Channel 9 reportedly locks in $2m Cleo Smith interview

The Nine Network has reportedly inked a $2 million deal to interview the parents of Cleo Smith after the young girl’s ordeal.

The Nine Network has reportedly inked a $2 million deal to interview the parents of Cleo Smith after the young girl’s kidnapping in Western Australia in late 2021.

The four-year-old was allegedly abducted from her family’s tent at a campsite near Carnavon, in Western Australia, on October 16 last year.

Cleo’s mother, Ellie Smith, and stepfather, Jake Glidden, have been seeking advice from other parents whose children have been unwittingly thrust into the spotlight, according to an exclusive report by the Daily Mail.

But the media storm appears to only have just begun, with The Australian revealing there is “talk of a six-part special” on Stan to cover the child’s miracle rescue.

“The plan is for the interviews with the family to appear on the networks’ news and current affairs flagship 60 Minutes, with possible spin-offs to the Nine newspapers and talk of a six-part special for Stan,” The Australian’s Liam Mendes wrote on Thursday.

However, the possibility that the four-year-old might be interviewed about her experience has reportedly “horrified many at the network who know of the deal”.

Cleo has been found alive and well by West Australian police, locked in a property just minutes away from her family's home in November 2021.

“Nine was scared at the end of the year after they lost their No 1 position – this seems a desperate attempt to regain the mantle … and it won’t work,” an inside source said.

It is also understood Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes had “taken a personal interest in the story” and was keen for the network to acquire rights before Nine stepped in.

The deal has reportedly angered some within the television network, who said the astronomical figure could be used to fund dozens of full-time salaries, and run a number of programs.

“This is insane. This is dinosaur chequebook journalism. It smacks of an inexperienced CEO who has got a rush of blood in his first bidding war,” a source told the Australian.

“Shareholders will be screaming. Kerry Stokes is an astute judge — he knows what a story is worth – and, instinctively, knew it wasn’t worth this much.”

At the time of writing, the biggest cheque cleared for an interview in Australia’s history went to the two survivors of the Beaconsfield mine disaster, Brant Webb and Todd Russell. The two miners were each paid roughly $1m by the Nine Network after their 2006 ordeal.

The reports of an interview deal followed a Thursday report that Cleo Smith’s parents are considering changing her name to shield her from unwanted attention.

Cleo Smith is carried inside a friend's house by her mother on November 4, 2021 in Carnarvon, Australia.

The couple are reportedly asking how young victims of high-profile crimes recovered psychologically, and if their parents considered the process of professional counselling worthwhile.

A spokeswoman for the WA Police Force said they have encouraged Ms Smith to talk about Cleo’s future with the parents of other children who have experienced comparable traumatic events.

It’s expected Cleo’s story will continue to make headlines over the course of her kidnapper’s court appearances, and as she reaches personal milestones, including the anniversary of her alleged abduction and rescue.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan even suggested a movie would one day be made about the ordeal, joking about who might star in a dramatisation of Cleo’s disappearance and recovery.

Ms Smith and Mr Glidden are reportedly concerned with how their daughter will cope with the years of intensive attention, and “the repercussions of the media and so forth down the track”.