MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Foxtel weighs Fox Sports streaming service

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 26-Mar-18

Foxtel is working on an "over-the-top" streaming video service for Fox Sports, which could allow consumers to view a limited selection of sports channels without taking out a pay-TV subscription. Should the new video-on-demand services be launched, it is expected to have unique branding to distinguish it from Foxtel and its existing product range. Foxtel is keen to attract consumers who have previously not been interested in taking up a pay-TV subscription.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL NOW, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

Journos reject spy risk claim for flawed law

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 26 & 28 : 19-Mar-18

Former Al Jazeera foreign correspondent Peter Greste has expressed concern about the potential impact of the Federal Government’s proposed espionage and foreign interference laws on freedom of speech. Media companies have also raised concerns about the limitations of the proposed laws in a new submission to federal parliament’s intelligence committee, while Law Council of Australia president Morry Bailes says the defence that reporting on an issue is in the public interest should be widened.

CORPORATES
AL JAZEERA, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND, COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA)

Nine, Ten mull joint cricket bid

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 26 & 28 : 19-Mar-18

Fox Sports will establish a cricket channel on Foxtel if its bid for cricket broadcasting rights is successful. Fox Sports bid includes Test and one-day international matches, as well as all Big Bash League matches except the finals. Meanwhile, the Nine and Ten networks are holding talks regarding a joint bid for broadcasting rights, while Seven West Media is also expected to bid. Cricket Australia has set a deadline of 19 March to submit bids, while Tennis Australia in turn is seeking bids for its broadcasting rights by 12 April.

CORPORATES
FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, BIG BASH LEAGUE, TENNIS AUSTRALIA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED

Media call for spy laws rewrite

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Original article by Primrose Riordan, Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian – Page: 2 : 16-Mar-18

Media companies and the Law Council of Australia have raised further concerns about the Federal Government’s foreign interference laws in new submissions to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence & Security. The media industry argues that the bill is "deeply flawed" and it should be completely redrafted. The Law Council in turn has argued that the definition of some key terms in the draft bill need to be clarified, including "national security" and "news media".

CORPORATES
LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, SKY NEWS, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CENTRE LIMITED

Carve-up of cricket TV rights looms

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Original article by John Stebbins, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 15-Mar-18

Cricket Australia has set a deadline of 19 March to submit bids for a new six-year deal for cricket broadcasting rights. The tender documents show that Cricket Australia is open to allowing some Test and one-day international matches in Australia to be broadcast exclusively on pay-TV. Cricket Australia proposes to offer up to 11 separate broadcast packages, with media companies being able to bid for some or all of them. This could enable the Nine Network to make a joint bid with Foxtel for all forms of the game or allow Seven to gain some cricket rights.

CORPORATES
CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, BIG BASH LEAGUE, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, TWITTER INCORPORATED

New spy laws still not good enough: Dreyfus

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 14-Mar-18

Media companies have warned that journalists could still be jailed under draft amendments to the Federal Government’s proposed espionage laws. The amendments would provide limited legal protection for journalists who receive and report on classified information. The media industry’s joint submission argues that journalists would still be required to defend their actions in court. The Opposition’s legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus says the amendments are flawed and will not be supported by Labor.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS HOLDINGS LIMITED

Wilson, Bauer quibble over costs

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Original article by Adam Cooper
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 16 : 9-Mar-18

The Supreme Court of Victoria has been told that a cost consultant has estimated that Bauer Media should be liable for about $A1.12m of the legal costs incurred by Hollywood star Rebel Wilson in a lengthy defamation lawsuit. Wilson’s legal costs arising from the case were around $A1.4m in total, and she is seeking to recover $A1.3m in costs from Bauer, in addition to the $A4.56m in damages it was ordered to pay after losing the defamation case.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA

Foxtel-Fox Sports merger hails new era in content

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 21 : 7-Mar-18

Foxtel customers will have access to 201 channels after joint owners News Corp Australia and Telstra finalised a deal to merge the pay-TV company with News Corp’s fully-owned Fox Sports. Telstra will reduce its stake in Foxtel to 35 per cent as a result of the deal. Meanwhile, Foxtel CEO Patrick Delaney has flagged plans to launch a series of genre-based streaming video services, with the aim of targeting consumers who have shunned its traditional broadcast products.

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

Softened spy laws sent for scrutiny

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Mar-18

The Federal Government has amended proposed foreign interference laws in response to the media industry’s concern about the impact on freedom of the press. Although journalists will not be exempt from the laws, they will only face criminal prosecution for reporting on classified documents if their actions pose a threat to public safety or national security, or affect an ongoing criminal investigation. The amendments will be scrutinised by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence & Security.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION

Sky News, Nine explore finance-reporting JV

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 5-Mar-18

Nine Entertainment Company has declined to comment on reports that it is holding talks with pay-TV channel Sky News Business regarding a finance reporting joint venture. However, a spokeswoman for Sky News owner News Corp has confirmed that the two companies have held such talks. The proposed alliance would distribute finance content on free-to-air, pay-TV and online channels, and could potentially include the launch of a new business channel. Nine and News Corp may also jointly bid for cricket broadcasting rights.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SKY NEWS BUSINESS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN NEWS CHANNEL PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, CARADVICE.COM.AU PTY LTD, SKY PLC, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED