MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Free-to-air TV takes a $2bn tumble

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Maddison
The Australian – Page: 25 : 24-Feb-20

Australia’s three commercial free-to-air networks have written down the value of their broadcasting licences by $2.276bn since 2015. Amongst other things, the networks are facing growing competition from subscription video-on-demand services, which are not subject to the same regulation as traditional broadcasters and do not pay tax in Australia. Research by Roy Morgan in 2019 showed that nearly 14 million Australians had a paid subscription to a streaming service.

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

Optus eyes more European football

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 24-Feb-20

Optus has ramped up its soccer coverage since gaining the local broadcasting rights to the English Premier League in 2015. The telco also has the rights to the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League, amongst others, and its Optus Sport streaming service now boasts some 825,000 active subscribers. Optus is also believed to be looking at gaining the rights to Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A; beIN Sports Australia’s existing rights deals are set to end in the next year or so.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, OPTUS SPORT, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, BEIN SPORTS AUSTRALIA

ABC eclipses rivals on bias inquiry list

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 24-Feb-20

Of the 40 published reports produced by the Australian Communications & Media Authority between July 2015 and June 2019 that were prompted by complaints, 25 related to the ABC. ACMA found four breaches as a consequence of its published reports, with three relating to the ABC in regard to issues of fairness, impartiality and reply, including one relating to a report on former prime minister Tony Abbott. The revelations regarding the ABC come at a time when ACMA is conducting a review into commercial influence on free-to-air and subscription television news.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Seven slumps on downgrade

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 17 & 23 : 19-Feb-20

Seven West Media has posted a 2018-19 interim net loss of $66.3m, with underlying EBIT down 21 per cent at $119.7 and revenue falling 3.2 per cent to $771.7m. The media group advised that its full-year earnings will be 13 per cent lower than previously forecast amid challenging condition in the advertising market, while CEO James Warburton has flagged the potential for "transformative" mergers and acquisitions. Seven will seek to reduce costs by 20 per cent in the second half, and it will consider asset sales.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Ten bounces back from Big Bash League loss

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Zoe Samios
The Age – Page: Online : 17-Feb-20

New figures show that the Ten Network increased its share of the free-to-air TV advertising market by four percentage points in January, to 20.5 per cent. Ten’s share of advertising revenue fell to 16.4 per cent in January 2019, due to factors such as the loss of the Big Bash League broadcasting rights. This compares with 27.9 per cent in 2018, which was its last year as the BBL’s free-to-air broadcaster. The Nine and Seven networks’ share of ad revenue was 42.7 per cent and 36.9 per cent respectively in January.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, BIG BASH LEAGUE

Lions tour for next rugby TV deal scrum

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 17-Feb-20

Rugby Australia hopes to sign off on a new broadcasting rights deal by the end of April, with Foxtel, Optus and Network Ten understood to have signed non-disclosure agreements for the negotiating process. It is believed that Rugby Australia has secured the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour to help make its five-year rights deal more appealing to broadcasters; it had previously been reported that the deal would not include the tour. Rugby Australia’s new rights deal will include over 400 matches, including New South Wales and Queensland club rights.

CORPORATES
RUGBY AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

Prosecutors drop more charges against media over Pell trial

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Liz Main
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 14-Feb-20

Twenty-eight charges brought against four of the 36 journalists and media companies charged with breaching suppression orders in relation to Cardinal George Pell have been dropped. The orders were imposed in June 2018, with the media directed not to report on two trials that Pell faced over historical child sex offences until a verdict was handed down in the second trial. When Pell was found guilty in the first trial, the media reported that a high profile person had been found guilty, but that they were not allowed to report it. Prosecutors claimed that the media hints amounted to a breach of the orders.

CORPORATES
SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Optus in rugby maul as it chases new subscribers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 14-Feb-20

Tender documents for Rugby Australia’s new five-year broadcasting rights deal will be sent to prospective bidders within days. Optus CEO Allen Lew says the telco would be interested in buying the rights, which would boost the offering of its sports streaming service. Optus Sports boasts some 825,000 active subscribers, making it the nation’s largest sports-focused streaming service. Foxtel has been Rugby Australia’s broadcast partner for 25 years, and some media reports have suggested that it will not seek to renew the rights.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, OPTUS SPORTS, RUGBY AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Foxtel reshuffles senior executive team as it resets its operating model

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: Online : 13-Feb-20

Foxtel has promoted Les Wigan to the role of executive director of operations and technology, with responsibility for technology platforms, services and operations across the pay-TV group’s operations. Wigan is currently chief operating officer at Foxtel’s Kayo Sports streaming service. Meanwhile, Foxtel’s director of customer service Lesley Portwain will take on the newly-created role of chief customer service officer. The management reshuffle was prompted by the resignation of chief operations officer Euan Smith.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS

Kayo streaming service kicks off deal for Telstra customers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Swan
The Australian – Page: 24 : 12-Feb-20

Telstra has secured an exclusive deal to provide its customers with discounted access to Foxtel’s Kayo Sports streaming service. New and returning Kayo subscribers who are Telstra customers will be eligible to receive a monthly discount of $10 on its basic and premium packages for 12 months. Kayo boasted 350,000 subscribers at the end of December. Telstra is the minority shareholder in Foxtel, which is controlled by News Corp.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS