What sports fans want: live and in HD
Politicians are so concerned about keeping sport for the public, have they forgotten viewers want their sport live, regardless of timezones, in HD?
- Published by David Knox
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Anti-Siphoning is still the hot talking point of the week.
We’ve had behind-the-scenes reporting and lobbying-via-media on a daily basis.
Today AFL boss Andrew Demetriou pushes the same line as NRL boss David Gallop: that the leagues should retain the right to divide games between pay and free-to-air TV -not government nor networks.
This puts them into the bargaining seat for the best broadcast deal.
“We are best equipped to understand what our supporters want with (the broadcast) of games,” he said. “Our supporters tell us that. I don’t think we should be leaving that to television networks to divide it up amongst themselves.”
Fair enough.
But your supporters are also telling you one thing loud and clear: Networks must play the games l-i-v-e and in high definition.
That means no more waiting for Better Homes and Gardens, no more stopping the tennis for a Home and Away episode, no more excuses on time zones, no more sport in SD, Olympic events live on multiple channels.
That’s what viewers want.
If our sports can be watched live in foreign territories, then what sort of public interest list do we have when viewers in WA have to sit and wait?
The Age notes that Demetriou and NRL expert Frank Hawkins, at yesterday’s AFL industry conference on the Gold Coast, insisted live coverage should be a mandatory requirement of televised sport.
Seven, which is contracted to bid in conjunction with TEN for the next five-year deal, appears to have accepted it could be forced to televise Friday night football live. Is it willing to do the same for the Australian Open?
The government is expected to give networks more room to move with digital channels. The Anti-Siphoning List won’t dictate a requirement for Live. That will only come via the new broadcast deals with the sporting bodies.
The Courier Mail hopes that AFL will be played on a digital channel while it’s being staged in Victoria. No doubt Queensland AFL fans agree.
Meanwhile, Independent Rob Oakeshott has called on the Government to release its decision next week in time for the Parliament to act before Christmas.
“It could heighten uncertainty if the Parliament does not deal with disallowance until February, with the anti-siphoning list running out at the end of December, and sports like AFL keen to re-negotiate terms as soon as possible,” he said.
Source: The Australian, Courier Mail, The Age
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- Tagged with AFL, Australian Open, Better Homes and Gardens, Home and Away, NRL, Olympics
28 Responses
I wish the government would keep themselves out of it and let the highest bidder win,as it should be Fair Competition.
Even if there are 6 other channels not playing sport, I want them to play me something decent as an alternative to sport – not just put Z grade filler on in the hope everyone will watch whatever sporting event is on.
There are 2 sides to this argument and as some others have said I would hope that us non-sporters get an equal representation in the debate.
Sports fans aren’t any more special than those that don’t like watching sport. However, with 9 commercial channels from next year, even if there was a different sporting event on 3 of those that would still leave 6 channels of non-sport.
It is obvious that the NRL should have priority in NSW/QLD and the AFL in the other mainland states (not sure which way it should go in Tassie). However, there would appear to be sufficient support for both codes in the non-traditional states that matches should be broadcast on one of the multichannels. I can only dream about the EPL so will continue to watch via net TV.
Bathurst should actually be live, and if we miss anything interesting during an ad break just replay it afterwards. Other V8 Supercar races should be live on the east coast but it suits me better that they show them in the afternoon in Perth (happy for them to be live here if that’s what the majority want).
I usually find tennis to be boring to watch but the 4 majors should also be live.
Just my 2¢.
what qlders want with friday night football with the afl is. we want it on at a better time than 11:30. it doesn’t bother me that it isn’t live. i just want it on at a decent time. i highly doubt 7 would do what 9 are doing with friday night football for the nrl in the northern states
To be honest I don’t care if something is in HD or not. But I prefer having something other than sport on so if I want to watch something else I can. That said it is ridiculous that people can’t see sport live. Especially Bathurst.
I also like the idea that there are different sports going on one other digital channel for the Olympics or Commonwealth Games. I just hope they cater to the non-sport viewers. Or the ones that would like the option not to see it. So have entertainment shows on the other digital channel. That way there are choices for nearly everyone.
Something nobody’s mentioned is the screening of different sports in different states. Many members of my family are NRL fans but because we’re in Tasmania, there is no way that they are able to watch the games for which Nine has the exclusive rights for live because WIN decides to show alternate programming.
Bryce the article does mention AFL in Queensland, so we can apply the same frustration for NRL in other states. The new AS-List is expected to give networks more room to move on putting these on digital channels.
If Foxtel had a plan where i could just get the Fox Sports channels and nothing else for a reasonable price, i might consider it. But from what i hear Foxtel is just like FTA and endless repeats and filled with ads now. Sport needs to be shown live. That is the most important thing. If you don’t wanna show NRL live into Adelaide on main channel, fine, put it on GO! so i can watch it live. If Seven would rather show Better Homes and Gardens fine, but put the footy on live on 7mate so those that want it live can watch it. Hopefully this is what the new regulations will allow.
Great to hear and see people using the word HD But with FTA shifting away from HD [ main channel ] Seven will give us 576i as it has done for most of its sport coverage. At times e.g. V8 SuperCars its just a blurry image and now with HD displays at an all time high into consumers home they want to be able to use it. Foxtel HD coverage is nothing short of brilliant especially when you switch back to SD!
laurie
“That means no more waiting for Better Homes and Gardens, no more stopping the tennis for a Home and Away episode”
Well that’s all well and good for the sports fans, but what about the rest of us? I am sick of sports running over time while I wait for my show to start, or worse have it cancelled for a sporting event.
My point is that sports fans are not the only ones that put up with crap, and I find it amusing that they feel that their programming is somehow more important then anyone elses.
I was thinking about the cricket HD and maybe 9 just don’t have the HD cameras (sorry if that’s the wrong term) for the match? As I flicked across to the cricket last week on GEM to see how different it was and if they had the HD graphic and there wasn’t one and to me it looked exactly the same broadcast. When the AFL Grand Final was on 7mate it had the HD logo.
I do think that sport should be shown live on FTA. eg. if the Dockers or Eagles are playing Friday night football, Channel 7 Perth never shows it live. At a push its on at 7:30pm other times its on at 8:30pm when the game is pretty much over.
I’m not a major sports fan, but I do agree with everyone else that the Australian teams should be shown live on FTA. Now there’s now excuse with all the extra digital channels surely one of them can show a game live and maybe in HD!
David, good point about overseas. In America there has been debate over the years about Monday Night Football. The game goes for 3 hours (assuming doesn’t go into overtime) and there’s 3 hours time-difference between east and west coasts. Easterners didn’t want it starting at 9EST because it would sometimes go past midnight. Westerners didn’t want it starting at 5PST because they’re not all home from work yet. At no point (as far as I’m aware) did they discuss delaying it on the west coast – it is always live, hence the healthy debate over what time is kick-off (it now starts 5:30PST/8:30EST).
Beckala, I had my OptusTV installed in the early days. When I recently wanted a second cable, they said they won’t install cables in units anymore, don’t even have the teams to do it anymore, however if I got a contractor to install the new cable run for me, they would connect it at the box outside. Talk to a supervisor at Foxtel, as you may be able to get something similar – they install the outside box, and you get a contractor to run the cable from the box to your unit.
Bogues, re Friday night games, maybe one live on FTA and one live on cable? Win-win.
By allowing sport to be shown on either a primary or digital channel, everyone wins! Whether you’re a sports fan or not. If sports are on a primary channel, watch a digital channel or vice versa. And yes, any sport that involves Australian teams should be shown live across the country.
@Bogues…the fact that FTA sees some sports as ‘not rating’ means that the those particular sports are “…not in the national interest..” – a key part of the anti-siphoning list. Therefore the anti-siphoning list should be region specific…if 9 doesn’t think the State of Origin will rate in WA, then Foxtel should be able to show it live & HD in WA. Why should WA league fans have to wait over six hours to see the match.
Same story with all other sports and states…
I hope the same applies to showing the NRL at a decent hour on a digital channel in Victoria. I’m sick of having the two friday games showen at midnight and 2am in Melbourne on Nine
What I don’t like is Sport fans being the only ones who opinions matter
HD introduced so retailers could seel heaps of new TV’s, now virtually nothing is in HD,obviously too expensive to produce, just like 3D, be careful bying one, 3D is even more expensive to produce
I’d be happy to pay for sport if it was only $16 a month. However I have to pay $44 first for a lot of crappy channels I will never watch before I can do this. That makes it $60 a month!! Now for some $60 is not much, but when you have other monthly bills, a mortgage, a wife and 2 kids, then you do the maths…
Craig posted: fare enough that one 30% of home here have PayTV but the reason we pay for our TV is we are not satisfied with with FTA has to offer.
Craig, I would Love to pay for pay TV. But there are a lot of people who simply don’t have that option. I live in an apartment block and Foxtel refuses to come to do install the wiring for us without coming to do every block all at once with a cost of thousands (and we live in a block with six buildings of 10 residential apartments each – I’m not talking about $2000 – it’s tens of thousands of dollars). So for that reason I am opposed to giving Foxtel the first crack at it – unless they want to start being a little more flexible with their installation policies.
Why should I miss out on my sport? I would pay to have Foxtel installed – in fact when I lived in a stand alone house (when I was renting) I always had pay tv. But I couldn’t afford a mortgage on a house in Sydney. So I had to get an apartment. I asked them about installation, wanting to continue with my services as a loyal customer. But they absolutely refuse to do it on an individual basis. They stated that it was too much of a cost to install it on an individual basis so they would refuse to install it until we came to an agreement for them to do all buildings at the cost of the strata.
I hope nine loses all their sport privilages, let a network who cares have the cricket and league. Then nine will be able to air all the sd/ 4:3 programming they like.
Just tell the sports and its stars that they Must finish on time to fit in with the TV schedules 😉
SD, HD, everything should be HD but thanks to Government, not possible.
and let’s not forget the recent Bathurst 1000 situation where ch 7 show the finish of race 20 mins after when the race had really finish.
The problem with live AFL games in Qld (and NSW) in prime time is that they simply don’t rate, even when the Brisbane Lions are playing.
And if networks have to play the game live and in HD, would that mean the end of double header NRL games on Friday? (first game is live, the second game is delayed)
At the end of the day, I appreciate that the anti siphoning list is the reason why at least some sports are shown on FTA and not just pay tv. I would loved for Nine to show all the four nations games live and in HD (in the end no games in Qld met that criteria). I accept as a Queenslander that games may be delayed by hour because of the time zone difference. Ultimately though, commercial FTA interest is to make profit. Viewers are only second.
7PM Project had a segment on this last night, fare enough that one 30% of home here have PayTV but the reason we pay for our TV is we are not satisfied with with FTA has to offer. And a monthly subscription is still much cheaper than taking the family to see just one AFL game in the city!
If FTA can’t show certain sport, AFL, Cricket, Tennis & the V8s Live and in full the had over them over to FoxSport and at least allow those 30% of fans to see it.
That maybe what people want but since when have the FTA channels taken notice of the viewers?
I feel like this argument and debate has been going on for 10 years.
David you are so right – Live & HD very important.
As I see if, as long as the bidding network agrees to show the given sport Live and in HD – let it go to the highest bidder. Be it Fox Sports, ESPN, Nine, 7mate or GEM