing protection of male employees, Harrison is now calling for chairman Kerry Stokes to resign along with commercial director Bruce McWilliam.
She alleges Seven's treatment of her was a "massive cover up by senior men in the media who tried to crush an individual for their own purposes". And that senior management refuse to hold themselves to the same standards as they accuse her of breaching.
"[I want] Kerry Stokes and Bruce McWilliam to resign," Harrison told Fairfax Media this week.
"A generational and cultural shift on the Seven West Media board. They need to install a director who actually lives and breathes equality."