MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Magazine readership up on a year ago powered by a wide variety of titles

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Aug-18

Roy Morgan has released the Australian Magazine Readership report for the 12 months to June 2018. A total of 15,040,000 Australians aged 14+ (74.1 per cent) read magazines either in print or online, up 0.7 per cent from a year ago. Readership of print magazines was over 13.6 million Australians (67.3 per cent), up 0.5 per cent from a year ago. Ten of Australia’s top 15 magazines grew their print readership over the past year, with six of the leading titles growing their readership by at least 5 per cent on a year ago. The free "Coles Magazine" remains the most widely-read print magazine, with an average readership of 4,563,000 per issue (up 21.5 per cent), while "Better Homes & Gardens" remains the most widely read paid magazine with more than 1.6 million readers. Meanwhile, Taste.com.au remains the best-read magazine title across print and digital formats, with a total cross-platform audience of more than 3.1 million.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Four out of five Australians continue to read newspapers

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Aug-18

Roy Morgan has released the latest readership results for Australian newspapers for the 12 months to June 2018. Over 16 million Australians aged 14+ (79.3%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online, an increase of 3.3 per cent from a year ago. Four of Australia’s top five leading mastheads have grown their cross-platform audiences. "The Sydney Morning Herald" is still Australia’s most widely-read masthead, with a cross-platform audience of 4,279,000, up 1 per cent from a year ago. Meanwhile, "Good Weekend" remains Australia’s most widely-read newspaper inserted magazine, with print readership of 1,139,000 (down 10.3 per cent).

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Optus app’s cup woes not demand-related

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 19 : 9-Aug-18

Optus will continue to pursue deals for live streaming of soccer matches despite the technical problems that marred its coverage of the FIFA World Cup. Optus CEO Allen Lew has attributed the problems with its Optus Sports app to "compatibility issues" rather than the impact of customer demand on its network. He adds that the app has undergone rigorous testing and describes it as "world class". Optus’s net profit after tax fell by 3.5 per cent to $154m in the June quarter, while operating revenue was six per cent higher than previously at $2.2bn.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), UNION EUROPEENNE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Macquarie Media turns up the volume with profit surge

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 9-Aug-18

Australian-listed Macquarie Media has posted a 2017-18 net profit of $21.5m, which is 24 per cent higher than previously. Revenue was four per cent higher at $136.3m, and shareholders will receive a final dividend of $0.04 per share. Fairfax Media has a 54.5 per cent stake in the radio broadcaster, and Macquarie Media chairman Russell Tate says the group will benefit from the synergies arising from Fairfax’s proposed merger with Nine Entertainment Company.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, 2GB, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD

Cottrell interview a mistake, says Sky

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 6 : 7-Aug-18

Blair Cottrell will not be seen on Sky News again, according to Angelos Frangopoulos. The CEO of Australian News Channel was responding to criticism of an interview between Cottrell, the former leader of the United Patriots Front, and Adam Giles on 5 August. Cottrell is known for his extremist views, once stating that all Australian classrooms should have a picture of Adolf Hitler on their wall. The criticism of Giles’ interview with Cottrell has prompted a management reshuffle at Sky News.

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIAN NEWS CHANNEL PTY LTD

Murdoch needs to get in quick to secure free-to-air TV stations

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 6-Aug-18

Media experts believe that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation will eventually bid for Seven West Media following the proposed Nine-Fairfax merger and Ten Network’s sale to CBS. However, News Corp would have to satisfy the "minimum voices" rule, which was not affected by cross-media ownership reforms in 2017. It requires major newspapers, TV stations and radio stations in metropolitan areas to be held by five different owners. A Murdoch bid for Seven would breach the "voices test" in Adelaide if a rival media company moved first by acquiring HT&E’s Australian Radio Network.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD, HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Nine could sell Fairfax’s NZ arm

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 6-Aug-18

Nine Entertainment Company has flagged the possibility of divesting assets such as Fairfax Media’s regional newspapers and its New Zealand business if the proposed $4.06bn merger proceeds. Nine CEO Hugh Marks has held an investor roadshow to pitch the merger deal, which has prompted speculation of further consolidation in the media sector. Seven West Media has advised that it sees no need to pursue mergers and acquisitions in response to the Nine-Fairfax deal.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, PRIVATE MEDIA PARTNERS PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, THE NEW DAILY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NBN TELEVISION

Shotgun wedding a threat to independence, say journos

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Original article by Stephen Brook, John Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 6 : 27-Jul-18

Fairfax Media journalists have expressed concern about the long-term impact of the merger with Nine Entertainment Company on the newspaper publisher’s editorial independence. Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood and Nine counterpart Hugh Marks have given assurances that the two companies’ newsrooms will not be merged. The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance has warned that the deal will reduce media diversity and has urged the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to block it.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Fairfax-Nine merger to fight Facebook, Google

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Original article by Jemima Whyte, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 19 : 27-Jul-18

Chris Stott of Wilson Asset Management estimates that the proposed $4.2bn merger between Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media will generate cost and revenue synergies of at least $100m. The deal is the first since the changes to cross-media ownership laws, and there is speculation that there will be further consolidation in the sector. Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks will head the new company, which will combine print and broadcasting assets, as well as the Stan streaming video service and a 60 per cent stake in the Domain real estate listings business.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TPG CAPITAL LP, HELLMAN AND FRIEDMAN, THORNEY INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, AUSBIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, ISPT PTY LTD

Sky news junkie spreads his wings

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 21 : 25-Jul-18

News Corp Australia’s executive chairman Michael Miller has praised the contribution of Australian News Channel CEO Angelos Frangopoulos to the development of Sky News Australia. The pay-TV network’s ratings have risen in 2018, while it will shortly venture into the free-to-air market for the first time via alliances with the Nine Network and regional broadcaster WIN Corporation. Frangopoulos, who joined ANC in 1996, has been appointed CEO of Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN NEWS CHANNEL PTY LTD, SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SKY NEWS ARABIA, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, 2SER, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD