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Harvey Norman predicted to be solid

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Original article by Stephen Cauchi
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 6-Aug-15

UBS has a "buy" recommendation on a number of retail stocks that benefit from a strong housing market. The firm is particularly upbeat about the outlook for Harvey Norman in the August 2015 reporting season, although it also likes JB Hi-Fi, Breville Group and Adairs. However, UBS is bearish about grocery retailers. Credit Suisse also favours Harvey Norman, while JB Hi-Fi is the top pick for Macquarie Group.

CORPORATES
UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, BREVILLE GROUP LIMITED – ASX BRG, ADAIRS LIMITED – ASX ADH, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL

Court simmers with cooking show face-off

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 5-Aug-15

The Seven Network is seeking an injunction to prevent the Nine Network from broadcasting "The Hotplate" until a copyright dispute is heard in court. Lawyers for Nine and the show’s producer, Endemol, say the case may not be resolved until 2016, which would effectively force Nine to abandon the cooking show.

CORPORATES
SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, ENDEMOL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Court simmers with cooking show face-off

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 5-Aug-15

The Seven Network is seeking an injunction to prevent the Nine Network from broadcasting "The Hotplate" until a copyright dispute is heard in court. Lawyers for Nine and the show’s producer, Endemol, say the case may not be resolved until 2016, which would effectively force Nine to abandon the cooking show.

CORPORATES
SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, ENDEMOL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Ten deal could give News Corp huge sports power

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Original article by Max Mason, John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 4-Aug-15

There are concerns that Ten Network’s proposed equity alliance with Foxtel could give the free-to-air network an advantage over rivals in negotiations for sports broadcasting rights. There are also fears that News Corporation could gain significant control over sports broadcasts, as it owns a 50 per cent stake in Foxtel and completely owns Fox Sports. Foxtel proposes to acquire a 15 per cent stake in Ten.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Stan taps Aussie content in battle with Netflix

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 25 : 3-Aug-15

The Stan streaming video joint venture between Fairfax Media and Nine Entertainment Company will invest in Australian productions will a view to selling them globally. Stan CEO Mike Sneesby says offshore streaming video groups have already expressed interest in buying the TV spin-off of popular film "Wolf Creek". Sneesby is also upbeat about growth in Stan’s revenue and paid subscriptions.

CORPORATES
STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Suppliers shocked as DJs and Myer dump brands

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 29-Jul-15

Myer Holdings recorded sales growth of 1.7 per cent in the 10 months to April 2015. The department store group hopes to boost sales by introducing a range of new brands, including Calvin Klein White Label and Oscar de la Renta. However, this will be at the expense of about 100 brands which will no longer be stocked. David Jones also discontinued some brands earlier in 2015. It recorded sales growth of more than 10 per cent in the first half of 2015.

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, DAVID JONES LIMITED, CALVIN KLEIN INCORPORATED, OSCAR DE LA RENTA, DANIEL AVAKIAN, AJE, JACK AND JONES, FCUK, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED, TRENERY, SEED

Staff cuts risk ‘dangerous spiral’ at Myer

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 28-Jul-15

Citigroup’s Craig Woolford says Myer Holdings’ plan to scale back its permanent workforce could backfire by adversely affecting customer service and in turn leading to lower sales. The department store group also proposes a 20 per cent reduction in working hours for casual and part-time employees. Myer argues that the changes will result in greater rostering flexibility during periods when staff are most in demand. Myer shed 80 employees at its head office earlier in 2015.

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, DAVID JONES LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION

Ten CEO exit clears way for Foxtel

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 28-Jul-15

Ten Network COO Paul Anderson will succeed Hamish McLennan as CEO. McLennan has also stepped down as executive chairman in favour of an independent replacement, David Gordon. The departure of McLennan as executive chairman could increase the chances of Ten’s equity deal with Foxtel being approved by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, as he has strong links with the Murdoch family. SMI data shows that Ten’s share of advertising revenue was 23.1 per cent in June 2015.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FREEHILLS PTY LTD, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED

Turnbull looks at licence fee cuts

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 26 : 27-Jul-15

Australia’s commercial TV networks have received some support from Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull for their push to have broadcasting licence fees reduced. It is believed that Free TV Australia will be invited to press its case for a licence fee reduction to key policymakers, while Commercial Radio Australia will push for a reduction in radio broadcasting licence fees. However, Turnbull seems unlikely to pursue changes to anti-siphoning laws for broadcasting sporting events.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Nine, Seven draw knives over cooking clashes

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 27-Jul-15

Starcom MediaVest’s Andy Taylor has questioned the merits of free-to-air networks putting similar reality TV shows in the same timeslot. Nine Network will launch cooking show "The Hotplate" on 28 July 2015, while Seven Network will debut "Restaurant Revolution" in the same timeslot. Taylor expects both shares to attract big audiences, but warns of the potential for viewer fatigue. The final of Ten’s "MasterChef" will be broadcast on 27 July.

CORPORATES
STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK OPERATIONS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, YOUNG AND RUBICAM PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD