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Reuters will supply FT.com with Reuters News Video comes days after the news wire unveiled plans for a co-branded business news section in the International Herald Tribune and on IHT.com.
Read more HereÂ

This is
“part of the news agency’s drive to provide increasingly demanding media clients with more than just text.”
A word from the Journalist..
“For the most part, we journalists don’t retain any residual claim to our own work; our publishers and station owners do. They own all our photographs, our raw tapes and our clips. And most journalists are well-aware of the fact that media companies haven’t figured out an economic structure for journalism on the Internet.”
Read an interview here with the CEO of Associated Press:
-News is a growth industry and that it was high time to kick ‘despair’ to the curb.
-Breaking news is worth more these days than it ever was. So breaking news is a premium business.
-A balance of power that exists online, between the portals and the creators of original content.
The solution: fairer deals to ensure that creators aren’t giving away the house, along with a willingness to adapt to the changing ways readers consume the news.

Read Tom Curley, “Portals, Local content - The mother of all battles” here

Sam Zell, prospective majority owner of the Tribune Co.”I think the newspaper industry has stood there and watched while other media enterprises have taken our bacon and run with it,” he said. “It’s too much complacency.”

The industry as a whole, Zell said, has been “standing there and letting this happen while Rome is burning.”

Read Scott Karp - The New Media consolidation here

Fairfax has come out as a key player and mover following the Australian media ownership law changes. Fairfax bought Rural Press a few months ago and the most recent acquisition is a further diversification, joining Macquarie Media breaking up Southern Cross Media. This brings Fairfax into Radio and TV - Southern Cross Media owns major radio stations in the main centers and the TV production arm co produces an ex personal favourite of mine - Big Brother.

Macquarie Media, who owns 87 radio stations currently in Australia, gets various channel ten and seven affiliated tv stations across Australia. Macquarie Media is the sister company of Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group. Macquarie Media shareholders will vote on the debt funded scheme at an October meeting, offering $17.41 per share to southern cross shareholders, almost 6% up on yesterdays market close price.

It is when the purchase is completed that MM will onsell FFX the assets ($480 million and nine regional radio licences FFX has through Rural Press). SMH reported GSJBWere 14x estimated earnings 07/08.

“We’re going to see a fairly rapid expansion in the capacity to distribute content,” Mr Kirk said, in particular video, internet TV and a variety of mobile phone offerings. The latest deal would give Fairfax a position in digital entertainment and video, “which will be very valuable in the future”. - David Kirk - FFXSome in the market have questioned if FFX paid too much, and the expansion has received mixed sentiments in the market - although a strategic fit has been acknowledged. One thing analysts agree on is that this will make FFX virtually takeover proof.

Some in the market have questioned if FFX paid too much, and the expansion has received mixed sentiments in the market - although a strategic fit has been acknowledged. One thing analysts agree on is that this will make FFX virtually takeover proof.Following this, it was reported today in The Australian (although not officially released) that FFX Media may bid for one of the Australian Government’s two new broadcasting licences.

In an internal Fairfax memo obtained by The Australian, David Kirk has singled out the Channel B licence - which is earmarked for mobile television and other video content distribution such as online video streaming - as the central targets for Fairfax’s future growth. “In this world, unique video content will be particularly valuable,” - David Kirk - FFX

But the media industry thinks its a “smokescreen”for the Channel A licence. FFX have expressed that they are not interested in free to air channels, the Govt has stated that free to airs cannot bid for Channel A. The interest in channel A may be because this channel will be requiring content for broadcast, FFX may use this for recently acquired Southern Cross content e.g. The “MyTalk product”.

Although FFX will not take possession of the new assets till Q1 next year, despite the southern cross deal occurring in October. An FFX spokesman said in response to questions on the delay, “We’re happy taxpayers, but sometimes the wheels of government turn slowly.”

Content is King.