Author: roymorgansocial

Netflix claims its first victim as EzyFlix bites the dust

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Original article by Yolanda Redrup
The Australian Financial Review – Page: online : 20-Aug-15

Netflix, the newest entrant to the Australian TV and movie streaming market, has claimed its first victim with Australian-based Ezyflix closing this week. Ezyflix’s model of charging per download for films and TV shows rather than using a monthly subscription-based model like Netflix, Quickflix, Presto and Stan appears to have made Ezyflix price uncompetitive with its rivals. The latest Roy Morgan Research survey shows Netflix now reaches 1.89 million Australians in July, stunning growth considering Netflix only launched in Australia four months earlier in March.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, EZYFLIX AUSTRALIA, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, TELSYTE PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

AFL’s deal of the decade

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Original article by John Stensholt, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1&8 : 19-Aug-15

News Corporation, Seven West Media and Telstra have signed a broadcasting rights deal with Australian Football League (AFL). The $A2.508 billion six-year agreement is the largest sports rights deal in Australian television history. News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch said on 18 August 2015 that the AFL code is considered by the company as the premium code in Australia.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Canadians pay up big for Asciano

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1&8 : 19-Aug-15

The board of Asciano has issued a recommendation to investors to accept a takeover offer from Brookfield Infrastructure. Investors will receive $A9.15 a share if the $A8.9 billion bid for the Australian-listed port and rail group is successful. Some fund managers doubt whether losing another Australian company to foreign buyers is in Australia’s interest.

CORPORATES
BROOKFIELD INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS LP, ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, PATRICK CORPORATION LIMITED, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED, SABMILLER PLC, JAPAN POST COMPANY LIMITED, COLONIAL FIRST STATE GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT, ARGO INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX ARG, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

SMI: Ten’s revenue share rises as rivals tumble with newspapers down nearly 30 per cent

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Original article by Nic Christensen
Mumbrella – Page: Online : 19-Aug-15

The July 2015 Standard Media Index (SMI) shows that Network Ten increased its share of ad revenue from media agencies by 3.2 per cent to 24.4 per cent, year-on-year. Newspapers recorded sharp falls, with media agency spend declining 29.4 per cent to $A47.2 million, $A19.6 million less than in July 2014. Digital bookings rose 6.7 per cent to $A123.5 million although late digital bookings are expected to cause the paid media market for July to be flat. In television, ad spending rose 3.2 per cent to $A301.3 million, while radio was up 0.4 per cent to $A47.2 million. Cinema recorded a rise of 43.6 per cent, to $A5.8 million. Outdoor declined 10.1 per cent to $A53.3 million while magazines recorded a fall in spend of 16.9 per cent to $A15.1 million. Among categories, food/alcoholic retail spending rose 33.5 per cent to $A32.2 million. The restaurants category improved year on year with bookings rising 16.6 per cent in July to $A28.6 million.

CORPORATES
SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

QBE also anti-intervention while dividend higher, profit up 24pc

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Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 19-Aug-15

QBE Insurance Group has reported a 24 per cent rise in its first-half net profit to $US488 million ($A661 million). The group will raise its dividend payout ratio from the current level of 50 per cent of annual cash profits to 65 per cent in 2016. Announcing the results on 18 August 2015, QBE CEO John Neal spoke against the idea of government interference in Northern Australia’s insurance market. Exposure to a high risk of natural disasters in the region makes insurance cover expensive to residents.

CORPORATES
QBE INSURANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX QBE, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, INSURANCE AUSTRALIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX IAG, NATIONAL GENERAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION, NIKKO ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

RBA moves to cool housing will take time

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 19-Aug-15

Reserve Bank of Australia’s minutes of the July 2015 board meeting suggest that the central bank is likely to continue to keep the official interest rate at its current record low. The fall in the Australian dollar of five per cent against the US currency in June 2015 is expected to stimulate exports. The central bank noted that low interest rates had led to house price inflation.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, BARCLAYS BANK PLC

Transfield dumped in human rights protest

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 19-Aug-15

Superannuation fund HESTA has sold its three per cent stake in Transfield Services because of concerns about risks associated with the group’s management of the offshore detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru. HESTA manages super savings of doctors, nurses, and other workers in the healthcare and community services sectors. Many of its members are concerned about reports of mismanagement in offshore detention centres.

CORPORATES
HEALTH EMPLOYEES’ SUPERANNUATION TRUST AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TRANSFIELD SERVICES LIMITED – ASX TSE, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED

Super tax breaks ‘lurks for the rich’

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 19-Aug-15

The Grattan Institute advocates a review of superannuation tax breaks, negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount which, the institute says, are used mainly by rich Australians. The institute states in a paper to be presented at the National Reform Summit that wealthy Australians do not need tax incentives; they would save for retirement without them.

CORPORATES
GRATTAN INSTITUTE, THE MENZIES RESEARCH CENTRE LIMITED, THE CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT STUDIES LIMITED

Labor steps up push to oust Heydon

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 19-Aug-15

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) will petition Governor-General Peter Cosgrove to remove Dyson Heydon from the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption. A motion to that effect will be debated in the Senate as early as 19 August 2015. The ALP objects to Heydon’s role in the commission on the grounds of political bias and conflict of interests. Heydon is also under pressure from the labour movement to resign from the commission.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED)

Young Australians expect ‘high dollars’

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Original article by Julie-anne Sprague
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 19-Aug-15

Bannister Downs Dairy MD Sue Daubney believes young Australians have unrealistic expectations about work and salaries. She told a Committee for the Economic Development of Australia luncheon in Perth on 18 August 2015 that the company had to use foreign labour because young Australians did not want to work in agriculture. In her view, Australia’s workforce culture is problematic.

CORPORATES
COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA, BANNISTER DOWNS DAIRY COMPANY