TELECOMMUNICATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Telstra thrives on new look tag

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 25 : 18-Jul-16

Telstra will use its alliance with Olympic Games broadcaster Seven Network to launch a major overhaul of its brand. The telco has developed its rebranding in partnership with creative agency The Monkeys, and will replace its long-running "It’s how we connect" tagline with "Thrive On". Joe Pollard, Telstra’s group managing director of media and marketing, says the new branding is based on the theme that the telco "empowers people to thrive".

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, THE MONKEYS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Unlockd secures deal with Tesco

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 10-Jun-16

Australian telco and mobile advertising group Unlockd has continued to expand globally, after securing a deal to supply its technology to Tesco Mobile in the UK. The deal with Tesco Mobile, which boasts some 4.6 million customers, includes content partnerships with Facebook and the British division of News Corporation. Unlockd CEO Matt Berriman says the company is enjoying monthly revenue growth of 75 per cent. It secured a deal with Sprint Telecom in the US earlier in 2016.

CORPORATES
UNLOCKD PTY LTD, TESCO MOBILE, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SPRINT TELECOM, LEBARA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, SPOTLESS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SPO, CARSALES.COM LIMITED – ASX CAR, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK, CITIBANK PTY LTD, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, CATCH-OF-THE-DAY.COM.AU, BRITISH AIRWAYS PLC, McDONALD’S CORPORATION, BRANSTON, DORITOS

Optus foray into sports ‘good for competition’

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

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says Optus’s acquisition of local broadcasting rights for the English Premier League demonstrates the competitive environment for sports rights. Telstra has traditionally been the dominant telco in terms of sports rights, but Optus has signalled its interest in expanding its exclusive sports coverage.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NETBALL AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Optus defends controversial English Premier League plans

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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 hits own goal with EPL pricing

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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

Shareholders divided on Telstra’s $1.8b

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 19-Apr-16

Telstra will retain a 6.5 per cent stake in China’s Autohome following a deal to sell 47.7 per cent of its stake to Ping An Insurance Group for $US1.6bn ($A2.1bn). Telstra CEO Andy Penn says the telco will adopt a "balanced approach" to using the proceeds of the sale, which may include a capital management initiative. Bradley King of Armytage says his preference would be a special dividend rather than an on-market share buyback. He adds that the telco may seek other investment opportunities in Asia.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUTOHOME INCORPORATED, PING AN INSURANCE COMPANY OF CHINA LIMITED, ARMYTAGE PRIVATE LIMITED, INVESTORS MUTUAL LIMITED, TRIBECA INVESTMENT PARTNERS PTY LTD, BEULAH CAPITAL PTY LTD, SAN MIGUEL CORPORATION

Optus to cut hundreds of jobs in pursuit of ‘sustainable growth’

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 5-Apr-16

Optus will reduce its workforce by up to 480 positions within its consumer and enterprise divisions. The telco stated on 4 April 2016 that the number of redundancies had not yet been determined, as some workers will be relocated to other divisions. Optus said costs must be reduced to ensure "sustainable growth".

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED

Penn sticks to $1.3b Asia growth plan

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 15-Mar-16

Shares in Telstra closed 2.33 per cent higher at $A5.28 on 14 March 2016, after the telco advised that negotiations for a mobile network joint venture in the Philippines have been terminated. Telstra had been prepared to invest about $US1bn ($A1.3bn) in the venture with San Miguel, and CEO Andy Penn says the telco is still interested in making an investment of a similar size in Asia. However, institutional investors says Telstra should carefully consider risk factors in any future investments in the region.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SAN MIGUEL CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FOUNDATION INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AFI, NIKKO ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP, GLOBE TELECOM INCORPORATED, PHILIPPINE LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE COMPANY, QATAR TELECOM

Are all telcos the same? Over 1 in 5 Australians think so

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 11-Mar-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 22 per cent of Australians aged 14+ agree that all telcos are the same. The survey, which was carried out in the year to December 2015, also shows that 29 per cent of Dodo customers agree with this statement, compared with 21 per cent of Telstra customers and just 10 per cent of ALDImobile customers. Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine says this simple question about whether all telecommunication companies are the same raises many interesting issues worthy of further investigation by telcos. It goes to the heart of the millions of dollars in expenditure on branding and advertising, pricing and special offers, product and service delivery.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, DODO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ALDIMOBILE, INTERNODE SYSTEMS PTY LTD, ADAM INTERNET PTY LTD, IINET LIMITED, AMAYSIM AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX AYS, WESTNET PTY LTD, VIRGIN MOBILE (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, IPRIMUS, SOUTHERN PHONE COMPANY LIMITED, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BOOST MOBILE, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM

Optus could say Yes to name change

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Original article by David Ramli, John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 8-Mar-16

Australian telco Optus has used market research and focus groups to determine whether consumers would embrace a move to rebrand itself under the "Yes" banner. Optus has been actively securing trademarks using the Yes theme, although the cost of rebranding is seen as one of the problems associated with adopting its long-running tagline as its corporate name. Meanwhile, Optus is planning a major marketing drive ahead of launching its exclusive English Premier League coverage.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD