news articles 7 June

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TEN Network (TEN)

Ten Network has a market capitalisation of $1.1 billion based upon recent share prices of about $2.80. Dividend yield is 5.1% fully franked. The price earnings (p/e) multiple appears modest and is below market average at 11. As a network, TEN has a clear focus on the under-40 viewer demographic, where it is the sector leader.
Challenges: Maintaining share price momentum is already proving a challenge for Ten. Although year-on-year share price growth is about 30%, six-monthly performance has been flat. The market is wondering whether Ten can continue to lift TV advertising revenues that have already grown by $200 million over two years. Can the network repeat and maintain the success of Australian Idol, Big Brother and the AFL?
Upside: Ten is reported to be travelling best among the holders of AFL rights following its poaching of the football code from Seven. With rights to the lucrative finals series through 2006, Ten has most to gain from a tight 2004 AFL campaign.
Outlook: **** The market appears unsure whether strong recent financial performances can be maintained. The upside is that Ten need only hold ground to look under-priced.

www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/07/1086460214819.html?oneclick=true

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Kasey on target

07jun04

KASEY Chambers is expected to top the charts today with her new album, Wayward Angel.

The top end of the chart will be peppered with new releases, including the latest from The Corrs.
We'll also be watching to see where Robert "Millsy" Mills ends up with his debut single, Ms Vanity.

And it will be interesting to see where the self-titled debut album from Mercury 4 charts.

www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9766034%5E28957,00.html

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iPod makes debut at Tar-jay
open source | industry gossip
JUNE 08, 2004

Even at Target, you still have to wait for an iPod.


IT appeared Apple's trendy but sometimes tricky to source iPod music player had gone truly mass market when the little white techno trinket turned up in a Target store brochure. Alas, a squiz at the fine print revealed it was not just a matter of wandering down to the local Tarjay and snapping up an iPod.

Although you could fondle a sample iPod at the store, scoring required placing an order and waiting four days for delivery.

Tagged in the cradle

IF the growing trend towards sticking RFID tags on just about anything hadn't started to worry you, think about this one: tagging babies to prevent kidnapping.

South Australian newspaper The Advertiser reports Adelaide's Lyell McEwin Hospital will begin RFID tagging newborns in an effort to provide peace of mind for parents worried their children will be abducted. The 9g RFID tags, which can be attached either to a child's name band or stuck directly on the skin, will sound a warning alarm if the child is removed from the ward. Open Source understand the concerns of parents, but we're worried about other potentially invasive use of RFID technology.

Big Bro leans on Legion

REALITY television may be contributing to a general breakdown in society, but at least it's boosting demand for telecommunications services.

Open Source notes top-ranked "full-service interactive communications specialist" (as it calls itself) Legion Interactive is shelling out for additional IVR capacity at Telstra's co-lo facility to handle demand for voting on television "events" such as Big Brother and Australian Idol.

Legion chief executive David Burden says the voting demands of Generation X are putting a heavy burden on Legion's infrastructure.

He says: "Due to the rapid change in the market and the increasing volumes of our workflow, it is vital that our systems keep up with our business activities. Legion's additional IVR lines will provide the necessary platform to ensure effective response to market demands and development moving forward."

In addition to handling the soon-to-screen Australian Idol 2, Legion is working on McDonald's Sip N Flip 2 Win promotion.

Unis set trap for net cheats

BRITISH universities have unveiled a pilot scheme designed to expose students who cheat by plagiarising work from the internet.

Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University and Edinburgh University are among those testing a plagiarism detection service devised by a consortium of information technology specialists from British universities.

It is hoped the service will curb the rising trend of students cheating in coursework, driven by an upturn in the number of internet sites selling customised essays.

Burgers with a song

WANT a side of Justin Timberlake with your Big Mac? McDonald's will give away one free downloaded song with every Big Mac as the world's largest restaurant chain continues trying to rebuild its brand with young audiences.

The promotion will last six to 10 weeks from next week for outlets in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada, then hit Europe in July.

When diners at the participating outlets unwrap their food, they'll find an access code — essentially a coupon for a free song from Sony's infant online music store, Sony Connect — worth 99 US cents ($1.44). McDonald's partner, Sony, also is seeking to muscle into an online music marketplace dominated by Apple's iTunes.

australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,9775112^15397^^nbv^,00.html

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thanks to Arkosilverblue

9to5 magazine 7/6/04


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