J57 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting

Big tech faces tough new laws in ACCC plan

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 & 22 : 7-Sep-21

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is looking at what is known as ‘ex ante’ regulation as part of its plans to clamp down on the anti-competitive behaviour of big technology companies like Google and Apple. ‘Ex ante’ regulation involves banning certain anti-competitive behaviour before it happens, rather than after the event, and it already exists in the telecommunications and electricity sectors. The US, Britain and Japan are among a number of jurisdictions looking at ‘ex ante’ regulation of large technology companies, while Jacqueline Downes from law firm Allens says laws banning certain tech industry practices would be easier and quicker to enforce than current competition laws, which she says can be slow to prosecute.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, ALLENS

Sky News Australia denies broadcasting Covid misinformation, saying YouTube is totalitarian

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 7-Sep-21

Sky News Australia CEO Paul Whittaker says he does not accept the suggestion that it "directly or indirectly" promoted misinformation about COVID-19. Whittaker was appearing before the Senate’s media diversity inquiry, and was responding to a question by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. Commenting on the decision by YouTube to remove 23 Sky News videos on the grounds that they breached its medical misinformation policies, Whittaker accused YouTube of being "totalitarian".

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED

Lachlan Murdoch asked to appear at parliamentary inquiry into YouTube’s suspension of Sky News Australia

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 2-Sep-21

A Senate committee has invited News Corporation’s co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch to appear before an inquiry into media diversity. The inquiry has been reconvened in the wake of a recent move by YouTube to temporarily suspend Sky News Australia content from its platform for allegedly breaching its Covid misinformation policy. Sky News CEO Paul Whittaker and presenters Alan Jones, Rita Panahi and Rowan Dean have also been asked to front the inquiry. YouTube executive Leslie Miller will also appear before the inquiry.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SKY NEWS, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED

ViacomCBS launches Paramount+

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Original article by Miranda Ward
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 9-Aug-21

The new Paramount+ subscription video-on-demand service will offer a range of exclusive international content and new locally-produced drama when it debuts in Australia on 11 August. ViacomCBS has also invested some $300m on sports broadcasting rights, with soccer competitions such as the A-League and W-League to be shown on both Paramount+ and the Ten Network. Unlike rival streaming services such as Stan and Binge, Paramount+ will have direct access to the output of US film and television studios.

CORPORATES
VIACOMCBS INCORPORATED, PARAMOUNT+, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, THE W LEAGUE PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, BINGE

Sky News Australia to face Senate inquiry after week-long YouTube suspension

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 6-Aug-21

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young wants to know why the Australian Communications & Media Authority has not taken action against Sky News Australia over the broadcasting of misinformation when YouTube has. Her query follows YouTube suspending Sky News content from its platform for seven days for breaching its medical misinformation policies. Hanson-Young chairs the Senate’s media diversity inquiry; she has recalled the inquiry during the week beginning 9 August in order to question executives from ACMA, YouTube and Sky News.

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

ACCC to target Google and Facebook again

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 6-Jul-21

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says a US court’s recent rejection of an antitrust case against Facebook will not deter global regulators from taking further action against digital giants. However, rather than seeking to have companies such as Facebook and Google broken up, the ACCC will use two current inquiries into digital advertising services and digital platform services to try to limit their ability to exploit their market power. Both inquiries are slated to report to the federal government in coming months.

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

Facebook beats Biden’s antitrust suit

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Original article by Cecilia Kang
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 30-Jun-21

The market capitalisation of Facebook has risen above $US1bn for the first time after a judge dismissed an antitrust case against the social media giant. The US Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states had launched the case against Facebook, but the federal court ruled amongst other things that the prosecutors had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support claims that the company has a monopoly in the social networking sector. The lawsuit had sought to break up Facebook by forcing it to divest Instagram and WhatsApp, which it had acquired in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, DISTRICT COURT OF UNITED STATES, INSTAGRAM LLC, WHATSAPP INCORPORATED

Federal government spent $4m on Facebook ads in past 12 months

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Original article by Miranda Ward
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 29-Jun-21

US-based Pathmatics states that the federal government has spent an estimated $4 million on Facebook advertising in the past 12 months, with $3.1 million of that coming in the last five months. Much of the government’s Facebook advertising has related to the pandemic, but other areas that it has spent advertising on include campaigns on domestic violence against women and on how its $110 billion infrastructure plan is better connecting Australia’s states.

CORPORATES
PATHMATICS

Guardian expected to ink Facebook deal within days

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Original article by Miranda Ward
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 7-Jun-21

Online news publisher Guardian Australia is poised to secure a revenue-sharing deal with Facebook under the news media bargaining code. Industry sources say the deal will be completed within days, and it is believed to involve supplying content for the Facebook News product, which has yet to be launched. Facebook has already secured content deals with a number of Australian media companies, including News Corp, Nine Entertainment and Australian Community Media. Guardian Australia signed a content deal with Google earlier in 2021.

CORPORATES
GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Amazon to buy MGM for $US6.5 billion, excluding debt

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Original article by Joe Flint, Dave Sebastian
The Wall Street Journal – Page: Online : 27-May-21

Electronic commerce giant Amazon.com has struck a deal to acquire Hollywood film studio MGM. The deal will bolster Amazon’s subscription video-on-demand service as competition in the streaming market intensifies. MGM’s library of more than 4,000 films includes franchises such as James Bond, while the studio also produces television shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale. There is also scope for Amazon to create spin-offs from MGM’s popular franchises, a strategy used by rival streaming services. Amazon will pay $US6.5bn for MGM, or $US8.45bn including debt.

CORPORATES
AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER INCORPORATED