MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Networks baulk as ABC firms for soccer rights

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Original article by John Stensholt, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 20-Apr-17

The ABC is believed to be holding talks with Football Federation Australia regarding free-to-air broadcasting rights for the A-League and Socceroos matches. The current four-year deal with Fox Sports and SBS expires in 2017, and the Seven, Nine and Ten networks are said to have considered submitting bids. However, none of them are believed to have met the deadline for lodging formal bids. Factors such as the need to contribute to Fox Sports’ production costs are said to have been a deterrent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ADANA PARTNERS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, THE W-LEAGUE, MATILDAS, BIG BASH LEAGUE

Women kick goals for television ad spending

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 19-Apr-17

New data shows that the inaugural AFL Women’s league prompted strong growth in TV advertising sales in March 2017 and boosted the audience share of the Seven Network. Metropolitan TV ad sales rose by 15.5 per cent year-on-year in March, while TV ad sales rose by 12.7 per cent overall compared with the same period in 2016. Meanwhile, Seven’s audience share rose from 37.5 per cent in March 2016 to 39.2 per cent, with AFLW matches consistently attracting high ratings.

CORPORATES
SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOX FOOTY CHANNEL, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED

New app enlists ride-share drivers to cover breaking news stories

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 12-Apr-17

The NewsCar app, which will be launched in Sydney in late April 2017, allows motorists to be paid for supplying free-to-air TV networks with live video from the scene of breaking news events. The app enables TV networks to identify motorists who are close to the scene and direct them to record "first response" video on their mobile phone in return for instant payment. Members of the Ride Share Drivers Association of Australia will be given priority in allocating first response assignments.

CORPORATES
NEWSCAR, RIDER SHARE DRIVERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UBER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BELL PARTNERS PTY LTD

News to cut jobs in $40m cost saving

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 12-Apr-17

News Corp Australia has revealed plans for its third round of redundancies in less than two years. The staff cuts are expected to result in a significant reduction in the number of photographers at some metropolitan mastheads, while some journalists are also likely to be retrenched. News Corp is expected to rely more on the use of freelance photographers and wire agencies as it seeks to reduce costs by $A40m. Fairfax Media recently announced plans to reduce costs by $A30m.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN

Fairfax spikes on talk of takeover

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann, Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 21 : 30-Mar-17

Shares in Fairfax Media closed 2.8 per cent higher at $A1.095 on 29 March 2017, after reaching a six-year high of $A1.15. The stock has rallied on the strength of speculation that TPG Capital has been actively buying Fairfax shares and could launch a takeover bid. The private equity firm is believed to have held talks with other media groups regarding Fairfax assets in the event of a takeover play.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TPG CAPITAL LP, DOMAIN.COM.AU, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, PLATINUM CAPITAL FUND, CERBERUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP, FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP LLC, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, GILBERT AND TOBIN LAWYERS, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Guthrie wields the axe at ABC

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Original article by Darren Davidson, Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 8-Mar-17

The ABC will streamline its management structure and retrench up to 200 employees in plans that were unveiled by MD Michelle Guthrie on 7 March 2017. The number of divisions within the public broadcaster will be reduced from 14 to just eight, while the ABC intends to hire up to 80 employees in rural areas in a push to increase its national reach. Guthrie has also signalled that staff will be more accountable, while the costs savings will be invested in content.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Earnings the focus as Nine pledges to regain revenue share

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 21 : 24-Feb-17

Nine Entertainment Company has posted a 2016-17 interim loss of $A236.9m, after writing down the value of its TV assets by $A260m. Underlying net profit fell by four per cent to $A75m, and group revenue was five per cent lower at $A659.2m. The TV division’s revenue was also down five per cent, at $A578.2m. Nine CEO Hugh Marks is upbeat about the outlook for the second half, noting a rise in its TV ratings and indications of an improvement in the advertising market.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, WARNER BROS

Fairfax investors back Domain spin-off, but want more of it

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Original article by James Thomson, John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 16 : 22-Feb-17

Shares in Fairfax Media were placed in a trading halt on 21 February 2017, pending an announcement by the group. It follows media reports which suggested that Fairfax may demerge its Domain property listings business but retain a stake of 60-70 per cent. Allan Gray Australia’s Simon Mawhinney and Fairfax shareholder Alex Waislitz support the demerger, although the latter says Fairfax should have acted much sooner. Fraser McLeish of Credit Suisse recently valued Domain at about $A2.2bn, based on its earnings forecast for 2018.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN.COM.AU, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PROPERTY MONITORS PTY LTD, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, RSVP, WEATHERZONE, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TRADE ME GROUP LIMITED – ASX TME

Networks put gloves on against illegal streaming

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 23 : 13-Feb-17

Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh says the pay-TV group is collaborating with Facebook on the development of software that can detect unauthorised live streams on the social media platform. The tool is being created in the wake of the boxing match between Anthony Mundine and Danny Green. Foxtel had broadcast the match on a pay-per-view basis, but it was illegally streamed via several Facebook accounts. Foxtel has agreed to accept a public apology from those responsible rather than pursue legal action.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Digital audience growth continued to drive newspaper readership higher in 2016

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Feb-17

Roy Morgan Research has released the Print Readership and Cross-Platform Audience results for Australian Newspapers for the 12 months to December 2016. Some 8,153,000 million Australians aged 14+ (41 per cent) read print newspapers in an average week in 2016. This is down 4.3 per cent, or just over half a million readers, compared with 2015. Monday to Friday dailies reach a combined 5.7 million readers during an average week (down 4.8 per cent). Some 4.9 million people read Saturday print newspapers in an average week in 2016 (down 2.7 per cent), and Sunday titles reached 4.4 million (down 4.3 per cent). Meanwhile, the total cross-platform reach of Australian mastheads measured across both print and digital increased to 13.1 million in 2016. Two in three Australians now access these news mastheads across any platform and any device in an average week.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM