TELEVISION BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

Media reform decision imminent

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 19 & 20 : 4-Dec-15

Communications Minister Mitch ­Fifield says technology has made Australia’s existing cross-media ownership laws redundant. He has also given indications that any reforms will include measures to ensure that local TV news services are retained in regional areas if merger rules are relaxed. The Coalition’s partyroom discussed abolition of the "reach rule" and the "two-out-of-three" rule on 2 December 2015, and the issue is also likely to be on the agenda at the final meeting of cabinet ministers for the year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, PIN PAYMENTS, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, IMPARJA TELEVISION PTY LTD

SBS staffer convicted over drunken post

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 2-Dec-15

SBS employee Nicholas Hogan has been given a two-year good behaviour bond after being convicted of making threats to kill police officers. The Newton Local Court in Sydney found the editing assistant guilty on a charge of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. Hogan had posted a message on Facebook stating that he intended to kill a police officer in the name of Allah. The post was made one day after the funeral of police accountant Curtis Cheng, who was murdered by a Islamic extremist.

CORPORATES
SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), LOCAL COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Seven fends off Nine to win ratings again

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 30-Nov-15

The Seven Network was Australia’s top-rating TV network in 2015, with an overall audience share of 29.3 per cent. This compares with 30.4 per cent in 2014, while the Nine Network’s audience share also fell. However, the Ten Network’s audience share rose by 0.9 per cent to 18.8 per cent. Nine’s Andrew Backwell says the network is not concerned about total viewers, arguing that it was the market leader in the key age demographics in 2015.

CORPORATES
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 BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Delay on rules for ownership

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 30-Nov-15

Cabinet ministers may discuss proposed changes to cross-media ownership laws in the week after Parliament rises for the summer break, but any reforms will now not proceed until February 2016. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield had hoped to put the reforms to cabinet before the end of the parliamentary year. Meanwhile, Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks argues that TV broadcasting licence fees must be included in the reforms, which are centred on the "reach rule" and the "two-out of-three rule".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, BAUER MEDIA KG, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, COMCAST CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION, TIME WARNER INCORPORATED, VIACOM INCORPORATED

Connected families flowing fast to streaming

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Original article by Chris Griffith, Gina Rushton
The Australian – Page: 3 : 26-Nov-15

It is estimated that some 10 per cent of Australian households now have access to Netflix, while rival subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) provider Stan has indicated that it has nearly 400,000 subscribers. Research by Telsyte shows that the average household now boasts more than nine internet-connected devices, and more people are opting to watch TVs and movies via SVOD than free-to-air TV.

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, TELSYTE PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, RUGBY WORLD CUP LIMITED, THE EMIRATES MELBOURNE CUP

Shareholders to vote on Foxtel

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Original article by Jake Mitchell, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 21 : 26-Nov-15

Ten Network’s shares closed at $A0.16 on 25 November 2015. However, Morgan Stanley has upgraded its share price target to $A0.29, describing the network as a "early stage turnaround story". Meanwhile, Foxtel has emerged with a 12.5 per cent stake in Ten following a rights issue. Some 50 per cent of Ten’s shareholders will have to approve the issuance of a further 56.8 million shares to the pay-TV group in order to lift its stake to 14.9 per cent.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Nine confirms Apollo’s exit from share register

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 21 : 24-Nov-15

Apollo Global Management has sold its remaining 9.82 per cent stake in Nine Entertainment Company. The US hedge fund sold out of the media group at $A1.61 per share, gaining about $A140m from the transaction. Apollo and Oaktree Capital provided Nine with a financial lifeline in 2012, and they have progressively reduced their stakes. Oaktree now holds 7.8 per cent of Nine’s shares.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Boys’ club ‘alive and well’ in TV industry

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 : 23-Nov-15

Sylvia Jeffreys joined the Nine Network’s "Today" breakfast show as its news presenter in mid-2014. She says the network has a large number of female news reporters and newsreaders, but concedes that sexism remains an issue for the broader TV industry. She adds that men continue to hold the majority of top roles in the media sector.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Gordon has new tune for talks with Nine

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 22 : 20-Nov-15

Nine Entertainment Company is seeking to conclude negotiations for a new affiliate agreement with regional broadcaster WIN Corporation. However, Nine is also holding merger talks with Southern Cross Media Group. WIN owner Bruce Gordon also has 14.9 per cent stakes in both Nine and Ten Network, positioning him to play a key role in TV industry consolidation if cross-media ownership rules are relaxed.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Scrap outdated media laws: Seven boss

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 19-Nov-15

Seven Group chairman Kerry Stokes has called for the Australian Government to take action on TV broadcasting licence fees and increase the producer offset for TV drama as part of its changes to media industry regulation. He supports abolition of the "reach rule" and the "two-out-of-three rule", but argues that these changes must be part of a broader package of reforms. However, Stokes favours retaining the anti-siphoning list for broadcasting sports.

CORPORATES
SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN