Damned if you do, damned if you dont?
To multichannel or to HD? That is Nine's question, and everyone has an opinion...
- Published by David Knox
- on
Nine has come in for a social media whack by those who are unhappy it is showing one broadcast of the Olympics on both Nine and Gem.
Nine would have had to apply to Senator Conroy in order to split its broadcasting, because the new anti-siphoning rules still have not been legislated.
A Nine Spokesperson told TV Tonight it had chosen to offer its viewers the broadcast in High Definition.
That’s small comfort to those who are frustrated that there aren’t alternative, or long-form, sports on Gem.
But in many ways is this a case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t?
Sports fans have bleated long and loud for sport to be shown Live and in HD, which for the most part is what Nine is attempting to offer. But when the broadcast veers from event to event, it has the cumulative effect of feeling like a highlights show.
Olympics, in all their multiple glory, just aren’t a perfect fit for Free to Air broadcasting.
When Seven had the Beijing Games, it on-sold less-popular sports to SBS.
By the time we get to Rio in 2016 analogue will have been switched off.
In the meantime, serious sports fans are satisfied customers paying for Foxtel’s 8 HD channels showing uninterrupted, long-form coverage. And it’s rather wonderful.
Amended.
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- Tagged with Olympics
35 Responses
The thing i find frustrating is when they switch sports. You’re getting into a sport and they switch halfway though!
Especially frustrating was the cycling, when the lead was close and they kept on switching.
Whats the use of multi channeling if you don’t use it.
Someone must be keeping the HD/SD numbers, I wonder if they will publish them later?
FYI I have no problem with the HD quality here on WIN, it’s clearly better than the SD coverage when it comes to a crisp picture and detail.
The biggest gripe people seem to have (going by the Channel 9 Facebook page) is the amount of Swimming Channel 9 are broadcasting, re-broadcasting, analysing and interviewing, rarely do we get to see any other type of sport that the Olympics have to offer, I realise AUS do well in swimming but seriously the amount they are playing is ridiculous, and how many times do we have to hear about the boys 4x100m relay..enough already!
The problem with the ratings combining GEM and Nine is how misleading it is to those not aware that shares are all combined into Nine’s. Given the amount of access people now have to HD, the real amount of viewers watching GEM in HD over Nine for the Olympics would be actually more.
I only wish Nine would come out state what these figures are – as the shares GEM in HD are getting right now would be the highest ever for a digital channel but not based on its own content though.
Numbers are merged by OzTAM not Nine, but yes would be fascinating to see…
I too think that the HD option is a good idea, particularly when I tried to watch the hockey on WIN. Not sure if the bit rate has dropped even further latley but I could not even see the ball on that blue hockey field. Looked great on GEM however.
I’m not a sports fan, generally, but like the Olympics because it’s a little bit more tangible, and has so much variety I can find something worth watching. It’s been especially comforting for me as I go through a bad cold. I’ve been watching on GEM, and think they have managed a difficult balance remarkably well.
Diver Dan who hosts the London Gold during the morning is a bit of an odd duck, though. Not sure what to make of him. Mark Nicholas is his name, but he certainly reminds me of Diver Dan from Seachange.
@Phillo
Not everyone has an HD capable STB / TV. Just look at all the complaints that were made when the Ten Network changed One SD to Eleven at the beginning of last year as an example.
Re-Foxtel – I bit the bullet and got the sports back including the Olympic for the month but its now a case of too much choice, still nice to have more options then just FTA.
I hope my Rio who even has the rights is allowed to show 2 or more channels worth of coverage in HD. Guess by then Foxtel might have 16 channels to choose from!
David, you need to correct your statement that Beijing was not offered in HD, when it was available on two HD channels, 7HD (70) and SBS HD (30).
Yes thanks guys. You are correct. Seven’s Beijing 2008 Guide actually doesn’t indicate anything for 7HD, but after some hefty research I have found statements to verify.
Hoin: Yes I said Nine would release more scheduling info closer to the day. These are being published in the Olympics section on this site. Thanks.
What is interesting – GEM has taken a huge hit in the ratings with the Olympics. From around 2.5% to well under .5%. But what it tells us is many people are clearly not watching in HD. Aussie audiences – Wake up and watch the games on GEM. No wonder the networks are not using their HD channels the way they should be when people are not watching or appreciating HD broadcasts.
Confirming GEM numbers and share is merged with Nine as a simulcast.
9 are doing an OK job. There are so many events happening at once that they can’t show everything. If you want comprehensive coverage, go for the Foxtel package. With 8 Olypmpic channels, it is obviously going to be able to cover a lot more.
I personally am glad that 9 are simulcasting in HD on GEM. How many times have all the networks been blasted for not showing content in HD?
Oh…I got annoyed at GEM for playing full matches of hockey. Didn’t know 9 gave all round sports…
Nine has dedicated two channels to the olympics (95 and 96), but both of them are still showing the olympics, even though it has ended. So you can watch the opening ceremony again, and again, and again. Channel 96 is the 2D-only broadcast of it, but there is a message saying that it is a test, and urges people to switch to the 3D one. Not everybody has 3D TVs. I can’t see 3D anyway.
For the Beijing Olympics Seven provided a full HD simulcast on 7HD at 1080i.
There were also “7HD break aways” when some normal programs were on.
At that time there was no 7TWO, 74ME so the bitrate was much higher and subsequent picture quality was as good as you can get.
SBS program were also shown on SBS HD. At the time, I think they were 576p
I am not unhappy with Nine’s coverage at all considering the limitations they need to deal with.
What their decision to show the games on GEM shows is how good HD sport is and to be honest could be one of the things saving FTA TV.
Here is a solution: I know they make money, but can Seven and Nine please ditch the 74 and 94? make GEM and 7Mate SD channels and then simulcast their primary channel in HD and SD.
Your primary channels are your showcase… so show them off!!!
With the Aussies struggling, I wonder if the ratings will suffer
Yep. The networks cannot win when it comes to offering HD and alternate content. I haven’t watched the Olympics, but Nine are doing the best they can as a single FTA network.
If people want to watch more of everything, Foxtel have a gazillion Olympic channels.
Isn’t the Olympics on enough? I can’t even see the news without 15 mins of Olympic highlights, then 2 mins of news then it is the sports section again.
If people really want to see the Olympics in their full glory, get Foxtel and their multiple channels of sport.
I am so looking forward to when this event is over.
Dave, in the leadup to the Games you said that Nine would be releasing details about what they would be showing and when each event would start in order to avoid the dirty tactic used by Seven at Beijing to force us to sit through everything in order to see what we want thus boosting their audience numbers.
I’ve looked at all the TV guides and online and I can’t find any details about individual events or starting times. It looks like the temptation to pump up their viewing numbers has won out and the viewers of FTA are the losers yet again.
The Beijing Olympics were shown in HD by 7 and SBS.
All 7s coverage was a simulcast on 7HD. At the time there was no 7TWO so that the bit rate was the maximum possible and much better picture quality than GEM.The coverage also included “7HD break aways” IIRC.
While 7s was the full 1080i, but I think SBSs coverage on SBS HD was at 560p.
ch9 have years ….years, not weeks…..to plan for this, they could have asked Sen Conroy years ago for an exemption from the rules. They deserved to be damned for this latest failure…..failure to plan, plan to fail etc….
HD is overrated, I’d much rather have more coverage than more definition. I think a lot of Australia agrees.
There were many complaints on Channel 9s Facebook page last night about the amount of time they have spent showings swimming, highlights of swimming, discusssion of swimming and lack of all other sports. Last night apparently there was way to much talk, highlights and commercials and no sports.
I’m actually enjoying nines coverage and it looks great on Gem in HD I’d take HD coverage thanks.
Next Olympics with the rules changing would be great to see a network like Nine use Nine and Go for the games but retain HD simulcast on GEM If only Nine could air all NRL games simulcast in HD on GEM 🙁