PAY TELEVISION – AUSTRALIA

Netflix comes to Foxtel, but it’s no cheaper

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Original article by Tegan Jones
gizmodo.com.au – Page: Online : 24-Jul-19

Foxtel subscribers will be able to access content from Netflix under an alliance between the two companies. Foxtel users with an IQ4 set-top box have begun to receive software upgrades that will enable them to view Netflix content, while those with an IQ3 box will have to wait a bit longer. Foxtel will also provide customers with a new remote control with a dedicated Netflix button as part of the changes, although customers who have been Foxtel for less for eight years will have to pay for it. Foxtel customers with a package worth at least $49 will be able to get Netflix for free for six months; after that they will have to pay the same as it currently costs for a stand-alone Netflix subscription.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Foxtel and Netflix join forces in TV shake-up

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Original article by
The New Daily – Page: Online : 25-Jul-19

Foxtel has confirmed a new alliance with Netflix which will allow subscribers to access the streaming video giant’s content via the IQ set-top box. Netflix content will initially be made available to IQ4 users, and it will be rolled out to IQ3 users from September. Recent research by Roy Morgan shows that some 11.5 million Australians have a Netflix subscription, while about five million subscribe to Foxtel. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the alliance should help Foxtel to attract new customers and retain existing subscribers, while Netflix may also gain new customers.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Today 2 million Foxtel subscribers are set to gain access to Netflix

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Jul-19

New research from Roy Morgan shows 13.355 million Australians now have access to either Netflix or Foxtel via a household subscription to either service equivalent to nearly two-thirds (64.4%) of all Australians aged 14+. Of the 13.355 million subscribers a majority of over two-fifths (62.6%) only have Netflix access, a further 23% (3 million) have access to both and 2 million (14.4%) only have Foxtel access. Michele Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan, says the tie-up between Subscription TV giants Foxtel and Netflix set to be announced today carries opportunities for both: "Enabling the 5 million Australians with household access to Foxtel to view the streaming service through their Foxtel IQ box is a solid defensive measure for Foxtel to help prevent existing subscribers ditching the service to move to cheaper alternatives and provides an extra incentive for new users to sign up. The more Foxtel can be regarded as the ‘gateway’ to video content from the likes of Netflix, and perhaps other rival services in future, the more access Foxtel will gain to detailed user data metrics that will help them tailor their services, and advertising, to individual viewing preferences and the more valuable their service will in turn be to advertisers looking for an audience."

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Almost 14 million Australians have Subscription or Pay TV

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Jul-19

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 13,975,000 Australians aged 14+ now have access to some form of Pay TV/Subscription TV or Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD), up 7.9% on a year ago. Nearly 11.5 million Australians now have a Netflix subscription in their household, up by 17.6% on a year ago, while Stan is now accessible by nearly 2.9 million Australians, up by 43.2% in the last 12 months. Other Pay TV/SVOD services to have grown quickly over the past year include Amazon Prime Video (+130.7%), YouTube Premium (+37%) and Fetch (+20.9%). Meanwhile, analysis using Roy Morgan’s Helix Personas consumer segmentation and data integration tool shows that Netflix has a strong appeal to Australians from all walks of life, while traditional Pay TV provider Foxtel is more popular with families than with other psychographic segmentations.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, YOUTUBE PREMIUM, FETCHTV PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Rationale for Foxtel IPO remains: Telstra’s Penn

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 5-Jun-19

Telstra CEO Andy Penn has indicated that a sharemarket float of pay-TV company Foxtel is still likely at some point. He says the reasons for a Foxtel IPO are as compelling as when the proposal was first mooted several years ago. Telstra reduced its stake in Foxtel from 50 per cent to 35 per cent as part of a restructuring that resulted in the merger of Foxtel and News Corp-owned Fox Sports. Penn adds that Foxtel is still an important asset for Telstra, and the telco will retain a stake in Foxtel if it is floated.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, KAYO SPORTS, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

News Corp not interested in free-to-air TV: Miller

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 4-Jun-19

News Corp Australasia chairman Michael Miller says pay-TV operator Foxtel is the media group’s primary broadcasting focus in Australia, and it will not seek to acquire a free-to-air network. The merger between Nine Entertainment and Fairfax Media in 2018 prompted speculation that News Corp could bid for the Seven Network. However, News Corp has since launched streaming video service Kayo Sports, which is part of Foxtel’s strategy to compete with digital rivals.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION

News Corp eyes growth but flags job cuts as skills change

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 3-Jun-19

News Corp Australasia’s executive chairman Michael Miller says its Australian newspapers will achieve a third successive year of profitable growth in 2019-20. Miller notes that News Corp will be looking to bring in people with new skills to the company, while roles that are no longer needed will be abolished. Miller says that increases in digital subscriptions are reducing the company’s reliance on advertising, while he supports the turnaround strategy being adopted by pay-TV unit Foxtel.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA

Foxtel focus on satisfied subscribers

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Original article by Andrew White, Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 28 : 20-May-19

Foxtel’s recently-appointed chief product and strategy officer Alice Mascia has been recruited to help bolster its Kayo Sports and Foxtel Now streaming services and to help retain subscribers. Mascia says Foxtel is planning to introduce a loyalty scheme for customers, while customers who want to get a satellite set-top box for free when they get Foxtel installed are being asked to sign a 12-month contract; she says this should reduce customer churn. Foxtel’s churn rates increased to 17 per cent in the March quarter following a 11 per cent price rise in October, but they improved in April.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Foxtel eyeing sport, programming costs

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 14-May-19

Sports rights and associated production costs accounted for $800m of Foxtel’s $1.6bn expenditure on programming costs in 2018. The pay-TV group’s total operating expenditure for the calendar year was $2.56bn. Parent company News Corp has indicated that there is potential to reduce spending on "non-marquee" sports content, as well as non-sports programming costs. Foxtel is also reviewing the prices of its programming packages and has not ruled out an increase.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, KAYO SPORTS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, RUGBY AUSTRALIA, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, THE W LEAGUE, SOCCEROOS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

News mulls its options in big Fox refinance

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Original article by Max Mason, Tony Boyd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 29-Apr-19

Asian investors are said to have expressed interest in a potential $2.5bn refinancing deal for pay-TV group Foxtel. Major shareholder News Corp is believed to be considering a range of options for the refinancing, rather than raising the entire amount via debt. These options are said to include an equity injection of up to $500m or a direct loan from News Corp. Foxtel is facing growing competition from subscription video-on-demand services such as Stan and Netflix; it could also potentially lose customers to its own Kayo Sports streaming service.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, KAYO SPORTS, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD