STRATEGIC ALLIANCES (BUSINESS) – AUSTRALIA

ACCC ticks Virgin-Qatar flights plan

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Original article by Ayesha de Kretser
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 & 19 : 19-Feb-25

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has backed Vigin Australia’s proposed alliance with Qatar Airways. The ACCC’s draft determination has concluded amongs other things that the wet-lease agreement will be advantageous to travellers by offering a greater choice of international flights, more convenience and enhanced loyalty program benefits. Qatar Airways will also acquire a 25 per cent stake in Virgin if the deal receives final approval from the ACCC, and ultimately the Foreign Investment Review Board and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

CORPORATES
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, QATAR AIRWAYS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Optus parent writes off billions

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 30-Apr-24

Singapore Telecommunications has announced a $S3.1 billion ($3.5 billion) writedown, most of which relates to its Australian subsidiary Optus. However, its potential impact has been offset by Optus’s agreement with TPG Telecom to share regional telecommunications networks; the agreement will see TPG pay Optus service fees of $1.59 billion over 11 years. Optus will use that money to accelerate its investment in 5G networks and complete them two years faster than foreshadowed. TPG’s deal with Optus comes after competition regulators rejected a $1.8 billion deal proposed by TPG and Telstra in 2023 to share networks and spectrum.

CORPORATES
SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPG, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Qantas bows to ACCC wishes and ends China Eastern tie-up

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Original article by Robyn Ironside, Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: Online : 25-Oct-23

Qantas has advised that it will terminate a long-standing alliance with China Eastern Airlines, although it will honour all existing bookings. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission had signalled in September that it would oppose an application to extend the partnership. Qantas recently abandoned a $614m takeover bid for Alliance Aviation after the deal was opposed by the ACCC, while the competition watchdog is also pursuing legal action over allegations that Qantas had sold tickets for flights that it had already cancelled.

CORPORATES
QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CORPORATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Are Media announces expanded partnership with Roy Morgan for social media insights

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jun-23

Are Media has expanded its partnership with Roy Morgan to gather worldwide audience insights from its extensive social media channels that are currently not available anywhere else. Under the partnership, Are Media’s social media audiences across Instagram, Facebook and other social platforms will be included in Roy Morgan’s official Single Source database. Single Source is the world’s most extensive market research database, providing consistent and accurate consumer and market profiles. In securing the deal, Are Media will be the only Australian media partner to offer comprehensive audience insights into its social channels, giving advertisers a more accurate profile of its social audience, to deliver commercially driven social campaigns that engage the right audience. According to SMI data, advertising spend on social media remains the fastest growing digital sector, up 14.7 per cent in 2022.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, ARE MEDIA PTY LTD

TPG could lift mobile prices despite block on sharing deal

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Original article by Lucas Baird
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 23-Dec-22

Morningstar analyst Brian Han says the proposed regional mobile network sharing deal between TPG Telecom and Telstra is "not completely dead", given that both telcos intend to appeal the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s ruling. Amongst other things, the ACCC took the view that approving the deal would have given TPG an incentive to increase its mobile prices as soon as the network-sharing arrangement was completed. However, Eric Choi of Barrenjoey contends that TPG would have been likely to increase its mobile prices even if the ACCC had approved the deal. He notes that TPG is the only major telco that has not yet increased its consumer prices.

CORPORATES
TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPG, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, BARRENJOEY CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD

BHP joins Baowu to explore green steel

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: 16 : 9-Nov-20

BHP will work with Chinese steel producer Baowu to develop low-carbon technologies for the global steel industry. BHP’s memorandum of understanding with Baowu includes provision for an investment of up to $US35m ($48m) in technologies aimed at reducing the industry’s carbon emissions. However, BHP still expects coking coal to remain a key steel-making input for many years. Coking coal accounted for $US1.9bn of BHP’s earnings in 2019-20.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CHINA BAOWU STEEL GROUP CORPORATION LIMITED

Disney explores local tie-ups

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 18-Nov-19

Walt Disney Company’s Australian MD Kylie Watson-Wheeler has downplayed suggestions that the global media company may seek an alliance with a local telco to offer free subscriptions to the new Disney+ streaming video service. She says Disney has had talks with telcos, but stresses that the Disney+ launch is the top priority at present. Industry sources have suggested that an alliance a telco is unlikely to occur for several months after the local launch of Disney+ on 19 November.

CORPORATES
WALT DISNEY COMPANY, DISNEY+, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, HULU LLC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Tabcorp takes a punt on NFL deal

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 19 : 19-Sep-19

Wagering company Tabcorp announced on 18 September that it would become the US National Football League’s official wagering partner in Australia. The multi-year agreement is seen as part of Tabcorp’s push to make Sky Channel the home of US sport in Australia, and will include Sky Channel broadcasting one NFL game each Monday morning during the NFL season across its network of more than 4,400 clubs, pubs and TABs.

CORPORATES
TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

ABC seeks to put more content on Foxtel

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 23 : 26-Aug-19

About 14.5 per cent of Australian households in metropolitan areas and nine per cent in regional areas view the ABC via Foxtel at present. The ABC’s board recently agreed to review its retransmission deal with the pay-TV group, which costs $4m a year. Union representatives are amongst those who have expressed concern about the arrangement, although it is expected to be renewed. However, there is speculation that the ABC will shift some of its content from Foxtel to its own platforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

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