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Formal ACCC probe of Nine deal urged

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 13-Aug-18

Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy says the proposed merger between Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media should be subject to a formal review by the competition regulator. He argues that an informal review is insufficient given the impact that the merger would have on the media sector. The MEAA’s media president Marcus Strom in turn says Nine and Fairfax should be required to submit detailed information on the merger’s impact on consumers and employees of the two companies.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

Williams top shoe store ahead of The Athlete’s Foot

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Aug-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that Williams has Australia’s most satisfied shoe store customers, with a customer satisfaction rating of 90.4% in June 2018, an increase of 8% from a year ago. The Athlete’s Foot improved its customer satisfaction by 3% from a year ago to 89.6%, while customer satisfaction for third-placed Spend-less Shoes declined by 5% over the last year to 81%. Analysing shows that nearly 1.4 million Australians shop at a shore store in an average four weeks. Over three-fifths of shoppers at Australian shoe stores are women, equating to around 830,000 shoppers, compared to only 540,000 men.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, WILLIAMS, THE ATHLETE’S FOOT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SPENDLESS SHOES PTY LTD

Sky News ban exposed in train wreck interview

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Original article by Stephen Brook, Olivia Caisley
The Australian – Page: 2 : 10-Aug-18

The Victorian Government has banned Sky News broadcasts on Melbourne train station platforms in the wake of the channel’s controversial interview with right-wing extremist Blair Cottrell. Transport Minister Jacinta Allan sought to defend the ban during an interview on Sky News, but she was informed that the Cottrell interview had not been broadcast on the rail network. Sky News content has been broadcast at train stations since 2015, but it is limited to news stories, sports highlights and weather reports.

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, VICTORIA. DEPT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOBS, TRANSPORT AND RESOURCES, APN OUTDOOR GROUP LIMITED – ASX APO, AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY, KIMBERLY-CLARK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SPECSAVERS OPTICAL GROUP LIMITED

Macquarie Media turns up the volume with profit surge

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 9-Aug-18

Australian-listed Macquarie Media has posted a 2017-18 net profit of $21.5m, which is 24 per cent higher than previously. Revenue was four per cent higher at $136.3m, and shareholders will receive a final dividend of $0.04 per share. Fairfax Media has a 54.5 per cent stake in the radio broadcaster, and Macquarie Media chairman Russell Tate says the group will benefit from the synergies arising from Fairfax’s proposed merger with Nine Entertainment Company.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, 2GB, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD

Cottrell interview a mistake, says Sky

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 6 : 7-Aug-18

Blair Cottrell will not be seen on Sky News again, according to Angelos Frangopoulos. The CEO of Australian News Channel was responding to criticism of an interview between Cottrell, the former leader of the United Patriots Front, and Adam Giles on 5 August. Cottrell is known for his extremist views, once stating that all Australian classrooms should have a picture of Adolf Hitler on their wall. The criticism of Giles’ interview with Cottrell has prompted a management reshuffle at Sky News.

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIAN NEWS CHANNEL PTY LTD

Nine could sell Fairfax’s NZ arm

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 6-Aug-18

Nine Entertainment Company has flagged the possibility of divesting assets such as Fairfax Media’s regional newspapers and its New Zealand business if the proposed $4.06bn merger proceeds. Nine CEO Hugh Marks has held an investor roadshow to pitch the merger deal, which has prompted speculation of further consolidation in the media sector. Seven West Media has advised that it sees no need to pursue mergers and acquisitions in response to the Nine-Fairfax deal.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, PRIVATE MEDIA PARTNERS PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, THE NEW DAILY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NBN TELEVISION

Murdoch needs to get in quick to secure free-to-air TV stations

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 6-Aug-18

Media experts believe that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation will eventually bid for Seven West Media following the proposed Nine-Fairfax merger and Ten Network’s sale to CBS. However, News Corp would have to satisfy the "minimum voices" rule, which was not affected by cross-media ownership reforms in 2017. It requires major newspapers, TV stations and radio stations in metropolitan areas to be held by five different owners. A Murdoch bid for Seven would breach the "voices test" in Adelaide if a rival media company moved first by acquiring HT&E’s Australian Radio Network.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD, HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Coles bagged online for bag backflip

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 2-Aug-18

Retail expert Gary Mortimer says retailer Coles risks "reputational damage" if it persists with its policy of issuing free reusable plastic bags while at the same time claiming it was reducing its use of plastic. Coles ceased providing single-use plastic bags in most states on 1 July, stating it would issue free reusable plastic bags until 1 August, after which time customers would have to pay for them. However, it has backed down on its plans to charge for them, stating on 1 August that it would continue to issue them for free for an "indefinite period".

CORPORATES
COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW HARRIS FARM MARKETS PTY LTD QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CITIGROUP PTY LTD METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS

Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner wants overnight TV ratings dumped

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 2-Aug-18

Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner told the Think TV panel on 1 August that the industry should stop producing overnight ratings numbers, as they are misleading. Worner noted that many people are now watching programs at a different time from when it is actually broadcast. He suggested that networks should only release ratings numbers when they know the total audience for a program, which might be seven days after it was broadcast, or perhaps even 28 days. Meanwhile, figures for broadcast video on-demand show that BVOD revenue rose by 40.5 per cent to $50 million for the six months to 30 June.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC TEN GROUP LIMITED FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Race slur a blight on ABC: Mundine

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Original article by Remy Varga
The Australian – Page: 9 : 1-Aug-18

Aboriginal businessman Warren Mundine claims the response by the ABC to his complaint about an alleged racial slur made by political commentator Paul Bongiorno is inadequate. Bongiorno made the alleged slur on Twitter in July. ABC MD Michelle Guthrie told Mundine that its social media policy does not apply to Bongiorno, as he is an "external political commentator", and that his comment was not made on an ABC platform. Mundine refutes this argument, noting that as Bongiorno is a paid contractor of the ABC, he should come under its social media guidelines. He wants Guthrie to conduct a formal review of Bongiorno’s comments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION SKY NEWS