MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA – REGULATION

Netflix, Disney and other streamers to be forced to pay for more Australian-made content

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Original article by Karl Quinn
The Age – Page: Online : 5-Nov-25

The federal government will legislate an ‘Australian content obligation’ for streaming video-on-demand platforms. It will require streaming services that have more than one million subscribers in Australia to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure in Australia or 7.5 per cent of their revenue in this country on producing local content. This will include local drama, children’s TV shows, documentaries, and educational or arts programs. Screen Producers Australia’s CEO Matthew Deaner has described the move as a "landmark day" for the nation’s screen industry.

CORPORATES
SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA

‘Journalistic cluelessness’: Ex-Media Watch host roasts regulator

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Age – Page: Online : 4-Jan-23

ABC Alumni chair Jonathan Holmes has criticised the Australian Communications & Media Authority’s investigation into the ABC’s two-part ‘Four Corners’ program on US-based Fox News. ACMA ruled in late 2022 that the program had breached the public broadcaster’s code of practice and misled viewers. Holmes subsequently wrote to ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin, contending that the investigation had "needlessly damaged" the reputation of ‘Four Corners’. ABC Alumni is not affiliated with the public broadcaster.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION,ABC ALUMNI,FOX NEWS,AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

ABC attack on regulator reeks of arrogance

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Original article by Stephen Rice
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 23-Dec-22

The ABC is under renewed scrutiny after the Australian Communications & Media Authority found that a controversial two-part Four Corners program about Fox News breached its code of practice. Shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson says the ABC has shown an "untenable disregard" for the need to comply with its own code of practice by improperly attacking the independent regulator. Henderson says ACMA’s findings with regard to ‘Fox and the Big Lie’ show that the ABC needs to undertake a comprehensive review of how journalistic standards at Four Corners and across the public broadcaster can be improved.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, FOX NEWS

Streaming services come to the rescue of local TV drama

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Original article by Edmund Tadros
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 14-Nov-22

Data from Screen Australia shows that pay-TV and subscription streaming services spent $445m on producing Australian drama in 2021-22. In contrast, the nation’s free-to-air broadcasters invested just $208m in local dramas during the last financial year. Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason says streaming services are producing more Australian drama because they know local audiences want to see Australian stories on the screen. However, Mason advocates imposing local content quotas on international streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+.

CORPORATES
SCREEN AUSTRALIA, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, DISNEY+

News bargaining code a success not to be repeated: Sims

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 1-Mar-22

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims claims that the news media bargaining code has been one of the most successful policy initiatives in 50 years. The code requires technology platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay Australian media outlets for their content, and has seen Facebook and Google pay Australian media companies over $200 million since it took effect in March 2021. However, Sims does not consider the code should be used as a ‘template’ for a wider crackdown on big technology companies.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

News bargaining code a success not to be repeated: Sims

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 1-Mar-22

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims claims that the news media bargaining code has been one of the most successful policy initiatives in 50 years. The code requires technology platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay Australian media outlets for their content, and has seen Facebook and Google pay Australian media companies over $200 million since it took effect in March 2021. However, Sims does not consider the code should be used as a ‘template’ for a wider crackdown on big technology companies.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Lachlan Murdoch asked to appear at parliamentary inquiry into YouTube’s suspension of Sky News Australia

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 2-Sep-21

A Senate committee has invited News Corporation’s co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch to appear before an inquiry into media diversity. The inquiry has been reconvened in the wake of a recent move by YouTube to temporarily suspend Sky News Australia content from its platform for allegedly breaching its Covid misinformation policy. Sky News CEO Paul Whittaker and presenters Alan Jones, Rita Panahi and Rowan Dean have also been asked to front the inquiry. YouTube executive Leslie Miller will also appear before the inquiry.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SKY NEWS, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED

Sky News Australia to face Senate inquiry after week-long YouTube suspension

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 6-Aug-21

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young wants to know why the Australian Communications & Media Authority has not taken action against Sky News Australia over the broadcasting of misinformation when YouTube has. Her query follows YouTube suspending Sky News content from its platform for seven days for breaching its medical misinformation policies. Hanson-Young chairs the Senate’s media diversity inquiry; she has recalled the inquiry during the week beginning 9 August in order to question executives from ACMA, YouTube and Sky News.

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Journalists’ union says it will quit ineffectual Australian Press Council

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 22-Apr-21

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s members have voted to withdraw from the Australian Press Council, the self-regulatory body for print media. The journalists’ union will give the requisite four years’ notice to quit the APC, and the MEAA’s Marcus Strom hopes its move will prompt debate about media regulation. The MEAA has called for a simpler system of self-regulation that is consistent across all platforms and organisations. The APC’s adjudications have been widely criticised by journalists and the print media.

CORPORATES
MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL

ACM gets go-ahead to raise stake in Prime

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 15 : 9-Apr-21

Australian Community Media has been cleared to increase its stake in Seven Network affiliate Prime Media Group to 19.99 per cent. The deal to buy a five per cent stake in Prime from WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon had to be cleared by the Australian Communications & Media Authority, as ACM would exceed the 15 per cent threshold that is deemed to be a controlling interest under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. ACM’s Anthony Catalano says the legislation needs to be updated, as the ‘voices test’ for regional areas does not include digital media. He adds that ACM will have to sell two newspapers in Victoria and New South Wales unless the legislation is changed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA PTY LTD, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY