TELEVISION BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

Slashed TV fee delivers windfall

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 4 : 29-Apr-16

The office of Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has declined to comment on speculation that the Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget will include a reduction in TV broadcasters’ licence fees. Free-to-air networks have lobbied the Government in the lead-up to the Budget, and some media reports have suggested that it will agree to their request. Pay-TV group Foxtel has argued that any reduction in licence fees should be accompanied by changes to the anti-siphoning list for sports events.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, 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, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

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

Game of Thrones breaks records

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Age – Page: 22 : 27-Apr-16

Pay-TV group Foxtel expects the season six debut episode of "Game of Thrones" to have attracted more than one million Australian viewers when Foxtel IQ and encore screening figures are taken into account. The first episode boasted a live viewing audience of 727,000 on 25 April 2016, with an average 396,000 people watching its initial broadcast during the day and an additional 285,000 viewers for the encore screening in prime-time.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, HBO, BITTORRENT INCORPORATED

Media reform could be delayed until after budget, federal vote

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 20-Apr-16

Federal Parliament is unlikely to sit again until 2 May 2016, ahead of the Australian Government’s Budget on 3 May. The Government is now expected to postpone proposed changes to cross-media ownership laws until after the double-dissolution election on 2 July, in order to focus on the Budget. Abolition of the "reach rule" and the "two-out-of-three rule" is still on the Government’s agenda, while the Ten Network has again called for broadcasting licence fees to be reduced in the Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD

TV audiences slide as Netflix effect kicks in

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 18-Apr-16

Data from OzTAM highlights the impact of video-on-demand services on Australia’s free-to-air TV networks. Prime-time viewing has fallen by 4.3 per cent overall in 2016, led by the key 16-39 age demographic, which is down 14.8 per cent. However, the figures do not include people who view the networks’ programs via their online "catch-up" services. The OzTAM data also shows that the prime-time audience share of pay-TV group Foxtel has fallen by 5.3 per cent.

CORPORATES
OZTAM PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, OMNICOM MEDIA GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), THE NIELSEN COMPANY

Anxious TV executives seek meeting with PM

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 11-Apr-16

The free-to-air TV industry is concerned that the Australian Government will not include a reduction in broadcasting licence fees in the May 2016 Budget. Free TV Australia is said to have lobbied Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for a meeting with industry executives to discuss the issue. Some observers have speculated that the Government may opt to progressively reduce the licence fee over several years.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Free TV networks ready to campaign on licence fees

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 : 7-Apr-16

The metropolitan free-to-air TV networks may ramp their lobbying for a reduction in the annual broadcasting licence fee in the Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget. They are believed to have held discussions about launching an advertising campaign, which is likely to be similar to the Save Our Voices campaign that was launched by regional broadcasters.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, PIN PAYMENTS, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Analysts tip Nine shares to recover

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 23 : 7-Apr-16

Nine Entertainment Company’s share price closed 2.2 per cent higher at $A1.18 on 6 April 2016. The stock had shed 23.7 per cent in the previous trading session, in response to a sharp fall in earnings for the third quarter of 2015-16. Nine was hit by disappointing ratings, but some media buyers expect its performance to improve with several popular programs set to return shortly. Meanwhile, UBS and Deutsche Bank analysts have "buy" recommendations on the stock.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, OZTAM PTY LTD

Government weighing up broadcasters’ revenue fees

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 6-Apr-16

Australia’s Communications Minister Mitch Fifield agrees that there is a need for changes to TV and radio broadcasting licence fees. However, Fifield has downplayed suggestions that a reduction in licence fees could be included in the May 2016 Budget, noting the Federal Government’s "constrained fiscal circumstances". TV networks have lobbied for the licence fee to be scrapped or reduced to just one per cent of revenue, but Fraser McLeish of Credit Suisse expects the fee to be reduced progressively over several years.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Streaming ‘a plague’ on regions

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Gina Rushton
The Australian – Page: 20 : 6-Apr-16

Court proceedings on 5 April 2016 in the legal dispute between Nine Entertainment Company and regional affiliate WIN Corporation centred on the definition of "broadcast". WIN’s barrister, Tony Bannon, argued that the term includes live streaming as well as traditional TV broadcasts. WIN is seeking to have Nine barred from streaming its TV channels into regional markets, in order to protect its own advertising revenue.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN