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$1bn NRL broadcast deal kicks off

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 13 & 20 : 29-May-20

The National Rugby League has negotiated a revised broadcasting rights deal with Fox Sports and Nine Entertainment for the 2020 season. The two broadcasters are believed to have been granted a 30 per cent discount for the remainder of their existing rights deals, which expire at the end of the 2022 season. Fox Sports has also agreed to extend its NRL rights deal for a further eight years. The NRL season resumed on 28 May, after a two-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED

AAP bid: consumer watchdog warns Nine and News Corp against any attempt to block sale

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Original article by Paul Smee
The Guardian – Page: Online : 25-May-20

Former News Corp CEO Peter Tonagh is heading a consortium that has tabled a bid for Australian Associated Press. The consortium also includes Samuel Terry Asset Management MD Fred Woollard and Australian Impact Investments MD Kylie Charlton. It is believed that AAP’s shareholders – News Corporation, Seven West Media and Nine – have yet to accept any offer for the news wire service. Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has stressed the importance of AAP to media diversity and competition, and he warns that any attempt by Nine and News to block its would raise concerns in regard to competition law.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Bauer says subscriptions to its magazines have surged by over 60%

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Original article by Vivienne Kelly
Mumbrella – Page: Online : 21-May-20

Bauer Media Australia has advised that its magazine subscription sales have risen by over 60 per cent in the past month when compared to the previous month. Subscription increases for individual titles include a 97 per cent increase for ‘The Australian Women’s Weekly’ and an 81 per cent rise for ‘Woman’s Day’. When compared to the corresponding period in 2019, Bauer’s magazine subscriptions are up by 111 per cent over the past 30 days.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

NZME fails in its push to raid Nine’s Stuff

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 15 : 20-May-20

The High Court of New Zealand has rejected NZME’s application for an interim injunction to retain an exclusive negotiation period with Nine Entertainment regarding a deal to buy Stuff Limited. NZME has in turn withdrawn its application to the NZ Commerce Commission to approve the deal. Nine is said to be in talks with other potential buyers of Stuff, whose mastheads include the ‘Dominion Post’. NZME had proposed to buy Stuff for just $NZ1 ($0.93).

CORPORATES
NZME LIMITED – ASX NZM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, STUFF LIMITED, HIGH COURT OF NEW ZEALAND, NEW ZEALAND. COMMERCE COMMISSION

Jobs go as Ten closes 10 Daily website

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 15 : 19-May-20

The Ten Network has advised that its 10 Daily news and entertainment website will be discontinued as part of the network’s integration with US parent company ViacomCBS. About 20 jobs are expected to be lost due to the closure of 10 Daily, although it is uncertain as to whether the broader integration strategy will result in more job cuts at Ten. ViacomCBS Australia’s chief content officer Beverley McGarvey has stressed the need for Ten to be "platform-agnostic".

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, VIACOMCBS INCORPORATED

Whips cracking as Seven, Ten race for spring carnival deal

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian – Page: 19 : 18-May-20

Seven West Media’s broadcasting rights deal for about 21 races in Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival expires on 30 June. These races include the Cox Plate and ­Caulfield Cup. The Ten Network is believed to have expressed interest in gaining the rights to these race meetings, given that it already broadcasts the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival. Racing Victoria wants to renew its deal with Seven, although there is a push within the state’s racing industry for it to consider a bid from Ten. Seven and Racing Victoria are also joint venture partners in the Racing.com free-to-air TV channel.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, RACING VICTORIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, RACING.COM

Cut-price footy: TV chiefs muscle up

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Original article by John Stensholt, Courtney Walsh
The Australian – Page: 3 : 15-May-20

The Australian Football League will face pressure from Seven West Media and Foxtel for a reduction in their broadcasting rights fees for the 2020 season. They are believed to be seeking a fee reduction of at least $125m, given that the AFL’s shortened season will feature just 17 home-and-away matches. Meanwhile, the broadcasters differ on the revised structure of the season. Seven will push for a large number of ‘blockbuster’ matches to be held early in the season in order to attract advertisers and boost ratings, while Foxtel wants high-profile matches to be played throughout the season.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Nine expects more from less after Jones

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Original article by Steve Jackson, Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 6 : 14-May-20

Veteran radio broadcaster Alan Jones has dominated Sydney’s breakfast slot for many years, boasting a 17.9 per cent audience share in April. Industry insiders question whether Ben Fordham will retain Jones’s loyal audience when the latter bows out on 29 May. There is also speculation that 2GB will retrench much of Jones’s production team, which would compound the challenges that Fordham will face. However, he may attract new advertisers and a younger audience. Fordham will have some time to settle into the breakfast slot, given that ratings are on hold until September due to the pandemic.

CORPORATES
2GB, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Nine Radio takes short-term hit as Jones exits, but gets space to reset

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 13-May-20

Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones will step down as host of 2GB’s breakfast show after a 35-year career in radio. Ben Fordham will move from the drive slot to take over the breakfast slot, where Jones has dominated the ratings for many years. Patrick Potts of Martin Currie says Fordham is likely to lose some of Jones’s loyal audience, but notes that he may attract a younger demographic. 2GB may also regain some of the advertisers that boycotted the breakfast show in 2019 due to Jones’s comments about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Jones will continue to appear on pay-TV channel Sky News and write for News Corp mastheads.

CORPORATES
2GB, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SKY NEWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

News Corp set to ditch printed versions of regional papers

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Original article by Max Mason, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 13-May-20

Sources have indicated that News Corp Australia will shift to digital-only editions of some regional and community newspapers after negotiations to sell the business ended. News Corp launched a number of digital-only newspapers in 2018, with content that is produced by a local reporter being supplemented with stories from other newspapers in its portfolio. News Corp is believed to be considering this model for newspapers that will become digital-only.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS