Government issues Anti-Siphoning “interim” list
As December 31st looms, the Government has been forced to issue an "interim" list for its Anti-Siphoning List, and avoid an industry loophole.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
With the Anti-Siphoning List set to expire on December 31st, and the finer detail of the new-look list not yet in place, the Government has announced an interim list.
It effectively continues the present list until deals with AFL and NRL bodies can be ratified, and prevents the Pay TV lobby from acquiring extra sports via a loophole.
Twenty20 Cricket matches and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches involving Australia are added (you would hope the new list is sorted before the latter comes into effect). British Open Golf and French Open tennis tournaments are removed, as indicated by previous announcements for the new-look list.
The rest of the list remains unchanged.
Senator Conroy has said the Government will put in place a mechanism to protect the quality of AFL games on free-to-air television -but has not detailed how this will work. It will also negotiate a similar mechanism for weekly NRL games with Australian Rugby League’s newly-formed Independent Commission.
While Friday and Saturday night AFL / NRL weekly games will remain on Free to Air there is no ruling that requires them to be live. Similarly, WA and SA AFL viewers will see games with their teams on Free to Air, but there are no guarantees these will be live.
Details on ensuring quality AFL and NRL matches will be announced in early 2011 with legislation to amend the anti-siphoning scheme to follow.
The Government took a long time to announce its findings from the Anti-Siphoning List review leaving it unable to finalise the new-look list by December 31st.
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- Tagged with AFL, British Open, FIFA World Cup, French Open, NRL, Twenty20 cricket
8 Responses
@Coleen Sosa – why have you just cut&pasted Ryano’s comment? If you’ve got something of your own to say, say it.
Ryano, it depends on whether the sport is tier A or B. Tier B will be allowed to screen on a secondary only. Tier A will have to be on a primary first. The details for NRL are still yet to be finalised, but from memory only the GF will be tier A.
As for 7mate, I woudn’t get your hopes up. 7 have already shown from their Bathurst broadcast that they don’t care about showing sport in HD (or live for that matter). Ditto for 9. Your best hope for getting decent sports coverage is for One to get the rights.
At what point in 2011 will the networks be able to start screening sport on their digital channels without having to place on the primary first? In other words, does this mean AFL Friday night football live on 7Mate in Sydney and Brisbane in season 2011?
With HD STB’s now selling for less than $50, no-one has an excuse now.
All sales of SD only STB’s should be banned.
At what point in 2011 will the networks be able to start screening sport on their digital channels without having to place on the primary first?
In other words, does this mean AFL Friday night football live on 7Mate in Sydney and Brisbane in season 2011?
Craig, Buy one you can get them from as little as $60.00
@Craig – you can survive without eating for a week. That should allow you to save enough to buy a cheap HD STB. It’s simply a matter of getting your priorities right!
With TEN Digital not simulcasting ONE HD in SD from Jan 11 is there any chance some motor sport like World Rally will be replayed on TEN (the following weekend) like SBS used to do when they had the rights with FoxSport?
It’s great to have a new channel coming but it mean I can no longer record my ONE sports unless Santa brings be a new HD PVR or STB.