MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

ABC sued for report on horse cruelty

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 3-Mar-20

Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landy is suing the ABC and journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna for defamation. The legal action relates to a story that aired on ‘7.30’ in October, in which it was alleged that hundreds of former racehorses were sent to abattoirs. V’landy had agreed to appear on the program on behalf of Racing NSW, and stated that no horses in New South Wales were being sent to abattoirs. His lawyers will allege that the ABC acted dishonestly in not telling him that it had undercover footage of animal cruelty that it was going to air on the program, and that V’landy should have been given the chance to explain that Racing NSW had no jurisdiction in Queensland, where most of the horses that were sent to abattoirs came from.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, RACING NSW

Media regime just a way to keep bad laws

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Original article by Richard Ferguson, Leo Shanahan
The Weekend Australian – Page: 7 : 29-Feb-20

The Australian Federal Police and the Department of Home Affairs have used a joint submission to the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security to propose a ‘notice to produce’ regime for journalists. This would require an independent body to assess requests from security agencies for access to documents and communications between journalists and their confidential sources. The proposal has been criticised by News Corp Australia’s executive chairman Michael Miller, while Labor contends that journalists would still be at risk from prosecution and jail.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Streaming lifts Foxtel’s sports subs to record

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 28-Feb-20

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany has defended the pay-TV group’s Kayo Sports streaming service, after its subscriber base declined in the December quarter. He argues that four of the five major sports in Australia end their seasons in September, so Kayo can expect to have fewer subscribers in a period when cricket is the only major sport. The media group’s sports subscriber base has risen to a record level when measured across its traditional broadcast, Foxtel Now and Kayo services.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, FOXTEL NOW

ABC won’t appeal Federal Court ruling that found AFP raids on public broadcaster valid

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Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 28-Feb-20

ABC MD David Anderson has advised that the public broadcaster will not contest the Federal Court’s recent decision to dismiss its challenge to the validity of police raids on its Sydney offices in mid-2019. The court found that the Australian Federal Police’s warrant to search the ABC’s premises was valid, and it ordered the broadcaster to pay costs. Anderson has described the ruling as a "blow to media freedom", adding that it has implications for journalists and the public’s right to know.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Nine to give sport, movies the chop

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 27-Feb-20

Nine Entertainment Company has reported a 2019-20 interim net profit of $101.9m, which is 41 per cent lower than previously. The result was marred by write-downs totalling $75.2m. The Nine Network’s underlying earnings fell by 36 per cent to $103.5m and revenue was six per cent lower at $531.2m, while earnings from its digital and publishing assets rose by seven per cent to $46.7m. Nine CEO Hugh Marks has flagged cost cuts of $100m at the Nine Network over the next three years.

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

News Corp underpaid super

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 25-Feb-20

News Corp Australia says that about 2,500 current and former employees have not received their correct superannuation entitlements due to payroll system errors. A spokesman says that most of the affected employees were underpaid by less than $250, and they are collectively owed around $1.5m. The underpayments were discovered during a review of News Corp’s super contributions, which also revealed some instances of wages being overpaid.

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

Free-to-air TV takes a $2bn tumble

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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

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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

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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

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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