J57 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting

Free TV targets tech ad imbalance

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 11-Feb-19

Free TV Australia CEO Bridget Fair has called for a level playing field with regard to the media’s political advertising rules. She says the ban on broadcasting political advertising on traditional media creates a big disincentive for advertising on commercial TV, given that the ban does not apply to digital media. Fair has welcomed the recommendations of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s review of digital platforms, but she says urgent action is needed to address competition issues in the media sector.

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

BuzzFeed set to discard a quarter of local staff

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 3 : 30-Jan-19

Digital media company BuzzFeed has confirmed that 11 of its employees in Australia will be retrenched following a period of consultation. Simon Crerar, the general manager of BuzzFeed’s local arm, had initially indicated that 25 jobs would be cut. US-based BuzzFeed has about 40 employees in Australia and 1,300 worldwide. It recently announced plans to cut its global headcount by 200.

CORPORATES
BUZZFEED INCORPORATED, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, ALPHABET INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, COMCAST CORPORATION, NBC UNIVERSAL INCORPORATED, HEARST VENTURES, ANDREESSEN HOROWITZ

Google rejects check on search algorithms

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 & 22 : 29-Jan-19

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has previously proposed that an external regulator monitor the algorithms used by Google and Facebook. Both companies have expressed concerns about the proposal, with Google Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Mel Silva saying such a move could make its algorithms open to manipulation. The recommendation regarding algorithms was one of a number put forward by the ACCC following its review into digital platforms; Silva says its recommendation to establish a digital platforms ombudsman has merit.

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

UBS upbeat Foxtel is pressing right buttons on Kayo launch

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 24-Jan-19

Foxtel launched its Kayo Sports streaming video service in November, allowing consumers to access it without the need for a pay-TV subscription. UBS believes that Kayo Sports could enable Foxtel to increase its market penetration, which has remained at around 30 per cent for the last decade. The UBS analysts concede that Kayo is likely to cannibalise Foxtel’s subscriber base, but they say that this will be offset by increased revenue and gross margins as Foxtel’s overall market penetration rises.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Facebook lashes algorithm watchdog oversight

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Dec-18

Social media giant Facebook has questioned the merits of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s proposal for a new regulator to be given responsibility for monitoring digital platforms’ algorithms. Facebook’s Andy O’Connell says the proposal is unnecessary and unworkable, and he has rejected suggestions that the company lacks transparency regarding its algorithms. He adds that Facebook will continue to engage with the ACCC as the competition watchdog prepares to release the final report of its inquiry into digital platforms in mid-2019.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Nine swings axe on digital editorial jobs

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 12-Dec-18

Nine Entertainment Company has advised that a restructuring of its Allure Media subsidiary will result in the loss of about 12 editorial positions. Nine will merger website publisher Allure Media and Pedestrian.TV, a digital publishing business. The job cuts include four journalists at Business Insider and seven at Popsugar, an entertainment, fashion and fitness news website. The affected staff are among 92 who were retrenched following Nine’s merger with Fairfax Media. Insiders say more job cuts are likely.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, ALLURE MEDIA PTY LTD, PEDESTRIAN.TV, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED

Rules risk entrenching giants

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Original article by Michael Bailey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 11-Dec-18

LegalVision’s James Adler has questioned the merits of the ACCC’s proposal for an "opt-in" regime for the collection and use of customers’ personal data by digital platforms. Adler warns that the proposal would adversely affect many local digital start-ups while increasing the competitive advantage of established players such as Google and Facebook.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, LEGALVISION PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Facebook and Google face clamp on customer data

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 11-Dec-18

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has concluded that Google and Facebook have substantial market power. The 378-page preliminary report of its inquiry into digital platforms has made 11 recommend­ations aimed at making digital players more accountable with regard to their use of customers’ data and how their algorithms work. Amongst other things, the ACCC has noted that the digital giants have contributed to declining investment in local news and journalism.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Tech titans face crackdown

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 10-Dec-18

The preliminary report of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s review of digital giants’ impact on the media and advertising markets will be released on 10 December. Amongst other things, the report raises concerns about the lack of transparency regarding the algorithms used by digital companies and whether such companies have engaged in "discriminatory conduct". The ACCC may also recommend establishing a regulatory auth­ority that would have the power to investigate digital companies over such conduct.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, ALPHABET INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, INSTAGRAM LLC, WHATSAPP INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, WORLD FEDERATION OF ADVERTISERS

Ten faces uphill task against Netflix, Stan

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 22 : 5-Dec-18

US media giant CBS Corporation has officially launched its subscription video-on-demand service in Australia. Consumers will be offered a one-month free trial of 10 All Access, which will then cost $9.99 per month. It will provide advertising-free access to a library of 7,000 titles from CBS and the Ten Network. However, rival SVOD service Stan has an exclusive agreement for content from CBS-owned Showtime. Brian Han of Morningstar says gaining a foothold in the local market will be a challenge for 10 All Access.

CORPORATES
CBS CORPORATION, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, 10 ALL ACCESS, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, SHOWTIME, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOXTEL NOW, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED