J57 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting

Stokes’ Seven may face $1 billion writedown

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 16-Feb-15

Analysts expect Seven West Media to post a 2014-15 interim net profit of about $A207m. However, there is speculation that the media group could write down the carrying value of its assets by at least $A1bn when its half-year results are released on 18 February 2015. Seven’s net assets were valued at $A2.9bn in June 2014, but a sharp fall in its share price in the last 12 months has reduced its market capitalisation to $A1.43bn

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Rupert and the wolves at News Corp

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Original article by Neil Chenoweth
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 13-Feb-15

News Corporation’s succession plan does not consider the possibility of co-chairman Rupert Murdoch being incapacitated. The plan states that, on his death, four directors representing each of his adult children will assume responsibility for the company. Murdoch’s incapacity is not mentioned. The company could be an attractive takeover target, due to assets such as its stakes in REA Group and Foxtel

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, SOUTHEASTERN ASSET MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED

Fairfax’s 15.7pc tax rate draws Senate spotlight

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 5-Feb-15

Claims by the Tax Justice Network that major Australian corporations are using strategies such as profit shifting to minimise their tax burden have sparked a Senate Economics Committee investigation. In a submission prepared by senior research fellow Sinclair Davidson of the right-wing ­Institute of Public Affairs, newspaper publisher Fairfax Media is accused of enjoying an effective tax rate of a mere 15.78% rather than the statutory 30% in 2013-14. Fairfax had in 2014 published articles on alleged tax avoidance by rival News Corp Australia

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TAX JUSTICE NETWORK, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, RMIT UNIVERSITY, ROYAL MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

News Corp’s $417m tax bill confounds critics

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 22 : 4-Feb-15

Australia’s Senate Economics Committee is looking into claims by unions and other organisations that major corporations engage in profit shifting to minimise their tax burden. In its submission to the inquiry, News Corp Australia says its payments of income and withholding tax between 2009-10 and 2013-14 totalled $A417.3m. The media group also notes that its combined goods and services, fringe benefits and payroll taxes for those years were worth a further $A900m

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, TAX JUSTICE NETWORK, UNITED VOICE, HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS PTY LTD

Shutter island: a snapshot of the 4.3 million Australians now sharing photos online

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Feb-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 23 per cent of Australians aged 14+ regularly uploaded pictures to photo-sharing websites in the year to September 2014. This compares with just eight per cent in 2012. The survey also shows that three million Australians uploaded photos via their mobile phone in an average four-week period in the year to September 2014, while 2.5 million used a computer

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM LLC, TUMBLR INCORPORATED, SNAPCHAT INCORPORATED

More Australians buying eBooks

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Feb-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that seven per cent of Australians aged 14+ bought at least one eBook online in an average three months during the year to September 2014. Some 9.1 per cent of Australians in the 35-49 age group bought an eBook in an average three months, compared with 8.7 per cent in the previous year. The proportion of Australians in the 18-24 age group who buy eBooks online has risen from 3.9 per cent to 5.1 per cent in the last year, while the number of eBook buyers aged 65+ has risen from 4.1 per cent to 5.4 per cent

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Murdoch exits streaming as Rdio revamps

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 37 : 2-Feb-15

Nova Entertainment, the radio stations group behind the Nova and Smooth FM networks owned by Lachlan Murdoch, in 2012 entered into a joint venture with US-based Rdio. The latter will now mount an increased effort to boost its local market share, after Nova divested its 50% stake in their Rdio Australia vehicle in late 2014. A number of similar online music streaming services have been closed recently, due to the dominance of Spotify and Pandora

CORPORATES
RDIO INCORPORATED, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SPOTIFY LIMITED, PANDORA MEDIA INCORPORATED, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, AUSTEREO GROUP LIMITED, SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, UNIVERSAL MUSIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DEEZER, LIVE NATION AUSTRALASIA PTY LTD, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED

Stan rivals Netflix with Australia Day launch

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 23-Jan-15

A streaming video on demand service called Stan will be launched on Australia Day, 26 January 2015. It is a $A100 million joint venture between Fairfax Media and Nine Entertainment Company. A rival offering was released by Foxtel and Seven West Media on 18 January 2015, while US major Netflix will enter the Australian market in March 2015. After completing a 30-day free trial, Stan customers will pay $A10 per month for unlimited films and TV programs

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, HOME BOX OFFICE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

Fairfax plans triple treat of deals before tackling free-to-air TV merger

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 17 : 19-Dec-14

Insiders claim that Fairfax Media is preparing a suite of divestments to prepare itself for a merger in 2015 with a free-to-air TV network. The newspaper publishing group will combine most of its radio assets, which under current media ownership laws prevent it from joining a TV broadcaster, with those of rival Macquarie Radio in a move worth $A200m. Fairfax CEO executive Greg Hywood also wants APN News & Media’s Australian Radio Network to acquire his company’s Perth station. At the same time Fairfax is about to pay $A75m for the remaining stake in ­Melbourne business Metro Media Publishing

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MACQUARIE RADIO NETWORK LIMITED – ASX MRN, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD, METRO MEDIA PUBLISHING PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED – ASX MBL, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Free TV ad revenue to plummet

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Original article by Paul McIntyre
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 15-Dec-14

IPG Mediabrands expects digital media’s share of advertising revenue to rise from 36.5 per cent to 56 per cent over the next five years. The share of commercial free-to-air TV networks will fall from 26.6 per cent to just 19.9 per cent. The firm’s chief investment officer, Victor Corones, expects Australia’s advertising market to record overall growth of one per cent in 2014, rising to 3.8 per cent in 2015

CORPORATES
MEDIABRANDS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, MAGNA GLOBAL PTY LTD, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL ADVERTISERS INCORPORATED, WAL-MART STORES INCORPORATED, FORD MOTOR COMPANY, NESTLE SA, MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED, PERNOD RICARD SA, CADREON PTY LTD, VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED