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Seven may withhold content to spoil Nine, Southern Cross merge.

Seven West Media is reportedly considering withholding content from a regional affiliate in a bid to 'spoil' any merge with Nine.

2013-03-25_1046In the wake of Nine’s merger talks with Southern Cross, Seven West Media is considering withholding content from the latter in a bid to ‘spoil’ the worth of a merge.

The Australian reports Seven is considering withholding content, which currently includes such titles as AFL matches, Packed to the Rafters, My Kitchen Rules and Sunrise.

There were even claims over the weekend that Seven was considering cancelling its estimated $2 million annual advertising budget with SC Media but sources close to Seven denied this last night.

Seven’s affiliation agreement with Southern Cross in Tasmania and the Northern Territory is due to expire in June, around the same time as TEN Network’s programming supply deal with Southern Cross.

But Southern Cross may stitch up a deal with Nine in the regions where it currently transmits Seven content, and would surely need to in order to maintain local content quotas.

The reach rule is still under consideration by a joint Senate committee which has until June 17 to issue a final report.

Nine told the joint senate committee it did not forsee any mergers in the next six months.

8 Responses

  1. Does that mean if seven West Media did this that the entire state of Tasmania would not have AFL coverage on? Surely this goes against the Broadcasting Agreement signed with the AFL??

    I agree with TasTVcameraman, it would be good for TDT to be taken over by Ten.

  2. just out of interest…the PM was just saying in her cabinet reshuffle presser, that all the media reforms of last week, apart from those already passed, are now dead and buried, gone finished… meaning the 75% reach was finished, is that correct?
    either way i think we will still see 9 and Sth Cross make a new TV marriage…after the splitville with WIN TV… thoughts?

  3. It is about time that TDT in Tasmania was brought under the TEN network, I think Win and Southern Cross only purchased it to stop any one else getting their hands on the channel.

    Could be interesting in Tasmania if Seven do what they promise, could leave SC and WIN showing the same Two and a half men ad nauseum.

  4. @Jason – in SA WIN is 9. TEN used to be 7.

    Southern Cross has the regionals north and west, plus Broken Hill. Delivers a smattering of the primary and digital commecial channels.

    WIN has the regionals in the south east and the ‘riverland’

  5. In Tasmania, WIN is 9, SC is 7, TEN is on a digital channel owned 50/50 by WIN & SC.
    In SA, WIN is apparently now 9 (used to be 7), however west of Adelaide and in Broken Hill SC seems to be everyone on multiple channels.
    In Darwin, SC is 7, TEN is on a digital channel “DDT”, 50/50 owned by Nine & SC. Nine Darwin is owned by Nine.
    Then there’s Ten West in rural WA, 50/50 owned by WIN & Prime…..But it’s only Monday…..

  6. This is all speculation. Seven will probably first just agree to a temporary deal with the status quo until they see what is happening.

    Step One, Southern Cross has to decide whether to renew its affiliation with TEN in S. NSW or become a Nine affiliate replacing WIN.

    Afterwards any merger between Channel 9 and Southern Cross would likely result in them losing all 7 and 10 affiliations. And if they do it under a 75% cap they may give up the transmission licenses. They would definitely have to give up the Ten affiliation in N. NSW because they would own NBN.

    Losing the 7 affiliations in small markets would be factored into any merger before hand. And matters not, because switching to Ten in larger markets is much more of a gain. And broadcasting Nine’s content as one network must be more profitable than a Network/affiliate relationship if the merger makes any sense at all.

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