PAY TELEVISION – AUSTRALIA

Telstra mulls Foxtel IPO

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1&8 : 18-Mar-16

Telstra is believed to be considering a sharemarket float or sale of its stake in pay TV Foxtel. As Foxtel is worth between $A8 billion and $A9 billion in total, Telstra could receive $A4.5 billion for its 50 per cent stake in the company. Foxtel announced on 17 March 2016 that its CEO Richard Freudenstein will be replaced by News Corporation Australia CEO Peter Tonagh.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

Foxtel price rise sparks backlash

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 15-Mar-16

Pay-TV group has defended its decision to increase the cost of its basic package by $A1 per month to $A26, arguing that it is the first price rise in two years. Foxtel boasts around 2.7 million subscribers, and the modest increase could add about $A30m to its annual revenue. However, some customers complained on social media, noting that Foxtel is raising its prices after losing the English Premier League rights.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Foxtel’s revenue jumps in first half

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 22 : 19-Feb-16

Pay-TV group Foxtel recorded 7.4 per cent growth in broadcast subscriber numbers during the first half of 2015-16, while its total subscriber base rose by 8.1 per cent. Foxtel’s EBIT for the half-year was 7.7 per cent lower at $A434m, although revenue rose by 5.5 per cent to $A1.66bn. The company’s subscriber churn rate fell from 11.4 per cent to 10.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, CBS CORPORATION, SHOWTIME

Roadshow, Foxtel in battle against piracy

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 19-Feb-16

Australian-listed Village Roadshow and a group of Hollywood studios want local ISPs to block access to a file-sharing website called SolarMovie. They will pursue action in the Federal Court under the Copyright Amendment (online infringement) Act. Pay-TV group Foxtel is also relying on the statute in a bid to block access to websites that allow people to download pirated copies of its TV shows.

CORPORATES
VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, DISNEY STUDIOS, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, WARNER BROS, PARAMOUNT STUDIOS, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, DODO INTERNET PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA, COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE LIMITED

The average Foxtel subscriber watches eight channels

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Feb-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 24 per cent of Australians aged 14+ who have a Foxtel subscription say there are between six and 10 channels that they especially choose to watch. The survey, which was carried out in the year to December 2015, also shows that 15 per cent of subscribers cite 11-15 channels, nine per cent cite 16-20 channels and six per cent have an extensive must-watch list comprising 21 or more channels. Meanwhile, 21 per cent of subscribers cite two to five channels of particular interest, and five per cent have just one channel that they especially choose to watch.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Sky’s the limit for Seven and News

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 : 15-Feb-16

News Corporation has been seeking to acquire Australian News Channel (ACN), which owns Sky News Australia, for the last year. ACN is owned by Nine Entertainment Company, BSkyB and Seven West Media, and the latter is said to be keen to retain its stake in the pay-TV channel. Seven also jointly owns the Presto subscription video-on-demand service in partnership with Foxtel, in which News Corporation has a 50 per cent stake.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN NEWS CHANNEL PTY LTD, SKY NEWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SKY PLC, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, C7 PTY LTD, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, AUSTAR UNITED COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, CONSOLIDATED MEDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW

Pay TV seeks early rounds of World Cup soccer in sport rights shake-up

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 15-Feb-16

The Australian Subscription Television & Radio Association will lobby Communications Minister Mitch Fifield to remove some sports events from the anti-siphoning list. These include all non-Socceroos matches in the group stages of the soccer World Cup. ASTRA CEO Andrew Maiden notes that many sporting events are not of "national importance and cultural significance" and attract low ratings on free-to-air TV, and therefore should be removed from the list.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, WORLD CUP, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Fox Sports wins football trifecta

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 18-Dec-15

Fox Sports will be seeking an increase in subscribers after securing the broadcasting rights for the Australian Football League, the National Rugby League and the Australian Rugby Union. CEO Patrick Delaney notes that Foxtel pay-TV subscriptions account for about 75 per cent of Fox Sports’ revenue, as live matches do not have advertising breaks. Fox Sports will pay about $A285m for the five-year deal with the ARU, and will gain some revenue from on-selling the rights to selected matches to the Ten Network.

CORPORATES
FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION, SUPER RUGBY, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SANZAR, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Shareholders to vote on Foxtel

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 21 : 26-Nov-15

Ten Network’s shares closed at $A0.16 on 25 November 2015. However, Morgan Stanley has upgraded its share price target to $A0.29, describing the network as a "early stage turnaround story". Meanwhile, Foxtel has emerged with a 12.5 per cent stake in Ten following a rights issue. Some 50 per cent of Ten’s shareholders will have to approve the issuance of a further 56.8 million shares to the pay-TV group in order to lift its stake to 14.9 per cent.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED

NRL clubs threaten breakaway over TV

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 5 : 19-Nov-15

The National Rugby League (NRL) faces a potential split over the issue of pay-TV broadcasting rights, with some teams warning that they could withdraw from the league if a deal is not finalised. The NRL had been negotiating a new deal with Fox Sports and Telstra, but it is believed to have canvassed interest from Singtel Optus, which recently secured exclusive Australian rights to English Premier League matches.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGUE COMMISSION LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC