‘How could this be allowed to happen?’ TV anti-siphoning laws pass Senate
The anti-siphoning and prominence laws – designed to ensure major sporting events are available to watch for free – have passed in the Senate, but digital sports rights were not included, and therefore the amendment “failed to ensure that every Australian can share the unforgettable sporting moments that unite us”.
This is according to Free TV, the lobbying body for the commercial TV stations, which is concerned that, without digital rights for major sporting events being protected under the newly amended laws, the two-thirds of Australians who watch free-to-air TV digitally without an aerial wont be able to watch sports without paying for it.
Current anti-siphoning laws require major sporting events to be broadcast free to Australians, however this law currently only covers linear broadcast (antennas), meaning the third of Australians who only watch TV digitally, cannot access these sports if the digital rights for an event are owned by a subscription service and put behind a paywall.
The free-to-air channels were lobbying to bundle digital and linear broadcast rights together in the anti-siphoning laws, in keeping with how Australians actually view TV. The Senate committee’s report, delivered in April, recommended against into amending the Prominence and Anti-siphoning Bill, however, said the laws do not need to be updated.
“The laws presented to the Parliament by Minister Rowland have failed to ensure that every Australian can share the unforgettable sporting moments that unite us,” Free TV said in a statement on Thursday.
“Free to Air broadcasting is meant to be the universally accessible destination that binds all Australians together,” Free TV CEO Bridget Fair said.
“Sadly, with the passing of this bill we will now see a nation of the haves and have-nots when it comes to accessing the broadcasts and online services of our beloved commercial and national networks. How could this be allowed to happen in a country that has always celebrated the fair go for all?
“We know that increasing numbers of Australians are watching their free TV services online but these laws leave those people with no guarantee of free sport. Research shows that 69 per cent of Australians access their TV via the internet, so it’s hard to understand why these laws do not look after their interests and guarantee free sport for the millions who watch TV online.
“The laws contain significant gaps that will ultimately undermine the whole anti-siphoning framework and force Australians to pay thousands of dollars to streaming services to access the sporting events that Australians expect to watch for free”.
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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Sporting bodies shouldn’t be held to ransom by media companies. They should be able to negotiate the most profitable broadcast rights without government intervention.
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If people can afford the internet they can easy afford to have an antenna installed.
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Not always Barry Budd, when renting in Sydney we had no say in installing a working areal, but we could manage our own internet connection.
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I am unsure. Was this connected to a recent campaign of adverts about the Albanese Govt taking away free sport on TV? Was I supposed to do something? I didn’t understand the message and I thought by watching all those adverts during the telecasts, I was being a model citizen.
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Our ‘lucky Country’ is dying, cost of living IS Out Of Reach of Many AuSTraLians the little Luxuries are finished, and now, the same government is adding to taking away, what, for many, is the Luxury of watching many of our pleasures!!
WHY?? Haven’t the politicians DONE enough destruction??
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Here’s the thing, Free TV and Broadcasters keep complaining to keep rights with them and free access to public.
Yet how sustainable are the rising costs that these sporting codes keep asking?
The declining linear viewership isn’t going to keep sponsorship dollars rolling in when TV advertisers aren’t the same ROI they used to.
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My gosh people are so entitled. How do you think these free things are paid for? Forcing people to spend thousands to stream… ‘forcing’? Yeah nah that’s a stretch to say the least. Streaming isn’t the only option for free-to-air. If you’re that keen to watch it and equally as keen to not pay for it, and you can only watch it for free on a tv, then you’ll watch it on a tv. Just like there are different forms of internet access, there are different types of antennas.
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