McIntyre Rants: Warburton cool on court case

Sentiment has suddenly shifted on James Warburton and Network Ten. You can credit the affidavit from Seven Media Group's human resources boss Samantha Liston (nee Renwick) for that although more affidavits are on their way to the courts from both sides.

Liston's record of events is an enlightening take on the day of Warburton's exit from Seven – one which has delivered truckloads of new doubt for the market about whether Warburton can actually move into the vacant CEO chair at Ten sometime after July this year. Until then, most thought Kerry Stokes and his team were just trying to make things difficult for Warburton through the courts.

The curveball as we now know is an additional employment restraint sitting under a management equity plan Warburton signed in 2007. That contract, apparently, adds another 12 months onto Warburton's forced gardening leave. And it's this one which has spooked those doing deals with Ten. Many were  banking on some quick resolution of Ten's future programming and sales strategy. Acting CEO, Lachlan Murdoch, will have to move to appease key players more quickly now, whatever the outcome of next month's court proceedings.

Warburton has gone to ground since his resignation from Seven on March 2 but those who have spoken to him in recent days say he does not seem rattled by Seven's legal push to enforce a 500-plus day holiday on him.

Warburton, they say, claims the case is not as "cut and dry" as Seven makes out and that we should expect some real "juice" when his affidavit is filed. Seven Media Group CEO, David Leckie, apparently, will feature prominently although that is hardly surprising given he was Warburton's boss and Warburton has in the past year been less than discreet about his frustration with Leckie.

Leckie is a wild character and Warburton has let it be known in the past – even to the surprise of his TV rivals - that he and Tim Worner, Seven's programming boss, carried Leckie for a period without due acknowledgement from Seven's senior brass. Whether that's true or not, Warburton has expressed that sentiment on a few occasions to those outside Kerry Stokes' media group.

Whatever emerges in coming weeks, you can guarantee the punch and counter punch from these TV players will be worthy of a TV soap. Maybe even a series.