Free TV Australia chairman Harold Mitchell has hit back at calls to cut the sports anti-siphoning list, warning such a move would be met by a voter backlash.
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has reportedly softened his position on rules that allow free-to-air broadcasters first refusal on major sports events, including the FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon.
The rules were introduced in 1992 to ensure free-to-air coverage of major sports events was made available to the public at a time pay TV subscriptions were rapidly growing. In recent times, opponents have argued the list is too exhaustive and now includes up to 1300 individual events.
Mitchell, an advertising industry stalwart, says the calls are being led by pay TV operators with a vested interest in relaxing the rules. The pay TV industry has previously proposed ring-fencing Australian competitions such as the AFL and NRL while removing global events from the anti-siphoning list, an idea that appears to have some gained traction in parliament.
“Millions of Australian sports fans are able to see a range of major sporting events because of the anti-siphoning rules. Any move to force them to pay to watch sports they currently see for free, risks a strong voter backlash,” Mitchell says.
“The anti-siphoning list consists of ten sports plus the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. It is misleading to talk about the list containing thirteen hundred events.”
Last year, sport's audiences on Free-to-air TV were up 11.7% in metro regions and 6.3% in regional areas compared to 2014.
Crosby|Textor research, commissioned by Free TV Australia and released last year, found 88% of respondents believe sporting events should be available to all Australians for free. About three-quarters of respondents disagree with the statement ‘no one would care if major Australian sports are only shown on pay TV’.
“It’s clear that the Australian public do not want to be forced to pay to watch their favourite sports on television,” Mitchell adds.
What's currently on the anti-siphoning list:
- Summer and Winter Olympic Games; Commonwealth Games.
- Football: FIFA world cup, Australian qualifiers and FA Cup final.
- Australian rules: All games of the AFL.
- Rugby league: All games of the NRL; State of Origin; Kangaroos test matches; RL world cup involving Australia.
- Rugby union: Rugby world cup games involving the Wallabies, plus quarter-finals onwards; Wallabies tests involving SANZAR teams and European opponents.
- Cricket: Cricket world cup games involving Australia plus semi-finals onwards; all home test matches, ODIs and T20s; The Ashes.
- Tennis: Australian Open, quarter-finals onwards in Wimbledon and US Open.
- Netball: Internationals involving Australia and the world cup.
- Golf: Australian Open; Australian Masters; US Open.
- Motorsport: Australian F1 and Motor GP; V8 Supercars Championship.
- Horseracing: Melbourne Cup.
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