Author: roymorgansocial

1 in 4 AFL club supporters watch the pre-season on TV

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Feb-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 26 per cent of Australian Football League club supporters aged 14+ watched pre-season NAB Challenge games on TV in the year to December 2015. This compares with about 31 per cent in 2011-2013. The survey shows that 45 per cent of North Melbourne Kangaroos supporters almost always or occasionally watch pre-season games on television, ahead of Melbourne Demons fans (37 per cent). However, just 11 per cent of Sydney Swans supporters and 16 per cent of Brisbane Lions supporters tune in for pre-season games.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NORTH MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED, MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB, SYDNEY SWANS FOOTBALL CLUB, BRISBANE LIONS FOOTBALL CLUB, GOLD COAST FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED, FREMANTLE DOCKERS FOOTBALL CLUB, RICHMOND FOOTBALL CLUB, FOX FOOTY CHANNEL, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Mirvac points to issues across both sectors

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 12-Feb-16

Mirvac Group has posted a 2015-16 interim net profit of $A472.7m, which is 69 per cent higher than previously. The result was bolstered by a $A289.3m rise in the value of the group’s portfolio of investment properties. Mirvac still expects to pay a full-year distribution of between $A0.097 and $A0.099 per stapled security. Meanwhile, CEO Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz forecasts that growth in residential property prices will slow and sales volumes will fall.

CORPORATES
MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOLKESTONE MAXIM ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Maurice Blackburn tops the list of political party donors

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Original article by Marianna Papadakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 12-Feb-16

Figures from the Australian Electoral Commission’s political donations register show that law firms donated $A287,551 to political parties in 2014-15. Some firms chose to make donations to both major parties, with Arnold Bloch Leibler being the biggest contributor in this category, donating $A89,400 in total. Maurice Blackburn emerged as the biggest donor to any one party, donating $A80,237 to the Australian Labor Party.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ARNOLD BLOCH LEIBLER, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH, THE CIVIC GROUP PTY LTD, WOODSIDE ENERGY LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN HOTELS AND HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION, PRATT GROUP HOLDINGS PTY LTD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, HOLDING REDLICH, CORRS CHAMBERS WESTGARTH, TURNER FREEMAN, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

Joyce’s ascension to spark PM’s overhaul

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Original article by Sid Maher, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 12-Feb-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will make changes to his Cabinet team following the election of Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce as leader of the National Party. Joyce was the only contender for the leadership, while Fiona Nash won a fiercely-contested ballot for the role of deputy leader. The National Party is set to gain an additional Cabinet portfolio under a new agreement between the Coalition parties. Outgoing National Party leader Warren Truss has expressed confidence in his successor as party leader and Deputy Prime Minister.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Focus on sales reboots growth at Cochlear

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Original article by Tim Binsted
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 12-Feb-16

Australian-listed Cochlear has posted a 2015-16 interim net profit of $A94m, which is 32 per cent higher than previously. Revenue also increased by 32 per cent, to $A581.7m, and sales of its hearing implants rose by 26 per cent to 14,748 units. CEO Chris Smith says the group has benefited from its consumer-focused strategy, and notes that the 65-plus age group represents a huge growth opportunity for Cochlear.

CORPORATES
COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH

Suncorp profit hit by natural disaster claims

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Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 12-Feb-16

Australian-listed insurer Suncorp Group has reported a 2015-16 interim net profit of $A530m, which is 16 per cent lower than previously. The result was marred by factors such as lower returns from its investment portfolio and an increase in claims arising from natural disasters. The core general insurance division has booked a half-year profit of $A297m, while the banking arm’s profit was $A194m. Shareholders will receive an interim dividend of $A0.30 per share.

CORPORATES
SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED MOTOR INSURERS LIMITED, GIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, BKI INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED – ASX BKI, FIDELITY WORLDWIDE INVESTMENT, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GPT GROUP – ASX GPT

US giant to make Hayu as reality TV’s sun shines

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 3 : 12-Feb-16

US media group NBC Universal will launch its hayu subscription video-on-demand service in Australia, with subscribers to pay $A5.99 per month after a free one-month trial. Hayu will primarily specialise in reality-TV show such as "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and "The Real Housewives", with each show to be available for viewing on the same day they are broadcast in the US.

CORPORATES
NBC UNIVERSAL INCORPORATED, HAYU, COMCAST CORPORATION, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Rio Tinto set to slash dividend as profits dive

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Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 12-Feb-16

Rio Tinto has posted a 2015 statutory loss of $US866m, while its underlying earnings for the calendar year were 51 per cent lower at $US4.5bn. The downturn in the iron ore price resulted in a sharp fall in revenue, to $US34.8bn. Shareholders will receive a full-year dividend of $US2.15 per share, but Rio Tinto will abolish its progressive dividend policy in 2016 in favour of a payout ratio. It expects to pay a full-year dividend of around $US1.10 per share in 2016.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, ENERGY RESOURCES OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX ERA, STANDARD AND POOR’S CORPORATION

We hate gambling ads? You bet we do

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Original article by Rick Wallace
The Australian – Page: 8 : 12-Feb-16

New figures shows that Australian corporate bookmakers spent $A81m on advertising in the year to 31 October 2015, which is 55 per cent higher than previously. Sportsbet accounted for about $A34m of this expenditure, while CrownBet spent $A16m. Federal MP Alan Tudge says many voters have expressed their dislike for gambling ads on TV, and he notes that some state governments are taking action to increase regulation of such advertising.

CORPORATES
SPORTSBET AUSTRALIA, CROWNBET PTY LTD, WILLIAM HILL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LADBROKES, BET365 GROUP LIMITED, TATTS GROUP LIMITED – ASX TTS, TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, VICTORIA. DEPT OF JUSTICE. CONSUMER AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS VICTORIA

Airbnb: the changing face of accommodation booking

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 11-Feb-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 27.1 per cent of Australians aged 14+ (or 5.3 million people) reported having heard of Airbnb in the six months to December 2015. While this is a substantially lower recognition rate than more established tourism industry players such as Flight Centre (70 per cent) and Webjet.com.au (52.2 per cent), it puts Airbnb ahead of well-known operators like STA Travel (26.9 per cent), Lastminute.com.au (25.8 per cent) and Stayz (23 per cent). Meanwhile, 7.7 per cent of Australians say they would consider using Airbnb for their next holiday, making it the fifth-most considered travel agent/booking site after Flight Centre, Booking.com, Wotif, and Webjet.com.au.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AIRBNB AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED – ASX FLT, WEBJET LIMITED – ASX WEB, STA TRAVEL PTY LTD, LASTMINUTE.COM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, STAYZ PTY LTD, BOOKING.COM BV, EXPEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD