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Kogan to push into whitegoods

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Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 5-Jun-18

Online retailer Kogan.com aims to begin selling whitegoods and large kitchen appliances by the end of 2018. Founder and CEO Ruslan Kogan says the logistics aspects associated with the sale of such bulky items has made the whitegoods retail sector relatively immune to the challenges posed by online retailers, but he says it is "ripe for the picking". News of Kogan.com’s foray into whitegoods saw shares in established whitegoods retailers decline on 4 June, with Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi down 2.8 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively.

CORPORATES
KOGAN.COM LIMITED – ASX KGN, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, THE GOOD GUYS

Nine, Sky plan free business channel

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 4-Jun-18

News Corp Australia and Nine Entertainment Company have declined to comment on reports that they are in talks to launch a free-to-air version of Sky News Business. They are believed to be negotiating a deal for Nine to acquire a 50 per cent stake in Sky News Business, which would replace one of Nine’s infomercial channels. The main Sky News channel recently secured an exclusive deal to provide content to WIN Corporation in regional areas.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SKY BUSINESS NEWS, SKY NEWS, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN NEWS CHANNEL PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SKY PLC, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Fifield attacks ABC on independence

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 : 4-Jun-18

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has made his sixth complaint to the ABC in just five months with regard to the public broadcaster’s news coverage. The latest complaint concerns the ABC’s reports on the selection of the date for five upcoming by-elections. Meanwhile, Fifield has stressed the need for the ABC to be impartial and independent, and argues that all media organisations in Australia should be open to feedback from politicians and the general public.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Myer brings forward winter sales

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 29-May-18

Department store chain Myer is tipped to offer discounts of up to 70 per cent in its mid-season stocktake sale, which will begin on 29 May. French Connection, Bonds and Country Road are among the brands that will be heavily discounted in the stocktake sale, which has been launched earlier than usual due to an unseasonally warm start to the winter months. Grant Saligari of Credit Suisse notes that other retailers tend to begin discounting when one does so. David Jones is also tipped to launch its mid-season sale ahead of schedule.

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, FRENCH CONNECTION, BONDS INDUSTRIES LIMITED, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED, PIPER, WAYNE COOPER, MARCS, SPORTSCRAFT, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, DAVID JONES LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Sky News goes free-to-air for regions

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 28-May-18

Pay-TV channel Sky News Australia has secured a content supply deal with regional broadcaster WIN Corporation. Sky News hopes to attract new subscribers to its full suite of channels via the deal, which is believed to includes a revenue-sharing arrangement. WIN will broadcast selected content from Sky News and Fox Sports News on a new 24-hour news channel to be called Sky News on WIN. Sky News has also held preliminary discussions with Seven West Media regarding a program supply deal, and Sky News Business has held talks with Nine Entertainment Company.

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN NEWS CHANNEL PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SKY PLC

ABC to spend up big on digital ads

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 3 : 25-May-18

The ABC’s CFO Louise Higgins has revealed that the public broadcaster will allocate around $1.4m to advertising on Facebook during 2018, while its budget for Google’s AdWords will be about $A500,000. However, Higgins has rejected suggestions that the ABC is using taxpayers’ funds to compete with commercial TV networks. She also told a Senate estimates committee hearing that the ABC has an obligation to make consumers aware of the content it produces.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Aunty coy about how budget affects news

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 2 : 24-May-18

The ABC’s CFO Louise Higgins has warned that the Federal Government’s looming funding freeze will force the public broadcaster to decide which services it continues to provide. The three-year funding freeze announced in the May 2018 Budgets takes effect in mid-2019, and Higgins says the ABC will negotiate with the government in the interim. Meanwhile, SBS CEO Michael Ebeid says there is no scope for further joint cost-saving initiatives by the public broadcasters.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS

Seven claims ratings win as millions tune in

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 8 : 21-May-18

The Seven Network’s coverage of the royal wedding on 19 May has been widely criticised, despite the fact that it topped the ratings with an average metropolitan audience of nearly two million. This delivered Seven an audience share of 36.4 per cent share for the night, well ahead of Nine’s 26 per cent share. The audience share of Ten’s primary channel sunk to just 3.4 per cent after the network opted to relegate coverage of the wedding to its Ten Daily news website.

CORPORATES
SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, OZTAM PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)

ABC in rescue plan to lift dire ratings

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 24 : 21-May-18

The ABC will revamp its flagship evening news bulletin, with a focus on major stories, exclusive content and interviews. A strategy document also shows that the public broadcaster wants to ensure that "ABC News" is better integrated with "7:30" so the latter does not cover the same stories. The ABC is seeking to arrest a decline in the ratings of its 7pm news, which boasted an audience of just 660,000 across the five main capital cities in mid-May. Its audience is also heavily skewed toward the 50+ age demographic.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Fox deal seals Murdoch succession

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Original article by Brooks Barnes
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 18-May-18

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox has advised that Lachlan Murdoch will become CEO and chairman of what has been dubbed "New Fox" if a deal to sell most of its entertainment assets to Disney proceeds. Rupert Murdoch will be co-chairman of what would be a much smaller company, with assets such as the Fox broadcast network and cable channel Fox News. Lachlan Murdoch says the new Fox will be a "leader in news, sports and entertainment". Fox’s current CEO James Murdoch is widely tipped to leave the group and start his own business.

CORPORATES
21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, FOX BROADCASTING COMPANY, FOX NEWS, COMCAST CORPORATION, HULU LLC, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS