Today’s Newspaper Cuttings
5 May 2015
Today’s online news Josannecassar.com Vodafone re-opens its refurbished Valletta store – Vodafone Direct
Gozonews.com Parliament TV channel available to Melita TV digital customers – Melita Direct
Newsbook.com Vodafone terġa’ tiftaħ il-ħanut tal-Belt Valletta b’disinn ġdid – Vodafone Direct
Independent.com.mt GO AGM approves positive 2014 results and dividend – GO Direct
Maltatoday.com.mt GO AGM reviews positive results, approves dividend of €0.07 – GO Direct
Timesofmalta.com FTTH project a ‘game changer’ for Malta – GO – GO Direct / Vodafone & Melita Indirect More from Vodafone’s Red Business plans – Vodafone Direct
inewsmalta.com Il-laqgħa ġenerali ta’ GO tirrevedi r-riżultati pożittivi għall-2014 u tapprova dividend ta’ €0.07 – GO Direct
Vodafone in the news
CLIENT: Vodafone Direct MEDIUM: newsbook.com.mt DATE: 4 May 2015 AVE: € 120.00
Vodafone terġa’ tiftaħ il-ħanut tal-Belt Valletta b’disinn ġdid Karl Wright - 04/05/15 02:39 PM
Vodafone reġgħet fetħet il-ħanut tal-Belt Valletta b’disinn gdid bil-għan li l-kunċett u l-istil tiegħu jaqblu ma’ dak tad-Destination Store li nfetaħ f’Birkirkara f’Novembru li għadda. Issa l-ħanut tal-Belt Valletta hu t-tieni wieħed f’Malta magħmul fuq dan il-kunċett. Il-kunċett isegwi inizjattiva globali li nieda l-Vodafone Group biex jipprovdi lill-klijenti bl-aħjar servizz possibbli fis-swieq kollha tiegħu. Wara stħarriġ li twettaq dwar liema huma l-affarijiet li l-klijent jixtieq li jsib f’ħanut biex jinqeda aħjar, il-kunċett u d-disinn tal-ħanut hu sempliċi u modern biex bhekk il-klijent mal-ewwel ikun jaf fejn għandu jmur biex jinqeda fil-ħanut. Id-dehra tal-Concept Stores hi bbażata fuq disinn korporali li qiegħed jintuża minn Vodafone Group biex il-klijenti jħossuhom kunfidenti f’kull ħanut ta’ Vodafone madwar id-dinja kollha. B’dan il-mod, il-klijenti jingħataw servizz aktar effiċjenti. Hekk kif jidħlu fil-ħanut jiġu milqugħa minn impjegat ta’ Vodafone li jara x’għandu bżonn il-klijent u jindikalu minn fejn ikun jista’ jinqeda. Fil-ħanut tal-Belt Valletta, eżatt bħad-Destination Store ta’ Birkirkara, Vodafone introduċa wkoll Tech Zone fejn klijenti jistgħu jistaqsu għal pariri u informazzjoni mingħand esperti dwar il-prodotti u s-servizzi. Artikli kummerċjali għandhom jintbagħtu fuq karl@newsbook.com.mt.
CLIENT: Vodafone Direct MEDIUM: timesofmalta.com DATE: 3 May 2015 AVE: € 230.00 Sunday, May 3, 2015, 00:01
More from Vodafone’s Red Business plans Vodafone is launching Red Business, a range of three business plans which feature more mobile data and more worldwide minutes. Relax, Vodafone’s new out-of bundle pricing of €2 per 100MB for mobile data, can be applied to all the packages. As Ivan Zammit, head of enterprise, said: “Vodafone understands the needs of the business community. This is why we are launching new Red tariffs tailored to include a higher data allowance, featuring generous international calling worldwide as well as optional add-on data bundles going up to 20GB over and above the in-bundle allowance. We are confident that these new tariffs will give companies the edge in being flexible and connected at all times”.
CLIENT: MEDIUM: DATE: AVE:
Vodafone Direct josannecassar.com 1 MAY 2015 â‚Ź 116.00
VODAFONE RE-OPENS ITS REFURBISHED VALLETTA STORE Vodafone has re-opened its Valletta store following extensive refurbishment. This has now been completely redesigned in line with the concept and layout of the Destination Store opened in Birkirkara last November and is now the company’s second Store with this new concept in Malta. This concept follows a global initiative led by the Vodafone Group aimed at providing the best possible customer experience across all markets. Based on extensive research into customer expectations, one of the main features of the new concept is a modern and simple design and layout that guides the customer exactly where he or she wishes to go. The overall look and feel of the new concept stores is based on the corporate design being rolled out across the Vodafone Group which means that a customer walking into any Vodafone Store anywhere in the world will immediately feel at home. Customers are also assured of a fast service since a Vodafone staff member will greet all customers as they enter to establish what they require and they will then be directed to the appropriate channels. As with the Birkirkara Destination Store, Vodafone has introduced a Tech Zone in Valletta where customers can ask for expert advice and information on all products and services.
CLIENT: GO Direct / Vodafone & Melita Indirect MEDIUM: timesofmalta.com DATE: 3 May 2015 AVE: € 230.00 Sunday, May 3, 2015, 00:01 by Vanessa Macdonald
FTTH project a ‘game changer’ for Malta – GO
Go is planning to spend €50 million over five years to roll out fibre to homes.
Go is planning to spend €50 million over five years to roll out fibre to homes – but it is not only the telecoms company that will benefit, CEO Yiannos Michaelides said. “This is a game changer. This is big news not only for Go but for Malta. This will revolutionise the way people use the internet at the same time positioning Malta as a smart country. It will enable all kinds of innovations and applications not only for homes but for other entities,” he said.
CLIENT: GO Direct / Vodafone & Melita Indirect MEDIUM: timesofmalta.com DATE: 3 May 2015 AVE: € 230.00
CEO Yiannos Michaelides.
Go has already connected 17,000 homes through the FTTH project, and will increase that to 33,000 by the end of the year. “We have got over the learning curve. Rollout takes years and we really need the support of the government to facilitate it as it requires infrastructural works. But that support is paramount; this is a key enabler for the investment,” he warned The FTTH “super-highway” will pave the way to new services – such as ‘4K’ super high definition TV, which Go will soon demonstrate. This will boost a sector that is losing ground to internet-based TV entertainment – legal and illegal. In fact, the Malta Communications Authority reported that TV subscriptions were down by 1,025 in 2014 – although Go increased both its market share and subscriber base. However, it is clear that customer preferences are changing and he acknowledged that so-called ‘Over the Top’ – such as pay TV over the internet – services are a must. “Go will eventually enter that space,” he said. “These will be two exciting areas: the experience itself, and the new services including OTT.” One of the reasons for Go’s increased subscriber base is its sports content: it recently secured Champions League rights for a further three years. This prompted rival Melita to raise questions about whether Go should be somehow obliged to share the sports content so that customers would not have to choose between the providers. But Mr Michaelides said that the premium sports content gave Go a clear differentiating advantage – apart from the sports content now being profitable in its own right. “We have made a huge investment and we want to capitalise on it. This is how it works in all markets. I don’t want to argue with Melita but Sky in the UK recently paid billions to protect its rights. And the content providers want the competition. They would not allow people to share content; it would not be to their benefit,” he said.
CLIENT: GO Direct / Vodafone & Melita Indirect MEDIUM: timesofmalta.com DATE: 3 May 2015 AVE: € 230.00 The buzzword in the highly-regulated telecommunications industry is access. For FTTH, this means that the MCA is conducting public consultation on wholesale access to the network by Go’s rivals – at a ‘reasonable’ cost. Mr Michaelides is pragmatic: “The MCA has done a good job in creating the right balance between attracting investment from us but at the same time giving others the chance to eventually access our network. “We would not have made the investment unless we believed there would be a return on the retail sale or on the wholesale access. Both need to work,” he stressed. The FTTH investment will benefit other networks – including fixed voice, which has been seeing a steady decline in subscribers, reflecting global trends. The MCA reported that these were down to 230,361 from 244,916 five years ago – though partly due to Go’s clean-up of thousands of inactive prepaid accounts. He explained that the core of the network was common to fixed and mobile, with the same ‘pipe’ also used for internet and TV consumption. Go is also investing in 4G and Wi-Fi, a very important revenue generator in an otherwise saturated area. The mobile broadband rate is still 36.3 per cent. “Our customers will benefit from the internet super highway in a seamless way. No one will be able to match us,” he said. Vodafone has already rolled out 4G but he insisted that Go was not worried at losing the first mover advantage. “We believe demand for 4G was not as high in Malta as in other European countries. We calculated the timing correctly, in my view. “Our existing network has already been satisfying the needs of the Maltese. For example TV Anywhere is crystal clear on a smartphone, even using 3G!” he said, explaining that this was because the whole Go network was connected by fibre to the internet. “We are the only provider who has this, not even Vodafone or Melita. All our antennas have a fibre connection to the internet which provides a better experience for mobile broadband. That is a big advantage.”
Other stories in the news
CLIENT: GO Direct MEDIUM: independent.com.mt DATE: 5 May 2015 AVE: € 145.00
GO AGM approves positive 2014 results and dividend Tuesday, 5 May 2015, 13:34
GO today held its seventeenth Annual General Meeting during which the company's senior management team provided shareholders with a detailed review of the positive performance achieved by GO during 2014. The meeting also approved all resolutions presented and approved a dividend of €0.07 per share. Opening the meeting, GO Chairman, Deepak Padmanabhan said, "Our performance has been impressive, with profit before tax increasing 30 per cent to €20.3 million. As a result, we have an even stronger balance sheet, healthy cash flows and a more resilient brand. How are we achieving all this? Two main strategic thrusts continue to drive this business forward. Firstly, we are transforming our core telecommunications business. Secondly, we are pursuing a number of initiatives which allow us to focus on areas with growth potential." GO's CEO Yiannos Michaelides also updated shareholders with a detailed review of GO's operations and the results achieved. These show that operating profit increased by 21.0% to €21.8 million while normalised operating group profit for the year amounted to €24.4 million, an encouraging increase of over 17%. Group revenues in 2014 remained stable at €122.3 million,
CLIENT: GO Direct MEDIUM: independent.com.mt DATE: 5 May 2015 AVE: € 145.00 thanks to growth in retail activities which compensated for the decline in revenues from fixed voice and wholesale activities, which occurred as a direct result of regulatory intervention. Normalised EBITDA increased to €49.2 million in 2014, and cash generation from operations amounted to €48.8 million, an increase of €1.7 million over 2013. "This strong performance clearly demonstrates GO's ability to out-perform the sector, and is in stark contrast to the challenged profitability levels being registered by many European operators," said Mr Michaelides, who also discussed a number of factors which have contributed to this success. These include investment in infrastructure where a number of exciting developments in wi-fi, 4G, and particularly fibre are under way; TV content particularly premium sports; product development particularly bundles, IPTV and TV Anywhere; customer service; and human resources. GO's CFO Edmond Brincat also briefed shareholders on the group's financial performance and provided an update on GO's investment through Forgendo Limited in the Greek operator Forthnet , and in the more recent investment, Cyprus-based cable operator Cablenet. Shareholders were also updated about efforts, now in an advanced stage, to unencumber and develop the main properties in the Group's portfolio which portfolio is valued at some €50 million. Mr Padmanabhan stated: "For you as investors in GO, the combined effect of our two-pronged strategy means that your Company is stronger, more valuable, and better able to take the decisions required to make GO's future prospects even more exciting. It is a future we can, most certainly, all look forward to," The presentations were followed by a question and answer session during which shareholders put forward queries and suggestions to GO's senior management team. The AGM elected the board of directors for the next financial year, approved various resolutions which included the approval of the financial results for the year ended 31stDecember 2014 and the payment of a net dividend of €0.07 per share (net of taxation).
CLIENT: GO Direct MEDIUM: inewsmalta.com DATE: 5 May 2015 AVE: € 135.00
Il-Laqgħa Ġenerali ta’ GO tirrevedi r-riżultati pożittivi għall-2014 u tapprova dividend ta’ €0.07 12:16 | 05.05.2015
Waqt is-sbatax il-laqgħa ġenerali annwali ta’ GO plc (GO) li saret aktar kmieni llum, it-tim maniġerjali għoli tal-kumpannija għarraf lill-azzjonisti bid-dettalji tar-riżultati pożittivi miksuba minn GO għas-sena li ntemmet fil-31 ta’ Diċembru 2014. Waqt il-laqgħa kienu approvati kemm ir-riżoluzzjonijiet kollha, kif ukoll id-dividend ta’ €0.07 għal kull sehem. Fil-bidu tal-laqgħa, iċ-Chairman ta’ GO plc Deepak Padmanabhan qal: “L-andament tal-ħidma tagħna kien wieħed impressjonanti, bil-qligħ qabel it-taxxa jiżdied bi 30 fil-mija u b’hekk jilħaq €20.3 miljun. Dan ir-riżultat kompla jsaħħaħ il-karta tal-bilanċ (balance sheet) tagħna, u issa għandna cash flow aktar b’saħħtu u marka (brand) dejjem aktar reżiljenti. Imma kif qed niksbu dan kollu? Żewġ muturi strateġiċi ewlenin qed jixprunaw in-negozju tagħna dejjem aktar il quddiem. L-ewwelnett qed nittrasformaw in-negozju ewlieni tal-kommunikazzjoni tagħna. It-tieni, qed nieħdu għadd ta’ inizzjattivi li ser iwassluna biex inkunu qed niffukaw fuq oqsma ta’ tkabbir potenzjali.” Il-Kap Eżekuttiv ta’ GO Yiannos Michaelides ippreżenta lill-azzjonisti rapport iddettaljat dwar il-ħidma ta’ GO u r-riżultati miksuba. Dawn juru li l-qligħ operattiv żdied b’21.0% għal €21.8 miljun filwaqt li l-qligħ operattiv normalizzat tal-grupp (normalised operating group profit) għas-sena li għaddiet kien ta’ €24.4 miljun, li jfisser żieda inkuraġġanti ta’ aktar minn 17%. Id-dħul tal-grupp fl-2014 baqa’ stabbli fil-livell ta’ €122.3 miljun. Dan seħħ grazzi għat-tkabbir fl-attivitajiet tar-retail li għamlu tajjeb għat-tnaqqis fid-dħul minn linji ta’ telefonija fissa u attivitajiet wholesale, li seħħew b’riżultat dirett ta’ interventi regulatorji. Fl- 2014, l-EBITDA (jiġifieri d-dħul ta’ qabel ma jitnaqqsu l-imgħaxijiet, it-taxxa, id-deprezzament u l-amortizzazzjoni)) normalizzata żdiedet għal €49.2 miljun, filwaqt li l-ħolqien ta’ introjtu (cash generation) minn diversi ħidmiet laħaq l-€48.8 miljun, żieda ta’ €1.7 miljun fuq l-2013.
CLIENT: GO Direct MEDIUM: inewsmalta.com DATE: 5 May 2015 AVE: € 135.00 “Dawn ir-riżultati b’saħħithom juru biċ-ċar l-kapaċita’ ta’ GO li tikseb riżultati aħjar minn dawk tas-settur, u dan hu b’kuntrast sħiħ għal dak li qed jgħaddu minnu diversi operaturi Ewropej f’dan is-settur fejn qed jirreġistraw livelli ta’ qligħ anqas,” qal Michaelides. Hu semma’ wkoll għadd ta’ fatturi li taw sehemhom għal dan is-suċċess. Dawn jinkludu investiment fl-infrastruttura fejn qed iseħħu numru ta’ żviluppi interessanti ħafna fil-wi-fi, 4G, u b’mod partikulari anki fil-fibre-to-the-home; il-kontenut televiżiv l-aktar dak sportiv tal-aqwa livell, l-iżvilupp tal-prodott b’mod partikulari fil-qasam tal-bundles, IPTV u TV Anywhere; is-servizz lill-klijenti; kif ukoll fir-riżorsi umani. L-Uffiċjal Finanzjarju Ewlieni ta’ GO Edmond Brincat informa lill-azzjonisti dwar il-prestazzjoni finanzjarja tal-Grupp u ta aġġornament dwar l-investimenti ta’ GO fil-kumpannija bbażata fil-Greċja – Forthnet, kif ukoll dwar l-investiment riċenti f’Cablenet li hu operatur tal-cable f’Ċipru. Brincat informa wkoll lill-azzjonisti dwar l-impenji tal-kumpannija, li issa jinsabu fi stadju avvanzat, biex tillibera u tiżviluppa l-propretajiet ewlenin li l-Grupp għandu fil-pussess tiegħu. Dan il-portafoll illum hu stmat li jiswa madwar €50 miljun. Padmanabhan qal: “Għalikom, bħala investituri f’GO, ir-riżultat ta’ dawn iż-żewg muturi strateġiċi qed iwassal biex il-Kumpannija tagħkom tkun f’qagħda aktar b’saħħitha, jkollha aktar valur, u tkun f’qagħda aħjar biex tieħu dawk id-deċiżjonijiet meħtieġa biex il-prospetti futuri ta’ GO jkunu aktar interessanti. Dan hu l-futur li, b’ċertezza, nistgħu lkoll nittamaw fih.” Wara l-preżentazzjonijiet kien hemm sessjoni ta’ mistoqsija u tweġiba fejn l-azzjonisti għamlu mistoqsijiet u suġġerimenti lit-tim maniġerjali għoli ta’ GO. Matul il-Laqgħa Ġenerali Annwali kien elett il-bord tad-diretturi għas-sena finanzjarja li jmiss u kienu approvati diversi riżoluzzjonijiet li jinkludu kemm l-approvazzjoni tar-riżultati finanzjarji għas-sena li għalqet fil-31 ta’ Diċembru 2014, kif ukoll il-ħlas ta’ dividendta’ €0.07 netti għal kull sehem (nett mit-tassazzjoni).
CLIENT: GO Direct MEDIUM: maltatoday.com.mt DATE: 5 May 2015 AVE: € 145.00
Go AGM reviews positive 2014 results, approves dividend of €0.07 GO's CEO Yiannos Michaelides also updated shareholders with a detailed review of GO’s operations and the results achieved. 5 May 2015, 12:16pm
GO plc (GO), today held its seventeenth Annual General Meeting during which the Company’s senior management team provided shareholders with a detailed review of the positive performance achieved by GO during 2014. The meeting also approved all resolutions presented and approved a dividend of €0.07 per share. Opening the meeting, GO Chairman, Deepak Padmanabhan said, “Our performance has been impressive, with profit before tax increasing 30 per cent to €20.3 million. As a result, we have an even stronger balance sheet, healthy cash flows and a more resilient brand. How are we achieving all this? Two main strategic thrusts continue to drive this business forward. Firstly, we are transforming our
CLIENT: GO Direct MEDIUM: maltatoday.com.mt DATE: 5 May 2015 AVE: € 145.00 core telecommunications business. Secondly, we are pursuing a number of initiatives which allow us to focus on areas with growth potential.” GO's CEO Yiannos Michaelides also updated shareholders with a detailed review of GO’s operations and the results achieved. These show that operating profit increased by 21.0% to €21.8 million while normalised operating group profit for the year amounted to €24.4 million, an encouraging increase of over 17%. "Group revenues in 2014 remained stable at €122.3 million, thanks to growth in retail activities which compensated for the decline in revenues from fixed voice and wholesale activities, which occurred as a direct result of regulatory intervention. Normalised EBITDA increased to €49.2 million in 2014, and cash generation from operations amounted to €48.8 million, an increase of €1.7 million over 2013. “This strong performance clearly demonstrates GO’s ability to out-perform the sector, and is in stark contrast to the challenged profitability levels being registered by many European operators,” said Michaelides, who also discussed a number of factors which have contributed to this success. These include investment in infrastructure where a number of exciting developments in wi-fi, 4G, and particularly fibre are under way; TV content particularly premium sports; product development particularly bundles, IPTV and TV Anywhere; customer service; and human resources. GO's CFO Edmond Brincat also briefed shareholders on the Group's financial performance and provided an update on GO’s investment through Forgendo Limited in the Greek operator Forthnet , and in the more recent investment, Cyprus-based cable operator Cablenet. Shareholders were also updated about efforts, now in an advanced stage, to unencumber and develop the main properties in the Group's portfolio which portfolio is valued at some €50 million. Padmanabhan stated: “For you as investors in GO, the combined effect of our two-pronged strategy means that your Company is stronger, more valuable, and better able to take the decisions required to make GO’s future prospects even more exciting. It is a future we can, most certainly, all look forward to,” The presentations were followed by a question and answer session during which shareholders put forward queries and suggestions to GO’s senior management team. The AGM elected the board of directors for the next financial year, approved various resolutions which included the approval of the financial results for the year ended 31st December 2014 and the payment of a net dividend of €0.07 per share (net of taxation).
CLIENT: MEDIUM: DATE: AVE:
Melita Direct gozonews.com 2 May 2015 € 116.00
Parliament TV channel available to Melita TV digital customers BY GOZO NEWS · MAY 2, 2015
The move to the new parliament building, will also see the launch of new dedicated television channel: Parliament TV. As from this Monday, the 4th of May, Parliament TV (Channel 109) will be added to the channel lineup of Melita’s TV network for all digital TV and interactive TV customers. “We are proud to be able to make Parliament TV accessible to our customers. This is another first for Malta and Melita is once again not just present, but an important enabler for Malta’s social, economic and cultural development,” commented Mr. Ludolf Rasterhoff, COO at Melita. There is no additional subscription charge associated to the launch of the new channel. The channel will be added to the line-up of all customers subscribed to the entry package Television M or higher. The new channel will show automatically on all NetBox, iBox and Digibox set-top-boxes. Customers using the silver-coloured Digital set-top-boxes will simply have to switch to channel 514 (“Radio TV”) for 5 seconds, and their set-top-box will then automatically download the new channel list. For more information on Parliament TV visit www.Parliament.mt and for a full list of channels available on Melita’s network visit www.melita.com.