MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Screen boss tips revival from local film production decline

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 25 : 3-Aug-15

The total expenditure on Australian film and TV productions in 2013-14 was $A640m. Expenditure fell in 2014-15 and is also expected to be lower in 2015-16. Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason says the main contributor to the downturn is the decline in offshore funding for local productions. However, Mason anticipates an upturn in the local industry, and notes that Australian TV shows and films are attracting strong ratings and good takings at the box office.

CORPORATES
SCREEN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Stan taps Aussie content in battle with Netflix

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 25 : 3-Aug-15

The Stan streaming video joint venture between Fairfax Media and Nine Entertainment Company will invest in Australian productions will a view to selling them globally. Stan CEO Mike Sneesby says offshore streaming video groups have already expressed interest in buying the TV spin-off of popular film "Wolf Creek". Sneesby is also upbeat about growth in Stan’s revenue and paid subscriptions.

CORPORATES
STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

HuffPost to launch on August 19

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 3-Aug-15

The Australian edition of online newspaper "The Huffington Post" will boast a staff of 30, led by editor-in-chief Tory Maguire. HuffPost Australia will also have access to content from a network of 900 journalists worldwide. It is a joint venture between The Huffington Post and Fairfax Media, and Maguire is confident that the new site will not gain readers at the expense of Fairfax titles. HuffPost Australia will be officially launched on 19 August 2015.

CORPORATES
THE HUFFINGTON POST, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), BAUER MEDIA KG, GUARDIAN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED, DAILY MAIL AND GENERAL TRUST PLC, BUZZFEED PTY LTD

Quickflix shares halted amid buy fervour

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 31-Jul-15

Shares in Quickflix were suspended from trading at $A0.002 on 30 July 2015, ahead of an announcement on a possible deal with an offshore group. Quickflix did not specify whether it is the potential target or the acquirer, but the trading halt has prompted speculation that the video-on-demand and DVD rental group will be taken over. It is estimated that Australia’s streaming video industry boasts about two million subscribers.

CORPORATES
QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, HBO, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Ten CEO exit clears way for Foxtel

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 28-Jul-15

Ten Network COO Paul Anderson will succeed Hamish McLennan as CEO. McLennan has also stepped down as executive chairman in favour of an independent replacement, David Gordon. The departure of McLennan as executive chairman could increase the chances of Ten’s equity deal with Foxtel being approved by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, as he has strong links with the Murdoch family. SMI data shows that Ten’s share of advertising revenue was 23.1 per cent in June 2015.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FREEHILLS PTY LTD, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED

Turnbull looks at licence fee cuts

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 26 : 27-Jul-15

Australia’s commercial TV networks have received some support from Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull for their push to have broadcasting licence fees reduced. It is believed that Free TV Australia will be invited to press its case for a licence fee reduction to key policymakers, while Commercial Radio Australia will push for a reduction in radio broadcasting licence fees. However, Turnbull seems unlikely to pursue changes to anti-siphoning laws for broadcasting sporting events.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

News Corp websites cement digital standing

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 26 & 28 : 27-Jul-15

Data from Nielsen shows that News Corp’s news.com.au website boasted 3.7 million unique visitors in June 2015, making it Australia’s most popular free news website. Meanwhile, News Corp’s "The Australian" is the most popular paywalled news website, with one million unique visitors in June. The website of "The Australian Financial Review" had 452,000 unique visitors.

CORPORATES
THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GUARDIAN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA, THE HUFFINGTON POST

Nine, Seven draw knives over cooking clashes

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 27-Jul-15

Starcom MediaVest’s Andy Taylor has questioned the merits of free-to-air networks putting similar reality TV shows in the same timeslot. Nine Network will launch cooking show "The Hotplate" on 28 July 2015, while Seven Network will debut "Restaurant Revolution" in the same timeslot. Taylor expects both shares to attract big audiences, but warns of the potential for viewer fatigue. The final of Ten’s "MasterChef" will be broadcast on 27 July.

CORPORATES
STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK OPERATIONS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, YOUNG AND RUBICAM PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Murdochs on notice over Foxtel grab for Ten Network

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 29 : 27-Jul-15

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) will consider Foxtel’s equity alliance with the Ten Network in the context of the Murdoch family’s broader media holding, according to chairman Rod Sims. Foxtel proposes to acquire a 15 per cent stake in Ten, but the ACCC will take into account the fact that News Corp has a 50 per cent stake in Foxtel and News Corp executive Lachlan Murdoch has an 8.5 per cent stake in Ten. The effect on competition in bidding for sports broadcasting rights is likely to be a key consideration for the ACCC.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, ILLYRIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CONSOLIDATED MEDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

Turnbull calls for TV licence trade-offs

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 24-Jul-15

The CEOs of Australia’s commercial TV networks pressed their case for a reduction in broadcast licence fees when they met with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull on 23 July 2015. Turnbull has acknowledged that the networks are facing growing competition from companies such as streaming video providers, but he told the networks that they will need to suggest ways to offset the fall in government revenue if licence fees are reduced.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY