J57 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting

Level the playing field but don’t over-regulate tech

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Original article by Paul Smith, John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: W1 & W3 : 30-Jul-19

Participants at an innovation summit have expressed mixed views regarding the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s report on digital platforms. Former Google Australia MD Maile Carnegie says technology companies should be subject to the same rules regarding data privacy as other sectors. However, Carnegie rejects the suggestion made by media companies that Google is a publisher. Nerida O’Loughlin from the Australian Communications & Media Authority said ACMA does not have the expertise to regulate the algorithms used by big technology companies.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, WISETECH GLOBAL LIMITED – ASX WTC

Local content move for digital players

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 29-Jul-19

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has signalled that streaming video providers may be required to invest in more local content in the wake of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s landmark inquiry into digital platforms. He says there is a strong case for subjecting digital platforms to the same regulations as traditional broadcasters. The ACCC’s final report noted the inconsistencies that are inherent in the current approach to media regulation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

Digital giants to feel watchdog’s bite

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 24 : 29-Jul-19

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says the proposed code of conduct for digital platforms would be compulsory, and any breaches of the code would attract large penalties. He adds that the code would result in new sources of revenue for media companies, and argues that in many ways digital platforms are publishers and should therefore be treated like publishers. The code of conduct is amongst the recommendations in the ACCC’s final report on its inquiry into digital platforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

Podcasts growing in popularity in Australia

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Jul-19

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that more than 1.6 million Australians aged 14+ (8.1%) now download audio or video podcasts in an average four weeks, compared with less than 1 million just four years ago. Driving the growth in podcasts are downloads to mobile phones, which have more than tripled since 2015 to over 1.3 million Australians. Meanwhile, just over 410,000 Australians now download podcasts to computers, down from a peak of just over 570,000 in 2016. In addition, around 210,000 Australians download podcasts to their tablets in an average four weeks. The Single Source survey is derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Australians each week and 50,000 each year.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Unlike: judge wrong in Facebook defamation case

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 23-Jul-19

News Corp Australia will contend that it should not be liable for defamatory comments that are posted by readers of its publications on its Facebook pages. The media group will appeal against a recent Supreme Court of New South Wales ruling with regard to liability for third-party comments on Facebook. News Corp will argue that it is not the primary publisher of such comments, and that media companies use Facebook’s services on term and conditions imposed by the social media giant.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SKY NEWS

Action on streaming set back until 2022

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 24 : 22-Jul-19

A confidential consultation paper has recommended that the federal government delay a decision on whether live streaming is subject to the Broadcasting Act until 2022. The ministerial determination was made in 2000 by former Communications Minister Richard Alston, and it is slated to expire on 1 October 2019. The Department of Communications has advised that extending the so-called Alston determination would give the government more time to consider a broader range of ­reforms for broadcasting and streaming ser­vices, including its response to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s report on digital platforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

ABC’s $100k taxpayer Life line

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 22-Jul-19

The ABC’s lifestyle website, which was launched on 6 August 2018, now boasts about 600,000 unique viewers each month, although this can vary from 500,000 to 820,000. In contrast, the public broadcaster’s suite of ABC News sites attracts more than 10 million unique viewers each month. The ABC Life site has attracted criticism from publishers, commercial networks and even some of the ABC’s own journalists. Meanwhile, ABC Life is seeking to hire an editor on a 12-month fixed-term contract, with a salary of more than $100,000.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, JUNKEE MEDIA PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, NEWSMEDIAWORKS, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)

Is Netflix falling out of favour? US viewers are shunning the streaming platform

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Original article by Zona Black
The New Daily – Page: Online : 19-Jul-19

Subscription video-on-demand giant Netflix had forecast that it would add 300,000 new US customers in the June 2019 quarter, but the number of subscribers fell by 130,000. The decline coincided with an increase in Netflix’s monthly fee, although it is also facing growing competition in the streaming video market. However, Netflix expects US subscriber numbers to rebound on the back of new content. Netflix had some 11 million paid subscribers in Australia in February, according to research by Roy Morgan, with year-on-year growth of 25.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Alston Determination on the agenda for Fletcher

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 15-Jul-19

The federal government is reviewing a ruling that online live streaming of TV and radio content is not subject to the Broadcasting Services Act. The ministerial determination was made in 2000 by former Communications Minister Richard Alston, and it is slated to expire on 1 October 2019. Amongst other things, scrapping the distinction between live streaming and broadcasting may impact on the cost of sports rights, given that the online and TV rights to sports such as the AFL and NRL are currently sold separately.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, PHONOGRAPHIC PERFORMANCE COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, APPLE MUSIC, SPOTIFY LIMITED, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD

Digital giants must take rap for online comments

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Original article by Hugh Marks
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 39 : 3-Jul-19

Australian media companies receive little or no revenue from making their content available via digital platforms such as Facebook and Google. However, a recent court ruling means local media companies can be held liable for defamatory comments that are posted on their Facebook pages. At the same time, Facebook’s terms of use do not allow media companies to turn off comments. The federal government needs to take action regarding the issue of control over media content on digital platforms; it must also clarify who is liable for defamatory comments that are posted on such platforms.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC