PAY TELEVISION – AUSTRALIA

Foxtel fights back as streaming services tempt subscribers

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 23-Mar-15

A Venture Consulting surveys shows that around 250,000 of Foxtel’s customers intend to cancel or reduce their pay-TV subscription and start using a video streaming service in the next three months. Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein is confident that the company’s subscriber base will not be unduly affected by the growth of video streaming. Foxtel has joined forces with Seven West Media to establish its own streaming service

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, VENTURE CONSULTING PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, STAN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, APPLE INCORPORATED, COMCAST CORPORATION, TIME WARNER INCORPORATED

Telstra chief hopeful that pay TV market will reach 70 per cent

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Original article by Max Mason, Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 16-Feb-15

Just 30 per cent of Australian households currently have access to subscription-based TV. Telstra CEO David Thodey is optimistic about the outlook for the sector, forecasting that the launch of video streaming services will lift market penetration to around 70 per cent. Thodey expects US-based Netflix, which will formally enter the Australian market in March 2015, will eventually introduce advertisements. He also refutes suggestions that Telstra will scrap its T-Box device

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FETCHTV PTY LTD, STAN, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

ACCC to monitor Ten takeover bid

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 25 : 8-Dec-14

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) chair Rod Sims has foreshadowed official confirmation that it will watch the takeover negotiations for Ten Network. A joint bid valued at $A590m for the free-to-air TV group has been prepared by pay TV provider Foxtel and US-based Discovery Communications. There are possible regulatory concerns due to the involvement of Foxtel, which in 2012 gained permission for its merger with rival Austar only after the ACCC noted the emergence of internet streaming TV services

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTAR UNITED COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, CONSOLIDATED MEDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SILVER EAGLE ACQUISITION CORPORATION, SABAN CAPITAL GROUP INCORPORATED, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Foxtel puts ACCC in picture on Ten

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 5-Dec-14

The stock of Ten Network on 4 December 2014 closed $A0.025 lower at $A0.20, as investors assessed the modest offers made by takeover suitors. Pay TV group Foxtel has formed an alliance with US-based Discovery Communications to launch a bid worth $A590m for the free-to-air TV business, and a briefing on the proposal has been given to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission by Foxtel’s legal counsel. Meanwhile Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein says a recent discounting campaign has brought a marked increase in new subscriber growth

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, V8 SUPERCARS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CONSOLIDATED MEDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, SABAN CAPITAL GROUP INCORPORATED, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Foxtel-Ten alliance would face scrutiny

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Original article by Madeleine Heffernan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 16-Sep-14

It was claimed in the media that Foxtel contemplated a bid for the Ten Network in conjunction with Providence Equity Partners. It is said that the pay-TV group might form a marketing or content alliance with Providence if the US private equity group makes an offer for Ten. Regulators are likely to pay close heed to any alliance between Foxtel and Providence. Foxtel is prohibited by law from owning more than 15 per cent of the commercial TV broadcaster

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, CONSOLIDATED MEDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Who’s afraid of the big bad Netflix?

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 8-Sep-14

Australian media groups are ramping up their presence in the video-on-demand sector in response to expectations that US-based Netflix will enter the local market. Pay-TV operator Foxtel has introduced a new channel that allows subscribers to watch whole seasons of TV shows, while it has also reduced the cost of its basic package. CEO Richard Freudenstein is hopeful that people who take up this package will upgrade to get additional channels

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Foxtel reprices for growth effort

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Original article by Dominic White, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 5-Sep-14

Pay-TV operator Foxtel will reduce the cost of its basic package by 50 per cent as part of a strategy to increase its subscriber base. Foxtel’s market penetration is currently around 30 per cent, but CEO Richard Freudenstein is confident of achieving strong growth by revising its prices. Foxtel will also launch a new channel which will offer on-demand viewing of entire seasons of popular TV shows

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STREAMCO, AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED

Ten taps Foxtel for stream service

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 25 : 18-Aug-14

Australian free-to-air TV network Nine Entertainment is tipped to roll out its new streaming service by late 2014. In response pay TV operator Foxtel launched its Presto video-on-demand offering, and it has now cut the price by 50% to $A9.95 a month. Foxtel has also been named by Rebekah Horne, the chief digital officer at Ten Network, as a likely partner for that group’s streaming plans. She noted that Foxtel uses software from major supplier Ooyala. Horne also said Ten may choose to charge users for the special content to be available under the new Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV system, expected to arrive in September or October

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, OOYALA INCORPORATED, FREEVIEW AUSTRALIA PTY LTD