Prime and other regional TV networks take aim at new Plus7 mobile app in media reform push
Seven’s regional sister station Prime Media has joined with its other regional TV broadcasting brethren to accuse Network Seven of making a “mockery” of the reach rules with its newly launched mobile Plus7 TV streaming service.
Network Seven launched the mobile app this morning, highlighting how live-streaming of its three broadcast television channels, Seven, 7Mate and 7Two, could be used “everywhere” in Australia.
The app has quickly drawn an angry response from the regional TV networks who in a joint statement, signed by Prime chairman John Hartigan, WIN chairman Andrew Gordon, Southern Cross Austereo CEO Grant Blackley and Imparja CEO Alistair Feehan, said: “Seven’s new product allows it to circumvent the ‘reach’ rule at the same time that it is aggressively lobbying for that rule to be retained.
“It makes a mockery of the rule and is an insult to this government.
“Using outdated regulation to gain a competitive advantage against those still hamstrung by that regulation is as good as hypocrisy gets,” the statement added.
Seven CEO fired back at the regional TV players telling Mumbrella: “This is just more of the same scare campaign we have come to expect from regional broadcasters.
“They seem to have missed the point that people have been able to access streamed content on Plus7 since 2009 with no discernible impact on their businesses.
“And a lot of the power of streaming services comes from their ability to reach out of home viewers who then are driven to the in-home broadcast service.”
The regional TV networks noted how the Seven Network had earlier today touted the functionality of the mobile app saying: “We can now bring their (the audience’s) favourite shows live, free and on the go, seamlessly streamed on mobile and online”.
Responding to the TV network’s statements Worner said: “Regional broadcasting is driven by local news and will continue to be so.
“We are not selling advertisements into regional broadcast areas and we will only be measuring markets we can monetise. That said, we are happy to talk to our regional affiliates about localised internet streaming opportunities if they would like to do so.”
In recent weeks, the regional TV networks have launched an aggressive ad campaign targeted at mobilising public opinion in the bush in favour of media reform.
Prime chairman John Hartigan last month told Mumbrella the campaign was need to help overcome what he described was Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s office of being “bloody-mindedness” in its refusal to move on media law reforms.
Seven on Monday fired back at the regional TV networks launching its own campaign for its markets in regional Queensland and accusing its regional rivals of “bullying”, criticising them for threatening regional newsroom closures and of using viewers as “pawns”.
The final line of the Seven ad urges viewers to contact their local MP and “tell them to leave TV laws alone.”
Seven West Media owner Kerry Stokes has long been a key roadblock to forcing changes that many of the smaller regional media players want.
The regional TV networks are seeking the removal of the two out of three rule, which prevents media companies from owning TV , radio and print assets in the same area, or abolishing the reach rule, which prevents a free-to-air broadcaster from reaching more than 75 per cent of the Australian population, which might facilitate a round of mergers between the regional networks and their bigger metro sister stations.
Both Abbott and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull have said they want “consensus” among the major media owners before they introduce reforms to laws which affect ownership and how much of the population media networks can reach.
Today’s statement by the TV networks notes that: “Seven’s announcement to stream its channels to all Australians clearly demonstrates the redundancy of the 75 per cent audience reach rule and the two out of three rule in the digital age.”
Nic Christensen
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I warned the regional that this would happen more than a year ago. So it can hardly be a surprise.
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And you know what? If laws are changed they will be able to geozone these regional areas and sell advertising within the digital streams to all those different regional areas. Also known as “in stream” advertising.
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One thing is for sure – Seven is in Disneyland if they think the market believes they can Geo Block by region in Australia.
Seven Executive need to go back to digital school if they keep that line.
Unfortunately for Seven – they scored a home goal today.
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Wow, I can now watch free to air TV on my device
This would be mildly interesting, if I gave two shits about any content that is on free to air
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Interested to see how Seven will make their content (for example AFL games) available everywhere and on every device. Thought Telstra had just paid plenty for those rights?
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Seven refers to the live streaming app as ‘only covering its owned and operated markets’, yet I was able to watch Sunrise live this morning on Plus7 and I live in the Upper Hunter where Seven does not broadcast.
Isn’t this in breach of the 75% audience reach rule, a regulation Seven seem to be supportive of retaining?
Has anyone been geoblocked using this app? I don’t see how Seven could possibly implement this based on your location in Australia.
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So I can now watch AFL on 7 mate for free now? So no need for a foxtel go subscription anymore? Nor a Telstra Livepass to watch the AFL? Didnt Foxtel and Telstra spend squillions for the rights to stream AFL in digital formats and on mobile devices?
Why hasn’t the AFL, or Foxtel, or Nine sent legal injunction letters to Seven today?? Their multi-million dollar investment in sporting rights has just been shot down..
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This is a curious announcement from an implementation perspective. However commentators writing it off as impossible are wide of the mark. I suspect Seven will mandate the use of location services on tablet and mobile to block people outside available areas. If location services are switched off, the app won’t function until it can get a location. And spoofing location while possible is generally a hack / jailbreak.
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App for ipad states: “Live stream Sunrise and The Morning Show”
No footy.
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What would be the point of blocking geo-blocking ?
It would only be used for targetting advertising specific to a region.
Channel 7 has only rights to three games a week. Foxtel has rights to all the others.
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This is hilarious. Off to digital school indeed everybody
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