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TEN abandons AFL in HD

The serious lack of HD programming in Australia is still 'the elephant in the room.'

We’re going backwards not forwards….

On the weekend TEN screened its AFL coverage in standard definition on TEN and pulled a big audience of 804,000 viewers for a Sydney vs Collingwood game.

In primary channel shares, TEN was first on Saturday night.

A week earlier AFL was offered in both SD on TEN and HD on ONE but it has now dropped its high definition broadcasts of the code, instead offering live coverage of a MotoGP race on ONE. That pulled all of 149,000 viewers.

TEN has sought to talk up the switch.

“This offers viewers a wider range of viewing choices, rather than running the same programming across two channels,” said TEN’s Jeannette McLoughlin told The Australian.

While Seven has declined to offer AFL in HD, until now TEN has come to the party.

The move follows TEN walking away from AFL coverage after this season, and ONE shifting some of its content to general entertainment.

The lack of HD sport continues to frustrate viewers at a time when industry and government continue to talk up the numbers that have made the switch to digital television. 

Nine no longer offers State of Origin, NRL or cricket in high definition on GEM, despite promising HD sports last year. While viewers were grateful that Seven introduced live Wimbledon in an earlier timeslot via 7TWO, it could have offered the games in HD via 7mate.

Next year Seven will screen some AFL on 7mate but at its broadcast deal press conference CEO David Leckie said that he did not know whether Seven would broadcast in HD -or even if it would be “upscaled.”

Meanwhile, Premier Media Group’s FOX Sports will show all five of its games in HD next year.

Industry expects the issue to remain unresolved until the switch to digital television is completed at the end of 2013.

65 Responses

  1. “Leckie said that he did not know whether Seven would broadcast in HD -or even if it would be “upscaled.””

    Leckie is an idiot.

    All AFL is currently produced in HD. Its the networks that actually Downscale it to appear on their SD channel.

    The only content produced in SD by 7 is the pre game and half game packages.

    When will the networks learn that half of the people in australia actually purchased a HD TV to watch sport???

    This type of attitude by network execs are the reason I watch less and less FTA TV!

  2. Isn’t it funny how Ten has discovered its desire to offer “a wider range of viewing choices, rather than running the same programming across two channels” approximately 2 seconds after it became clear that its run with the AFL was coming to an end?

    David, any chance of getting comment from Ten on whether finals and the Grand Final might be squeezed out in HD?

  3. I noticed this on Saturday.

    Ten had an excellent opportunity to score a massive 1m+ on both it’s HD and SD channels but decided to scrap it’s HD coverage of AFL games a day or so after the announcement that Murdoch pulled the plug on televising games in 2012 and beyond.

    First thing I thought it was a massive dummy spit and they decided to give viewers an almighty two finger salute.

    Seven doesn’t broadcast it’s games on HD. They leave HD for more important shows like 1970s sitcoms Are you being served!

    The AFL Should have ensured that whichever freeview station won the rights – they had to telecast games on HD.

    But the $2m man Demetriou has never cared for viewers and has been all about the kaching kaching.

    2012 shall be interesting. Seven has already announced it won’t be luring many Ten commentators over and is looking at having non-sports people hosting and commentating on AFL games.

    So get ready for Manu Fedel, Grant Denyer and Kochie commentating on AFL games and a new version of Before the Game with panelists Johanna Griggs, Melissa Doyle, Chris Bath, Daniel McPherson and Todd McKenney!

    2012 – the year AFL telecasts will become a bigger joke than it already is!

  4. Does anyone care about HD? I think it makes no difference either on an upconverted SD television or a brand new LED tv and I simply cannot tell the difference.

  5. sounds like 10 has spat the dummy re the afl coverage, as it is not going to broadcast it in 2012, they probably thought why bother giving it’s viewers the very best (i.e HD on ONE) now.

  6. Australia is definitely moving backwards when it comes to HD sport on free to air, Foxtel/Austar are the only ones taking HD sport seriously in this country at the moment.

  7. I think that every channel should have a simulcast HD channel, that way every channel could be in HD, similar to what Foxtel does with some of its channels.

  8. Ignore my ignorance but why can they only do HD telecasts on One, 7Two and Gem? Why cant they do on eg. TEN? And for what ever reason why don’t they put all channels on HD workable programs?

  9. It fascinates me that the channels film the sports in HD but just dont broadcast them. The State of Origin is in HD when it is rebroadcast on foxtel.

  10. I don’t understand why everyone whinges about something as superfluous as sport missing out on HD broadcasts, when a vast amount of multi-million-dollar quality drama has been relegated to SD for years now.

  11. Its rediculous how the FTA networks would rather offer different programs on their chanels instead of offering sports in HD. The sooner the government allow for the primary channels to be HD the better as it is beyond a joke (especially with GEM being HD and offering movies in black and white). Thank god that nearly all the pay-TV sports channels are offered in HD (with the only ones not offered in HD being Eurosport, Fuel TV, Sky Racing channels and the sports news channels). On a side note, look at LifeStyle how they launched a HD simulcast and yet they offer ZERO HD programming when it could be used for Fuel TV or Eurosport or an entertainment channel that actually has HD programming.

  12. I don’t care much about AFL but watched it when in HD as it looks great, and it’s easier to become immersed in the game. So that’s one viewer lost.

    I don’t think Mr Leckie can be much of a techie, because if it is shown on the HD channel it has to be either upscaled or native HD.

  13. Never mind HD Sport! HD TV in Australia is a bloody disgrace, and the ACMA has/is doing absolutely nothing to ensure HD is provided on the main channels after all the commercial channels and the ABC “migrated their HD to “back” channels!!
    I can’t remember the last time I watched a full programme on Gem, 7Mate, One or ABC News24, only occasionally flicking through them. The USA and UK have embraced HD and anyone “naughty” enough to have seen a show from “other” sources will see that all popular shows have an HD watermark in one corner (BBC One HD, ITV 1HD, USA HD etc.
    Will the status be resumed once the Digital conversion is complete?
    The silence of the elepahant is deafening!!!!!!!

  14. Sorry to say – who cares – i am not a sports fan so why would i bother with wanting to see sports in HD
    Leave the HD for entertainment not for boredom (sorry just my opinion)

  15. I would be curious to know what percentage of aired material is in HD? It would be a very low number. I assume all the commercial channels changed their HD channel to a secondary channel (Mate/Gem/One) so they didn’t have to come up with all the HD content that is expected of them? Instead, let’s just play re-runs of I Dream of Jeannie or Pimp My Ride on the HD channel. Television in Australia is a joke…

  16. Well done 10, using some common sense, it gives vierwers wider choice. both motogp and AFL fans will be catered for. why would you broadcast the same thing across two channels? pretty silly and a waste. there is nothing special about HD anyway, who cares about this overhyped HD, can’t really tell the difference and doesn’t make the viewing experience anymore aesthetic. ONE have exclusive rights to the motoGP so should at least show it live. And please, whatever negotiation is required regarding bandwidth rights, please Foxtel, get onehd and 7mate and gem and abcnews 24 running on foxtel (satellite)

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