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Recession – what recession? asks Amazon

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 19 : 6-Aug-19

Rocco Braeuniger, Amazon’s country manager for Australia, says he has not seen any indication that the retail sector is in the poor state that some retailers and media commentators have claimed. He was speaking at the launch of a new Amazon service called Launchpad, which aims to help start-ups and small businesses that want sell their products via Amazon. A spokesperson for David Jones’s parent company Woolworths Holdings recently claimed that the retail sector is in a recession.

CORPORATES
AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, DAVID JONES LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED

Media coalition seeks right to fight warrants

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Weekend Australian – Page: 8 : 3-Aug-19

The Right to Know Coalition has used its submission to a parliamentary inquiry into freedom of the press to call for changes to the rules governing the issuance of police warrants. The coalition, which comprises 14 media companies and organisations, argued amongst other things that the media industry should have the right to challenge warrants that are used to gather evidence against journalists, and that all such applications should be put to an independent judge in open court. The inquiry was commissioned in response to the recent media raids.

CORPORATES
RIGHT TO KNOW COALITION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

NBL season on a roll in joint TV rights deal

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 31-Jul-19

The National Basketball League has struck a broadcasting rights deal with ESPN and public broadcaster SBS, which will replace Fox Sports and the Nine Network as its broadcast partners. However, the NBL will receive a share of the TV networks’ advertising revenue in lieu of a broadcasting rights fee. The two-year deal provides for 67 NBL matches to be shown on the SBS Viceland channel, while live streams of every match in the NBL season will be available via the SBS-on-demand service.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE, ESPN SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ESPN INCORPORATED, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION, BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA

China rare earth demand soft: Lynas

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 20 : 30-Jul-19

Rare earths producer Lynas Corporation has advised that its sales for the June quarter totalled 4,723 tonnes, compared with 5,030 tonnes in the three months to March. CEO Amanda Lacaze says demand for rare earths remains soft, despite ongoing trade tensions between the US and China. The subdued price for rare earths has prompted Lynas to increase the stockpiles at its processing plant in Malaysia. Lacaze adds that Lynas is still in talks with the Malaysian government regarding the renewal of its operating licence.

CORPORATES
LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC

Netflix comes to Foxtel, but it’s no cheaper

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Original article by Tegan Jones
gizmodo.com.au – Page: Online : 24-Jul-19

Foxtel subscribers will be able to access content from Netflix under an alliance between the two companies. Foxtel users with an IQ4 set-top box have begun to receive software upgrades that will enable them to view Netflix content, while those with an IQ3 box will have to wait a bit longer. Foxtel will also provide customers with a new remote control with a dedicated Netflix button as part of the changes, although customers who have been Foxtel for less for eight years will have to pay for it. Foxtel customers with a package worth at least $49 will be able to get Netflix for free for six months; after that they will have to pay the same as it currently costs for a stand-alone Netflix subscription.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

MasterChef hosts’ exit to hit revenue, viewers

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 7 : 25-Jul-19

Nunn Media MD Chris Walton says the Ten Network’s ratings and revenue will be affected by the departure of ‘MasterChef’ judges George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan. Nunn adds that sponsors of the reality-TV show will be "sceptical" about a new team of judges for the next season. Ten is parting ways with the trio after failing to reach agreement on a new pay deal. OzTAM figures show that the 2019 season finale of ‘MasterChef’ attracted 831,000 metropolitan viewers, compared with 1.126 million in 2018.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NUNN MEDIA PTY LTD, OZTAM PTY LTD, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Foxtel and Netflix join forces in TV shake-up

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Original article by
The New Daily – Page: Online : 25-Jul-19

Foxtel has confirmed a new alliance with Netflix which will allow subscribers to access the streaming video giant’s content via the IQ set-top box. Netflix content will initially be made available to IQ4 users, and it will be rolled out to IQ3 users from September. Recent research by Roy Morgan shows that some 11.5 million Australians have a Netflix subscription, while about five million subscribe to Foxtel. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the alliance should help Foxtel to attract new customers and retain existing subscribers, while Netflix may also gain new customers.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Greens, Labor urge Senate to dig deeper into press freedom

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 2 : 24-Jul-19

The Senate’s communications committee will hold its own inquiry into the issue of press freedom. The inquiry will have a broader scope than the one that is being undertaken by the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security. Labor’s Katy Gallagher says the second inquiry is necessary because unlike the PJCIS, the communications committee is not controlled by the Coalition. The inquiries come in the wake of controversial police raids on the ABC’s Sydney office and the home of a News Corp Australia journalist.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Top scientists lash superficial ABC

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Original article by Emily Ritchie
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-Jul-19

Leading hydrologists and ecologists have criticised the ABC over its ‘Four Corners’ program in an open letter. The episode on 8 July labelled the $5.6 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan a "failure and a farce". Hydrologist Rob Vertessy, one of the letter’s co-authors, said those behind it challenged the assertion that the plan was a failure, even more so that it is a farce. He says no one in the water sector would deny that the plan is not without its flaws, but nobody has been able to come up with a better one.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Police asked to fingerprint ABC suspects

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 3 : 16-Jul-19

The ABC has revealed that the Australian Federal Police sought access to the fingerprints and palm prints of journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark. The request was part of the AFP’s investigation into alleged offences under the Crimes Act, the Defence Act and the Criminal Code. Its actions have been criticised by John Lyons, the ABC’s head of investigations, who has expressed concern about the "criminalising" of legitimate investigative journalism. Press freedom has been under scrutiny in the wake of the AFP’s raids on the ABC’s Sydney office and the home of a News Corp Australia journalist.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT