MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Nine Radio takes short-term hit as Jones exits, but gets space to reset

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 13-May-20

Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones will step down as host of 2GB’s breakfast show after a 35-year career in radio. Ben Fordham will move from the drive slot to take over the breakfast slot, where Jones has dominated the ratings for many years. Patrick Potts of Martin Currie says Fordham is likely to lose some of Jones’s loyal audience, but notes that he may attract a younger demographic. 2GB may also regain some of the advertisers that boycotted the breakfast show in 2019 due to Jones’s comments about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Jones will continue to appear on pay-TV channel Sky News and write for News Corp mastheads.

CORPORATES
2GB, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SKY NEWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

News Corp set to ditch printed versions of regional papers

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Original article by Max Mason, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 13-May-20

Sources have indicated that News Corp Australia will shift to digital-only editions of some regional and community newspapers after negotiations to sell the business ended. News Corp launched a number of digital-only newspapers in 2018, with content that is produced by a local reporter being supplemented with stories from other newspapers in its portfolio. News Corp is believed to be considering this model for newspapers that will become digital-only.

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

Restructure or sell? News Corp sizes up some assets

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Original article by Max Mason, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 12-May-20

Sources have indicated that News Corp Australia will restructure its regional and community newspapers arm if a deal to sell the business cannot be reached quickly. News Corp has held talks about selling the newspapers to Australian Community Media. It is believed that a key issue for News Corp is the value of the mastheads in terms of cross-marketing with REA Group; ACM’s joint owner Antony Catalano has a 26 per cent stake in rival property listings portal Real Estate View.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, REALESTATE.COM.AU, REALESTATEVIEW.COM.AU LIMITED, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA

15.6 million Australians are reading or accessing magazine content

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-May-20

Roy Morgan’s Enhanced Cross-Platform Audience results for the three months of the March quarter 2020 show 15.6 million Australians are reading a print magazine or accessing magazine content online via websites, apps, or platforms such as Apple News in an average four weeks. This reach covers 74% of the Australian population aged 14+. Bauer Media’s ‘Now to Love’ online hub is viewed by over 2.7 million Australians in an average four weeks. Leading titles including Woman’s Day, Women’s Weekly, Good Health, TV Week and Take 5 can be accessed at ‘Now to Love’.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

News Corp in talks to sell off regional papers

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 19 : 11-May-20

Australian Community Media may be poised to acquire some or all of News Corp Australia’s regional and community newspapers. ACM already owns a large portfolio of regional newspapers, and it is said to have been holding talks with News Corp about a deal for some time. Both companies have put the print editions of some mastheads on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. News Corp is expected to retain some regional mastheads, including the ‘NT News’ if a deal proceeds.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA

Roy Morgan releases Enhanced Cross-Platform Audience results for Newspapers & Magazines

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 11-May-20

In this ‘digital first’ view of the media landscape Roy Morgan on Friday released its latest cross-platform audience results for Australian newspapers and magazines for the period January – March 2020. Roy Morgan’s audience numbers also include the first set of Apple News audience measurement numbers for the Australian market. In the March quarter of this year an estimated 19.3 million (92%) Australians aged 14+ read or accessed newspapers or newspaper content in some way – print editions, online via website, app or news platforms (including metropolitan, local and regional titles) in an average four weeks. This includes an estimated 16.4 million (78%) reading or accessing metropolitan titles. Some 15.6 million (74%) Australians aged 14+ read or accessed a magazine or magazine content. Most read or accessed is The Sydney Morning Herald with a cross-platform audience of 8.1 million and followed by its Melbourne stablemate The Age with a cross-platform audience of 5.4 million Australians in an average 4 week period in the March quarter. News Corp’s Daily Telegraph is in third place with a cross-platform audience of 4.7 million in front of its Melbourne counterpart the Herald Sun which now has a cross-platform audience of 4.3 million Australians. Click these links to see all the latest March quarter 2020 Enhanced Cross-Platform Audience results for Newspaper Cross-Platform Audiences at http://www.roymorgan.com/industries/media/readership/cross-platform-audiences-newspapers and Magazine Cross-Platform Audiences at http://www.roymorgan.com/industries/media/readership/cross-platform-audiences-magazines.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Ten readies its fourth channel

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 11-May-20

The Ten Network is expected to launch a fourth broadcast channel in the second half of 2020, focusing on general entertainment for Ten’s target audience of people under the age of 50. Ten’s chief sales officer Rod Prosser says the new channel will feature content from a range of sources, including parent company ViacomCBS. Prosser is confident that the advertising market will soon begin to recover from the coronavirus-induced downturn.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, VIACOMCBS INCORPORATED

HT&E radio, digital and outdoor advertising business going strong in coronavirus environment

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: Online : 8-May-20

HT&E has one of the strongest balance sheets in the Australian media sector, according to chairman Hamish McLennan. He noted at the radio, digital and outdoor advertising group’s AGM that it has no undrawn debt and it boasted net cash of $111m at the end of 2019. Meanwhile, CEO Ciaran Davis said the newly-launched Dynamic Audio targeted digital advertising system will enable HT&E’s Australian Radio Network to deliver real-time, personalised advertising to radio audiences.

CORPORATES
HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD

Foxtel steals Stan’s thunder with HBO deal

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 13 & 17 : 7-May-20

Pay-TV group Foxtel has secured a new deal with WarnerMedia to retain the Australian rights for content from television networks such as HBO. Foxtel’s existing content deal was scheduled to expire in 2022, and streaming video provider Stan had also been in talks with WarnerMedia. Stan currently has the rights to some WarnerMedia content, but it will lose this later in 2020 due to the Foxtel deal.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, WARNERMEDIA, HBO, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

No deal with NRL: Nine boss

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 6-May-20

Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks says the cost of sports broadcasting rights must become more sustainable in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. He stresses that Nine has not reached an agreement with the National Rugby League regarding how much it will pay to broadcast the 2020 season. Nine had originally agreed to pay $118m for the 2020 rights, but it is believed to have offered about $90m after the NRL season was put on hold. Marks has indicated that Nine would be prepared to walk away from the NRL if it does not "pay its way". Nine’s current broadcasting rights deal expires in 2022.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE