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Conroy relaxes anti-siphoning rule for Commonwealth Games

TEN will able to air live Commonwealth Games on ONE while TEN News airs between 5 - 6pm on TEN.

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Senator Conroy has relaxed the anti-siphoning rules to allow TEN to screen Commonwealth Games to continue broadcasting live on ONE while TEN News airs between 5 – 6pm.

Under current anti-siphoning legislation the games were unable to air on ONE before TEN, in order to keep major sports events on Free to Air primary channels.

“I am pleased to announce changes that will allow Network TEN to continue live coverage of the Commonwealth Games on its digital multichannel ONE, when TEN’s main channel switches to regular nightly news programming,” Senator Conroy said.

“The Gillard Government is a strong supporter of the Commonwealth Games and looks forward to following the Australian team’s involvement in Delhi.”

TEN has promised that TEN News at Five will cross live to the Games if a member of the Australian team is in contention to win a medal in any event.

TEN will also air a highlights package of events broadcast on ONE during this time later on TEN and in primetime.

CEO Grant Blackley said: “We thank the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, for this flexible approach. This decision reflects the fundamental goal of the anti-siphoning regime, which is to ensure that Australian audiences are able to view key sporting events for free.

“This ensures greater access for viewers of the Delhi Commonwealth Games events.”

In May Senator Conroy relaxed the same legislation to allow SBS to screen 2010 FIFA World Cup matches on SBS TWO.

The Gillard Government is yet to declare that changes to the anti-siphoning list review, now considered overdue by the industry.

The Commonwealth Games begins with the Opening Ceremony at 12 midnight AEDT on Sunday.

20 Responses

  1. Come on Conroy, enough with the fluffy stuff, it’s time to drop the anti-siphoning legislation all together. In the words of your leader “Move Forward!”

  2. I’m not sure if it has been mentioned, but are the Commonwealth Games filmed in HD?

    I have found that ONE has done a pretty good job broadcasting the native HD feed from the US…..

  5. The Commonwealth games would have been the perfect time for Ten to make use of the Sd channel soon to be Eleven to show some of the other sports normally on ONE HD – like the F1 – or for additional Comm Games coverage.

    If Foxtel can have 6 channels of it, why can’t Ten do two? Yes – I know – anti-siphoning laws – but it’s free to air TV for goodness sake.

    What exactly is having sport on free to air digital channels siphoning people to? To get their act together and get digital perhaps – shouldn’t we be doing that anyway? Australia has the longest analogue switch off in the world.

    Perhaps if we did actually siphon people to digital earlier, we would not be in the mess we are now with HD channels becoming second rate digital channels few people watch compared to the main channels in HD.

  6. In regional NT, Southern Cross is obliged to show the Commonwealth Games as there is no digital channel. It means it will miss ten nights of Seven programming (including The X Factor, Home and Away, Packed to the Rafters, City Homicide and The Amazing Race) from October 4 to 13 and will need at least one week to catch up with the rest of the country.
    I also notice that in regional WA, the night session of the Commonwealth Games will be shown on a two-hour delay on WIN, so that it can show some regular programs from Nine and Ten from 8.30pm to 10.30pm.

  7. @ Garion I think the reason southern cross is playing the games is the anti siphoning list, TDT (and DDT) is digital only and the games have to be played on an analogue channel, though they would probably still play them because of the advertising $$ they will get.

    I agree its a mess for tasmania viewers though, especially since I believe ONEHD and TDT will have delayed coverage cause southern cross is greedy (they delay the footy on TDT)

  8. ONE will stay with motorsport commitments and show F1 and MotoGP live (including qualifying). During this time Ten will still show the CommGames and show the motorsport on delay.

  9. What I want to know is what will happen in 8 or 9 days when ONE has to show the F1 live will the games only be on TEN or will the F1 not be live for one of the few rounds in our time zone to air Sunday afternoon?

    IMO they should have had it so ONE has live coverage and TEN shows highlights in the evenings, pushing more people the digital and HD.

    Speaking of will the coverage actually be in 1080 HD or will it be upscaled from 576 SD on ONE?

  10. Garion, I agree!

    It seems the majority have to miss out (on SevenMate) to appease the few (without digital). It’s time sport is treated like every other entertainment program nationwide.

  13. The whole point of Digital TV is for people who don’t have it to Get it.

    Not to restrict viewers who have it and the government being tight a$$es over it with the head of digital stuff and technologies interweb-net not knowing a thing about our spams.

  14. @Stan its a mess.

    We’ll be getting Commonwealth games on OneHD, TDT and Southern Cross. Regular seven programming will move to channel 60.

    So we have 3 channels of Commonwealth games, and one obscure channel for regular programming.

    And I dare say this has been the second thing Conroy has gotten right in his role as communications minister (the first being the Telstra/NBN deal)

  15. Come on you slack Labor government, get your rear into gear and finalise the review of anti-siphoning regulations so the AFL can get on with their telecast rights tender.

  16. hopefully he does the same for the Australian Open for 7 so we don’t have a Sam Stosur match catastrophe again. just rip up the Anti-siphining laws altogether i say. if foxtel want to cough up big bux for exclusive rights to a sport i say lt them. Iwouldn’t like it but it should be an assumed peril of a free country.
    and the fact that networks are not allowed to air sport on their digital channels and have to resort to either selling it to pay tv or just wasting it is just plain rediculous, who does that benefit?

  18. I guess that means the Southern Cross Seven stations in Tasmania & Darwin will switch to a OneHD feed at 5pm because their half hour news won’t start until 6pm? The whole thing should be left to TDT & DDT to broadcast.

  19. These laws are silly. The networks should be able to show sport on whatever channel they want, it’s all Free-to-air at the end of the day.

    Doing this would also speed up the switch over to digital. The only problem that might arise is with the country folk.

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