MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Foxtel reacts to Facebook woes by slashing ad spend

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 6 : 13-Apr-18

Pay-TV company Foxtel will reduce the proportion of its marketing budget that is allocated to advertising on Facebook. The move follows the data breach scandal and the two-day testimony of CEO Mark Zuckerberg before the US Congress. Foxtel’s chief marketing officer Andy Lark says that Facebook is a media company rather than a technology company, and it should start acting like one. He adds that despite recent changes to Facebook’s privacy policy, the underlying problems exposed by the Cambridge Analytica scandal have not been addressed.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PRIVACY COMMISSIONER, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

$1bn cricket deal to stump Nine

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 13-Apr-18

Cricket Australia is poised to secure a broadcasting rights deal with Foxtel. The pay-TV group would simulcast some international matches in partnership with a free-to-air network, most likely Seven or Ten, while Foxtel would have exclusive coverage of some Big Bash League matches. The six-year rights deal is expected to be worth around $A1bn, compared with $A600m under the current deal. The Nine Network has been the main cricket broadcaster for more than four decades.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CBS CORPORATION, TENNIS AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Under-pressure HT&E rejects oOh!Media offer for Adshel

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Original article by Dana McCauley, Bridget Carter, Scott Murdoch
The Australian – Page: 19 : 12-Apr-18

Australian-listed HT&E has advised that oOh!Media has made a non-binding and conditional offer for its Adshel outdoor advertising division. However, HT&E’s board has deemed that the offer undervalues Adshel. Meanwhile, the company has indicated that Adshel’s revenue for the March quarter was consistent with guidance issued in February. HT&E has forecast that EBITDA for 2018 will be within the range of $A113m to $A114m.

CORPORATES
HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1, ADSHEL PTY LTD, OOH!MEDIA LIMITED – ASX OML, AUSTRALIAN RADIO NETWORK PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Cricket Australia engages on all free-to-air broadcast rights bid

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 10-Apr-18

The Ten Network, Nine Entertainment Company and Cricket Australia have declined to comment on the progress of negotiations regarding a broadcasting rights deal. However, CA CEO James Sutherland and other key executives are believed to have travelled to Sydney to meet with Ten CEO Paul Anderson on 10 April. Ten and Nine have submitted a joint bid for all broadcasting rights, including free-to-air and digital. Pay-TV group Foxtel is also expected to hold talks with CA, despite recently withdrawing from negotiations.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED

Nine and Ten offer $900m for cricket

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 9-Apr-18

The Ten Network would broadcast one-day internationals and all Twenty20 matches if its joint bid with Nine Entertainment Company is accepted by Cricket Australia. Nine would only broadcast Test matches under a revised bid by the two networks. Their offer is worth around $A150m a year, or $A900m over the six-year life of the new broadcasting rights deal. Cricket Australia has previously rejected a joint bid from Nine and Ten that was worth about $A130m a year. Meanwhile, Fox Sports has cited the lack of progress regarding a rights deal for its decision to withdraw from negotiations with Cricket Australia.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TENNIS AUSTRALIA

FTA networks concerned over potential pay TV cricket deal

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 5-Apr-18

Cricket Australia has signalled that its new six-year broadcasting rights deal may require only certain matches to be televised by free-to-air networks. There is growing concern among the three commercial networks that CA could secure a rights deal for pay-TV coverage that would require them to negotiate directly with Fox Sports rather than CA. The three commercial networks are also believed to have expressed interest in at least some cricket broadcasting rights.

CORPORATES
CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TENNIS AUSTRALIA

Rebranding a possibility for transformed Foxtel

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 4-Apr-18

News Corp has increased its stake in Foxtel to 65 per cent following the completion of the pay-TV company’s merger with Fox Sports. News Corp has indicated that integrating the two businesses is the immediate priority, and any decision on dropping the Foxtel branding is unlikely in the near-term. Foxtel may also launch new streaming services with their own branding, as part of its strategy to increase its customer base.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, SKY PLC, WALT DISNEY COMPANY

CA chases deals as Nine tipped for tennis losses

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 21 : 4-Apr-18

Citigroup forecasts that Nine Entertainment Company will lose between $A20m and $A30m per year on its coverage of Australian tennis. However, the firm notes that Nine is already losing about $A50m a year from its cricket coverage. The three commercial TV networks all hope to secure cricket broadcasting rights, with Cricket Australian expected to conclude negotiations for a new rights deal in early April. CA is also said to be close to securing a deal for pay-TV rights.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, BIG BASH LEAGUE, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Seven West sells 50pc stake in Yahoo7

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 26 : 29-Mar-18

Yahoo7 is expected to be rebranded following Oath’s deal buy Seven West Media’s stake in the digital joint venture. However, Seven will retain all of its branded news and TV portals, while it may continue to provide non-exclusive content to Oath once the joint venture is formally unwound. Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner notes that Yahoo7 has an audience reach of about nine million and is upbeat about its outlook under the ownership of Oath.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, YAHOO!7 COMMUNICATIONS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, OATH INCORPORATED, YAHOO! INCORPORATED, VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED

$200m hole in media rights feared as sponsors getting cold feet

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Original article by Nick Tabakoff
The Australian – Page: 6 & 7 : 27-Mar-18

Media analyst Greg Fraser says Cricket Australia was always unlikely to secure a $A1bn deal for broadcasting rights, but the ball-tampering scandal means it can expect to gain $A800m at best for its next rights deal. This includes no more than $A500m for rights to international cricket matches, but potentially more than $A300m for the domestic Twenty20 Big Bash League. Meanwhile, major sponsors of cricket in Australia have expressed disappointment over the scandal, although none are believed to have sought to terminate their deals as yet.

CORPORATES
CRICKET AUSTRALIA, BIG BASH LEAGUE, MAGELLAN FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX MFG, ACCENTURE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, LION PTY LTD, SANITARIUM HEALTH FOOD COMPANY, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION