MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

ABC pushes ahead with job cuts in arduous year

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 10-Jun-20

ABC MD David Anderson has informed staff that budget cuts will force the public broadcaster to retrench more than 200 employees. Anderson also indicated that the ABC will initially seek voluntary redundancies in divisions that are likely to lose at least 10 employees, although forced redundancies will also be necessary. The ABC will releases its five-year plan later in June; it was delayed earlier in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The federal government imposed a three-year funding freeze on the ABC in 2019.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

AAP enters final stages of sale, will continue to operate but says some jobs will be lost

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Original article by Hannah Blackiston
Mumbrella – Page: Online : 9-Jun-20

A consortium of investors and philanthropists headed by former News Corp Australia CEO Peter Tonagh is set to acquire the newswire business of Australian Associated Press. The consortium has commenced negotiations with AAP for a binding sale contract, and the deal is expected to be finalised by mid-June. The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance has welcomed the deal to sell the AAP Newswire business, but notes that it will result in the loss of some jobs. The consortium will retain 85-90 jobs, including at least 70 editorial staff. AAP’s existing shareholders will retain the other parts of its business.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

News in shared digital strategy

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 19 : 8-Jun-20

News Corp Australia veteran Peter Blunden will head the media group’s new specialist network teams of journalists, which will produce content across its metropolitan, community and regional mastheads. He says the traditional ‘silo model’ of journalism is no longer relevant, and quality content must be shared across its portfolio of mastheads. Blunden has also defended the decision to adopt a digital-only model for some regional and community newspapers, arguing that the print editions were not sustainable.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Catalano flags return of regional newspapers

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 16 : 5-Jun-20

Antony Catalano has indicated that Australian Community Media is looking at digital opportunities, but it has no plans to adopt a digital-only model for any of its regional titles. ACM put the print editions of some titles on hold in April in response to the coronavirus-induced downturn in the advertising market; Catalano says publication of these titles will resume as soon as possible, but it will depend on factors such as the pace at which lockdown restrictions are eased. He adds that there are signs of an upturn in the advertising market.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA

Plea to save media jobs in the regions

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 30-May-20

Regional media companies such as WIN Corporation and Australian Community Media have lobbied the federal government to further relax cross-media ownership laws. Concerns about the future of the regional media sector have been heightened by News Corp Australia’s decision to axe 36 regional and community newspapers and shift 76 titles to digital-only editions. The move will also result in the loss of hundreds of jobs. Further job cuts in the regional media are possible when the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme ends in September.

CORPORATES
WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Nine budget cuts slam shut 60 Minutes chequebook

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 19 : 1-Jun-20

Nine Entertainment Company is believed to have ceased the controversial practice of paid interviews, as part of broader budget cuts at its flagship ’60 Minutes’ current affairs program. Former ’60 Minutes’ reporter Ray Martin says he hated so-called "chequebook journalism" when he was at the ABC, but he came to accept that it was necessary after joining the Nine Network. Nine is also believed to have reduced the staff and travel budget of ’60 Minutes’.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

$1bn NRL broadcast deal kicks off

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 13 & 20 : 29-May-20

The National Rugby League has negotiated a revised broadcasting rights deal with Fox Sports and Nine Entertainment for the 2020 season. The two broadcasters are believed to have been granted a 30 per cent discount for the remainder of their existing rights deals, which expire at the end of the 2022 season. Fox Sports has also agreed to extend its NRL rights deal for a further eight years. The NRL season resumed on 28 May, after a two-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED

News Corp Binges to ease Foxtel’s streaming woes

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 25-May-20

Binge CEO Julian Ogrin says he is confident that the new entertainment streaming service will attract more subscribers to Foxtel. Ogrin also runs Foxtel’s Kayo sports streaming service; he says that like Kayo, Foxtel is going for "a whole new audience" with Binge. He believes that Binge will complement Netflix’s local subscriber base, while industry observers believe the money that Foxtel is putting into Binge is similar to the amount it put into Kayo when it was launched in November 2018. News Corp Australia owns 65 per cent of Foxtel.

CORPORATES
BINGE, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

AAP bid: consumer watchdog warns Nine and News Corp against any attempt to block sale

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Original article by Paul Smee
The Guardian – Page: Online : 25-May-20

Former News Corp CEO Peter Tonagh is heading a consortium that has tabled a bid for Australian Associated Press. The consortium also includes Samuel Terry Asset Management MD Fred Woollard and Australian Impact Investments MD Kylie Charlton. It is believed that AAP’s shareholders – News Corporation, Seven West Media and Nine – have yet to accept any offer for the news wire service. Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has stressed the importance of AAP to media diversity and competition, and he warns that any attempt by Nine and News to block its would raise concerns in regard to competition law.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Bauer says subscriptions to its magazines have surged by over 60%

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Original article by Vivienne Kelly
Mumbrella – Page: Online : 21-May-20

Bauer Media Australia has advised that its magazine subscription sales have risen by over 60 per cent in the past month when compared to the previous month. Subscription increases for individual titles include a 97 per cent increase for ‘The Australian Women’s Weekly’ and an 81 per cent rise for ‘Woman’s Day’. When compared to the corresponding period in 2019, Bauer’s magazine subscriptions are up by 111 per cent over the past 30 days.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD