TELEVISION BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

Regulate digital platforms: Seven

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 19 : 14-Nov-19

Seven West Media expects the metropolitan TV market to record single-digit growth in advertising revenue in 2019-20. CEO James Warburton has told the group’s annual meeting that the advertising market is likely to remain weak during the December quarter, noting that Seven’s revenue share was 39 per cent in the first quarter. Meanwhile, chairman Kerry Stokes has called for greater regulation of digital giants such as Google and Facebook, including the implementation of all recommendations arising from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s inquiry into digital platforms.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, PACIFIC MAGAZINES PTY LTD, REDWAVE MEDIA LIMITED

Nine feels squeeze of ad market

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 17 & 24 : 13-Nov-19

Nine Entertainment Company has downgraded its underlying earnings growth forecast for 2019-20 due to challenging conditions in the advertising market. CEO Hugh Marks has told the group’s AGM that there was a 6.4 per cent decline in the metropolitan free-to-air TV advertising market in the first quarter, and the outlook has not improved in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Nine chairman Peter Costello has called for digital platforms to be subject to the same regulations as traditional media companies.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, 2GB, RADIO 4BC BRISBANE PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, WALT DISNEY COMPANY

King Karl’s cut-price rescue bid

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Leo Shanahan, Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 11-Nov-19

Clemenger BBDO Sydney CEO Peter Bosilkovski says the return of Karl Stefanovic should generate renewed interest in Nine’s ‘Today’ show, but he adds that the bold move may not necessarily result in a sustained ratings boost. Nine has confirmed that Stefanovic and Allison Langdon will co-host the breakfast show in 2020, a year after the former was sacked. Ratings have slumped in 2019, with new hosts Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight failing to resonate with viewers. Gardner responded to Stefanovic’s appointment by quitting the ‘Today’ show, effective immediately.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CLEMENGER BBDO (SYDNEY) PTY LTD, SPINACH ADVERTISING PTY LTD, IPG MEDIABRANDS, VIZEUM, OZTAM PTY LTD

Nine CEO calls in Karl, at a cut price

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Nick Tabakoff
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 7-Nov-19

Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks has flagged the possibility of Karl Stefanovic returning as co-host of the "Today" breakfast show in 2020. Stefanovic remains contracted to Nine for another year, on an annual salary of more than $2m, having been sacked from "Today" in late 2018. However, Marks says Stefanovic would have to agree to a significant pay cut if he were to return to the show he co-hosted for 14 years. The ratings for "Today" recently fell to a record low of 155,000 across the five major capital cities.

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

Cat’s plan for regional powerhouse

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich, John Durie
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 28 : 31-Oct-19

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission will scrutinise Seven West Media’s takeover bid for regional affiliate Prime Media Group, with a decision on the $64m deal to be made on 18 December. Meanwhile, Antony Catalano and Alex Waislitz have built a 10.26 per cent stake in Prime, which would prevent Seven from compulsorily acquiring the company. Catalano says the Seven deal is not in the best interests of regional media. Catalano has also revealed that he held merger talks with Prime Media earlier in 2019. Catalano and Waislitz recently bought Nine Entertainment’s regional newspapers.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, THORNEY INVESTMENT GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SPHERIA ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, WA CHESS INVESTMENTS

Seven set to bring back Big Brother

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 24-Oct-19

The Seven Network will seek to boost its prime-time ratings in 2020 by reviving reality-TV shows ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’, which previously aired on rival networks. Other new shows that were unveiled at Seven West Media’s annual upfronts include dramas ‘RFDS’ and ‘Between Two Worlds’, and a new cooking show that will be co-hosted by former ‘MasterChef’ judges Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan. CEO James Warburton says ‘Big Brother’ will immediately change the network’s audience demographic.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, PACIFIC MAGAZINES PTY LTD, BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

Seven West deal tests media diversity

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 22 : 23-Oct-19

Seven West Media’s proposed acquisition of regional affiliate Prime Media Group will attract scrutiny by the Australian Communications & Media Authority. ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin says the deal will be assessed in terms of whether it will reduce the number of media ‘voices’ in the Western Australian market and the application of the ‘two-to-a-market rule’. Seven West Media also publishes newspapers in Perth and regional areas.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, REDWAVE MEDIA LIMITED, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

Nine fights tech giants with new ad model

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 17-Oct-19

Nine Entertainment Company has used its annual ‘upfronts’ to reveal that it will adopt a cost per completed view model for advertising across its digital platforms. Clients will be charged only if a video ad is viewed in full. The move is aimed at technology giants Facebook and Google, which have attracted scrutiny over their own advertising policies. Nine has also advised that it has amalgamated the data that has been gathered across its digital platforms.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED

Southern Cross hit hard by sell-off

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 16-Oct-19

Southern Cross Media Group has advised that EBITDA for the first half of 2019-20 is expected to be within the range of $60m to $68m, compared with $82m for the same period in 2018-19. The group has also reported that revenue for the first quarter was 8.5 per cent lower than previously, due to challenging conditions in the advertising market. CFO Nick McKechnie says the group has no plans for further asset sales after selling its broadcast transmission assets in August.

CORPORATES
SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, BROADCAST AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Carnegie finally tunes out of Macquarie

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 8-Oct-19

Nine Entertainment Company has reached the 90 per cent threshold to compulsorily acquire Macquarie Media, after venture capitalist Mark Carnegie accepted the offer of $1.46 per share. Carnegie says he had no option other than agreeing to the Nine deal, and he adds that radio – and news talk radio in particular – is a powerful media that will be a good fit for Nine’s other media assets. Nine CEO Hugh Marks has also stressed the power of talk radio and says he is looking forward to working with the Macquarie team.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED