Bitcoin News Media

Media agent, publisher & founder of Media Man Int/Group @mediamanint @mediamanoz and learning the business of BTC, crypto and more digital systems.

[Bitcoin News Media @BitcoinNewsMed]

News/Politics/Biz

Gina Rinehart gifts Pauline Hanson a bulldozer in Bush Summit stunt
https://t.co/oeHTNO9wyU

Hancock Prospecting boss Gina Rinehart has gifted One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson a bulldozer at the Bush Summit

#News #AustralianNews #GinaRinehart #PaulineHanson #X

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part IV

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)
"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)
"Thursday's Child" (David Bowie)
"Thursday" (The Pet Shop Boys)
"Hail to the Chief" (All The President's Men movie)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions: King And Queen Of The Ring. He or she who owns the gold makes the rules!

UFC Freedom 250: Fallout; Big Thumbs Up From Most

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 18

Markets

ASX 200 futures are down 61 points/0.7%: 8892

AUD flat to 70.13US¢

Bitcoin $63,845.01 -2.92%

Wall Street:
Dow -0.1%
S&P -1.2%
Nasdaq -1.3%

VIX up 2.0 points to 18.44
Gold -1.7% to $US4256.93 an ounce
Brent oil -0.4% to $US78.66 a barrel
Iron ore -1.9% to $US99.30 a ton

10-year yield:
US +4.49%
Australia +4.76%

Cryptos:

Dogecoin: $0.08412 -3.59%

XRP: $1.1628 -4.36%

News (Australia)

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7020 USD (down $0.0050 USD)
Iron Ore: $99.30 USD (down $2.25 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas: $75.65 USD (down $0.97 USD)
Gold Price : $4,256.93 USD (down $74.62 USD)
Copper Price): $6.3630 USD (down $0.1180 USD)
Dow Jones: 51,492.55 (down 507.12 points)

News (Australia)

ASX climbs to April high; BHP hits record

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.5 per cent to close at 8,966.3 points. BHP was up 0.6 per cent at a another record high of $65.59, Web Travel Group rose 11.1 per cent to $3.01 and WiseTech Global finished 4.1 per cent higher at $38.30. However, Karoon Energy shed 13.4 per cent to end the session at $1.42 and Fortescue was down 1.1 per cent at $20.32. (RMS)

Lead Up

ASX steady after rate call; BHP hits record

The Australian sharemarket edged higher on Tuesday, after the Reserve Bank left official interest rates unchanged; the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.042 per cent to close at 8,917.7 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,843. BHP was up 0.015 per cent at a new record high of $65.19, Woodside Energy rose two per cent to $30.04 and Valiant Gold finished 4.7 per cent higher at $0.225. However, Karoon Energy shed 11.6 per cent to end the session at $1.64 and WiseTech Global was down 4.2 per cent at $36.79. (RMS). Media Man Peg-On: BHP ultra bullish. Let's go Gina and Hancock Prospecting and associates. Space X meeting to Moon, Mars and beyond.

Shares

TKO Holdings
$194.53
-5.50 -2.75%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$363.79
-9.46 -2.53%

Netflix
$76.96
-1.76 -2.24%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$9.98
-0.32 -3.11%

News (Australia)

'Overly optimistic': Experts warn on ASX rally

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index has gained 3.9 per cent in the last four days, in response to a sharp fall in the crude price after the US and Iran agreed to end the war in the Middle East. Investor sentiment was also bolstered by the Reserve Bank's decision to leave interest rates unchanged on Tuesday, although it has not ruled out further rate rises if inflation remains high. UBS equity strategist Richard Schellbach says the firm remains cautious about the outlook for both the oil price and inflation. He adds that apart from resources, every sector of the ASX is in "earnings downgrade mode". (RMS)

News (Aust)

Cricket Australia board to be overhauled, BBL sale greenlit after crunch meeting

The six state cricket associations held a lengthy meeting at Cricket Australia's headquarters in Melbourne on Monday, with a series of agreements being struck. South Australia proposed the states should be allowed to make up their own minds about selling off stakes in their Big Bash League teams, while the meeting called for an overhaul of the Cricket Australia board. The mooted new board structure would see one director appointed by each of the six states, along with four independent directors, one of which would be the chair. (RMS)

News (Aust)

(ICYMI)

Gina Rinehart bets $1.4 billion on Musk with record SpaceX stake

Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has bought a $US1 billion ($1.4 billion) stake in rocket and satellite company SpaceX. It represents Hancock Prospecting's biggest investment outside of iron ore, with Rinehart claiming that the Elon Musk-owned company is a further example of "why the world needs more enterprise, more builders and much less bureaucracy". Hancock Prospecting's investment in SpaceX adds to a portfolio that includes stakes in Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals and Tesla. (RMS)

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Man Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?! Record Breaking Rocket Man!?

News

June 16

Gold

Gold is finding its footing

Gold has surged at its fastest pace in two months following reports that Donald Trump has called off strikes against Iran. The precious metal extended its rally on news of a deal between Washington and Tehran. With tensions easing, the outlook for Gold is improving. After dropping 18% from its highs and hitting its lowest level since November 2025, investors are once again seeing reasons for optimism.

Since the start of the geopolitical conflict, the precious metal has moved in the opposite direction to oil, so the fall in Brent has allowed gold to find its footing. Higher energy prices heighten the risks of inflation becoming entrenched at elevated levels and increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy. This creates a headwind for gold, whilst the end of the conflict in the Middle East becomes a tailwind.

The precious metal’s rebound is being driven by US stock indices returning to record highs. The history of gold’s transformation into a risky asset dates back to 2025. At that time, gold prices jumped by 65%, whilst the New York Stock Exchange mining index rose by a record 155%. Gold can also serve as a source of liquidity, with investors selling it during stock market downturns to meet margin requirements.

Another factor set to drive gold's growth is increased demand for bullion from central banks. According to the WGC, 45% of the 76 central banks that responded to the survey plan to buy gold over the next 12 months. This is a record high since such surveys began in 2018. In emerging markets, this figure stands at 53%.

Taken together, easing tensions in the Middle East, lower oil prices, a reduced likelihood of further Fed tightening in 2026, stronger equity markets and robust central bank demand are creating a more supportive backdrop for gold, potentially paving the way for a broader recovery in prices.

The technical picture also favours the bulls, showing a striking surge in buying activity from the 61.8% Fibonacci support level of the 2022–2025 rally. Further confirmation of the reversal comes from the bounce off the 50-week moving average, which turned sharply upwards after slipping at the start of June.

Summary: Gold is rebounding as Middle East tensions ease, oil prices fall, Fed tightening risks fade, equities strengthen, and central bank demand supports recovery. (FxPro)

News

June 16

Crypto: growth without the euphoria

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation rose to $2.3 trillion by the end of Monday, before falling back to $2.27 trillion at the time of writing. The market recovery trend continues, but the relatively cautious pace of growth suggests we are far from euphoria. This looks more like a phase of asset consolidation by major players, which means the rally will have to wait a while. Among the most active coins, the growth leaders were Stellar (+14.8%), Uniswap (+14.2%) and Aave (+7%). The underperformers were Toncoin (-5.6%), Official Trump (-3.3%) and The Graph (-3.2%).

Bitcoin is trading near $66.3K, up just under 1% over the past 24 hours, but some distance from Monday’s intraday highs, which were approximately $1K higher. The price rise is occurring within a channel that formed 10 days ago. On Monday, the price confirmed this channel by touching and pulling back from its upper boundary, but it remains at the top of the range. Provided the positive momentum continues, we see the $68K area (the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level) as the nearest technical resistance to price growth. A more distant signal of market strength would be a firm consolidation above the 50-day moving average, which currently exceeds $73K.

News Background

CryptoQuant notes that inflows of bitcoins to crypto exchanges from long-term holders have reached their lowest level since 2015. Selling pressure is easing, and the number of bitcoins held by long-term holders has reached a new all-time high of 15.8 million BTC.

Relai expects Bitcoin’s bearish trend to end once the phase of major investment in artificial intelligence concludes. Capital may begin to flow back into the leading cryptocurrency as early as next year.

Strategy purchased an additional 1,587 BTC last week for $100 million at an average price of $63K per coin. The company now holds 846,842 BTC, purchased for $64.1 billion at an average price of $75.6K per Bitcoin.

BitMine has increased its Ethereum holdings to 5.62 million ETH, having purchased approximately 0.08 million ETH over the past week. BitMine’s reserves have reached 4.66%, with plans to acquire 5% of the Ethereum supply.

Summary: The crypto market is rising cautiously with no signs of euphoria; Bitcoin is holding within a 10-day channel, while selling pressure is easing. (FxPro)

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?! Danhausen remains in New York Knicks good books!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House and beyond!

News

(ICYMI)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/XnCh8t4Hlp

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars

The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.

As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/oeeajPHHVw

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.

News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

News

Pop Culture Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Media Man Series

Team Trump def Team Left
Dana White def Naysayers
Sydney Sweeney def critics
Pauline Hanson def critics
SpaceX def everyone
Mr NXT vs Mr AEW
Conor McGregor vs critics
Sten Lee (Marvel) vs DC Comics (Team Warner)
Mr Netflix vs Mr Paramount
Mr YouTube vs Mr Rumble
Mr Meta vs Mr Bluesky
Mr Crypto vs Mr NWO
Mr Toyota vs Mr Porsche
Tony D'Angelo vs Mr EVIL - NXT (Great American Bash) - June 28
Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker - WWE Night of Champions - June 27
WWE vs everyone - WWE Satuday Night's Main Event - July 18 - Madison Square Garden, NYC

Best Quotes

"I've never met a currency I didn't like" JBL

"What's your hustle" Paul Heyman

"Just in any job, if you want to get ahead, take shorter lunch breaks, be happy to stay later, do the work, and finish it off well" Gina Rinehart

"Everyone you meet knows something you don't" Fred Schebesta

Media Man Int

Biz
https://t.co/yS1Mq6aphz

Watercooler
https://t.co/LG3rgg6oC1

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/FLh47cLQEX

Blogs

Media Man Int Blog
https://t.co/96v6COk5TG

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/CkBpy7mscP

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Bitcoin News Media @BitcoinNewsMed]

Markets
June 18
ASX 200 futures down 61 points/0.7%: 8892
AUD flat: 70.13US¢
BTC $64,008.28 -2.76%
Dow -0.1%
S&P -1.2%
NAS -1.3%
VIX up 2.0 points: 18.44
Gold -1.7% to $US4256.93 an oz
B Oil -0.4% to $US78.66 a b
Iron ore -1.9% to $US99.30 a ton
#Markets #WallSt #BTC #Gold #Oil

[Media Man @mediamanoz]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part III

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

Before The Bell

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

"The South Swell" (Big Wednesday movie)

"Hail to the Chief" (All The President's Men movie)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions

UFC Freedom 250: Fallout; Big Thumbs Up From Most

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 17

Markets

ASX 200 futures are down 21 points/-0.24%: 8904

AUD -0.1% to 70.67US¢

Bitcoin $65,794.99 +0.02%

Wall Street:

Dow +0.6%
S&P -0.6%
Nasdaq -1.1%

VIX down 0.21 to 16.41
Gold +0.4% to $US4331.21 an ounce
Brent oil -4.5% to $US79.41 a barrel
Iron ore -0.6% to $US101.55 a ton

10-year yield:
US +4.44%
Australia +4.82%

Cryptos:

Dogecoin: $0.08736 +0.54%

XRP: $1.230 -0.53%

News (Australia)

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7070 USD (down $0.0003 USD) Iron Ore: $101.55 USD (down $0.45 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $76.62 USD (down $4.51 USD) Gold Price: $4,331.55 USD (up $22.19 USD)
Copper Price: $6.4810 USD (down $0.0090 USD)
Dow Jones: 51,999.67 (up 328.64 points)

News (Australia)

ASX steady after rate call; BHP hits record

The Australian sharemarket edged higher on Tuesday, after the Reserve Bank left official interest rates unchanged; the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.042 per cent to close at 8,917.7 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,843. BHP was up 0.015 per cent at a new record high of $65.19, Woodside Energy rose two per cent to $30.04 and Valiant Gold finished 4.7 per cent higher at $0.225. However, Karoon Energy shed 11.6 per cent to end the session at $1.64 and WiseTech Global was down 4.2 per cent at $36.79. (RMS). Media Man Peg-On: BHP ultra bullish. Let's go Gina and Hancock Prospecting and associates. Space X meeting to Moon, Mars and beyond, via The White House.

Shares

TKO Holdings
$200.03
-1.16 -0.58%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$373.25
+3.90 +1.06%

Netflix
$78.72
-2.95 -3.61%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.30
-0.019 -0.19%

News (Australia)

BHP recruits Stephen Conroy as strike looms

Resources giant BHP has become a client of TG Public Affairs, a lobbying firm that is chaired by former federal Labor minister Stephen Conroy. The firm's appointment has coincided with industrial unrest in the Pilbara, with about 450 unionised workers at BHP's iron ore operations having recently voted in favour of industrial action. Conroy himself had worked for the Transport Workers' Union prior to being elected to the Senate in 1996; he had attempted to stall efforts by then-prime minister Tony Abbott to repeal Labor's Minerals Resource Rent Tax in 2014. (RMS)

News (Aust)

Cricket Australia board to be overhauled, BBL sale greenlit after crunch meeting

The six state cricket associations held a lengthy meeting at Cricket Australia's headquarters in Melbourne on Monday, with a series of agreements being struck. South Australia proposed the states should be allowed to make up their own minds about selling off stakes in their Big Bash League teams, while the meeting called for an overhaul of the Cricket Australia board. The mooted new board structure would see one director appointed by each of the six states, along with four independent directors, one of which would be the chair. (RMS)

News (Aust)

(ICYMI)

Gina Rinehart bets $1.4 billion on Musk with record SpaceX stake

Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has bought a $US1 billion ($1.4 billion) stake in rocket and satellite company SpaceX. It represents Hancock Prospecting's biggest investment outside of iron ore, with Rinehart claiming that the Elon Musk-owned company is a further example of "why the world needs more enterprise, more builders and much less bureaucracy". Hancock Prospecting's investment in SpaceX adds to a portfolio that includes stakes in Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals and Tesla. (RMS)

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Man Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?! Record Breaking Rocket Man!?

News

June 16

Gold

Gold is finding its footing

Gold has surged at its fastest pace in two months following reports that Donald Trump has called off strikes against Iran. The precious metal extended its rally on news of a deal between Washington and Tehran. With tensions easing, the outlook for Gold is improving. After dropping 18% from its highs and hitting its lowest level since November 2025, investors are once again seeing reasons for optimism.

Since the start of the geopolitical conflict, the precious metal has moved in the opposite direction to oil, so the fall in Brent has allowed gold to find its footing. Higher energy prices heighten the risks of inflation becoming entrenched at elevated levels and increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy. This creates a headwind for gold, whilst the end of the conflict in the Middle East becomes a tailwind.

The precious metal’s rebound is being driven by US stock indices returning to record highs. The history of gold’s transformation into a risky asset dates back to 2025. At that time, gold prices jumped by 65%, whilst the New York Stock Exchange mining index rose by a record 155%. Gold can also serve as a source of liquidity, with investors selling it during stock market downturns to meet margin requirements.

Another factor set to drive gold's growth is increased demand for bullion from central banks. According to the WGC, 45% of the 76 central banks that responded to the survey plan to buy gold over the next 12 months. This is a record high since such surveys began in 2018. In emerging markets, this figure stands at 53%.

Taken together, easing tensions in the Middle East, lower oil prices, a reduced likelihood of further Fed tightening in 2026, stronger equity markets and robust central bank demand are creating a more supportive backdrop for gold, potentially paving the way for a broader recovery in prices.

The technical picture also favours the bulls, showing a striking surge in buying activity from the 61.8% Fibonacci support level of the 2022–2025 rally. Further confirmation of the reversal comes from the bounce off the 50-week moving average, which turned sharply upwards after slipping at the start of June.

Summary: Gold is rebounding as Middle East tensions ease, oil prices fall, Fed tightening risks fade, equities strengthen, and central bank demand supports recovery. (FxPro)

News

June 16

Crypto: growth without the euphoria

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation rose to $2.3 trillion by the end of Monday, before falling back to $2.27 trillion at the time of writing. The market recovery trend continues, but the relatively cautious pace of growth suggests we are far from euphoria. This looks more like a phase of asset consolidation by major players, which means the rally will have to wait a while. Among the most active coins, the growth leaders were Stellar (+14.8%), Uniswap (+14.2%) and Aave (+7%). The underperformers were Toncoin (-5.6%), Official Trump (-3.3%) and The Graph (-3.2%).

Bitcoin is trading near $66.3K, up just under 1% over the past 24 hours, but some distance from Monday’s intraday highs, which were approximately $1K higher. The price rise is occurring within a channel that formed 10 days ago. On Monday, the price confirmed this channel by touching and pulling back from its upper boundary, but it remains at the top of the range. Provided the positive momentum continues, we see the $68K area (the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level) as the nearest technical resistance to price growth. A more distant signal of market strength would be a firm consolidation above the 50-day moving average, which currently exceeds $73K.

News Background

CryptoQuant notes that inflows of bitcoins to crypto exchanges from long-term holders have reached their lowest level since 2015. Selling pressure is easing, and the number of bitcoins held by long-term holders has reached a new all-time high of 15.8 million BTC.

Relai expects Bitcoin’s bearish trend to end once the phase of major investment in artificial intelligence concludes. Capital may begin to flow back into the leading cryptocurrency as early as next year.

Strategy purchased an additional 1,587 BTC last week for $100 million at an average price of $63K per coin. The company now holds 846,842 BTC, purchased for $64.1 billion at an average price of $75.6K per Bitcoin.

BitMine has increased its Ethereum holdings to 5.62 million ETH, having purchased approximately 0.08 million ETH over the past week. BitMine’s reserves have reached 4.66%, with plans to acquire 5% of the Ethereum supply.

Summary: The crypto market is rising cautiously with no signs of euphoria; Bitcoin is holding within a 10-day channel, while selling pressure is easing. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

(ICYMI)

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?! Danhausen in New York Knicks good books!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House and beyond!

News

(ICYMI)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/q3JlnUJpI5

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars

The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.

As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/GWRcZVZwPH

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.
News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

News

Pop Culture Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Media Man Series

Team Trump def Team Left
Dana White def Naysayers
Sydney Sweeney def critics
Pauline Hanson def critics
SpaceX def everyone
Mr NXT vs Mr AEW
Conor McGregor vs critics
Sten Lee (Marvel) vs DC Comics (Team Warner)
Mr Netflix vs Mr Paramount
Mr YouTube vs Mr Rumble
Mr Meta vs Mr Bluesky
Mr Crypto vs Mr NWO
Mr Toyota vs Mr Porsche
Tony D'Angelo vs Mr EVIL - NXT (Great American Bash) - June 28
Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker - WWE Night of Champions - June 27
WWE vs everyone - WWE Satuday Night's Main Event - July 18 - Madison Square Garden, NYC

Best Quotes

"I've never met a currency I didn't like" JBL

"What's your hustle" Paul Heyman

"Just in any job, if you want to get ahead, take shorter lunch breaks, be happy to stay later, do the work, and finish it off well" Gina Rinehart

"Everyone you meet knows something you don't" Fred Schebesta

Media Man

Biz
https://t.co/senpHr7rn8

Watercooler
https://t.co/hSBcweQy6v

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/dYNc3T1J1h

Blogs

Media Man Blog
https://t.co/mcEnW97D13

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/u5ttbtphNR

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part III

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

Before The Bell

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

"The South Swell" (Big Wednesday movie)

"Hail to the Chief" (All The President's Men movie)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions

UFC Freedom 250: Fallout; Big Thumbs Up From Most

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 17

Markets

ASX 200 futures are down 21 points/-0.24%: 8904

AUD -0.1% to 70.67US¢

Bitcoin $65,794.99 +0.02%

Wall Street:

Dow +0.6%
S&P -0.6%
Nasdaq -1.1%
VIX down 0.21 to 16.41
Gold +0.4% to $US4331.21 an ounce
Brent oil -4.5% to $US79.41 a barrel
Iron ore -0.6% to $US101.55 a ton

10-year yield:
US +4.44%
Australia +4.82%

Cryptos:

Dogecoin: $0.08736 +0.54%

XRP: $1.230 -0.53%

News (Australia)

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7070 USD (down $0.0003 USD)
Iron Ore: $101.55 USD (down $0.45 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $76.62 USD (down $4.51 USD)
Gold Price: $4,331.55 USD (up $22.19 USD)
Copper Price: $6.4810 USD (down $0.0090 USD)
Dow Jones: 51,999.67 (up 328.64 points)

News (Australia)

ASX steady after rate call; BHP hits record

The Australian sharemarket edged higher on Tuesday, after the Reserve Bank left official interest rates unchanged; the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.042 per cent to close at 8,917.7 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,843. BHP was up 0.015 per cent at a new record high of $65.19, Woodside Energy rose two per cent to $30.04 and Valiant Gold finished 4.7 per cent higher at $0.225. However, Karoon Energy shed 11.6 per cent to end the session at $1.64 and WiseTech Global was down 4.2 per cent at $36.79. (RMS). Media Man Peg-On: BHP ultra bullish. Let's go Gina and Hancock Prospecting and associates. Space X meeting to Moon, Mars and beyond, via The White House.

Shares

TKO Holdings
$200.03
-1.16 -0.58%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$373.25
+3.90 +1.06%

Netflix
$78.72
-2.95 -3.61%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.30
-0.019 -0.19%

News (Australia)

BHP recruits Stephen Conroy as strike looms

Resources giant BHP has become a client of TG Public Affairs, a lobbying firm that is chaired by former federal Labor minister Stephen Conroy. The firm's appointment has coincided with industrial unrest in the Pilbara, with about 450 unionised workers at BHP's iron ore operations having recently voted in favour of industrial action. Conroy himself had worked for the Transport Workers' Union prior to being elected to the Senate in 1996; he had attempted to stall efforts by then-prime minister Tony Abbott to repeal Labor's Minerals Resource Rent Tax in 2014. (RMS)

News (Aust)

Cricket Australia board to be overhauled, BBL sale greenlit after crunch meeting

The six state cricket associations held a lengthy meeting at Cricket Australia's headquarters in Melbourne on Monday, with a series of agreements being struck. South Australia proposed the states should be allowed to make up their own minds about selling off stakes in their Big Bash League teams, while the meeting called for an overhaul of the Cricket Australia board. The mooted new board structure would see one director appointed by each of the six states, along with four independent directors, one of which would be the chair. (RMS)

News (Aust)

(ICYMI)

Gina Rinehart bets $1.4 billion on Musk with record SpaceX stake

Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has bought a $US1 billion ($1.4 billion) stake in rocket and satellite company SpaceX. It represents Hancock Prospecting's biggest investment outside of iron ore, with Rinehart claiming that the Elon Musk-owned company is a further example of "why the world needs more enterprise, more builders and much less bureaucracy". Hancock Prospecting's investment in SpaceX adds to a portfolio that includes stakes in Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals and Tesla. (RMS)

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Man Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?! Record Breaking Rocket Man!?

News

June 16

Gold

Gold is finding its footing

Gold has surged at its fastest pace in two months following reports that Donald Trump has called off strikes against Iran. The precious metal extended its rally on news of a deal between Washington and Tehran. With tensions easing, the outlook for Gold is improving. After dropping 18% from its highs and hitting its lowest level since November 2025, investors are once again seeing reasons for optimism.

Since the start of the geopolitical conflict, the precious metal has moved in the opposite direction to oil, so the fall in Brent has allowed gold to find its footing. Higher energy prices heighten the risks of inflation becoming entrenched at elevated levels and increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy. This creates a headwind for gold, whilst the end of the conflict in the Middle East becomes a tailwind.

The precious metal’s rebound is being driven by US stock indices returning to record highs. The history of gold’s transformation into a risky asset dates back to 2025. At that time, gold prices jumped by 65%, whilst the New York Stock Exchange mining index rose by a record 155%. Gold can also serve as a source of liquidity, with investors selling it during stock market downturns to meet margin requirements.

Another factor set to drive gold's growth is increased demand for bullion from central banks. According to the WGC, 45% of the 76 central banks that responded to the survey plan to buy gold over the next 12 months. This is a record high since such surveys began in 2018. In emerging markets, this figure stands at 53%.

Taken together, easing tensions in the Middle East, lower oil prices, a reduced likelihood of further Fed tightening in 2026, stronger equity markets and robust central bank demand are creating a more supportive backdrop for gold, potentially paving the way for a broader recovery in prices.

The technical picture also favours the bulls, showing a striking surge in buying activity from the 61.8% Fibonacci support level of the 2022–2025 rally. Further confirmation of the reversal comes from the bounce off the 50-week moving average, which turned sharply upwards after slipping at the start of June.

Summary: Gold is rebounding as Middle East tensions ease, oil prices fall, Fed tightening risks fade, equities strengthen, and central bank demand supports recovery. (FxPro)

News

June 16

Crypto: growth without the euphoria

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation rose to $2.3 trillion by the end of Monday, before falling back to $2.27 trillion at the time of writing. The market recovery trend continues, but the relatively cautious pace of growth suggests we are far from euphoria. This looks more like a phase of asset consolidation by major players, which means the rally will have to wait a while. Among the most active coins, the growth leaders were Stellar (+14.8%), Uniswap (+14.2%) and Aave (+7%). The underperformers were Toncoin (-5.6%), Official Trump (-3.3%) and The Graph (-3.2%).

Bitcoin is trading near $66.3K, up just under 1% over the past 24 hours, but some distance from Monday’s intraday highs, which were approximately $1K higher. The price rise is occurring within a channel that formed 10 days ago. On Monday, the price confirmed this channel by touching and pulling back from its upper boundary, but it remains at the top of the range. Provided the positive momentum continues, we see the $68K area (the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level) as the nearest technical resistance to price growth. A more distant signal of market strength would be a firm consolidation above the 50-day moving average, which currently exceeds $73K.

News Background

CryptoQuant notes that inflows of bitcoins to crypto exchanges from long-term holders have reached their lowest level since 2015. Selling pressure is easing, and the number of bitcoins held by long-term holders has reached a new all-time high of 15.8 million BTC.

Relai expects Bitcoin’s bearish trend to end once the phase of major investment in artificial intelligence concludes. Capital may begin to flow back into the leading cryptocurrency as early as next year.

Strategy purchased an additional 1,587 BTC last week for $100 million at an average price of $63K per coin. The company now holds 846,842 BTC, purchased for $64.1 billion at an average price of $75.6K per Bitcoin.

BitMine has increased its Ethereum holdings to 5.62 million ETH, having purchased approximately 0.08 million ETH over the past week. BitMine’s reserves have reached 4.66%, with plans to acquire 5% of the Ethereum supply.

Summary: The crypto market is rising cautiously with no signs of euphoria; Bitcoin is holding within a 10-day channel, while selling pressure is easing. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

(ICYMI)

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?! Danhausen in New York Knicks good books!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House and beyond!

News

(ICYMI)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/XnCh8t4Hlp

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars

The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.

As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.
Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/oeeajPHHVw

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.

News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

News

Pop Culture Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Media Man Series

Team Trump def Team Left
Dana White def Naysayers
Sydney Sweeney def critics
Pauline Hanson def critics
SpaceX def everyone
Mr NXT vs Mr AEW
Conor McGregor vs critics
Sten Lee (Marvel) vs DC Comics (Team Warner)
Mr Netflix vs Mr Paramount
Mr YouTube vs Mr Rumble
Mr Meta vs Mr Bluesky
Mr Crypto vs Mr NWO
Mr Toyota vs Mr Porsche
Tony D'Angelo vs Mr EVIL - NXT (Great American Bash) - June 28
Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker - WWE Night of Champions - June 27
WWE vs everyone - WWE Satuday Night's Main Event - July 18 - Madison Square Garden, NYC

Best Quotes

"I've never met a currency I didn't like" JBL

"What's your hustle" Paul Heyman

"Just in any job, if you want to get ahead, take shorter lunch breaks, be happy to stay later, do the work, and finish it off well" Gina Rinehart

"Everyone you meet knows something you don't" Fred Schebesta

Media Man Int

Biz
https://t.co/yS1Mq6aphz

Watercooler
https://t.co/LG3rgg6oC1

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/FLh47cLQEX

Blogs

Media Man Int Blog
https://t.co/96v6COk5TG

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/CkBpy7mscP

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Bitcoin News Media @BitcoinNewsMed]

Markets
ASX 200 futures down 21 points/-0.24%: 8904
BTC $65,819.75 +0.20%
Dow +0.6%
S&P -0.6%
NAS -1.1%
VIX down 0.21 to 16.41
Gold +0.4% to $US4331.21 an oz
B Oil -4.5% to $US79.41 a b
Iron ore -0.6% to $US101.55 a ton
#Markets #Bitcoin #BTC #Gold #Oil #News #BitcoinNewsMedia

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part II

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

Before The Bell

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

"Monday, Monday" (The Mamas & The Papas)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions

UFC Freedom 250: Fallout

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 16

Markets

ASX 200 futures are pointing down 110 points or 1.2 per cent to 8815.

AUD -0.3% to 70.70US¢

Bitcoin $65,737.37 +0.51%

Wall Street:

Dow +0.9%
S&P +1.6%
Nasdaq +3.1%

VIX down 1.5 points to 16.2
Gold +0.1% to $US4314.55 an ounce
Brent oil -4.4% to $US83.46 a barrel
Iron ore +0.6% to $US102 a ton

10-year yield:
US +4.47%
Australia +4.80%

Cryptos:

Dogecoin: $0.08696 -1.87%

XRP: $1.2172 +3.09%

News (Australia)

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7073 USD (up $0.0035 USD)

Iron Ore: $102.00 USD (up $0.50 USD)

Oil Price (West Texas): $81.13 USD (down $3.75 USD)

Gold Price : $4,309.36 USD (up $98.46 USD)

Copper Price: $6.4900 USD (up $0.0160 USD)

Dow Jones: 51,671.03 (up 468.77 points)

News (Australia)

ASX rallies on US-Iran deal, BHP hits record

The Australian sharemarket rose strongly on Monday, after the US announced an interim agreement with Iran to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz; the S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.3 per cent to close at 8,914 points. BHP was up 3.6 per cent at a record high of $65.18, Ora Banda Mining advanced 16.3 per cent to $1.28 and Accent Group finished 15.4 per cent higher at $0.75. However, Santos fell 8.1 per cent to $7.42 after a sharp fall in the crude oil price, and Coles Group was down 2.1 per cent at $23.51. (RMS)

Shares

TKO Holdings
$201.17
-1.38 -0.68%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$369.35
+9.67 +2.69%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.49
-0.020 -0.19%

News (Australia)

Gina Rinehart bets $1.4 billion on Musk with record SpaceX stake

Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has bought a $US1 billion ($1.4 billion) stake in rocket and satellite company SpaceX. It represents Hancock Prospecting's biggest investment outside of iron ore, with Rinehart claiming that the Elon Musk-owned company is a further example of "why the world needs more enterprise, more builders and much less bureaucracy". Hancock Prospecting's investment in SpaceX adds to a portfolio that includes stakes in Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals and Tesla. (RMS)

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Man Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?! Record Breaking Rocket Man!?

News

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

Gold News

Gold: has it bottomed out at $4,300

Gold is trying to find a bottom, bracing for the US CPI release

China continues to buy gold for the 19th consecutive month

The US dollar retreated after Israel and Iran announced a ceasefire. Donald Trump urged them not to shoot at each other. Nevertheless, the adversaries reserve the right to resume hostilities, keeping tensions high in the Middle East, which supports the greenback as a safe-haven asset.

Investors are fixated on Donald Trump’s determination to strike a deal with Tehran at any cost and are using the positive news to buy EURUSD. However, according to BMO Capital Markets, headlines are noise, whilst regime change is the signal. Oil prices will not collapse following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and high US inflation is set to persist for some time. The new administration will force the Fed to raise rates and make the US dollar the favourite in the forex market. The firm recommends buying the greenback against the euro, the pound and the yen.

This reasoning holds. With low unemployment and a tight labour market, any acceleration in US economic growth will lead to higher wages. This will push consumer prices upwards and prompt the Fed to tighten monetary policy. The federal funds rate could be raised even now. Inflation has long exceeded the 2% target, and the labour market is at its strongest since 2024.

The prospect of the Fed moving towards monetary tightening, combined with rising oil prices due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, has pushed gold back to levels seen at the start of 2026. The precious metal has wiped out all its gains this year due to the strengthening US dollar and rising Treasury bond yields.

Even active buying by central banks is failing to help gold bulls. The People’s Bank of China increased its reserves by 320,000 ounces in May, having purchased gold continuously for 19 months. This is the longest such streak since 2015, when regular publication of these statistics began.

The next test for gold will be the May US inflation report. Consumer prices are expected to rise from 3.8% to 4.2%, and core CPI from 2.8% to 2.9%. Such trends will increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy and put pressure on gold.

Summary: Gold is under pressure from a strong dollar and expectations of accelerating US inflation. Even Chinese buying is not helping: the increased likelihood of a Fed rate hike is heightening the risks of a decline. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

(ICYMI)

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?! Danhausen in New York Knicks good books!

News

Saudi Arabia step up push for direct flights to Australia

Australian cattle exporters have had to contend with limited access to air freight to countries in the Persian Gulf region since the Iran war began, as well as higher frieght costs. However, Saudia Cargo will shortly commence direct flights to Avalon Airport in Victoria and the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland. Australia Saudi Business Council chairman Sam Jamsheedi says this will allow fresh meat from Australia to arrive in Saudi Arabia within 14 hours. He adds that negotiations have commenced for Riyadh Airlines to begin premium passenger flights on Australia-Middle East routes, in competition with established rivals Emirates and Qatar Airlines. (Media Man Peg On): Aussie beef may be the best in the world. Saudi knows quality. Take it to the bank! Aussie lamb takes a back seat?! Don't start us on Kangaroo!

News

(ICYMI)

News Lead Up

Bitcoin News

Bitcoin is losing the confidence of major holders

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has been rapidly shrinking since the start of the new week, falling by 5% to $2.38 trillion, its lowest level since early April. It appears that confidence in the prospects of cryptocurrency has fallen sharply following reports of a largely symbolic BTC sale from Strategy’s balance sheet, which may be followed by more active selling from other holders. We also cannot rule out an ‘Iranian connection’, as reports of seizures of Iranian cryptocurrency undermine the notion of anonymity and untraceability that has long underpinned the crypto market. The solid performance of supposedly anonymous coins fits neatly into this hypothesis. Thus, over the past 24 hours, the top performers have been NEAR Protocol (+14.8%), Internet Computer (+10.2%) and Zcash (+5%). The three worst performers are Stellar (-13.2%), Basic Attention Token (-10%) and Bitcoin (-4.3%).

Bitcoin is accelerating its decline, having fallen to $69K, even though it started the week just above $74K. As expected, the drop below the 50-day moving average a week ago followed more than a week of selling pressure at that level. Technically, the leading cryptocurrency faces relatively few obstacles on its way down to the $65-66K range, but further down, longer-term support may come into play, having halted the decline in February and March.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds fell by $1.671 billion last week, marking the largest outflow since January. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.438 billion (the largest outflow from BTC this year), in Ethereum by $257 million, in Solana by $1 million, and in Sui by $1 million. Investments in altcoins rose by $20 million in XRP, $11 million in Hyperliquid, and $8 million in Near.

Sentiment towards Bitcoin on social media has reached its most positive level since the start of the year, despite the crypto market’s decline in May, Santiment notes. In the past, such surges in optimism have often coincided with local highs in the asset’s price.

Strategy has sold Bitcoin for the first time since 2022. Last week, 32 BTC were sold for approximately $2.5 million at an average price of $77,135 per coin. The largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, which had previously promised never to sell the asset, will use the proceeds to pay dividends on preference shares.

As a result of the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty rose by 1.72% to 138.96 T. The figure has returned to its April highs.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has renamed the cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM), describing the rebranding as a return to its roots. The blockchain will retain the name TON (The Open Network). No action is required from token holders.

Summary: Bitcoin accelerated its decline towards $69K amid a record outflow from crypto funds and Strategy’s first BTC sale since 2022, heightening fears among large holders. (FxPro)

(Media Man Peg-On): Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House and beyond!

News

(ICYMI)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/XnCh8t4Hlp

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars

The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.

As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026
Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/oeeajPHHVw

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.
News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

Best Quotes

"I've never met a currency I didn't like" JBL

"What's your hustle" Paul Heyman

"Just in any job, if you want to get ahead, take shorter lunch breaks, be happy to stay later, do the work, and finish it off well" Gina Rinehart

"Everyone you meet knows something you don't" Fred Schebesta

Media Man Int

Biz
https://t.co/yS1Mq6aphz

Watercooler
https://t.co/LG3rgg6oC1

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/FLh47cLQEX

Blogs

Media Man Int Blog
https://t.co/96v6COk5TG

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/CkBpy7mscP

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Bitcoin News Media @BitcoinNewsMed]

Markets

ASX 200 futures down 110 points/1.2%: 8815
AUD -0.3% to 70.70US¢
BTC $66,218.01 +0.78%
Dow +0.9%
S&P +1.6%
NAS +3.1%
VIX down 1.5 points to 16.2
Gold +0.1% to $US4314.55 an oz
B Oil -4.4% to $US83.46 a b
Iron ore +0.6% to $US102 a ton

#Markets #BTC #Bitcoin #Gold #Index

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part I

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

Before The Bell

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

"Monday, Monday" (The Mamas & The Papas)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions

Road To UFC Freedom 250: Fallout

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 15

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.7038 USD (down $0.0006 USD)
Iron Ore: $101.50 USD (down $0.15 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $84.88 USD (down $1.56 USD)
Gold Price: $4,210.90 USD (down $0.01 USD)
Copper Price: $6.4740 USD (up $0.0825 USD)
Dow Jones: 51,202.26 (up 353.51 points)

Bitcoin: $65,698.40 - 2.04%

Dogecoin $0.08839 +1.48%

XRP $1.1807 +3.15%

Shares

TKO Holdings
$203.36
-10.34 -4.84%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$359.68
+1.91 +0.53%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.47
-0.020 -0.19%

News (Australia)

Scepticsm on Trump's Iran call keeps lid on ASX

Futures pricing suggests that Australian equities will gain about 0.4 per cent when the market opens on Monday Wall Street is also expected to rise amid growing hopes for a peace deal in the Middle East; however, Stephen Miller from GSFM says financial markets are still facing headwinds, noting that the crude oil price is unlikely to return to pre-war levels. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the US Federal Reserve are both expected to leave official interest rates on hold this week. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.9 per cent to 8,804 points on Friday. (RMS)

News Lead Up (Australia)

The Australian sharemarket lost ground on Thursday, after the US launched further attacks on Iran; the S&P/ASX 200 eased 0.2 per cent to close at 8,633.2 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,555.3. Ora Banda Mining was down 6.4 per cent at $1.02, NextDC fell 4.2 per cent to $14.50 and Westpac shed 2.6 per cent to end the session at $34.50. However, Karoon Energy rose 4.6 per cent to $2.05 and CSL was up 4.2 per cent at $107.23. (RMS)

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Man Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?! Record Breaking Rocket Man!?

News

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

Gold News

Gold: has it bottomed out at $4,300

Gold is trying to find a bottom, bracing for the US CPI release

China continues to buy gold for the 19th consecutive month

The US dollar retreated after Israel and Iran announced a ceasefire. Donald Trump urged them not to shoot at each other. Nevertheless, the adversaries reserve the right to resume hostilities, keeping tensions high in the Middle East, which supports the greenback as a safe-haven asset.

Investors are fixated on Donald Trump’s determination to strike a deal with Tehran at any cost and are using the positive news to buy EURUSD. However, according to BMO Capital Markets, headlines are noise, whilst regime change is the signal. Oil prices will not collapse following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and high US inflation is set to persist for some time. The new administration will force the Fed to raise rates and make the US dollar the favourite in the forex market. The firm recommends buying the greenback against the euro, the pound and the yen.

This reasoning holds. With low unemployment and a tight labour market, any acceleration in US economic growth will lead to higher wages. This will push consumer prices upwards and prompt the Fed to tighten monetary policy. The federal funds rate could be raised even now. Inflation has long exceeded the 2% target, and the labour market is at its strongest since 2024.

The prospect of the Fed moving towards monetary tightening, combined with rising oil prices due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, has pushed gold back to levels seen at the start of 2026. The precious metal has wiped out all its gains this year due to the strengthening US dollar and rising Treasury bond yields.

Even active buying by central banks is failing to help gold bulls. The People’s Bank of China increased its reserves by 320,000 ounces in May, having purchased gold continuously for 19 months. This is the longest such streak since 2015, when regular publication of these statistics began.

The next test for gold will be the May US inflation report. Consumer prices are expected to rise from 3.8% to 4.2%, and core CPI from 2.8% to 2.9%. Such trends will increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy and put pressure on gold.

Summary: Gold is under pressure from a strong dollar and expectations of accelerating US inflation. Even Chinese buying is not helping: the increased likelihood of a Fed rate hike is heightening the risks of a decline. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

(ICYMI)

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?! Danhausen in New York Knicks good books!

News

Saudi Arabia step up push for direct flights to Australia

Australian cattle exporters have had to contend with limited access to air freight to countries in the Persian Gulf region since the Iran war began, as well as higher frieght costs. However, Saudia Cargo will shortly commence direct flights to Avalon Airport in Victoria and the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland. Australia Saudi Business Council chairman Sam Jamsheedi says this will allow fresh meat from Australia to arrive in Saudi Arabia within 14 hours. He adds that negotiations have commenced for Riyadh Airlines to begin premium passenger flights on Australia-Middle East routes, in competition with established rivals Emirates and Qatar Airlines. (Media Man Peg On): Aussie beef may be the best in the world. Saudi knows quality. Take it to the bank! Aussie lamb takes a back seat?! Don't start us on Kangaroo!

News

(ICYMI)

(Aust)

News

Mining: Australia

Mining giants fuel surge in renewables financing

Construction of 2.6 gigawatts of solar energy projects has begun in Australia since the start of 2026. Data from consulting firm Rystad Energy shows that nearly 95 per cent of these projects feature a storage battery. Factors such as the falling cost of batteries has boosted investment in solar projects, while Rio Tinto and Fortescue have also ramped up spending on such projects to supply energy to their operations in Australia. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the 'green' energy rollout is putting downward pressure on electricity prices. (RMS) (Media Man Peg On): Developing situation!

Invest/gamble at own risk!

News Lead Up

Bitcoin News

Bitcoin is losing the confidence of major holders

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has been rapidly shrinking since the start of the new week, falling by 5% to $2.38 trillion, its lowest level since early April. It appears that confidence in the prospects of cryptocurrency has fallen sharply following reports of a largely symbolic BTC sale from Strategy’s balance sheet, which may be followed by more active selling from other holders. We also cannot rule out an ‘Iranian connection’, as reports of seizures of Iranian cryptocurrency undermine the notion of anonymity and untraceability that has long underpinned the crypto market. The solid performance of supposedly anonymous coins fits neatly into this hypothesis. Thus, over the past 24 hours, the top performers have been NEAR Protocol (+14.8%), Internet Computer (+10.2%) and Zcash (+5%). The three worst performers are Stellar (-13.2%), Basic Attention Token (-10%) and Bitcoin (-4.3%).

Bitcoin is accelerating its decline, having fallen to $69K, even though it started the week just above $74K. As expected, the drop below the 50-day moving average a week ago followed more than a week of selling pressure at that level. Technically, the leading cryptocurrency faces relatively few obstacles on its way down to the $65-66K range, but further down, longer-term support may come into play, having halted the decline in February and March.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds fell by $1.671 billion last week, marking the largest outflow since January. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.438 billion (the largest outflow from BTC this year), in Ethereum by $257 million, in Solana by $1 million, and in Sui by $1 million. Investments in altcoins rose by $20 million in XRP, $11 million in Hyperliquid, and $8 million in Near.

Sentiment towards Bitcoin on social media has reached its most positive level since the start of the year, despite the crypto market’s decline in May, Santiment notes. In the past, such surges in optimism have often coincided with local highs in the asset’s price.

Strategy has sold Bitcoin for the first time since 2022. Last week, 32 BTC were sold for approximately $2.5 million at an average price of $77,135 per coin. The largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, which had previously promised never to sell the asset, will use the proceeds to pay dividends on preference shares.

As a result of the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty rose by 1.72% to 138.96 T. The figure has returned to its April highs.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has renamed the cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM), describing the rebranding as a return to its roots. The blockchain will retain the name TON (The Open Network). No action is required from token holders.

Summary: Bitcoin accelerated its decline towards $69K amid a record outflow from crypto funds and Strategy’s first BTC sale since 2022, heightening fears among large holders. (FxPro)

(Media Man Peg-On): Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House?!
News

Streaming/Netflix

Netflix Greenlights War Machine Sequel After Massive Hit

The sci-fi action film War Machine, directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson, launched on Netflix March 6, 2026, and racked up 39.3 million views in three days.

News

(ICYMI)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/XnCh8t4Hlp

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars

The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.
As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/oeeajPHHVw

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.

News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

Best Quotes

"I've never met a currency I didn't like" JBL

"What's your hustle" Paul Heyman

Media Man Int

Biz
https://t.co/yS1Mq6aphz

Watercooler
https://t.co/LG3rgg6oC1

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/FLh47cLQEX

Blogs

Media Man Int Blog
https://t.co/96v6COk5TG

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/CkBpy7mscP

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Bitcoin News Media @BitcoinNewsMed]

Markets

ASX futures up 39 points/0.4%: 8853
AUD flat: US70.47¢
BTC $65,473.15 +1.63%
Dow +0.7%
S&P +0.5%
Nasdaq +0.3%
Gold +0.2% to $US4219.33 an oz
Brent oil -3.4% at $US87.33 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% at $US101.50 a ton

#Markets #Bitcoin #BTC #WallSt #Nasdaq #Oil #IronOre #AI

[Media Man @mediamanoz]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part V

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

"I've Got Friday On My Mind" (The Easybeats)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions and Road To UFC Freedom 250: This Weekend!

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 13

Markets

ASX 200 futuresup 39 points/0.4%: 8853

AUD -0.03% to US70.47¢

Bitcoin $63,488.81 -0.19%

Wall St:
Dow +0.7%
S&P +0.5%
Nasdaq +0.3%

VIX -1.76 to 17.68
Gold +0.2% to $US4219.33 an ounce
Brent oil -4% to $US86.75 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% to $US101.50 a ton

10-year yield:

US 4.48%
Australia 4.81%

Shares

TKO Holdings
$203.36
-10.34 -4.84%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$359.68
+1.91 +0.53%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.47
-0.020 -0.19%

News Lead Up (Australia)

The Australian sharemarket lost ground on Thursday, after the US launched further attacks on Iran; the S&P/ASX 200 eased 0.2 per cent to close at 8,633.2 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,555.3. Ora Banda Mining was down 6.4 per cent at $1.02, NextDC fell 4.2 per cent to $14.50 and Westpac shed 2.6 per cent to end the session at $34.50. However, Karoon Energy rose 4.6 per cent to $2.05 and CSL was up 4.2 per cent at $107.23. (RMS)

News Lead Up

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?! Record Breaking Rocket Man!?

News

Storms Clear for UFC's Historic White House Event

A massive crowd braved thunderstorms Friday for the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, delayed twice by heavy rain before fighters like Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje hyped tomorrow's fights on the White House South Lawn. The seven-fight card on June 14 marks America's 250th independence anniversary and President Trump's 80th birthday— the first pro sporting event ever at the White House, streaming live on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET. Stunning double rainbows against fiery skies capped the night, as thousands chanted and prepared for the patriotic spectacle amid tight Secret Service security.

News

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

Gold News

Gold: has it bottomed out at $4,300

Gold is trying to find a bottom, bracing for the US CPI release

China continues to buy gold for the 19th consecutive month

The US dollar retreated after Israel and Iran announced a ceasefire. Donald Trump urged them not to shoot at each other. Nevertheless, the adversaries reserve the right to resume hostilities, keeping tensions high in the Middle East, which supports the greenback as a safe-haven asset.

Investors are fixated on Donald Trump’s determination to strike a deal with Tehran at any cost and are using the positive news to buy EURUSD. However, according to BMO Capital Markets, headlines are noise, whilst regime change is the signal. Oil prices will not collapse following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and high US inflation is set to persist for some time. The new administration will force the Fed to raise rates and make the US dollar the favourite in the forex market. The firm recommends buying the greenback against the euro, the pound and the yen.

This reasoning holds. With low unemployment and a tight labour market, any acceleration in US economic growth will lead to higher wages. This will push consumer prices upwards and prompt the Fed to tighten monetary policy. The federal funds rate could be raised even now. Inflation has long exceeded the 2% target, and the labour market is at its strongest since 2024.

The prospect of the Fed moving towards monetary tightening, combined with rising oil prices due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, has pushed gold back to levels seen at the start of 2026. The precious metal has wiped out all its gains this year due to the strengthening US dollar and rising Treasury bond yields.

Even active buying by central banks is failing to help gold bulls. The People’s Bank of China increased its reserves by 320,000 ounces in May, having purchased gold continuously for 19 months. This is the longest such streak since 2015, when regular publication of these statistics began.

The next test for gold will be the May US inflation report. Consumer prices are expected to rise from 3.8% to 4.2%, and core CPI from 2.8% to 2.9%. Such trends will increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy and put pressure on gold.

Summary: Gold is under pressure from a strong dollar and expectations of accelerating US inflation. Even Chinese buying is not helping: the increased likelihood of a Fed rate hike is heightening the risks of a decline. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?!

News

Saudi Arabia step up push for direct flights to Australia

Australian cattle exporters have had to contend with limited access to air freight to countries in the Persian Gulf region since the Iran war began, as well as higher frieght costs. However, Saudia Cargo will shortly commence direct flights to Avalon Airport in Victoria and the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland. Australia Saudi Business Council chairman Sam Jamsheedi says this will allow fresh meat from Australia to arrive in Saudi Arabia within 14 hours. He adds that negotiations have commenced for Riyadh Airlines to begin premium passenger flights on Australia-Middle East routes, in competition with established rivals Emirates and Qatar Airlines. (Media Man Peg On): Aussie beef may be the best in the world. Saudi knows quality. Take it to the bank! Aussie lamb takes a back seat?! Don't start us on Kangaroo!

News

(ICYMI)

(Aust)

News

Mining: Australia

Mining giants fuel surge in renewables financing

Construction of 2.6 gigawatts of solar energy projects has begun in Australia since the start of 2026. Data from consulting firm Rystad Energy shows that nearly 95 per cent of these projects feature a storage battery. Factors such as the falling cost of batteries has boosted investment in solar projects, while Rio Tinto and Fortescue have also ramped up spending on such projects to supply energy to their operations in Australia. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the 'green' energy rollout is putting downward pressure on electricity prices. (RMS) (Media Man Peg On): Developing situation!

Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Bitcoin News

Bitcoin is losing the confidence of major holders

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has been rapidly shrinking since the start of the new week, falling by 5% to $2.38 trillion, its lowest level since early April. It appears that confidence in the prospects of cryptocurrency has fallen sharply following reports of a largely symbolic BTC sale from Strategy’s balance sheet, which may be followed by more active selling from other holders. We also cannot rule out an ‘Iranian connection’, as reports of seizures of Iranian cryptocurrency undermine the notion of anonymity and untraceability that has long underpinned the crypto market. The solid performance of supposedly anonymous coins fits neatly into this hypothesis. Thus, over the past 24 hours, the top performers have been NEAR Protocol (+14.8%), Internet Computer (+10.2%) and Zcash (+5%). The three worst performers are Stellar (-13.2%), Basic Attention Token (-10%) and Bitcoin (-4.3%).

Bitcoin is accelerating its decline, having fallen to $69K, even though it started the week just above $74K. As expected, the drop below the 50-day moving average a week ago followed more than a week of selling pressure at that level. Technically, the leading cryptocurrency faces relatively few obstacles on its way down to the $65-66K range, but further down, longer-term support may come into play, having halted the decline in February and March.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds fell by $1.671 billion last week, marking the largest outflow since January. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.438 billion (the largest outflow from BTC this year), in Ethereum by $257 million, in Solana by $1 million, and in Sui by $1 million. Investments in altcoins rose by $20 million in XRP, $11 million in Hyperliquid, and $8 million in Near.

Sentiment towards Bitcoin on social media has reached its most positive level since the start of the year, despite the crypto market’s decline in May, Santiment notes. In the past, such surges in optimism have often coincided with local highs in the asset’s price.

Strategy has sold Bitcoin for the first time since 2022. Last week, 32 BTC were sold for approximately $2.5 million at an average price of $77,135 per coin. The largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, which had previously promised never to sell the asset, will use the proceeds to pay dividends on preference shares.

As a result of the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty rose by 1.72% to 138.96 T. The figure has returned to its April highs.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has renamed the cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM), describing the rebranding as a return to its roots. The blockchain will retain the name TON (The Open Network). No action is required from token holders.

Summary: Bitcoin accelerated its decline towards $69K amid a record outflow from crypto funds and Strategy’s first BTC sale since 2022, heightening fears among large holders. (FxPro)

(Media Man Peg-On): Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House?!

News

Streaming/Netflix

Netflix Greenlights War Machine Sequel After Massive Hit

The sci-fi action film War Machine, directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson, launched on Netflix March 6, 2026, and racked up 39.3 million views in three days.

News

(ICYMI)

News Flasback

(In Case You Missed It)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/q3JlnUJpI5

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars

The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.
As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/GWRcZVZwPH

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.

News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

Media Man

Biz
https://t.co/senpHr7rn8

Watercooler
https://t.co/hSBcweQy6v

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/dYNc3T1J1h

Blogs

Media Man Blog
https://t.co/mcEnW97D13

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/u5ttbtphNR

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Media Man @mediamanoz]

Pop Culture Flashback

Gold by Spandau Ballet

Producers: Steve Jolley & Tony Swain

Music Video: Gold
https://t.co/ptqjE9D0oX

Spandau Ballet Official YouTube Channel
https://t.co/ZnNfYQ0rDQ

[Verse 1]

Thank you for coming home Sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today

Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

[Chorus] Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible, always believing

You are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return

There's something I could have learned

You're indestructible, always believing

[Verse 2]

After the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time
Remember we were partners in crime

It's only two years ago
The man with the suit and the face
You knew that he was there on the case
Now he's in love with you, he's in love with you

And love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

[Chorus]

Gold (gold) Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible, always believing You are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible, always believing

[Bridge]

Love is like a high prison wall
You could leave me standing so tall

[Chorus]

Gold (gold) Always believe in your soul
You got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
You are gold (gold)
Glad that you're bound to return

Something I could have learned

You're indestructible, always believing (You are, gold) Always believe in your soul
You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
'Cause you are gold (gold)
I'm glad that you're bound to return
Something I could have learned
You're indestructible, always believing (gold)

[Verse 1]

Thank you for coming home Sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

[Chorus]

Gold (gold) Always believe in your soul

You've got the power to know You're indestructible, always believing

You are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return

There's something I could have learned You're indestructible, always believing

[Verse 2]

After the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime

It's only two years ago The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case

Now he's in love with you, he's in love with you

And love is like a high prison wall

And you could leave me standing so tall

News/Bio

Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet are an English new wave band formed in London in 1979, best known as one of the leading acts of the Second British Invasion of the early 1980s and icons of the “New Romantic” movement.

Key facts

Original line-up (1979–1990, 2009–2019):

Tony Hadley (lead vocals) Gary Kemp (guitar, chief songwriter) Martin Kemp (bass) Steve Norman (saxophone, guitar, percussion) John Keeble (drums)

Plus early member Richard Miller (later replaced) and long-time live/touring keyboardist Toby Chapman.

Biggest hits

“To Cut a Long Story Short” (1980) – their debut single, UK #5

“Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)” (1981)

“True” (1983) – worldwide #1 in many countries, UK #1 for 4 weeks, US #4; one of the most iconic ballads of the 1980s

“Gold” (1983) – UK #2, became an anthem

“Only When You Leave” (1984)

“I’ll Fly for You” (1984)

“Through the Barricades” (1986) – title track of their most mature album

Career highlights

Five studio albums in the 1980s:

Journeys to Glory (1981), Diamond (1982), True (1983), Parade (1984), Through the Barricades (1986)

Sold over 25 million albums worldwide

Massive success especially in Europe, Australia, and later in the U.S. with the True album

Split in 1990 after the Heart Like a Sky album underperformed

Highly public legal battle in 1999–2000: Gary Kemp won a court case against Hadley, Norman, and Keeble over unpaid royalties (the three had claimed co-writing credits)

Reunion

Reformed in 2009 with original line-up for a world tour and the album Once More (2009, new recordings + acoustic versions)

Toured extensively until 2019

Documentary film Soul Boys of the Western World (2014)

In 2017–2018 Tony Hadley left the band citing irreconcilable differences

Post-2019

Since 2019 the remaining members have continued as Spandau Ballet with new singer Ross William Wild (2018–2019), then briefly with theatre actor/singer Sam Clarkson

Tony Hadley now tours as a solo artist performing Spandau hits plus swing and soul material Gary and Martin Kemp remain active (acting, DJing, podcast “The Rest Is Entertainment” etc.)

They’re remembered for their sharp suits, romantic image, soul-influenced pop, and especially the timeless ballad “True.” One of the defining bands of the 1980s.

Media Man

Gold News
https://t.co/jfYuyjRHU5

Mining News
https://t.co/XeblFO45zH

Markets
https://t.co/6o1TneS3Hi

Business News https://t.co/yxtmwzAwbI

Finance News https://t.co/aidpq801v2

Crypto News https://t.co/IbzYCFDuM6

News
https://t.co/URBU5C5iRW

Newsfeed
https://t.co/fffgJsWTnQ

#Market #Markets #Stockmarket #Sharemarket #ASX #Futures #Index #Commodities #Mining #MiningNews #MiningPR #GoldPR #BTC #Bitcoin #Gold #GoldPrice #Oil #AI #BitcoinNews #Ether #Tether #XRP #BNB #Solana #USDCoin #Dogecoin #DOGE #Block #Blockchain #BlockchainNews #Memecoins #PopCulture #Culture #trends #trends #buzz #watercooler #Biz #BitcoinNewsMedia #CafeNews #Casino #News #Media #MediaMan #MediaManInt #XMarkets #XCrypto #XBiz

(Images: Chrysalis Records) with Media Man editing

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part V

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

"I've Got Friday On My Mind" (The Easybeats)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions and Road To UFC Freedom 250: This Weekend!

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 13

Markets

ASX 200 futuresup 39 points/ 0.4%: 8853

AUD -0.03% to US70.47¢

Bitcoin $63,488.81 -0.19%

Wall St:
Dow +0.7%
S&P +0.5%
Nasdaq +0.3%

VIX -1.76 to 17.68
Gold +0.2% to $US4219.33 an ounce
Brent oil -4% to $US86.75 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% to $US101.50 a ton

10-year yield:

US 4.48%
Australia 4.81%

Shares

TKO Holdings
$203.36
-10.34 -4.84%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$359.68
+1.91 +0.53%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.47
-0.020 -0.19%

News Lead Up (Australia)

The Australian sharemarket lost ground on Thursday, after the US launched further attacks on Iran; the S&P/ASX 200 eased 0.2 per cent to close at 8,633.2 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,555.3. Ora Banda Mining was down 6.4 per cent at $1.02, NextDC fell 4.2 per cent to $14.50 and Westpac shed 2.6 per cent to end the session at $34.50. However, Karoon Energy rose 4.6 per cent to $2.05 and CSL was up 4.2 per cent at $107.23. (RMS)

News Lead Up

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?! Record Breaking Rocket Man!?

News

Storms Clear for UFC's Historic White House Event

A massive crowd braved thunderstorms Friday for the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, delayed twice by heavy rain before fighters like Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje hyped tomorrow's fights on the White House South Lawn. The seven-fight card on June 14 marks America's 250th independence anniversary and President Trump's 80th birthday— the first pro sporting event ever at the White House, streaming live on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET. Stunning double rainbows against fiery skies capped the night, as thousands chanted and prepared for the patriotic spectacle amid tight Secret Service security.

News

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

Gold News

Gold: has it bottomed out at $4,300

Gold is trying to find a bottom, bracing for the US CPI release

China continues to buy gold for the 19th consecutive month

The US dollar retreated after Israel and Iran announced a ceasefire. Donald Trump urged them not to shoot at each other. Nevertheless, the adversaries reserve the right to resume hostilities, keeping tensions high in the Middle East, which supports the greenback as a safe-haven asset.

Investors are fixated on Donald Trump’s determination to strike a deal with Tehran at any cost and are using the positive news to buy EURUSD. However, according to BMO Capital Markets, headlines are noise, whilst regime change is the signal. Oil prices will not collapse following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and high US inflation is set to persist for some time. The new administration will force the Fed to raise rates and make the US dollar the favourite in the forex market. The firm recommends buying the greenback against the euro, the pound and the yen.

This reasoning holds. With low unemployment and a tight labour market, any acceleration in US economic growth will lead to higher wages. This will push consumer prices upwards and prompt the Fed to tighten monetary policy. The federal funds rate could be raised even now. Inflation has long exceeded the 2% target, and the labour market is at its strongest since 2024.

The prospect of the Fed moving towards monetary tightening, combined with rising oil prices due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, has pushed gold back to levels seen at the start of 2026. The precious metal has wiped out all its gains this year due to the strengthening US dollar and rising Treasury bond yields.

Even active buying by central banks is failing to help gold bulls. The People’s Bank of China increased its reserves by 320,000 ounces in May, having purchased gold continuously for 19 months. This is the longest such streak since 2015, when regular publication of these statistics began.

The next test for gold will be the May US inflation report. Consumer prices are expected to rise from 3.8% to 4.2%, and core CPI from 2.8% to 2.9%. Such trends will increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy and put pressure on gold.

Summary: Gold is under pressure from a strong dollar and expectations of accelerating US inflation. Even Chinese buying is not helping: the increased likelihood of a Fed rate hike is heightening the risks of a decline. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?!

News

Saudi Arabia step up push for direct flights to Australia

Australian cattle exporters have had to contend with limited access to air freight to countries in the Persian Gulf region since the Iran war began, as well as higher frieght costs. However, Saudia Cargo will shortly commence direct flights to Avalon Airport in Victoria and the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland. Australia Saudi Business Council chairman Sam Jamsheedi says this will allow fresh meat from Australia to arrive in Saudi Arabia within 14 hours. He adds that negotiations have commenced for Riyadh Airlines to begin premium passenger flights on Australia-Middle East routes, in competition with established rivals Emirates and Qatar Airlines. (Media Man Peg On): Aussie beef may be the best in the world. Saudi knows quality. Take it to the bank! Aussie lamb takes a back seat?! Don't start us on Kangaroo!

News

(ICYMI)

(Aust)

News

Mining: Australia

Mining giants fuel surge in renewables financing

Construction of 2.6 gigawatts of solar energy projects has begun in Australia since the start of 2026. Data from consulting firm Rystad Energy shows that nearly 95 per cent of these projects feature a storage battery. Factors such as the falling cost of batteries has boosted investment in solar projects, while Rio Tinto and Fortescue have also ramped up spending on such projects to supply energy to their operations in Australia. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the 'green' energy rollout is putting downward pressure on electricity prices. (RMS) (Media Man Peg On): Developing situation!

Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Bitcoin News

Bitcoin is losing the confidence of major holders

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has been rapidly shrinking since the start of the new week, falling by 5% to $2.38 trillion, its lowest level since early April. It appears that confidence in the prospects of cryptocurrency has fallen sharply following reports of a largely symbolic BTC sale from Strategy’s balance sheet, which may be followed by more active selling from other holders. We also cannot rule out an ‘Iranian connection’, as reports of seizures of Iranian cryptocurrency undermine the notion of anonymity and untraceability that has long underpinned the crypto market. The solid performance of supposedly anonymous coins fits neatly into this hypothesis. Thus, over the past 24 hours, the top performers have been NEAR Protocol (+14.8%), Internet Computer (+10.2%) and Zcash (+5%). The three worst performers are Stellar (-13.2%), Basic Attention Token (-10%) and Bitcoin (-4.3%).

Bitcoin is accelerating its decline, having fallen to $69K, even though it started the week just above $74K. As expected, the drop below the 50-day moving average a week ago followed more than a week of selling pressure at that level. Technically, the leading cryptocurrency faces relatively few obstacles on its way down to the $65-66K range, but further down, longer-term support may come into play, having halted the decline in February and March.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds fell by $1.671 billion last week, marking the largest outflow since January. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.438 billion (the largest outflow from BTC this year), in Ethereum by $257 million, in Solana by $1 million, and in Sui by $1 million. Investments in altcoins rose by $20 million in XRP, $11 million in Hyperliquid, and $8 million in Near.

Sentiment towards Bitcoin on social media has reached its most positive level since the start of the year, despite the crypto market’s decline in May, Santiment notes. In the past, such surges in optimism have often coincided with local highs in the asset’s price.

Strategy has sold Bitcoin for the first time since 2022. Last week, 32 BTC were sold for approximately $2.5 million at an average price of $77,135 per coin. The largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, which had previously promised never to sell the asset, will use the proceeds to pay dividends on preference shares.

As a result of the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty rose by 1.72% to 138.96 T. The figure has returned to its April highs.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has renamed the cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM), describing the rebranding as a return to its roots. The blockchain will retain the name TON (The Open Network). No action is required from token holders.

Summary: Bitcoin accelerated its decline towards $69K amid a record outflow from crypto funds and Strategy’s first BTC sale since 2022, heightening fears among large holders. (FxPro)

(Media Man Peg-On): Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House?!

News

Streaming/Netflix

Netflix Greenlights War Machine Sequel After Massive Hit

The sci-fi action film War Machine, directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson, launched on Netflix March 6, 2026, and racked up 39.3 million views in three days.

News

(ICYMI)

News Flasback

(In Case You Missed It)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/XnCh8t4Hlp

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars
The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.

As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/oeeajPHHVw

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.
News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

Media Man Int

Biz
https://t.co/yS1Mq6aphz

Watercooler
https://t.co/LG3rgg6oC1

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/FLh47cLQEX

Blogs

Media Man Int Blog
https://t.co/96v6COk5TG

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/CkBpy7mscP

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Pop Culture Flashback

Gold by Spandau Ballet

Producers: Steve Jolley & Tony Swain

Music Video: Gold
https://t.co/PVvxvRFDop

Spandau Ballet Official YouTube Channel
https://t.co/F2sX119aP7

[Verse 1]

Thank you for coming home Sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today

Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

[Chorus] Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible, always believing

You are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return

There's something I could have learned

You're indestructible, always believing

[Verse 2]

After the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time
Remember we were partners in crime

It's only two years ago
The man with the suit and the face
You knew that he was there on the case
Now he's in love with you, he's in love with you

And love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

[Chorus]

Gold (gold) Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible, always believing You are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible, always believing

[Bridge]

Love is like a high prison wall
You could leave me standing so tall

[Chorus]

Gold (gold) Always believe in your soul
You got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
You are gold (gold)
Glad that you're bound to return

Something I could have learned

You're indestructible, always believing (You are, gold) Always believe in your soul
You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
'Cause you are gold (gold)
I'm glad that you're bound to return
Something I could have learned
You're indestructible, always believing (gold)

[Verse 1]

Thank you for coming home Sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

[Chorus]

Gold (gold) Always believe in your soul

You've got the power to know You're indestructible, always believing

You are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return

There's something I could have learned You're indestructible, always believing

[Verse 2]

After the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime

It's only two years ago The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case

Now he's in love with you, he's in love with you

And love is like a high prison wall

And you could leave me standing so tall

News/Bio

Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet are an English new wave band formed in London in 1979, best known as one of the leading acts of the Second British Invasion of the early 1980s and icons of the “New Romantic” movement.

Key facts

Original line-up (1979–1990, 2009–2019):

Tony Hadley (lead vocals) Gary Kemp (guitar, chief songwriter) Martin Kemp (bass) Steve Norman (saxophone, guitar, percussion) John Keeble (drums)
Plus early member Richard Miller (later replaced) and long-time live/touring keyboardist Toby Chapman.

Biggest hits

“To Cut a Long Story Short” (1980) – their debut single, UK #5
“Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)” (1981)
“True” (1983) – worldwide #1 in many countries, UK #1 for 4 weeks, US #4; one of the most iconic ballads of the 1980s
“Gold” (1983) – UK #2, became an anthem
“Only When You Leave” (1984)
“I’ll Fly for You” (1984)
“Through the Barricades” (1986) – title track of their most mature album

Career highlights

Five studio albums in the 1980s:

Journeys to Glory (1981), Diamond (1982), True (1983), Parade (1984), Through the Barricades (1986)

Sold over 25 million albums worldwide

Massive success especially in Europe, Australia, and later in the U.S. with the True album

Split in 1990 after the Heart Like a Sky album underperformed

Highly public legal battle in 1999–2000: Gary Kemp won a court case against Hadley, Norman, and Keeble over unpaid royalties (the three had claimed co-writing credits)

Reunion

Reformed in 2009 with original line-up for a world tour and the album Once More (2009, new recordings + acoustic versions)

Toured extensively until 2019

Documentary film Soul Boys of the Western World (2014)

In 2017–2018 Tony Hadley left the band citing irreconcilable differences

Post-2019

Since 2019 the remaining members have continued as Spandau Ballet with new singer Ross William Wild (2018–2019), then briefly with theatre actor/singer Sam Clarkson

Tony Hadley now tours as a solo artist performing Spandau hits plus swing and soul material Gary and Martin Kemp remain active (acting, DJing, podcast “The Rest Is Entertainment” etc.)

They’re remembered for their sharp suits, romantic image, soul-influenced pop, and especially the timeless ballad “True.” One of the defining bands of the 1980s.

Media Man Int

Gold News
https://t.co/4x7dkEBsx7

Mining News
https://t.co/QID1RSeKfj

Markets
https://t.co/OwaQgtaRWq

Business News https://t.co/UzUAaWeUMh

Finance News https://t.co/WIICv5W5XK

Crypto News https://t.co/iz0rfP8TsT

News
https://t.co/9unOd5Cpzz

Newsfeed
https://t.co/eRTR4cbMWH

#Market #Markets #Stockmarket #Sharemarket #ASX #Futures #Index #Commodities #Mining #MiningNews #MiningPR #GoldPR #BTC #Bitcoin #Gold #GoldPrice #Oil #AI #BitcoinNews #Ether #Tether #XRP #BNB #Solana #USDCoin #Dogecoin #DOGE #Block #Blockchain #BlockchainNews #Memecoins #PopCulture #Culture #trends #trends #buzz #watercooler #Biz #BitcoinNewsMedia #CafeNews #Casino #News #Media #MediaMan #MediaManInt #XMarkets #XCrypto #XBiz

(Images: Chrysalis Records) with Media Man editing

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Movie And Entertainment News

Putting The Biz In Show Biz And Gaming Biz

Casino And Gambling Themes Remain Popular For Producers, Production Companies et al

Media Man Watercooler

Quotes

"I never met a currency I didn't like" JBL

"Writing about 2,000 words in three hours every morning, 'Casino Royale' dutifully produced itself. I wrote nothing and made no corrections until the book was finished. If I had looked back at what I had written the day before I might have despaired" Ian Fleming

"What we know about the destination resort business is clearly established. But it's all about one thing, and one thing only. All of the razzmatazz and jazz we hear about facilities and everything else doesn't amount to a hill of beans. It's customer experience that determines the longevity and endurance of these enterprises" Steve Wynn

"I still pinch myself that I have a second-hand Aston Martin DBS Volante, the convertible model of James Bond's car from 'Quantum of Solace' and 'Casino Royale" Paul Hollywood

"Everything is a gamble" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

"We live in a society that has ever-changing values and ever-changing standards and ever-changing criteria to determine who is a superstar or not. If you want to be a superstar, if you want to main event, if you want to profit in the entertainment business, you have to go with those trends and spearhead new trends" Paul Heyman

Newsfeed

MGM Resorts

June 7

Barry Diller’s People Inc. makes offer to buy MGM Resorts

A company led by Barry Diller has made an offer to buy MGM Resorts International, but one Wall Street analyst suggested it remains unclear if the Las Vegas operator would accept the deal. Diller’s People Inc., previously known as IAC, is making the offer, the company said in a statement released this morning. The move follows news last week of companies controlled by billionaire Tilman Fertitta acquiring Caesars Entertainment. The New York Times reported it’s “unclear whether a bid by People Inc. for MGM Resorts would put the casino operator in play, drawing in other suitors. Peg-On: Will the lions roar? Roaring up bullish, or roaring like a bear? Bulls and bears in the paddock, with a lion or two!

News

Questions remain about Caesars-Fertitta deal; casino industry ripe for leveraged and management buyouts

One Wall Street gaming analyst raised key questions over the acquisition of Caesars by Fertitta Entertainment, while another suggested the casino industry is “ripe” for leveraged and management buyouts. Daniel Politzer with J.P. Morgan sent a note to investors highlighting the deal announced Thursday. “For better or worse, one fewer publicly traded Las Vegas Strip resort operator could result in increased crowding in MGM, which is good if Las Vegas is improving, as public equity investors will have one fewer proxy to express their Strip views,” Politzer said.

Newsfeed

June 7

Wall Street handicaps the next possible gaming operator deals

Wall Street is engaging in some Las Vegas-style handicapping to predict which gaming companies are likely targets of a managed or leveraged buy in the wake of Fertitta Entertainment’s offer for Caesars Entertainment. Fertitta’s offer from last week would take Caesars private. The proposed acquisition announced Monday of the remaining shares of MGM stock by People Inc., formerly IAC, is another form of mergers and acquisitions. CBRE Director of Equity Research John DeCree said, “We believe the casino sector is ripe for further LBO/MBO activity, given the strong FCF generation, proven revenue durability, depressed public valuations, and reasonable interest-rate environment, despite geopolitical volatility. Other potential take-private targets that remain undervalued by public markets include: Accel Entertainment; Entain Plc; Melco Entertainment; MGM Resorts; and PENN Entertainment.

News

The United States Igaming Revenue Report — April 2026

NationalNationally, igaming revenue continues its inexorable climb toward, in April reaching $886.8 million compared to April 2025’s $800 million. Michigan generated $303.4 million in April compared to $248.1 million in April 2025. New Jersey's igaming revenue reached $263.1 million compared to the $235.2 million. Pennsylvania produced $245.8 million compared to $227.7 million. Connecticut's two online-casino operators earned $57.8 million this April, compared to $51.8 million. West Virginia $38.3 million compared to $28.6 million. Delaware came to $10.8 million compared to $8.5 million. Rhode Island $6.3 million, a 32% jump over the $4.7 million.

June 2026

News

Hollywood Casino to hold opening for new hotel on Friday

Ohio (Columbus) - Hollywood Casino is set to open its hotel in central Ohio this week. A grand opening celebration for the 203-room hotel is scheduled to take place on June 12, according to PENN Entertainment, the parent company of the casino. The hotel will have 183 standard rooms and 20 luxury suites, along with a full-service bar and restaurant — The Hill Eatery & Lounge. There will also be conference rooms, a fitness center and an outdoor seating terrace.

News

Casinos record $183.3 million in revenue for May, up 3.2%

Missouri (results) - Missouri’s casinos generated $183.3 million in revenue for May, up 3.2% year-over-year…slots accounted for most of the combined revenue, recording $160.8 million, up 6.5%, table games generated $22.4 million, down 15.2%. Ameristar St. Charles posted the highest revenue last month, remaining stable with $27.5 million. River City and Hollywood Casino closely followed with totals of $24.7 million and $23.5 million, respectively.

News

Tourism agency allocates $4.6M to host NBA Summer League

Nevada (Las Vegas) - The Las Vegas tourism agency Tuesday approved $4.6 million in expenditures as part of its efforts to attract visitors and conventions to the city, including continued funding for the NBA Summer League hosted by Las Vegas since 2004. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board of Directors authorized $4.25 million to host the annual NBA Summer League basketball competition through July 2028. This year’s event runs July 9-19 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.

News

CFTC Says Sports Contracts Are Gaming … But Legal

National (prediction) - Sports event contracts involve gaming, but they’re legal, according to a proposed set of rules the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The position, a change from how the CFTC’s lawyers presented the topic before an appellate court in March, allows the CFTC to potentially ban a subset of sports event contracts, while allowing others. The subset it appears set to ban, mostly deal with topics such as bets on injuries or next-pitch bets, which prediction markets have generally not listed so far.

News

Casino revenue grows 26.5% in May

Delaware (results) - Delaware’s three casinos generated $47.3 million in revenue in May, up 26.5%....video lottery terminals reported $42.9 million, up 26.1%, table games generated $4.5 million, up 30.4%. Delaware Park reported $20.5 million, up 29.5%.

News

FanDuel Starts Offering Crypto Dotcom Contracts

National (prediction) - FanDuel has added contracts from a second exchange to its prediction market product, through a partnership with Crypto dotcom. FanDuel said the partnership, announced Tuesday by press release, will give customers “a wider variety of markets across sports and entertainment categories” and “deepen customers’ ability to trade combinations of event contracts,” or parlays. FanDuel Predicts offers trading on non-sports outcomes like financial indices and cryptocurrency prices in all 50 states, and sports event contracts in states where FanDuel does not operate a state-regulated sportsbook.

News

(ICYMI)

May 2026

MGM Vegas

Heyman Hustle/Paul Heyman - Live At MGM

News

Heyman’s involvement ties into his Looking4Larry Agency’s creative work and a broader MGM Studios partnership MGM Live is the new entertainment/content brand for MGM Resorts International’s Las Vegas properties. It launched on Instagram with a debut reel featuring Paul Heyman and UFC President Dana White together at an EZ Baccarat table at the Live at Park MGM venue on the Las Vegas.

This marks a notable crossover, as UFC and WWE are both under TKO Group Holdings. Park MGM has hosted WWE events (like the 2026 Hall of Fame) and UFC PPVs.

Heyman shot disruptive/late-night content there during WrestleMania week, including:His TikTok debut from Park MGM (talking about Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania, etc.).

"Heyman on Heyman" interview with his son Jacob for HeymanHustleTV. Multiple Instagram/TikTok reels embracing his "King of New York (and everywhere else)" persona while promoting MGM.

News

Oceans:

George Clooney confirms 'Oceans' cast set to reunite

In a new interview, George Clooney revealed both Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt will return for the highly-anticipated “Oceans 14” movie that is expected to start filming in the fall. He says Matt Damon and Don Cheadle are also set to return with the new film set to explore what it’s like to pull off a heist when you’re no longer young and spry.

News

Movie News/Entertainment/Pop Culture

Netflix Casino Based Series, Casino Culture/Entertainment and more

Past, Present and Future

Martin Scorsese, creators of ‘Billions’ teaming up for Netflix Las Vegas drama

Netflix has ordered a series set in Las Vegas from three people who know the territory well: Casino director Martin Scorsese and Ocean’s Thirteen writers and Billions co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien.

The streamer has given an eight-episode order to the drama, which will center on the president of a hot Las Vegas hotel/casino and the moves he makes to secure and expand his position in the city. Koppelman and Levien are writing the currently untitled show and will serve as showrunners.

The pair will executive produce with Scorsese and his Sikelia Productions, Julie Yorn and Rick Yorn of Expanded Media, Paul Schiff and Beth Schacter.

News Under The Casino Table!

Casino Notes

Casino (TV series / mini-series) Casino (1995–1997):

A famous five-part American television mini-series directed by Martin Scorsese, sometimes referred to as the “Casino trilogy/series” informally because it completes Scorsese’s unofficial mafia trilogy (along with Goodfellas and Casino the movie). However, it’s not actually a traditional TV series but a long-form film released in parts in some countries.

More commonly, people just mean the 1995 film Casino itself when they say “Casino series”

News

Casino (1995) – Martin Scorsese Film & Its Informal "Series"

The iconic 1995 film Casino directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone, is often grouped with Scorsese’s other mafia/gangster films as an unofficial trilogy:

Goodfellas (1990)
Casino (1995)
The Irishman (2019)

Fans and critics frequently refer to these three as Scorsese’s “Casino trilogy” or “mob series,” even though they are not direct sequels.

News

Casino (2005–2006) – A short-lived Norwegian drama series about a group of friends running an illegal poker club.

Las Vegas (2003–2008) – NBC series starring James Caan and Josh Duhamel set in a fictional Las Vegas casino (the Montecito). Often what people mean when they say “casino series” in the 2000s context.

Tilt (2005) – ESPN drama about professional poker players trying to take down a corrupt card room boss.

Luck (2012) – HBO series created by David Milch, set at a California racetrack with heavy gambling elements (cancelled after one season).

YouTube / Streaming Content (Modern Usage)

In recent years, “Casino Series” most commonly refers to long-running YouTube or Twitch slot machine/streaming series by popular gambling creators:

NG Slot – “Casino Series” episodes where he plays high-limit slots in Las Vegas and elsewhere.

The Big Jackpot (Raja) – Famous for his “Boom!” catchphrase and multi-hour “Casino Series” videos.

Slotlady, Brian Christopher Slots, etc., all have ongoing “casino series” playlists.

Poker Tournament Series

Major recurring poker tournament festivals are sometimes called “casino series”

Wynn Signature Series

Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza

Aria Poker Classic

Commerce Casino’s L.A. Poker Classic series, etc.

News

Notes

Many online casinos (PokerStars, 888poker, partypoker, GGPoker, ACR Poker, etc.) run branded poker tournament series with “Casino” in the name, for example:

PokerStars Casino Series (occasional themed online festivals)

888poker Casino Pride Series or similar regional series

GGPoker sometimes partners with land-based casinos for “Casino Championship Series”

Land-based casino tournament series

Major casino chains frequently host recurring poker or slots series:

Wynn Signature Series (Wynn Las Vegas)

Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza / DeepStack Championship Series

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO)

Commerce Casino LA Poker Classic series

Choctaw Casino Championship Series (Durant, Oklahoma)

Borgata Poker Open / Almighties Million series

News

Netflix

Netflix has several casino-themed series, including the new Martin Scorsese-produced drama set in modern Las Vegas (untitled, expected soon) and the Brazilian series Rulers of Fortune, about Rio's gambling scene.

Other popular options include the money-laundering crime drama Ozark, the South Korean series Big Bet, and classic films like Scorsese's own Casino.

News

More Intel ...

Deep Dive Under The Casino Table ...

Casino Movies ...

Classic Dramas and Crime

Casino (1995): Directed by Martin Scorsese, this epic crime film stars Robert De Niro as a gambling associate sent by the mob to oversee operations in Las Vegas.

The Cincinnati Kid (1965): A classic poker film featuring Steve McQueen as an up-and-coming player attempting to take down a legendary master.

The Gambler (1974 / 2014): Both versions follow a literature professor with a self-destructive gambling addiction that leads to dangerous encounters with criminals.

California Split (1974): Directed by Robert Altman, this film is highly regarded for its realistic portrayal of the gambling lifestyle and the friendship between two bettors.

Heist and High-Stakes Action

Ocean’s Eleven (2001): A stylish heist movie where Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his team attempt to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

Casino Royale (2006): James Bond (Daniel Craig) must defeat a private banker to terrorists in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.

21 (2008): Based on a true story, this film follows the MIT Blackjack Team as they use card counting to win millions from Las Vegas casinos.

Modern Poker and Psychological Thrillers

Rounders (1998): Often credited with fueling the early 2000s poker boom, it stars Matt Damon as a reformed gambler who returns to high-stakes underground games to save a friend.

Molly’s Game (2017): Based on the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game.

The Card Counter (2021): A crime drama starring Oscar Isaac as an ex-military interrogator turned low-stakes gambler who uses the casino circuit to help a young man seeking revenge.

Mississippi Grind (2015): A road-trip drama following two gamblers as they travel down the Mississippi River to a high-stakes game in New Orleans.

Comedy and More!

The Hangover (2009): While primarily a comedy about a bachelor party gone wrong, it features iconic scenes in Caesar's Palace, including a famous blackjack card-counting sequence.

Vegas Vacation (1997): A family comedy where the Griswolds deal with various casino-related mishaps in Las Vegas.

The Cooler (2003): A unique story about a man whose bad luck is so infectious that a casino employs him to stand near winning players to "cool" their streaks.

Media Man: As always, bet with your head, not over it. If it stops being fun its time to stop!

News

Gaming News

June 11, 2026

Fortnite Welcomes Pomni and Jax from The Amazing Digital Circus

Epic Games unveiled skins of Pomni and Jax from the hit indie series The Amazing Digital Circus, arriving in the Item Shop at 5 p.m. PT. The trailer shows the characters landing amid chaotic energy, with bundles likely including back blings, pickaxes, and emotes for around 2,800-3,800 V-Bucks. The 2023 YouTube sensation, now on Netflix with over 431 million pilot views, blends surreal humor and dread—Pomni's redesigned outfit even sparked memes about her curvier battle royale look. Fans celebrated the reveal, though a few debated Jax's style next to his original design. (Media Man Peg-On): Shades of The Great Showman? Line up, line up, the greatest show on Earth has come to your gaming system via Fortnite. Big money in online entertainment biz.

Media Man Int

Casino News
https://t.co/AcGxTTrxdo

Movies
https://t.co/dhCw82CoUA

Hottest On TV
https://t.co/MbBvgfeJNs

Streaming News
https://t.co/l4p6Bwk5NM

Entertainment News
https://t.co/1uGpSQlBng

Watercooler
https://t.co/LG3rgg6oC1

Cafe News
https://t.co/VON5JgrVHq

#Oceans14 #Oceans #OceansEleven #OveansEight #Casino #RulersofFortune #BigBet #Bet #TheCompany #HeymanHustle #PaulHeyman #MGM #MGMLive #LiveCasino #CasinoNews #CasinoMovie #CasinoNetflix #Netflix #CasinoSeries #Movies #TV #TVSeries #Gaming #Gambling #Entertainment #PopCulture #Hotels #Resorts #Casinos #Showbiz #EntertainmentNews #ComingSoon #Streaming #trend #buzz #CafeNews #CasinoNewsMedia #HottestOnTV #media #mediaman #XMovies #XCasino #XGaming #Hollywood #LasVegas #Vegas #VegasNews

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part IV

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

"I've Got Friday On My Mind" (The Easybeats)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions and Road To UFC Freedom 250: This Weekend!

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 12

Markets

ASX 200 futures up 146 points/1.7%: 8794

AUD +0.7% to US70.51¢

Bitcoin $62,870.19 +0.28%

Wall St:
Dow +1.9%
S&P +1.8%
Nasdaq +2.5%

VIX -2.78 to 19.44
Gold +3.5% to $US4213.48 an ounce
Brent oil -4.3% to $US89.12 a barrel
Iron ore +0.2% to $US101.65 a ton

10-year yield:
US 4.46%
Australia 4.89%

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7044 USD (up $0.0044 USD)
Iron Ore: $101.65 USD (up $0.10 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $86.44 USD (down $5.41 USD)
Gold Price : $4,210.91 USD (up $139.15 USD)
Copper Price: $6.3915 USD (up $0.1920 USD)
Dow Jones: 50,848.75 (up 929.97 points)

Shares

TKO Holdings
$213.70
+7.27 +3.52%
*bullish lift upon settlement!

Alphabet Inc Class A
$357.77
+1.39 +0.39%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.49
+0.18 +1.75%

News (Australia)

The Australian sharemarket lost ground on Thursday, after the US launched further attacks on Iran; the S&P/ASX 200 eased 0.2 per cent to close at 8,633.2 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,555.3. Ora Banda Mining was down 6.4 per cent at $1.02, NextDC fell 4.2 per cent to $14.50 and Westpac shed 2.6 per cent to end the session at $34.50. However, Karoon Energy rose 4.6 per cent to $2.05 and CSL was up 4.2 per cent at $107.23. (RMS)

News

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?! Record Breaking Rocket Man!?

News

News Lead Up

(ICYMI)

Gold News

Gold: has it bottomed out at $4,300

Gold is trying to find a bottom, bracing for the US CPI release

China continues to buy gold for the 19th consecutive month

The US dollar retreated after Israel and Iran announced a ceasefire. Donald Trump urged them not to shoot at each other. Nevertheless, the adversaries reserve the right to resume hostilities, keeping tensions high in the Middle East, which supports the greenback as a safe-haven asset.

Investors are fixated on Donald Trump’s determination to strike a deal with Tehran at any cost and are using the positive news to buy EURUSD. However, according to BMO Capital Markets, headlines are noise, whilst regime change is the signal. Oil prices will not collapse following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and high US inflation is set to persist for some time. The new administration will force the Fed to raise rates and make the US dollar the favourite in the forex market. The firm recommends buying the greenback against the euro, the pound and the yen.

This reasoning holds. With low unemployment and a tight labour market, any acceleration in US economic growth will lead to higher wages. This will push consumer prices upwards and prompt the Fed to tighten monetary policy. The federal funds rate could be raised even now. Inflation has long exceeded the 2% target, and the labour market is at its strongest since 2024.

The prospect of the Fed moving towards monetary tightening, combined with rising oil prices due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, has pushed gold back to levels seen at the start of 2026. The precious metal has wiped out all its gains this year due to the strengthening US dollar and rising Treasury bond yields.

Even active buying by central banks is failing to help gold bulls. The People’s Bank of China increased its reserves by 320,000 ounces in May, having purchased gold continuously for 19 months. This is the longest such streak since 2015, when regular publication of these statistics began.

The next test for gold will be the May US inflation report. Consumer prices are expected to rise from 3.8% to 4.2%, and core CPI from 2.8% to 2.9%. Such trends will increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy and put pressure on gold.

Summary: Gold is under pressure from a strong dollar and expectations of accelerating US inflation. Even Chinese buying is not helping: the increased likelihood of a Fed rate hike is heightening the risks of a decline. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?!

News

Saudi Arabia step up push for direct flights to Australia

Australian cattle exporters have had to contend with limited access to air freight to countries in the Persian Gulf region since the Iran war began, as well as higher frieght costs. However, Saudia Cargo will shortly commence direct flights to Avalon Airport in Victoria and the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland. Australia Saudi Business Council chairman Sam Jamsheedi says this will allow fresh meat from Australia to arrive in Saudi Arabia within 14 hours. He adds that negotiations have commenced for Riyadh Airlines to begin premium passenger flights on Australia-Middle East routes, in competition with established rivals Emirates and Qatar Airlines. (Media Man Peg On): Aussie beef may be the best in the world. Saudi knows quality. Take it to the bank! Aussie lamb takes a back seat?! Don't start us on Kangaroo!

News

(ICYMI)

(Aust)

News

Mining: Australia

Mining giants fuel surge in renewables financing

Construction of 2.6 gigawatts of solar energy projects has begun in Australia since the start of 2026. Data from consulting firm Rystad Energy shows that nearly 95 per cent of these projects feature a storage battery. Factors such as the falling cost of batteries has boosted investment in solar projects, while Rio Tinto and Fortescue have also ramped up spending on such projects to supply energy to their operations in Australia. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the 'green' energy rollout is putting downward pressure on electricity prices. (RMS) (Media Man Peg On): Developing situation!

Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Bitcoin News

Bitcoin is losing the confidence of major holders

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has been rapidly shrinking since the start of the new week, falling by 5% to $2.38 trillion, its lowest level since early April. It appears that confidence in the prospects of cryptocurrency has fallen sharply following reports of a largely symbolic BTC sale from Strategy’s balance sheet, which may be followed by more active selling from other holders. We also cannot rule out an ‘Iranian connection’, as reports of seizures of Iranian cryptocurrency undermine the notion of anonymity and untraceability that has long underpinned the crypto market. The solid performance of supposedly anonymous coins fits neatly into this hypothesis. Thus, over the past 24 hours, the top performers have been NEAR Protocol (+14.8%), Internet Computer (+10.2%) and Zcash (+5%). The three worst performers are Stellar (-13.2%), Basic Attention Token (-10%) and Bitcoin (-4.3%).

Bitcoin is accelerating its decline, having fallen to $69K, even though it started the week just above $74K. As expected, the drop below the 50-day moving average a week ago followed more than a week of selling pressure at that level. Technically, the leading cryptocurrency faces relatively few obstacles on its way down to the $65-66K range, but further down, longer-term support may come into play, having halted the decline in February and March.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds fell by $1.671 billion last week, marking the largest outflow since January. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.438 billion (the largest outflow from BTC this year), in Ethereum by $257 million, in Solana by $1 million, and in Sui by $1 million. Investments in altcoins rose by $20 million in XRP, $11 million in Hyperliquid, and $8 million in Near.

Sentiment towards Bitcoin on social media has reached its most positive level since the start of the year, despite the crypto market’s decline in May, Santiment notes. In the past, such surges in optimism have often coincided with local highs in the asset’s price.

Strategy has sold Bitcoin for the first time since 2022. Last week, 32 BTC were sold for approximately $2.5 million at an average price of $77,135 per coin. The largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, which had previously promised never to sell the asset, will use the proceeds to pay dividends on preference shares.

As a result of the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty rose by 1.72% to 138.96 T. The figure has returned to its April highs.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has renamed the cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM), describing the rebranding as a return to its roots. The blockchain will retain the name TON (The Open Network). No action is required from token holders.

Summary: Bitcoin accelerated its decline towards $69K amid a record outflow from crypto funds and Strategy’s first BTC sale since 2022, heightening fears among large holders. (FxPro)

(Media Man Peg-On): Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House?!

News

Streaming/Netflix

Netflix Greenlights War Machine Sequel After Massive Hit

The sci-fi action film War Machine, directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson, launched on Netflix March 6, 2026, and racked up 39.3 million views in three days, topping charts in 93 countries for a total of 139 million views. Its success prompted a quick sequel greenlight, with Hughes returning to direct and co-write alongside James Beaufort. Ritchson is expected to reprise his role as the battle-hardened engineer, building on the gritty thrills that blended military realism with Predator-style action. (Media Man Peg-On): The Big N on fire. Going all guns blazzing. Netflix for the win! Make streams, not war!

News

(ICYMI)

News Flasback

(In Case You Missed It)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/XnCh8t4Hlp

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars

The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.

As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/oeeajPHHVw

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.
News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

Media Man Int

Biz
https://t.co/yS1Mq6aphz

Watercooler
https://t.co/LG3rgg6oC1

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/FLh47cLQEX

Blogs

Media Man Int Blog
https://t.co/96v6COk5TG

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/CkBpy7mscP

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Bitcoin News Media @BitcoinNewsMed]

Markets
ASX 200 futures up 146 points/1.7%: 8794
AUD +0.7% to US70.51¢
BTC $63,505.38 +3.55%
Dow +1.9%
S&P +1.8%
NAS +2.5%
VIX -2.78 to 19.44
Gold +3.5% to $US4213.48 an oz
B Oil -4.3% to $US89.12 a b
Iron ore +0.2% to $US101.65 a ton
10-yr yield: US 4.46% Aus 4.89%
#Markets #BTC

[Media Man @mediamanoz]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part III

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions and Road To UFC Freedom 250: This Weekend!

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 11

Markets

ASX 200 futuresdown 65 points/0.8%: 8601

AUD -0.4% to US70.00¢

Bitcoin $62,116.56 -1.40%

Wall Street:

Dow -1.9%
S&P -1.6%
Nasdaq -2%

VIX +2.35 to 22.22
Gold -4.4% to $US4075.59 an ounce
Brent oil +3.5% to $US94.63 a barrel
Iron ore +0.9% to $US101.55 a ton

10-year yield:

US 4.55%
Australia 4.89%

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7000 USD (down $0.0030 USD) Iron Ore: $101.55 USD (up $0.70 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $91.85 USD (up $3.15 USD)
Gold Price : $4,071.76 USD (down $187.80 USD)
Copper Price: $6.1995 USD (down $0.1530 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,918.78 (down 953.33 points)

Shares

TKO Holdings
$206.43
+1.99 +0.97%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$356.38
-7.88 -2.16%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.31
+0.070 +0.68%

News (Australia)

Coles, Woolies lift ASX; Steadfast soars on bid

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.6 per cent to close at 8,653.3 points. Coles Group was up five per cent at $23.73, Wesfarmers advanced 4.3 per cent to $83.39 and Steadfast Group rose 36.2 per cent to $5.28 in response to a takeover bid. However, Ora Banda Mining was down 9.9 per cent at $1.09, Sigma Healthcare ended the session 5.5 per cent lower at $2.76 and NextDC fell 4.1 per cent to $15.14. (RMS)

News

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?!

News

News Lead Up

Gold News

Gold: has it bottomed out at $4,300

Gold is trying to find a bottom, bracing for the US CPI release

China continues to buy gold for the 19th consecutive month

The US dollar retreated after Israel and Iran announced a ceasefire. Donald Trump urged them not to shoot at each other. Nevertheless, the adversaries reserve the right to resume hostilities, keeping tensions high in the Middle East, which supports the greenback as a safe-haven asset.

Investors are fixated on Donald Trump’s determination to strike a deal with Tehran at any cost and are using the positive news to buy EURUSD. However, according to BMO Capital Markets, headlines are noise, whilst regime change is the signal. Oil prices will not collapse following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and high US inflation is set to persist for some time. The new administration will force the Fed to raise rates and make the US dollar the favourite in the forex market. The firm recommends buying the greenback against the euro, the pound and the yen.

This reasoning holds. With low unemployment and a tight labour market, any acceleration in US economic growth will lead to higher wages. This will push consumer prices upwards and prompt the Fed to tighten monetary policy. The federal funds rate could be raised even now. Inflation has long exceeded the 2% target, and the labour market is at its strongest since 2024.

The prospect of the Fed moving towards monetary tightening, combined with rising oil prices due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, has pushed gold back to levels seen at the start of 2026. The precious metal has wiped out all its gains this year due to the strengthening US dollar and rising Treasury bond yields.

Even active buying by central banks is failing to help gold bulls. The People’s Bank of China increased its reserves by 320,000 ounces in May, having purchased gold continuously for 19 months. This is the longest such streak since 2015, when regular publication of these statistics began.

The next test for gold will be the May US inflation report. Consumer prices are expected to rise from 3.8% to 4.2%, and core CPI from 2.8% to 2.9%. Such trends will increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy and put pressure on gold.

Summary: Gold is under pressure from a strong dollar and expectations of accelerating US inflation. Even Chinese buying is not helping: the increased likelihood of a Fed rate hike is heightening the risks of a decline. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?!

News

Saudi Arabia step up push for direct flights to Australia

Australian cattle exporters have had to contend with limited access to air freight to countries in the Persian Gulf region since the Iran war began, as well as higher frieght costs. However, Saudia Cargo will shortly commence direct flights to Avalon Airport in Victoria and the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland. Australia Saudi Business Council chairman Sam Jamsheedi says this will allow fresh meat from Australia to arrive in Saudi Arabia within 14 hours. He adds that negotiations have commenced for Riyadh Airlines to begin premium passenger flights on Australia-Middle East routes, in competition with established rivals Emirates and Qatar Airlines. (Media Man Peg On): Aussie beef may be the best in the world. Saudi knows quality. Take it to the bank! Aussie lamb takes a back seat?! Don't start us on Kangaroo!

News

(ICYMI)

(Aust)

News

Mining: Australia

Mining giants fuel surge in renewables financing

Construction of 2.6 gigawatts of solar energy projects has begun in Australia since the start of 2026. Data from consulting firm Rystad Energy shows that nearly 95 per cent of these projects feature a storage battery. Factors such as the falling cost of batteries has boosted investment in solar projects, while Rio Tinto and Fortescue have also ramped up spending on such projects to supply energy to their operations in Australia. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the 'green' energy rollout is putting downward pressure on electricity prices. (RMS) (Media Man Peg On): Developing situation!

Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Bitcoin News

Bitcoin is losing the confidence of major holders

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has been rapidly shrinking since the start of the new week, falling by 5% to $2.38 trillion, its lowest level since early April. It appears that confidence in the prospects of cryptocurrency has fallen sharply following reports of a largely symbolic BTC sale from Strategy’s balance sheet, which may be followed by more active selling from other holders. We also cannot rule out an ‘Iranian connection’, as reports of seizures of Iranian cryptocurrency undermine the notion of anonymity and untraceability that has long underpinned the crypto market. The solid performance of supposedly anonymous coins fits neatly into this hypothesis. Thus, over the past 24 hours, the top performers have been NEAR Protocol (+14.8%), Internet Computer (+10.2%) and Zcash (+5%). The three worst performers are Stellar (-13.2%), Basic Attention Token (-10%) and Bitcoin (-4.3%).

Bitcoin is accelerating its decline, having fallen to $69K, even though it started the week just above $74K. As expected, the drop below the 50-day moving average a week ago followed more than a week of selling pressure at that level. Technically, the leading cryptocurrency faces relatively few obstacles on its way down to the $65-66K range, but further down, longer-term support may come into play, having halted the decline in February and March.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds fell by $1.671 billion last week, marking the largest outflow since January. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.438 billion (the largest outflow from BTC this year), in Ethereum by $257 million, in Solana by $1 million, and in Sui by $1 million. Investments in altcoins rose by $20 million in XRP, $11 million in Hyperliquid, and $8 million in Near.

Sentiment towards Bitcoin on social media has reached its most positive level since the start of the year, despite the crypto market’s decline in May, Santiment notes. In the past, such surges in optimism have often coincided with local highs in the asset’s price.

Strategy has sold Bitcoin for the first time since 2022. Last week, 32 BTC were sold for approximately $2.5 million at an average price of $77,135 per coin. The largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, which had previously promised never to sell the asset, will use the proceeds to pay dividends on preference shares.

As a result of the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty rose by 1.72% to 138.96 T. The figure has returned to its April highs.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has renamed the cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM), describing the rebranding as a return to its roots. The blockchain will retain the name TON (The Open Network). No action is required from token holders.

Summary: Bitcoin accelerated its decline towards $69K amid a record outflow from crypto funds and Strategy’s first BTC sale since 2022, heightening fears among large holders. (FxPro)

(Media Man Peg-On): Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House?!

News

Streaming/Netflix

Netflix Greenlights War Machine Sequel After Massive Hit

The sci-fi action film War Machine, directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson, launched on Netflix March 6, 2026, and racked up 39.3 million views in three days, topping charts in 93 countries for a total of 139 million views. Its success prompted a quick sequel greenlight, with Hughes returning to direct and co-write alongside James Beaufort. Ritchson is expected to reprise his role as the battle-hardened engineer, building on the gritty thrills that blended military realism with Predator-style action. (Media Man Peg-On): The Big N on fire. Going all guns blazzing. Netflix for the win! Make streams, not war!

News

(ICYMI)

News Flasback

(In Case You Missed It)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/q3JlnUJpI5

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars
The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.

As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/GWRcZVZwPH

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.

News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

Media Man

Biz
https://t.co/senpHr7rn8

Watercooler
https://t.co/hSBcweQy6v

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/dYNc3T1J1h

Blogs

Media Man Blog
https://t.co/mcEnW97D13

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/u5ttbtphNR

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Markets/Pop Culture

The Business Of Everything Edition! Part III

Sin City Sydney Australia, Wall Street, New York, and Beyond The Black Stump

Digital Bush Telegraph

Spread The Risk!

"Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)

Road To WWE Night Of Champions and Road To UFC Freedom 250: This Weekend!

Past, Present And Future

June 2026

June 11

Markets

ASX 200 futuresdown 65 points/0.8%: 8601

AUD -0.4% to US70.00¢

Bitcoin $62,116.56 -1.40%

Wall Street:

Dow -1.9%
S&P -1.6%
Nasdaq -2%

VIX +2.35 to 22.22
Gold -4.4% to $US4075.59 an ounce
Brent oil +3.5% to $US94.63 a barrel
Iron ore +0.9% to $US101.55 a ton

10-year yield:
US 4.55%
Australia 4.89%

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7000 USD (down $0.0030 USD)
Iron Ore: $101.55 USD (up $0.70 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $91.85 USD (up $3.15 USD)
Gold Price : $4,071.76 USD (down $187.80 USD)
Copper Price: $6.1995 USD (down $0.1530 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,918.78 (down 953.33 points)

Shares

TKO Holdings
$206.43
+1.99 +0.97%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$356.38
-7.88 -2.16%

Paramount Skydance Corp
$10.31
+0.070 +0.68%

News (Australia)

Coles, Woolies lift ASX; Steadfast soars on bid

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.6 per cent to close at 8,653.3 points. Coles Group was up five per cent at $23.73, Wesfarmers advanced 4.3 per cent to $83.39 and Steadfast Group rose 36.2 per cent to $5.28 in response to a takeover bid. However, Ora Banda Mining was down 9.9 per cent at $1.09, Sigma Healthcare ended the session 5.5 per cent lower at $2.76 and NextDC fell 4.1 per cent to $15.14. (RMS)

News

SpaceX IPO Nears, Pushing Elon Musk Toward Trillionaire Status

SpaceX plans to price shares at $135 each on Thursday, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion and raising up to $75 billion in the largest IPO ever, with trading possibly starting Friday on Nasdaq under SPCX. Musk's 42% stake would be worth $740 billion to $866 billion, combined with his $300 billion-plus Tesla holdings pushing his net worth over $1 trillion according to Forbes and Bloomberg estimates. Prediction markets give 96% odds he'll be the first trillionaire by year-end, amid X users celebrating employee windfalls and free markets while others decry economic inequality, with jokes about Musk's riches flying alongside analyst cautions on risks. (Media Man Peg-On): To the Moon, Mars and Beyond. Real Life Iron Musk firing on all cylinders. Investors getting stars in their eyes?!

