Streaming service Stan strikes deal for Telstra customers

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 17-Mar-15

A Telstra spokesperson says the telco is holding talks with the video streaming joint venture of Fairfax Media and Nine Entertainment Company. The special promotional offer with Stan would be restricted to selected Telstra customers, although neither party has revealed details of the deal. Stan has also secured a deal with rival telco Vodafone, while Telstra owns 50 per cent of Foxtel, which in turn has its own streaming joint venture

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, STAN, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, FETCHTV PTY LTD, IINET LIMITED – ASX IIN, M2 GROUP LIMITED – ASX MTU

Turnbull risks wrath of moguls

Original article by Dominic White, Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 16-Mar-15

Southern Cross Media Group CEO Rhys Holleran and Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood are among the industry executives who support cross-media ownership reforms proposed by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull. These including abolishing the reach rule and the two-out-of-three rule. However, Turnbull’s proposal to retain the anti-siphoning list for sports broadcasts has attracted criticism from Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein and News Corp Australia CEO Julian Clarke

CORPORATES
SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Back to realty: News Corp rules property search in Melbourne – but will Sydney be Fairfax’s domain?

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Mar-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 819,000 property-hunters in Melbourne visited Realestate.com.au via website or app and/or read the Herald Sun’s weekday or weekend real estate section in an average week during the year to December 2014. This is seven per cent higher than in 2013. Domain’s total audience, comprising both digital visitors and readers of the print sections of The Age, rose by four per cent to 486,000 in 2014. In Sydney, Domain’s total digital and Sydney Morning Herald print reach rose by 10 per cent in 2014, to 675,000 in an average week. The number of people accessing Realestate.com.au and/or the Daily Telegraph’s real estate section in an average week was virtually unchanged at 683,000

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, REALESTATE.COM.AU, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN.COM.AU

Gordon offers to pump up to $100m into Ten

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 11-Mar-15

The Ten Network’s largest shareholder, Bruce Gordon, opposes the broadcaster’s proposed acquisition by Foxtel and Discovery Communications. The 14.9 per cent stakeholder has instead approached Ten about investing an additional $A70m to $A100m in the network. This investment would be converted into equity in Ten if cross-media ownership laws are changed in the future. Gordon has also proposed being given two seats on Ten’s board

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, LAZARD ASSET MANAGEMENT PACIFIC COMPANY

Netflix reveals Australian launch date and iiNet deal

Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 4-Mar-15

Netflix has secured a deal with iiNet for the Australian-listed ISP’s customers to have unmetered access to the video streaming service. US-based Netflix has confirmed that its service will commence in Australia and New Zealand on 24 March 2015, offering content such as films and popular TV shows. Established player Quickflix recently reported a 2014-15 interim net loss of $A8.6m and a five per cent decline in subscribers

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, IINET LIMITED – ASX IIN, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, STAN

Nine profit takes hit as $150m buyback launched

Original article by Dominic White, Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 27-Feb-15

Australian-listed Nine Entertainment Company has posted a 2014-15 interim net profit of $A88.8m, which is 6.4 per cent lower than previously. The media group’s revenue fell by 1.9 per cent to $A829m. Nine Entertainment will undertake an on-market share buyback worth $A150m over the next year, but CEO David Gyngell says the group is still interested in acquisitions

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, APN OUTDOOR GROUP LIMITED – ASX APO, OOH!MEDIA LIMITED – ASX OML

Domain vs REA: apples for apples audience numbers from Roy Morgan Research

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Feb-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that more than 3.5 million Australians aged 14+ accessed Realestate.com.au via its website or app in an average four weeks in the six months to December 2014. This compares with 3.3 million during the same period in 2013. Some 1.7 million Australians accessed Fairfax Media’s Domain in the second half of 2014, down from 1.8 million in the previous corresponding period. The total audience growth for Realestate.com.au comprised an increase in the number of both website visitors (up six per cent) and mobile phone or tablet app users (up seven per cent)

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, DOMAIN.COM.AU, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, REALESTATE.COM.AU, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA

Long-form journalism proves a hit

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 23-Feb-15

Data from Roy Morgan Research shows that readership of "The Saturday Paper" rose to 99,000 in the second half of 2014. Schwartz Media CEO Rebecca Costello says the print edition of the weekly newspaper now boasts more than 20,000 subscribers. Founding editor Erik Jensen says he believed that there was demand for a weekend newspaper with a focus on long-form journalism. The newspaper celebrates its first anniversary on 1 March 2015

CORPORATES
SCHWARTZ MEDIA PTY LTD, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SPINACH ADVERTISING PTY LTD, BANK OF MELBOURNE LIMITED, MERCEDES-BENZ AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ROLEX WATCHES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Fairfax unveils buyback surprise

Original article by Max Mason, Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 20-Feb-15

Australian-listed Fairfax Media has reported a 2014-15 interim underlying net profit of $A86m, which is 0.6 per cent lower than previously. Revenue from operations fell by 12.9 per cent to $A943.3m, while the media group will undertake an on-market share buyback over the next 12 months. It plans to repurchase up to 121 million shares, which equates to five per cent of the stock on issue

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN.COM.AU, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Seven West ‘well placed’ to recover despite $1bn write-down

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 & 26 : 19-Feb-15

Seven West Media has posted a 2014-15 interim net loss of $A994m. The result was marred by writedowns totalling $A1bn, including goodwill associated with its TV and print media assets. The group’s underlying net profit fell by 8.4 per cent to $A137.5m, with revenue totalling $A943m. Seven West’s TV business posted revenue of $A677m, which is one per cent lower than previously. Seven West anticipates an upturn in TV advertising revenue in the second half of 2014-15

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, BLOOMBERG LP, SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, PACIFIC MAGAZINES PTY LTD, YAHOO!7 COMMUNICATIONS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD