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“We cannot allow access to key sporting events to be limited by the subscriptions Australians can afford”

Free TV Australia calls for a modernisation of 'outdated' anti-siphoning rules, due to expire in April 2023.

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Free TV Australia has released its submission for the review of the anti-siphoning rules, which are currently due to expire in April 2023.

It calls for a modernisation of ‘outdated rules’ to ensure that all Australians can watch live and free sport on TV.

Amongst the changes it recommends are more women’s sports on free-to-air, including matches from the Matildas football team and all games in the Women’s FIFA World Cup next year.

At the heart of its submission is a push to prevent more sport going to subscription platforms.

Free TV CEO, Bridget Fair said: “It is clear that we currently have analog rules in a digital world. As a result, there is a real risk that our iconic sporting events could disappear behind streaming paywalls.

“With cost-of-living pressures top of mind for Australians, we cannot allow access to key sporting events to be limited by the subscriptions Australians can afford, their internet access or their data plan.

“There is nothing more quintessentially Australian than live and free sport on TV. We are global leaders in ensuring that socially and culturally important sporting events are available for all, regardless of how much you earn or where you live,” Ms Fair said.

The call to further ringfence major sports comes despite two of the Free TV members owning subscription platforms, Stan Sport and Paramount+.

“Our proposed model would ensure live and free access to key sporting events for all Australians whether they choose to watch our services through terrestrial broadcast or online streaming,” she continued.

“Only Australia’s free-to-air networks can offer the community the best of a ubiquitous free broadcast network and streamed content via our BVOD apps—providing a seamless experience as audience preferences evolve.

“We look forward to working with the Government to ensure that the current 30 year old rules are updated so that all Australians can continue to enjoy live sport on their TVs, free and for everyone,” Ms Fair said.

The Albanese government has recently made sympathetic noises about protecting major sports for Free to Air viewers.

13 Responses

  1. It is simple to fix this! Give the public choice!!!! Any listed event or sport, like Grand Finals, State of Orgin, Ashes cricket , etc must be shown on a free to air channel but not exclusively! They can bid for the FTA rights. If 7, 9 or 10 dont want it then defaults automatically to ABC or SBS who then get it free! They can of course bid if they want. Foxtel and Streaming services can then bid for Live streaming rights as well if they want! Ridiculous that a free to air channel can treat a sport poorly all season but then get exclusive live rights to finals etc! Gives the consumer opportunity to see major events for free and pay extra for different live coverage if they want to! Everyone wins!!!

  2. I really don’t understand why this is such a complicated process. There are 2 sets of rights a sporting body can sell.

    FTA and BVOD rights
    SVOD rights

    The fact that we are locked into such an old system means the offering to the viewer is limited. I want my sport in 4K, HD at the very least. Will FTA offer 4K? Doubt it. Not in my lifetime.

  3. The big problem is that FTA TV faces extremely tough competition with streaming services including Stan and Paramount. The Federal government needs to modify the anti-siphoning list. In 2006, the Anti-siphoning list was applied where the person in charge has the rights to make changes to the list. 12 years later, Nine lost the cricket after more than 40 years. Even though Australian Men’s Limited overs were shown on the AS list, Foxtel has exclusive rights to the matches. Unfortunately, many AUssies miss out on watching the Cricket. Crowds were down and so are TV ratings. The problem is that CA only care about making money than fans. And this is why sport has been succumbed to greed. It’s exactly what happened back in 2006 with Cricket in UK.

  5. Once upon a time commercial networks here in Australia use to fall over each other desperate to show anything concerning Australian swimming, possibly because it was the hottest ticket in town. This year it was presented by Amazon Prime. Their presentation was slick. Better yet. No commercials. I’m so tired of our 3 commercial networks trying to create a protectionist environment. Bring on competition. It’s called survival of the fittest for a reason.

  6. FTA is never going to match or better the asking price of the professional sporting leagues in Australia. Sport is a big business and needs to do what is best for the players, the one’s who generate the income. The days of FTA are nearly over when this older generation petters out.

  7. Free TV’s Nine Entertainment and Paramount are the only people moving sport from FTA to behind their own paywalls. What they are doing is blatant rent seeking, asking Albanese to create a monopoly not only for broadcast, but now streaming Australian sport too. Matilida’s games are on the list but all of their competitive games and quality friendlies have been broadcast on FTA and will continue to be so regardless of the anti-syphoning list and the false claims of Free TV. Matilda’s and Soccero’s games are the only profile soccer has in this country and the FFA needs to maximise and build on that. The FFA forced Paramount to put A-league games on FTA.

  8. “The Albanese government has recently made sympathetic noises about protecting major sports for Free to Air viewers.” and I remember the Hawke government making “sympathetic noises about protecting” regional television before realising that being mates with Kerry Packer gave them a better chance of winning elections … never stand between a politician and money/power …

  9. Sure, but use the same argument for the kids TV quota.

    “With so many kids channels and children’s content available on Foxtel and steamers, why should we have to compete with them?”

    I’m paraphrasing of course, but the argument to not make kids TV is that there’s stuff available to watch elsewhere.

    If it works for kids TV then why not sport as well? FTA sport outside of 2 footy codes and a select few cricket matches, gets shafted as it is right now. It needs a shakeup,

  10. To me, the real problem is not so much that sport could go behind a paywall, it’s the fragmentation or proliferation of streamers thats the problem, just as it is for drama, etc. etc.

    This year we started paying for Kayo Sports because the Super Netball went behind a paywall. We decided to keep paying to give me access to cricket (the 5th day of the recent Eng vs Pak Test match was amazing … if you are a cricket fan).

    If, say, the AFL went to Ten/Paramount+, being pensioners we can’t afford to pay for a 2nd or 3rd or … sport streamer. Just like we can’t afford to pay for multiple drama streamers. Netflix was fantastic when it started but with the advent of Disney+, Stan, Prime, Acorn, etc. etc. now none of them get any of our money. The same would apply to sport streamers, greed killed drama streaming, lets hope that greed doesn’t do the same for sport streaming.

    1. The AFL is never going to do a deal where a few games aren’t on FTA. Just like the current and next deal that runs to 2030 that have all games on Kayo/Foxtel and Telstra and only few on Seven and 7+. That’s when every AFL game is on the anti-syphoning list. Seven doesn’t want to pay for any more games and it is not a viable proposition for Nine or Paramount to buy and produce coverage for games in competition with Seven. There are no sports large enough to survive without an FTA presence in Australia. Super Netball was $7m in debt and nearly bankrupt and not wanted by FTA when they did the deal with Kayo, and even then the Victorian Government is funding them to the tune of $15m p.a. But they wouldn’t be viable on a niche streamer. The anti-syphoning list can’t change the economics without causing massive damage. The NRL, AFL, FFA, CA, TA, Super Netball etc own and run these competitions and it’s up to them to decide what ‘s best for their sports.

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