World Series Cricket made its debut in 1977, only to be shunned by a sceptical public. When conservative Board members rejected the bid, he quickly decided to launch his own version of the game. Packer personally approached the Australian Cricket Board seeking broadcasting rights for eight times more than the ABC was paying. Inflated contract fees turned out to be a mere fraction of the fortune spent on sport. Whatever the price, it would offer double value: attracting new audiences while damaging the competition.
As priority targets, they decided to steal the two biggest names in TV entertainment: Channel 7’s Paul Hogan and Channel 10’s midday talk show host Mike Walsh. The new strategy was set in motion by his key advisers in a meeting held on Wednesday 27 October 1976. Advertisers would happily pay a sizable premium to gain maximum exposure for their product. The advertising dollars pouring in were more than enough to ensure everyone a tidy profit, so why be overly competitive? Kerry, however, was astute enough to recognise the huge profits to flow from becoming undisputed number one in the ratings. Up to then, the three commercial stations were secretly bound to a keep-off-the-grass code.
An addictive gambler, he was prepared to bet his entire fortune on it. Still, within a little more than two years of taking command Packer had come up with his own unique formula for running a successful TV network. He once hurled a cricket ball at the head of a programmer who dared to suggest cancelling a program he was fond of. A poor ratings report could trigger volcanic rages with phones ripped out, furniture smashed. So it was that his weekly meetings with senior executives from TCN 9 in Sydney and GTV 9 in Melbourne became the stuff of legend. He dosed himself instead with potent prescription drugs. Others might take relief from a glass of wine or two at dinner but the youngest Packer had been a non-drinker since his teenage years, a decision traceable to his involvement in a fatal car crash. Memory of his father dubbing him ‘the idiot son’ could hardly have helped his confidence. Kerry would go on to spend torturous nights with little or no sleep as he tried to unravel the mysteries of the visual medium. The last straw was having his star recruit, Mike Willesee, quit on the spot after Sir Frank banned an interview with union leader Bob Hawke. His older brother Clyde had overseen that side of the business until his father’s constant meddling caused him to break all ties with the family. Television, however, was clearly destined to become the most lucrative of assets and Packer was poorly equipped to take charge of the Nine Network. Kerry, at the age of 36, found himself in sole control of a publishing and television empire worth $100 million.īy then he had proved his prowess in the hotly competitive field of women’s magazines, championing the successful launch of Cleo, edited by Ita Buttrose. Such tactics certainly applied in the first months after the death of his despotic father, Sir Frank, in May 1974. “I don’t know another way to manage people than through fear, to scare the shit out of them,” he confided to trusted friends.
By his own admission that brutish image was not without a grain of truth. If I can add any value to those closing comments from Deano, that would be my greatest honour.Kerry Packer has been famously described as the King Kong of media magnates. May he rest in peace now, knowing that fact that he's left a legacy within this team, which will last not only this generation but generations to come. This is something I'm so passionate about." He was just beautifully connected to Pakistan Cricket. I want to make special mention here of a former teammate and colleague, and that is Dean Jones, who gave a lot of himself to Cricket Australia but also gave a lot of himself to Pakistan cricket, and his closing words to me I can hear in my ears was "These are my boys. Matthew Hayden, Pakistan batting consultant: “I see wonderful potential. Like I've said before, Pakistan are playing really good cricket, so it'll be a great test.” All you can control is your process and your planning, and we've been doing that really well. They've played some really good cricket throughout. Australia captain Aaron Finch: “I think that obviously Pakistan have been in really good form.