TELEVISION BROADCASTING OF SPORTS – AUSTRALIA

Media laws, sports rights shake-up

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 31 : 28-Sep-15

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield says changes to cross-media laws are inevitable, arguing that they are outdated. He has also indicated that reforms may be pursued without the agreement of all media industry players, noting that full consensus may be difficult to achieve. Fifield says he is also open to reassessing the list of sporting events that must first be offered to free-to-air TV networks.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, IMPARJA TELEVISION PTY LTD

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

Foxtel has to score NRL deal

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 31-Aug-15

Foxtel is under commercial pressure to acquire the future pay television rights to show National Rugby League (NRL) games. OzTAM’s recent ratings figures suggest that NRL games are important for Foxtel’s ratings. If Foxtel fails to secure more games, more than $A350 million of its $A3.1 billion annual revenue could be at risk.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, OZTAM PTY LTD, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOX SPORTS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Australians’ AFL viewing fragments across Free TV, Pay TV and streaming via app on mobile devices

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Aug-15

Roy Morgan Single Source research in the 12 months to June 2015 shows that 2,321,000 Australians (14+) especially choose to watch Australian Football League (AFL) matches broadcast on Channel Seven, down from 2,628,000 in the 12 months to June 2013. The survey also found that 891,000 especially choose to watch Foxtel’s dedicated AFL channel Fox Footy, up from 841,000 in 2013, while 384,000 used Telstra’s AFL Live Official App in an average four weeks, up from 254,000 in 2013. Over the past two years, there has been a clear fragmentation of audiences across free TV, pay TV and live streaming: in 2013, over two-thirds of Fox Footy viewers (68 per cent) and AFL Live Official App users (67 per cent) also cited Channel Seven’s matches among those they especially choose to watch. Today, there is less overlap – meaning greater fragmentation: 59 per cent of Fox Footy viewers and 54 per cent of App users also choose to watch matches on Channel Seven. The overlap between Fox Footy and the AFL Live Official App has also declined, from 32 per cent of app users in 2013 to 24 per cent now.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

AFL’s deal of the decade

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Original article by John Stensholt, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1&8 : 19-Aug-15

News Corporation, Seven West Media and Telstra have signed a broadcasting rights deal with Australian Football League (AFL). The $A2.508 billion six-year agreement is the largest sports rights deal in Australian television history. News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch said on 18 August 2015 that the AFL code is considered by the company as the premium code in Australia.

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

Nine to bid for AFL rights after $925m NRL deal

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Original article by John Stensholt, Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 11-Aug-15

Fresh from agreeing to pay $A925 million for the National Rugby League television rights for five years from 2018, Channel Nine will try to wrest some Australian rules football matches from the Seven Network. Though Seven and Foxtel are the current rights holders, Nine is expected to bid for at least two Australian Football League matches a week as it seeks to boost its sports content.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NINE LIVE PTY LTD, WARNER BROS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Matildas, netball spark surge in women’s sport

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 23 : 10-Aug-15

The popularity of women’s sports is rising although this trend is not reflected in TV broadcasting of sports. According to the Australian Sports Commission, reports on women’s sports constitute only 8.7 per cent of TV sports news coverage. Excellent performance of Australian women at the Netball World Cup and at the quarter-finals of the soccer World Cup will no doubt attract more TV viewers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NETBALL AUSTRALIA, McGUIRE MEDIA PTY LTD, NETBALL AUSTRALIA

Seven seeks gold at Rio Olympics

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 10-Aug-15

Seven West Media will use its broadcast rights to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games to attract advertisers to various types of delivery. Seven chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette says advertisers will be able to choose from Seven, 7Mate, 7Two, a streamed news channel, a video on-demand service and subscription video on-demand. Consumers will pay for access to live streaming.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, FUSION STRATEGY, OPTIMUM MEDIA DIRECTION 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

Bloodline beats birthplace when it comes to Test Match Cricket viewers

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Jul-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 33.1 per cent of Australians aged 14+ say they almost always or occasionally watch Test cricket on TV. The survey, which was carried out in the year to March 2015, also shows that 35.8 per cent of people who were born in Australia watch Test cricket on TV, compared with 36.5 per cent of Australians who were born in the UK. Meanwhile, just 23.9 per cent of Australians who were born elsewhere than in Australia or the UK watch Test cricket on TV.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE