TELEVISION BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

Prime chair acts to avoid a second strike

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 21 : 23-Nov-16

The remuneration report of Prime Media Group was endorsed by a large majority of votes cast at the 2016 AGM. Chairman John Hartigan said the company had revised its executive pay structure in response to feedback from shareholders. Prime had incurred a first "strike" against its remuneration report in 2015. Shareholders have also voted against a resolution to hold a meeting to spill the board. Meanwhile, Hartigan has advised that he has agreed to give up half of his director’s fee. Prime posted a statutory loss of $A93.5m in 2015-16.

CORPORATES
PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Seven earnings to fall up to 20pc

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 10-Nov-16

Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes says broadcasting licence fees and government subsidies for TV production are more important issues than proposed reforms to cross-media ownership laws. Meanwhile, the 2016 AGM has been told that Seven’s underlying EBIT for 2016-17 could be up to 20 per cent lower than previously, as the advertising market remains subdued. Macquarie Group expects a two per cent decline in the TV advertising market in 2016-17.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Ten shares take hit on full-year loss

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 21-Oct-16

Ten Network has posted a 2015-16 loss of $A156.8m, compared with a $A312.2m loss previously. The latest result was primarily due to a $A135.2m write-down in the value of its TV licence. Ten’s revenue of $A689.5m was 5.4 per cent higher than previously. CEO Paul Anderson argues that subscription video-on-demand providers should be subject to the same rules as traditional broadcasters, noting that the latter make a significant contribution to the economy.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD

Metro TV hit hard by advertising slowdown

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 : 18-Oct-16

Australia’s advertising market has recorded overall growth of 1.6 per cent so far in 2016, although data from Standard Media Index shows that advertising expenditure declined by 4.6 per cent during September. Metropolitan free-to-air TV advertising fell by 8.9 per cent in September, while the overall TV ad market was down 7.7 per cent. The Seven Network boasted a 38.9 per cent share of the metropolitan ad market, ahead of the Nine Network with 35.9 per cent.

CORPORATES
SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, IPG MEDIABRANDS

Diamond days as TV celebrates a jubilee

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 5 : 12-Oct-16

Industry executives and on-air presenters have joined politicians in marking the 60th anniversary of TV in Australia at Parliament House in Canberra. The event coincided with a decision by the Australian Labor Party’s caucus to support a proposed 25 per cent reduction in broadcasting licence fees for commercial TV and radio stations. Free TV Australia chairman Harold Mitchell notes that linear TV continues to be an important part of daily family life.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, OZTAM PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

New Free TV boss Savill to push for cuts in broadcast licence fees

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 10-Oct-16

Brett Savill, who has succeeded Julie Flynn as CEO of Free TV Australia, says the TV sector is likely to undergo greater change in the next 5-10 years than the switch from analogue to digital. However, he notes that TV is still the only medium than can attract the large audiences that viewed the recent Australian Football League and National Rugby League grand finals. Savill is expected to lobby the Federal Government for a further reduction in broadcasting licence fees, which Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has indicated is under active consideration.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, BAI COMMUNICATIONS, BROADCAST AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, KORN/FERRY INTERNATIONAL, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Free-to-air TV bosses strengthen calls for licence fee cuts

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 28-Sep-16

The Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget included a 25 per cent reduction in TV broadcasting licence fees. Nine Entertainment Company’s submission to a Senate inquiry into the media reform bill has argued that a further reduction in licence fees should have priority over changes to cross-media ownership rules. The Ten Network noted in its submission that Australia’s broadcasting licence fees are still the highest in the world, while News Corp Australia called for broader media reform and changes to the anti-siphoning list for sports broadcasts.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

TV networks on brink of ad-spending revival

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 : 19-Sep-16

Australia’s free-to-air TV networks may gain a low single-digit increase in advertising sales for 2017, as negotiations with media buying agencies begin. Think TV CEO Kim Portrate notes that there is renewed interest in TV among advertisers. The Ten Network’s share of advertising revenue rose from 21.9 per cent to 25.2 per cent in the first half of 2016, while the Nine Network’s share fell from 38.6 per cent to 35.6 per cent. The Seven Network’s share fell by just 0.3 per cent, to 39.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, THINK TV, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, OMNICOM MEDIA GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, IPG MEDIABRANDS, DENTSU AEGIS MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VIVAKI, PUBLICIS GROUPE SA, PROCTER AND GAMBLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED

Seven seeks to redraw Disney deal

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 19 : 15-Sep-16

Australian-listed Seven West Media is said to pay at least $A50m a year for TV programs from the Walt Disney Company. The output deal will expire in late 2016 or early 2017, and Seven is said to be seeking to renegotiate the terms of the arrangement to allow the broadcaster to selectively take new programs. Seven is also investing heavily in local content. The Nine Network recently renegotiated its content deal with Warners Bros.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WARNER BROS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SONY PICTURES TELEVISION PTY LTD, NBC UNIVERSAL INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Extended Play for streaming Foxtel

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 21 : 7-Sep-16

Foxtel has revealed plans to launch a lower-cost version of its Play streaming service in December 2016. The new product is expected to be offered at a similar price to rival subscription video-on-demand services such as Netflix and Stan, and Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh is confident that it will primarily be taken up by non-Foxtel households rather than current customers. Meanwhile, Foxtel has commissioned a new TV version of "Picnic At Hanging Rock" and secured a new content deal with HBO.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, FREMANTLEMEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, HBO, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS