Last-minute deal keeps Nine in Tassie

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 & 24 : 1-Jul-16

The Tasmanian Digital Television joint venture between WIN Corporation and Southern Cross Media Group has agreed to broadcast the Nine Network’s content. The affiliation deal will ensure that viewers in the broadcast area will continue to have access to Nine’s TV shows. WIN and Southern Cross switched metropolitan affiliation partners in some states and regional areas on 1 July 2016.

CORPORATES
TASMANIAN DIGITAL TELEVISION PTY LTD, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NBN TELEVISION

Nine escapes with fine as mum, abductors face seven years’ jail

Original article by Jacquelin Magnay
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 1-Jul-16

Members of a "60 Minutes" team will be fined less than $A1,000 for their role in the Lebanon child-kidnapping scandal, after being charged with minor offences by a Beirut court. However, Sally Faulkner will face kidnapping charges over the failed attempt to remove her children from the custody of her estranged husband and return them to Australia. Adam Whittington and three member of his child-recovery team also face kidnapping charges. The Nine Network is believed to have paid more than $A2m in legal and other costs as a result of the scandal.

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

Nine beats deadline with deal

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 : 29-Jun-16

Mildura Digital Television (MDT) has secured an affiliation agreement with Nine Entertainment Company to broadcast its content. MDT is a joint venture between WIN Corporation and Prime Media Group, and the deal is said to provide Nine with 10-20 per cent of MDT’s advertising revenue. The deal was secured just days before Nine’s new affiliation agreement with WIN rival Southern Cross takes effect in many other regions of Victoria.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MILDURA DIGITAL TELEVISION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN

Netflix streams ahead of the rest

Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 27-Jun-16

Research by Telsyte has concluded that Australia will boast 2.7 million active online streaming video subscriptions by the end of June 2016, including 1.9 million paid subscriptions. The number of paid subscriptions is expected to rise to 4.1 million by mid-2019, based on current growth rates. Meanwhile, Telsyte MD Foad Fadaghi forecasts that the pay-TV sector will record compound annual growth rate of less than four per cent over the next four years.

CORPORATES
TELSYTE PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AMAZON PRIME, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION, ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP

Ten deal opens board seat to Gordon

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 : 27-Jun-16

The affiliation agreement with Bruce Gordon’s WIN Corporation may prompt Ten Network to offer a board seat to the billionaire. WIN CEO Andrew Lancaster is expected to become Gordon’s representative on the Ten board. Ten had previously declined to give Gordon board representation due to conflict of interests concerns, as he is a major shareholder in both Ten and Nine Entertainment Company. WIN’s content supply agreement with Ten commences on 1 July 2016.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Changing channels: execs brace for uncertainty as regional stations meet new partners

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 : 27-Jun-16

Media buying agencies have had to cancel some advertising sales deals that were booked prior to the new regional TV affiliation agreements that take effect on 1 July 2016. WIN Corporation and Southern Cross Media Group will switch metropolitan affiliates, which is likely to cause confusion among some viewers and affect media buyers’ ad sales in July. The media landscape is expected to face further changes if cross-media ownership laws are abolished, with the prospect of mergers between metropolitan and regional networks.

CORPORATES
WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, OPTIMUM MEDIA DIRECTION PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT

Gordon positions to increase Ten holding

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 23-Jun-16

Cross-ownership laws prevent Bruce Gordon from increasing his 14.6 per cent stake in the Ten Network to more than 15 per cent. However, the WIN Corporation owner could potentially lift his stake in Ten by 2.5 per cent if media ownership laws are relaxed, after he secured a cash-settled share swap deal with Deutsche Bank. Gordon has previously entered a similar arrangement with the investment bank regarding Nine Entertainment Company.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, BIRKETU PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

Thwarted Guvera eyes an alternative listing

Original article by David Swan
The Australian – Page: 21 : 22-Jun-16

Streaming music provider Guvera may seek to list on the National Stock Exchange after its IPO was vetoed by ASX Limited. Listing on the NSX is believed to be one of the options under consideration by Guvera, which posted a loss of about $A80m for the first nine months of 2015-16. The company’s business model has been criticised by its former COO, Michael Wallis-Brown. Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes has also supported the ASX’s decision to block the IPO.

CORPORATES
GUVERA LIMITED, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, NATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGE OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ATLASSIAN CORPORATION PLC, AMMA PRIVATE EQUITY PTY LTD

Guvera critics back ASX ban

Original article by Yolanda Redrup, Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 21-Jun-16

Axstra Capital MD Reuben Buchanan and Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes have expressed support for the ASX’s decision to block Guvera’s IPO. The latter says investors would have lost their money if the streaming music provider’s IPO had been allowed to proceed. Guvera posted an $A81m loss in 2014-15, on revenue of just $A1.2m. However, TechnologyOne CEO Adrian Di Marco has criticised the ASX’s decision.

CORPORATES
GUVERA LIMITED, AXSTRA CAPITAL PTY LTD, ATLASSIAN CORPORATION PLC, TECHNOLOGY ONE LIMITED – ASX TNE, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, BITCOIN GROUP LIMITED, EM ADVISORY PTY LTD, REDBUBBLE LIMITED – ASX RBL, AMMA PRIVATE EQUITY PTY LTD

WIN playing hard ball on content deal

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 : 20-Jun-16

The Tasmanian Digital Television joint venture between WIN Corporation and Southern Cross Media Group. TDT will broadcast the Ten Network’s programs until mid-2016, when the affiliation agreement between Ten and Southern Cross ends. Southern Cross’s switch to Nine Entertainment Company’s content in key regional markets in some mainland states means the future of Nine’s content in Tasmania is uncertain. WIN is believed to be reluctant to pay to broadcast Nine’s content in Tasmania as TDT is not profitable.

CORPORATES
TASMANIAN DIGITAL TELEVISION PTY LTD, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT