MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Hockey hit with costs on Fairfax case

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Original article by Marianna Papadakis, Katie Walsh
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 23-Jul-15

Treasurer Joe Hockey faces a huge legal bill after the Federal Court ordered Fairfax Media to pay just 15 per cent of his legal costs in a defamation lawsuit. Hockey was awarded $A200,000 in damages over tweets and newspaper advertising posters that were deemed to be defamatory. However, it is estimated that Hockey’s total legal costs in defending the case could be around $A300,000. Hockey failed to prove that published newspaper articles relating to the tweets and posters were defamatory.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ACA LAWYERS PTY LTD, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY

Turnbull set to grill TV executives

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 23-Jul-15

The CEOs of most of Australia’s metropolitan and regional commercial TV networks will meet with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull on 23 July 2015. They will press their case for a reduction in annual broadcasting licence fees, an issue on which there is rare consensus in the industry. However, Turnbull is tipped to take a tough stance after the networks thwarted the Federal Government’s bid to allow public broadcaster SBS to show more advertisements each hour.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), 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, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Nine’s the one again when it comes to news

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 20-Jul-15

The Seven Network boasts a 30 per cent audience share so far in the 2015 ratings year, compared with 31.2 per cent at the same time in 2014. Nine Network’s audience share has fallen to 27.6 per cent, while Ten Network has increased its share. However, Nine has won every week of the prime-time news ratings battle in both Sydney and Melbourne. Nine’s evening news bulletin has benefited from a strong lead from "Millionaire Hot Seat", while "A Current Affair" is dominating the 7pm timeslot.

CORPORATES
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, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, TWITTER INCORPORATED

Turnbull to talk up fee cuts

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 20-Jul-15

The CEOs of free-to-air TV networks will be able to press their case for a reduction in licence fees when they meet with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull on 23 July 2015. The annual licence fee is currently set at 4.5 per cent of each network’s revenue, but they believe that the fee should be reduced or scrapped due to competition from new media players such as streaming video providers. Free TV Australia also argue that Australia’s licence fees are higher than in countries such as the UK.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, 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, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Netflix adds another 400,000 Australians in June – now up over 1.42 million

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Jul-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 1.42 million Australians aged 14+ in 559,000 homes had a Netflix subscription in June 2015. The survey also shows that 8.4 per cent of households with fixed broadband have a Netflix subscription. However, 16.8 per cent of households with fixed broadband through iiNet (or one of its standalone subsidiaries) have Netflix, compared with 11.7 per cent of Optus’s fixed broadband customers and 5.2 per cent of Telstra’s fixed broadband customers. Meanwhile, 9.6 per cent of homes with an NBN connection use Netflix.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, IINET LIMITED – ASX IIN, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, INTERNODE SYSTEMS PTY LTD, WESTNET PTY LTD, ADAM INTERNET PTY LTD, M2 GROUP LIMITED – ASX MTU, DODO INTERNET PTY LTD, IPRIMUS, APPLE INCORPORATED, FETCHTV PTY LTD, CHROMECAST

Kyle, Jackie O slip but Jones still king

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 8-Jul-15

The latest radio ratings survey by GfK shows that 2GB presenter Alan Jones continues to dominate Sydney’s breakfast slot, with a 16 per cent audience share. The audience share of KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O eased from 10.2 per cent to 8.6 per cent, although Duncan Campbell of Australian Radio Network expects their ratings to rebound. The Hit Network’s breakfast show team of Dan and Maz recorded a modest ratings increase.

CORPORATES
GFK PTY LTD, 2GB, MACQUARIE RADIO NETWORK LIMITED – ASX MRN, 101.7 WS-FM, TRIPLE M CORPORATION PTY LTD, KIIS1065, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, THE HIT NETWORK, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

PM rejects rural MP concerns over media law reform

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Jul-15

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says changes to cross-media ownership laws will only be on the agenda if all media groups support reform. MPs in regional electorates have called for the current laws to be scrapped, amid concerns that regional TV broadcasters will be forced to cut jobs and local news services. Meanwhile, Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood says the competition regulator should closely examine Ten’s proposed equity deal with Foxtel, due to News Corp’s 50 per cent stake in the latter.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, DOMAIN.COM.AU, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

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