News

News Lead Up

Gold News

Gold: has it bottomed out at $4,300

Gold is trying to find a bottom, bracing for the US CPI release

China continues to buy gold for the 19th consecutive month

The US dollar retreated after Israel and Iran announced a ceasefire. Donald Trump urged them not to shoot at each other. Nevertheless, the adversaries reserve the right to resume hostilities, keeping tensions high in the Middle East, which supports the greenback as a safe-haven asset.

Investors are fixated on Donald Trump’s determination to strike a deal with Tehran at any cost and are using the positive news to buy EURUSD. However, according to BMO Capital Markets, headlines are noise, whilst regime change is the signal. Oil prices will not collapse following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and high US inflation is set to persist for some time. The new administration will force the Fed to raise rates and make the US dollar the favourite in the forex market. The firm recommends buying the greenback against the euro, the pound and the yen.

This reasoning holds. With low unemployment and a tight labour market, any acceleration in US economic growth will lead to higher wages. This will push consumer prices upwards and prompt the Fed to tighten monetary policy. The federal funds rate could be raised even now. Inflation has long exceeded the 2% target, and the labour market is at its strongest since 2024.

The prospect of the Fed moving towards monetary tightening, combined with rising oil prices due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, has pushed gold back to levels seen at the start of 2026. The precious metal has wiped out all its gains this year due to the strengthening US dollar and rising Treasury bond yields.

Even active buying by central banks is failing to help gold bulls. The People’s Bank of China increased its reserves by 320,000 ounces in May, having purchased gold continuously for 19 months. This is the longest such streak since 2015, when regular publication of these statistics began.

The next test for gold will be the May US inflation report. Consumer prices are expected to rise from 3.8% to 4.2%, and core CPI from 2.8% to 2.9%. Such trends will increase the likelihood of the Fed tightening monetary policy and put pressure on gold.

Summary: Gold is under pressure from a strong dollar and expectations of accelerating US inflation. Even Chinese buying is not helping: the increased likelihood of a Fed rate hike is heightening the risks of a decline. (FxPro)

News

Sports/Gaming

Kristen Foxen Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet and $1.77 Million in High Roller

The Canadian pro topped Galen Hall heads-up in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, earning a career-high $1,773,083 and pushing her total live earnings over $20.7 million. Hall took second for $1,182,050, with Biao Ding third at $819,504; the final table included Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, and others. Foxen's six bracelets now match an elite group of 11 players—twice as many as any other woman—and peers like Patrick Leonard hail her as possibly the best No-Limit Hold'em player in WSOP history. (Media Man Peg-On): Sport, Gambling or both?!

News

Danhausen Claims 7x WWE Grand Slam After Pinning Miz Seven Times

During WWE's Summer Tour stops in Strasbourg, Lisbon, Madrid, Bologna, and Rome from June 2-6, Danhausen racked up clean wins over Miz at non-televised events. He based his bold claim on Miz's real Grand Slam status, prompting fans to joke he's actually 14x and cheer him as the GOAT. While some critics want more TV time, supporters point to his merch success, sold-out crowds, and house show dominance. (Media Man Peg-On): News Hausen, Media Hausen. X News Grand Slam. Danhausen def AEW curse?!

News

Saudi Arabia step up push for direct flights to Australia

Australian cattle exporters have had to contend with limited access to air freight to countries in the Persian Gulf region since the Iran war began, as well as higher frieght costs. However, Saudia Cargo will shortly commence direct flights to Avalon Airport in Victoria and the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland. Australia Saudi Business Council chairman Sam Jamsheedi says this will allow fresh meat from Australia to arrive in Saudi Arabia within 14 hours. He adds that negotiations have commenced for Riyadh Airlines to begin premium passenger flights on Australia-Middle East routes, in competition with established rivals Emirates and Qatar Airlines. (Media Man Peg On): Aussie beef may be the best in the world. Saudi knows quality. Take it to the bank! Aussie lamb takes a back seat?! Don't start us on Kangaroo!

News

(ICYMI)

(Aust)

News

Mining: Australia

Mining giants fuel surge in renewables financing

Construction of 2.6 gigawatts of solar energy projects has begun in Australia since the start of 2026. Data from consulting firm Rystad Energy shows that nearly 95 per cent of these projects feature a storage battery. Factors such as the falling cost of batteries has boosted investment in solar projects, while Rio Tinto and Fortescue have also ramped up spending on such projects to supply energy to their operations in Australia. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the 'green' energy rollout is putting downward pressure on electricity prices. (RMS) (Media Man Peg On): Developing situation!

Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Bitcoin News

Bitcoin is losing the confidence of major holders

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has been rapidly shrinking since the start of the new week, falling by 5% to $2.38 trillion, its lowest level since early April. It appears that confidence in the prospects of cryptocurrency has fallen sharply following reports of a largely symbolic BTC sale from Strategy’s balance sheet, which may be followed by more active selling from other holders. We also cannot rule out an ‘Iranian connection’, as reports of seizures of Iranian cryptocurrency undermine the notion of anonymity and untraceability that has long underpinned the crypto market. The solid performance of supposedly anonymous coins fits neatly into this hypothesis. Thus, over the past 24 hours, the top performers have been NEAR Protocol (+14.8%), Internet Computer (+10.2%) and Zcash (+5%). The three worst performers are Stellar (-13.2%), Basic Attention Token (-10%) and Bitcoin (-4.3%).

Bitcoin is accelerating its decline, having fallen to $69K, even though it started the week just above $74K. As expected, the drop below the 50-day moving average a week ago followed more than a week of selling pressure at that level. Technically, the leading cryptocurrency faces relatively few obstacles on its way down to the $65-66K range, but further down, longer-term support may come into play, having halted the decline in February and March.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds fell by $1.671 billion last week, marking the largest outflow since January. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.438 billion (the largest outflow from BTC this year), in Ethereum by $257 million, in Solana by $1 million, and in Sui by $1 million. Investments in altcoins rose by $20 million in XRP, $11 million in Hyperliquid, and $8 million in Near.

Sentiment towards Bitcoin on social media has reached its most positive level since the start of the year, despite the crypto market’s decline in May, Santiment notes. In the past, such surges in optimism have often coincided with local highs in the asset’s price.

Strategy has sold Bitcoin for the first time since 2022. Last week, 32 BTC were sold for approximately $2.5 million at an average price of $77,135 per coin. The largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, which had previously promised never to sell the asset, will use the proceeds to pay dividends on preference shares.

As a result of the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty rose by 1.72% to 138.96 T. The figure has returned to its April highs.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has renamed the cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM), describing the rebranding as a return to its roots. The blockchain will retain the name TON (The Open Network). No action is required from token holders.

Summary: Bitcoin accelerated its decline towards $69K amid a record outflow from crypto funds and Strategy’s first BTC sale since 2022, heightening fears among large holders. (FxPro)

(Media Man Peg-On): Invest/gamble at own risk!

News

Gaming/UFC

EA Sports UFC 6 Revives Open Weight Class Selection for Ranked Matches

EA Sports UFC 6 restores open weight class selection in Prospect ranked ladder placement matches, letting players choose divisions freely just weeks before the June 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The feature, a hit in the first three games, was dropped in UFC 4 and 5 for rotating classes but returns alongside revamped fighter ratings and Flow State perks to mix up matchups. Streamers like Liam Healy hail it as a game-changer, though some note potential matchmaking issues in lighter divisions and lament the lack of PC support at launch. (Media Man Peg-On): The best of both worlds. Ground and pound and strike action. Take down your gaming store today, in a fun and friendly way. Road To The White House?!

News

Streaming/Netflix

Netflix Greenlights War Machine Sequel After Massive Hit

The sci-fi action film War Machine, directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson, launched on Netflix March 6, 2026, and racked up 39.3 million views in three days, topping charts in 93 countries for a total of 139 million views. Its success prompted a quick sequel greenlight, with Hughes returning to direct and co-write alongside James Beaufort. Ritchson is expected to reprise his role as the battle-hardened engineer, building on the gritty thrills that blended military realism with Predator-style action. (Media Man Peg-On): The Big N on fire. Going all guns blazzing. Netflix for the win! Make streams, not war!

News

(ICYMI)

News Flasback

(In Case You Missed It)

News

Heavy Industry News

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)

News

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://t.co/XnCh8t4Hlp

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.

News Flashback

Early 2026

January and March

Streaming Wars

The "Streaming Wars" refers to the intense competition among digital media platforms to dominate the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market by capturing and retaining global audiences.

As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted from a period of rapid expansion into a phase of major consolidation and a focus on profitability over subscriber volume.

The "Winner" and Current State (2026)

Netflix Dominance: Industry analysts increasingly cite Netflix as the victor. In January 2026, Netflix reported 18% year-over-year revenue growth and is currently pursuing a high-stakes $83 billion all-cash acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets (including HBO/Max).

The "Big 3": Despite fierce competition, the market is primarily dominated by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

YouTube's Rise: Some experts argue YouTube is the true winner of the broader attention economy, surpassing traditional streaming services in total viewership by pivoting back to user-generated content.

Key Strategies in 2026

Consolidation: Smaller or struggling services are being shuttered or merged. For example, Disney recently shut down Hulu as a standalone service.

Monetization Shifts: Platforms have moved away from "growth at all costs" to strategies like password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers, and price hikes.

Live Sports & Events: Services are increasingly bidding on live sports rights (e.g., Netflix hosting WWE's Raw starting in 2025) to differentiate their offerings.

Bundling: To combat "subscription fatigue," platforms are forming strategic partnerships with telecommunications companies and banks to offer bundled service hubs.

Consumer Impact

Price Hikes: Many consumers are canceling services due to rising costs; over 40% of Americans cited price as their primary reason for unsubscribing in late 2025.

Resurgence of Piracy: Fragmented content and high costs have led to a significant comeback for pirate sites, which some users now find more comprehensive than paid services.

"South Park: The Streaming Wars": The term was popularized in mainstream culture by a 2-part South Park special released on Paramount+ in 2022, which satirized the industry's aggressive competition.

News/Profile

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Gold (1974)

Gold is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film is set in the South African goldfields and follows a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.

Plot: Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager, is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving up prices for a greedy cabal.

Production Controversy: The film was controversially shot on location in South Africa during the apartheid era. This led to a "black ban" by British film unions, though some crew members defied it to work on the production.

James Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of the James Bond franchise, including director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.

Accolades: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me," composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.

Cast & Crew

Rod Slater: Roger Moore

Terry Steyner: Susannah York

Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland

Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman

Farrell: John Gielgud

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Availability in 2026

As of 2026, the film is available through several formats and platforms:

Streaming: Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.

Physical Media: High-definition restorations are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films

News

Pop Culture

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"Gold" is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.

Lyrics

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here, I could have sworn These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Thank you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn I left them here I could have sworn

These are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in

'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Oh after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time Remember we were partners in crime It's only two years ago

The man with the suit and the face You knew that he was there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in love with you

My love is like a high prison wall But you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return There's something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

My love is like a high prison wall And you could leave me standing so tall

Gold (gold)

Oh always believe in your soul You've got the power to know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you are

Gold (gold)

Glad that you're bound to return Something I could have learned You're indestructible Always believin'

Songwriter: Gary James Kemp

Spandau Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://t.co/oeeajPHHVw

Official video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their 1983 third album 'True'.

Gary Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona, Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.

Spandau Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across the globe since their humble beginnings as a group of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s. It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.

The band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

Spandau Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.
News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of the Month' award; Runner-up: Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide

Media Man Int

Biz
https://t.co/yS1Mq6aphz

Watercooler
https://t.co/LG3rgg6oC1

Markets And Commodities: News (in progress)
https://t.co/FLh47cLQEX

Blogs

Media Man Int Blog
https://t.co/96v6COk5TG

Media Man News Blog
https://t.co/CkBpy7mscP

#Markets #Sharemarket #Mining #AustralianMining #Resources #Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Gold #Currency #Trading #WallStreet #NYSE #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Currency #Bulls #BullsAndBears #USD #AUD #FX #Biz #Prediction #PredictionMarkets #Fantasy #FantasySports #Bet #Casino #PopCulture #Culture #trend #buzz #News #media #mediaman #XMarkets #XBiz #Australia #World #WorldNews #NewYork #Sydney #Perth #WesternAustralia

[Media Man Int @mediamanint]

Media Man Group/Media Man Int

Brand/Company Award News

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

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award; Runner-up: The Australian

Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award

WWE wins 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award

UFC wins 'Combat Sports Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Most Valuable Promotions, Everlast, BKFC

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

CAT wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month' award

Sky News Australia wins 'Australian Based Media Company Of The Month' award

Jim's Mowing wins Media Man 'Australian Company Of the Month' award

NRL wins Media Man 'Australian Sports Brand Of The Month' award

Claudio's Cafe wins 'Coffee Brand Of The Month' award

Prime wins 'Energy Drink Of The Month' award; Runner-up: Monster Energy

Barzura (Coogee, Sydney, Australia) wins Media Man and Cafe News Media 'Cafe/Restaurant Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Chalk Espresso Bar and The Lion and Buffalo

Brock Lesnar wins 'Wrestler Of The Month' award (Men's Division); Runner-ups: Oba Femi, Logan Paul, Penta, Trick Williams and Jake Cartwheel

Lola Vice wins Media Man 'Wrestler Of The Month' award (Women's Division); Runner-ups: Sol Ruca, Zaria and Nattie

Corey Graves wins Media Man 'Sports Announcer Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Michael Cole and Joe Tessitore

Dallas Page wins 'Motivator Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Eckhart Tolle, Rick Rubin and Wim Hof

Eric Bischoff (83 Weeks and Real American Freestyle) wins 'Sports Podcaster Of The Month' award and 'Sports Promoter Of The Month' award

Dynasty: The Murdochs wins 'Streaming Show Of The Month' award (Netflix)

Search Engine Journal wins Media Man 'Search Publication Of The Month' award

Elon Musk wins Media Man 'Disruptor Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Logan Paul and Pat McAfee

Amaze Intelligence wins Media Man 'Comms Support Brand Of The Month'; Runner-up: Bluehost

Telstra wins Media Man 'Communications Company Of The Month' award

Red Cross Australia wins Media Man 'People Power'/'Media For Good' award

Media Man Int

Brand News
https://t.co/yZgas5pTui

Industry News
https://t.co/B4Mze7f57T

Advertising News
https://t.co/aHdw6GsNbD

Creative News
https://t.co/IE5ONAIMHn

Agency News
https://t.co/9fY2CvkE7j

Newsfeed
https://t.co/eRTR4cbMWH

#Brand #Brands #BrandNews #Awards #RoyMorgan #AFR #FinancialReview #Google #Netflix #NetflixSports #WWE #UFC #MackTrucks #CAT #Caterpillar #JimsMowing #NRL #ClaudiosCafe #Dynasty #SearchEngineJournal #SEJ #ElonMusk #LoganPaul #PatMcAfee #ClaudiosCafe #Prime #Amaze #BlueHost #WordPress #Telstra #RedCross #News #Creative #Agency #Marketing #Imagination #Newsletter #Trend #Buzz #Media #MediaMan #MediaManGroup #MediaManInt