MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Netball thrust into prime time with Nine deal

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 20-May-16

Nine Entertainment Company will broadcast two live netball matches on Saturday nights from 2017 after securing a five-year deal with Netball Australia. Telstra will have exclusive rights to two matches each week, while it will simulcast the live broadcasts of Nine. The deal with Nine also includes a revenue-sharing arrangement. Netball Australia chief executive Kate Palmer says netball players will receive higher salaries as a result of the deal, which will also boost the sport’s profile.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NETBALL AUSTRALIA, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION, NETBALL NEW ZEALAND, COLLINGWOOD FOOTBALL CLUB, MELBOURNE STORM RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, NETBALL NEW SOUTH WALES, TELSTRA MEDIA HOLDINGS, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

KKR lured in Fairfax break-up hard sell

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 18-May-16

Investment bank Credit Suisse is believed to have held meetings with private equity firm KKR regarding the acquisition of Fairfax Media. However, the media group itself was not involved in the talks, and KKR was not interested in a buyout. Providence Equity Partners and Hellman & Friedman are other private equity firms that could potentially be interested in Fairfax. Any buyer of the media group would most likely divest or cease publishing its print newspapers and focus on Fairfax’s digital assets, including Domain.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, KKR AND COMPANY LP, PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS INCORPORATED, HELLMAN AND FRIEDMAN, DOMAIN.COM.AU, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, SEVEN MEDIA GROUP PTY LTD, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, NZME, GRABONE, THE RADIO NETWORK

Optus defends controversial English Premier League plans

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 17-May-16

Optus has attracted criticism for restricting access to its English Premier League coverage to its own broadband and mobile customers. However, Optus’s Ben White says the telco aims to differentiate itself from rivals by offering exclusive content to its customers, and he notes that Optus is upgrading its infrastructure to ensure that its EPL coverage is of broadcast quality. Optus will also be the primary Australian broadcaster of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with SBS to broadcast some matches.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Optus enters the fray for FFA rights

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 16-May-16

Optus will establish a 24-hour football channel as it prepares to launch its coverage of the English Premier League. CEO Allan Lew says the telco is also keen to secure rights to A-League and Socceroos matches. The Ten Network is also said to be interested in A-League matches, which are currently broadcast by Fox Sports under a four-year deal worth $A40m a year. Meanwhile, Lew stresses that Optus’s EPL coverage will only be available to its own customers.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), WORLD SPORTS GROUP, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, OLIVER AND OHLBAUM, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITY FOOTBALL GROUP, MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, MELBOURNE CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, MANCHESTER UNITED PLC, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FOOTBALL CLUB, LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB, BEIN SPORTS

Think global, act local, Miller says

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 16-May-16

News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller says the nation’s major media companies have the capacity to expand internationally. He adds that the best media companies think on a global scale, and notes that 11 of the 25 websites that boasted more than one million Australian visitors in March 2016 were international sites. The newly-launched News Media Index shows that newspaper advertising revenue totalled $A2.4bn in 2015.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HOLDINGS LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, NEWSMEDIAWORKS, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA

Murdoch’s clout the big query

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 36 : 16-May-16

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has traditionally been regarded as having a significant influence on the political landscape in Australia and abroad. However, some experts believe that the power of the Murdoch press to influence election outcomes is waning amid the rise of digital disruptors, and the 2016 federal election may reinforce this perception. Former News Limited CEO Kim Williams argues that all newspapers are losing their power to influence election outcomes.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, TWITTER INCORPORATED, LABOUR PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), CONSERVATIVE PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Cross-Platform Magazine Readership for March 2016

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-May-16

Roy Morgan Research’s Cross-Platform Readership data for the 12 months to March 2016 shows that "The Australian Women’s Weekly" is Australia’s most-read magazine across print and digital combined, with a total cross-platform audience of 2,070,000. It is followed by "Better Homes & Gardens", with 2,054,000 readers across print and online combined. Unlike newspapers, nearly all cross-platform magazines are still read by more Australians in print than in their digital forms. Only three titles have more people reading online than in print: "Vogue" (406,000 digital and 315,000 print readers); "Gourmet Traveller" (238,000 digital and 225,000 print); and "The Monthly" (161,000 digital and 154,000 print).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Cross-Platform Newspaper Readership for March 2016

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-May-16

Roy Morgan Research’s Cross-Platform Readership data for the 12 months to March 2016 shows that all national and capital city Australian metro newspaper mastheads now reach more readers in digital than print. "The Sydney Morning Herald" remains Australia’s most-read newspaper across print and digital combined, with 4,087,000 readers in total in an average week. Some 3,489,000 Australians now access the SMH through digital channels in an average week, which is 85 per cent of the masthead’s total cross-platform audience. "The Age" has a cross-platform audience of 2,860,000 , with 83 per cent reading it in digital form. Meanwhile, the "Herald Sun" and the "Daily Telegraph" reach the most Australians in print in an average week, and their total cross-platform audience is 2,837,000 and 3,120,000 respectively.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

TV still a strong ad earner: Howcroft

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 22 : 13-May-16

The Ten Network’s executive general manager in Melbourne, Russel Howcroft, will become the inaugural chairman of Think TV. The industry body has been established by Australia’s free-to-air commercial networks and Foxtel in order to promote the benefits of traditional TV to advertisers in an era of digital disruption. Statistics highlight the continued market power of broadcast TV, which was viewed by 87.4 per cent of Australians each week in the December 2015 quarter.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, THINK TV, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, THINKBOX, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, OZTAM PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Stan is on ‘clear path to profitability’

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 45 : 12-May-16

Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks and Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood are upbeat about the outlook for their subscription video-on-demand joint venture, Stan. Marks says Stan could gain a 25 per cent share of the SVOD market, and forecasts that there will be an average of one SVOD service in each Australian household within five years. The joint venture partners expect Stan’s active customer base to top 500,000 in May 2016, and Marks notes that the conversion rate to paid subscriptions is between 70-85 per cent.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES