MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Streaming quotas may violate FTA

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: 22 : 6-Feb-24

The federal government is under renewed scrutiny over its plans to impose local content requirements on streaming video services, which are largely based in the US. The Computer & Communications Industry Association has warned that local content quotas could constitute a breach of the free-trade agreement between Australia and the US. Amazon in turn notes that some of its TV shows and documentaries that are filmed in Australia will not qualify as local content because they were not produced under the complete control of Australians. Amazon adds that a quota system would increase production costs.

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COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED

‘Abhorrent’: Buttrose lashes ABC staff revolt

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 24-Jan-24

The ABC’s board unanimously passed a vote of confidence in MD David Anderson at an emergency meeting on Tuesday. This followed a union-led motion of no-confidence that was passed by the vast majority of 128 staff members on Monday. Amongst other things, they were critical of the public broadcaster’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and its decision to sack journalist Antoinette Lattouf in December. The ABC’s outgoing chair Ita Buttrose has defended Anderson, saying any suggestion that he has ever shown a lack of support for independent journalism is "abhorrent and incorrect".

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

ABC staff pass no-confidence vote in boss as senior journalist lashes leadership

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Original article by Calum Jaspan, Michael Bachelard
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Jan-24

The ABC board will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday after the public broadcaster’s union members passed a motion of no-confidence in MD David Anderson by 125 to 3 at a meeting on Monday. The meeting was prompted by the public broadcaster’s sacking of journalist Antoinette Lattouf in December, while ABC global affairs editor John Lyons is said to have told the meeting he was embarrassed by it, accusing it of pro-Israel bias and of failing to protect its staff. The meeting outlined five demands it wants Anderson and senior ABC management to address in order to win back the confidence of its staff and the public, including upholding a transparent complaints process and developing clearer and fairer social media policies.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Government clamp on AI likely to be part of new media deals

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: Online : 19-Dec-23

The federal government has endorsed the five recommendations that arose from a review of the news media bargaining code. The government has advised that another review of the code is slated be completed in early 2025, with the aim of ensuring that it remains ‘fit for purpose’ in a rapidly evolving technology environment for news publishers and digital platforms. Artificial intelligence technology was not specifically mentioned, but it may well be included in the next review. News Corp CEO Robert Thomson argued earlier in 2023 that media companies should be compensated when their content is use to train generative AI platforms.

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NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Amazon snaps up key cricket rights

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 5-Dec-23

Amazon Prime Video has secured an exclusive deal with the International Cricket Council. The deal includes the Australian broadcasting rights for the Cricket World Cup, the T20 World Cup and the World Test Championship Final until 2027. Data from OzTAM shows that the Nine Network’s recent coverage of the 2023 Men’s World Cup final in India was watched by more than 1.6 million people nationwide; the final also attracted record viewer numbers on Foxtel and its Kayo Sports streaming service. World Cup and Championship matches are not subject to the anti-siphoning list unless they are played in Australia or New Zealand.

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AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL, OZTAM PTY LTD, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS

Coverage by ABC favoured Yes vote

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Dec-23

The ABC has released its 2023 Voice to Parliament Referendum report, with editorial policies manager Mark Maley concluding that the public broadcaster’s coverage of the referendum favoured the Yes vote. The report revealed that ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron had received 382 complaints relating to the referendum coverage, with 82 per cent relating to claims of bias or lack of balance. 121 of the complaints were investigated, but only four were found to have breached editorial standards.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Free-to-air TV beats streaming giants for events

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Original article by Zoe Samios, Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 29-Nov-23

The federal government will shortly introduce a bill giving effect to its ‘prominence’ framework for local broadcasters. The legislation will require manufactures of smart TVs to prominently display the channels and apps of free-to-air networks on their interfaces. Streaming companies often pay to have their apps appear in prime positions on connected TV interfaces. The legislation will also include changes to the anti-siphoning rules for major sports events, with free-to-air networks to be given priority in discussions regarding broadcast deals. The government also intends to add women’s sports and para-sports to the anti-siphoning list.

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Readership of magazines is up 3.5% from a year ago with increases in readership for all magazine categories

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Nov-23

The Roy Morgan Australian Readership report for the 12 months to September 2023 shows that 11.6 million Australians aged 14+ (53.0%) now read print magazines, up 3.5 per cent on a year ago. This market broadens to 15.1 million Australians aged 14+ (69.2%) who read magazines in print or online either via the web or an app, which is virtually unchanged from a year ago. Print readership increased for 14 magazine categories compared to a year ago; the final pandemic-era restrictions were lifted by October 2022. Eight of the top 10 magazines increased their print readership over the past year, as did 20 out of the top 25 titles. Better Homes & Gardens is still Australia’s most widely read paid magazine with print readership of 1,805,000, up 10.9 per cent on a year ago, ahead of the Australian Women’s Weekly on 1,336,000 (up 8.3 per cent). These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey of 65,331 Australians aged 14+ in the 12 months to September 2023.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Melbourne Cup viewing figures up, but far from impressive

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Original article by Nathan Jolly
Mumbrella – Page: Online : 9-Nov-23

The Ten Network’s coverage of the 2023 Melbourne Cup attracted 1.11 million viewers across the five major capital cities, compared with 1.024 million viewers in 2022. However, the broadcast was watched by 1.68 million people nationally, including streaming audiences; this compares with 1.35 million viewers nationally in 2022. The national audience was neverthless below 2021, when Ten’s coverage attracted 1.695 million viewers across metropolitan and regional areas. Ten has chosen not to renew its broadcasting rights deal.

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TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

Drama still booming Down Under, but a downturn could be coming

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Original article by Karl Quinn
The Age – Page: Online : 2-Nov-23

Data from Screen Australia highlights the continued strength of the nation’s television and film industry. The annual Drama Report shows that a total of $2.34bn was spent on the production of local and international scripted content in 2022-23; this includes broadcast television, streaming and video-on-demand content, as well as theatrical feature films. It is slightly down on the $2.43bn spent in 2021-22, although it is still the second-highest figure on record. Foreign film and TV productions accounted for $1.22bn of the expenditure in 2022-23.

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SCREEN AUSTRALIA