MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Cricket Australia tunes into radio rights in wake of $1.2b TV deal

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 23-Apr-18

Cricket Australia will issue tender documents for its radio broadcasting rights in coming weeks, with a view to finalising a new deal quickly. CA officials are expected to hold talks with the ABC in coming days, while discussions have commenced with fellow cricket broadcasters Southern Cross Austereo and Macquarie Media. Sports Entertainment Network owner Crocmedia is also believed to be interested in broadcasting rights. All four broadcasters could potentially secure some rights.

CORPORATES
CRICKET AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, CROCMEDIA PTY LTD, SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK PTY LTD, TRIPLE M CORPORATION PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MACQUARIE SPORTS RADIO, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, BIG BASH LEAGUE, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Wilson confident she can defeat Bauer Media appeal over payout

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Original article by Broede Carmody
The Age – Page: 5 : 20-Apr-18

Bauer Media is challenging the size of its payout to actress Rebel Wilson after a Victorian jury found in 2017 that it had defamed her. Justice John Dixon awarded Wilson damages of $A4.5 million, which Bauer is now contesting in the Court of Appeal. Media is not challenging the judgment, but only the amount, which it claims is "manifestly excessive". It is also contesting Justice Dixon’s finding that Wilson should be compensated for roles she claims to have missed out on because of its actions, claiming that there was insufficient evidence on this issue.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, COURT OF APPEAL (VICTORIA), FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Cricket loss not all bad for Nine

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Original article by Samantha Bailey, Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 19 : 17-Apr-18

Tennis and cricket broadcasting rights generate a loss for the Seven and Nine networks, and this is likely to continue when the sports change networks. Nine is estimated to have lost around $A50m a year from its cricket coverage, but Citigroup forecasts that its annual losses from tennis broadcasts will be within the range of $A20m to $A30m. Meanwhile, UBS forecasts that Seven will gain an increased share of advertising revenue at the expense of Nine and Ten following their loss of cricket broadcasting rights.

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

Nine hopes for early tennis break

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 16-Apr-18

The Nine Network will not broadcast any major sporting events during the 2018-19 summer after losing cricket broadcasting rights. A spokesman says the network will shortly decide on its summer schedule, and it has not ruled out approaching rival Seven about taking over tennis broadcasting rights a year ahead of schedule. Seven’s deal to acquire cricket rights in partnership with Foxtel means that it will broadcast both cricket and tennis for the next two summers, unless it strikes a deal with Nine and Tennis Australia to exit its contract early. Ten will also lack a major summer sport after losing the Big Bash League rights.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, TENNIS AUSTRALIA, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

New whistleblower bill unworkable

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Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 16-Apr-18

Griffith University’s Professor A.J. Brown has criticised proposed laws that aim to protect whistleblowers. He says a major flaw is that a whistleblower would essentially have to reveal themselves to be the source of information that was leaked to journalists in order to be protected by the legislation. He adds that as presently drafted, such protection would still only apply if they had gone public about an "imminent risk" of danger to public health or safety or to the financial system. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy has also questioned the merits of the proposed laws.

CORPORATES
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, SECURENCY INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD

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