MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA – REGULATION

Online advance makes mergers unclear: Sims

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 9-Oct-17

The Federal Government’s cross-media ownership reforms are expected to be endorsed by the lower house in coming weeks, after being passed by the Senate in September. The reforms are tipped to prompt consolidation in the sector, but Australian Competition & Consumer chairman Rod Sims says "closeness of competition" will be a key factor in deciding whether to approve deals. He notes that while media diversity has increased with the growth of online news, there is now more overlap between traditional media such as TV and newspapers, which both have an online presence.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, OOH!MEDIA LIMITED – ASX OML, APN OUTDOOR GROUP LIMITED – ASX APO, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, CBS CORPORATION

Media chiefs eagerly await opportunities

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Original article by Max Mason, Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 15-Sep-17

The Senate voted 31-27 to pass the Federal Government’s cross-media ownership reforms, prompting praise from industry leaders. Ten Network CEO Paul Anderson has welcomed the replacement of broadcast licence fees with a spectrum fee, noting that it will provide Ten with more money to invest in content. News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller says the reforms will provide media companies with greater certainty and encourage more investment in local communities.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Victory on media reform looms

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 14-Sep-17

The Federal Government has secured the support of enough Senate crossbenchers for its cross-media ownership reforms. The Nick Xenophon Team agreed to back the abolition of the "reach rule" and the "two-out-of-three rule" after negotiating a compromise. As part of the deal, the Government will establish an innovation fund that will provide grants to small and regional publishers, while it will also provide scholarships for people in regional areas to study journalism. The Government will also abolish broadcasting licence fees and trim the anti-siphoning list for sports events.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, PRIVATE MEDIA PARTNERS PTY LTD, CRIKEY.COM.AU

Fifield close to reform breakthrough

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 : 11-Sep-17

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield is believed to be close to securing a deal for the Nick Xenophon Team to support cross-media ownership reforms in the Senate. Fifield held negotiations with NXT senators ahead of Senate debate on the media reform bill on 11 September. The Government hopes to end the impasse which followed its rejection of NXT’s original proposal regarding tax breaks for smaller media companies. The media reforms require the support of a majority of cross-benchers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Media reform in days: Xenophon

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 8-Sep-17

The Federal Government is continuing to negotiate with the Nick Xenophon Team in a bid to secure support for cross-media ownership reforms. The talks are centred on financial assistance for smaller media companies, with the NXT open to scaling back its proposed tax breaks for such companies. The Government in turn is believed to have proposed offering grants or tax offsets to smaller publishers. It is also negotiating with the Greens, whose proposals include a content fund for local TV production.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), ONE NATION PARTY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, BUZZFEED PTY LTD

Xenophon puts reform deal within reach

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 3 : 7-Sep-17

The Federal Government’s prospects of getting its cross-media ownership reforms through the upper house have been bolstered by further negotiations with the Nick Xenophon Team. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has offered a compromise deal regarding the NXT’s push to provide tax breaks for smaller media companies. Senator Nick Xenophon is still pursuing the tax breaks, although he adds that there are other options for increasing media diversity and job opportunities for journalists.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

Team X keeps tax aid on agenda

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 4-Sep-17

Independent senator Nick Xenophon remains optimistic that his party can secure a deal with the Federal Government regarding cross-media ownership reforms. However, he stresses that any deal would be conditional on the Government agreeing to provide tax breaks for smaller media outlets. The Nick Xenophon Team’s initial proposal for tax breaks was rejected by the Government, which requires the support of 10 Senate crossbenchers for its media reform bill.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, CBS CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Nick of time: negotiations stalling reform

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 : 21-Aug-17

Senator Nick Xenophon remains hopeful that the Federal Government will agree to provide tax breaks for small media companies in return for supporting its cross-media ownership reforms. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has indicated that it would be inappropriate to extend such tax breaks to foreign-owned publications. The latest stalemate means that the media reform package will not be debated in the Senate for at least another two weeks.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, PRIVATE MEDIA PARTNERS PTY LTD, SCHWARTZ MEDIA PTY LTD, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Xenophon deal on media rules within reach

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 4 : 17-Aug-17

The Australian Government is expected to put its media reform bill to the Senate in its current form in order to secure the support of the Nick Xenophon Team. The minor party opposes the Government’s deal with One Nation to impose new obligations on the ABC and SBS, and these amendments are likely to be put on hold due to lack of sufficient support in the upper house. The Government is also said to be assessing the cost of proposals put forward by Senator Nick Xenophon in return for supporting the media reforms.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Hanson deal on media laws

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Darren Davidson, Primrose Riordan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 3 : 16-Aug-17

The Federal Government has agreed to a number of concessions to secure One Nation’s support for its cross-media ownership reforms in the Senate. Amongst other things, the ABC and SBS will be required to disclose the salaries of their highest-paid staff, while the ABC Act will be amended to include the requirement that the public broadcaster’s news coverage is "fair and balanced". The support of the Nick Xenophon Team for the media bill will be crucial, given that the Greens have rejected the One Nation reforms.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE