MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Seven West’s five-year fightback

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 24-Aug-20

Former Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood has completed a review of West Australian Newspapers, amid ongoing speculation about the future of the Seven West Media division. WAN’s editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie says Hywood’s recommendations will be taken into account in developing a five-year plan for the newspaper publisher. He adds that WAN will continue to publish print editions for some time, while there has been strong growth in digital subscriptions since WAN paywalled its news websites in mid-2019. Seven West will report its 2019-20 financial results on 25 August.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS HOLDINGS LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED

Google may walk over media code

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by John Durie
The Australian – Page: 15 & 24 : 20-Aug-20

Google’s revenue in Australia totalled $4.3bn in 2020, while its net profit fell from $129.5m to just $33.9m. Although the digital giant has not publicly threatened to withdraw its search engine from the Australian market in response to the mandatory code of conduct, such a move is clearly being contemplated. Any move by Google to pull out of the local market could test the resolve of other nations to crack down on digital companies. It would also be very risky from a commercial point of view, as it would give Google’s search engine rivals a big boost in a market which it dominates.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Ten confirms exit from Supercars, leaving Seven in pole position

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 24-Jul-20

The Ten Network’s director of sport production Adam Cush has advised that it will relinquish the Supercars’ free-to-air broadcasting rights at the end of 2020. Ten and pay-TV group Foxtel secured a six-year rights deal in 2013 which commenced in 2015. Ten indicated earlier in 2020 that it may not seek to renew the rights deal. Seven West Media previously held the free-to-air broadcasting rights, but its push to reduce costs means it may be unwilling to pay too much for the Supercars rights.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, V8 SUPERCARS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Curb on mega-payouts to celebrities

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 2 : 24-Jul-20

A proposed national model law will be on the agenda of a Council of Attorneys-General meeting on 27 July. The national model laws includes changes to defamation laws, including replacing the existing defence of statutory qualified privilege for media companies with a new defence of public interest journalism. The model bill will also seek to address the rising cost of defamation payouts, amid a growing trend for judges to bypass existing caps on damages for causing harm to a person’s reputation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. COUNCIL OF ATTORNEYS-GENERAL

Subscription TV viewers soar during Aussie lockdown – Netflix, Foxtel, Stan, Disney+ & Amazon Prime all up significantly

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 22-Jul-20

New data from Roy Morgan reveals Australians were adding new subscription TV services at an astonishing rate during the lockdown period which started in late March. Now almost 15.74 million Australians have access to a subscription TV service, up 878,000 (+5.9%) in only three months. All the major subscription TV services have been big winners out of the lockdown with big increases in viewers for Netflix, Foxtel, Stan, Disney+ and Amazon Prime in the three months to May 2020 compared to the prior three month period to February 2020 (pre COVID-19 lockdown). Netflix remains by far the nation’s most watched subscription television service, with 13.28 million viewers, an increase of over 1 million in only three months (+8.8%). Foxtel has also experienced its best growth for many years with over 5.5 million viewers, up 658,000 (+13.6%) since the pre-COVID-19 period. Also growing strongly during lockdown have been third-placed Stan which grew 729,000 (+19.7%) to 4,434,000 viewers, newcomer Disney+ which was up 689,000 (+38.2%) and Amazon Prime Video now with 2,166,000 viewers – an increase of 678,000 (+45.5%) since February.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, DISNEY+, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

TV networks prepare for second half of COVID-19 marathon

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Natasha Gillezeau
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 13-Jul-20

The Nine Network has a total audience share of 27.8 per cent halfway through the ratings year, ahead of the Seven Network’s 26.5 per cent and the Ten Network’s 18.7 per cent. Free-to-air networks have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted production schedules and affected advertising revenue. However, Daniel Cutrone of media buyer Avenue C says the challenging conditions in 2020 present opportunities for advertisers who would not usually consider TV as an option.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, AVENUE C

News Corp rolls out 50 digital mastheads

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 13-Jul-20

News Corp Australia has chosen Ballarat, Port Lincoln and the Clare Valley as the launch sites for its new digital mastheads. The first 15 digital-only newspapers will be launched by September, with plans to launch more than 50 over the next three years. The mastheads will feature ‘hyperlocal’ news content, while subscribers will have access to content from metropolitan newspapers and the media group’s NCA NewsWire service. News Corp already has 92 digital-only mastheads, including 76 whose print editions were recently discontinued.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

ABC joins calls for tech titans to pay for news

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 7 : 9-Jul-20

The ABC’s MD David Anderson has used a National Press Club speech to argue that the public broadcaster should be included in a revenue-sharing agreement with digital companies such as Google and Facebook. He said this revenue could be reinvested in public interest journalism. Anderson also contended that the ABC provides "great value" in return for its annual budget of more than $1bn. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s draft mandatory code for digital companies is expected to be released by the end of July.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Newspaper publisher ACM may close presses in Victoria, SA and Canberra, shedding 200 jobs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Emilia Terzon
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 9-Jul-20

Regional newspaper publisher Australian Community Media may shut down four of its nine printing plants. ACM has declined to comment on the likely job losses if the printing presses in Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Canberra and Murray Bridge are shut down; the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union estimates that about 200 people would be retrenched, primarily in Ballarat. ACM says reduction in printing volumes due to the coronavirus pandemic means it has excess print capacity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA

Wilson one of AAP’s mystery investors

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 7-Jul-20

Wilson Asset Management founder Geoff Wilson is a member of the consortium that has acquired the newswire business of Australian Associated Press. Wilson has stressed that he contributed to the consortium via a privately-owned entity rather than any of his listed companies. The 35-member consortium finalised the deal in late June, and will formally take control of the business on 1 August.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT