Fans give Seven a serve over Stosur no show
By Sam Lienert, 26 Jan 2010 Sam Lienert is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Australian Open, Channel 7, Samantha Stosur, Tennis
It was the most significant Australian Open match involving one of the nation’s women this year and half of the country did not get to see it play out.
While the Seven Network screens about 12 hours of the tournament each day, in the hour that mattered most for Australia’s Samantha Stosur, the broadcaster was occupied elsewhere in some states.
On the eve of Australia Day, the network preferred to stick with their regular 6pm news bulletin and Today Tonight rather than show Australia’s last woman remaining in singles take on world No.1 Serena Williams.
For viewers in Melbourne and Sydney, that meant they missed out on virtually the entire match, as Stosur lasted just more than an hour in her straight sets loss at the hands of an awesome Williams performance.
Viewers in Adelaide fared slightly better, getting to watch the first half, while in Brisbane and Perth, time differences meant fans could watch the whole match.
Today Tonight featured segments including tennis fashions and a local take on the questionable Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie marriage split.
Seven’s programming director Tim Worner said the network had received more than 100 calls from unhappy viewers, but stood by their decision.
“Seven News and Today Tonight viewers are there at 6pm each and every night of the year and we need to honour that commitment,” Worner said.
“At Seven we take the commitment to news and public affairs very seriously.”
He said while viewers who called in were frustrated, most were “understanding” once the decision was explained to them.
Tennis Australia was unhappy about the lack of coverage for the match, but chief executive Steve Wood gave a diplomatic public response, saying overall the network had been “tremendous”.
“We understand this is a very difficult decision that is not taken lightly and reflective of their commitment to the 6pm news,” Wood said.
“But obviously we would have preferred for the entire match to be shown live.”
© AAP 2012Snapshot of day eight of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday:
PLAYER OF THE DAY: Li Na – the 16th seed sent US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki to the Melbourne Park exit gates with a shock 6-4 6-3 fourth-round victory.
KEY MOMENT: Nikolay Davydenko picked up the crucial break of serve in the sixth game of the final set to deny Spain’s Fernando Verdasco a courageous comeback victory.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m sorry guys, maybe next time, but Sam played really well and maybe now I’ll have a few more fans.” – Serena Williams apologises to Aussie fans for ousting Samantha Stosur.
STAT OF THE DAY: Na joined Zheng Jie in the last eight to give China two players in the quarter-finals at a grand slam for the first time ever.
TOURNAMENT SUMMARY: The Williams sisters are the only two left of the top six women’s seeds and on a semi-final collision course. Big guns Davydenko and Novak Djokovic rolled on in the men’s.
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- Explore:
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Andy said | January 26th 2010 @ 7:41am | Report comment
Typical Seven! Hopeless.
Rabbitz said | January 26th 2010 @ 8:17am | Report comment
Meh, I would suggest that the networks commitment to news outweighs a sports broadcast. Believe it or not tennis does not float everyone’s boat.
Tinnie said | January 26th 2010 @ 9:05am | Report comment
What about 7′s commitment when it comes to LIVE broadcasting? The daily news is one thing…..but Today Tonight? cmon thats digraceful. If they commited to show the start of that match, they should commit to the complete broadcast.
If Stosur had won that match, there would have been many more complaints and i’m sure a less defiant stance from channel 7.
I’ve had the same problem with the cricket, to avidly watch it from the start, only to have the broadcast cut at the climax of an innings (somewhere in the last 10 overs) for the news, theres nothing more frustrating. Especially when there seems to be no logical why they cant annouce the night before that the news is getting bunted back 1/2 an hour for a live sports broadcast. To me thats showing commitment to both programs.
Rabbitz said | January 26th 2010 @ 2:10pm | Report comment
Yeah but from a production P.O.V. it was a safe bet that Stosur was on a hiding to nothing so why risk losing the regular viewers?
Bay35Pablo said | January 26th 2010 @ 9:54am | Report comment
Typical Seven. They think their sh t don’t stink. Don’t buy it if you ain’t going to show it. They’ll never admit they stuffed up though. Bad as government.
Then we have the jingoistic commentators talking up every Aussie like they will win it, and they miss one of the most important matches involving an Aussie. Oh the irony. Oh the hubris.
Just like they screwed FTA Super 12 in the late 1990s to get the Tests.
And this reminds me of that cricket Test on Nine years ago where AB or similar was about to score an awesome century and they went to Dapto dogs and missed the important runs.
The media really don’t get it. It’s the content not the medium you fools. We watch it not you!!!
Mick said | January 26th 2010 @ 10:43am | Report comment
I like the way after the live night matches finishes ch-7 say coming up next …………….. v …………… and when they return from the commercial break you see it is a day game which ch-7 is showing at night.
7 stuffed the olympics & they stuff the Aussie Open, what hope have they got
Malibu77 said | January 26th 2010 @ 11:09am | Report comment
7 are very lucky that Stosur lost – their coverage is a disgrace and I feel especially sorry for WA viewers who get the night sessions on 3 hour delay. Will they get the finals too on delay?
The Aus Open really needs 3 channel coverage – during the first week at least, Fox should get all outside courts and 7 should use their main channel and one digital to show all matches live and in full that are on Rod Laver and Hisense Arenas.
I suspect that viewers in Europe, Asia and even the US are geting to see more tennis than we are. What a joke!
Alister said | January 26th 2010 @ 1:08pm | Report comment
Well that’s stupid. Seven are selfish for not selling the excess coverage to Foxtel, then the screw over the viewing public by putting the games on delay. At least on SCTV, the coverage was only really live *once* of the 10-15 times I flicked over to have a look. Live tennis on Seven is just a myth.
In saying that with only one channel to cover all games, of course stuff will be missed.
johnhunt92 said | January 26th 2010 @ 1:10pm | Report comment
I feel sorry for Seven. If they had stayed with the tennis, there would have been compliants from Today Tonight and Home and Away viewers. Tennis fans must remember there are people out there who dislike tennis and like Home and Away. They are in an impossible position as it could not be shown on Seven TWO due to legislation (So stupid people, stop ranting about Seven TWO as it was impossible) . Also becuause of the Davedenko match going so long, the schedule went out of sync. Sports fans are so selfish and forget a network needs to keep all viewers happy. However, for a major tournament like this, Seven should have had backup plans.
Tifosi said | January 26th 2010 @ 4:44pm | Report comment
Whats the legislation stopping it from being shown on 7 Two ?
Is it because not everyone has it yet?
Steve said | January 27th 2010 @ 3:56pm | Report comment
It’s a combination of provisions that were meant to ensure that people who don’t yet have FTA digital TV don’t miss out, and to balance the interests of pay TV who are prohibited from gaining exclusive rights to sporting events such as the Australian Open.
If you’re really keen, see Divisions 1 & 2 of Part 4A of Schedule 4 to the Broadcasting Services Act:
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/ActCompilation1.nsf/framelodgmentattachments/4F55E9F5A202EBFCCA257677000C7B10
Major Spliff Biggins said | January 26th 2010 @ 8:44pm | Report comment
“At Seven we take the commitment to news and public affairs very seriously.”
Seven’s programming director is hilarious.
Tennis fashion and the Brad and Angelina split? Is that news or public affairs? Seriously.
sledgeross said | January 27th 2010 @ 8:29am | Report comment
Ho hum. Who really cares. Stosur would only beat Serena 1 time out of 500 anyway.
Why are we so up in arms about watching mediocrity? Lets get an AUssie tennis player with talent then start whinging. We build up our tennis players so much, and burden them with so much expectation and pressure, and get upset when they fail, when they are just decent players to begin with.
apaway said | January 27th 2010 @ 12:45pm | Report comment
“At Seven we take the commitment to news and public affairs very seriously.”
He said while viewers who called in were frustrated, most were “understanding” once the decision was explained to them.
Sorry while I choke on my lunch at this ridiculous statement from Tim Worner. First off, Channel 7′s “news” is now extended infotainment and Today Tonight is one of the most embarrassing shows on television. Notice Worner called the show “Public Affairs” rather than “current affairs.” Maybe that’s what the TV equivalent of New Idea has become.
When I called Seven to voice my displeasure I was on hold for 15 minutes. The harried lady who finally took my call said they’d received “tons” of complaints and basically admitted that the programming department had made a major mistake. Is that what Worner meant when he talked about the “decision” being explained to them? “Yeah, sorry, we stuffed up.”? Couldn’t Seven at least shown the match on one of it’s digital channels, rather than some re-run of a 15 year old American sit-com no-one has ever heard of?