ADVERTISING – REAL ESTATE BUSINESS – AUSTRALIA

Domain pursuer CoStar acquires Homes.com.au

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 4-Jun-25

Sources have indicated that US-based CoStar has struck a deal to acquire the Homes.com.au domain name for $22.8m. CoStar, which is seeking to buy property listings group Domain Holdings for $3bn, already owns the Homes.com domain in the US and has spent more than $US1bn on a marketing campaign for the brand. Its deal to acquire Homes.com.au could indicate that CoStar will consider rebranding Domain if shareholders approve the deal in August. CoStar’s founder and CEO Andy Florance says that acquiring the Homes.com.au domain will give his company a range of options regarding how it positions itself in the Australian market.

CORPORATES
COSTAR GROUP INCORPORATED, HOMES.COM.AU, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, HOMES.COM

REA banks on news.com.au to beat Domain bidder

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 5-Mar-25

News Corporation has a majority stake in REA Group, which in turn owns the realestate.com.au property listings portal. News Corp CEO Robert Thomson has downplayed concerns about US-based CoStar’s takeover bid for rival property listings group Domain Holdings. Thomson says CoStar lacks a publishing network and would have to ramp up the marketing of Domain to increase its market share. Thomson adds that News Corp has a comparative advantage, as it can leverage its media assets – including the news.com.au website – to drive traffic to REA Group.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, REALESTATE.COM.AU, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, COSTAR GROUP INCORPORATED

Nine CEO met CoStar boss weeks before Domain bid

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 25-Feb-25

Nine Entertainment will release its half-yearly results today, with investors and analysts certain to question acting CEO Matt Stanton about CoStar’s bid for Domain. The US real estate firm has made a $2.40 per share for Domain, the online property classifieds platform that is 60 per cent owned by Nine and which is considered by many to be its most valuable asset. It can be revealed that CoStar founder Andy Florance met with Stanton when Florance was staying with former federal treasurer Joe Hockey in Sydney over the Christmas break, and that the two discussed possible opportunities involving CoStar and Domain.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, COSTAR GROUP INCORPORATED, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA

REA makes $9b play for UK property platform

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 & 17 : 3-Sep-24

News Corporation-backed online property listings company REA Group told investors on Monday that it is considering making a takeover bid for UK property platform Rightmove, noting clear similarities between the two companies. Rightmove is currently worth Stg4.4 billion ($8.5 billion), suggesting that any bid by REA Group would need to be worth at least $9 billion. Commenting on the prospect of a bid for Rightmove by REA Group, Morningstar analyst Roy van Keulen said it could be viewed as an attempt by REA to stave off a future international competitor.

CORPORATES
REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, RIGHTMOVE.CO.UK LIMITED, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Nine’s Domain caught in cyber scam

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 3 : 21-May-21

Online real estate portal Domain has increased its security controls in the wake of a cyber-attack. CEO Jason Pellegrino has informed Domain users that their personal information may have been stolen in the phishing attack, which targeted people who inquired about rental properties that had been advertised on Domain. Nine Entertainment Company, which has a 60 per cent stake in Domain, has confirmed that the cyber attack is not related one which disrupted its own operations in March

CORPORATES
DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Cat strikes back at weak Domain

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 3-Feb-20

Australian Community Newspapers’ owners Antony Catalano and Alex Waislitz have paid about $10m for a 33 per cent stake in Realestateview.com.au. Catalano will join the board of the unlisted classified advertising group. Realestateview.com.au CEO Toby Balazs notes that combining its property listings with ACN’s portfolio of regional newspapers means it will have a digital audience of 5.4 million. Catalano expects the new venture to be a serious rival to Domain, although he concedes that Realstate.com.au is likely to remain the leading player in the sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA, REALESTATEVIEW.COM.AU LIMITED, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, REALESTATE.COM.AU, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

REA boss Wilson pins growth hopes on Asia

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Original article by John Durie
The Australian – Page: 15 : 19-Dec-18

REA Group’s incoming CEO Owen Wilson says that continuing to provide value to customers and consumers will be his priority. Wilson also wants to expand the property listings group’s Asian operations, which currently account for about eight per cent of group revenue. Wilson will succeed Tracey Fellows, who will remain on REA’s board after becoming president of News Corporation’s Global Digital Real Estate business. News Corp has a controlling stake in REA.

CORPORATES
REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, REALESTATE.COM.AU, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Domain eyes summer of sport boost

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 21-Nov-18

Property listings group Domain Holdings will have a significant marketing presence on Australian TV during the 2018-19 summer. Domain will be the naming rights sponsor of cricket, which will be broadcast by the Seven Network for the first time. Domain is also expected to be marketed heavily on the Nine Network following the merger between Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media, which is Domain’s largest shareholder. CEO Jason Pellegrino is confident that Domain can increase its reach outside its core markets of Sydney and Melbourne.

CORPORATES
DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS

Fellows moves house to global News Corp role

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 21 : 16-Nov-18

REA Group is seeking a new CEO after Tracey Fellows resigned to become president of News Corporation’s digital real estate business. Fellows, who will be based in New York in her new role, has been CEO of REA since August 2014. Shares in REA have gained around 62 per cent during her tenure, and the real estate listings group recently posted strong growth in earnings and revenue for the first quarter of 2018-19. Fellows will remain on the board of REA, in which News Corp has a controlling stake.

CORPORATES
REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, REALESTATE.COM.AU, IPROPERTY GROUP LIMITED, HOMETRACK, SMARTLINE HOME LOANS PTY LTD, MOVE INCORPORATED, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AUSTRALIA POST, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, DELL TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED, IBM CORPORATION

Domain sees considerable upside to proposed Fairfax-Nine merger

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 14-Aug-18

Domain Holdings’ executive chairman Nick Falloon says the merger between Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media will help to grow Domain’s business. Falloon is also the chairman of Fairfax, which owns 60 per cent of Domain. He notes that both Domain and Nine have lots of useful data that when combined would be of benefit to both businesses. The property listings company has a posted a statutory net loss of $6.2m for 2017-18, while revenue was 11.5 per cent higher at $357.3m.

CORPORATES
DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MARTIN CURRIE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED