MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Murdoch’s media pay least tax

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Original article by Neil Chenoweth
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 6-Jan-16

Data from the Australian Taxation Office shows that 10 media companies paid no income tax in Australia in 2014. Eight of these companies are either owned or partly-owned by members of the Murdoch family. These include Ten Network, Nova Entertainment and two companies owned by News Corporation. Nine Entertainment Company and BBC Worldwide Australia Holdings also paid no tax in 2014, while Fairfax Media’s total tax bill for the year was $A16m.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, BBC WORLDWIDE AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, NEWS AUSTRALIA INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, NEWS PAY TV FINANCING PTY LTD, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, FOXTEL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, XYZNETWORKS PTY LTD, FOX FILMED ENTERTAINMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SHINE AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Wheatley’s new radio wagers on TopBetta

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 16 : 4-Jan-16

EON Sports Radio CEO Glenn Wheatley says the new national sports radio network has secured TopBetta as its exclusive wagering partner. The Australian-listed TopBetta specialises in fantasy wagering, while it also produces sports content. TopBetta and EON will jointly produce a sports program for the digital-only radio network. EON has also secured the Australian radio broadcasting rights to English Premier League matches.

CORPORATES
EON SPORTS RADIO PTY LTD, TOPBETTA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TBH, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, EON-FM, TRIPLE M CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, G1X

Scott’s media skills ‘crucial’

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 3 : 23-Dec-15

Media and journalism experience was given a relatively low priority in the selection criteria for the successor to ABC MD Mark Scott. However, former members of the public broadcaster’s board have said that Scott’s editorial experience at Fairfax Media had been a key factor in the decision to appoint him to the role in 2006. Scott will step down in May 2016.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEW SOUTH WALES. STATE RAIL AUTHORITY

More Australians going online first thing, but radio is still top breakfast media

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Dec-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 73.1 per cent of Australians aged 14+ used one or more forms of media at breakfast time on an average weekday in the year to September 2015. The survey also shows that 18 per cent of Australians go online at breakfast, compared with 16.6 per cent a year and 8.2 per cent four years ago. However, 58.6 per cent of Australians still use one or more traditional morning media at breakfast time: 27.7 per cent listen to radio (down from 29.2 per cent a year ago), 24.0 per cent watch television (up from 22.8 per cent a year ago) and 16 per cent read newspapers (virtually unchanged over the past year).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

ABC boss looks at options for ‘monetisation’

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 22-Dec-15

Google executive Michelle Guthrie will succeed ABC MD Mark Scott in May 2016. She has indicated that budgetary limitations may require the public broadcaster to consider new ways to make money from its content, and she has not ruled out options such as paywalling online content or introducing advertising to its TV channels. Guthrie will hold the dual roles of MD and editor-in-chief.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS INTERNATIONAL PLC, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STAR TV, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SKY PLC, ALLENS, HONG KONG TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Star Wars box office sales in hyperdrive, headed for $100m

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 21-Dec-15

Village Roadshow CEO Kirk Edwards says "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" could overtake "Avatar" as the highest-grossing film on record in Australia. The new Star Wars film’s local box-office takings exceeded $A25m on the weekend of 19-20 December 2015, and Edwards expects it to gross at least $A100m overall. It is estimated that the film’s global ticket sales have exceeded $US250m ($A348m) to date.

CORPORATES
VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, RENTRAK CORPORATION, WALT DISNEY COMPANY

Nine batting for stronger Windies at Boxing Day, new year Tests

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 21-Dec-15

Carat Australia CEO Simon Ryan is confident that the Nine Network will attract good ratings for its cricket coverage during the 2015-16 summer. The First Test against the West Indies in Hobart finished two days early, but advertising packages have been pre-sold across the summer’s cricket coverage, so Nine’s revenue will not be affected if the remaining two Tests do not run for five days.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CARAT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN

Fox Sports wins football trifecta

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 18-Dec-15

Fox Sports will be seeking an increase in subscribers after securing the broadcasting rights for the Australian Football League, the National Rugby League and the Australian Rugby Union. CEO Patrick Delaney notes that Foxtel pay-TV subscriptions account for about 75 per cent of Fox Sports’ revenue, as live matches do not have advertising breaks. Fox Sports will pay about $A285m for the five-year deal with the ARU, and will gain some revenue from on-selling the rights to selected matches to the Ten Network.

CORPORATES
FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION, SUPER RUGBY, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SANZAR, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Nine strikes a secret cricket deal with SBS

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 18-Dec-15

Regional broadcaster WIN Corporation has yet to finalise a new affiliation agreement with Nine Entertainment Company, with the existing deal set to lapse at the end of 2015. It has been revealed that Nine has negotiated a deal for public broadcaster SBS to televise its cricket coverage in regional areas if WIN does not renew its affiliation agreement. Nine’s broadcasting deal with Cricket Australia requires it to provide all Australians with access to its cricket coverage.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), CRICKET AUSTRALIA, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN

Latest Star Wars movie to break Australia’s box office records

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Original article by Dominic White, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 17-Dec-15

Hoyts Cinemas CEO Damian Keogh says the new "Star Wars" film could potentially be the highest-grossing film in Australia of all time. More than $A15m worth of tickets for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" were sold prior to its cinema debut, and Keogh says the film’s total box office takings could exceed $A100m. "Avatar" holds the Australian box office record, with its takings exceeding $A115m.

CORPORATES
HOYTS CINEMAS LIMITED, VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, LUCASFILM