Why streaming won’t destroy the relationship between sport and mass media
In a response to Mike Chmielewski, Nine’s director of sport, Tom Malone, argues while the online streaming of sport will continue to grow, the symbiotic relationship between mass media and the major sporting codes must and will continue.
Mike, thanks for taking the time to write about our deal with Tennis Australia. We think it represents a big shift for our industry and not just because Tennis is moving to “Channel 9” the TV station. What’s important here is it is about comprehensive partnership between both sport and media.
We’re excited because this is a sports rights deal which covers all platforms and speaks to a change in how content and distribution businesses like Nine engage with the major sporting codes. Indeed, most of Australia’s major sporting codes and their media partners are already working together to adapt to how audiences and their behaviour are changing.
Some of the attention of the past week has been on this as a “television deal” with media focusing about the free-to-air and pay-TV rights. But that’s not the only reason this is a transformational deal for Nine and Tennis Australia. Yes, our primary channel will benefit from exclusive and premium tennis content across 14 consecutive nights, at a strategic time of year for traditional FTA businesses.
Thanks for the response Tom,
Wow this got a little out of hand — it was meant to just be a quick little piece on my LinkedIn.
Great response. A lot of clarity there. One thing that I did mention is that I believe 9Now is the best free streaming platform in Australia, and one of the the reasons for that, is what you touched upon, data.
Good luck in the endeavour, hopefully if one thing came across in what I wrote, is that while it’s going to be difficult and it’s an evolving space, I do think Nine has the resources and drive to do it.
I look forward to seeing it take shape.
Surely the future is stream to the preferred application? I don’t want 9 or 7 to get any of my data? Google already has my data, however I actually trust them more than I do 7 and 9. Let me stream the EPL, WSL and Cricket on YouTube.
Sporting codes can offer their content to numerous platforms and platforms can jostle for users = YouTube will be my preferred choice.
Optus is ‘not bad’ to be fair, however nowhere near YouTube.
‘YouTube Sports’ for me as an Android user, who utilises Chromecast; is a future must and surely not far away?
I don’t want a gazillion apps on my phone for each sporting code. One app and all sports and choice = the future = for me as an Android user: ‘YouTube Sports’.
Actually, why doesn’t YouTube JV with the likes of 7, 9, Optus et al and offer up YouTube as a white label…?
Streaming SHOULD destroy the relationship between televsion and sport. Let the digital experts handle the digital rights. 9 and 7 will always be TV first and so will the content.
Eventually the sports here will take note from their international counterparts and give the rights to someone like YouTube or Twitch, or Twitter.
This seems like a really long winded sales pitch to try to justify television. The original article was about doing digital differently. You’ve responded by stating it’s business as usual but with more streams. How are you going to revolutionise digital sport beyond “more games and more streams?” I think you completely missed the point of the other article.
My wife is a teacher and most of her students don’t even watch TV and consume everything through their social media. They don’t want another app that they can’t interact with each other through. You’re just putting TV into mobile devices. They don’t care about that.
If Australian FTA broadcasters are to maintain relevancy in the entertainment space, they need to forge a Hulu like platform that has sufficient scale.
Being “another app that they can’t interact with each other” doesn’t seem to have hurt Netflix.
Do you really think Netflix won’t evolve by 2026?