MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Fairfax journalists face investigation over strike

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Original article by Nick Toscano
The Age – Page: 24 : 5-May-16

The Fair Work Ombudsman has ordered Fairfax Media to provide it with the personal details of about 600 journalists who staged unprotected industrial action in mid-March 2016. The strike was prompted by Fairfax’s latest proposed round of redundancies. The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance is also subject to the compulsory order, and could a fine of up to $A54,000. Journalists could each be liable for fines of up to $A10,800 for unlawful industrial action.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Licence fee cut short of adequate: networks

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 28 : 5-May-16

Macquarie Securities estimates that Nine Entertainment Company’s EBITDA will increase by $A10.9m due to the reduction in broadcasting licence fees in the Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget. The EBITDA of Seven West Media and Ten Network will rise by $A12.1m and $A7m respectively. Seven West CEO Tim Worner says the 25 per cent reduction in the annual licence fee is insufficient for commercial TV networks to remain competitive.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, MACQUARIE SECURITIES PTY LTD, NIKKO ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

Optus hits own goal with EPL pricing

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 26 : 5-May-16

The majority of Optus customers will pay $A15 per month to access the telco’s coverage of English Premier League matches. Optus had been widely tipped to charge just $A10 per month. However, customers on Optus’s most expensive mobile and broadband plans will not be charged extra for access to EPL matches. Optus also intends to launch a mini set-top box that will allow customers to stream EPL matches to a TV rather than viewing them on a PC or mobile device.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, FETCHTV PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

TV licence fees cut while ABC, SBS get extra funds

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Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: B15 : 4-May-16

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield says a further reduction in free-to-air TV networks’ licence fees will be considered later in 2016. The annual licence fee was reduced by 25 per cent in the Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget. This will make the networks more competitive against streaming rivals such as Netflix, which are not subject to licence fees. The Budget also includes additional funding for the ABC and SBS.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), APPLE INCORPORATED, NBN CO LIMITED

Diversity key for ABC, says Guthrie

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 3 : 3-May-16

Former Google executive Michelle Guthrie officially succeeded Mark Scott as MD of the ABC on 2 May 2016. She has called for greater diversity in the ABC’s staff and its content, to ensure that the public broadcaster is relevant to all Australians. Meanwhile, Guthrie will appear before a Senate estimates committee on 5 May, while the ABC’s funding is likely to be retained at about its current level in the Australian Government’s Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SKY PLC, STAR TV, PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Foxtel seeks delayed EPL coverage

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 2-May-16

Pay-TV group Foxtel is said to be negotiating a deal to broadcast the TV channels of some of the most popular English Football League teams. The channels provide delayed coverage of EPL matches, and were previously shown in Australia by FetchTV. Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh does not expect many EPL fans to cancel their Foxtel subscription when Optus’s exclusive three-year deal for live coverage of EPL matches begins in August 2016.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB, MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB, BEIN MEDIA GROUP, BEIN SPORTS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Ten and WIN deal expected shortly

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Original article by Jake Mitchell, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 27 & 29 : 2-May-16

The Ten Network is said to be close to finalising an affiliation agreement with regional broadcaster WIN Corporation, which currently has a content supply deal with Nine Entertainment Company. Speculation that Nine will pursue a merger with Southern Cross Media Group has intensified since the two groups signed a five-year affiliation agreement on 29 April 2016. Nine will receive 50 per cent of Southern Cross’s advertising revenue under the new deal, compared with the 34 per cent that Ten receives at present.

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, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, TRIPLE M CORPORATION PTY LTD, HIT NETWORK, WEST DIGITAL TELEVISION, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT

Tonagh’s plan to get halo back on pay TV

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 2-May-16

The iQ3 digital recorder, the Presto streaming video joint venture with Seven West Media and the wholesale broadband deal with Telstra are among the priorities for Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh. Restoring Foxtel’s "halo" following the success of Netflix is also on the agenda for Tonagh, who acknowledges that the pay-TV group needs to do more to promote the fact that it offers a much large range of content than Netflix.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTAR UNITED COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, SKY PLC, EASYNET GROUP

Slashed TV fee delivers windfall

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 4 : 29-Apr-16

The office of Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has declined to comment on speculation that the Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget will include a reduction in TV broadcasters’ licence fees. Free-to-air networks have lobbied the Government in the lead-up to the Budget, and some media reports have suggested that it will agree to their request. Pay-TV group Foxtel has argued that any reduction in licence fees should be accompanied by changes to the anti-siphoning list for sports events.

CORPORATES
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, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

WIN loses streaming battle against Nine

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 29-Apr-16

The Supreme Court of New South Wales has dismissed WIN Corporation’s application for an injunction to stop Nine Entertainment Company from streaming its metropolitan TV channels into regional markets. Justice David Hammerschlag has ruled that live streaming does not constitute broadcasting under the parties’ affiliation agreement. WIN CEO Andrew Lancaster says the judgment demonstrates the need to scrap the "reach rule". The ruling may affect other regional broadcasters in negotiating new affiliation agreements.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, BIRKETU PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS