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Households ‘slow’ in linking TVs to net

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 23 : 12-Oct-15

Nine Entertainment Company’s Peter Wiltshire believes that only about one per cent of Australians are using their Smart TV to access the internet. Along with the low-take-up rate of Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV – which was officially launched in Australia in mid-2014 – Wiltshire notes that the online catch-up services of free-to-air networks are not competing effectively with subscriber video-on-demand providers such as Netflix.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, APPLE INCORPORATED, COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD

Bauer takes a Nova approach to sector entry

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Original article by Dominic White, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 12-Oct-15

Germany-based Bauer Media Group is said to still be keen to acquire commercial radio stations in Australia, after being rebuffed by Nova Entertainment in 2014. Bauer is believed to have made an indicative offer of about $A450m to acquire Nova, which is owned by Lachlan Murdoch. Bauer paid $A525m for ACP in 2012, and has since discontinued a number of print magazines.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA KG, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, ILLYRIA PTY LTD, ACP MAGAZINES LIMITED, DAILY MAIL AND GENERAL TRUST PLC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, SBS DISCOVERY RADIO, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Cutting costs will ‘only go so far’

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 12-Oct-15

Southern Cross Media CEO Grant Blackley says it is important for media companies to invest in on-air talent, as well as marketing and promotion. He has defended the group’s move to recruit Rove McManus to host 2Day FM’s breakfast program, arguing that increased ratings result in higher advertising revenue. Blackley adds that cost cuts are only a short-term solution for media companies.

CORPORATES
SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, 2DAY FM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

NBN’s Switkowski ‘simply wrong’ on broadcast view, says Free TV

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 7-Oct-15

Free TV Australia chairman Harold Mitchell has rejected claims by NBN chairman Ziggy Switkowski that people under the age of 20 mainly only watch sport on broadcast TV. Mitchell says traditional TV screens remain the primary viewing option for Australians of all ages, despite the growing use of other devices to watch content. The latest Multi-Screen report from Nielsen, OzTAM and Regional TAM found that Australians still use a traditional TV set to watch more than 90 hours of broadcast TV each month.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NBN CO LIMITED, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, OZTAM PTY LTD, REGIONAL TAM PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Media reform unlikely to be a pot of gold

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 6-Oct-15

Citigroup analyst Justin Diddams does not expect changes to cross-media ownership laws to result in industry mergers that will deliver increased value for investors. He argues that any such mergers would be primarily aimed at reducing costs and ensuring the survival of media companies. The Commonwealth Bank’s Alice Bennett says Nine Entertainment Company is the most likely metropolitan network to pursue a merger deal with a regional broadcaster.

CORPORATES
CITIGROUP PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MACQUARIE RADIO NETWORK LIMITED – ASX MRN, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Reform back on the agenda

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Original article by Sharri Markson
The Australian – Page: 23 : 5-Oct-15

The Australian Government is believed to be open to reviewing the list of sporting events for which free-to-air networks must be given first right of refusal. The Government may agree to relax the anti-siphoning list in return for industry support for changes to cross-media ownership rules. Seven West Media opposes changes to both cross-media laws and the anti-siphoning list, while News Corp favours reviewing the latter as part of a broader overhaul of media laws.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Regionals push for local news services

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 5-Oct-15

Australia’s regional TV broadcasters will propose a number of safeguards to ensure that local content levels are maintained if cross-media ownership laws are scrapped. Among other things, they have suggested that a "change of control" clause be added to their broadcasting licence, to prevent further reductions in local news services. Local news accounts for about 15 per cent of regional networks’ costs, and they argue that this is one of the few areas in which they can make further cost savings.

CORPORATES
PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, IMPARJA TELEVISION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NBN TELEVISION

Australians join viewing revolution

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 5-Oct-15

A survey by Viacom International Media Network has found that 85 per cent of Australians aged 6-34 watch video on demand. Likewise, 70 per cent of Australians – and 49 per cent of respondents globally – now use subscription video-on-demand services. The survey also shows that 77 per cent of Australian respondents stated that having more options in terms of how they access TV services helps them to find more content to watch. This compares with 70 per cent of respondents overall.

CORPORATES
VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS

Nine a potential winner

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 37 : 1-Oct-15

Credit Suisse believes that reforms to cross-media ownership laws are inevitable under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Fraser McLeish of Credit Suisse says Nine Entertainment Company would be well-placed to acquire a regional broadcaster if the "reach rule" is abolished. Credit Suisse has a share price target of $A1.80 and an "outperform" rating on the stock.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Iain Nairn leaves DJs abruptly, citing personal reasons

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Original article by Matthew Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 1-Oct-15

David Jones CEO Iain Nairn has declined to comment on his resignation after just over 12 months in the role. He will remain at the department store group during a three-month transition to new CEO John Dixon, who was previously an executive at Marks & Spencer in the UK. A spokeswoman for David Jones’s parent company, South Africa-based Woolworths Holdings, has refuted speculation that Nairn’s resignation was linked to an audit of expense accounts.

CORPORATES
DAVID JONES LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, MARKS AND SPENCER PLC, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD