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ONE debut draws mixed reactions

The launch of ONE HD has drawn a lot of comment. They are angry in regionals, divided in cities, and pumped for free sports.

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onefanThe launch of ONE HD last night has been met with mixed enthusiasm.

While die-hard sports fans are relishing the prospect of free 24 hour sports, others are confused. Regional viewers are downright angry.

In Tasmania Senator Guy Barnett has made an official complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission about the network’s advertising of its new high-definition sports channel, ONE.

Network advertisements in Tasmania are believed to have promoted ONE but with a disclaimer that it was unavailable to Tassie viewers.

Senator Barnett said advertising the channel in Tasmania was therefore misleading and deceptive and in breach of section 52 of the Trade Practices Act.

“The advertising in Tasmania has given consumers the impression that from today they would be entitled to enjoy this free sports-only channel,” he said.

“As it stands today, TDT is still negotiating with Network 10 for the rights to ONE,” Tasmanian Digital Television General Manager Stephen Giles said.

“I can’t commit to a timeframe about when negotiations will wrap up.”

Regional readers of TV Tonight are similarly outraged:

“This is f*****g bull**it!! I like many other regional victorians, have been counting down the days til ONE HD started. But when I realised on the day it was released that it wont be out for another couple of months I was pi**ed off. Why is it that we always get left out. I for one think it’s a disgrace that we have to wait longer than metro areas to recieve the channel.” Cullen.
“My phone is ringing off the hook now with people wanting HD equipment set up for tonight. Next week my phone will be ringing off the hook with people saying I cant get one HD why? The answer will be ring SC 10 and complain to them for false advertising.” Jason.
“The goverment sould take there licence off them as we were told to support HD TV by buying HD TV’s but there is nothing to watch on the channels a total wast of money to up date as we will never see HD TV in Wollongong.” – Thomas
“I want Wollongong to be able to get it, I can get Channel 9 Sydney and Seven Sydney wish I could pick up TEN, I want ONE” -Ryan.
“I just watched on SC10 Newcastle’s news – which is Sydneys’ news – the news about ONE HD starting from tonight with absolutely no mention of the fact the regionals will not be receiving it.” – Andrew B

There were sports fans who were confused about some of the programming on ONE:

“As an AFL supporter in Sydney I was really looking forward to the launch of ONE HD. Then they show swimming in Sydney instead of the biggest home and away match in history. What’s the point?” -Matt
“ONE’s website says ‘Thanks to the introduction of ONE, Network TEN’s new 24-hour free-to-air sports channel, we now have the opportunity to play sport live – whatever time of the day or night the event occurs.’ Well the first program on ONE is AFL which will only be shown live in Melbourne, I guess there saying they have the opportunity but they wont take it.” – Mac.
“I’m still perplexed at the decision not to show Richmond V Carlton tonight in Brisbane/Sydney…Who watches swimming unless its the Olympics?” -Ryano
“Why put sport on an extra channel only to delay the broadcast?”- MRB

Others aren’t happy about the loss of other HD programming:

“Well, it’s all well and good, but come 11.30pm tonight after the news where I’d normally watch a little bit of Letterman, and all I get is the ONE broadcast of the AFL tonight… what’s the point of that? I wanted to watch 10 tonight not ONE” -Sharpy.
“What’s the point of having a HD TV and shooting Channel TEN shows such as Neighbours, us dramas and a lot more in HD but I cant watch them in HD anymore – so long TEN HD, so sad.” -Abdullah
“…Also, when The Simpsons HD episodes make it over here, will they even mention that they’re HD??…. seems like a big waste to me” -What Tha

Some viewers are sceptical that the channel was propped up by sports that weren’t actually filmed in high definition. Others were surprised to find out that ONE SD would not simulcast ONE HD when events were also on TEN. Instead a static image directed viewers to its other channels.

But there are those who support the switch:

“…sport isn’t my cup of tea, but kudos to TEN for embracing multichannelling and realising that niche programming is what will make it a success.” -Timmy
“As long as One has ads for One and not TEN, I can see this channel doing well. It is great to see a FTA channel actually getting their act together.” – Pete
“TEN is the first, and only, network to actually care about multi-channeling. Sure sport 24hours isn’t the most interesting choice for the most amount of people, but it’s a start, and I believe it will get better as time goes on” – Paull
“I love my sport, and will watch it whenever I can, so this channel is a godsend to me.” – AJ

ONE is expected to launch on regional SC10 mid year.

Source: The Age, The Mercury

45 Responses

  2. Seconded AJ, will Channel Ten be showing the Indian Premier League on it’s main channel as well as ONE?? Otherwise, I won’t be seeing any of it…

    Anyone know the answer?

  3. “Senator Barnett said advertising the channel in Tasmania was therefore misleading and deceptive and in breach of section 52 of the Trade Practices Act.”
    So are they in breach when they promoted it here in the WideBay on SC10?

  4. David, I would be confused if doing no research and instantly reacting to any change was the way I did things. Lots of posts on ten’s site are from new members outraged or confused or angry etc etc. Same here (new members unsure)

    Some googling would have done some good but there’s a band of people who seem to like being fed information rather than search for it.

    At the end of the day, most agree (and most in this case seem to be right) that

    ONE and TEN should exist
    TEN should have a HD version and ONE the same
    or
    TEN have a HD version of the two (not my view – with more HD content coming you need to HD channels not just a single HD channel)

    The other nonsense about 30 minute delays to a live event and when will SC10 do this or that, how is poker a sport, why is sport on three channels at the same time etc etc is just thoughtless venting pretending to be opinion or actual fact for a tiny minoirty. I think there’s many more in society who are happy to have some choice and don’t over analyse every nuance of a business decision. In other words, they are not looking for a scapegoat, they get on with living and enjoy what they have rather than what they don’t have

  6. The Federal government needs to get its dam act together. They allow the networks to broadcast a 2nd channel yet the anti-siphoning list is completely incompatible with this right.
    They want us all to switch to digital yet bureaucracy is preventing digital from being an effective platform.
    The least the Rudd Government could do is temporarily amend the anti-siphoning laws to allow a network to air a live sports event on the secondary channels before the main free-to-air channel. The main free to air channel would then be allowed say 3-6 hours to show the event so non-digital TV viewers don’t miss out. It doesn’t hurt the national interest, yet gently suggest to millions of households that getting a set top ox/HD TV would be a good move.
    At lest then the Ten network could show AFL games live on One into all 5 of its TV markets and then replay said event as it desires/fits into their schedule over on channel 10.
    I’m sure rugby league fans in Victoria would love this idea because it would allow 9 to show live Friday NRL on 9HD and channel 9 in Melbourne wouldn’t have to worry about its Friday night prime time schedule getting a beating.
    Other events like netball, Grand Prix etc and other sports that really shouldn’t even ever have been on the anti-siphoning list would also benefit.

  8. @ Russell – in saying that about affiliates, take a look at Prime TV. Prime had NO issues with 7HD, and have already got 4 different multichannels ready and waiting. They had the mentality to think “you know, this digital has a future, and we can multicast, so why don’t we set up for that now instead of later down the track?” SCTen and WIN should have done the same thing.

    My main beef though is with the IPL – now that regional markets wont be getting One until midyear, the IPL will have been over and done with by then, so will Ten be broadcasting it on its main channel, or will we simply miss out?

  9. @Russell – actually some regional areas are still waiting for access to all 3 FTA networks. We only have 10 and 7, so I’ll guessing we have no chance of getting ONE.

  10. @Russell, Regional WA still only has 2 commercial television stations… so you’re saying to me that I should probably wait… what, another few years for digital?

    The government and the Television networks have been abysmal on this. They deserve a right-royal boot up the backside for how shambolically the transition from Analogue to Digital. I’m sure it would take GWN and WIN in WA a lot of money to convert a massive area of land into digital… but why they didn’t get going during the supposed boom that our state went through?

    And when you get promised “15 Free Digital Channels” that are “coming in 2009” in regional areas (thank you Freeview), I think you have every right to be asking when in 2009 it’s happening.

  11. @ ryan. Its not a matter of normal channel 10, its not that fact we miss out on the HD component of One we don’t get One SD either.

    At least SC10 have given a due date for the channel “mid-year” whenever that is.

    Hopefully when Nine and Seven launch their channels they go nation wide and include their affiliates in regional areas. I know for a fact WIN TV in Wollongong is HD equiped I have been to their broadcasting studio to do I.T. Work.

  12. I live in Tas, and am used to getting shafted by the FTA commercial networks, so its actually kind of refreshing that other regional centres are missing out too for once. With the introduction of Freeview, I assume its a measure taken to combat lost advertising revenue because of torrent downloads and/or the uptake of subscription TV.
    By providing a select few with what will be at the end of the day, only three extra channels catering for niche markets – Sport (OneHD), Retro (9 Gold), and I’ll wager 7’s extra will be a Lifestyle/DIY based channel – all branded under the Freeview logo. Its neither revolutionary or exciting, infact its making an absolute mockery of their viewing public by marketing it in the way they have done.
    I’ll stick with BT and Austar thanks.

  13. Firstly I feel for regional viewers, the fact they hyped it up for months and left you out sucks.

    I’m excited about the site (especially the F1 live and NBA) but the opening last night was a big let down. Swimming??? Who cares. Perhaps the ratings may prove my theory wrong but I couldn’t care less about the bla bla bla championships or whatever they were. Ten should have really used the launch as a chance to showcase sports not normally shown on aussie free to air.

  14. @ Russel: We are not in the 80’s now. You’d expect this sort of delay then, but not 10 years into 21st Century. There has been enough time to sort this out. Southern Cross just seems to put TV as their lowest priority. Yet again, viewers lose.

  15. oh ok, well if the AFL can’t be shown on ONE before 10 then i’m glad they delayed it, coz i don’t want 10 to merge back into being only 1 channel, not two, any further than it already has (especially since they were supposed to be giving us 3 channels). they need to change the anti-syphoning list obviously. what should happen with a 24/7 sport channel is that there is far less need to show sport on the main channel, but instead there is even more sport on 10 now, some of it is 10’s choice but some of it is the stupid list. and prime-time should certainly not be taken over by sport where it can be avoided.

  17. david, i also saw the the info about foxtel on tens website which was very misleading, good to see foxtel have set a date now, i just hope it’s the same date for optustv, so i can watch ONE on the kitchen tv(which does not have a digital box connected other the foxtel meaning right know it does not pick up one hd) if someone else is watching the tv in the living room. very exciting game last night (well not for hawthorn fans though lol)

  21. I have read many complaints from people about Ten not showing the AFL live in Sydney and Brisbane on OneHD. They are not allowed to because of the anti-siphoning laws. Don’t you think they would if they could?
    Here is the quote from the OneHD website.

    “Why don’t you televise all Australian Sport live on ONE?

    Some Australian sports are governed by the anti-siphoning laws in Australia which means that they must be shown on the main free-to-air channels first. This law was established before the introduction of ONE and means that ONE cannot show AFL, Australian Diamonds Netball matches, the Australian Grand Prix race etc on ONE before it is televised on TEN.”

    David…you really need to make this clear to everyone who is complaining, as there seems to be some confusion. Some people are even saying that Ten could have shown the AFL live into Sydney and Brisbane as AFL is not on the anti-siphoning list. I believe the pre-season AFL was not on the list, but the main season absolutely is.

    1. Some confusion is an understatement. There’s a stack of it in the reactions (both positive and negative) which is what I have reported. It’s correct to say AFL can’t be shown live on ONE HD ahead of TEN. Amended: AFL broadcast deal prevents most night games live in Syd / Bris over Foxtel rights.

      Even the TEN website has confusing info. I see the info about the availability on Foxtel has changed in the last 24 hours. Why? Because I went to Foxtel and told them the TEN website contradicted the info Foxtel had given me. Oh look, suddenly it’s changed. Great clarity for those of us trying to spell out tech info to the public.

      I also sought (again) to interview David Mott re ONE and HD programming who was (again) unavailable to me.

      No, AFL cannot be shown on ONE HD ahead of TEN.

  22. It certainly is an odd decision to give Ten HD the flick, in favour of One HD along with One SD. Strange to have One broadcast through three channels now 1, 11, 12 and only have Ten broadcast through 10.

  23. I don’t get this “outrage” and “disgrace” from people in markets where One has not launched yet.

    These people waited 20 years for access to the three commercial networks – yet you can’t wait a few months for a new sports only network?

    It’s coming people…..things like this just take some time. Ten owns the stations in the larger markets – it’s as simple as throwing a switch. In the smaller markets – Ten/One has to do deals with the local stations and affils. I mean this is a business.

    Isn’t it just scales of economics when things take just a little longer to reach smaller markets? iphone into Australia. major chain stores into smaller cities. I think waiting a few months for a TV network that launched 1 day ago is not a big deal.

  24. OneHD – DOA.

    Last night in Queensland we had the same stupidity. Ten has the rights to the biggest home and away game of the year and they don’t show it until 11.15pm.

    Their excuse was they need days in advance to change scheduling. Garbage. The game started early enough that they could have play it live, and still had time to play it at the original time as well!

    Waste of time if they’re not going to treat it seriously.

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