TELEVISION BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

News Corp takes ‘tread lightly’ approach

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 19-Oct-15

Media industry sources have suggested that cross-media ownership reforms are on the Australian Government’s agenda again, after being shelved by ex-prime minister Tony Abbott. News Corp Australia CEO Julian Clarke and Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein recently held talks with Communications Minister Mitch Fifield. Both media groups are believed to be more open to reforms, although their stance on the exact nature of the changes that should be implemented is said to be unchanged.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, 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

Sports earn broadcasters bigger share of revenue pie

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 22 : 16-Oct-15

Standard Media Index data shows that the Nine Network’s share of metropolitan TV advertising revenue rose to 37.5 per cent in September 2015. It was bolstered by coverage of National Rugby League preliminary finals, while Ten Network’s ad revenue was boosted by its broadcast of the V8 ­Supercars Sandown 500. A one-week delay to the Australian Football League grand final resulted in Seven Network’s share of ad revenue easing to 40.3 per cent in September.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, V8 SUPERCARS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Foxtel holding in Ten expected to pass muster with regulator

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 14-Oct-15

Former Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) executive Michaela Watson says the regulator is likely to approve the proposed equity alliance between Ten Network and Foxtel. She does not expect ACMA to rule that the deal contravenes cross-media ownership laws or would give businessman Lachlan Murdoch control of Ten. He has an 8.52 per cent stake in Ten and fully owns radio group Nova Entertainment, while he is also the co-chairman of Foxtel’s joint owner News Corporation.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, ILLYRIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Gyngell may be switching channels

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Original article by Elizabeth Knight
The Age – Page: 21 : 13-Oct-15

The contract of Nine Entertainment Company CEO David Gyngell expires in November 2016. He is required to give 12 months’ notice if he does not want to renew the contract, and is widely tipped to do so. Nine has been restructured under Gyngell, selling assets and expanding into the subscription video-on-demand sector. Should the Australian Government implement changes to cross-media ownership laws, his last major deal at Nine could potentially be the acquisition of a regional affiliate or a non-TV media asset.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NINE LIVE PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR

Households ‘slow’ in linking TVs to net

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 23 : 12-Oct-15

Nine Entertainment Company’s Peter Wiltshire believes that only about one per cent of Australians are using their Smart TV to access the internet. Along with the low-take-up rate of Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV – which was officially launched in Australia in mid-2014 – Wiltshire notes that the online catch-up services of free-to-air networks are not competing effectively with subscriber video-on-demand providers such as Netflix.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, APPLE INCORPORATED, COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD

NBN’s Switkowski ‘simply wrong’ on broadcast view, says Free TV

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 7-Oct-15

Free TV Australia chairman Harold Mitchell has rejected claims by NBN chairman Ziggy Switkowski that people under the age of 20 mainly only watch sport on broadcast TV. Mitchell says traditional TV screens remain the primary viewing option for Australians of all ages, despite the growing use of other devices to watch content. The latest Multi-Screen report from Nielsen, OzTAM and Regional TAM found that Australians still use a traditional TV set to watch more than 90 hours of broadcast TV each month.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NBN CO LIMITED, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, OZTAM PTY LTD, REGIONAL TAM PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Media reform unlikely to be a pot of gold

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 6-Oct-15

Citigroup analyst Justin Diddams does not expect changes to cross-media ownership laws to result in industry mergers that will deliver increased value for investors. He argues that any such mergers would be primarily aimed at reducing costs and ensuring the survival of media companies. The Commonwealth Bank’s Alice Bennett says Nine Entertainment Company is the most likely metropolitan network to pursue a merger deal with a regional broadcaster.

CORPORATES
CITIGROUP PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MACQUARIE RADIO NETWORK LIMITED – ASX MRN, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Regionals push for local news services

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 5-Oct-15

Australia’s regional TV broadcasters will propose a number of safeguards to ensure that local content levels are maintained if cross-media ownership laws are scrapped. Among other things, they have suggested that a "change of control" clause be added to their broadcasting licence, to prevent further reductions in local news services. Local news accounts for about 15 per cent of regional networks’ costs, and they argue that this is one of the few areas in which they can make further cost savings.

CORPORATES
PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, IMPARJA TELEVISION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NBN TELEVISION

Nine a potential winner

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 37 : 1-Oct-15

Credit Suisse believes that reforms to cross-media ownership laws are inevitable under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Fraser McLeish of Credit Suisse says Nine Entertainment Company would be well-placed to acquire a regional broadcaster if the "reach rule" is abolished. Credit Suisse has a share price target of $A1.80 and an "outperform" rating on the stock.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

ABC sets new prime-time target of 60pc Australian content

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 22-Sep-15

Local productions will comprise just 43 per cent of the content broadcast in prime time on the ABC’s main channel in 2015. The public broadcaster’s director of television, Richard Finlayson, says ABC budget cuts have significantly affected local content, but he aims to lift this to 60 per cent within five years. The ABC is pushing for an increase in its funding and a requirement for global video-on-demand providers to help finance local TV productions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION