MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Sports rights inflation ‘almost untenable’, says MCN boss

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 25-May-15

Multi Channel Network CEO Anthony Fitzgerald has questioned whether the continued rise in the cost of sports broadcasting rights is viable for both TV networks and advertisers. Telstra’s MD of media and marketing, Joe Pollard has expressed similar sentiments, saying the telco will not overpay for sports rights. The Australian Football League is believed to be seeking about $A1.75m for its next rights deal, compared with $A1.25bn for the current deal.

CORPORATES
MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SKY PLC, BT PLC, PREMIER LEAGUE

APN cautious about bold step

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 21-May-15

APN News & Media does not expect its revenue to be significantly affected by plans to paywall the websites of its regional newspapers in Queensland. CEO Michael Miller notes that Australian consumers have become used to paying for digital content. The paywalled news sites will use a metered model, whereby a limited number of articles can be read each month without a subscription.

CORPORATES
APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, GANNETT, JOHNSTON PRESS PLC

Hey Presto: Streaming joint venture gets ACCC green light

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 18-May-15

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has approved the Presto joint venture between Seven West Media and Foxtel. Presto’s Shaun James says this will allow the partners to substantially increase the content that is available on the video streaming service. Meanwhile, Fraser McLeish of Credit Suisse expects US-based Netflix to become the leading player in Australia’s video streaming sector. He forecasts that the industry will boast revenue of $A700m by 2023.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, STAN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

A-League win for Fox Sports, SBS

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 34 : 18-May-15

Some 13,000 spectators on average attended an A-League match during the 2014-15 season. The competition has also been popular with TV viewers, with SBS reporting 24.6 per cent growth in audience numbers in 2014-15. Meanwhile, Fox Sports notes that pay-TV audience numbers have increased by 45 per cent since the A-League was established in 2005. SBS and Fox Sports jointly paid $A160m for the A-League broadcasting rights in a four-year deal in 2013.

CORPORATES
SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, MELBOURNE VICTORY FOOTBALL CLUB PTY LTD, SYDNEY FOOTBALL CLUB, SOCCEROOS, SPINACH ADVERTISING PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Southern Cross wants CEO ready for deals

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 12-May-15

Heidrick & Struggles has been hired to find a successor to Southern Cross Media Group CEO Rhys Holleran, who will step down on 31 July 2015. Non-executive chairman Peter Bush will take up the role of executive chairman until Holleran’s replacement is appointed. Bush says priorities for the new CEO will include reversing a downturn in revenue and preparing the group for potential cross-media ownership reforms.

CORPORATES
SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, HEIDRICK AND STRUGGLES AUSTRALIA LIMITED, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, 2DAY FM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, KIIS1065, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Telstra has no plans to charge Netflix

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 11-May-15

Telstra spokesman Steve Carey notes that video now comprises around 50 per cent of the telco’s traffic, but he says it has ruled out charges streaming video providers to access its network. Singtel Optus CEO Allan Lew recently said such fees could be an option for providing higher-quality service to companies such as Netflix. Meanwhile, Telstra is pursuing a deal with Netflix to undertake joint marketing campaigns and promotions.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, IINET LIMITED – ASX IIN

Corbett on mergers, mistakes, News

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 23-Mar-15

Fairfax Media chairman Roger Corbett has welcomed proposed changes to Australia’s cross-media ownership laws. Corbett says Fairfax is in a strong position to participate in any rationalisation of the media industry, adding that there would be significant economies of scale from Fairfax merging with a TV network. Meanwhile, Corbett has stressed that the print editions of Fairfax’s major newspapers are not under threat, and concedes that the group should have bought Carsales.com in 2006

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, CARSALES.COM LIMITED – ASX CRZ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, DOMAIN.COM.AU, AUSTEREO GROUP LIMITED

Foxtel fights back as streaming services tempt subscribers

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 23-Mar-15

A Venture Consulting surveys shows that around 250,000 of Foxtel’s customers intend to cancel or reduce their pay-TV subscription and start using a video streaming service in the next three months. Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein is confident that the company’s subscriber base will not be unduly affected by the growth of video streaming. Foxtel has joined forces with Seven West Media to establish its own streaming service

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, VENTURE CONSULTING PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, STAN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, APPLE INCORPORATED, COMCAST CORPORATION, TIME WARNER INCORPORATED

Discovery Communications walks from Channel Ten auction

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 23-Mar-15

Discovery Communications has abandoned its proposed takeover of the Ten Network in partnership with Foxtel. They had initially offered $A0.26 per share, but reduced this to $A0.23 after due diligence. Discovery and Foxtel had proposed to acquire Ten’s main assets, and Discovery would not support an alternative proposal from Ten directors for the joint venture partners to each acquire a 14.99 per cent stake and gain a seat on Ten’s board

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, LAZARD ASSET MANAGEMENT PACIFIC COMPANY

Murdoch eyes radio assets in APN play

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Original article by Dominic White, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 20-Mar-15

Independent News & Media (INM) and Baycliffe have exited the share register of Australian-listed APN News & Media. INM netted about $A180m for its 191 million shares, while Baycliffe offloaded 125 million shares for $A117m. Meanwhile, News Corporation has built a 14.99 per cent stake in APN, although under existing media ownership laws it is prohibited from increasing this. APN shares were placed in a trading halt at $A0.94 on 19 March 2015

CORPORATES
APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, INDEPENDENT NEWS AND MEDIA PLC, BAYCLIFFE LIMITED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, KIIS1065, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, 101.7 WS-FM, NOVA 96.9 PTY LTD, SMOOTHFM, 2DAY FM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NZME, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD