Poker News Daily has confirmed that the story by CBS News program “60 Minutes” concerning the cheating scandals on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker will air this Sunday, November 30th. The story serves as the finale of a four month-long investigation by 60 Minutes as well as Washington Post newspaper correspondent Gilbert Gaul. The piece is entitled “How Online Gamblers Unmasked Cheaters” and will hit the airwaves at 7:00pm ET on CBS.
A teaser video posted by 60 Minutes features an interview that correspondent Steve Kroft conducted with Todd Witteles, an online poker player who is better known as “Dan Druff.” Witteles commented on the Absolute Poker scandal, “This GRAYCAT person was new and at first he seemed like a live one. He seemed terrible. He was raising just really, really bad hands against very good hands. He seemed to play crazy. He seemed like he was giving his money away, except the only thing was, he wasn’t losing.” Witteles explained why the run-in with GRAYCAT on Absolute Poker was out of the ordinary: “He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day.”
The teaser video explains that Graycat was winning at 15 standard deviations above the mean, “which was approximately equivalent to winning a one in a million jackpot six consecutive times.” The POTRIPPER account was the proverbial stone that broke the camel’s back, making a famous 10-high call against Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson in a $1,000 tournament in September of 2007. Observing POTRIPPER in action was Absolute Poker user number 363, which was later traced back to the company’s headquarters in Costa Rica.
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission released the following statement about the cheating scandal that plagued Ultimate Bet, which is owned by the same parent company as Absolute Poker: “The Commission found clear and convincing evidence to support the conclusion that between the approximate dates of May 2004 to January 2008, Russell Hamilton, an individual associated with Ultimate Bet’s affiliate program, was the main person responsible for and benefiting from the multiple cheating incidents.” In July, the Ultimate Bet account “sleeplesss,” which was one of the user names associated with the cheating scandal, was positively linked to a home owned by Hamilton in Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, the player bases of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker merged to form the CEREUS poker network. The delay in its launch may have been due to an ongoing legal battle in Canada between Tokwiro (the current ownership group of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker) and Excapsa (the former ownership group of UB). Tokwiro was awarded $15 million in the case, which was used to pay back players who had been affected by the cheating scandal.
In a press release from November 5th, Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett stated, “Now that the main perpetrator has been named, the settlement with the previous owners is behind us, and players have received refunds, it should now be apparent that Tokwiro had no involvement in this cheating and that we have fought to correct it with every tool at our disposal.”
The other two stories slated to air on 60 Minutes this week are:
The Silver Star
Monica Brown, only the second woman to ever win the Silver Star since World War II, describes saving two wounded men during a firefight she wasn’t supposed to be near - while she was only 18 years old. Lara Logan reports.
Michael Phelps
He swam into history at the Beijing Olympics and now the 23-year-old phenom tells CNN’s Anderson Cooper what his life is like as hundreds of endorsement opportunities roll in to make this U.S. Olympic superstar a marketing millionaire.
Read the story and watch the preview video by visiting the 60 Minutes website. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Poker News
60 Minutes
Casino News
Media Man Worldwide is part of the Media Man Group of companies aka Media Man. Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
CAP TV Premiering December 3
Leading Online Casino Affiliate Marketing Resource to Launch New Weekly Interactive Online Video Channel in December, Beginning with Exclusive Recap of CAP Down Under Conference
November 19, 2008 -- CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com ("CAP"), the world's leading online marketing resource and community website for Internet casino affiliates, announced today the launch of CAP TV, a new online video channel to be integrated into its family of Internet-based marketing and communications resources.
CAP TV will consist of weekly videos that focus on affiliate marketing and online gaming news, as well as promotions, interviews, opinions, and industry updates that directly concern the CAP community -- which currently numbers more than seven thousand members, and is rapidly expanding.
In addition to weekly news updates, viewers of CAP TV can expect to receive exclusive information regarding special promotions, advance information on leading industry players, on-location reporting of key online gaming industry events, and previews and recaps of the many popular CAP conferences (including CAP Euro, CAP Spring Break, and the new CAP Down Under).
"In this age of rapidly developing online media, CAP is proud to take the initiative to step up and deliver the kind of video resources that this industry demands," stated Lou Fabiano, President and Founder of CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com. "It's an effort to not only ensure that we at CAP hold our position as the leader in the Internet gaming affiliate marketing industry, but also that our clients, members, and even casual visitors to CAP enjoy every benefit of our unique, advanced position in this industry."
"As the largest and longest-running community serving the online gaming affiliate marketing world, we feel it's our responsibility to continue to lead the way into new venues," continued Mr. Fabiano. "And we're confident that the incredible people within the CAP community will embrace this latest effort to do just that."
CAP TV will premiere on Wednesday, December 3, with a special edition offering a recap of the first annual CAP Down Under Australian conference, according to company officials. New videos in the CAP TV series will be released every week on Wednesday following the December 3 premiere.
Media Man Australia Profiles
CAP Down Under
Casino News
Television
November 19, 2008 -- CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com ("CAP"), the world's leading online marketing resource and community website for Internet casino affiliates, announced today the launch of CAP TV, a new online video channel to be integrated into its family of Internet-based marketing and communications resources.
CAP TV will consist of weekly videos that focus on affiliate marketing and online gaming news, as well as promotions, interviews, opinions, and industry updates that directly concern the CAP community -- which currently numbers more than seven thousand members, and is rapidly expanding.
In addition to weekly news updates, viewers of CAP TV can expect to receive exclusive information regarding special promotions, advance information on leading industry players, on-location reporting of key online gaming industry events, and previews and recaps of the many popular CAP conferences (including CAP Euro, CAP Spring Break, and the new CAP Down Under).
"In this age of rapidly developing online media, CAP is proud to take the initiative to step up and deliver the kind of video resources that this industry demands," stated Lou Fabiano, President and Founder of CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com. "It's an effort to not only ensure that we at CAP hold our position as the leader in the Internet gaming affiliate marketing industry, but also that our clients, members, and even casual visitors to CAP enjoy every benefit of our unique, advanced position in this industry."
"As the largest and longest-running community serving the online gaming affiliate marketing world, we feel it's our responsibility to continue to lead the way into new venues," continued Mr. Fabiano. "And we're confident that the incredible people within the CAP community will embrace this latest effort to do just that."
CAP TV will premiere on Wednesday, December 3, with a special edition offering a recap of the first annual CAP Down Under Australian conference, according to company officials. New videos in the CAP TV series will be released every week on Wednesday following the December 3 premiere.
Media Man Australia Profiles
CAP Down Under
Casino News
Television
Casino News Media And Media Man Australia Director Interviewed By CAP TV
Casino News Media and Media Man Australia director and founder, Greg Tingle, was interviewed today by CAP TV at the CAP Down Under event in Sydney, Australia.
Tingle mentioned the exciting developments and the great work by Alex, Lizzie and team in putting together CAP Down Under, and how it sets the stage for more great developments with CAP including in Australia.
Casino News Media Profiles
CAP Down Under
Media Man Australia Profiles
CAP Down Under
Casino News
Tingle mentioned the exciting developments and the great work by Alex, Lizzie and team in putting together CAP Down Under, and how it sets the stage for more great developments with CAP including in Australia.
Casino News Media Profiles
CAP Down Under
Media Man Australia Profiles
CAP Down Under
Casino News
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
CAP TV Premiering December 3
Leading Online Casino Affiliate Marketing Resource to Launch New Weekly Interactive Online Video Channel in December, Beginning with Exclusive Recap of CAP Down Under Conference
November 19, 2008 -- CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com ("CAP"), the world's leading online marketing resource and community website for Internet casino affiliates, announced today the launch of CAP TV, a new online video channel to be integrated into its family of Internet-based marketing and communications resources.
CAP TV will consist of weekly videos that focus on affiliate marketing and online gaming news, as well as promotions, interviews, opinions, and industry updates that directly concern the CAP community -- which currently numbers more than seven thousand members, and is rapidly expanding.
In addition to weekly news updates, viewers of CAP TV can expect to receive exclusive information regarding special promotions, advance information on leading industry players, on-location reporting of key online gaming industry events, and previews and recaps of the many popular CAP conferences (including CAP Euro, CAP Spring Break, and the new CAP Down Under).
"In this age of rapidly developing online media, CAP is proud to take the initiative to step up and deliver the kind of video resources that this industry demands," stated Lou Fabiano, President and Founder of CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com. "It's an effort to not only ensure that we at CAP hold our position as the leader in the Internet gaming affiliate marketing industry, but also that our clients, members, and even casual visitors to CAP enjoy every benefit of our unique, advanced position in this industry."
"As the largest and longest-running community serving the online gaming affiliate marketing world, we feel it's our responsibility to continue to lead the way into new venues," continued Mr. Fabiano. "And we're confident that the incredible people within the CAP community will embrace this latest effort to do just that."
CAP TV will premiere on Wednesday, December 3, with a special edition offering a recap of the first annual CAP Down Under Australian conference, according to company officials. New videos in the CAP TV series will be released every week on Wednesday following the December 3 premiere. (Credit: CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com)
Casino News Media Profiles
CAP Down Under
CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com
Casino News
November 19, 2008 -- CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com ("CAP"), the world's leading online marketing resource and community website for Internet casino affiliates, announced today the launch of CAP TV, a new online video channel to be integrated into its family of Internet-based marketing and communications resources.
CAP TV will consist of weekly videos that focus on affiliate marketing and online gaming news, as well as promotions, interviews, opinions, and industry updates that directly concern the CAP community -- which currently numbers more than seven thousand members, and is rapidly expanding.
In addition to weekly news updates, viewers of CAP TV can expect to receive exclusive information regarding special promotions, advance information on leading industry players, on-location reporting of key online gaming industry events, and previews and recaps of the many popular CAP conferences (including CAP Euro, CAP Spring Break, and the new CAP Down Under).
"In this age of rapidly developing online media, CAP is proud to take the initiative to step up and deliver the kind of video resources that this industry demands," stated Lou Fabiano, President and Founder of CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com. "It's an effort to not only ensure that we at CAP hold our position as the leader in the Internet gaming affiliate marketing industry, but also that our clients, members, and even casual visitors to CAP enjoy every benefit of our unique, advanced position in this industry."
"As the largest and longest-running community serving the online gaming affiliate marketing world, we feel it's our responsibility to continue to lead the way into new venues," continued Mr. Fabiano. "And we're confident that the incredible people within the CAP community will embrace this latest effort to do just that."
CAP TV will premiere on Wednesday, December 3, with a special edition offering a recap of the first annual CAP Down Under Australian conference, according to company officials. New videos in the CAP TV series will be released every week on Wednesday following the December 3 premiere. (Credit: CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com)
Casino News Media Profiles
CAP Down Under
CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com
Casino News
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Will Foxtel's free iQ offer prove a smart, by Jesse Hogan - The Age - 17th November 2008
Foxtel is making an audacious attempt to attract new customers and dissuade money-conscious existing customers from cancelling subscriptions.
The pay TV operator is offering subscribers a year's free use of one of its iQ digital video recorders, waiving the usual $10 monthly fee.
It is the second major revamp of Foxtel's offers in the past month, which began with the company offering free installation to new customers and cutting the contract period from two years to one year.
"We've made no secret of the fact that our objective is to see an iQ for every subscriber," chief executive Kim Williams told BusinessDay.
"We listen to customers and they've told us what they think, and on the iQ there's a substantial body of people who want to try it, so we're saying 'OK, we hear you'."
Foxtel's primary incentive for wanting to expand the penetration of its iQ recorders, which made up almost a quarter of its 1.54 million subscribers as of June 30, is the positive impact it has on subscriber loyalty.
While Foxtel's latest reported churn (disconnection) rate was 13.4%, the rate for subscribers with iQs — which can simultaneously record across multiple channels — was below 5%.
Existing subscribers who have basic set-top boxes can upgrade to an iQ and not pay any monthly fees for the first year, although they will need to pay an $100 installation fee. They can also get the high-definition iQ2 recorder for $200, which includes seven months' free access to Foxtel's five HD channels. Mr Williams denied the offer would inevitably result in higher capital expenditure and customer acquisition costs (because iQs cost more than basic set-top boxes), or lower average monthly revenue from Foxtel forfeiting the usual $10 fee for iQ.
While acknowledging that "some people in the company were a little bit nervous" about the offer, Mr Williams insisted it was "all absolutely within budget".
"I'm certainly confident it will deliver good results," he said.
Regional pay TV operator Austar also has a personal video recorder, called MyStar, although the company said it would not attempt to match Foxtel's offer.
Mr Williams said he did not believe the offer would be resented by existing iQ customers, who will continue to pay for the service.
"I think people understand that we're … always taking different initiatives to activate growth," he said.
(Credit: The Age)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Foxtel
Television
The pay TV operator is offering subscribers a year's free use of one of its iQ digital video recorders, waiving the usual $10 monthly fee.
It is the second major revamp of Foxtel's offers in the past month, which began with the company offering free installation to new customers and cutting the contract period from two years to one year.
"We've made no secret of the fact that our objective is to see an iQ for every subscriber," chief executive Kim Williams told BusinessDay.
"We listen to customers and they've told us what they think, and on the iQ there's a substantial body of people who want to try it, so we're saying 'OK, we hear you'."
Foxtel's primary incentive for wanting to expand the penetration of its iQ recorders, which made up almost a quarter of its 1.54 million subscribers as of June 30, is the positive impact it has on subscriber loyalty.
While Foxtel's latest reported churn (disconnection) rate was 13.4%, the rate for subscribers with iQs — which can simultaneously record across multiple channels — was below 5%.
Existing subscribers who have basic set-top boxes can upgrade to an iQ and not pay any monthly fees for the first year, although they will need to pay an $100 installation fee. They can also get the high-definition iQ2 recorder for $200, which includes seven months' free access to Foxtel's five HD channels. Mr Williams denied the offer would inevitably result in higher capital expenditure and customer acquisition costs (because iQs cost more than basic set-top boxes), or lower average monthly revenue from Foxtel forfeiting the usual $10 fee for iQ.
While acknowledging that "some people in the company were a little bit nervous" about the offer, Mr Williams insisted it was "all absolutely within budget".
"I'm certainly confident it will deliver good results," he said.
Regional pay TV operator Austar also has a personal video recorder, called MyStar, although the company said it would not attempt to match Foxtel's offer.
Mr Williams said he did not believe the offer would be resented by existing iQ customers, who will continue to pay for the service.
"I think people understand that we're … always taking different initiatives to activate growth," he said.
(Credit: The Age)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Foxtel
Television
Packer's PBL stake slips again as CVC pours in $25m, by Nick Tabakoff - The Australian - 19th November 2008
Private equity firm CVC Asia Pacific has been forced to agree to pump a further $25 million into the debt-riddled PBL Media.
The move is set to dilute the stake held by James Packer's Consolidated Media Holdings in the vehicle below 10 per cent.But The Australian understands the major banks in the syndicate backing the private-equity joint venture are close to throwing the troubled media group -- which owns the Nine Network and ACP Magazines -- a lifeline.
The additional $25 million has been offered by CVC in exchange for the banks agreeing to relax debt covenants. With CVC's total injection into PBL Media reaching $325 million, rather than the previously offered $300 million, the banks are likely to agree to PBL Media generating reduced operating profit for the next 18 months.
The syndicate includes Australian banks such as ANZ and Westpac, as well as UBS, Royal Bank of Scotland and Credit Suisse.
CVC's relaxed debt covenant requirements for PBL Media would come in a period when advertising is expected to fall sharply.
The Packer-controlled ConsMedia had until last month controlled 25 per cent of PBL Media, while CVC had owned 75 per cent. With its decision not to join CVC in pumping more equity into PBL Media, ConsMedia's stake had been expected to fall to 10 per cent.
But with CVC's new $25 million injection, it is now expected that the stake of Mr Packer's group will fall below this level.
In PBL Media's 2007-08 annual accounts, audit firm Ernst & Young said it was "not likely to meet all of its financial covenants for the next 12 months" without a debt restructure.
Financial debt commentator Debtwire said last week that PBL Media's bankers had been concerned the vehicle could fail its covenant test for the December quarter, having "barely passed" its September-quarter covenant test.
Under the new arrangements for 2008-09, the base case for operating profit (EBITDA) for PBL Media fell by $105 million, or 22 per cent, from a current $480 million to a minimum of $375 million, Debtwire said.
Similarly, the base case for 2009-10 falls by more than a quarter, from $525 million to $390 million.
Another covenant calls for the company's operating profit to at least equal PBL Media's interest payments for the next 18 months.
Debtwire has indicated that part of the proposed capital injection by CVC would be used to buy back a proportion of PBL Media's debt that is currently trading at 52c in the dollar.
In exchange for relaxing their covenants, the banks will receive a 25 basis point fee from PBL Media.
(Credit: The Australian)
Media Man Australia Profiles
James Packer
Network Nine Australia
The move is set to dilute the stake held by James Packer's Consolidated Media Holdings in the vehicle below 10 per cent.But The Australian understands the major banks in the syndicate backing the private-equity joint venture are close to throwing the troubled media group -- which owns the Nine Network and ACP Magazines -- a lifeline.
The additional $25 million has been offered by CVC in exchange for the banks agreeing to relax debt covenants. With CVC's total injection into PBL Media reaching $325 million, rather than the previously offered $300 million, the banks are likely to agree to PBL Media generating reduced operating profit for the next 18 months.
The syndicate includes Australian banks such as ANZ and Westpac, as well as UBS, Royal Bank of Scotland and Credit Suisse.
CVC's relaxed debt covenant requirements for PBL Media would come in a period when advertising is expected to fall sharply.
The Packer-controlled ConsMedia had until last month controlled 25 per cent of PBL Media, while CVC had owned 75 per cent. With its decision not to join CVC in pumping more equity into PBL Media, ConsMedia's stake had been expected to fall to 10 per cent.
But with CVC's new $25 million injection, it is now expected that the stake of Mr Packer's group will fall below this level.
In PBL Media's 2007-08 annual accounts, audit firm Ernst & Young said it was "not likely to meet all of its financial covenants for the next 12 months" without a debt restructure.
Financial debt commentator Debtwire said last week that PBL Media's bankers had been concerned the vehicle could fail its covenant test for the December quarter, having "barely passed" its September-quarter covenant test.
Under the new arrangements for 2008-09, the base case for operating profit (EBITDA) for PBL Media fell by $105 million, or 22 per cent, from a current $480 million to a minimum of $375 million, Debtwire said.
Similarly, the base case for 2009-10 falls by more than a quarter, from $525 million to $390 million.
Another covenant calls for the company's operating profit to at least equal PBL Media's interest payments for the next 18 months.
Debtwire has indicated that part of the proposed capital injection by CVC would be used to buy back a proportion of PBL Media's debt that is currently trading at 52c in the dollar.
In exchange for relaxing their covenants, the banks will receive a 25 basis point fee from PBL Media.
(Credit: The Australian)
Media Man Australia Profiles
James Packer
Network Nine Australia
Monday, November 10, 2008
Rupert Murdoch's second Boyer Lecture, by Roger Coombs - The Daily Telegraph - 9th November 2008
NEWS CORPORATION Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch has called on workers to embrace "a lifetime of learning" to take advantage of the opportunities on offer as technological change revolutionises the world.
Mr Murdoch said the world was on the threshold of a technology-driven "golden age" of prosperity, but the benefits would be realised only by those who "cultivate a spirit of learning and flexibility and achievement".
Murdoch's challenge to Australia in first Boyer Lecture
Edited version: Rupert Murdoch's first Boyer Lecture
Delivering the second of the six 2008 Boyer Lectures last night, Mr Murdoch said the global transformation from "an industrial society to an information society" offered vast opportunities for business and the world community.
But changes in technology would not work on their own to deliver the improvements on offer, he said.
"Technology is making the human side of the business equation - skills and knowledege - more valuable than ever," Mr Murdoch said.
"But technology will do you no good unless you have men and women who know how to take advantage of it.
"In plain English, if you run a business, you need good people more than ever.
"That's because computers will never substitute for common sense and good judgment.
"To be successful, a business needs people who see the big picture ... who can think critically and who have strong character."
The obligation to foster talent and education was not confined to business operators, Mr Murdoch suggested.
Changes in technology meant workers now had "a greater incentive to invest" in themselves.
"As technology advances, the premium for educated people with talent and judgment will increase," he said.
"In future, successful workers will be those who embrace a lifetime of learning. Those who don't will be left behind."
Mr Murdoch said historical improvements in information technology - "beginning with Gutenberg's press and continuing with radio and television" - had opened up access to news and entertainment for millions of people.
"There's no reason to think the trend will be different this time," Mr Murdoch said.
"Except that this time, the access will be universal - and the impact will be more profound."
He said adapting to the changes that technology was bringing would force most people to move out of their comfort zones.
"Moving out of comfort zones begins with education," he said.
"If we want to build an Australia where people are not left behind, we need to recognise that a first-class education is no longer a luxury.
"In our age, it's a fundamental civil right and a necessity."
# The third in this year's Boyer Lectures will be broadcast on Radio National at 5pm next Sunday.
(Credit: The Daily Telegraph)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Rupert Murdoch
News Corporation
ABC
Mr Murdoch said the world was on the threshold of a technology-driven "golden age" of prosperity, but the benefits would be realised only by those who "cultivate a spirit of learning and flexibility and achievement".
Murdoch's challenge to Australia in first Boyer Lecture
Edited version: Rupert Murdoch's first Boyer Lecture
Delivering the second of the six 2008 Boyer Lectures last night, Mr Murdoch said the global transformation from "an industrial society to an information society" offered vast opportunities for business and the world community.
But changes in technology would not work on their own to deliver the improvements on offer, he said.
"Technology is making the human side of the business equation - skills and knowledege - more valuable than ever," Mr Murdoch said.
"But technology will do you no good unless you have men and women who know how to take advantage of it.
"In plain English, if you run a business, you need good people more than ever.
"That's because computers will never substitute for common sense and good judgment.
"To be successful, a business needs people who see the big picture ... who can think critically and who have strong character."
The obligation to foster talent and education was not confined to business operators, Mr Murdoch suggested.
Changes in technology meant workers now had "a greater incentive to invest" in themselves.
"As technology advances, the premium for educated people with talent and judgment will increase," he said.
"In future, successful workers will be those who embrace a lifetime of learning. Those who don't will be left behind."
Mr Murdoch said historical improvements in information technology - "beginning with Gutenberg's press and continuing with radio and television" - had opened up access to news and entertainment for millions of people.
"There's no reason to think the trend will be different this time," Mr Murdoch said.
"Except that this time, the access will be universal - and the impact will be more profound."
He said adapting to the changes that technology was bringing would force most people to move out of their comfort zones.
"Moving out of comfort zones begins with education," he said.
"If we want to build an Australia where people are not left behind, we need to recognise that a first-class education is no longer a luxury.
"In our age, it's a fundamental civil right and a necessity."
# The third in this year's Boyer Lectures will be broadcast on Radio National at 5pm next Sunday.
(Credit: The Daily Telegraph)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Rupert Murdoch
News Corporation
ABC
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Boyer Lecture #2 - A Golden Age of Freedom series, delivered by Mr Rupert Murdoch AC
Who’s Afraid of New Technology?
A Golden Age of Freedom
The 2008 lecture series, A Golden Age of Freedom is presented by Mr Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, News Corporation.
On a wall in Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal office in Manhattan hangs a Russel Drysdale painting. It has travelled with him around the world. The Stockman and his Family depicts a pioneering Australia, steely and resilient in the face of solitude and hardship. Values which he feels have taken us to where we are today - one of the most prosperous and peaceful nations on Earth. But will these values see us through the times ahead?
Rupert Murdoch beholds a period of great transformation that will bring prosperity to billions around the world. This golden age of freedom will unleash a new global middle class. Markets, media and technology will all play their part.
But to reap the rewards we must make some drastic changes. A ballooning welfare state, failing state schools and full reconciliation among all Australians head his list.
The 2008 Boyer Lectures will be broadcast during Big Ideas on ABC Radio National at 5pm each Sunday between 2 November and 7 December 2008 (repeated the following Saturday at 7pm.) The lectures will be available as audio on demand, podcast and mp3 for download from this website.
The first Lecture in the series will also be broadcast on ABC1 on 2 November 2008 at 10.15pm - a special presentation of ABC FORA.
For more details on the lecture series, see this 2008 Boyer Lectures press release.
The 2008 Boyer Lecture series is presented by Rupert Murdoch.
Rupert Murdoch is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of News Corporation, one of the world’s largest diversified media companies. News Corporation’s operations include the production of major motion pictures and television programs, cable, satellite and broadcast television, newspaper, magazine and book publishing, and internet and mobile news, information and entertainment services, spanning the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America.
In 1954, Mr Murdoch took control of News Limited whose only key asset at the time was a majority interest in The News, the number-two daily newspaper in Adelaide. Since then News Corporation has become a worldwide organisation with more than 50,000 employees working in 130 companies in 60 countries.
Mr Murdoch has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for services to the media and to newspaper publishing in particular. Throughout News Corporation’s history, he and his family have been closely involved with, and made generous contributions to, various educational, cultural, medical and charitable organisations.
(Credit: ABC The 2008 Boyer Lectures)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Rupert Murdoch
News Corporation
ABC
A Golden Age of Freedom
The 2008 lecture series, A Golden Age of Freedom is presented by Mr Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, News Corporation.
On a wall in Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal office in Manhattan hangs a Russel Drysdale painting. It has travelled with him around the world. The Stockman and his Family depicts a pioneering Australia, steely and resilient in the face of solitude and hardship. Values which he feels have taken us to where we are today - one of the most prosperous and peaceful nations on Earth. But will these values see us through the times ahead?
Rupert Murdoch beholds a period of great transformation that will bring prosperity to billions around the world. This golden age of freedom will unleash a new global middle class. Markets, media and technology will all play their part.
But to reap the rewards we must make some drastic changes. A ballooning welfare state, failing state schools and full reconciliation among all Australians head his list.
The 2008 Boyer Lectures will be broadcast during Big Ideas on ABC Radio National at 5pm each Sunday between 2 November and 7 December 2008 (repeated the following Saturday at 7pm.) The lectures will be available as audio on demand, podcast and mp3 for download from this website.
The first Lecture in the series will also be broadcast on ABC1 on 2 November 2008 at 10.15pm - a special presentation of ABC FORA.
For more details on the lecture series, see this 2008 Boyer Lectures press release.
The 2008 Boyer Lecture series is presented by Rupert Murdoch.
Rupert Murdoch is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of News Corporation, one of the world’s largest diversified media companies. News Corporation’s operations include the production of major motion pictures and television programs, cable, satellite and broadcast television, newspaper, magazine and book publishing, and internet and mobile news, information and entertainment services, spanning the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America.
In 1954, Mr Murdoch took control of News Limited whose only key asset at the time was a majority interest in The News, the number-two daily newspaper in Adelaide. Since then News Corporation has become a worldwide organisation with more than 50,000 employees working in 130 companies in 60 countries.
Mr Murdoch has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for services to the media and to newspaper publishing in particular. Throughout News Corporation’s history, he and his family have been closely involved with, and made generous contributions to, various educational, cultural, medical and charitable organisations.
(Credit: ABC The 2008 Boyer Lectures)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Rupert Murdoch
News Corporation
ABC
Friday, November 07, 2008
Virgin Media delays repayments on £4.3bn debts, by Amanda Andrews - The Telegraph - 3rd November 2008
Virgin Media, the content and communications group, has secured a deal with its lending banks to delay its debt repayments, giving the business until 2012 to refinance its £4.3bn of loans.
The cable operator had asked lenders to agree to a payment deferral until June 2012, hoping that free cashflow would enable it to cope with repayments.
Virgin Media's lenders had until noon on Friday to vote on the new terms. The Sunday Telegraph revealed that Deutsche Bank, the agent running the process, was counting the votes over the weekend and an imminent announcement was expected.
It is understood that the new arrangements will see the banks receive fees of up to £70m and a further £50m a year in increased margins. Virgin's senior debt facilities comprise £4.3bn of loans in A, B and C tranches and a £100m revolving credit facility.
"In light of the disruption to the credit markets, the company has decided to address its amortisation payments that are due in 2010 and 2011,'' Virgin said in a statement last month.
While Nasdaq-listed Virgin Media will have a large chunk of debt for 2012, the move gives it more time to look at options to reduce its debt load, such as asset disposals. The cable operator, which previously said it had sought to reschedule its debt repayment because of disruption in the credit markets, needed the support of 66.6pc of debt holders for the changes to be passed.
Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media, insisted the new terms were not a matter of urgency and were in the best interests of the company, investors and customers.
Virgin Media yesterday said it will provide an update on the amendment process, including the percentage of lenders who have individually agreed to move into new tranches of the senior loans with modified payment terms, in conjunction with its results announcement on November 6.
(Credit: The Telegraph)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Virgin Media
Richard Branson
Television
The cable operator had asked lenders to agree to a payment deferral until June 2012, hoping that free cashflow would enable it to cope with repayments.
Virgin Media's lenders had until noon on Friday to vote on the new terms. The Sunday Telegraph revealed that Deutsche Bank, the agent running the process, was counting the votes over the weekend and an imminent announcement was expected.
It is understood that the new arrangements will see the banks receive fees of up to £70m and a further £50m a year in increased margins. Virgin's senior debt facilities comprise £4.3bn of loans in A, B and C tranches and a £100m revolving credit facility.
"In light of the disruption to the credit markets, the company has decided to address its amortisation payments that are due in 2010 and 2011,'' Virgin said in a statement last month.
While Nasdaq-listed Virgin Media will have a large chunk of debt for 2012, the move gives it more time to look at options to reduce its debt load, such as asset disposals. The cable operator, which previously said it had sought to reschedule its debt repayment because of disruption in the credit markets, needed the support of 66.6pc of debt holders for the changes to be passed.
Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media, insisted the new terms were not a matter of urgency and were in the best interests of the company, investors and customers.
Virgin Media yesterday said it will provide an update on the amendment process, including the percentage of lenders who have individually agreed to move into new tranches of the senior loans with modified payment terms, in conjunction with its results announcement on November 6.
(Credit: The Telegraph)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Virgin Media
Richard Branson
Television
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Packing up the pieces, by Matthew Ricketson - The Age - 1st November 2008
As James Packer finally left the building at Channel Nine this week, his rivals at the Ten network revealed a new channel specialising in the very field Nine once dominated — sport.
Packer's departure from the board of Nine's majority owner, PBL Media, was the final severing of ties with the television station his grandfather, Sir Frank, founded and his father, Kerry, forged into the number one network in the predominant medium of the 1980s and 1990s.
But if Packer is closing the door on past media greatness, the Ten network is trying to gain a foothold in the new television landscape. From January 1 free-to-air TV networks will be able to broadcast a new standard definition station in addition to their existing offering. This intersection of past and future highlights the uncertainty swirling around the media in general and television in particular.
James Packer's decision underscores his steady withdrawal from the industry with which his family has been associated for the past four generations, beginning with his journalist great-grandfather, Robert Clyde Packer. The only media assets he retains in his company, Consolidated Media Holdings, are a 25% stake in the subscription television network, Foxtel, a 50% stake in production company Premier Media and a 27.5% holding in the online jobs advertising site, seek.com.au.
These assets have a strong foothold in the future; long derided by the lords of free-to-air TV, Foxtel is gradually changing Australians' TV habits with its IQ digital set top box that enables viewers to pause and rewind live television and record programs to watch later in a process known as "time-shifting".
In addition to online advertising, Premier Media produces programs for Foxtel, which is now in about 30% of Australian homes. Packer has been gradually selling out of the Nine network and Australian Consolidated Press, owner of the biggest magazine stable in the country, since late 2006 when a private equity company, CVC Asia Pacific, paid $4.6 billion for a 50% share in the Packer media empire and went on to form PBL Media.
Using borrowed funds, CVC bought at the very top of the then roaring sharemarket. Such is PBL's annual interest bill that it has wiped almost its entire annual profit of $460 million in the last financial year, prompting media analysts to value the company at zero.
The swaggering, rulers of the earth attitude that pervaded Nine for many years began to dissolve when it lost its once iron grip on the ratings crown last year. Since then it has shed jobs and lost any claim to be the national broadcaster by cutting its mid-evening news program, Nightline, and abandoning its high quality current affairs program Sunday.
Multiple Gold Logie winner and former Nine network darling Ray Martin described the axing of Sunday as "a dopey decision", and one that mirrored PBL's closure early this year of another Australian media fixture, The Bulletin magazine.
Meanwhile, Nine's ratings have been stronger than expected this year. It has been leading the three commercial free-to-air networks in the quest for the 16-to-54-year-old demographic, which accounts for around two-thirds of prime time advertising revenue.
But, according to media analyst Steve Allen, of Fusion Strategy, ratings for Nine's programs have been trailing off in recent weeks and it is possible Nine will end the ratings year behind Seven among both 16-to-54-year-olds and across all viewers.
"Nine has done very well with some of its programming this year, such as Underbelly, but it has also overused some of its big franchise programs, such as CSI, and, to a lesser extent, Two and a Half Men, which potentially leaves its cupboard bare for 2009," he says.
Allen says by shifting the time slots of these popular programs and running them several hours a week instead of one or two, Nine has shortened their natural life span and alienated fans.
Nine's managing director, David Gyngell, told advertisers and media buyers in Sydney this week that he would remain close to his lifelong friend James Packer but that he was "a better mate than he is a boss" and was "looking forward to proving him wrong", on his decision to withdraw from free-to-air television.
But Gyngell also told the International Advertising Association lunch that the introduction of the new multi-channels next year would erode the profits of free to air networks and could damage the quality of programs they broadcast on their existing channels. "More choice doesn't lead to more profits. The new channels are an obligation we have to undertake," he said.
Nine is clearly under pressure in the changing mediascape. Mass audiences are being replaced by myriad niche audiences as a dizzying array of new choices opens up on television and online.
Advertisers are even less likely to spend money on new channels as the global financial crisis is already forcing them to slash their budgets. To date the free-to-air networks have been slow to spend money buying or making programs to broadcast on their new multi-channels.
They are worried they will have trouble recouping their costs because the new multi-channels will most likely attract small audiences and therefore little advertising revenue.
This is why the Ten network's decision to create a 24-hour channel dedicated to sport is a significant development and a bold attempt to resurrect its own fortunes, which have been buffeted not only by the structural changes affecting the media industry but also by its own relatively poor performance in the ratings this year.
Ten's chief executive, Grant Blackley, said this week that in planning the new channel — which will be called One — a key consideration was that no other free-to-air network had a "dedicated sports channel" and that it would help encourage people to switch over to digital television.
The Federal Government will switch off the analogue television signal at the end of 2013 and has been under intense pressure from the free-to-air networks to allow them to show sports on their new multi-channels that are included on the anti-siphoning list.
This list, which covers events such as the AFL grand final, the Melbourne Cup and the Australian Open tennis, is aimed at ensuring key sporting events are freely available to everyone.
Ten's new sports channel does not include any events on the anti-siphoning list but Blackley said he would "welcome the lifting of the restrictions on what free-to-air networks can show on their channels".
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is caught between the public policy goal of encouraging everyone to buy a digital TV and entrenching the protected status of the free-to-air networks, which, as he freely acknowledged to The Age this week, have "done a very poor job of looking after sports fans in the past". And the free-to-air networks find themselves caught between inexorably dissolving audiences and the need to invest in new channels.
For its part, the subscription television sector, led by Foxtel, fears the Government may cave in to the free-to-air networks' lobbying, which could affect the attractiveness of their own offerings to customers.
And looming on the horizon — when Australia finally gets quick broadband speeds — is the arrival of hundreds of channels of internet television, which not only pose a threat to free-to-air and subscription television but also to the national broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, who are struggling to finance local drama, news and current affairs with what even Conroy admits is severely inadequate funding.
Matthew Ricketson is media and communications editor.
(Credit: The Age)
Media Man Australia Profiles
James Packer
David Gyngell
Network Nine
Channel Seven
Network Ten
Foxtel
Television
Packer's departure from the board of Nine's majority owner, PBL Media, was the final severing of ties with the television station his grandfather, Sir Frank, founded and his father, Kerry, forged into the number one network in the predominant medium of the 1980s and 1990s.
But if Packer is closing the door on past media greatness, the Ten network is trying to gain a foothold in the new television landscape. From January 1 free-to-air TV networks will be able to broadcast a new standard definition station in addition to their existing offering. This intersection of past and future highlights the uncertainty swirling around the media in general and television in particular.
James Packer's decision underscores his steady withdrawal from the industry with which his family has been associated for the past four generations, beginning with his journalist great-grandfather, Robert Clyde Packer. The only media assets he retains in his company, Consolidated Media Holdings, are a 25% stake in the subscription television network, Foxtel, a 50% stake in production company Premier Media and a 27.5% holding in the online jobs advertising site, seek.com.au.
These assets have a strong foothold in the future; long derided by the lords of free-to-air TV, Foxtel is gradually changing Australians' TV habits with its IQ digital set top box that enables viewers to pause and rewind live television and record programs to watch later in a process known as "time-shifting".
In addition to online advertising, Premier Media produces programs for Foxtel, which is now in about 30% of Australian homes. Packer has been gradually selling out of the Nine network and Australian Consolidated Press, owner of the biggest magazine stable in the country, since late 2006 when a private equity company, CVC Asia Pacific, paid $4.6 billion for a 50% share in the Packer media empire and went on to form PBL Media.
Using borrowed funds, CVC bought at the very top of the then roaring sharemarket. Such is PBL's annual interest bill that it has wiped almost its entire annual profit of $460 million in the last financial year, prompting media analysts to value the company at zero.
The swaggering, rulers of the earth attitude that pervaded Nine for many years began to dissolve when it lost its once iron grip on the ratings crown last year. Since then it has shed jobs and lost any claim to be the national broadcaster by cutting its mid-evening news program, Nightline, and abandoning its high quality current affairs program Sunday.
Multiple Gold Logie winner and former Nine network darling Ray Martin described the axing of Sunday as "a dopey decision", and one that mirrored PBL's closure early this year of another Australian media fixture, The Bulletin magazine.
Meanwhile, Nine's ratings have been stronger than expected this year. It has been leading the three commercial free-to-air networks in the quest for the 16-to-54-year-old demographic, which accounts for around two-thirds of prime time advertising revenue.
But, according to media analyst Steve Allen, of Fusion Strategy, ratings for Nine's programs have been trailing off in recent weeks and it is possible Nine will end the ratings year behind Seven among both 16-to-54-year-olds and across all viewers.
"Nine has done very well with some of its programming this year, such as Underbelly, but it has also overused some of its big franchise programs, such as CSI, and, to a lesser extent, Two and a Half Men, which potentially leaves its cupboard bare for 2009," he says.
Allen says by shifting the time slots of these popular programs and running them several hours a week instead of one or two, Nine has shortened their natural life span and alienated fans.
Nine's managing director, David Gyngell, told advertisers and media buyers in Sydney this week that he would remain close to his lifelong friend James Packer but that he was "a better mate than he is a boss" and was "looking forward to proving him wrong", on his decision to withdraw from free-to-air television.
But Gyngell also told the International Advertising Association lunch that the introduction of the new multi-channels next year would erode the profits of free to air networks and could damage the quality of programs they broadcast on their existing channels. "More choice doesn't lead to more profits. The new channels are an obligation we have to undertake," he said.
Nine is clearly under pressure in the changing mediascape. Mass audiences are being replaced by myriad niche audiences as a dizzying array of new choices opens up on television and online.
Advertisers are even less likely to spend money on new channels as the global financial crisis is already forcing them to slash their budgets. To date the free-to-air networks have been slow to spend money buying or making programs to broadcast on their new multi-channels.
They are worried they will have trouble recouping their costs because the new multi-channels will most likely attract small audiences and therefore little advertising revenue.
This is why the Ten network's decision to create a 24-hour channel dedicated to sport is a significant development and a bold attempt to resurrect its own fortunes, which have been buffeted not only by the structural changes affecting the media industry but also by its own relatively poor performance in the ratings this year.
Ten's chief executive, Grant Blackley, said this week that in planning the new channel — which will be called One — a key consideration was that no other free-to-air network had a "dedicated sports channel" and that it would help encourage people to switch over to digital television.
The Federal Government will switch off the analogue television signal at the end of 2013 and has been under intense pressure from the free-to-air networks to allow them to show sports on their new multi-channels that are included on the anti-siphoning list.
This list, which covers events such as the AFL grand final, the Melbourne Cup and the Australian Open tennis, is aimed at ensuring key sporting events are freely available to everyone.
Ten's new sports channel does not include any events on the anti-siphoning list but Blackley said he would "welcome the lifting of the restrictions on what free-to-air networks can show on their channels".
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is caught between the public policy goal of encouraging everyone to buy a digital TV and entrenching the protected status of the free-to-air networks, which, as he freely acknowledged to The Age this week, have "done a very poor job of looking after sports fans in the past". And the free-to-air networks find themselves caught between inexorably dissolving audiences and the need to invest in new channels.
For its part, the subscription television sector, led by Foxtel, fears the Government may cave in to the free-to-air networks' lobbying, which could affect the attractiveness of their own offerings to customers.
And looming on the horizon — when Australia finally gets quick broadband speeds — is the arrival of hundreds of channels of internet television, which not only pose a threat to free-to-air and subscription television but also to the national broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, who are struggling to finance local drama, news and current affairs with what even Conroy admits is severely inadequate funding.
Matthew Ricketson is media and communications editor.
(Credit: The Age)
Media Man Australia Profiles
James Packer
David Gyngell
Network Nine
Channel Seven
Network Ten
Foxtel
Television
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