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Turnbull: “Newsflash, News Ltd could buy Channel TEN today.”

Even without changes to media rules, Communications Minister says there is nothing to stop Rupert Murdoch from buying into TEN.

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Screen Shot 2014-04-29 at 5.26.28 pm.jpgLast night on Q & A, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull addressed ongoing questions about changes to reach rules, with specific regard to the future of TEN ownership.

Turnbull said the cross-media ownership laws were essentially a product of the 1990s, designed to prevent having any more than 2 of print, television or radio ownership in key markets.

“A lot of people say ‘Oh my heavens, Malcolm Turnbull wants to change the law, so that Rupert Murdoch can buy Channel TEN'” he said.

“Well, Newsflash, News Ltd could buy Channel TEN today as far as the broadcasting law is concerned, because they don’t own radio stations in the relevant cities.

“The issue that News would face if they sought to buy the TEN Network would be with the ACCC and the anti-competition laws.

“Nobody is canvassing any possible changes to that.”

Psst…somebody might like to tell said Minister that News Ltd. became News Corp Australia last July.

 

  • Tagged with Q&A

15 Responses

  1. Perhaps a bit off topic here, but since people are talking about Sky. Is it time to get a second ‘newsy’ channel on Foxtel that is local? Recently realised how personality/agenda driven a lot of it’s programming now is. I’d rather just lob in front of a telly and see the news of the day, which I’ve found ABCNews24 recently to be much better at.

  2. I double dare the government to green light a bid by Murdoch to buy Network Ten so he can turn it into a local “Fox News” equivalent. The carnage within this abhorrent federal government will be worth it!

  4. The main reason News Corp Australia would want Ten would be because of the anti-syphoning laws. They could show the FTA games on Ten and the rest of Fox Sports and have the resources to outbid Seven and Nine and take control of broadcasts of NRL, AFL, Cricket and Tennis.

    They would also be able to coordinate rights for FTA and Pay for 20th Century Fox, HBO, BBC and Showtime content.

    The ACCC chairman Rod Simms has said he would have to look very closely at News Corp owning nearly all of Pay TV and 1/3 of commercial FTA because of this.

  5. @Craig..@Veritas

    But possibly not till Malcolm has a spare 5 minutes ( his words) to sign off on the regulations that someone may have ‘prepared early’, possibly its even waiting under a Masterchef or a cooking advertorial counter till and/or a competitor for Malcolm’s ‘slowmo’ NBN connections is established, and of course ‘The Price is Right’

  6. Can we end the ridiculous idea that News Corp Australia would turn Ten into FOX News.

    FOX News is a cable channel targeting a niche market watched by a few percent of the US population. It is profitable because the US is a very large market and it is the only right wing cable news channel, where as there are several progressive ones.

    News Corp Australia already has a couple of news channels Sky News , Business and Local News and funnily enough none of them is FOX News. They are professionally produced Australian news that fills some slots with a couple FOX News shows to cover US politics.

    But a news channel would never be profitable as main FTA channel (look at ABC24’s ratings).

    Rebroadcasting Sky News on One might make sense and could be one reason they might want to buy Ten. News Corp Australia has tried to get an FTA licence for Sky News to compete with ABC24.

  7. Though if Lachan inherits his father’s controlling shares in News Corp (which has newspapers in the relevant area), or is held to be in control them then there would be a problem because he owns Nova which has radio stations in the relevant areas.

  8. Masterchef – special guest judge.. Steve Price!
    Canberra Vet with Chris Kenny!
    Alan Jones does The Project!
    Meet the Press, News Corp that is!

  11. The only thing stopping him then is that his son & Gina et al have not yet finished the process of turning TEN into a valueless basket case – won’t be much longer though.

  12. @Craig: Yes, Murdoch could buy TEN right now. The cross-media laws prevent the same company owning radio and television stations in the same market. Newspapers are not considered. Rupert owns newspapers. Lachlan’s private company part owns Nova and Smooth FM. Foxtel is not FTA so is not considered. Technically Rupert doesn’t own radio stations so there is nothing to stop him buying TEN.

  14. Did anyone else get annoyed/find it a bit fishy that they avoided talking about the NBN when the Minister for Communications was a panellist?

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