STRATEGIC ALLIANCES (BUSINESS) – AUSTRALIA

Google, PwC’s global alliance

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Original article by Agnes King
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 29-Oct-14

Luke Sayers, CEO in Australia for global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), has announced a new alliance with web search engine services group Google. The latter’s enterprise MD in Australia, Kevin Ackhurst, notes that while both entities are still free to strike deals with the respective partner’s rivals as well, in some areas there will be an exclusive arrangement. The aim of the new collaboration is to offer consulting services to businesses affected by digital disruption. PwC will also resell and install Google’s Apps for Work suite of office software products

CORPORATES
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, QUATTRO SYSTEMS PTY LTD

News Corp targets $1.85trn super pool

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Original article by Madeleine Heffernan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 27-Oct-14

Investment platform provider OneVue has consented to an alliance with News Corp Australia, as the media group seeks to expand into new markets. It now aims to offer services for superannuation account holders, with the launch of its BrightDay product. The venture is to be managed by James Leplaw, GM of News Corp’s "Eureka Report" investor newsletter. The latter is part of the Australian Independent Business Media publishing business acquired by News Corp in mid-2012, but is believed to have suffered a drop in subscriber numbers

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, ONEVUE HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX OVH, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS MEDIA PTY LTD, EUREKA REPORT PTY LTD, CLIME ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PRIVATE MEDIA PARTNERS PTY LTD, CARNEGIE, WYLIE AND COMPANY PTY LTD, INVESTSMART FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MORGANS FINANCIAL LIMITED

Yahoo7 partners with Roy Morgan – Bringing Helix Personas to the Yahoo7 Data Sciences Suite

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Oct-14

Roy Morgan Research and Yahoo!7 have announced a new commercial partnership that integrates Australia’s leading consumer segmentation tool, Helix Personas with Yahoo!7’s advertising solutions. The partnership combines Yahoo!7’s online insights with Roy Morgan’s geo-psychographical behavioural segmentation to provide advertisers with even more effective targeting for specific audience groups across the Yahoo!7 network

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, YAHOO!7 COMMUNICATIONS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Dick Smith strikes gold with DJs outlets

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 21 : 13-Oct-14

Nick Abboud, CEO of electronic goods retailing chain Dick Smith, says its alliance with department stores group David Jones is progressing well. One year after the "David Jones Electronics Powered by Dick Smith" concept was rolled out in October 2013, the concessions inside the David Jones stores generate more than half of upmarket product sales for Dick Smith. This is despite this business accounting for only 3% of the parent’s total turnover, which shows that the David Jones link has given it access to more affluent consumers. David Jones has since been acquired for $A2.2bn by South African group Woolworths

CORPORATES
DICK SMITH HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX DSH, DAVID JONES LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED, BOSE PTY LTD

China Eastern, Qantas ties grow

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Original article by Matt O’Sullivan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 18-Sep-14

China Eastern Airlines wants to strengthen its relationship with Qantas. The Chinese airline’s GM for Oceania, Kathy Zhang, said deeper co-operation is necessary when business conditions are tough. Qantas lost almost $A500 million in 2013-14 and its management sees alliances as instrumental in increasing revenue from its international operations

CORPORATES
CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CORPORATION LIMITED, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES COMPANY LIMITED, SRILANKAN AIRLINES

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

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

Odds against joint ventures

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 5-Aug-14

A survey of CEOs by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) shows that 43 per cent of the Australian respondents intend to establish a strategic alliance or joint venture in 2014, compared with 28 per cent in 2013. Mike Sum of PwC notes that strategic alliances are becoming more popular in the business sector. However, he notes that such alliances often fail during the implementation stage

CORPORATES
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SNP SECURITY SERVICES PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, VISA INTERNATIONAL, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, GE CAPITAL AUSTRALIA, AURIZON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX AZJ, SHANGHAI BAOSTEEL GROUP CORPORATION, AQUILA RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX AQA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WOOLWORTHS EZY BANKING, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, BBY LIMITED, VIRGIN MONEY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Start-ups key as change batters the big four

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Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 15 : 4-Aug-14

Consultants at Ernst & Young and KPMG warn that large companies must seek strategic alliances with small start-ups in order to safeguard against digital disruption. A major sector in need of such an approach is that of banking in Australia, and the four main lenders are already facing competition by online payments businesses such as PayPal. However Brian Hartzer, CEO Australian financial services at Westpac Banking, argues the banks can themselves behave like start-ups. Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, group executive institutional banking and markets at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, also says they have an advantage in the shape of large stores of customer data

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, PAYPAL INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, KPMG, ERNST AND YOUNG

Seven West’s video-on-demand puzzle

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 28-Jul-14

Nine Entertainment Company plans to launch a subscription video-on-demand service, potentially before the end of 2014. At one stage it appeared that Nine and arch-rival Seven West Media could have jointly developed the StreamCo product, and this may still be a possibility. StreamCo’s main competitor is likely to be US-based Netflix, which is expected to debut in Australia in 2015. Nine has also bought redeemable preference shares in Quickflix

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, HOYTS GROUP PTY LTD, HBO, HULU LLC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN