J57 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting

Optus foray into sports ‘good for competition’

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 30-May-16

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says Optus’s acquisition of local broadcasting rights for the English Premier League demonstrates the competitive environment for sports rights. Telstra has traditionally been the dominant telco in terms of sports rights, but Optus has signalled its interest in expanding its exclusive sports coverage.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NETBALL AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Guardian and Mail Online show digital free-for-all risks

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 28 : 30-May-16

New data from Nielsen shows that "The Australian" boasted 13.3 per cent growth in its unique digital audience in April 2016, while unique visitors to the website of "The ­Australian Financial Review" rose by 19.1 per cent. The premium online content of both newspapers is subject to a paywall. In contrast, the non-paywalled Guardian Australia website recorded audience growth of just 4.2 per cent, while there was a 4.5 per cent decline in unique visitors to the Daily Mail Australia site.

CORPORATES
THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA, DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, VICE MEDIA INCORPORATED, MASHABLE INCORPORATED

Nine lures 1.2 million to 9Now

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 25 : 23-May-16

The 9Now website of Nine Entertainment Company has gained almost 1.2 million subscribers since it was launched in February 2016. The site offers live streaming of Nine’s primary and digital channels, as well as a catch-up service. Access to 9Now is free, but users must register, which Nine’s chief marketing and digital officer Alex Parsons says has not been a deterrent. Data from Nielsen shows that 9Now boasted a unique audience of 1.6 million in March 2016.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Grove iFlicks the switch to revolutionise TV

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 23-May-16

Streaming video start-up iFlix boasts about two million paying customers in Asia after its first year in operation, according to founder Patrick Grove. The Australian entrepreneur, who is ranked 104th on the 2016 edition of the "BRW" Rich List, aims for iFlix to have one billion paying customers within a decade. iFlix currently has a presence in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, and Groves has flagged plans to expand into Vietnam and Indonesia.

CORPORATES
IFLIX LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, CATCHA GROUP, METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER INCORPORATED, SKY PLC, EMTEK GROUP, PHILIPPINE LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE COMPANY, TELKOM INDONESIA, ANDERSEN, IPROPERTY GROUP LIMITED, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, ICAR ASIA LIMITED – ASX ICQ, ENSOGO LIMITED – ASX E88, FRONTIER DIGITAL VENTURES

Optus defends controversial English Premier League plans

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 17-May-16

Optus has attracted criticism for restricting access to its English Premier League coverage to its own broadband and mobile customers. However, Optus’s Ben White says the telco aims to differentiate itself from rivals by offering exclusive content to its customers, and he notes that Optus is upgrading its infrastructure to ensure that its EPL coverage is of broadcast quality. Optus will also be the primary Australian broadcaster of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with SBS to broadcast some matches.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Optus enters the fray for FFA rights

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 16-May-16

Optus will establish a 24-hour football channel as it prepares to launch its coverage of the English Premier League. CEO Allan Lew says the telco is also keen to secure rights to A-League and Socceroos matches. The Ten Network is also said to be interested in A-League matches, which are currently broadcast by Fox Sports under a four-year deal worth $A40m a year. Meanwhile, Lew stresses that Optus’s EPL coverage will only be available to its own customers.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), WORLD SPORTS GROUP, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, OLIVER AND OHLBAUM, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITY FOOTBALL GROUP, MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, MELBOURNE CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, MANCHESTER UNITED PLC, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FOOTBALL CLUB, LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB, BEIN SPORTS

Stan is on ‘clear path to profitability’

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 45 : 12-May-16

Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks and Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood are upbeat about the outlook for their subscription video-on-demand joint venture, Stan. Marks says Stan could gain a 25 per cent share of the SVOD market, and forecasts that there will be an average of one SVOD service in each Australian household within five years. The joint venture partners expect Stan’s active customer base to top 500,000 in May 2016, and Marks notes that the conversion rate to paid subscriptions is between 70-85 per cent.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Optus hits own goal with EPL pricing

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 26 : 5-May-16

The majority of Optus customers will pay $A15 per month to access the telco’s coverage of English Premier League matches. Optus had been widely tipped to charge just $A10 per month. However, customers on Optus’s most expensive mobile and broadband plans will not be charged extra for access to EPL matches. Optus also intends to launch a mini set-top box that will allow customers to stream EPL matches to a TV rather than viewing them on a PC or mobile device.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, FETCHTV PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Quickflix goes bust, blames Stan for demise

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 21 : 27-Apr-16

Listed subscription video-on-demand provider Quickflix has been placed in the hands of administrators from Ferrier Hodgson. Quickflix has attributed its decision to go into voluntary administration on the refusal of streaming rival Stan to endorse a proposal to restructure redeemable preference shares. They were issued to HBO in 2011 and subsequently sold to Stan’s joint owner Nine Entertainment Company in 2014. Quickflix says Stan’s terms for agreeing to the restructure were unacceptable.

CORPORATES
QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, HBO, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FERRIER HODGSON AND COMPANY

Netflix’s quarter ruined by Australia

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Original article by John McDuling
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 24 : 20-Apr-16

Netflix has forecast that it will gain an additional two million subscribers in non-US markets during the June 2016 quarter. The group had added 2.4 million subscribers in international markets in the previous corresponding period. Netflix says it will be hard to match the surge in subscribers following its launch in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED