Nine: Adelaide cricket blackout not our fault
Adelaide viewers are being subjected to a blackout on the cricket but WIN-owned Nine affiliate says it isn't of their making.
- Published by David Knox
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Adelaide viewers will be subjected to a blackout on the cricket tomorrow but WIN-owned Nine affiliate says it isn’t of their making.
In a statement, Nine says restrictions imposed by cricket authorities prevent the station from showing the whole match live.
Nine’s General Manager, Graeme Gilbertson has described as disappointing.
Responding to an avalanche of complaints to the station about yesterday’s second final he said:
“We would have loved to have shown the whole game live yesterday but we were not allowed because of this restriction by cricket authorities.”
The station understands that the coverage depends on ticket sales, and that yesterday and tomorrow, the sales did not, or may not meet a quota.
“Adelaide is the only area in Australia with a cricket blackout tomorrow night,” he said
“It’s unfair, puzzling and a denial of cricket fans’ democratic right to enjoy the spectacle of our great national past-time.
“We are just as disappointed as our viewers.”
Regional viewers on the WIN Network living less than two hours from Adelaide will be able to enjoy the entire cricket coverage live tomorrow night.
The Riverland, Lameroo, Pinnaroo, Upper and Lower South East, all regional parts of South Australia, all other States plus overseas viewers will be able to enjoy the cricket.
If the blackout is lifted Channel Nine Adelaide will show the entire game live.
Nine’s anger on not broadcasting cricket Live is very possibly matched by NRL fans outside NSW and Queensland who have long protested about games not being broadcast Live in their states. Where are the station managers complaining that’s “unfair” and “puzzling?”
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19 Responses
Well Well Well, Adelaide viewers are in shock – Channel 9 is broadcasting the cricket live.
This has been happening for so long that I remember when WIN4 started to lease the ABC standby bearer from Telecom to get the cricket from Sydney when TCN9 wasn’t airing it. All other relays were by off-air. Early 80s.
“Adelaide is the only area in Australia with a cricket blackout tomorrow night,” Doh. That’s ‘cos it’s in Adelaide and it’s not sold-out.
@BigJMATHEWS
@Ann
Nothing new here. Been this way for decades. Would be the same if ABC had it. Nothing to do with Nine or WIN.
“Regional viewers on the WIN Network living less than two hours from Adelaide will be able to enjoy the entire cricket coverage live tomorrow night.”
For decades this has been the case in Sydney (blacked out), Wollongong/Newcastle airing it.
“It’s unfair, puzzling and a denial of cricket fans’ democratic right to enjoy the spectacle of our great national past-time”
This guy is a moron. As Kenny says the rule has been around forever, so for a guy from Nine to say it’s ‘puzzling’ implies he’s got no idea of what goes on normally. Then part 2 of that idiotic sentence…no one is being denied cricket! Sammo is right, if you live in Adelaide and can’t handle missing the cricket, just get off your backside and go! To say that Adelaide cricket fans are being denied their democratic right to cricket when the game is being played just down the road is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever read…
Found it weird here in Hobart.
The Aus v SL that was on the Fri on WIN telecast only the first 2 hours.
The SL v Ind game on the Tues on GEM broadcast the match in its entirity against the gate despite having half the attendance.
Please explain??
Really Pest off, Turned off the TV in Protest an hour into the telecast when I found out. Not Really happy with the Nine Network or Win Corporation. They should hand the Telecast to ABC whom will never have Ad’s and that would be doing justice to the Viewers.
Tony Greig tripped on the cable again?
It is disappointing that this happends but it is not a lot Nine Adelaide can go if they are unable to show it. Due to this decision they showed an hr bulletin last night and will tomorrow as they do not have ACA. Ratings would be great for the cricket and I am certain Nine Adelaide want to do well.
NRL situation is something I would like to see addressed. It will not rate in primetime in Adelaide with low figures in Perth and Melbourne. These figures would be acceptable on Gem though and someday it will happen. Also NRL is live in the ACT and NT plus remote parts of SA, Vic and Tas. Look up guides for Nine Darwin and Imparja.
@Sammo360- Exactly right. That’s why there are so many TV antennae in Sydney pointing south, to watch the cricket on WIN Wollongong when TCN9 is blacked out when matches played in Sydney. Goes back to the 80’s.
@daran, the current rights do allow it. Seven show AFL live in Sydney & Brisbane on 7mate. Nine can do the same with NRL in Adelaide. I’ve written to the NRL and even they wish Nine would treat the coverage better in SA. No one is asking Nine to take off their 900th repeat of Big Bang on their main channel for NRL, but Gem and GO are both free, show NRL live on these channels. Friday night they have 4 eps of Friends scheduled on Gem, plus the movies Gremlins and fantastically titled Zombie Strippers on GO. Seriously, these are better than live NRL?
I think the blackout rule has been in place since the 1980s to maximise attendances at cricket matches. It was only lifted for Sydney and Melbourne matches a few years ago (and from this season, Brisbane), but remains in place for matches in Hobart, Adelaide and Perth. If people want to complain, they should write to Cricket Australia. If CA refuses to budge, then the Federal Government must step in by withdrawing funding to the sport unless the blackout rule is dropped. The networks that are bidding for the next cricket broadcast rights must also demand there will be no blackout rule in the contract otherwise they will not bid.
@Josh777 – it’s nothing to do with FTA it’s the sports governing bodies and current rules laid down for certain sports in this country, Nine would love to air it.
The issue outside of Qld and NSW as far as Rugby League goes is that the current rights do not allow or there is no need to broadcast outside of NSW and QLD. This was done before the current array of digital multi-channels. One hopes this will be changed in the new rights due later this year
SACA are reporting that Channel 9 can show the cricket live, yet Channel 9 continue to say SACA will not allow them to do so !!!!!!!
The latest report is that if 26,000 people walk through the gate, the cricket will then be shown live.
And as for Adelaide’s Number 1 Sports show, Radio 5AA – when you ask your listeners to ring the TV station to complain that it is not live, it’s best you tell them to ring Channel 9, and not Channel 7.
To all those people in Adelaide who complained, here’s an idea. Get off your bum, buy a ticket and see the game. These tv restrictions for cricket have been around since day 1.
No great loss. Well and truly over the cricket now.
The difference is that WIN Adelaide know if they show the cricket live tomorrow, they will get healthy figures (probably #1 show of the night given that it is the final).
If WIN Adelaide (or Perth) show the NRL in primetime, they know it will rate very low, and thus not bring in the ad dollars the channel would desire.
Just look at the figures for the live NRL game last Sunday. Part of the reason was that Nine/WIN decided on Thursday that the game was going live into all markets. Even SoO figures are very low in Adelaide and Perth.
Excellent point David. 9 ignore complaints from people outside of NSW and QLD and won’t show NRL on GEM yet for cricket they are now the ones whinging. I hope Cricket Austrlia ignores 9.
When I was new to American sports I couldn’t believe that they blackout parts of the country if the event is not sold out, which I immediately (and still do) this is a rediculous idea as there are better ways of increasing revenue. I cannot believe that this actually happens in Australia. I’m not a cricket fan but even I find that to be rediculous. The networks need to sort this out before Foxtel buy the rights to every sporting league just to stop all the complaints the FTA networks get.