MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Abbott bowed to mates: Hartigan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 2-Jul-15

Regional TV broadcasters will use a media campaign to push for the Australian Government to reconsider its decision to shelve cross-media ownership reforms. Prime Media Group chairman John Hartigan has warned that jobs at regional broadcasters and local news services will be at risk if the proposed reforms to do not proceed. He has suggested that Prime Minister Tony Abbott was "kowtowing" to media barons Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Stokes in abandoning the reforms.

CORPORATES
PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NOVA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE

Hockey wins $200,000 in Fairfax case

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Original article by Marianna Papadakis, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 1-Jul-15

Fairfax Media has been ordered to pay $A200,000 in damages to Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey in his defamation case against the newspaper publisher. The damages payout comprises $A120,000 arising from the publication of newspaper posters saying "Treasurer for sale", plus $A80,000 for several tweets with a similar message. Justice Richard White ruled that the posters and tweets were defamatory, although the newspaper articles to which they referred did not defame Hockey.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NORTH SYDNEY FORUM

Streaming addresses digital appetite: James

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 29-Jun-15

Presto CEO Shaun James believes that Australian streaming video services offer sufficiently competitive prices to deter consumers from downloading illegal copies of films and TV shows. He argues that the situation cannot be compared with the rise of music-sharing service Napster, as there were no alternatives for buying legitimate copies of music online at the time. The Presto joint venture between Foxtel and Seven West Media will launch its first Australian-made TV show later in 2015.

CORPORATES
PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NAPSTER INCORPORATED, THE PIRATE BAY, XYZNETWORKS PTY LTD, WARNER MUSIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, APPLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Seven West boosts board

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Original article by Max Mason, David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 25-Jun-15

Australian-listed Seven West Media has made four new appointments to its board of directors. CEO Tim Worner will join the board, as will iiNet founder Michael Malone, Gilbert + Tobin partner Sheila McGregor and former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett. The new directors offer expertise in a range of sectors beyond the media industry, and Kennett notes the need for boards to have a wide range of skills.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, IINET LIMITED – ASX IIN, GILBERT AND TOBIN LAWYERS, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN.COM.AU, HAWTHORN FOOTBALL CLUB, BEYOND BLUE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Netflix is the new black: 1 million users, more than 3 times rivals Presto, Stan, Quickflix & Foxtel Play combined

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Jun-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 1,039,000 Australians aged 14+ in 408,000 households had subscribed to the Netflix streaming video on demand service in May 2015. In contrast, 97,000 Australians were subscribed to the Presto joint venture between Foxtel and Seven West Media, while 91,000 had a subscription to Stan, which Nine Entertainment and Fairfax Media launched in January. Meanwhile, Australian-listed Quickflix had just 43,000 subscribers and 40,000 had Foxtel Play, the streaming version of its pay-TV service.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

Seven Group new boss set to take helm

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 23-Jun-15

Seven Group Holdings’ incoming CEO Ryan Stokes will receive an annual salary of $A1.6m when he succeeds Don Voelte in July 2015. Stokes has been an executive director of the conglomerate since 2010, and became COO in 2012. His remuneration also includes both short- and long-term incentive plans. Voelte revealed his intention to step down in April.

CORPORATES
SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, WESTRAC HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Football rights on agenda as providers talk to codes

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Original article by John Stensholt, Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 22-Jun-15

The latest five-year deals for Australian Football League and National Rugby League broadcasting rights are expected to fetch between $A1.5bn and $A2bn. Both codes are believed to have held talks with digital companies and online steaming services. However, companies such as Google and Netflix are expected to partner with traditional media companies to offer content rather than providing live streaming of matches themselves. Singtel Optus is also keen to secure digital broadcasting rights.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FETCHTV PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SKY SPORTS, FOX FOOTY CHANNEL

Davis ready to take APN reins

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 22-Jun-15

Australian Radio Network (ARN) CEO Ciaran Davis will succeed Michael Miller as CEO of parent company APN News & Media. ARN recruited Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson for the rebranded KIIS radio station during Davis’s five-year tenure as CEO. Meanwhile, Miller will become executive chairman of News Corp’s Australasian division.

CORPORATES
APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, KIIS1065, MIX-FM, 2DAY FM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

Google a scary competitor, says Ten boss

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Original article by Paul McIntyre
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 22-Jun-15

Foxtel’s MCN advertising business will assume responsibility for selling ads on the Ten Network in September 2015. Ten CEO Hamish McLennan says global internet companies such as Google present a major threat to Australian TV broadcasters, and warns that they could soon be competing with traditional media companies for sports broadcasting rights. MCN CEO Anthony Fitzgerald adds that there is a need to redefine TV as consumers are now watching broadcast-quality video on a range of devices.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, SOUND ALLIANCE PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, OPTIMUM MEDIA DIRECTION PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, THE HOOPLA

Former ACCC head believes Ten, Foxtel deal likely to go ahead

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 17-Jun-15

The proposed equity deal between Ten Network and Foxtel will have to be approved by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. Former chairman Allan Fels says the growth of internet-based streaming video services should ensure that the deal is not blocked on competition grounds. John Kettle of law firm McCullough Robertson also expects the deal to be approved, and he says contractual arrangements between Ten and Foxtel are likely to attract the most scrutiny.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, McCULLOUGH ROBERTSON, STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, ILLYRIA PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD