Sept 8 (Reuters) - Australian shares are likely to open steady on Friday, in line with Wall Street which was flat as media stocks weighed after negative business updates.
Wall Street ended little changed after a moderate late-day rally as media stocks slumped on negative updates from Walt Disney Co DIS.N and Comcast Corp CMCSA.O , offsetting healthcare gains. .N
In the energy sector, oil futures were mixed as Brent rose to a 5-1/2 month high while U.S. crude slipped, as positive sentiments of refineries restarting after Hurricane Harvey were dampened by the threat of Hurricane Irma. O/R
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.3 percent or 16 points to 5,693, a 3.1-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark was largely flat on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.2 percent in early trade.