STRATEGIC PLANNING – UNITED STATES

The hidden message in Rupert Murdoch’s latest manoeuvre

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Original article by John McDuling
The Age – Page: Online : 18-Oct-22

Rupert Murdoch’s proposal to reunify News Corp and Fox Corp is worthy of scrutiny. Both companies have changed significantly since being split in 2013. News Corp now derives the bulk of its revenue from digital real estate advertising rather than newspapers; likewise, Fox Corp’s focus has shifted to live news and sports after selling most of its entertainment assets to Disney. Combining the two companies makes some strategic sense, with the potential for greater cross-promotion across media platforms. Meanwhile, Barclays analysts have speculated that the reunification proposal may be aimed at preparing the companies for even more challenging economic conditions.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOX CORPORATION, BARCLAYS BANK PLC

BHP heads offshore for petroleum growth

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 19 : 8-Mar-18

Steve Pastor, the head of BHP Billiton’s petroleum division, is upbeat about the potential of oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, including the Trion project and the Wildling discovery. BHP will drill another appraisal well at Trion by the end of 2018, followed by two more in 2019. Pastor also says BHP will participate in the Mexican Government’s next auction of exploration permits in the gulf. He adds that there has been strong interest in BHP’s US shale assets, and the company could potentially swap some onshore shale acreage for offshore conventional oil assets.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, PEMEX PETROLEOS MEXICANOS

Why Rupert is still in the news

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Original article by Con Frantzeskos
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 38 : 21-Dec-17

Rupert Murdoch’s decision to sell the bulk of 21 Century Fox’s assets to Walt Disney Company reflects that the fact that digital disruptors have largely only affected the channels for distributing content, rather than the content itself. Murdoch will retain TV assets that primarily broadcast live content, such as news and sport, in which digital players such as Facebook and Google have made relatively limited progress to date. Murdoch is also repositioning his media empire to focus on live news and sports at a local level, which has always been his forte.

CORPORATES
21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOX BROADCASTING COMPANY, FOX NEWS, FOX SPORTS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED

Murdoch’s Fox shares rise on talk of sale of key assets to rival Disney

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 8-Nov-17

The share price of 21st Century Fox has risen by more than nine per cent in response to media reports that it had held talks about selling most of its assets to the Walt Disney Company. The discussions were said to be preliminary and have been discontinued, but it is believed that the talks could resume. The reports suggested that Fox would sell assets such as its film and TV studios to Disney, while retaining its news and sports broadcasting assets. Fox has a market capitalisation of $US50bn, while Disney’s market capitalisation is $US155bn.

CORPORATES
21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, CNBC, GABELLI FUNDS, SKY PLC, TIME WARNER INCORPORATED, AT&T CORPORATION, 20TH CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, FOX NEWS CHANNEL, STAR INDIA, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, HARPERCOLLINS

Peabody to trim Australian coal output

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 12-Aug-16

Peabody Energy Corporation has flagged the potential sale of non-core coal assets in Australia, the US and Canada as part of its turnaround strategy. The group, which filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2016, has also advised that its annual coking coal output in Australia is likely to fall to seven million tonnes in 2021, compared with expectations of 15 million tonnes in 2016. However, thermal coal production is expected to be maintained at around current levels for the next five years.

CORPORATES
PEABODY ENERGY CORPORATION, PEABODY ENERGY AUSTRALIA COAL PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Netflix flags foray into news

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Original article by Max Mason
The Age – Page: 23 : 16-Oct-15

US-based subscription video-on-demand provider Netflix has posted a $US29.4m ($A40.2m) profit for the September 2015 quarter, with sales totalling $US1.7bn. The number of paid subscribers rose from 62.7 million to 66 million, and the group expects this to top 70 million by the end of 2015. Meanwhile, chief content officer Ted Sarandos says a news programs is among the content that Netflix is looking to offer in coming years, although he has downplayed suggestions that it may bid for sports broadcasting rights.

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, VICE MEDIA INCORPORATED, HBO