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Fairfax mulls sale of regional newspapers

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 & 24 : 9-Aug-16

Fairfax Media has declined to comment on speculation that it could divest the Australian Community Media division. The media group is said to have held talks with Platinum Equity about buying its portfolio of regional newspapers, which was primarily acquired via the 2007 merger with Rural Press. Fairfax already proposes to sell its New Zealand newspaper assets to NZME.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA, RURAL PRESS LIMITED, NZME LIMITED – ASX NZM, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL MEDIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, PLATINUM EQUITY HOLDINGS, SENSIS PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Network Ten’s recovery by design

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 8-Aug-16

The Ten Network’s shares of free-to-air TV advertising revenue rose to 25.2 per cent in the first six months of 2016, compared with just 20.1 per cent in early 2014. Maxus CEO Mark McCraith says the consistency of Ten’s programming has been a major contributor to the network’s increased ratings. Meanwhile, Ten’s chief programming officer Beverley McGarvey stresses the importance of selecting the right host for popular shows like "Family Feud".

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, MAXUS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PHD CREATIVE PTY LTD, THINK TV, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED

Frustrated WIN targets Marks

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Original article by Jake Mitchell, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 18 & 20 : 8-Aug-16

Nine Entertainment Company’s share price has shed 36.2 per cent since Hugh Marks succeeded David Gyngell as CEO in November 2015. Meanwhile, its share of free-to-air advertising revenue fell from 38.6 per cent to 35.6 per cent during the first half of 2016. WIN Corporation is said to have lobbied fellow large Nine shareholder Perpetual to support a push to oust Marks and Nine’s board of directors.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, MAPLE-BROWN ABBOTT LIMITED, BT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX BTT, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

The Project ‘really firing’ for WIN

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 8-Aug-16

There has been strong growth in regional audiences for the Ten Network’s TV programs since WIN Corporation switched affiliation partners in July 2016. WIN CEO Andrew Lancaster notes that shows such as "The Project" and "Have You Been Paying Attention?" in particular have been popular with WIN viewers. Meawhile, Southern Cross Media Group says its ratings and revenue were better than expected in July, when its affiliation deal with the Nine Network commenced.

CORPORATES
WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, REGIONAL TAM PTY LTD, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT

Murdoch quells Fox News concerns after Ailes departure

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 : 5-Aug-16

21st Century Fox has posted a net profit of $US2.8bn ($A3.7bn) for fiscal 2016, compared with $US8.4bn previously, although the prior result was bolstered by asset sales. The media group’s EBITDA rose by two per cent to $US6.6bn, while revenue was one per cent higher at $US27.3bn. 21st Century Fox’s co-executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch has stressed that the resignation of Fox News CEO Roger Ailes will have no effect on the cable news channel’s editorial position or strategic direction.

CORPORATES
21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, FOX NEWS, DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE TELEVISION, SKY ITALIA SPA, SKY DEUTSCHLAND AG, SKY PLC, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Shut weekday print, investor tells Fairfax

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Original article by Damon Kitney, Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 : 3-Aug-16

Australian businessman Alex Waislitz owns more than two per cent of Fairfax Media’s shares, via Thorney Investment Group and the listed Thorney Opportunities. He says that scrapping the weekday print editions of "The Age" and "The Sydney Morning Herald" is in the best interests of Fairfax and its shareholders, and CEO Greg Hywood should accelerate plans to do so. Waislitz has also welcomed Fairfax’s move to release separate earnings data for its Domain property listings business, and he says Fairfax should undertake a share buyback.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN.COM.AU, THORNEY OPPORTUNITIES LIMITED – ASX TOP, THORNEY INVESTMENT GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NZME LIMITED – ASX NZM, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN

Seven earnings plunge but Worner bets on old media comeback

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 3-Aug-16

Shares in Seven West Media and Nine Entertainment Company fell sharply on 2 August 2016, after the former issued a profit warning. Seven has advised that its underlying EBIT for 2016-17 will be 15-20 per cent lower than previously, citing factors such as a slowdown in the advertising market and the rising cost of sports broadcasting rights. Meanwhile, Seven has booked a net profit of $184.3m for the year to 25 June 2016, following a loss of $A1.89bn in 2014-15.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, 7PRODUCTIONS, 7WONDER, 7BEYOND, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Fairfax suffers another $1bn newspaper cut

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 2-Aug-16

Australian-listed Fairfax Media has announced a $A989m writedown in the value of its publishing assets. This includes a $A484.9m writedown of Metro Media and a $A408.8m writedown of its newspapers in regional and rural areas. Fairfax has also begun reporting the revenue of its Domain property listings business separately from the Metro Media division. However, Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood has downplayed speculation about an IPO for Domain.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, METRO MEDIA PUBLISHING PTY LTD, DOMAIN.COM.AU, NZME LIMITED – ASX NZM, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, REALESTATE.COM.AU, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT

Ten advertising share at highest point since 2012

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Original article by Lucy Battersby, Michael Lallo
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 29-Jul-16

New data shows that the Ten Network’s share of free-to-air TV advertising revenue has risen to 25.2 per cent in 2016, compared with just 20.1 per cent in early 2014. The Nine Network’s share of ad revenue has fallen from 39.2 per cent in mid-2014 to 35.6 per cent, while the Seven Network’s share has eased from 40.4 per cent to 39.2 per cent over the last two years. Ten’s Rod Prosser notes that the network’s share of ad revenue has increased for 16 consecutive months.

CORPORATES
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, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, FUSION STRATEGY

Guthrie’s ground rules: an ABC of inclusiveness

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 28-Jul-16

ABC MD Michelle Guthrie will be one of the speakers at the Creative Country conference in Melbourne on 28 July 2016. Guthrie will outline the need for the public broadcaster to extend its multi-platform audience reach beyond its current level of about 71 per cent. She will also outline plans to increase the ABC’s diversity in terms of both staff and content, and significantly increase the proportion of its annual budget that is allocated to content production.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, STAR TV, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB