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V’landys lures NRL bids from Amazon, Seven

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 3-Jun-26

The Australian Rugby League Commission’s chairman Peter V’landys has previously stated that he wants the National Rugby League’s next broadcasting rights deal to be finalised by 15 July. The ARLC has confirmed that Amazon Prime Video and the Seven Network’s parent Southern Cross Media Group have submitted bids for the five-year broadcasting rights deal from 2028. Sources have indicated that both groups are seeking the rights to one match per week, while Southern Cross will also seek the State of Origin rights. Current NRL broadcasters Nine Entertainment and Foxtel will seek the rights to all matches, although anti-siphoning laws would require Foxtel to on-sell some matches to a free-to-air network.

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NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGUE COMMISSION LIMITED, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

China attacks Chalmers’ Northern Minerals ownership order

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Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 28-May-26

China has used an editorial in the state-backed Global Times to criticise the federal government over its decision to order Chinese-linked investors to divest their stakes in rare earths firm Northern Minerals. The editorial claimed that Australia continues to restrict Chinese investment in areas such as critical minerals and technology, while at the same time expecting China to buy its iron ore, agricultural products and natural gas. The project that Northern Minerals is behind is viewed as essential to Australia’s efforts in helping the Trump administration with its goal of trying to reduce China’s global dominance of rare earths

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NORTHERN MINERALS LIMITED – ASX NTU

CHINA – COMMERCE – AUSTRALIA]

ABC’s head of news quits, and his successor will probably be external

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Original article by Calum Jaspan
The Age – Page: Online : 28-May-26

Justin Stevens has resigned as head of director of news and current affairs at the ABC after four years in the position, with Stevens having headed up a division with just under 2,000 staff. The decision as to who will replace him will be ABC MD Hugh Marks’ biggest decision to date, while it is likely that Stevens’ successor will come from outside the public broadcaster. Telling staff on Wednesday afternoon of his decision to leave, Stevens said the decision was both professional and personal, while the package for the role of head of director of news and current affairs, including superannuation, was $678,000 in the last financial year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

EXECUTIVES – AUSTRALIA – APPOINTMENTS AND RETIREMENTS]

Rinehart will want influence after buying into media: Ex-Fairfax chair

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 28-May-26

Roger Corbett contends it is almost certain that Gina Rinehart will express her views to how she thinks ‘The West Australian’ and Channel Seven should report the news, with both media outlets being owned by Southern Cross Media. Corbett was the chairman of Fairfax Media at a time when Rinehart was a shareholder, with the two having ‘crossed swords’ during that time, with his comments coming after it was revealed that companies associated with Rinehart, who is Australia’s richest person, had ‘bankrolled’ most of Bruce McWilliam’s $25 million stake in SCM. A former lawyer and commercial director of the Seven Network, McWilliam now owns just under 10 per cent of SCM.

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SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED,{SPACE]SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL,{SPACE]FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED

BILLIONAIRES – AUSTRALIA]

Top end of town turns to bargain brand Anko

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Original article by Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 6-May-26

Wesfarmers-owned Kmart now sells more than one billion Anko-branded items in Australia each year. Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott has told the Macquarie Australia Conference that more affluent consumers are now buying Anko products, and they are increasingly trusting the quality of the home-brand range. Scott added that Kmart’s new marketplace is "performing exceptionally" and offers more than 100,000 products. Scott noted that any additional increases in official interest rates are likely to put pressure on household budgets, although he says Wesfarmers’ core retailing businesses will perform well in such an environment.

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WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Gina Rinehart-backed Lynas Rare Earths posts record quarter

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Original article by Mark Wembridge
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 22-Apr-26

Lynas Rare Earths has advised that its sales revenue was 115 per cent higher year-on-year in the March quarter, at $265m. MD Amanda Lacaze says Lynas’s direct sales to customers helped it to sidestep the "dysfunctional" spot market. Lynas produced 3,233 tonnes of rare earths during the period, which is 69 per cent higher than previously. The average selling price across its rare earths was $84.60 a kilogram, which is 70 per cent higher than the same period in 2025. Lacaze notes that the use of renewable energy at its Mount Weld mine in Western Australia reduced its use of diesel fuel by 870,000 litres during the quarter.

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LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX LYC

‘Urgent meeting’: ABC peace deal over pay on brink of collapse

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Original article by Calum Jaspan
The Age – Page: Online : 15-Apr-26

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance has accused the ABC’s management of backing away from a key clause in the in-principle pay deal that was struck in late March and aimed at ending an industrial dispute. The clause granted automatic pay grade increases to ABC employees on band 5 of its pay scale; however, the MEAA says the ABC now claims that the clause will only apply to performance appraisals that have been completed since 2023. MEAA members wil discuss the possibility of further industrial action today, following the recent 24-hour strike that disrupted the ABC’s broadcast schedule.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE

Ex-Stokes right-hand man lifts stake in Seven owner

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Original article by Steve Jackson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 14-Apr-26

Media industry veteran Bruce McWilliam has become a substantial shareholder in Southern Cross Media Group. McWilliam’s stake in Southern Cross has increased to more than five per cent after buying about 25 million ordinary shares last week. He stepped down as the commercial director of Seven West Media in 2024, after more than two decades at the media group; Seven subsequently merged with Southern Cross in early 2026, and McWilliam says he capitalised on a sharp fall in the combined group’s share price. McWilliam is upbeat about the outlook for free-to-air broadcast media, and says Southern Cross owns a top TV network and a strong radio network.

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SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED

Peter Greste warns court finding about animal cruelty footage has grave consequences for press freedom

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Original article by Christopher Knaus
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 8-Apr-26

Members of an activist group called the Farm Transparency Project recorded video footage of alleged animal cruelty when they broke into the Game Meats Company’s Victorian abattoir in 2023. The full bench of the Federal Court subsequently ruled that the Game Meats Company owns the copyright to the video footage, rather than the activists who recorded it. The High Court is currently hearing the Farm Transparency Project’s appeal against the ruling. Peter Greste, the executive director of the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, says the case has significant implications for freedom of the press; he adds that the federal court’s ruling was unprecedented and is a troubling development in Australian law.

CORPORATES
THE GAME MEATS COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FARM TRANSPARENCY PROJECT, ALLIANCE FOR JOURNALISTS’ FREEDOM

Kyle and Jackie O chase ARN for twice its value

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 1-Apr-26

The market capitalisation of listed radio stations group ARN Media has fallen by more than 75 per cent over the last three years, to just $73.5m. In contrast, former KIIS FM breakfast show hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson are suing ARN for a combined $167m. The latter contends that she had been unfairly sacked after advising ARN that she could no longer work with Sandilands on the long-running Kyle & Jackie O Show. ARN has indicated that it will defend the claim, and says it is too soon to estimate the potential financial impact of the legal proceedings. ARN’s shares closed 19 per cent lower to $0.235 on Tuesday.

CORPORATES
ARN MEDIA LIMITED – ASX A1N, KIIS1065