Nine puts ARIA Awards live broadcast behind Stan paywall
Channel Nine is placing its live broadcast of this year’s ARIA Awards behind a paywall for the first time, with a delayed free-to-air broadcast later in the evening.
The Australian music industry’s night of nights returns November 15. The live ceremony will be broadcast live on Stan from 5pm, with a 7.30pm free-to-air broadcast on Nine.
This marks the first time the awards night has been placed behind a paywall. It’s hard not to see this as a demotion, rather than an attempt to lure music fans across to Stan, especially considering the recent ratings history.
Last year’s ARIA Awards was a ratings failure for Nine, pulling just 243,000 viewers across the five metro areas.
That was even less than the 287,000 that tuned into the 2021 YouTube-only live broadcast. Nine had benched the awards following a poor 2020 showing.
Considering there are currently just two Australian singles in the ARIA Top 50 — and one of these is the decade-old Vance Joy song Riptide — it appears actual interest in Australian music by Australians is at a nadir.
There’ll be an attempt to put a positive spin on this move to Stan, but the truth is the Australian music industry’s biggest event won’t even be shown live on free-to-air TV this year — and nobody will miss it much.
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In recent times the Awards have always been shown in delay on FTA. It gives them an opportunity to fix any errors. Showing them live on Stan is a little surprising (and draws attention to the scheduling) but we haven’t been able to watch the show live on FTA for many years.
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Long gone are the days where the Australian music industry was exciting, and showcasing the fantastic bands and artists that are still remembered for their songs decades after.
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I blame commercial radio for not playing Australian or independent music. They are too beholden to the international record companies.
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Why wouldn’t Nine put all of their streaming/BVOD content behind the Stan paywall, with an ad-supported subscription model?
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Following that logic, why would Nine bother with FTA broadcasting at all? Because they think there’s money in it!
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