A-League soccer strikes record $346m TV deal with Fox

Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 21-Dec-16

Fox Sports has secured a six-year deal to broadcast the A-League, as well as matches featuring the Socceroos and the Matildas. The pay-TV group will pay $A310m for the broadcasting rights, plus $A36m in contra advertising. The deal is worth about $A58m a year, although Football Federation Australia had been hoping to gain around $A80m a year. FFA has yet to secure a free-to-air broadcaster for soccer matches, but CEO Geoff Gallop says the major networks have expressed interest.

CORPORATES
FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, MATILDAS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, ADARA PARTNERS, NIELSEN SPORTS AUSTRALIA

Importance of using Roy Morgan’s Cross-Platform Audience measurement proven by Bauer and News Corp’s decisions to pull out of AMAA

Original article by
B&T – Page: online : 19-Dec-16

In the past week both Bauer Media and now News Corp’s magazines division have made the decision to withdraw from the Audited Media Association of Australia (AMAA) magazine circulation measurement system (as reported in B&T’s article "Is This The End For The AMAA as News Corp Follows Bauer And Pulls The Audit Pin?"). Both magazine publishers have argued that the AMAA doesn’t properly capture the new reality by measuring digital readership of titles properly. The Roy Morgan Cross-Platform Audience figures which measure across print, website and app are the most accurate way to properly measure the breadth of readership of a title – whether a magazine or a newspaper. Advertisers are increasingly relying on the average issue readership figures provided by the Roy Morgan Cross-Platform Audience metric to buy their print advertising to target the correct audience.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUDITED MEDIA ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Foxtel, Village’s landmark win to block pirates

Original article by Jake Mitchell, David Swan
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 16-Dec-16

The Federal Court of Australia has ruled that ISP must block access to five illegal file-sharing websites within 15 days. Foxtel and Village Roadshow had launched separate legal proceedings in a bid to combat the pirating of films and TV shows. Village Roadshow’s joint CEO Graham Burke has welcomed the judgment, arguing that the local film and TV production industry would collapse if action is not taken against such websites. Foxtel and Village Roadshow will have to pay the ISPs’ costs for blocking the infringing sites.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, IINET LIMITED, M2 GROUP LIMITED, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, WARNER BROS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, ASHURST AUSTRALIA

Howcroft tunes in to PwC marketing

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 : 13-Dec-16

TV executive and "Gruen" panellist Russel Howcroft will become chief creative officer at PricewaterhouseCoopers in early 2017. Howcroft has been the executive general manager of the Ten Network’s Melbourne operations for four years, while he also chairs the Think TV lobby group. PwC has hired several other former advertising industry executives in recent months.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, THINK TV, OGILVY AUSTRALIA, TBWA, CLEMENGER BBDO (BRISBANE) PTY LTD

Fault call on Seven charge for tennis

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 : 13-Dec-16

Australian Subscription Television & Radio Association CEO Andrew Maiden has expressed concern about Seven West Media’s plan to offer paid access to exclusive online content as part of its coverage of the 2017 Australian Open. Maiden has told Communications Minister Mitch Fifield that Seven’s plans are contrary to the anti-siphoning list for sports broadcasts. A Seven spokesman has stressed that all matches broadcast by the network during the 2016-17 summer can be viewed for free.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, DISCOVERY NETWORKS ASIA PACIFIC, BBC WORLDWIDE AUSTRALIA, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Cricket’s pitch to reduce curbs

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 : 12-Dec-16

Cricket Australia has declined to comment on claims that it will push for Test and limited-overs matches against less popular nations to be removed from the anti-siphoning list. Cricket Australia has previously signalled its view that some one-day international matches should be removed from the list, which requires all international cricket matches that are played in Australia to be broadcast on free-to-air TV. In contrast, pay-TV group Foxtel has exclusive rights to some AFL and NRL matches.

CORPORATES
CRICKET AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN

Calls for Netflix to invest in local industry

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 12-Dec-16

Netflix will provide some financing for the second series of ABC drama "Glitch", but Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner argues that overseas subscription video-on-demand companies should invest more in local film and TV content. In 2012, the Convergence Review recommended the introduction of a "uniform content scheme", while the European Union has proposed minimum local content requirements for SVOD providers.

CORPORATES
SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, BEYOND PRODUCTIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Facebook in crosshairs of metrics war

Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 12-Dec-16

The annual media CEO survey carried out by "The Australian" shows that media and advertising industry leaders agree that action is needed to address the recent audience measurement scandals at digital rivals such as Facebook. Many of the media CEOs stressed the importance of having such metrics audited by a third party, while some noted the fact that TV remains the best way to reach the largest audience.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, CARSALES.COM LIMITED – ASX CAR, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, IPG MEDIABRANDS, OMNICOM MEDIA GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MEDIA FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA, GROUPM COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD, PUBLICIS MEDIA, HOYTS CINEMAS LIMITED, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

Domain ads on porn, pirate sites

Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 12-Dec-16

Data from Nielsen shows that traffic to Domain’s Commercial Real Estate website rose by 382 per cent year-on-year in November 2016. Fairfax-owned Domain has responded to claims that advertisements for CRE are appearing on gambling, pornography and file-sharing websites. The company has stressed that it does not advertise on such sites, but notes that it sometimes uses ad networks that target people who have previously visited the CRE site.

CORPORATES
DOMAIN.COM.AU, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, REALESTATE.COM.AU, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

Homegrown mini-series driving a ratings resurgence at Foxtel

Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 12-Dec-16

Pay-TV company Foxtel has invested heavily in the production of local dramas in 2016. This commitment has paid off, with Foxtel recording ratings growth and a number of Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Arts awards. Brian Walsh, Foxtel’s executive director of television, is upbeat about the outlook for 2017, but he concedes that competition for viewers will intensify. In addition to a slate of local productions, Foxtel will also have exclusive content from HBO in the US.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF CINEMA AND TELEVISION ARTS, HBO, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS