MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Seven welcomes YouTube’s TV challenge

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Original article by Natasha Gillezeau
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 4-Dec-18

Seven West Media’s chief digital officer Clive Dicken is not unduly concerned about YouTube’s decision to provide free access to its original TV content. Dickens says traditional TV broadcasters are looking to adopt YouTube’s advertising-supported model for streaming video. He also notes that all forms of TV are growing, despite initial fears that subscription video-on-demand services would result in the demise of traditional broadcasters. YouTube’s premium content will be viewable for free on smart TVs from 2019.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, HULU LLC

Don’t kill off mastheads, Nine warned

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 3-Dec-18

David Kirk anticipates further consolidation in Australia’s media sector following the merger between Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media. Kirk, who was Fairfax’s CEO from 2005 to 2008, has urged Nine to retain the media group’s metropolitan mastheads, arguing that they are still a valuable asset. Kirk expects the merger to generate some cost synergies, although he questions its benefits in terms of revenue and profit margins. The newly-enlarged Nine is slated to commence trading on 10 December.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, BAILADOR TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX BTI, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

‘Human error’: News Corp salaries, redundancy entitlements emailed to staff

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Original article by Michael Evans
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 29-Nov-18

News Corp Australia has blamed human error for the leaking of confidential salary information. More than 150 News Corp staffers were inadvertently sent an email which outlined the salary packages and redundancy entitlements of several senior employees of the media group. News Corp later issued a statement advising that three of the employees named in the email are leaving or have left the media group; it also said that one of those named "remains a respected member of the team".

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

End of an era: Fairfax bows out of the ASX

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 29-Nov-18

Shares in Fairfax Media rose 2.3 per cent to $0.66 on 28 November, before the stock was suspended from trading ahead of its delisting. Fairfax’s merger with Nine Entertainment Company is slated to be completed on 7 December, with the combined entity set to begin trading three days later. Fairfax had listed on the stock exchange in its present form in May 1992, with its shares closing at $0.9086 on debut.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, AURORA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, AUSBIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, FIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN

Telstra to offer Kayo Sports streaming service

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 24 : 28-Nov-18

Telstra has advised that Foxtel’s new Kayo Sports video-on-demand service will be available to users of its own streaming platform. Telstra’s Michael Ackland says the telco does not expect Kayo to cannibalise the audience for its own sports streaming content, which includes AFL, NRL and A-League matches. Kayo subscriptions are priced from $25 per month, but Ackland notes that Telstra’s Live Pass subscribers will be able to access Kayo for free. It will also be available via the Telstra TV device.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, KAYO SPORTS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Nine gets claws into Fairfax as Catalano walks

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 & 24 : 28-Nov-18

The Federal Court’s Justice Jacqueline Gleeson has approved the $4bn merger between Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media. Former Domain CEO Antony Catalano has indicated that he is unlikely to appeal the decision, although he maintains that the deal undervalues Fairfax. Catalano had sought to challenge the merger with the financial backing of businessman Nick Bolton. Fairfax shares will be delisted on 29 November.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, 2GB, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Guthrie’s $800k go-away payment

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 3 : 27-Nov-18

The ABC has confirmed that former MD Michelle Guthrie received a termination payment when she was sacked in September. Although the ABC would not state the amount Guthrie received, a newspaper has confirmed that she was paid $800,000. Guthrie, who has filed an "adverse action" claim against the ABC in the Fair Work Commission, said at the time of her dismissal that there was no justification for it, and that she had been "devastated" by the ABC’s actions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, JOHNSON WINTER AND SLATTERY

Kayo enters the streaming arena

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 19 : 27-Nov-18

Participants in the beta-testing phase of Kayo Sports were generally positive about Foxtel’s new dedicated sports streaming video-on-demand service. Kayo Sports CEO Julian Ogrin says the subscription service was rigorously tested prior to its official launch, and he is confident that it will not experience the problems that plagued Optus’s live streams of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

CORPORATES
KAYO SPORTS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AMAYSIM AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX AYS, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Bolton backs Cat’s bid to halt Fairfax deal

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 27-Nov-18

Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media will seek final approval by the Federal Court for their proposed merger on 27 November. It has been revealed that businessman Nick Bolton is one of the financial backers of a legal challenge to the merger that has been launched by former Domain CEO Antony Catalano. Bolton has a 49 per cent stake in Aurora Funds Management, which will join Catalano in his bid to block the deal. More than 81 per cent of Fairfax shareholders had voted in favour of the merger.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AURORA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, BRISCONNECTIONS UNIT TRUSTS, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AUSTRALIAN STYLE INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, THIESS JOHN HOLLAND, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, 2GB, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD

Fairfax or Ten: who’s the BOSS?

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Original article by Nick Tabakoff
The Australian – Page: 27 : 26-Nov-18

Fairfax Media is taking legal action against the Ten Network over the latter’s recently-launched 10 BOSS multi-channel. Fairfax claims that it breaches the trademark of "BOSS" magazine, which is a monthly insert of "The Australian Financial Review". One intellectual property lawyer suggests that the action against Ten may be prompted by a desire by Nine Entertainment to use the BOSS brand across a wider range of media outlets following its merger with Fairfax.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC