Audience Reach, Ownership Control and Local Content

So will these new reforms happen or they have to pass first?

They’ll need to pass the Senate, and for that to happen the government will need to woo the minor parties.

Clearly the anti-gambling thing (good as it is) is a carrot for Nick Xenophon, whose party has 3 votes.

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Ok thanks. I hope they finally get passed

The $45 mill difference in the last six month period would have turned Ten’s $3 mill loss in last half into a $42 mill profit.

The Australian Federal Government has announced a comprehensive package of reforms that it says will improve the sustainability of Australia’s free-to-air broadcasting sector, support the creation of high quality Australian content and modernise broadcasting and content regulation. The package also includes a community dividend in the form of further restrictions on gambling advertising.
http://www.content-technology.com/asiapacificnews/?p=13668

Ok cheers. I didn’t understand what they were talking about when they said $200 million loss.

with the Repealing of the 75% audience reach media ownership rules.does that mean that regional tv will be scrapped for metro tv or will it benifit both?i am a little lost how is this going 2 work?

My take - nothing is likely to change for regional viewers.

Regional networks have only one obvious buyer, which means they are almost worthless. They are already almost entirely without real assets, having been run at low cost for decades - so there’s very little likely in efficiency gains or moving to fully national sales, that would make a purchase worthwhile.

The current affiliation arrangements mean that the regional operators have to take the losses while still having to pay a portion of revenue for programming. As a number of regional stations are loss making, why would a company take that on directly.

Nine and Seven can just wait it out and buy them at next to nothing a few years down the track. They have no incentive to move now.

For metro viewers, I would expect WIN will buy Ten. There might be more than one potential bidder, but I just see it as having been WIN’s end game ever since they swapped affiliations; and they won’t have nearly the problems with the ACCC as Foxtel buying Ten would be.

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Has anyone seen the revised antisiphoning list?

I dont think much will change (ownership wise) at all - across both metro and regional, tv/radio and print. Beyond what will happen with Ten (and I agree that WIN are probably the most likely purchaser, I dont think Foxtel will), the current market consolidation makes it unlikely to see things change.

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I understand why we have the anti-siphoning rules and think they should be kept for as long as reasonably possible. Even though realistically, I think free to air TV will probably always (well, for as long as it’s still relevant anyway) have some level of coverage for the year’s biggest sporting events no matter what.

But one thing I don’t understand about the anti-siphoning list is why we need to have sporting events which can only have free to air coverage. As much as I’m sure the FTA networks don’t want this to happen, personally I think that the market (ie, the viewers) should be allowed to choose between free to air or Pay TV coverage of all major sporting events.

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The laws won’t pass. Greens and one nation are whinging again. The government are shit at negotiations.

###Broadcast and Content Reform Package

ACMA welcomes Australian content review

The Australian Communications and Media Authority welcomes Communications Minister Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield’s announcement over the weekend of a review into Australian content.

‘This is very timely,’ said acting ACMA Chairman Richard Bean. ‘In conjunction with the Department of Communications and the Arts and Screen Australia, for two days next week—16-17 May—we’ll be exploring some of the key themes going to the heart of a sustainable audio-visual content industry in Australia.

‘The conference will be the starting point for a conversation about how best to ensure that quality Australian content remains a feature of the future media landscape.

‘With key decision and policy makers present at the conference, along with producers, creatives, distributors and financiers, this conversation is an early opportunity to inform the review.’

The Minister will be opening the conference outlining the government’s approach.

The full speaker line-up, program and how to register for the conference is available on the ACMA website.

Labor have more or less backed all but the 2/3 rule removal in the past, they’ll be a pushover.

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Fifield has been unable to appoint a permanent chairman to ACMA, Bean has now been acting in the job for 15 months. How can the public have any confidence that he can get legislation through Parliament.

Under Turnbull the government have at least been negotiating, being a little more realistic in accepting they won’t get everything they want, so if they leave the 2-out-of-3 rule in-place (I think it should remain), they can get the rest of their package of reforms, declare victory, pat themselves on the pack [for finally reducing gambling advertising], and move on.

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The Biggest Winner of the media reforms is… News Corp as usual.

Call it Lachlan’s Law. One of many consequences of the government’s comprehensive package of media reforms announced over the weekend is that Ten becoming part of the News Corp family starts to look more likely than not, argues Mumbrella’s Tim Burrowes.

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