MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA – REGULATION

Local content move for digital players

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 29-Jul-19

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has signalled that streaming video providers may be required to invest in more local content in the wake of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s landmark inquiry into digital platforms. He says there is a strong case for subjecting digital platforms to the same regulations as traditional broadcasters. The ACCC’s final report noted the inconsistencies that are inherent in the current approach to media regulation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

Violent net video ban faces review

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 25 : 8-Apr-19

Both sides of politics have committed to a parliamentary review of the Sharing of Abhorrent Violent Material legislation after the federal election. Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom co-founder Peter Greste warns that although the legislation provides defences for legitimate journalism, it will still require media organisations to defend themselves in court. He adds that cash-strapped newsrooms are now less likely to do so than in the past. The legislation was introduced in response to the live-streaming of the Christchurch mosque shootings on social media.

CORPORATES
ALLIANCE FOR JOURNALISTS’ FREEDOM, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Push to curb social giants like traditional media

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 20-Mar-19

Sacha Molitorisz of the Centre for Media Transition says digital platforms should be subject to the same regulation as traditional media companies with regard to the distribution of objectionable content. He supports the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s proposal for a single media regulator. The issue has attracted renewed scrutiny in the wake of the Christchurch mosque attack, with digital companies unlikely to be censured for allowing it to be streamed live on their platforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY. CENTRE FOR MEDIA TRANSITION, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, SKY NEWS

Dated media policies need fixing: Labor

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 7 : 15-Mar-19

Shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland has accused the federal government of adopting a piecemeal approach to media policy, claiming that it lacks a "coherent reform agenda". She adds that Australia’s media policy and industry regulation is a legacy of the analogue era and needs to be updated to take into account the rise of digital platforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Free TV targets tech ad imbalance

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 11-Feb-19

Free TV Australia CEO Bridget Fair has called for a level playing field with regard to the media’s political advertising rules. She says the ban on broadcasting political advertising on traditional media creates a big disincentive for advertising on commercial TV, given that the ban does not apply to digital media. Fair has welcomed the recommendations of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s review of digital platforms, but she says urgent action is needed to address competition issues in the media sector.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Labor flags modern rules for the media

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Original article by John Kehoe, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 4-Feb-19

Shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland says public interest journalism will be a priority for Labor if it wins the 2019 federal election. She adds that Labor will also pursue changes to the media industry’s regulatory framework, arguing that it was designed for the analogue era and is outdated. Rowland adds that Labor would not seek to reverse the federal government’s cross-media ownership reforms, despite having opposed the abolition of the ‘two-out-of-three rule’.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GILBERT AND TOBIN LAWYERS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Seven accuses media regulator of censorship

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: Online : 5-Sep-18

The Seven Network has stated it plans to take the Australian Communications and Media Authority to court after ACMA ruled a segment on its ‘Sunrise’ program had breached broadcasting codes. The segment in question involved a discussion on child abuse and the adoption of indigenous children, with ACMA contending the segment provoked "serious contempt on the basis of race". Craig McPherson, Seven’s director of news and public affairs, contends that ACMA’s ruling amounts to "a form of censorship".

CORPORATES
SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

Netflix under pressure over local content

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 24 : 7-May-18

Video streaming service Netflix is resisting attempts to subject it to local content quotas in Australia. Research conducted by RMIT indicates that just 2.5 per cent of Netflix’s Australian library is locally made. Screen Producers Australia CEO Matt Deaner says it is odd that Netflix’s US catalogue contains more Australian content than its Australian catalogue. He says that local content accounts for around nine per cent of what is shown on Stan, while also noting that Europe has local content quotas for streaming services.

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, RMIT UNIVERSITY, SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Journos face jail just for having information

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 31-Jan-18

The media industry has expressed concern about the potential implications of proposed foreign interference laws. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy has told a parliamentary committee that journalists and news editors could potentially face criminal charges simply for receiving confidential information. Foxtel’s Bruce Meagher warned that the pay-TV group could be forced to discontinue channels that are owned by foreign governments, while Georgia-Kate Schubert of News Corp says it is uncertain as to whether the legislation would apply to digital giants such as Facebook and Google.

CORPORATES
MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AL JAZEERA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE GROUP OF EIGHT LIMITED

More mergers from media changes: ACCC

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 19 : 1-Nov-17

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims expects cross-media ownership law reforms to prompt further consolidation in the media sector. However, he has told a Communications & Media Law Association event that any such merger proposals must ensure that media diversity is maintained. He added that media diversity is already being affected by the growing market power of digital giants Google and Facebook.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA LAW ASSOCIATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS