TV Sport Regulation

Foxtel CEO Kim Williams spoke at the Network Insights Conference yesterday (Nov 19) at the University of Technology, Sydney. Some of the key points he made included commentary on the ABC and ending the sports rights “rort”.

Digital economy and the ABC:

“Foxtel has been the digital television innovator and if there is public money for worthwhile new Australian content… we’re more than happy to commission new programs on a contestable basis with the ABC and others.

“And let us remember that while the ABC is a much loved institution and at its best a good broadcaster, Aunty is not Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. The ABC does not have a monopoly on wisdom or commitment to Australian content.

“Unlimited bandwidth, the profusion of new distribution platforms and new channels increasingly call into question one of the traditional rationales for funding the ABC – namely that the market has failed to provide key programming.”

Anti-siphoning list – “It’s time to end the rort.

“On the Anti-siphoning list, the ACCC has found it ‘reduces competition’, potentially ‘reduces the amount of sport on television’, ‘imposes costs on the codes’, means ‘less revenue for the codes’ and is ‘more burdensome than is necessary’.

“The remedy is to shorten the list and include a 'use it or lose it' scheme in legislation where events not broadcast by the old networks would come off the list and sports lovers would be better able to see them (the old networks traditionally do not broadcast 77% of events on the 1,300 long anti-siphoning list).

“Everyone but the free to air networks agree, its time to end the rort and shorten the list.”