If Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is a tennis fan, he would have been a little grumpy after he returned home from Australia Day celebrations.
He would have switched on the TV and been absorbed by a great contest between Andy Roddick and Marin Cilic.
As the match seemed certain to enter the decisive fifth set, he would have thrown his remote at the TV as the local broadcaster, the Seven Network, predictably crossed to the News. In this digital age, the game was nowhere to be seen, not on 7TWO, 7HD or anywhere on Pay-TV.
For the fan, the message is simple: “it’s 6pm, the news is a ratings winner, we couldn’t give a stuff if you care about the tennis or not.”
Under the current anti-siphoning legislation, Channel 7 is not permitted to show the Australian Open on a secondary channel. The logic behind this law is to prevent Free to Air networks from hoarding sporting events and forcing Fox Sports to the wall.
Conversely, the selected events on the “Anti-Siphoning” list must be offered to FTA providers prior to Foxtel.
This enables viewers without Pay-TV access to events of ”national importance.”
The result for couch-based fans throughout the country is one of frustration.
Whilst Pay-TV uptake remains relatively low, FTA providers serve up a mish-mash of delayed sporting broadcasts, ridiculous cross promotions (I’m pretty sure that John Alexander is not a fan of Desperate Housewives) and pretty much a second rate coverage of the nation’s most popular sporting events.
If you live outside of the Melbourne/Sydney time-zone, the concept of live sport of FTA TV may be one that you’re no longer familiar with.
The Beijing Olympics in 2008 are a prime example of how the viewer is the loser under the current legislation.
Not only were we subjected to the horrible coverage presented by Seven, featuring such sporting luminaries as Sonia Kruger and Andrew Daddo, but the broadcast was also interrupted by AFL games that Seven were not permitted to show on the secondary channel.
Therefore, Olympic fans in Sydney and Brisbane had to twiddle their thumbs and follow progress via ABC Radio and the Internet as Channel 7 featured an AFL game between Adelaide and Richmond.
It wasn’t good enough 18 months ago and it isn’t good enough now.
Both the AFL and NRL are eagerly anticipating the results of the current review of the anti-Siphoning legislation.
The major codes would be hoping that the restrictions of the current arrangements are loosened and they can sell their product directly to Pay-TV providers. The best result for Messrs Gallop and Demetriou would be record TV rights deals where fans throughout the country can watch every game of the premiership season live and in full.
As Pay-TV providers should be given the right to bid directly for all sporting events, FTA Networks should be permitted to feature events on secondary channels such as GO, 7TWO and ONE.
Sports fans throughout in the Southern states would be the winner if Nine could feature live AFL on its primary channel whilst broadcasting live NRL on GO.
The situation could be reversed for the Northern markets.
For those without digital access, a simple trip to Dick Smith to purchase a $50 set top box would do the trick. Beside,s it’s the only way TV will be accessible when the analogue signal is switched off in 2013.
Australia is renowned for its obsession with sports. It’s time that we had a standard of TV sporting coverage that reflected tha.t
Browney
Guest
Whoever disagrees with Jason ought to be shot....plain and simple. Why can't we have such great sporting memories like relton roberts eating a sandwich at the SCG in the changee rooms at quarter time? Or even Apache Cat highlights from over a decade ago!
Sam
Guest
I personally think FTA sport in Australia is pretty crap. It's like going back in time or something. The Olympics in 2008 was a disgrace, and I struggle to sit through anything other than the cricket on FTA TV. I'm happy I'm more of a rugby fan than NRL/AFL because Foxtel shows every Super 14 / Tri-Nations game live - regardless of my location in Australia (same goes for A-League). It's easier to watch an NRL game in NZ than most places in Australia. Might have to pay for it, or go to the pub, but at least I don't have to sit on the internet trying to find liveupdates. Roar posters regularly bag rugby and soccer for not being FTA, but it certainly has its benefits.
Justin
Guest
I think the better way to go is have it on normal TV but if they go to the news then switch over to the other channel. If some people dont have that then that is a shame but surely its better to have some people watching than no one at all?
Nicholas Belardo
Roar Guru
The problem with putting sport of 'national importance' on secondary channels is that outside of the major cities, these channels do not exist. For example, in my region, even with an HD Set Top Box, we get ABC1, ABC2, ABC3, SBS ONE and TWO, Prime and WIN. That's a lot of the country that the broadcasters would be neglecting even further than their poor coverage already
Not sure why you'd appeal to Conroy in your opening paragraph. The man is a freedom crushing computer illiterate who ignores his constituency.
Glen
Guest
So what if it costs a monthly subscription??? Your Gen Y seams are showing my friend. Subscription to Foxtel (with sports channels and very little else) costs more than $700 a year. A Fu%$king big chunk out of an age pension of $17,446 pa. That $700 is more than the average power bill, rates and telephone bill combined just for one quarter. A huge section of the community just simply cannot afford it. Why should you have exclusive rights to sport just because you can afford it..... You're the sort of person I hope that loses their job or your business goes bust or you suffer a major loss to find out that some people struggle... some people get sick and can't afford the sort of health care that they really need let alone access to what is a birth-right in Australia. Just make em pay you say! You make me sick!!!
MM Fike
Guest
At least sport on Fox is live. I never ever watch sport on 7. I have kept track of the tennis via the official Australian Open site. If I remember correcty, many years ago 7 even delayed the State of Origin games by 30 minutes. Great stuff!
Justin
Guest
This just proves how crap 7 are. Right now they have a legends match on with Rafter/Le Conte v Arthurs/Cash. Complete fun match and yet they dont have the players miked up! There are heaps of comments that the crowd are laughing at yet on TV they are inaudible, Even 9 have been miking up players in cricket for a few years, sometimes in serious matches.
Mick
Guest
Saw something written somewhere else, ch-7 could put news & rubbish tonight on 7two & keep aussie open live all the way through on main channel & there is no law & although there are the normal ch-7 excuses for not doing this
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
Nine, 10, SBS and Fox all do it better than 7.
tifosi
Guest
True about Channel 7. I think Channel 10 do a better job with the AFL season as well. On a side note: Interestingly FIFA wants the English version of its Anti-siphoning rules scrapped so it can sell its rights to the World Cup to the highest bidder, something it cant currently do. In Australia they gave it to SBS as they were the only ones who guaranteed all games live on Free TV. Even the English County Board in cricket would rather have cricket on PAY TV as it gets them more money.
Redb
Roar Guru
That maybe true but I've found CH 9 seem to able to generate some gravitas to their coverage of sporting events. Ch 7 are still operating in 1980s mode.
Tifosi
Guest
One must remember ESPN is a dedicated sports network with a lot of money. Channel 7 is not a dedicated sports network. However when it comes to communications in this country(ie broadband, HDTV etc) we are miles behind the rest of the world.
Redb
Roar Guru
As Jeff Dowling mentions below Richard Hinds had a fair crack at Ch 7's coverage compared to ESPN in the fairfax papers. Hinds was on SEN last night talking about ESPN and how old world Ch 7's coverage appeared, its the same rubbish with the AFL, retaining the out of touch Bruce McAvaney, ordinary camera angles,etc. Same problem with no live game, the Friday Night AFL game would rate its socks off if live, but on 1 hour delay the game is half over before they start to telecast, many listen to the radio instead.
Jeff Dowsing
Guest
Richard Hinds (The Age) had a fair crack at 7's archaic coverage the other day as well - compared to ESPN in particular. Not really into tennis but watched a bit of Tsonga v Djokovic last night. About 15 minutes of Henri Laconte barracking hysterically for Tsonga was enough for me. And the extensive psychological and technical analysis of every goddam point by the other 'commentators'. Need to go to the Richie Benaud school of 'less is sometimes more'. As others have said, in other ways their football coverage is just as bad. As for crossing to the news though, as much as I love my sport, the majority of the population have a right to know what's going on in the world out there (except when they lead off with rubbish 'news' about Brangelina). That's where the flexibility of having Go & 72 can be used to good effect.
Al
Guest
To move into the 21st century, Australian TV has to firstly move into the 20th century.
keeper11
Guest
Great article.. One of the main reasons given for Seven dropping the tennis mid-match was to protect its ratings market share viv a viz Ch9 news.... proves again much for what passes for national sporting coverage & media policy here all seems to revolves around the protection and promotion of that quaint and infantile anchronism.....drum roll...the Ch7 v Ch 9 ratings 'battle'.. Guess what fellas.... 99% of us do not give a ##### !
soapit
Guest
i wouldnt like to get to the stage where i have to pay to watch australia play. it is a huge part of our culture being able to cheer ourselves on and i think it's a good thing that the nation can all get behind a big game and not just those who have foxtel. if all sports were on foxtel it might make the subscription more reasonable mind you. great article, i've often had a whinge at the missus about why on earth they dont keep it going on a second channel while the news is on but now i know there is a reason. bloody stupid rule left over from the dark ages.
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
I don't watch any AFL on Seven since 10 always seems to have the lions games but I am not surprised at this. I think Roy & HG were a surprising home run for their 2000 olympics coverage but apart from that I can't think of anything else positive to say about the network. As a football fan they were horrible, not just their 10 years of burrying the NSL but their olympic coverage of the Olyroos was shocking. The have ruined the olympics for me with the over the top jingoism and showing interviews with swimming bronze medalists mums rather than live big events. Their belief that today tonight is some sort of important institution..... I ended up watching the smaller events that they farmed out to SBS because the coverage was better even though I had much less interest in european handball than Swimming. the winter olympics was pretty much just figure skating while on 7, I know they copied that from America and it probably rates well but it sucks being in an unimportant demographic (males) during the olympics as I used to like the winter olympics. Years of 7's coverage has made me wary about the event now even though 9 have got it back. Rugby Union gets treated even worse, they go head to head with fox which just higlights how bad they are.
Mattay
Guest
The tennis at the moment is a perfect example. In Adelaide, we have to sit through the news, Today Tonight and Home & Away before getting the night's action, which is delayed by half an hour. I'm an impatient man, so I just flick to Fox Sports News to get a score update and don't bother watching the tennis unless the game really interests me. I agree with the use it or lose it policy. And there is no way in hell I am watching Cougar Town channel 7, you hear me. Those FTA Sport ads also make me cringe.