MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

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.

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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.

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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

Magazine readership finishes 2016 on a high

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

Roy Morgan Research has released the Australian Magazine Print Readership and Cross-Platform Audience results for the 12 months to December 2016. Print magazines reached 12,658,000 Australians aged 14+ in 2016, up 3.6 per cent since 2015. "Coles Magazine" remained the most widely-read print magazine during the period, with an average readership of 3,729,000 per issue (an increase of 24.5 per cent). Meanwhile, "Better Homes & Gardens" and "Australian Women’s Weekly" continue to have the highest Cross-Platform Audiences, at 2,112,000 and 1,965,000 respectively.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Seven probe set to clear Worner as director quits

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 3-Feb-17

Law firm Allens has completed its investigation into the allegations against Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner made by former employee Amber Harrison. The Allens report is expected to exonerate Worner, who has admitted that he had a sexual relationship with Harrison. Meanwhile, Sheila McGregor has resigned from the board of Seven West Media. It is believed that she had concerns about the way the company has handled the Harrison scandal.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, ALLENS, GILBERT AND TOBIN LAWYERS, IINET LIMITED

Pay-TV defies on-demand boost

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 25 : 23-Jan-17

Data from Roy Morgan Research shows that around 2.27 million Australian households had a Netflix subscription in December 2016. Some 428,000 homes have a Stan subscription, while about 151,000 homes use Presto. The figures also show that 2.42 million homes have a Foxtel subscription and 200,000 homes use FetchTV. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine notes that despite the growing use of subscription video-on-demand services, traditional free-to-air TV remains the main source of video content for Australian consumers.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, AMAZON PRIME

Sportsbet takes AFL TV deal from CrownBet

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 19-Jan-17

Sportsbet has secured a deal to be the betting sponsor of Seven West Media’s Australian Football League broadcasts in 2017. However, rival online bookmaker CrownBet is the AFL’s official wagering partner, which gives it the first right to buy betting advertisements during the AFL broadcasts of both Seven and pay-TV channel Fox Footy. Meanwhile, CrownBet CEO Matthew Tripp says the company plans to expand its rewards scheme in states such as Western Australia.

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SPORTSBET AUSTRALIA, CROWNBET PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, FOX FOOTY CHANNEL, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, CLUBS NSW PTY LTD, RACING VICTORIA LIMITED, TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, WILLIAM HILL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BET365 GROUP LIMITED, BETEASY PTY LTD, PADDY POWER PLC

Seven and Ten battle it out for top sports bragging rights

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Jan-17

The Ten Network’s coverage of the Big Bash League will directly compete with the 2017 Australian Open in prime-time on the Seven Network. A total of nine BBL matches will clash with the Australian Open coverage, compared with just four in 2016. Seven has also launched a paid digital service to complements its free-to-air coverage of the Australian Open, while highlights will also be streamed via Twitter.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, BIG BASH LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, TWITTER INCORPORATED, KIA MOTORS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, DAVIDE CAMPARI-MILANO SPA, WILLIAM HILL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BLACKMORES LIMITED – ASX BKL