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Keeping sports rights a clean fight

Free TV Australia has stepped up its campaign to win the Anti-Siphoning List review, with alarmist lines about sports under threat.

boxThe might of Free TV Australia (Seven, Nine and TEN) is behind a campaign to “Keep Sport Free” on our TV screens.

The campaign includes a website www.keepsportfree.com.au and new television ads, in the lead up to the review of the Anti-Siphoning List.

Commercial networks want to prevent the Pay TV market from getting access to more sporting events. In doing so, it includes information on its agenda, including taunting lines that viewers’ favourite sports could be “at risk.”

It even includes an online petition.

Amongst the facts it lists, it neglects to mention that the Productivity Commission concluded the list was anti-competitive, overly burdensome and too long.

But Free TV Australia does want some change, notably for networks to be able to play more sports on their digital channels (just take a look at the Bledisloe Cup on Seven on Saturday night to see why).

Rival body ASTRA says the anti-siphoning rules are in need of an overhaul but knows it won’t have any victories by being unreasonable.

It isn’t asking for sports already on FTA to move to Pay. It’s asking that those events that aren’t aired are freed up for the Pay TV sector.

ASTRA released its arguments in August via this Press Release.

Submissions can be made to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy by 16 October 2009.

37 Responses

  1. I am quite concerned how Packer & Murdock are able to use their legal teams to find any loopholes in the T.V industry to set up a way to commence taking the free to air networks off the system with sporting events. Like the Ten One sporting channel. This can be seen to disadvantage or forced to limit in what they can show. They are setting it up so they can make more money monopolising the sporting channels and free to air channels in some way or form to suit themselves, to ensure the general public have to pay. I believe it is unfair that the ordinary Australian miss out on sporting events, let alone the pensioners.

    The Australian Government need to have some back bone to ensure that you change legislation to enable all walks of life, regardless of their standing have a fair opportunity to watch sport if they so want. No one should have an monopoly. We the general public are sick of seeing old over rated dated movies, detective & murder/killing shows & are sick of seeing limited sporting shows. the general public deserve better & assured we are not disadvantaged.

    This is why this is also a Social Policy Issue as well as a Government Legislative Issue. It is about time the Government sought out what the general public want in a fair & equitable Australian society.

  2. What is wrong with this Free country of ours I think it is going tio the dogs….Come On Australia get your act together & give the Aussies a fair go ! ! ! The government must have a load of dough as it can afford to give loads away so why not our sport.gives

  3. Kepp Fox Austar, Foxtel away from the sports we enjoy so much. If those (Foxtel ect) get the sports I wont be paying to watch the sports programs on theos three money grabbers, (Almost like the banks) for it sown up, Grrrrrrr

  4. As an avid watcher of Aussies doing well, if sport was taken off “free to air” this pentioner would loose a big chunk of her quality of life.

  5. Not everybody is able to afford the luxury of paid TV, particularly if they have a family. However, we Australians enjoy our sport and to be forced into paid TV
    is hardly democratic, wouldn’t you agree!
    Also, it’s lunacy to be considering such a proposal as the % of the population whom watch free TV far outweights paid TV.
    I agree that all sports should available for airing on free TV allowing everybody the opportunity of equal rights.
    Not to mention the lose of the positive impact that watching sports on free TV has by way of encouragement for our children to gain some understanding of the sports codes and choice of what sport they would like to play.
    We flap the gums about kids being overweight today hence, I do not see this as a positive outcome.

  6. i don’t have pay TV. With all the new digital channels on free to air the free to air channels should be showing more sport live to air instead of all the delayed sport we are currently getting. Our free to air channels have the best technology in the world yet they still stuff up programmes like olympics and golf etc with self promotion and so called experts ( has beens and never were) talking to the cameras instead of actually showing the game. Tthe only good thing in that respect is that they are better than the Yanks and Poms.

  7. I fully support TV free to air sport. and will show my dissapointment at the ballot box next elections should the AFL or other sports not be televised.

    Tony Russo

    1. There is unlikely to be any danger to current FTA sports despite the emotional campaign airing at the moment. The Pay TV lobby is not looking to hijack the events we have traditionally seen. It is arguing to have access to the sports FTA gets the rights to, but does not bother to air: “Use it or lose it.” AFL could not exist without the rights paid by commercial broadcasters. Fear not, don’t believe everything you see.

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