Free TV in push for prime spot on screens

Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 6-Mar-23

Australia’s commercial free-to-air networks have described prominence on connected TVs as the most important regulatory issue facing the industry. The federal government wants to legislate to ensure that the apps of local networks are pre-installed and prominently displayed on TV sets. However, Free TV Australia believes that the legislation should go further, and mandate that the apps of local broadcasters are displayed first on the home screens of connected TVs. Foxtel has criticised the networks’ push, contending that it constitutes a "free ride on Aussie consumers".

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Almost three-quarters of dating app users subjected to online sexual violence, study finds

Original article by Tobias Jurss-Lewis
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 5-Oct-22

Research undertaken by Roy Morgan on behalf of the Australian Institute of Criminology shows that 72.3 per cent of dating app users have been subjected to online sexual violence in the past five years. One in three users had been subjected to in-person sexual violence perpetrated by someone they had met on a dating app or website; this includes being physically or verbally pressured into performing unwanted sexual acts or having their drink spiked. The study, which surveyed 9,987 Australians aged 18+ who used dating apps, found that two-thirds reported being sexually harassed and almost half had been sent an unwanted explicit picture or video.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGY

Australian streaming apps from TV brands chip away at Netflix dominance

Original article by Josh Taylor
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 3-Aug-22

Data from Sensor Tower shows that the Disney+ app was downloaded almost two million times in Australia during the last 12 months. Disney+ retained its status as the top downloaded entertainment app in Australia, ahead of Amazon, TikTok and Netflix. The streaming apps of local companies Nine, the ABC, Seven and Stan were also among the 10 most-downloaded apps during the last year. Sensor Tower’s data is based on the number of new downloads from the Apple and Android stores. Netflix still dominates Australia’s streaming video sector; research by Roy Morgan in February found that Netflix has more than 12 million subscribers nationwide.

CORPORATES
SENSOR TOWER, DISNEY+, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, TIKTOK, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Employers want power over app

Original article by Ewin Hannan, Stephen Lunn
The Australian – Page: 5 : 7-May-20

The federal government has advised that its CovidSafe app has now been downloaded 5.1 million times. Meanwhile, the rights of employees with regard to the app is under scrutiny. Stephen Cartwright, the CEO of the NSW Business Chamber, says employers should have a legal right to require staff to download the app as a condition of returning to work when lockdown restrictions are eased. ACTU secretary Sally McManus contends that employers should not have the power to force workers to download the app.

CORPORATES
NSW BUSINESS CHAMBER LIMITED, ACTU

Fintechs slam CBA alerts as misleading

Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 18-Nov-19

Raiz Invest has criticised the Commonwealth Bank of Australia for warning customers about the security risks associated with the use of fintech apps. CBA customers who use the Raiz app recently received a warning that their NetBank account had been compromised, and cautioned against sharing account log-in details with third parties. Raiz CEO George Lucas says the CBA alert was misleading and may even constitute an abuse of market power. Fintech Australia’s Rebecca Schot-Guppy says CBA’s actions are concerning given that the open banking regime is slated to begin in early 2020.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, RAIZ INVEST LIMITED – ASX RZI, FINTECH AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, ZIP CO LIMITED – ASX Z1P, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

New ACCC case targets Google

Original article by Paul Smith, Yolanda Redrup
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 & 22 : 5-Nov-19

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is preparing an antitrust case against Google over the collapse of mobile advertising group Unlockd. The ACCC’s case will centre on whether Google’s conduct in relation to Unlockd constituted a breach of section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act, which prohibits the misuse of market power. Google is also the subject of antitrust proceedings in the US.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, UNLOCKD PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, ROKT PTY LTD, FITBIT INCORPORATED

Unlockd roadkill after flying too near Google

Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 17 & 27 : 14-Jun-18

Australian mobile advertising technology group Unlockd was heavily reliant on Google’s app store and AdMob advertising platform. Right Click Capital partner Ben Chong says Unlockd’s descent into voluntary administration demonstrates the risks of a business model which is similar to that of Google itself. Unlockd had proposed an IPO that was tipped to raise around $A80m, and the start-up had previously attracted funding of more than $A60m from private investors.

CORPORATES
UNLOCKD PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, RIGHT CLICK CAPITAL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, McGRATH NICOL AND PARTNERS SERVICES PTY LTD

Unlockd falls to Google threat and enters administration

Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 13-Jun-18

Australian advertising technology group Unlockd has been placed in the hands of administrators from insolvency firm McGrath Nicol. Unlockd has attributed its descent into voluntary administration to the actions of Google, which has sought to ban Unlockd’s app from its Play Store and AdMob platforms. Courts in Australia and the UK have ruled in favour of Unlockd in its legal dispute with Google, which has been accused of engaging in "anti-competitive" conduct.

CORPORATES
UNLOCKD PTY LTD, McGRATH NICOL AND PARTNERS SERVICES PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF ENGLAND AND WALES, MTV MUSIC TELEVISION, CITIBANK PTY LTD, CATCH-OF-THE-DAY.COM.AU

Unlockd pulls IPO following Google threat

Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 16 : 17-Apr-18

Mobile advertising start-up Unlockd has been forced to abandon plans for an IPO after Google advised that its app does not comply with its terms of use. Unlockd’s app, which works by giving smartphone users a discount on their bill in return for seeing ads and other content when they unlock their phone, only works on phones that use Google’s Android platform. Unlockd co-founder Matt Berriman notes that Google previously had no problems with its app, and its action appears to have been prompted by the proposed IPO.

CORPORATES
UNLOCKD PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, HIGH COURT OF ENGLAND AND WALES, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, EUROPEAN COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Bank advocacy highest among App users

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 1-Mar-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that bank customers using an App on a mobile phone or tablet to deal with their bank are more likely to recommend them to a friend or colleague compared to those accessing their bank using other channels. In the 12 months to January 2018, 68.7% of customers who dealt with their bank using an App on a mobile phone or tablet said they were highly likely to recommend their bank to others. This is based on them scoring an 8, 9 or 10 on a possible 10-point likelihood scale. This level of advocacy is well above that of the more traditional method of dealing with banks – the branches – with 64.7% being high advocates. Internet banking using a website is currently the most common method for dealing with banks, but it is losing some ground to the use of Apps on mobile phones or tablets.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED