Media reform back on the agenda

Key Points:

The focus of the discussion of media reforms is on the "75% audience reach rule" and the "2 out of 3 rule".

Earlier this month, the Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull put media reform back on the national agenda commenting that he was sympathetic to industry requests for reform.

While a reform proposal has not been announced, the mooted changes to the cross-media ownership and control provisions under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (Cth) (BSA) have sparked discussion about the impact of any reforms, including potential mergers.

What reforms have been mooted?

Recent discussion has largely centred on the proposed removal of two rules under the BSA, which are barriers to further media industry consolidation, being: