Antisiphoning list

Television Sports Broadcasting Rights
1

Discussion of anti-siphoning list and potential changes

###Current list

Olympic Games

1.1 Each event held as part of the Summer Olympic Games, including the Opening Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony.

1.2 Each event held as part of the Winter Olympic Games, including the Opening Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony.

Commonwealth Games

2.1 Each event held as part of the Commonwealth Games, including the Opening Ceremony and the Closing ceremony.

Horse Racing

3.1 Each running of the Melbourne Cup organised by the Victoria Racing Club.

Australian Rules Football

4.1 Each match in the Australian Football League Premiership competition, including the Finals Series.

Rugby League Football

5.1 Each match in the National Rugby League Premiership competition, including the Finals Series.

5.2 Each match in the National Rugby League State of Origin Series.

5.3 Each international rugby league “test” match involving the senior Australian representative team, played in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom.

5.4 Each match of the Rugby League World Cup involving the senior Australian representative team.

Rugby Union Football

6.1 Each international “test” match involving the senior Australian representative team selected by the Australian Rugby Union, played in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or Europe.

6.2 Each match in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final of the Rugby World Cup tournament.

6.3 Each match of the Rugby World Cup tournament involving the senior Australian representative team selected by the Australian Rugby Union.

Cricket

7.1 Each “test” match involving the senior Australian representative team selected by Cricket Australia played in Australia.

7.2 Each “test” match between the senior Australian representative team selected by Cricket Australia and the senior English representative team, played in Australia or the United Kingdom.

7.3 Each one day cricket match involving the senior Australian representative team selected by Cricket Australia played in Australia.

7.4 Each Twenty20 cricket match involving the senior Australian representative team selected by Cricket Australia played in Australia.

7.5 Each match in the semi-finals and the final of the International Cricket Council One Day International World Cup.

7.6 Each match of the International Cricket Council One Day International World Cup involving the senior Australian representative team selected by Cricket Australia.

7.7 The final of the International Cricket Council Twenty20 World Cup.

7.8 Each match of the International Cricket Council Twenty20 World Cup involving the senior Australian representative team selected by Cricket Australia.

Soccer

8.1 The English Football Association Cup final.

8.2 Each match of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup tournament.

8.3 Each match in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup Qualification tournament involving the senior Australian representative team selected by the Football Federation Australia.

Tennis

9.1 Each match in the Australian Open tennis tournament.

9.2 Each match in the men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of the Wimbledon (the Lawn Tennis Championships) tournament.
9.3 Each match in the men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of the United States Open tennis tournament.

9.4 Each match in each tie of the International Tennis Federation Davis Cup World Group tennis tournament involving an Australian representative team.

Netball

10.1 Each international netball match involving the senior Australian representative team selected by the All Australian Netball Association, played in Australia or New Zealand.

10.2 The semi-final of the Netball World Championships if it involves the senior Australian representative team selected by the All Australian Netball Association.

10.3 The final of the Netball World Championships if it involves the senior Australian representative team selected by the All Australian Netball Association.

Golf

11.1 Each round of the Australian Masters tournament, played as part of the Professional Golfers Association Tour of Australasia.

11.2 Each round of the Australian Open tournament, played as part of the Professional Golfers Association Tour of Australasia.

11.3 Each round of the United States Masters tournament, played as part of the Professional Golfers Association Tour.

Motor Sports

12.1 Each race in the FĂ©dĂ©ration Internationale de l’Automobile Formula 1 World Championship (Grand Prix) held in Australia.

12.2 Each race in the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Moto GP held in Australia.

12.3 Each race in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including the Bathurst 1000.

Source

2 Likes
2

The Australian carries a report today suggesting that there may be changes made to the anti-siphoning list.

Mitch Fifield eyes sports rights shake-up

Part of the report states:

It’s understood Senator Fifield is planning to introduce the change in a package of parliamentary reforms before the budget on the second Tuesday of May.

But Senator Fifield will only ­include the change if he can win crossbench and Labor Party ­support after recognising there are ­issues with a long list of overseas-based sports events and matches ring-fenced for the free-to-air networks.

Pay-TV operator Foxtel recently made a politically pragmatic move by proposing a reduction in the number of international events on the anti-­siphoning list, while leaving top-tier codes like the AFL and NRL untouched.

While there was resistance to the idea of removing the The Bledisloe Cup rugby there is a rising ­belief the list is too long — it numbers up to 1300 individual events and matches.

Any move to remove international fixtures would see the FIFA World Cup, major golf tournaments like the US Masters, some international rugby union tests and the Wimbledon, French and US tennis Championships come off the list.

3

Free TV Australia’s response to the media reports

AUSTRALIANS WANT THEIR SPORTS LIVE AND FREE

Free TV Australia has today rejected the latest calls from pay TV to undermine the anti-siphoning rules which ensure that all Australians are able to view major sporting events for free regardless of where they live and their capacity to pay.

Free TV Chairman Harold Mitchell said, “It’s a case of here we go again as pay TV attempts to force Australians to pay for sports they currently see for free.

“Millions of Australian sports fans are able to see a range of major sporting events because of the antisiphoning rules. Any move to force them to pay to watch sports they currently see for free, risks a strong voter backlash.

“The antisiphoning list consists of ten sports plus the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. It is misleading to talk about the list containing thirteen hundred events.

“Free TV broadcasters show everything we acquire and you only have to look at television over summer to see there is more sport live and free than ever before,” said Mr. Mitchell.

Audiences for sport on Free TV in 2015 are up 11.7 percent in metro and 6.3 percent in regional areas, year-on-year.*
Research conducted by Crosby|Textor last year found that 88% of respondents believe sporting events should be available to all Australians for free.

Critically, the research also found that free access to sporting programs is very important to Australians with 76% of people disagreeing with the statement that ‘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,” Mr. Mitchell said.

“And Free TV will continue to defend the rights of viewers to watch their favourite sport for free,” Mr. Mitchell concluded.

  • Source: OzTAM and Regional, 5 cap cities, 6 aggregated markets, consolidated data from 1 January to 31 December 2015 v 2014.
4

Is nine airing these in March then?

5

The rights expired last year. It is open to the market

6

Obviously nobody wants them

7

This has come up in a few articles re ICC World T20 broadcast rights

Why can’t they still get an exemption? It’s pretty much a guarantee the exemption will be granted and not a lengthy process

8

No changes to the anti-siphoning list as yet. Current anti-siphoning list to stay until at least 2021

You can see the full anti-siphoning list here: https://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2010L03383

Events they should add onto the anti-siphoning list

  • Bathurst 12 Hour
  • Each event of The Championships at Randwick
  • FFA Cup Final
  • A-League Finals series
  • A-League Grand Final
  • Each match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup
  • Every match played by the Matildas (Australian national women’s football team)
9

You should be taking away events from the A-S list, not adding them!

Bathurst 12 hour? Please
no-one cares. The FFA Cup wouldn’t work without pay TV.

The fact the FA Cup still sits on there shows how dated it is. While I’m a supporter of the free-market, if you’re going to have a list, make it relevant to a broadcasting and sporting industry in 2016, not 1986.

1 Like
10

Don’t you like the Socceroos? :slightly_smiling:

If they ever add more Soccer events on the anti-siphoning list, surely the Socceroos should come first.

11

Should be added to the list. Both the Men’s (Socceroos) and Women’s (Matildas) international friendlies and World Cup qualifiers.

More football (soccer) events should be on the list.

12

The problem is the anti-siphoning list is unlikely to ever be amended in a significant way due to the tightrope governments would have to play. Add events and FOXTEL/News Corp will complain about the list being too restrictive and long. On the other hand, remove events and the FTA networks will logically start a campaign saying the government is trying to put sport behind a paywall

1 Like
13

To keep things slightly fairer to FOXTEL, the communications minister should stop giving FTA networks so many main channel exemptions. Far too many are given out.

FTA networks would not secure the rights to some events if they knew it would have to air on the main channel.

14

4.1 Each match in the Australian Football League Premiership competition, including the Finals Series.
5.1 Each match in the National Rugby League Premiership competition, including the Finals Series.
If that’s the case why aren’t ALL the matches on free TV, they should have a programme similar to the BBC’s “Match of the Day” (EPL soccer) with highlights and analysis of all games.

9.3 Each match in the men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of the United States Open tennis tournament.
The US Open has not been shown on any free to air TV network in Australia for the past three years! Due to the time difference between New York and Australia the networks are not interested in the US Open.

10.1 Each international netball match involving the senior Australian representative team selected by the All Australian Netball Association, played in Australia or New Zealand.
I don’t remember seeing any Australian Diamonds netball matches on Ten or One apart from a couple shown late at night delayed.

12.3 Each race in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including the Bathurst 1000.
And only selected V8 Supercar races are now shown on Ten, the rest are exclusively on Fox Sports!

1 Like
15

12.3 is a lie. Each race is shown from the V8 Championship on Ten/One
10.1 I remember seeing matches last year on One and live not delayed late at night. They were scheduled to air NZ matches but pulled it.

1 Like
16

Sure. But cut down the list to events that have no place being on FTA in 2016.

17

Rubbish. It would be archaic and stupid to place main channel restrictions on events.

18

Only Clipsal, Townsville, Sandown, Bathurst and Sydney is shown on Ten. This should be removed. The others are on highlights basis.

19

Archaic yes, but some would argue the whole anti-siphoning system itself is archaic. What happens if Netflix or Apple decide to pursue sports rights? Foxtel wouldnt 't stand a chance and would want their own anti-siphoning laws to combat Apple.

It’s suppose to be a fair system for both FTA and Foxtel. The FTA main channel stipulation was partly for the benefit of Foxtel.

I doubt Nine would havebought the rights to The Ashes in England if the had to broadcast it on the main channel. Now in 2019 we’ll be forced to watch it in shitty SD on 9Gem.

20

And the Gold Coast 600