Peter Cox BEc MBA is the foremost independent media economist, analyst and public speaker on the communications and media industries in Australia.
Peter began his career in marketing and finance in industry with BOC and merchant banking with Bankers Trust before establishing in 1976 a specialist management consulting firm to the media industry.
He managed the business affairs of Michael Willesee and the leading Australian television production company, Trans Media Productions, for four years as it developed into one of the most successful television production companies in Australia and they were largely responsible for the Seven Network winning the ratings for the only three years in its history until recently.
Peter was CEO was founding Managing Director for the building and establishment of 2DAY-FM, one of the most successful radio stations in Australia.
Peter was a board Director for eight years of Associated Communication Enterprises which acquired The Truth newspaper, a national tabloid from News Corporation and which expanded into magazines and radio stations.
The Department of Transport and Communications commissioned Peter in 1990 to write an independent report on the effect the introduction of Pay TV in Australia would have on the commercial television industry. This report was a part of the DOTAC submission instrumental in changing the Government Cabinet decision to favour introducing Pay TV. Peter was invited in 1991 to address the Caucus Transport and Communications Committee on Pay TV and has consulted many companies and organisations on its introduction to Australia. In 1992 Peter was appointed consultant to the Senate Select Committee on Subscription Television Broadcasting Services.
Peter has been a leading advocate of new technology and media in Australia from the introduction of commercial FM in the late 70’s to digital satellite transmission, Pay TV, broadband and Digital TV. This experience has been built with both high technology international and Australian companies.
Peter has been involved in digital since the early 1990s when he brought General Instrument of the US, the world leader at that time in digital satellite transmission, to Australia and was responsible for having the technical specifications in the 1992 Broadcasting Services Act determine his clients proprietary system for the initial satellite digital compression for Pay TV. Peter consequently gained the satellite and MMDS digital set top business for General Instrument from Australis Media and the cable set top business from Optus Vision.
In 2004 Cox Media was commissioned by The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) to develop and present submissions to the DCITA reviews on multichannelling, the fourth commercial television licence and to the Children’s Television Standards Review.
Peter has presented seminars since 1993 to major corporations, industry associations and the government on the digital threats and opportunities for television, newspapers, magazines and online business models. These presentations were titled “The Information Superhighway” in the 1990s and then from the early 2000s “The Digital Revolution. ”
Over the last 30 years Peter has provided consulting to local and overseas investment bankers, governments, corporations and investors in the Australian media. Clients have included:
Arthur Andersen, Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), Australian Jockey Club, Australis Media, Australian Tax Office, AANA, Bank West, DEET, DOTAC, EDS (US), General Instrument (US), Hills Industries, Hoyts, International Media Management, Macquarie Bank Limited, Mitsui & Co (Japan), Pacific Broadband (Hong Kong), Premium Movie Partnership (Showtime), Queensland Turf Club, The Seven Network, Sony Pictures Television, Trans Media Productions, UCOM, Senate Select Committee on Subscription Television Broadcasting Services, TV NZ.
Since 2002 Cox Media has provided advice to the Premium Movie Partnership, which owns the Showtime Movie Channels, on strategic and competitive issues in the Australian subscription and free-to-air markets. PMP is jointly owned by four Hollywood studios – Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Liberty Media.
Peter is the Australian leader in media economics, financial analysis of media companies and senior management; understanding of new technologies and markets and assessing industry trends and global developments including the NBN broadband network. He has also specialised in analysing free-to-air television and pay TV ratings of programs and networks on a daily basis for over three decades.
Cox Media provides expert independent financial advice to private equity funds and investment banks in the US, the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore on the Australian media industry and the performance of the major media players including Nine Entertainment, Seven West Media, Fairfax Media and News Corp.
Peter has an extensive knowledge of the media industry, trends and new media not only in Australia but internationally and has been invited to be chairman and speaker at over 70 media industry conferences in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He has written numerous papers for clients and feature newspaper articles including for the Australian Financial Review and The Australian. Also, Peter has been interviewed for hundreds of radio and television interviews and in all major Australian newspapers and business magazines.