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Anti-siphoning: discussion paper released

The Rudd Government is now seeking public comment on the effectiveness of the sports anti-siphoning list.

nrlCommunications Minister Senator Conroy has now released a discussion paper on the hotly-debated Anti-Siphoning List.

The list, devised in 1994, protects major sporting events being kept available on free to air television, and stops them being hoarded by Pay Television. But the Pay TV sector wants access to events that are not being screened by FTA networks, while FTA networks want to be able to utilise them on their new digital channels.

“The Rudd Government recognises that Australians have a wide range of views about sport on television and how those sporting events should be broadcast,” Senator Conroy said.

“The Government is committed to ensuring that sporting events of significance and national importance are able to be made freely available to the Australian public.

“Australians are enthusiastic viewers of sport on television, and the review will allow all interested parties and members of the public to have their say on how the anti-siphoning scheme should work leading up to digital television switchover and beyond,” Senator Conroy said.

It has released a 34 page discussion paper, Sport on Television: A review of the anti-siphoning scheme in the contemporary digital environment.

The paper is intended to stimulate public debate ahead of potential changes to the scheme.

If you want to see what’s on the list, you can check it here.

Comments are sought on the effectiveness of the scheme, the rationale for including events on the anti-siphoning list and the rules governing the coverage on FTA digital multi-channels.

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

13 Responses

  1. I think a few of you are missing the point.Sports like,Soccer,Basketball,Netball in the past have never rated that well on FTA hence why they have been on PayTv,as the FTA networks prefer something that rates better.Forget about the extra channels that are now on board the FTA stations have the one main priority that will always be there main channel,the other channels are just a bonus.Someone mentioned about The NRL not being shown at a reasonable hour in Melbourne,this will always be the case,because as the past attempts have shown it never rates,so that’s why it’s on at weird times.The only way that can change is another network take the game on,but naturally it would’nt work as the AFL does great buisness in Melbourne Go Cats!

  2. Before anything is done here’s my opinion of the Free-To-Air sport thing.

    It is mainly a blokey protectionism type of thing, a holdover from the 1970’s. If this is the only reason that we want to keep free sport on free-to-air, we’d be better off not having it. It’s 2009. The main tools of communication are the internet. Concerntrate on sporting rights for that. The only people who would want to keep this are the grumpy, conservative guys who don’t want to change anything, but certainly don’t want to make anything better.

    If you’re going to have free-to-air sport though, screen games and events you can’t screen live on the other digital channel. Otherwise it’s self-indulgent blokeiness.

  3. The thing is though we will never see live NRL in Melbourne even if the laws are relaxed because 9 wont show it on their main channel and GO! was designed for entertainment, not sport.

    Melbourne sports fan will still lose over this with the NRL – and thats something the Government can not fix – Channel 9 has to

  4. @Jed: I agree the Socceroos should be on FTA, but the FFA did a deal with Foxtel along with the A-League. The A-League would never have existed without the Foxtel deal so don’t expect to see it on FTA for a long time. At least SBS has got the World Cup!

  5. @Jed

    …but the FTA networks were given repeated chances to play Socceroo matches and always mucked them around, they wouldn’t even play the internationals let alone the old NSL. The only reason the A League exists is due to Fox Sports money and long term commitment – same goes for Super 14’s.

    Reduce the list down to a few key events and force the FTA’s to pay full market rates, then at least they might not muck sports fans around so much, plus the codes can reap the rewards.

    I’d much prefer to pay to get a better product, than to have constant ad breaks and have to chase events round the schedule.

  6. I think the list should remain the same – aussies should be able to watch most sport for free.
    The new digital channels are a great opportunity for sport to be shown live (or close to) more often on fta. eg. the rugby in melbourne has been shown at almost 2am in the morning which is obviously ridiculous. If the networks were allowed to screen them on their 2nd channel, they could show them live and they wouldnt have to worry about their ratings being effected!
    Another great example is afl or nrl being shown about midnight in their respective non-home states. if they were allowed, then the afl could be shown live in sydney and nrl live in melb (or close to live at least).

    Hopefully this will happen!

  7. All sports where Australia plays internationally should be added to the anti-syphoning list, in my opinion. Domestic leagues should stay the same, again in my opinion.

    James, while you are right to be skeptical of digital channels providing more sport, I personally think that One could help to fix the problem. For example, in Sydney/Brisbane there are hardly any AFL games broadcast live. If it wasn’t against regulations, Ten could just broadcast all their AFL games on One. The relative cost of doing so will be minimal (all the games are already being recorded and shown in the other states), and I think the AFL would love the extra coverage whilst they try to expand into NRL heartland.

  8. I think all national sporting teams should be on fta no matter what. Sucks that if i want to watch the Socceroos play i have to go to a pub. I’d also like to see A-League on fta but that will never happen. Although whoever loses the next AFL rights should bid like hell for A-League

  9. What becomes frustrating is the simple fact that many of these sports rarely see the light of day and whether having One HD will fix the problem is highly doubtful. One channel and one station I don’t think can fix the problem which is showing all sports available. Look at Seven with the olympic coverage, they would choose what to show and combine with that not all was live, not always on the best events etc.

    Time to make the law like rugby, use it or lose it.

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