MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

US keeps eye on Australia’s big tech rules

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 23-Apr-20

The US media industry has welcomed the Australian government’s move to require technology companies to pay news publishers for their content. Digital Content Next CEO Jason Kint says the mandatory code of conduct shows that the government recognises the significance of the problem and its impact on traditional media companies. News Media Alliance CEO David Chavern adds that there is growing concern across the political spectrum regarding the impact of digital platforms. The US Congress is also monitoring efforts in Australia and elsewhere to reign in the digital giants.

CORPORATES
DIGITAL CONTENT NEXT, NEWS MEDIA ALLIANCE, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

It’s official: Online sources overtake TV as main source of news – for 59% of Gen Z social media is their main choice of news

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Apr-20

New research from Roy Morgan shows that the internet has overtaken TV as the main place Australians turn for their news. Some 12.7 million Australians (60.6%, up 2.8ppts since mid-2018) now use the internet for news. This includes social media (37.6%); news or newspaper websites or apps (29.2%) and news feed sites (16.3%). TV is now used by 12.4 million Australians (59.5%) as their main source of news, down more than 6ppts from 65.6% in June 2018. This comprises free-to-air TV (56.4%, down 5.9ppts) and Pay TV (8.3%). Meanwhile, around 80% of Baby Boomers and Pre-Boomers say free-to-air TV is a main source of news for them, and nearly two-thirds of Generation X (64%) nominate free-to-air TV as a main news source. However, the popularity of free-to-air TV drops away significantly for younger generations. Only 40% of Millennials and 36% of Generation Z say free-to-air TV is a main source of news. In contrast to the older generations, both Millennials (77%) and Generation Z (74%) are more likely to say the internet is a main source of news, ahead of other forms of media.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

ABC in the frame for tech giant payments

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 22-Apr-20

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says that all media companies should be included in the revenue-sharing deal with Google and Facebook. This could potentially include the taxpayer-funded ABC, and Sims notes that the media sector will be in a weaker bargaining position if the public broadcaster is not involved. Meanwhile, the Victorian government will support regional journalism by spending $4.7m on advertising with non-metropolitan news outlets over the next six months.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

TV networks brace for potential 30 per cent fall in ad revenues despite rising viewership

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Original article by Rod Myer
The New Daily – Page: Online : 21-Apr-20

The coronavirus lockdown has prompted a spike in ratings for TV news bulletins as Australians seek information on the pandemic. Think TV CEO Kim Portrate says there has been strong growth in audiences for traditional linear TV, broadcast video-on-demand and subscription video-on-demand services. However, TV networks’ revenue is being hit by a sharp fall in bookings from advertisers; Jane Ratcliffe from Standard Media Index estimates that ad revenue could fall by 25-30 per cent in April.

CORPORATES
THINK TV, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED

No dirty tactics, ACCC tells tech giants

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 21-Apr-20

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has warned that technology companies will face significant financial penalties if they fail to comply with the mandatory code of conduct. He adds that 8-14 per cent of Google’s search results include news stories, so the company is unlikely to block such content in response to the federal government’s decision to make digital platforms pay news publishers for their content. The ACCC has been given responsibility for developing the payment model.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Big tech made to pay for news

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 20-Apr-20

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has been directed to set up a mandatory code of conduct under which Google and Facebook will be required to pay news publishers for using their content. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says it is only reasonable that those who create content are rewarded for it. Facebook and Google had initially been directed to set up a voluntary code of conduct for content payment by November, but the two technology companies had been accused by media firms of not genuinely engaging in negotiations on the issue. Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks has praised the government for taking "taking swift and decisive action" on the issue.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

It’s too little, too late: media lament aid deal

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich, Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 16-Apr-20

The federal government has announced a $91m financial relief package for the media sector, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Amongst other things, the government will suspend content quotas for local drama and children’s programs for the rest of the year, while TV and radio networks will collectively receive $41m in tax rebates for spectrum fees. Regional media companies will also receive financial support totalling $50m. However, industry executives had hoped for a further relaxation of cross-media ownership laws and action to force digital companies to pay for content.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA, ELLIOTT NEWSPAPER GROUP PTY LTD, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1

AFP search of journalist’s home illegal

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Original article by Michael Pelly, Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 16-Apr-20

Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw says News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst could still face criminal charges despite a landmark High Court ruling on the legal validity of a search warrant. The court has unanimously ruled that the warrant used to search her home in June 2019 was invalid as it was too imprecise and "impossibly wide". However, the court narrowly rejected an application for an injunction requiring the AFP to return or destroy data that it seized in the raid.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Trust in most media during the Coronavirus pandemic is brittle

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Apr-20

Australians need to be able to rely on media for the latest advice and information during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet trust in media outlets remains disappointingly low, as a special media industry distrust risk survey by Roy Morgan has found. Research firm Roy Morgan measures consumer distrust, and the risk it poses to companies, across 25 industries. As a whole, media is the third most distrusted of the 25 industries and it has had the largest increase in distrust of any industry over the past 8 months. The key media brands which buck the trend, those which are highly trusted by Australians, are the ABC, SBS and Netflix, while the most trusted key tech brands, a significant conduit for media content, include Apple and Microsoft. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says amid the first global pandemic in a century, consumer trust is critical for all businesses, but particularly so for media, which is delivering vital information in a rapidly changing environment. Roy Morgan’s ongoing risk monitor shows that levels of trust and distrust for individual companies can change quickly. This variability means regular tracking of the pulse of the community is vital.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), NETFLIX INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION

News Corp warns of hit to Foxtel, Kayo and real estate classifieds

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 15-Apr-20

News Corp expects to lose more Foxtel and Kayo Sports subscribers due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on live sports events. Foxtel’s broadcast and commercial subscriber base fell to 2.268 million in the December quarter, compared with 2.326 million in the September quarter, while its churn rate rose from 14.4 per cent to 16 per cent. Meanwhile, Kayo boasted 402,000 paid subscribers in early November, but this had fallen to around 370,000 by early February. News Corp also expects its property listings businesses in Australia and the US to be hit by the pandemic.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, MOVE INCORPORATED