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Sport to roar on TEN multi-channel

24 hour sports will feature on TEN when new multi-channelling starts in 2009.

TEN looks set to launch a dedicated 24 hour sports channel as part of its multi-channelling next year, with programming tipped to include NBA basketball, US Open golf, US Masters golf, IPL Twenty20 cricket, Trans-Tasman Netball League, Formula One Grand Prix, the Nascar series, World Golf Championship events and tennis.

With sport the biggest drawcard on subscription TV, the new channel will create headaches for Fox Sports.

The Age reports that TEN execs remained tight-lipped, but enjoyed a big buy last week in Monaco at Sportel — the international trade show of sporting rights.

Not only has TEN just outbid Nine to win the television rights to Australian swimming.

The 2009 AFL grand final will also be simulcast on TEN’s HD channel, and TEN will extend its AFL coverage to include a Monday night review program to be hosted by Stephen Quartermain. The program will feature football expert Robert Walls, who has quit the award-winning Fox Sports program On The Couch after seven years.

TEN’s coup is reported to be the brainchild of its national sport supremo David White, who first master-minded the break-up of the AFL TV broadcast rights for the 2002-2006 period.

The new channel is expected to start early in 2009, with a launch expected in mid-November.

Source: The Age

44 Responses

  1. I think it is about time we had a lot move of diffrent type of motorsports on free to air tv I have followed world superbike and moto gp for years australian riders feacher very highly in both of these championships but the only way you get to see it is on pay tv.
    I was in the U.K. two years ago and they show moto gp plus repeats of 125, 250 and 800. worldsuperbikes race 1 race2 repeats worldsupersport race 1 plus repeats. worldsuperstock race 1 plus repeats, britishsuperbike championship race 1 britishsuperbike championship race 2, britishsupersportchampionship race 1 britishsuperstockchampionship race 1 all sorts of moto cross and trials super moto drag racing bikes cars all types of boat racing all types of car racing all types of truck racing. competition course fishing, sea fishing, boat fishing, marlin fishing sailfish fishing and this is a short list of what they offer freeto air so lets hope our free to air is not just footboot tennis cricket and a like let us have some quick action and less mam pammy sport on this channel but only time will tell I am still waiting for it in my part of thr world Townsville North Queensland not long to go to go to go to go to go to go to go to go to go to go to go to go to go

  2. personally i think it is the most idiotic move any tv network in australia has made to date.
    There is room for both sport and normal hd content on ten hd and sd channels to completely eliminate all the high definition content in favour of sport has to be the most retrograde step since bejelke petersen ripped up the brisbane gold coast railway back in the sixties!.
    Heres hoping some common sense prevails at the ten network before they completely slide down the ratings black hole.
    I dont think ill be holding my breath!

  3. ooo yerrr thank you to the person that thought of ONE HD….my parents dont let me get foxtel coz its to expensive so i have to just watch 2 minute highlights on the net…..but when i heard the NBA is coming to free tv…i was so happy…made my day……hope they show alot of the NBA….in april the play off starts….so perfect time!!!

  4. Get over it ooh me plums – nice reference though. I like Ten drama but ten sport in HD is the best. Get the DVD or Bluray if you are a desperado and let us bogans, morons, etc who cannot comprehend smallville etc some peace to watch some sport and not be out in a pub glassing patrons okay!

    If drama is your go, ask Nine to swap on the buses repats late night with your fave schedule instead and let Ten be the fitness/sport champion it is

  5. Neon Kitten…get off then! Watching drama with “decent picture quality”…. Standard Def quality…which is actually better than analogue….. so I don’t see what you’re moaning about.

    And Channel 1 and 12 are not the same….1 is HD, 12 is SD. TEN has the choice to run different content on both but are choosing to simulcast to reach greater number of Australians with Digital receivers.

  6. What bollocks this is. There’s simply no way any station can have 2 HD channels and 1 SD; they struggle to have 1 SD and 1 HD on the same multiplex as it is. So it looks like instead of prime time premier programming available in HD, we get fourth rate sports, probably upscaled from SD. Yippee!

    What a friggin joke. Thank god I’ve got Foxtel.

  7. Andrew, there are not two HD channels on Ten – 1 and 12 are the exact same channel with the same bitstream assigned to both channel numbers.

    Sorry, HD drama people, you’ll have to “pirate” your Ten shows completely now if you want to see them with decent picture quality. Because TenHD is indeed going away.

    Ten has now issued a statement to the ASX, with details of the new channel and a logo for it:

    http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20081028/pdf/31d662sllzn29d.pdf

    Hilarious Quote Department:

    “The name ONE expresses the channel’s mission to share the greatness of sport with ALL AUSTRALIANS – capturing the passion that unites us as one.”

    That’d be the “passion” for sitting on your arse on the couch watching people chase balls around or drive a car around in a circle, I presume. If that’s what this brainwashed country truly thinks is “passion” then please stop the country, I want to get off.

    I presume they won’t bother producing Rove or Idol in HD next year either – what would be the point? In fact, I wonder if this is behind GNW’s sudden move to not producing in HD when they returned a few weeks ago…

  8. So it will be HD, and seems to replace the current Ten HD. So…. this means no more House and stuff in HD? That’s uhhh, kind of lame. Unless Ten can have two HD channels now, with One HD on channel 1 and Ten HD on channel 11 or 12?

  9. Zambora,

    Get a grip, and stop moaning. Why can’t you buy a digital box? Or are you too scared to plug it in?

    The reason it’s not on “normal free-to-air” is because it won’t fit. There’s no room for more channels there! There hasn’t been, for decades!

    CK.

  10. Here’s hoping Southern Cross do start broadcasting 10HD,sick of looking at the HD demo when you know they are capable of showing 10HD.This may go on Southern Cross SD Channel 55.

    Prime don’t show a lot of HD also…it’s mostly the SD channel spooled across all their digital channels.The ads are a dead giveaway to this.

    WIN is probably still the best for actually showing HD.

  11. How about instead of just showing more sports, maybe have a channel for good shows that they seem to hate so much. i’ll only like this decision if there is less sport on the main channel and more good quality shows. (like that’s gonna happen)

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