When you’re in the markets, you hear a lot of ‘talk’ and it’s an interesting exercise to work through the numbers of some of that ‘talk’ – particularly when you can show that the ‘talk’ is probably on the wrong track.

Recently we’ve been hearing rumours that TPG may make a bid for Vodafone’s Australian business. I took the time to run through the numbers and see whether it was a likely event. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Insightful Insights, Takeovers, Technology & Telecommunications.

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Fairfax Media Limited (ASX: FXJ) announced yesterday that it has acquired 100% (up from 50%) of the shares on issue of Metro Media Publishing Holdings (MMPH). You can read the announcement on the ASX here.

In a nutshell, Fairfax will issue 68.5 million new shares which implies a transaction value of $72 million (including $18.5 million in cash). The firm’s current shareholders will receive 65% of their consideration in shares and the remaining balance in cash. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Companies, Media Companies.

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TPG Telecom Limited (ASX: TPM) has been sold off sharply over the past few days presumably post the Government’s response to the Vertigan Panel’s review of the National Broadband Network & telecommunications industry which you can find here.

The report contains a lot of material, an analysis of which could extend for several pages, so below we attempt a more concise review of some of the changes and their potential implications for TPG as we currently see them. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Technology & Telecommunications.

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Commsday ran a test of the various major mobile networks to see which performed best in various environments on their shiny new 4G services. A full copy of the report can be found here.

Telstra took first place with solid results across the board. This wasn’t unexpected result, Telstra owns the most and highest quality mobile spectrum as well as the most expansive network of wireless infrastructure in the country.

Optus was second, whilst Vodafone was third having been weighed down by poor results when the mobiles were streaming from Youtube. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Companies, Insightful Insights, Technology & Telecommunications.

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Upmarket furniture seller Nick Scali (ASX: NCK) had an excellent financial year in 2014 with its success seemingly continuing into FY15. I’ve made a few notes on their outlook, whilst reading through the Chairman & Managing Director’s 2014 AGM addresses, which you can read in full here. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Companies, Consumer discretionary, Value.able.

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I recently attended TPG Telecom Limited’s Annual General Meeting in Macquarie Park. Below is an ‘over-the-shoulder’ view of my notes which you may find useful. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Technology & Telecommunications.

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After a meteoric rise, it’s prudent to question whether there is value left in a share price, and it’s a question we have been pondering on TPG Telecom Limited (ASX: TPM) for quite some time. There is plenty of media on the consumer side of the business, particularly with regard to its positioning against the NBN, but in this post I’ll be discussing the corporate side, which is also deserving of attention. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Insightful Insights, Technology & Telecommunications.

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Just the other day we met with two executives from Village Roadshow Limited (ASX: VRL), Graham Burke, Managing Director and Adrian Fernando from investor relations, to discuss some of the trends in their business. It was quite an interesting meeting.

Although it was a bit of speed date – trying to fit in six company meetings in a day – we did spend a reasonable amount of time understanding not only their opportunities for development of theme/water parks in South East Asia, but also on the future of content delivery in Australia. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Companies, Media Companies, Technology & Telecommunications.

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Last week I posted some data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to find out how fast Australia’s appetite for downloads had been growing over the past few years. If you haven’t read it, you can find the post here.

Now I pose a different question although slightly related, is there a relationship between the speed of internet offered in a country and demand? Interestingly enough there is. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Insightful Insights, Technology & Telecommunications.

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