Influencers are known for asking brands to ‘collaborate’ in the hope of scoring freebies in exchange for a bit of ‘exposure’.
But it’s not every day you see a high-profile television star doing the same.
Eyebrows were raised this week when Daily Mail spotted an unusual advertisement from Karl Stefanovic’s team asking hotels to provide him with a complementary room.
The ad – published in the latest edition of industry newsletter Social Diary – states that the Today host will be travelling to London in a few months to record his podcast The Karl Stefanovic Show.
‘We’d love to hear from hotel partners interested in accommodation partnerships (which will also be used as a studio for episodes).
The request is particularly surprising given Stefanovic’s eye-watering salary.
Eyebrows were raised this week when Daily Mail Australia spotted an unusual advertisement from Karl Stefanovic’s team asking hotels to provide him with a complementary room
The ad – published in the latest edition of industry newsletter Social Diary – states that the Today host will be travelling to London in a few months to record his podcast The Karl Stefanovic Show
As the long-time host of Nine’s Today show, he is widely regarded as the highest-paid television personality in Australia, with reports placing his annual pay packet at around $2.8 million – and potentially rising to as much as $3 million under recent contract negotiations.
That bumper payday puts the breakfast TV veteran well ahead of most of his rivals in the industry.
Surely a millionaire presenter can afford a hotel room in London, even with the city’s notoriously lofty accommodation price tags?
The ad is also curious for another reason: accommodation used for business purposes is typically considered a legitimate tax deduction in Australia.
If a hotel room were genuinely to be used as a recording location for a podcast, the cost would ordinarily be something Stefanovic’s team could claim as a work-related expense.
Of course, there are some possible explanations.
Stefanovic’s team may be hoping that the hotel will help promote Stefanovic’s podcast on social media, helping boost the recently-launched show’s audience.
It’s also possible the podcast operates under its own production budget separate from Stefanovic’s lucrative role hosting Today, meaning the team could simply be looking to keep production costs down while securing a suitable recording location.
As the long-time host of Nine’s Today show, he is widely regarded as the highest-paid television personality in Australia, with reports placing his annual pay packet at around $2.8 million – and potentially rising to as much as $3 million under recent contract negotiations. (Pictured with Today co-host Sarah Abo)
The ad is also curious for another reason: accommodation used for business purposes is typically considered a legitimate tax deduction in Australia
It comes as rumours continue to swirl that Stefanovic is preparing to walk away from his high-profile Today gig
It comes as rumours continue to swirl that Stefanovic is preparing to walk away from his high-profile Today gig.
The Australian claimed on Monday that it is unlikely Stefanovic will extend his multi-million-dollar contract when it expires at the end of the year, and is eyeing a ‘full-time switch to radio’.
Stefanovic reportedly had informal talks with Australian Radio Network (ARN) regarding the move ‘as recently as a month ago’ and is currently weighing up his options.
According to the report, Stefanovic told ARN boss Michael Stephenson during their meeting that ‘he doesn’t know what he is doing next year’.
The publication also claimed that Nine’s decision to grant permission for Stefanovic to launch his own podcast was a ‘mistake’.
It was suggested that executives ‘underestimated Stefanovic’s work ethic and commitment to the project’, particularly his desire to keep the project independent of Nine.
Nine did not comment to The Australian about the suggestion that Stefanovic was going against the Nine ‘company line’ regarding his podcast content, instead noting: ‘This is an independent podcast entirely produced by Karl.’
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