MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Village to sue hundreds of Aussies for piracy

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 21-Aug-17

Village Roadshow intends to pursue legal action against Australians who download illegal copies of films and TV shows. Co-CEO Graham Burke says the film producer will only seek to recover the loss of revenue as a result of the piracy, as well as costs, rather than the huge damages payouts that had been initially been awarded for copyright violation in the US. The Federal Court recently ruled that local ISPs must block access to an additional 42 websites that provide access to pirated content.

CORPORATES
VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, CREATIVE CONTENT AUSTRALIA, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, IPRIMUS

News Corp picks merger deal over Ten

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 21-Aug-17

News Corp will increase its stake in Foxtel from 50 per cent to 65 per cent if a proposed merger between the pay-TV group and Fox Sports proceeds. This would make it harder for the joint venture between Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon to acquire the Ten Network, given that Murdoch is co-chairman of News Corp and the owner of Nova Entertainment. Murdoch and Gordon are said to have submitted a conditional bid for Ten, but they may be thwarted by the Federal Government’s failure to pass its media reform bill in the Senate. Offers to acquire Ten had to be submitted by 18 August.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL GROUP LLC, SKY NEWS, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, BIRKETU PTY LTD, ILLYRIA NOMINEES TELEVISION PTY LTD, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD

Telstra, News in Foxtel deal ahead of float

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 18-Aug-17

Telstra and News Corp aim to secure regulatory approval for a proposed merger of Foxtel and Fox Sports by April 2018. They each own 50 per cent of Foxtel at present, but Telstra would reduce its stake in the combined Foxtel-Fox Sports to 35 per cent if the deal proceeds. News Corp CEO Robert Thomson says the merger would unlock value for the media group, which would have a 65 per cent stake in Foxtel-Fox Sports. The deal would enhance Foxtel’s ability to bid for sports broadcasting rights amid growing competition.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, ESPN INCORPORATED, BEIN SPORTS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, TWITTER INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED

Senate deadlock hits Ten’s rescue hopes

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Original article by David Crowe, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 18-Aug-17

Cross-media ownership reforms are in doubt after the Federal Government rejected a proposal by Senator Nick Xenophon to provide tax incentives for small media companies. The tax offset would have been available for the Australian editions of foreign publications such as "The Guardian", which Communications Minister Mitch Fifield says is inappropriate. The stalled media reform bill will effectively prevent most Australian media companies from bidding for the Ten Network. The deadline to submit bids is 18 August.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL GROUP LLC, SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, PPB ADVISORY, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Sports rights at a tipping point: Worner

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Aug-17

The cost of broadcasting rights for major sports events has risen sharply in recent years, but Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner says media companies cannot afford to pay any more than at present when negotiating new deals. He adds that rights deals should reflect the higher profile that free-to-air coverage has brought to sports that were previously exclusively on pay-TV. Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks says that while Nine is keen to secure the rights to all cricket formats, the cost and likely financial returns will be key considerations.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, BIG BASH LEAGUE, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, YAHOO!7 COMMUNICATIONS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Tax break idea worthy, but unworkable

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 4 : 17-Aug-17

Senator Nick Xenophon’s proposal to provide a 40 per cent tax break for smaller media companies has merit, and it is likely to benefit the publishers of newspapers such as "The Saturday Paper" and websites like "The New Daily". However, the Federal Government would need to determine whether the local editions of overseas publications would be eligible for the tax break. There is also the question of whether taxpayers should subsidise small media outlets that would be competing with the monolithic ABC for both funding and audiences.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SCHWARTZ MEDIA PTY LTD, THE NEW DAILY, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA, DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA, THE HUFFINGTON POST, POLITIFACT AUSTRALIA

Aussies don’t trust social media: report

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Original article by Angus Livingston
The Australian – Page: Online : 16-Aug-17

Roy Morgan Research’s State of the Nation Media Report shows that TV is still the main source of news for 69 per cent of Australians, while TV is the most trusted source of news for 41.5 per cent. Meanwhile, 32 per cent of Australians identify social media as their main source of news, although just four per cent say social media is their most trusted source of news. Print and digital newspapers are the main source of news for 48 per cent of Australians, while they are the most trust source of news for 25 per cent.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

We’re reluctant to pay for online news

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 14-Aug-17

A survey of 2,000 Australians by Deloitte has found that 90 per cent of respondents are not willing to pay for news due to the wealth of content that is available online for free. However, the sixth annual Media Consumer Survey also found that the issue of "fake news" is a concern for 65 per cent of respondents. Meanwhile, the survey shows that the proportion of respondents who cite social media as a primary news source has fallen from 18 per cent to 14 per cent, while 53 per cent of respondents rated television advertising as having either a high or medium influence on their purchasing decisions.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Ten still faces headwinds with new owners

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 14-Aug-17

The deadline to submit bids for Ten Network is believed to be 18 August, with the aim of finalising a deal by the end of the month. US private equity firms and hedge funds are among those to have expressed interest in buying Ten, while the network’s acquisition by Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon would be conditional on cross-media ownership reforms being passed by the Senate. Meanwhile, industry observers note that Ten’s new owners will face a number of challenges, including a decline in the free-to-air advertising market.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL GROUP LLC, LONE STAR FUNDS, CBS CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, McKINSEY AND COMPANY, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, ENDEMOL SHINE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

It’s Official: Sydney Morning Herald is still Australia’s most widely read masthead and Australians continue to embrace the shift to digital news

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 11-Aug-17

Roy Morgan Research has released the latest Readership report for Australian Newspapers for the 12 months to June 2017. Some 12,913,000 Australians aged 14+ (64.8 per cent) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period either in print, or online via website or app. This is virtually unchanged from a year ago. While cross-platform audiences are steady, the latest results show that growing numbers of Australians are choosing to consume their news via digital platforms rather than through the traditional print format. Over the past 12 months nine of Australia’s leading mastheads have increased their digital readership, while only three have increased their print readership. "The Sydney Morning Herald" is the most widely-read masthead, with cross-platform readership of 4,235,000, up 3.8 per cent from a year ago; the increase was driven by an increase in digital readership that more than offset the loss of print readers.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED