OneHD – Channel Ten’s 24-hour digital sporting station – will bite the dust on May 7. It will be “relaunched” the following day as a “general entertainment” network between Monday and Friday, with sporting events confined to the weekend.
Or so said the Sydney Morning Herald on April 7. Lachie Murdoch, Ten Network boss, described OneHD as a ratings “dead end”, as if only three Australians were ever watching it at any one time.
It is a sad period for free-to-air sports fans in Australia. Just when we’re starting to reap the reward of extra digital arms from the main commercial networks and Ten is lauded for being innovative enough to stick their necks out for OneHD in the first place, it gets pulled. For a lack of ratings. Pah!
I’m a sports fan who loves the option of OneHD. I don’t have the time or inclination (due to lifestyle factors, work and parenting duties!) to sit there 24/7, but there have definitely been some great aspects of the network.
The National Basketball League’s revamped season has been a huge success with Steve Carfino and Andrew Gaze calling the shots at the microphone around the country, while those keen for an American sporting fix can get the Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association matches every week.
There are two guaranteed English Premier League games a week, along with the German and Italian leagues. Plus the international two-wheel and four-wheel motor racing calendars. And the netball. Brilliant! Why get rid of the stuff?
It’s a short-sighted decision based on dollar signs rather than devotion – as is often the case these days in the sporting world.
Murdoch’s exact words at the announcement were: “One was underperforming from a ratings point of view – rating below a single share point was simply unsustainable and unable to contribute to our earnings.” Says it all, really.
However, regardless of what the Ten executives might think, there are loads of people out there that do not have Foxtel and loved the fact that OneHD existed. I know I’m one of them.
RIP OneHD as we know it, sports fans. Gone too soon after just two years. You will be greatly missed, and fondly remembered.
Matthew James FAZIO
Guest
The ratings were dead because One HD put on pointless sports, who in Australia is going to follow baseball or other pointless sports that Aussie's are not interested in? AFL, Soccer, NFL, Rugby etc. More Aussie's would of been more interested. That is what got me they say ratings were dead and only because they showed pointless sports and ONE HD is still pointless to this day I love my sport now nearly all the sports are going to FOXTEL what more do the government want to take away , they've produced nothing but a boring channel which in my opinion is not appealing. BRING 24/7 SPORT BACK!!!!!!! I demand it
domenic zattra
Guest
Yeah, I loved the DTM, GT1 and GT3 hilights, now i have to go on the internet to get it :( :(
Bob
Guest
No wonder their ratings sucked when they showed bull riding, NFL and drag racing. If they had shown some real sports, then the ratings would have been better.
Bozo
Guest
Look at who owns the lucrative Foxtel, then who is chair of Ten and you will see it is not about ratings it is about money, and us Seniors miss out again as we can not all afford Foxtel.
Sanchez8686
Roar Pro
Ive said this a couple of times on television blogs, A free to air sports channel is worth the investment. The problem one hd had was that it was owned by the ten network. The no3 network made some good signings, nbl, nba, nfl , netball etc but it doesnt have the clout to buy thos sports it needed for the channel to be succesful. Let's be honest the only way we will ever see a truly succesful free to air sports channel is if it is run and owned by the nine network.
ac
Guest
Only 1 per cent share of the market for ONE HD is not a good call in anyone's book is it.
angrywicket
Guest
You can't get One through satellite Foxtel. Only cable subscribers are able to get it. There is only limited broadcast spectrum and that is why Foxtel satellite subscribers aren't able to get all the FTA digital channels.
Matt F
Guest
i think OneHD is only available through foxtel to cable subscribers not satellite. something about foxtel and ch10 arguing over who pays the satelite cost. whites, since ch10 launched ch11 a few months ago, and subsequently took One's SD channel, One is no longer broadcast in SD so now not available on 531
jamesb
Guest
I agree. I think one hd should had launched its station earlier this year at the same time as Eleven. But hey it seems to me in Australia these days, if you want to watch sport, you have to pay for it............at a price which many families can't afford. Its also a move with which Murdoch and Packer want to protect fox sports as well
JVGO
Guest
Fool
Guest
There were too many oddball sports on it. Who the heck cares for rodeo, netball, etc.. They should have a humourous sports news on at around 6:30/7 pm every night covering it all from top to bottom, like the American ones. I think Sportscentre is amusing. Get a comedian to do the news and hot chicks. Instead we are stuck with the same old faces that are better suited to radio. Anyhow, their primetime sports programming was rubbish. A lot of stuff I want to watch is only on in the mornings, such as NBA and NFL. Do not get the point of shoving on boutique sports in primetime. Sack the programmers and managers not the station! Let me run it.
Redb
Roar Guru
Yeah it no biggie, just change the TV remote from HDMI to DTT assuming you have a digital antenna installed.
Redb
Roar Guru
Be interesting to see what is classifed as 'premium' sport. I hope F1 doesn't get the flick. As much as I like the 'Untouchables' there are countless movie channels but few sport only.
Redb
Roar Guru
Same here, mine is satelite and no oneHD on Foxtel. Will check again tonight. Whites, maybe Austar is different?
centrebet
Guest
Will mss the NFL come spring time
M1tch
Roar Guru
Key word...Foxtel, they advertise super rugby, cricket during games too they want people watching fox sports..jebus people dont worry...NRL still dominating the pay tv ratings ;)
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
There is so much about your post I agree with! Anybody interested in this stuff should go out and read some books about super league, and the role that RL and AFL played in news limited's decision to launch a rival. You need one of the Big Two football codes (Cricket at the time was untouchable, Packer was still alive) for market penetration, but it was the niche stuff that they could slaughter the commercials on. I keep saying this on here, If you can get 50,000 subscribers for something you'd get a payrise, a corner office and a new benz. If it only gets 50,000 in the ratings, you'll lose your job and never work in the industry again. It is this reason that niche sports, with generally passionate followers who are prepared to fork out to watch it, seem to do so well on STV. Football is probably the biggest of the niche sports in Aus, and the Premier League is king. OneHD has had day-old replays of Arsenal and Liverpool games, better than nothing, but along way behind what Fox offer. I'll let everybody in on a little secret. FTA isn't actually free (I wrote an article last year about this), you pay for it through advertising. If you consistantly fall below the critical mass (which everything other than the AFL, NRL and Cricket does), your game isn't viable for FTA and they'll stooge you. It is why you get rubbish coverage of the AFL outside of the Southern states and rubbish coverage of the NRL outside of the North-Eastern states, not enough people will watch it to pay for it. I've been warning A-League fans about this for a year, OneHD was viewed as the FTA saviour of the game, but the reality is that Ch10 are making a big push towards the NRL, and if they have broadcasting rights tot he AFL as well there will be no room for NBL, NBA, Netball, MLB, NASCAR... fortunately for them, F1 is on at all times of the night, but even then, those of us that remember the pre-OneHD era remember delayed F1 telecasts...
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
I have a satellite feed and it isn't being rebroadcast on that format.
simonjzw
Roar Pro
What century are you living in mate? Every new TV has a digital tuner and you can pick up One HD on that without unplugging your Foxtel Box. If you want to watch it via your set top box (which is handy if it has pvr functionality because you can pause and rewind just like Foxtel IQ) most modern TVs have 2 HDMI inputs. Or you can run both Foxtel and your set top box into an AV receiver to send either picture to your television at your choice (and you get the benefits of 5.1 sound when the broadcast caters to it) Time to upgrade I'd say! My advice Flat screen TV with Digital Tuner (LCD if you watch mostly in a brightly lit room, Plasma if its a mostly darkened room) 106cm for a standard size room, 116cm for bigger than average room Foxtel IQ (HD optional) PVR Set Top Box (eg. Topfield) AV Receiver Quality speakers and sub woofer (5 speakers is preferable but most programs are broadcast in stereo so 2 good quality spekers will do the trick) And start really enjoying your viewing experience Here endeth the lesson....
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
It will be under contract to the Ten Broadcasting, they can show it on whatever chanel they like i guess...