J57 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting

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

Illicit downloaders to be spared harsh penalties

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Original article by Matthew Knott, Ben Grubb
The Age – Page: 2 : 9-Dec-14

Australian Attorney-General George Brandis and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull will present their copyright law proposals to federal Cabinet on 9 December 2014. The proposed laws are not as tough as expected by rights holders. Instead of being penalised, illicit downloaders will receive written messages warning them that they are breaching copyright laws. Access to web sites hosting pirated materials will be blocked

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE LIMITED

Advertising spending set for growth spike, says WPP

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 20 : 9-Dec-14

The advertising market in Australia is tipped to grow 4.1% to $A13.7bn in 2015, according to global market leader by revenue WPP. This compares with 2.8% and $A13.1bn for 2014, and is the best result since 2010. However WPP’s annual outlook report also shows that in the newspapers segment the decline will continue, with a fall of 9.5% to $A1.8bn. Online will experience strong growth, but less rapid than the 21.5% seen in 2013 and only coming in at 13.4% to $A5.7bn

CORPORATES
WPP GROUP PLC, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, GROUPM COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD

ACCC to monitor Ten takeover bid

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 25 : 8-Dec-14

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) chair Rod Sims has foreshadowed official confirmation that it will watch the takeover negotiations for Ten Network. A joint bid valued at $A590m for the free-to-air TV group has been prepared by pay TV provider Foxtel and US-based Discovery Communications. There are possible regulatory concerns due to the involvement of Foxtel, which in 2012 gained permission for its merger with rival Austar only after the ACCC noted the emergence of internet streaming TV services

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTAR UNITED COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, CONSOLIDATED MEDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SILVER EAGLE ACQUISITION CORPORATION, SABAN CAPITAL GROUP INCORPORATED, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

A bun in the oven and a blog on the screen

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Nov-14

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 17.3% of pregnant Australian women look at or comment on blogs in an average four-week period, compared with around 8.6 per cent of all Australians aged 14+. The survey, which was carried out in the year to June 2014, also shows that 29.5 per cent of women expecting their first baby read a blog

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Time Warner’s Ten play

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Original article by James Chessell, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 34 : 10-Nov-14

It has been revealed that US media group Time Warner contacted Australia’s Ten Network about a potential takeover bid in early October 2014. The non-binding approach indicated that any bid by Time Warner’s cable TV arm would be pitched at $A0.25 per share and be conditional on the support of key Ten shareholders. Time Warner has also made overtures to Apollo Global Management to buy its stake in rival free-to-air broadcaster Nine Entertainment Company

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, TIME WARNER INCORPORATED, TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM INCORPORATED, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, CABLE NEWS NETWORK, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED, PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS INCORPORATED, HELLMAN AND FRIEDMAN, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, VIACOM INCORPORATED, MTV MUSIC TELEVISION, CHANNEL 5 BROADCASTING LIMITED, LIBERTY GLOBAL INCORPORATED, ITV PLC, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Murdoch’s bet on newspapers pays off: once silted, the river is flowing again

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 22 : 7-Nov-14

The first quarter 2014-15 net income of Australian-listed media group News Corporation has come in at $US65m ($A75m), up from $US27m previously. Revenue also grew 4% to reach $US2.15bn, and EBITDA rose 21% to $US170m. While the revenue of the print assets across the globe fell 3% to $US1.45bn, this was compensated for by the good performance of new digital ventures. The 62% stake held by News in online real estate classifieds business REA Group was a factor. On 6 November 2014 News stock closed $A1.12 higher at $A18.08

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, MOVE INCORPORATED, HARLEQUIN MILLS AND BOON, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Gittany’s girlfriend sues after site claims she was a stripper

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Original article by Michaela Whitbourn
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 8 : 29-Oct-14

A jury in the District Court of New South Wales will hear a defamation suit launched against news web site operator Daily Mail Australia. It is being brought by Rachelle Louise, the lover of convicted murderer Simon Gittany, over claims that she was the "world’s most deluded woman" and a former striptease artist. Barrister Roger Rasmussen is acting on behalf of Louise, who has been ordered by judge Judith Gibson to pay the Daily Mail Australia’s legal costs incurred for the preliminary hearing

CORPORATES
DAILY MAIL AND GENERAL TRUST PLC, DISTRICT COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES