It’s all political, CTV’s whole premise is broadcast, it can’t exist solely online, it’s audiences are often older or from diverse cultural backgrounds. It wants to stay on FTA but needs to play along I guess, but their goal should be harnessing this community support and finding a way to remain on FTA long term.
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Four years ago, C31 used to have an iPhone/Android app where you can watch the channel live (it was chromecast compatible so you can cast it to your TV) and watch selected programmes on demand. Then three years ago after they got a last minute reprieve, their hosting company that powered their app and website got taken over by another company which did not want C31 as a customer. So the app was decommissioned and C31 ended up with the 1990s relic website they have today. There is a live stream but on my connection it buffers and sound cuts out frequently. Three years since then, and they have done absolutely nothing on converting to online. No attempts to reactivate their app and update their website. Had it not been for the hosting company takeover, C31 would have been in a better position, they would have continued transmitting programmes on their app even if their UHF TV signal was switched off.
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So the priority is to update the C31 website and reactivate the app. The $120,000 grant will come in handy.
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If I was running C31, I wouldn’t try going it alone to shift completely online as they simply don’t have the resources or funding to continue this long term.
Why not try and jump on board with one of the existing networks BVOD and live stream players, maybe someone like SBS on Demand or even 7Plus considering they’ve got various different channels live streaming other than just their terrestrial channels.
The value proposition for the host network would have to be there to facilitate adding another live stream, and I have no idea about the intricacies of how it would work but it makes sense for them to try and piggyback off another network then go it alone.
Just my two cents.
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Using the 7Plus example, such an idea would give Seven some programs they can air on their multichannels. Indeed, 7mate currently airs some of the programs which are shown on the Outback Channel and Fuel TV 7Plus streams
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I do think they should try and get on board iView somehow or something like that. Have a “channel” they curate and they could still broadcast live on it as well as all VOD.
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Channels on Fetch would be a good start.
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Reply from Paul Fletcher’s (Communications Minister) office to my email in regard to keeping community television on air in Melbourne
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I have little reason to doubt that both stations have given those assurances to the government.
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You can do that and still campaign for more time, it’s been done before
A very late reply too…
The government has had 6 years of trying to shut down community TV to come up with a use for that spectrum. Crickets…
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A final 12-month extension
The year is 2035, the Australian Government marks the 20th anniversary of the now annual CTV Licence Extension by granting another 12-month licence extension. Nobody knows why this tradition started or why it keeps going, but if it ain’t broke…
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Nice to see you got a reply. Mine must have got lost in the mail
I love how they say that they “continue to examine the potential options for using the vacated broadcast spectrum”.
How long do they need? This goes back to 2014. Actually it goes back to the 1990s where they found… that the spectrum should be used by community TV.
And, just putting it out there, why is community TV which the government doesn’t fund, not a potential option?
And given that none of the other channels that have gone off-air have sustained any form of existence, does that mean perhaps that the Government’s touted policy is flawed?
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There doesnt seem to be a plan beyond freeing up the spectrum - given the time that is taken to do this in other areas, committing to a future use is somewhat futile, the process takes too long to be completed.
One reason (and not one I necessarily agree with) is that the use of spectrum for the digital broadcasting of a single service isnt a particularly efficient use. I wouldn’t expect the commercial sector being amenable to an expansion of services and as we know, commercial interests trump decisions based on good planning
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Actually the Australian Government DOES fund C31, through its saturation advertising on the channel, every ad break has at least one ad for the Australian Government!
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Different budgets. Not the same as ‘funding’
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