Anti-gambling alliance suggests “dollar for dollar” TV licence reduction
For every gambling dollar a network stops taking, their license fee would go down, suggests Alliance for Gambling Reform.
- Published by David Knox
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Opponents of Gambling Ads on TV are proposing a a dollar-for-dollar licence reduction for TV networks to ensure they are not financially impacted by a removing sports-betting advertising.
Director of strategy for the Alliance for Gambling Reform and former Seven reporter, Rohan Wenn, says, “The alliance’s beef is not with the TV networks. Seven and Nine are as old as television itself in Australia. They are a public good. So, as we transition away from sports-betting advertising, we need to make sure it doesn’t hurt the networks millions of Australians rely on, and love.
“The alliance supports a gradual phase out of sports-betting advertising that won’t impact on the networks.
“This would most likely involve a dollar for dollar reduction in commercial TV licences. So for every gambling dollar a network stops taking, their commercial TV license fee to the Commonwealth Government would go down a dollar.
“This would make the phase-out cost neutral for the networks and if treasury felt the need to make up any shortfall they could simply levy the gambling companies that we all loathe, so much. Ultimately, the gambling companies created this mess, so they should pay to clean it up.”
The alliance, made up largely of Not for Profits, advocacy organisations and local councils, is led byled by Tim Costello, brother of Nine Chairman Peter Costello.
Seven CEO Tim Worner recently said, “We have already banned the placement of betting and gambling ads during any programs classified G and the new Code prohibits advertisements relating to betting and gambling during any program that is broadcast between 5.00am and 8.30pm and principally directed to children. We feel this targeted approach will deliver a better outcome for all.”
Source: ProBono Australia
5 Responses
This is a joke, surely. A gambling ad ban could be implemented tomorrow and the only people who would care are the gambling companies.
Ads during sport is surely the hottest ad revenue on free to air TV? It’s gotta be. There are many other companies attached to sport and sponsoring sport in this country.
As the other commentators here suggested, this can easily be rorted by the networks, who won’t be happy until they are broadcasting TV for free, and even then they’ll still be crying poor.
I wish the government could allocate and give them a bit more spectrum each, on the condition they all move to HD for all channels.
On your last point, there’s not much more spectrum to give (at least, not while maintaining a sane & manageable bandplan). Realistically, there’s only 1 spare RF channel in metro areas – and even that’s not totally spare.
And the networks were willing participants in that, since it effectively closed off any avenue for potential FTA competitors to enter the market..
So, in essence, the taxpayer pays the networks to not run gambling ads.?
Just a rough guess, but I have a feeling that may end up with the government paying the TV networks…
I was thinking the same. How is this going to be implemented? What’s to stop the networks increasing their expenditure on gambling advertisements before they apply for the dollar-for-dollar trade-off?
Still, I would support it if the license fee were to be also increased by 1% for every minute that non-live programs started after their advertised time.