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HT&E radio, digital and outdoor advertising business going strong in coronavirus environment

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: Online : 8-May-20

HT&E has one of the strongest balance sheets in the Australian media sector, according to chairman Hamish McLennan. He noted at the radio, digital and outdoor advertising group’s AGM that it has no undrawn debt and it boasted net cash of $111m at the end of 2019. Meanwhile, CEO Ciaran Davis said the newly-launched Dynamic Audio targeted digital advertising system will enable HT&E’s Australian Radio Network to deliver real-time, personalised advertising to radio audiences.

CORPORATES
HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD

Foxtel steals Stan’s thunder with HBO deal

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 13 & 17 : 7-May-20

Pay-TV group Foxtel has secured a new deal with WarnerMedia to retain the Australian rights for content from television networks such as HBO. Foxtel’s existing content deal was scheduled to expire in 2022, and streaming video provider Stan had also been in talks with WarnerMedia. Stan currently has the rights to some WarnerMedia content, but it will lose this later in 2020 due to the Foxtel deal.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, WARNERMEDIA, HBO, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

No deal with NRL: Nine boss

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 6-May-20

Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks says the cost of sports broadcasting rights must become more sustainable in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. He stresses that Nine has not reached an agreement with the National Rugby League regarding how much it will pay to broadcast the 2020 season. Nine had originally agreed to pay $118m for the 2020 rights, but it is believed to have offered about $90m after the NRL season was put on hold. Marks has indicated that Nine would be prepared to walk away from the NRL if it does not "pay its way". Nine’s current broadcasting rights deal expires in 2022.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Bauer sacks 60 Pacific Magazines staff

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: Online : 5-May-20

Bauer Media is believed to have retrenched employees at Pacific Magazines and put the print editions of some titles on hold just days after taking control of the former Seven West Media business. Some 60 jobs at Pacific Magazines are said to have been cut, following Bauer’s recent move to stand down or lay off about 140 of its own employees. ‘InStyle’, ‘Men’s Health’ and ‘Women’s Health’ are among the Pacific Magazines titles that have been affected.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BAUER MEDIA KG, PACIFIC MAGAZINES PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Mag queen tips Bauer will axe Pacific titles

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 4-May-20

Bauer Media completed a $40m deal to acquire Seven West Media’s Pacific Magazines division on 1 May. Magazine industry veteran Deborah Thomas expects Bauer to suspend the print editions of some Pacific titles due to the coronavirus-induced downturn in the advertising market. Four of the print editions of Bauer’s own titles were recently put on hold, and some industry executives doubt that several of them will resume publication. Bauer has also stood down or laid off up to 140 employees in Australia, while its New Zealand operations were shut down in April.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PACIFIC MAGAZINES PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, BAUER MEDIA KG, BAUER MEDIA (NZ) LIMITED

Sports face $200m broadcast hit

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian – Page: 19 : 4-May-20

Executives of Australia’s free-to-air and pay-TV networks believe that the value of sports broadcasting rights has fallen in 2020 because events are being held without crowds due to the pandemic. The Australian Football League and the National Rugby League in particular are expected to face a large decline in broadcasting fees when their 2020 seasons resume. Meanwhile, there is doubt as to whether Fox Sports will renew its broadcasting rights deal with Football Federation Australia beyond the current season.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED

News Corp on the prowl for job cuts and efficiencies to survive corona crisis

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Original article by Rod Myer
The New Daily – Page: Online : 28-Apr-20

News Corp has engaged Deloitte to undertake a review of the media company’s Australian operations as it seeks to respond to the impact of COVID-19. It is understood that the review will focus on reviewing and cutting print costs, and centralising editorial and commercial functions. Measures already announced by News in response to COVID-19 include stopping the printing of around 60 community newspapers, while it has indicated that the virus will have a "material adverse impact" on its revenues.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

AAP closure and AFP raids see Australia slide in World Press Freedom Index

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Original article by Hannah Blackiston
Mumbrella – Page: Online : 24-Apr-20

Australia has ranked 26th in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, down from 19th place in 2019. The index is compiled by Reporters Without Borders, which has indicated that the decline was largely due to the proposed closure of newswire service AAP and police raids on the ABC’s head office and the home of a News Corporation journalist in mid-2019. Numerous national security laws brought in since the September 11 terror attacks in the US and defamation laws passed in 2018 were also seen as of concern by Reporters Without Borders.

CORPORATES
REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

TV networks brace for potential 30 per cent fall in ad revenues despite rising viewership

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Original article by Rod Myer
The New Daily – Page: Online : 21-Apr-20

The coronavirus lockdown has prompted a spike in ratings for TV news bulletins as Australians seek information on the pandemic. Think TV CEO Kim Portrate says there has been strong growth in audiences for traditional linear TV, broadcast video-on-demand and subscription video-on-demand services. However, TV networks’ revenue is being hit by a sharp fall in bookings from advertisers; Jane Ratcliffe from Standard Media Index estimates that ad revenue could fall by 25-30 per cent in April.

CORPORATES
THINK TV, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED

ABC’s cash-for-Covid doctor slammed for seeking access to federal GP advisory contract

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Original article by Greg Brown, Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 3 : 20-Apr-20

Dr Norman Swan, the host of ABC Radio National’s ‘The Health Report’, has been accused of a ‘conflict of interest’ by federal Liberal MP Craig Kelly. This follows reports that a company of which Swan is a director was trying to secure a contract for an advertising campaign funded by the federal government to promote awareness of COVID-19 among GPs at the same time that Swan was criticising the government’s strategy on the virus. Kelly claims Swan’s predictions about the impact of COVID-19 had been shown to be "alarmist and hopelessly wrong".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION