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Judge takes swipe at media on privacy

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Original article by Michael Pelly
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 28-Sep-20

High Court judge Patrick Keane criticised the ‘old media’ in a recent speech titled ‘Too Much Information: civilisation and the problems of privacy’. Justice Keane claimed that media owners had a degree of self-interest in their push to have existing defamation laws changed, and that when it comes to choosing between the right to privacy and the right to know, they are likely to favour the right "with the dollar signs attached". The states recently agreed to introduce reforms to defamation laws which they argue in part will better protect public interest journalism, but so far New South Wales is the only state to have passed the uniform legislation.

CORPORATES
HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Kayo climbs off canvas to hit new high

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 23-Sep-20

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany says the pay-TV group now boasts nearly two million sports subscribers across its broadcast and streaming platforms. The Kayo Sports streaming service now has more than 600,000 subscribers, compared with 542,000 in early August. Kayo’s subscriber base fell to around 331,000 in May after the coronavirus pandemic forced major sports such as the Australian Football League and National Rugby League to temporarily put their 2020 seasons on hold.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Retail can thrive in online shopping shift

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 23-Sep-20

More consumers have embraced online shopping due to the coronavirus pandemic, a trend that Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra expects to continue. He says the proportion of retail sales that are made online could rise to 20 per cent over the next 18-24 months, compared with about 10 per cent prior to COVID-19. Zahra warns that more physical stores are likely to close in coming years, but the shift to online will force retailers to adapt their business models. The pandemic has also prompted more consumers to support retailers within their local community.

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AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION

ABC, SBS under threat in regional areas

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 : 18-Sep-20

Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor has become involved in a dispute between the nation’s public broadcasters and Regional Broadcasters Australia. The dispute, over maintenance and repair charges for broadcast equipment, has resulted in more than 400 residents in the New South Wales town of Goulburn not being able to access the ABC or SBS. Taylor, whose electorate of Hume covers Goulburn, says many of these residents are elderly and depend on the ABC and SBS for news and information. He has asked the ABC, SBS and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher to try to find a solution to the dispute.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), REGIONAL BROADCASTERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

No conflict for journalists as spooks

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 8-Sep-20

Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James says journalists who provide information to their own country’s intelligence service should not be viewed as spies. James was commenting on a report that former ABC foreign correspondent Peter Barnett may have assisted Australian intelligence services in the 1960s and 1970s. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance president Marcus Strom contends that providing information to an intelligence agency would be viewed as a conflict of interest for a journalist that would have to be declared under their code of ethics.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA DEFENCE ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE

Australia’s top cop says raiding journalist’s home was no mistake

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Original article by Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 1-Sep-20

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw appeared before a Senate inquiry into press freedom on 31 August. He told the inquiry that the AFP had been right to raid the home of News Corp Australia journalist Annika Smethurst in mid-2019, despite the fact that the search warrant was subsequently ruled to be invalid by the High Court. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy told the inquiry that contestable search warrants are necessary to ensure press freedom. However, Kershaw and Department of Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo argued that allowing such warrants would be "detrimental to the workings" of the police.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Seven West’s five-year fightback

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 24-Aug-20

Former Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood has completed a review of West Australian Newspapers, amid ongoing speculation about the future of the Seven West Media division. WAN’s editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie says Hywood’s recommendations will be taken into account in developing a five-year plan for the newspaper publisher. He adds that WAN will continue to publish print editions for some time, while there has been strong growth in digital subscriptions since WAN paywalled its news websites in mid-2019. Seven West will report its 2019-20 financial results on 25 August.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS HOLDINGS LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED

News Corp’s advertising revenue falls over 50% in fourth quarter, as company posts US$1.5bn loss

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Original article by Vivienne Kelly
Mumbrella – Page: Online : 10-Aug-20

News Corporation has posted a loss of $US401m for the June quarter, compared with a loss of just $42m for the previous corresponding period. Its loss for the year to 30 June totalled $US1.545bn, following a profit of $US228m for the previous year. Advertising revenue fell 51.6 per cent in the quarter and 19.9 per cent for the year, and news media revenue was down 41 per cent in the quarter and 18 per cent for the year. The financial results for Dow Jones have been disclosed separately for the first time; the publisher of ‘The Wall Street Journal’ has posted lower revenue for the quarter, but full-year revenue rose by three per cent to $US1.6n. In Australia, the subscriber base of Foxtel – including the Kayo and Binge streaming services – fell 12 per cent to 2.777 million in 2019-20.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Reform ‘won’t fix defamation’

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Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 19 : 27-Jul-20

Minter Ellison partner Peter Bartlett has questioned whether the proposed new defence for public interest journalism will be effective. It is based on a British provision that requires a journalist to prove that they reasonably believed that the publication of a statement was in the public interest. Bartlett warns that if the new defence is interpreted in the same way as the British defence, it is likely to have a similar impact as the existing defence of statutory qualified privilege, which has not been successfully used by the media. The Council of Attorneys-General will approve a model defamation bill on 27 July.

CORPORATES
MINTER ELLISON, AUSTRALIA. COUNCIL OF ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Ten confirms exit from Supercars, leaving Seven in pole position

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 24-Jul-20

The Ten Network’s director of sport production Adam Cush has advised that it will relinquish the Supercars’ free-to-air broadcasting rights at the end of 2020. Ten and pay-TV group Foxtel secured a six-year rights deal in 2013 which commenced in 2015. Ten indicated earlier in 2020 that it may not seek to renew the rights deal. Seven West Media previously held the free-to-air broadcasting rights, but its push to reduce costs means it may be unwilling to pay too much for the Supercars rights.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, V8 SUPERCARS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM