Yes, 10 supports the Anti-Siphoning List.

EXCLUSIVE:

With 10 actively pursuing AFL rights for 10 and Paramount+ has it changed positions on the Anti-Siphoning List?

While Foxtel calls it anti-competitive, Free to Air networks have long wanted to see it renewed and extended.

Yet despite having a paywall with Paramount+, the company still sees a role for the Anti-Siphoning List.

“We’ve said all along, we’re tactically interested in sport. We always look at sport when the opportunity comes along,” said  Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, Paramount ANZ, Beverley McGarvey,

“We ‘ve obviously got the A-League and a lot of football. I think now that we have a different portfolio of distribution means, it opens up the conversation for more sport. Because in order to commit to something of that scale, you need to have a lot of different places where you can utilise the content and really service the audiencess which we now have.

“There’s a certain amount of content that Australians deserve to see in front of the paywall”

“We’re very supportive of Anti-Siphoning List. We have many different facets to our business. There’s a certain amount of content that Australians deserve to see in front of the paywall. Those sports for our national culture need the reach that is offered in front of the paywall.

“But the economics mean, you’ve got to put some stuff behind the paywall, so that you can invest in those sports and pay for those sports and so they continue to grow at a grassroots level and they have the investment capacity within their organisations.”

Her comments come as Seven CEO James Warburton called on the government to close a ‘loophole’ which allows Streaming companies to bid for major sports rights.

“For us, all of those things can work together. We need to have content in front of the paywall and with the deal that currently exists now with the AFL, for example, some of it is behind the paywall,” she continued.

“So we’d be very supportive for the Anti-Siphoning, but we’re in the fortunate position that we have multiple platforms that we can derive multiple revenues.

“I think if you talked to Nine they’d probably say the same thing.”

McGarvey also maintains that A-League has a been a good driver for Paramount+ subscriptions, but on Free to Air it’s been a modest first season.

Is the plan to stay the long haul in the hope it builds?

“I think that’s absolutely true.  We would prefer the ratings to be larger, but obviously the Men’s grand final was at the weekend and it’s up year on year, compared to where it was. We didn’t have it last year, but it has grown. So the reach has grown. I think we are starting to see green shoots already,” she continued.

“We have talked about it being a great success for Paramount+ class and the A-League fans are really committed. They watch a lot of it.

“We’ve got growth that we need to happen in front of the paywall”

“But it’s been one year, it’s a long deal. They’ve rescheduled 88 games, which meant that we were playing games on a Tuesday not in the venue that we wanted. So it’s been hard. And despite all of that we’ve had a solid start… great on streaming. But we’ve got growth that we need to happen in front of the paywall, and now that we’ve had the men’s final, we’ll sit down with the team now and go how do we grow it next year? You’re always in for the long haul with those sorts of things.”

And hopefully next season will see the game build from some very grim Free to Air numbers on Saturday night.

“That’s fair. Dan (Monaghan) and I haven’t been loving Sunday mornings….”