MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Call to rewrite ABC, SBS charters

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Original article by Darren Davidson, Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 3 : 25-Jul-18

News Corp Australia has used its submission to an inquiry into the competitive neutrality of the ABC and SBS to argue that taxpayer funding gives them an advantage in the distribution of news content online. The media giant has also called for the public broadcasters’ charters to be overhauled to ensure a "level-playing field" with regard to online news content. In addition, News Corp argues that the ABC should not compete with commercial rivals for contracts to supply news content to third parties.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SKY NEWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

ABC pitches for massive digital grant

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 28 : 23-Jul-18

The ABC is seeking a one-off funding boost to prepare it for the eventual termination of traditional broadcasting services and its shift to a pure-play online media company. As part of the public broadcaster’s online-only future, it proposes to establish a database containing its entire archive of audio-visual content. ABC chairman Justin Milne notes that it spends about $200m a year on broadcast infrastructure and spectrum, but it will no longer incur these costs when it ultimately shifts to an online-only platform.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE, AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL, OZEMAIL LIMITED, TELSTRA BIG POND

Australians spending more time online than working

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Jul-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that Australians aged 14+ spent a total of just over 21.9 billion hours on the Internet in the year to March 2018 (whether at home, at school, while at work or elsewhere), compared to 20.5 billion hours working. Some 4.6 billion of those hours online occurred at work – whether work related or not. Analysing time on the Internet more closely shows that 5.9 billion hours were spent using social media, while the balance of just under 16 billion hours was spent using the Internet for other purposes. A further 18.6 billion hours were spent watching TV and 14.6 billion hours were spent listening to radio. The 92% of Australians who watch TV in a given week average 1,004 hours each of TV viewing over the full year while the 85% who listen to radio during the week listen to an average of 851 hours per year of radio. Newspapers scored 1.8 billion hours of national attention over the year, with magazines claiming just over 820 million hours overall.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Fairfax and News deal extends future of print

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 19-Jul-18

Fairfax Media and News Corp Australia have struck a landmark deal to share some newspaper printing and distribution facilities in New South Wales and Queensland. Fairfax will print some News Corp publications on its printing presses in North Richmond, while News Corp will in turn print some Fairfax publications. The deal is expected to generate annual cost savings of $A15m for Fairfax, and CEO Greg Hywood says it will help ensure the long-term viability of print newspapers.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Staff in shock as SBS boss resigns

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 3 : 18-Jul-18

Michael Ebeid will step down as the managing director of SBS in October, after more than seven years in the role. The public broadcaster launched its Food Network channel and the SBS On Demand streaming service during his tenure, while it was accused of breaching its charter by targeting commercial TV audiences with the launch of the SBS Viceland channel. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has praised Ebeid’s contribution to SBS.

CORPORATES
SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, VICELAND, IBM AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TWO WAY LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

World Cup final kept 500,000 Aussies up

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 17-Jul-18

Data from OzTAM shows that the audience for SBS’s live coverage of France’s 4-2 win against Croatia in the FIFA World Cup final peaked at 789,426. The first half of the final averaged 583,000 viewers, including 484,000 people in metropolitan areas. The semi-finals had also attracted good numbers, with an average audience of 276,000 for the match between France and Belgium and an average of 420,000 tuning in to watch Croatia defeat England. Meanwhile, the audience for Seven’s coverage of the men’s final at Wimbledon peaked at 539,000, with an average audience of 377,000.

CORPORATES
SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, OZTAM PTY LTD, TOUR DE FRANCE, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Fifield reassures Aunty: we’re not out to destroy you

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 3 : 12-Jul-18

ABC chairman Justin Milne has rejected calls by the commercial media sector for the ABC to exit the digital sphere, arguing that doing so would jeopardise the ABC’s future. He also noted that diversity of media voices in Australia has declined in recent years, and this trend would increase without a viable and competitive ABC. Milne added that Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has assured him that privatising the ABC is not on the Federal Government’s agenda.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN AUSTRALIA, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Nine legendary lives of TV’s original star-maker

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Original article by Darren Davidson, Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 3 : 11-Jul-18

Australian media identities have praised the contribution of industry veteran Sam Chisholm, who has died at the age of 78. New Zealand-born Chisholm became CEO of the Nine Network in 1975, and it became Australia’s top-rating free-to-air broadcaster during his tenure. Chisholm subsequently took the helm of British pay-TV company Sky and oversaw its merger with British Satellite Broadcasting and its sharemarket listing. He returned to Australia in 1997, where he took on roles at Foxtel and Nine.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SKY PLC, BRITISH SATELLITE BROADCASTING, BSKYB, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

England’s Cup dream ratings hit

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 9-Jul-18

Data from SBS shows that England’s 2-0 win against Sweden in the FIFA World Cup quarter-final attracted an average audience of 626,000 on 8 July, including 527,800 metropolitan viewers. England will meet Croatia in the second semi-final on 12 July, following the France-Belgium semi-final. Croatia advanced to the semi-finals after beating Russia 4-3 on penalties, after the teams were tied 2-2 at full-time. The World Cup final is tipped to attract a global television audience of more than one billion.

CORPORATES
SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, RANDSTAD RECRUITMENT PTY LTD

ABC, SBS distort market: Fairfax

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 24 : 9-Jul-18

Fairfax Media has used its submission to the competitive neutrality inquiry to criticise the ABC for aggressively promoting and expanding its online digital news service at the expense of commercial rivals. Fairfax has also warned that the sustainability of commercial news journalism is being threatened by the ABC’s growing push to secure content supply deals with third parties. Free TV Australia has noted that the ABC and SBS have an advantage over commercial networks as they are not subject to local content quotas.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED