The T.V Rights Thread Part III

[El Diablo]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/med...st-footy-matches/story-e6frg996-1226305671892

All-in brawl between TV providers vying for best footy matches

by: David Crowe and Stephen Brook
From: The Australian
March 21, 2012 12:00AM

A NEW brawl is looming over rules that keep major sports events on free-to-air TV as Communications Minister Stephen Conroy introduces anti-siphoning legislation that will ensure the biggest games remain accessible to all viewers.

Senator Conroy is to unveil the legislation tomorrow amid growing industry concern about a new "quality mechanism" that is meant to select the best AFL and NRL games each week to reserve them for the commercial TV networks.

The legislation will affect the AFL's $1.25 billion five-year deal with the Seven Network, Foxtel and Telstra and the forthcoming negotiations over a new rugby league contract.

The bill is expected to clear the way for public hearings within weeks in a Senate inquiry that could give the Greens an opportunity to amend the regime to favour free-to-air networks over their pay-TV rivals.

While industry executives have been involved in the reforms since Senator Conroy unveiled his plans in November 2010, negotiations have taken far longer than expected and media companies are watching closely to see the fine print of the bill.

"My understanding is that nobody's happy with it," said one person aware of the reforms.

"This will go to committee," another source said. "There will be a role for the opposition, independents and Greens in passing the legislation."

Senator Conroy announced the reform with the promise that it would allow more channels to show sport and said he expected to legislate early last year.

In a win for Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment and the Ten Network, the bill is expected to allow their second and third digital channels to show events previously limited to their main channels.

Over the summer, the channels had to go to the minister to get exemptions so they could screen cricket and tennis matches on their free-to-air digital channels.

The AFL wanted to decide the best matches by agreement but the government has demanded a mechanism that industry sources say is unworkable in practice.

The Labor caucus approved the reforms yesterday but the details will not be revealed until tomorrow when the bill is introduced into the Senate.

A Senate inquiry chaired by Labor senator Doug Cameron is expected to be established this week so that hearings can begin during the seven-week parliamentary break before the federal budget on May 8.

Petra Buchanan, the chief executive of pay-TV industry group Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, said: "The anti-siphoning legislation remains one of the most contentions pieces of anti-competitive legislation.

"That said," she added, "we are seeing progress."

The Greens have spoken in favour of keeping sports events on the free-to-air networks and could use the committee hearings to canvass amendments to the Labor plan.

A central part of the regime is a "quality mechanism" to be used to predict the most popular AFL and NRL games each week, so viewers who do not have pay TV can see them. Because Senator Conroy is seen as very close to the AFL in his home town of Melbourne, the mechanism is not expected to upset the football code.

 

[Western_Eel]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/med...st-footy-matches/story-e6frg996-1226305671892

This is bad news, it means fox will be out of the contest for the big matches =less $$$

 

[El Diablo]

it's good news and won't change anything except networks will no longer have to apply for exemptions

 

[juro]

So if they have some mechanism to decide which are the best quality games, which then need to be shown on FTA, does that stuff up having a locked in schedule? If they pick based on quality, a top-of-the-table game would get preference. But that won't be known until a set time before the game is played.

Also, would that mean that the Broncos wouldn't automatically get every Friday night game in Queensland? Would the FTA broadcaster be forced to show whatever teams the mechanism decides, whether or not it is best for ratings?

 

[El Diablo]

the AFL has a fixed schedule it won't hurt them

this was supposed to be done ages ago and isn't exactly breaking news that nobody knew about

 

[El Diablo]

this is from 2010 http://www.businessspectator.com.au...ng-list-pd20101125-BJ8JD?opendocument&src=rss

NRL chief executive David Gallop welcomed the reforms.

"The anti-siphoning list had previously given the free to air networks the right to determine how many matches we could offer subscription television, even though the free to air networks themselves had no intention of telecasting all eight games,", Mr Gallop said in a statement.

"Today's decision more closely reflects what people actually watch.

"But, importantly, it takes away the constraints on our ability to negotiate the best outcome for the clubs, the players and the fans."

Mr Gallop said the reforms would allow the NRL to recoup the full value of their television rights and bargain for broader free to air coverage.

 

[Perth Red]

If they bring in something like this they also have to bring in that networks that buy the rights to those games have to show them nationally live. If they are saying these games are a valuable commodity for the community they should also be legislating to make sure the community can actually see them!

 

[El Diablo]

If they bring in something like this they also have to bring in that networks that buy the rights to those games have to show them nationally live. If they are saying these games are a valuable commodity for the community they should also be legislating to make sure the community can actually see them!

there's a 4 hour rule

 

[nqboy]

there's a 4 hour rule

Can Nein ignore that without penalty the way they have ignored the NRL agreement?

 

[El Diablo]

if they did you could complain to the ministers department

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/med...sport-exclusives/story-e6frg996-1226306650365

Free TV to lose 300 sport exclusives

by: Stephen Brook, Media editor
From: The Australian
March 22, 2012 12:00AM

THE number of sporting events reserved for free-to-air television will be cut by about 300 under the new anti-siphoning legislation, which could give Communications Minister Stephen Conroy power to decide which football matches should be shown.

The legislation, due to be introduced to parliament today and sent to a committee for debate, is controversial as the pay-TV industry and sports bodies fear the "quality mechanism" that determines which games in any AFL or NRL round are reserved for free-to-air TV gives too much discretion to the minister.

The final shape of the legislation will not be known until today, but some international rugby league Tests, some rugby union matches, some Wimbledon matches and the British Open golf and French Open tennis tournaments are expected to come off the anti-siphoning list.

The new legislation will create a Tier A and Tier B anti-siphoning list, allowing free-to-air commercial channels to move Tier B events from their primary channel to their digital channel.
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At present the networks have to apply to the Communications Minister to have events exempted from the list before they can be moved to digital channels such as Gem and 7Mate.

Tier A events will include football grand finals and events such as the Melbourne Cup and will have to be broadcast live by free-to-air networks.

The legislation will not affect the five-year, $1.25 billion AFL contract with Seven, Foxtel and Telstra, which runs until 2016. But it will affect the forthcoming NRL contract, which networks are negotiating at the moment. The Nine Network, the current rights holder, is in the box seat to win the contract that runs from next year to 2017. But Seven and Ten are considering bids.

"The government's intended reforms to the anti-siphoning scheme were announced by the minister on November 25, 2010, and were subject to subsequent extensive stakeholder consultations," a spokeswoman for Senator Conroy said.

"The reforms to the scheme require legislative change and the amending legislation is expected to be introduced to parliament this week.

"If passed, these reforms will allow for the making of a two-tier anti-siphoning list (Tier A and Tier B) and introduce coverage obligations on free-to-air broadcasters requiring them to televise anti-siphoning events to the full extent of the rights that they actually hold or offer the unused rights on to other broadcasters."

Seven will have four AFL matches, some of which it will screen on digital channel 7Mate.

Previously, the AFL decided which games went free to air on Friday and Saturday nights, provided they met certain conditions laid out in the legislation.

But the legislation states that these events will be decided by a "quality mechanism". It gives the Communications Minister the power to determine which games go to free-to-air networks.

A similar system will be used for the three NRL games shown on free-to-air TV.

The legislation will also contain a "use it or lose it" clause that will force networks to screen an event or sell it to another broadcaster for as little as $1.

The bill is expected to clear the way for public hearings within weeks in a Senate inquiry that the Greens and the independents will contribute to.

The Labor caucus approved the reforms on Tuesday.

 

[juro]

So that use-it-or-lose-it clause will force the rights holder to show the game Australia wide, right?

 

[El Diablo]

we'll find out today exactly what it means i presume

 

[Perth Red]

there's a 4 hour rule

which isn;t goodf enough. If the Govt wants to legislate and say these are importnat to the community then they should also legislate to make them be shown if you have the rights. Putting something on at midnight isn;t in keeping with suggesting it has value for the community to see.

Good to see tier A will have to be broadcast live or offered to others, presumambly SOO and GF will be in that tier?

I don't see the problem with putting stuff on digital, what's the % of households without access to digital channels these days?

 

[El Diablo]

SOO will be Tier B

 

[Perth Red]

damn!

 

[El Diablo]

damn!

http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/asse...The-Future-Anti-siphoning-List-26-11-2010.pdf

 

[chigurh]

The Nine Network, the current rights holder, is in the box seat to win the contract that runs from next year to 2017. But Seven and Ten are considering bids.

:?

 

[El Diablo]

i presume it just means since they have first and last rights options it gives them an edge

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/med...ir-on-television/story-e6frg996-1226307313061

Conroy to have direct say on which football matches air on television

by: DAVID CROWE, NATIONAL AFFAIRS EDITOR
From: The Australian
March 22, 2012 2:32PM

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Stephen Conroy will have a direct say on the football matches shown live on TV each week under reforms unveiled on Thursday that give him wide discretion on sports broadcasting rights.

Senator Conroy will be able to "declare" the number of AFL and NRL matches that must be shown on free-to-air TV networks each week, in some cases stipulating regional areas that must see their home teams on the local TV station.

The minister's discretion is a central feature of contentious reforms that were introduced into the Senate on Thursday and are set to be debated by an upper house committee that will hold public hearings to check the plans with community views.

Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment and the Ten Network are anxious to preserve their favoured treatment under current laws that give them the first right to bid for major sporting events.

Foxtel has argued for many years against the existing regime on the grounds that it limits the pay-TV operator from bidding for major sports, cutting the value of the rights held by sporting groups like the AFL and NRL.

As revealed in The Australian in recent days, the amendments to the anti-siphoning regime increase the number of events that Foxtel and others could bid for, a step that could increase the amount of sport shown on the pay-TV network.

But free-to-air networks would still have the right to lodge the first bids for major events such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Australian Open, the AFL, the NRL and the cricket.

The list of important sporting events, known as the anti-siphoning list, will be split into two groups known as Tier A and Tier B.

The top-tier events must be shown on a free-to-air network's primary channel but the second-tier events can be shown on the secondary digital channels such as Go, One and Seven Two.

In total, the number of events reserved for free-to-air TV is likely to be cut by about 300.

While the football grand finals are expected to be in the Tier A of the list, most weekly matches will be in the second tier with some shown on free-to-air networks and some on pay-TV.

The communications minister will hold the power to decide the events that go into a "quota group" of three NRL games and five AFL games that will be shown on free-to-air TV in each round of the football competition.

The minister could also set the conditions that apply to the broadcasters, such as where they show a game.

"In the case of the AFL, for example, the minister could specify associated set conditions for the television license areas in Western Australia regarding the mastches involving the West Coast Eagles or Fremantle Dockers," Senator Conroy said in the speech introducing the bill.

"Matches involving those clubs would need to be included in the quota number in these license areas and therefore could not be exclusively acquired by a subscription television broadcaster."

In the same way, the minister could make sure a "showpiece" match between Melbourne AFL clubs on Anzac Day would have to be shown on free-to-air TV across Victoria.