‘TVs should serve the consumer, not the government and not Free TV Australia’: ASTRA takes aim at TV prominence law
ASTRA has launched advertisements in print and digital publications to raise public awareness about the potential impacts of the Government’s Prominence legislation.
The ads are the latest in a long-running campaign from ASTRA opposing the proposed law, which would force television manufacturers to give free-to-air stations giving prominence on smart TV menus.
Last week, Free TV Australia launched a full-court press across the free-to-air channels in support of the legislation.
“We will continue to campaign for Australian’s right to choose their content and control the TVs they spend thousands on every year,” an ASTRA spokesperson said about the ads, which are running across News Corp’s print and digital titles.
“Our argument is simple – TVs should serve the consumer, not the government and not Free TV Australia. When a consumer chooses to pay for a service, they should have easy access to that content.
“Content discovery should be determined by the consumer, not the government and not Free TV Australia. Australian content aggregators like the Foxtel platform and soon to launch Hubbl serve the consumer – they surface content both free and paid based on what the consumer wants.”
“Research shows that 1 in 2 Australians with a smart TV don’t know how to change the layout if their apps.
“We believe FTA channels should absolutely remain easily accessible. However at a time when Australians are liberated with choice, legislating free-to-air app and search prominence on smart TVs will create limitation, complication and further frustration.”
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Its like when Apple forced the U2 album on their devices…if people want the content, they will download it.
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What a lot of Bollocks! I am a 70 year old who can navigate the TV programe guide as easily as our 8 year old grandson.
You have a choice on what you subscribe to and how you subscribe to it.
There are a few media organisations that have enjoyed a very cozy relationship with the government in the last decade. Let’s hope the viewers can benefit, rather than just the Media Barrons. Netball was just one that came to mind
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