TELEVISION BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

Netflix, Google ‘should invest in Aussie content’

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 37 : 21-Sep-15

Australia’s free-to-air and pay-TV industry is estimated to invest about $A3bn in content each year. The former Australian Labor Party’s Convergence Review in 2012 noted that free-to-air broadcasters invest 3-4 per cent of their revenue in local content. Screen Producers Australia and the ABC argue that subscription video-on-demand providers such as Netflix should have a similar obligation to invest in local content.

CORPORATES
SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

ACCC alarmed by Foxtel plan for Ten

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 15-Sep-15

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) will decide the fate of the proposed Ten Network-Foxtel equity alliance on 22 October 2015. The ACCC has raised a number of concerns about the deal in a statement of issues. They include the potential for Ten and Foxtel to dominate bidding for sports broadcasting rights and the impact of the alliance on the television advertising market, as Ten’s advertising sales team would be merged with Foxtel’s MCN. The role of 8.5 per cent Ten shareholder and News Corp executive Lachlan Murdoch is also a concern for the ACCC.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOX SPORTS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CONSOLIDATED MEDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

TV rating measures stretch to a month

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 25 : 14-Sep-15

OzTAM’s TV ratings methodology is being updated to embrace time-shifting and multiscreens. The new data will begin to be available later in 2015, and OzTAM will report ratings for programs that are viewed up to 28 days after initial transmission. OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer says preliminary data suggests that taking time-shifting into account can lift a program’s overall ratings by up to 10 per cent. He adds that multiscreen data is unlikely to have much impact on ratings, as most people still watch traditional TV.

CORPORATES
OZTAM PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Gyngell cleared of insider trading claims

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 25 : 17-Aug-15

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) has decided not to take further action against Nine Network CEO David Gyngell. ASIC officers examined a large number of email and text message records but found no evidence supporting insider trading allegations. The investigation was triggered by the sale of 700,000 Nine shares by Gyngell on 20 May 2015

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, CRICKET AUSTRALIA

Court simmers with cooking show face-off

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 5-Aug-15

The Seven Network is seeking an injunction to prevent the Nine Network from broadcasting "The Hotplate" until a copyright dispute is heard in court. Lawyers for Nine and the show’s producer, Endemol, say the case may not be resolved until 2016, which would effectively force Nine to abandon the cooking show.

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

Court simmers with cooking show face-off

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 5-Aug-15

The Seven Network is seeking an injunction to prevent the Nine Network from broadcasting "The Hotplate" until a copyright dispute is heard in court. Lawyers for Nine and the show’s producer, Endemol, say the case may not be resolved until 2016, which would effectively force Nine to abandon the cooking show.

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

Ten deal could give News Corp huge sports power

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Original article by Max Mason, John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 4-Aug-15

There are concerns that Ten Network’s proposed equity alliance with Foxtel could give the free-to-air network an advantage over rivals in negotiations for sports broadcasting rights. There are also fears that News Corporation could gain significant control over sports broadcasts, as it owns a 50 per cent stake in Foxtel and completely owns Fox Sports. Foxtel proposes to acquire a 15 per cent stake in Ten.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Ten CEO exit clears way for Foxtel

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 28-Jul-15

Ten Network COO Paul Anderson will succeed Hamish McLennan as CEO. McLennan has also stepped down as executive chairman in favour of an independent replacement, David Gordon. The departure of McLennan as executive chairman could increase the chances of Ten’s equity deal with Foxtel being approved by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, as he has strong links with the Murdoch family. SMI data shows that Ten’s share of advertising revenue was 23.1 per cent in June 2015.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FREEHILLS PTY LTD, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED

Turnbull looks at licence fee cuts

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 26 : 27-Jul-15

Australia’s commercial TV networks have received some support from Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull for their push to have broadcasting licence fees reduced. It is believed that Free TV Australia will be invited to press its case for a licence fee reduction to key policymakers, while Commercial Radio Australia will push for a reduction in radio broadcasting licence fees. However, Turnbull seems unlikely to pursue changes to anti-siphoning laws for broadcasting sporting events.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, 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, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Nine, Seven draw knives over cooking clashes

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 27-Jul-15

Starcom MediaVest’s Andy Taylor has questioned the merits of free-to-air networks putting similar reality TV shows in the same timeslot. Nine Network will launch cooking show "The Hotplate" on 28 July 2015, while Seven Network will debut "Restaurant Revolution" in the same timeslot. Taylor expects both shares to attract big audiences, but warns of the potential for viewer fatigue. The final of Ten’s "MasterChef" will be broadcast on 27 July.

CORPORATES
STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK OPERATIONS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, YOUNG AND RUBICAM PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD