STREAMING VIDEO – AUSTRALIA

Five million Australians now have Netflix; Stan and Presto are still well behind, but growing

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Jun-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that almost five million Australians aged 14+ had access to Netflix in the three months to May 2016, while 1,878,000 households now use the subscription video-on-demand service. Some 891,000 Australians in 332,000 households now have access to Stan, while Presto now reaches 353,000 people in 142,000 subscribing homes. Meanwhile, Roy Morgan estimates that 92 per cent of Netflix users (1,734,000 households) had a paid subscription in the May quarter, compared with 78 per cent of Stan subscribers (260,000 homes) and 64 per cent of Presto subscribers (around 91,000 homes).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD

SPA calls for Netflix local content quota

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 30-May-16

Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner argues that subscription video-on-demand services should be subject to the same local content requirements as traditional TV broadcasters. The European Union has proposed a requirement for at least 20 per cent of content broadcast by streaming services in Europe to have been produced locally. Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks says it is more important for international SVOD services to pay their full tax liabilities in Australia.

CORPORATES
SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Nine lures 1.2 million to 9Now

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 25 : 23-May-16

The 9Now website of Nine Entertainment Company has gained almost 1.2 million subscribers since it was launched in February 2016. The site offers live streaming of Nine’s primary and digital channels, as well as a catch-up service. Access to 9Now is free, but users must register, which Nine’s chief marketing and digital officer Alex Parsons says has not been a deterrent. Data from Nielsen shows that 9Now boasted a unique audience of 1.6 million in March 2016.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Optus defends controversial English Premier League plans

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 17-May-16

Optus has attracted criticism for restricting access to its English Premier League coverage to its own broadband and mobile customers. However, Optus’s Ben White says the telco aims to differentiate itself from rivals by offering exclusive content to its customers, and he notes that Optus is upgrading its infrastructure to ensure that its EPL coverage is of broadcast quality. Optus will also be the primary Australian broadcaster of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with SBS to broadcast some matches.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Optus enters the fray for FFA rights

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 16-May-16

Optus will establish a 24-hour football channel as it prepares to launch its coverage of the English Premier League. CEO Allan Lew says the telco is also keen to secure rights to A-League and Socceroos matches. The Ten Network is also said to be interested in A-League matches, which are currently broadcast by Fox Sports under a four-year deal worth $A40m a year. Meanwhile, Lew stresses that Optus’s EPL coverage will only be available to its own customers.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), WORLD SPORTS GROUP, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, OLIVER AND OHLBAUM, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITY FOOTBALL GROUP, MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, MELBOURNE CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, MANCHESTER UNITED PLC, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FOOTBALL CLUB, LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB, BEIN SPORTS

Stan is on ‘clear path to profitability’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 45 : 12-May-16

Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks and Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood are upbeat about the outlook for their subscription video-on-demand joint venture, Stan. Marks says Stan could gain a 25 per cent share of the SVOD market, and forecasts that there will be an average of one SVOD service in each Australian household within five years. The joint venture partners expect Stan’s active customer base to top 500,000 in May 2016, and Marks notes that the conversion rate to paid subscriptions is between 70-85 per cent.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Optus hits own goal with EPL pricing

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 26 : 5-May-16

The majority of Optus customers will pay $A15 per month to access the telco’s coverage of English Premier League matches. Optus had been widely tipped to charge just $A10 per month. However, customers on Optus’s most expensive mobile and broadband plans will not be charged extra for access to EPL matches. Optus also intends to launch a mini set-top box that will allow customers to stream EPL matches to a TV rather than viewing them on a PC or mobile device.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, FETCHTV PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

WIN loses streaming battle against Nine

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 29-Apr-16

The Supreme Court of New South Wales has dismissed WIN Corporation’s application for an injunction to stop Nine Entertainment Company from streaming its metropolitan TV channels into regional markets. Justice David Hammerschlag has ruled that live streaming does not constitute broadcasting under the parties’ affiliation agreement. WIN CEO Andrew Lancaster says the judgment demonstrates the need to scrap the "reach rule". The ruling may affect other regional broadcasters in negotiating new affiliation agreements.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, BIRKETU PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Quickflix goes bust, blames Stan for demise

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 21 : 27-Apr-16

Listed subscription video-on-demand provider Quickflix has been placed in the hands of administrators from Ferrier Hodgson. Quickflix has attributed its decision to go into voluntary administration on the refusal of streaming rival Stan to endorse a proposal to restructure redeemable preference shares. They were issued to HBO in 2011 and subsequently sold to Stan’s joint owner Nine Entertainment Company in 2014. Quickflix says Stan’s terms for agreeing to the restructure were unacceptable.

CORPORATES
QUICKFLIX LIMITED – ASX QFX, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, HBO, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FERRIER HODGSON AND COMPANY

Hayu can’t keep up with the Kardashians

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 18-Apr-16

Technical problems have plagued the Hayu subscription video-on-demand service of US media giant NBC Universal. The reality TV-focused Hayu was launched in March 2016, but some users in Australia have complained that streaming TV shows on Hayu is very slow. A spokesman for NBC Universal concedes that there have been issues with Hayu but says the company is addressing these problems.

CORPORATES
NBC UNIVERSAL INCORPORATED, HAYU, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, COMCAST CORPORATION, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, UNIVERSAL PICTURES, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED