MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Networks douse CA’s rights hopes

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Original article by Darren Davidson, Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 19-Feb-18

Cricket Australia hopes to gain nearly $A1bn for its next broadcasting rights deal, compared with $A600m for the five year-deal that expires in 2018. However, free-to-air TV network executives have warned that the industry cannot afford a large increase in the cost of broadcasting rights. Some have noted that the new rights deal between European pay-TV company Sky and the English Premier League is significantly lower than the previous deal. There is speculation that a free-to-air network will bid for the cricket rights in partnership with Fox Sports.

CORPORATES
CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SKY PLC, BT PLC, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, CBS CORPORATION, BIG BASH LEAGUE

Telstra seeks Foxtel merger finetune

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Original article by Darren Davidson, Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 20 : 16-Feb-18

The Foreign Investment Review Board and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission have approved the merger of Fox Sports and Foxtel. However, Telstra CEO Andy Penn says there are still some fine points to be worked out. Telstra’s stake in the merged entity will fall from 50 per cent to 35 per cent, with News Corporation to own 65 per cent. News and Telstra have indicated that they hope to complete the Foxtel-Fox Sports merger by the end of March. Meanwhile, Foxtel has reported 1.7 per cent growth in subscribers during the six months to December 2017.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Upbeat Miller sets digital course

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 12-Feb-18

News Corp Australia boasted 389,600 digital subscribers at the end of the December 2017 quarter, an increase of 26 per cent year-on-year. Executive chairman Michael Miller describes digital subscriptions as a "huge opportunity" for the media group, noting that this market is recording annual growth of 20 per cent. Millers adds that the merger between Foxtel and Fox Sports is progressing, while he also says News Corp is open to mergers and acquisitions, including free-to-air TV networks.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL MEDIA, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Labor backs changes to protect journalists

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 2 : 9-Feb-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to provide greater protection for journalists in its proposed espionage laws. Attorney-General Christian Porter has indicated that journalists will not face prosecution for publishing classified information if they had believed that doing so was in the public interest. The media industry had expressed concern that journalists could face criminal prosecution for receiving classified information.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

15 million Australians read magazines across print & online

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Feb-18

Roy Morgan has released the Australian Magazine Readership report for the 12 months to December 2017. A total of 12,565,000 Australians aged 14+ (62.5 per cent) read print magazines – down 93,000 (0.7 per cent) from a year ago. However, the audience reach of magazines is extended to 15 million Australians 14+ when you include magazine reading online (either via the web or an app). The withdrawal of major publishers from audited circulation results for magazines just over a year ago means Roy Morgan’s readership results continue to be the only truly independent measure of magazine performance now available. "Coles Magazine" remains the most widely-read print magazine, with an average readership of 4,152,000 per issue (up 11.3 per cent). Meanwhile, seven of Australia’s 10 leading magazines ranked by cross-platform audiences retain a significantly larger readership via their print editions than their digital offerings – a clear contrast to their print newspaper cousins, although this picture is slowly changing as more magazine publishers expand and refine their online offerings.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Newspaper masthead readership grows to 15.9 million

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Feb-18

Roy Morgan has released the latest readership report for Australian newspapers for the 12 months to December 2017. Some 15.9 million Australians aged 14+ now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period either in print, or online via website or app. Cross-platform audiences have increased for four out of Australia’s top five leading mastheads, and for the first time four of the leading mastheads now have an audience of over three million Australians. "The Sydney Morning Herald" is still the most widely-read masthead, with a cross-platform audience of 4,255,000, up 0.4 per cent from a year ago.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Pay TV exemption for gambling ads riles rival broadcasters

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 8-Feb-18

Free-to-air TV networks have urged the Federal Government to ensure a level playing field regarding its a ban on gambling advertisements during live sports broadcasts. The Australian Subscription Television & Radio Association wants an exemption from the ban for pay-TV sports channels that have low ratings, arguing that they are mainly watched by adults. The proposed exemption, which is outlined in ASTRA’s new draft code of practice for pay-TV, is also opposed by the Greens, the Nick Xenophon Team and Responsible Wagering Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, RESPONSIBLE WAGERING AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, SPORTSBET AUSTRALIA, LADBROKES, CROWNBET PTY LTD, BETFAIR AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Spy laws: New A-G concedes ground

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Original article by Simon Benson, Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 8-Feb-18

The Federal Government has responded to the media industry’s concerns about its proposed foreign interference laws by agreeing to some safeguards for journalists. Attorney-General Christian Porter has advised that journalists who receive classified information will only face criminal prosecution under certain circumstances, such as if reporting on the information could potentially affect public safety or pose a threat to national security. However, commonwealth officers who leak confidential information will not receive any such exemption.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, ASHURST AUSTRALIA

New spy laws to hinder legitimate work of media

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 6-Feb-18

Attorney-General Christian Porter has conceded that some changes to proposed foreign interference laws may be needed to alleviate the concerns of the media industry. Robert Todd of law firm Ashurst has warned that the laws as presently drafted could potentially make a wide range of persons criminally liable for dealing with confidential information. He says the proposed laws provide very limited protection for journalists, while there would be almost no protection for other people, including social media users.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, ASHURST AUSTRALIA, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

News leaders unite to resist spy laws that could criminalise journalism

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 5-Feb-18

The media industry has expressed concern about the broader implications of the Federal Government’s foreign interference bill on freedom of the press. Paul Whittaker, the editor-in-chief of "The Australian", says journalists could breach the new offence of handling classified information simply by seeking to confirm the validity of a document they have received. "Herald Sun" editor Damon Johnston warns that the legislation could potentially be used by a future government to silence the media, while the ABC’s John Lyons argues that media companies already have sufficient procedures in place for handling confidential information.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET