MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Spy law imperils journalists, ex-judge warns

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Original article by Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 2-Feb-18

Transparency International Australia chairman and former Supreme Court of New South Wales judge Anthony Whealy has warned about the potential effects of the Federal Government’s proposed foreign interference laws. He says the new secrecy laws could be used to prosecute journalists if they receive classified ­information. Whealy has called for the Government to provide an exemption for journalists if they are acting in the public interest. The media industry has expressed similar concerns about the proposed laws.

CORPORATES
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CENTRE LIMITED

M&A talk as Gordon lifts Prime interest

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Original article by Dana McCauley, Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 21 : 2-Feb-18

Sources have indicated that WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon has increased his stake in Prime Media Group from 14.99 per cent to 24 per cent. The transaction, which is believed to have been carried out via cash-settled equity swaps, has prompted speculation that Gordon could seek to merge the two regional TV broadcasters in the wake of cross-media ownership reforms. Meanwhile, Perpetual has reduced its stake in Prime from 13.1 per cent to 7.4 per cent.

CORPORATES
PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Bawdy jokes and crude behaviour aside, no evidence of misconduct

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Original article by Matthew Westwood
The Australian – Page: 7 : 1-Feb-18

An independent investigation by Pax People has cleared actor Craig McLachlan of inappropriate conduct on the set of "The Doctor Blake Mysteries". The inquiry was commissioned by production company December Media in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment and workplace bullying on the set of the period drama. Pax People’s report concluded that the workplace culture on the set of the show often featured humour that could be regarded as offensive, but it found no evidence of serious misconduct. McLachlan has denied all allegations against him.

CORPORATES
PAX PEOPLE, DECEMBER MEDIA, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, THE GORDON FROST ORGANISATION PTY LTD

New Foxtel chief in hunt for millennials

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 19 : 1-Feb-18

Patrick Delany has succeeded Peter Tonagh as CEO of pay-TV group Foxtel ahead of its merger with Fox Sports Australia. Delany has been CEO of Fox Sports since 2011, and previously held a number of roles at Foxtel. He has flagged plans to expand Foxtel’s customer base, with a focus on increasing its market share among audience segments such as millennials. The merger of Foxtel and Fox Sports is expected to be completed within months.

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, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH

$1bn battle for cricket broadcast rights

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 20 : 29-Jan-18

One of Australia’s free-to-air TV networks could potentially bid for cricket broadcasting rights in partnership with Fox Sports. Telcos and technology companies are also believed to be interested in a broadcasting deal, with Cricket Australia set to commence negotiations in the next week. The total cost of the next five-year deal for cricket broadcasting rights could approach $A1bn, with expectations that the Big Bash League rights may cost up to $A250m, compared with $A100m under the current deal.

CORPORATES
FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, BIG BASH LEAGUE, CBS CORPORATION, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, SKY PLC, BT PLC, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Netflix hits top ranking in Australian brand survey

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 22 : 29-Jan-18

Netflix and YouTube have topped YouGov’s annual list of the top 10 consumer brands in Australia. Other brands in the YouGov BrandIndex 2017 include Aldi, Kmart, Google, Bunnings and Coles. Netflix entered the Australian market in 2015, and while it does not provide data on local subscription numbers, Roy Morgan estimates that about three million Australian households subscribe to the streaming video service.

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, YOUGOV LIMITED, ROY MORGAN LIMITED, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, PAYPAL INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, DICK SMITH HOLDINGS LIMITED, KOGAN.COM LIMITED – ASX KGN

Sport proves a winning formula for Seven West Media

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 41 : 25-Jan-18

Seven West Media hopes to retain tennis broadcasting rights when its current contract expires in 2019. Data from Seven shows that audiences for its TV coverage of the 2018 Australian Open are six per cent higher than in 2017, while there has been 135 per cent growth in the number of minutes of Open coverage streamed via its 7Tennis app. Seven CEO Tim Worner argues that free-to-air TV still attracts the largest audiences for live sports coverage.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

McLachlan set to sue Fairfax, ABC

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Original article by Matthew Westwood
The Australian – Page: 3 : 22-Jan-18

Australian actor Craig McLachlan says his career has been "annihilated" by allegations that he sexually harassed and indecently assaulted three female cast members during a 2014 production of "The Rocky Horror Show". He continues to deny the allegations and intends to sue Fairfax Media and the ABC for defamation, after the allegations were reported in "The Age" and "The Sydney Morning Herald" and on the "7:30" current affairs show.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Nine to make a loss on Ashes despite record commercial interest

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Original article by Arvind Hickman
Ad News – Page: Online : 16-Jan-18

The 2017-18 Ashes Test series has been a ratings hit for the Nine Network, whose coverage of the five-match series attracted 14.8 million viewers nationwide, including 10.4 million in the capital cities. Nine also expects its revenue from advertising and corporate sponsorship packages to be 15-17 per cent higher than in 2016-17, and 7-8 per cent higher than its Ashes coverage in 2013-14. However, Nine sales director Sam Brennan concedes that the network will book a loss on its cricket coverage when production costs and the cost of its broadcasting rights are taken into account.

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

Long queue forming as Australian cricket rights go up for grabs

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 13-Jan-18

Cricket Australia expects all three free-to-air networks to bid for the Big Bash League broadcasting rights, with the Nine Network tipped to retain rights to Test and one-day international matches. Fox Sports could also bid for the cricket rights in partnership with a free-to-air network, while potential contenders for digital broadcasting rights are said to include Optus and YouTube. Cricket Australia is expected finalise a new rights deal by April.

CORPORATES
CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, BIG BASH LEAGUE, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS