J57 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting

Google says new penalties would hurt tech sector

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 : 8-Mar-19

Google does not want new rules and penalties for failing to remove copyright-infringing content to be introduced. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission stated in its interim report on digital platforms that Australian rights holders struggle to get copyright-infringing content removed quickly from digital platforms, and recommended tougher rules in this area. Google contends that new regulations would harm Australia’s technology sector, as does lobby group StartUpAus.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, STARTUPAUS, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, 99DESIGNS PTY LTD, CANVA INCORPORATED, ENVATO PTY LTD

Media takes hard line on tech titans

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Original article by David Swan, Lilly Vitorovich, Zoe Samios, Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 5-Mar-19

The preliminary report of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s landmark inquiry into digital platforms called for greater transparency regarding their algorithms and how news stories are ranked on their sites. Nine Entertainment Company’s submission has supported increased regulation of digital platforms such as Facebook and Google, as well as the introduction of a tax offset for news. Meanwhile, telco Optus has expressed concern that measures aimed at curbing the market power of digital platforms could potentially apply to the broader business sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE LIMITED, COUNTRY PRESS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, STAR NEWS GROUP PTY LTD, PROVINCIAL PRESS GROUP, AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)

Video-on-demand surges

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 26 : 4-Mar-19

New data shows that Australians viewed 2.9 billion minutes of TV programs and movies via broadcast video-on-demand platforms in February 2019, compared with two billion minutes during the same month in 2018. The figures also show that there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of viewers who watched a program live, while the number who watched content when it suited them rose by 44 per cent year-on-year. ThinkTV CEO Kim Portrate says BVOD is more effective for advertisers than other social video platforms, and she notes that 500 advertisers opted to use BVOD for the first time in 2018.

CORPORATES
THINK TV, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, 9NOW, 7PLUS, 10 PLAY, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, CBS CORPORATION

Facebook’s olive branch to publishers

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 28-Feb-19

Social media giant Facebook is set to launch its Facebook Journalism Project News Accelerator in Australia, in partnership with the Walkley Foundation. The initiative is aimed at assisting media companies to increase their revenue from social media, and it follows the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s landmark inquiry into digital platforms. Facebook will also provide funding for a pilot program aimed at improving the media literacy skills of high school students.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WALKLEY FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM, ALLIANCE FOR JOURNALISTS’ FREEDOM, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, THINK TV, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL ADVERTISERS

Google bid to keep algorithm secret

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Original article by David Swan
The Australian – Page: 3 : 22-Feb-19

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission proposed the creation of an algorithm regulator in the preliminary report on its investigation into the impact that Facebook and Google are having on news and society. Google Australia & New Zealand MD Mel Silva contends that such a body could lead to manipulation and even more fake news, while she says Google should be treated differently to Facebook as it encourages users to visit other sites, whereas Facebook tries to keep people on its platform for as long as possible.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Stan tipped for subscriber lift from Disney deal

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

Fraser McLeish of MST Marquee expects subscription video-on-demand provider Stan to have enjoyed strong growth in its customer base over the 2018-19 summer, following its content deal with Walt Disney Company in December. Nine Entertainment Company will shortly release the first subscription data for Stan since August, when it had 1.1 million active subscribers. MST Marquee values Stan at $500m, and McLeish believes that the SVOD provider’s value is not being reflected in Nine’s share price.

CORPORATES
STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MST MARQUEE, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, GRANT SAMUEL AND ASSOCIATES PTY LTD

Free TV calls for tax breaks for news production to curtail Google, Facebook

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: Online : 19-Feb-19

Free TV Australia CEO Bridget Fair has urged the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to develop new regulations for digital platforms in the wake of its landmark inquiry into the sector. Amongst other things, Free TV suggests that digital platforms could be subject to undertakings to ensure that media companies are fairly paid for their content. The lobby group has also proposed the introduction of a tax offset for the production of local news and journalistic content.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Tighter rein on Google, Facebook

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 3 : 13-Feb-19

Free TV Australia CEO Bridget Fair has stressed the need for greater regulation of digital platforms to ensure that the rights of content producers are protected. A report commissioned by the British government has recommended the creation of a regulator to monitor the quality of news that is distributed by digital giants such as Google and Facebook. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is slated to deliver the final report of its own review of digital platforms in early June.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TELSYTE PTY LTD

Fairfax scion in new media venture

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Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 20 : 12-Feb-19

John B Fairfax and Cameron O’Reilly are backing a new digital investigative journalism venture. The name of the venture, which will work inside the Crikey website, will be made public before it is formally launched in April. It is intended that the new venture will make its money solely from subscription sales, rather than advertising. Fairfax has been involved in the print media for five decades, while the O’Reilly family controlled Independent News & Media for more than 35 years.

CORPORATES
PRIVATE MEDIA PARTNERS PTY LTD, INDEPENDENT NEWS AND MEDIA PLC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Foxtel’s Kayo quick off the blocks

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 9-Jan-19

Foxtel’s subscriber churn rate rose to 15.6 per cent in the December quarter, compared with 12.9 per cent in the three months to September. News Corporation CEO Robert Thomson attributes the rise in customer churn to an increase in the cost of traditional Foxtel services, but he stresses that the Kayo sports streaming service is not cannibalising pay-TV customers. Thompson adds that Kayo has attracted 115,000 subscribers – including 100,000 paying customers – since its launch in November.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD