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ABC criticised for massive coverage of Queen’s death

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Original article by George Hyde
The New Daily – Page: Online : 16-Sep-22

The ABC has defended its broadcast and online coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, amid claims that it has been excessive. Former ABC broadcaster Quentin Dempster says that while there is strong residual regard for the Queen as Australia’s head of state, her death is not the top story at the moment; he argues that climate change is the biggest story, followed by the war in Ukraine and the potential threat of nuclear war. The ABC will have 29 employees in Britain for its coverage of the Queen’s funeral, although this includes two Europe-based correspondents who are also reporting on other stories.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Seven West optimistic of securing AFL rights

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Original article by Mark Di Stefano, Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 17-Aug-22

The Australian Football League was hoping to finalise its next broadcasting rights deal after the last round of the home-and-away season this weekend. However, insiders have suggested that the AFL will not rush a deal in order to secure the best outcome. The AFL Commission discussed the competing bids on Monday, and it hopes to sell the broadcasting and streaming rights for around $3bn. Incumbent free-to-air rights holder Seven West Media is confident that its deal will be renewed, with CEO James Warburton noting that it has a "very strong" relationship with the AFL.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED

Sports would be nuts to risk walking away: Foxtel CEO

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Original article by Max Mason, Mark Di Stefano
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 19 : 10-Aug-22

News Corporation has posted revenue of $US10.4bn for 2021-22, an increase of 11 per cent, while EBITDA rose 31 per cent to $US1.67bn. The Dow Jones financial news division’s EBITDA was up 30 per cent at $US433m, while the real estate services division’s EBITA rose 12 per cent to $US574m. News Corp Australia contributed $US109m to the media giant’s growth in profitability, while Foxtel’s total subscriber base rose to 4.5 million. Foxtel will seek to renew its AFL broadcasting rights deal, and CEO Patrick Delany says factors such as its audience reach and capacity to pay means that sporting bodies should not risk shifting their broadcasting rights to another company.

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NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

‘No need’: Minister dumps Senate call for ownership probe

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Original article by Miranda Ward
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 27-Jun-22

A Senate committee in 2021 recommended holding a royal commission into media ownership. However, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says the new federal government does not believes that such an inquiry is necessary, although she has stressed the need to closely monitor media concentration to ensure that communities continue to have adequate access to local news content. Rowland adds that issues such as the anti-siphoning list for sports broadcasts and ensuring that free-to-air channels are prominently displayed on smart TVs are among the government’s priorities.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Seven’s streaming arm fuels success

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 19 : 27-Jun-22

Seven West Media’s 7plus broadcast video-on-demand platform recorded year-on-year growth of 57 per cent in 2021. Seven’s chief digital officer Gereurd Roberts recently indicated that 7plus accounted for 45 per cent of all BVOD streaming minutes in the free-to-air sector during the year, while Seven CEO James Warburton wants BVOD viewing numbers to be included in the official ratings data. Seven has dominated the ratings so far in 2022, winning 13 of the 17 weeks in metropolitan areas and every week in regional areas.

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SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, 7PLUS

Wilkinson warned over Higgins speech

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Original article by Sarah Ison, Emily Kowal
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 22-Jun-22

The ACT Supreme Court has indefinitely delayed the trial of a man who allegedly raped former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in Canberra. Chief Justice Lucy McCallum said the trial will have to be postponed after Ten Network presenter Lisa Wilkinson referred to Higgins in her Logies acceptance speech on Sunday night. Wilkinson won a Logie award for her interview with Higgins in 2021. Justice McCallum warned that the publicity generated by the speech had ‘obliterated’ the distinction between an allegation and a finding of guilt. The court heard that ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold had told Wilkinson the case could be postponed if she referred to it at the Logies.

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SUPREME COURT OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

Swiss cheese shield laws set for review

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Original article by Lydia Lynch
The Australian – Page: 23 : 30-May-22

Queensland recently became the last Australian jurisdiction to pass legislation to protect journalists from naming their confidential sources in court. Adam Portelli of the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance says the introduction of uniform ‘shield’ laws is urgently needed, and the MEAA will urge the new federal government to do so. Portelli argues that the "Swiss cheese" nature of Australia’s shield laws deter potential whistleblowers from coming forward. Human Rights Law Centre lawyer Kieran Pender has also called for consistent shield laws nationwide.

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MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CENTRE LIMITED

Eyeballs on the march as free-to-air TV slumps

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Original article by James Madden, Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 15 & 23 : 30-May-22

Analysis of ratings data from OzTAM highlights the decline of free-to-air television in Australia. SBS has increased its audience by 15 per cent since 2012, but viewership of the other FTA broadcasters has declined. This decline is particularly acute in the breakfast timeslot; the average weekday metropolitan audience of Seven Network’s ‘Sunrise’ was 260,650 in 2021, compared with 364,445 in 2012, while the average audience of Nine’s ‘Today’ has fallen from 334,954 to just 219,032. The increasingly crowded streaming market has accelerated the decline of FTA in recent years. However, Ben Willee of Spinach Advertising says TV is still a powerful medium for reaching audiences.

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OZTAM PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SPINACH ADVERTISING PTY LTD

Pilbara Minerals achieves another record lithium price at auction

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Original article by Stuart McKinnon
The West Australian – Page: Online : 26-May-22

Pilbara Minerals has advised that a 5,000-tonne cargo of its lithium concentrate has fetched $US5,955 per tonne in auction. The company says this equates to $US6,586 on a cost, insurance, freight price basis. Kaan Peker of RBC Capital Markets says the sale price is 35 per cent above the current spot price in China, and six per cent above the reported weekly Platts index price. The price of lithium has almost doubled since the start of 2022, and Pilbara Minerals MD Ken Brinsden recently forecast that the price will continue to rise.

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PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, PLATTS

News bargaining code a success not to be repeated: Sims

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 1-Mar-22

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims claims that the news media bargaining code has been one of the most successful policy initiatives in 50 years. The code requires technology platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay Australian media outlets for their content, and has seen Facebook and Google pay Australian media companies over $200 million since it took effect in March 2021. However, Sims does not consider the code should be used as a ‘template’ for a wider crackdown on big technology companies.

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AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD