MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

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

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