Why is it a bad thing?
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I donât see this as an issue, as long as it doesnât sprawl into a tonne of pre-installed bloat from other providers.
Should remain limited to our current FTA broadcasters.
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Iâd much prefer the FTA catch up aps than adverts
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Ticket clipping pure and simple
I much prefer to record programs on my PVR than use FTA catch up streaming services. You can fast forward through the ads!
But you just have to remember to record it first!
(albeit not every show on streaming is aired on free to air).
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Its weird how they make things available to stream and then broadcast later. SBS On Demand has the whole season but it only starts on SBS Thursday.
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Australians buy between 1.5 million and 1.8 million TVs every year, according to the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (CESA), which represents brands like Samsung, Sony, LG and Panasonic.
In a submission to the government review, CESA says imposing rules on TV manufacturers would have unintended consequences that would make brands think twice about the products they sell in Australia.
âIt would generate significant costs for reconfiguring TVs here⌠this would also likely result in a much smaller range of TVs available to Australian consumers,â CESA wrote.
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Free TV calls for balance in streaming quota debate
Free TV Australia today called for a balanced approach to the imposition of streaming quotas, responding to comments by Bryan Brown AM in his address to the National Press Club.
Bridget Fair, CEO of Free TV Australia said, âWe agree that Australians love Australian stories, which is why we invest $1.5 billion every year in Australian content. But if the Government is going to impose content quotas on streaming services, it needs to carefully consider the impact this will have on the Australian public who rely on free services from our local broadcasters.
âThe Australian screen sector is booming. With independent data from Screen Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing that there is more production in this country right now than ever before, the Government needs to be very clear on what problem it is trying to solve.
âSimply adding fuel to an already raging fire of cost escalation in the production sector will have a significant impact on the ability of Australian broadcasters to continue to deliver the Australian programming that our community relies on.
Recently released ABS figures show that over the past 5 years:
⢠There has been a 60% increase in production businesses created and an 83% increase in employment in the production sector - more than 12,000 jobs.
⢠Massive growth in production costs by over 130% - including a 143% increase in labour costs and a doubling of rent, leasing and hiring expenses.
âUltimately it is Australian viewers who will miss out if the skyrocketing costs of production mean that only giant subscription services can afford to buy high quality local content and Australians are forced to pay to watch it.This is confirmed by recent research conducted by ACCAN showing 57% of Australians on lower incomes experience difficulty paying for home broadband services, let alone multiple streaming services and research by Seven West Media showing that 91% of Australians would not be willing to pay more for Australian content and 81% said they would be âvery disappointedâ or âdisappointedâ if free to air content moved behind a pay wall. [1]
âFree TV broadcasters produce 25,000 hours of Australian content every year delivering trusted news, live and free sport, Australian drama and entertainment and coverage of national disasters and breaking news.
âAnd we provide this content free, to all Australians. 92% of Australians watch commercial television every month. With cost-of-living pressures mounting and growing concerns around the role of social media and digital platforms in our community, we need a strong local media sector more than ever.â
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Has anyone else lost channel 10 altogether on their set top box? Ten HD will work but the standard one is no signal.
No problems in Brisbane
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Ok, im in Sydney I might just have to retune?
Probably your box?
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There shouldnât need to be a showdown. The government should just do it and not waste anyoneâs time.
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Australiaâs free-to-air television networks unite to call for urgent action to ensure Australians can access free local content services
Senior TV executives from the ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine and Ten are in Canberra over the next two days to demonstrate how urgent action is needed to ensure Australians can find free local TV services on their televisions.
Greg Hywood, Free TV Chair, said, âFree local TV services remain vital for millions of Australians. Our programming entertains, informs with trusted news and critical emergency updates, and excites with the unmatched theatre of live and free sport.
âBut Australians are finding it increasingly hard to find these free local services on modern TV sets. TV manufacturers are seeking to profit by selling exclusive access to the key positions on the home screens and on remote controls. This means global subscription services like Netflix and Amazon are given preference on home screens and remotes, while local TV services are forced to pay to even be available on TVs.
âThis might be a great deal for TV manufacturers, but itâs a terrible deal for Australians who just want to get their trusted local news services, watch the Matildas smash the opposition or sit back and enjoy the thousands of hours of great local entertainment and drama programming, all available for free to every Australian,â Mr Hywood said.
Bridget Fair, Free TV CEO said, âThe good news for Australian viewers is that a key election commitment of the Albanese Government was to legislate a new prominence framework that would ensure that free local TV services are easy for Australians to find.
âThis plan is widely supported in the community, with independent RMIT research showing that 57% of Australians want free local TV services pre-installed on TVs,â Ms Fair said.
ABC Managing Director, David Anderson said: âAustralians need to be able to easily access free local content; it is important to all of us as a nation. Manufacturers of Smart TVs need to distribute them locally as FTA access ready. Australians are increasingly missing out.
âThatâs why the whole local TV industry has come together in Canberra this week to build support across the Parliament and reinforce how critical it is that action is needed now,â Mr Anderson said.
The simple solution is for new rules to be created that require that TV manufacturers:
- Include access to all TV channels provided by our free local networks
- Install all local TV apps in the first positions on home screens
- Offer free local TV content first in search results and recommendations
SBS Managing Director, James Taylor said: âTogether with our colleagues from the ABC, Seven, Nine and Ten, we are urging policymakers and industry stakeholders to work together to ensure that Australians can easily find and enjoy the content that tells Australian stories and strengthens our sense of community.
âOther countries have already taken significant steps to ensure the visibility and accessibility of their local TV service and we urge the Government to deliver on its commitment to do the same,â Mr Taylor said.
For more information and short video on how to make free local TV services easy for all Australians to find, visit freetv.com.au
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Donât Let Big Tech Take Your Free Away
Free TV Australia has today launched a new campaign aimed at highlighting the challenge with finding free local television services on connected TVs.
Global deals between TV manufacturers and international streaming giants have given global subscription services the most prominent positions on home screens and remote controls, while local TV services are difficult or sometimes impossible to find.
The campaign, âDonât Let Big Tech Take Your Free Awayâ, will include TV ads on all commercial free-to-air television networks and will highlight the importance of the Federal Government introducing legislation to ensure people can easily find their local free TV channels.
Free TV channels are asking the Federal Government to introduce new laws that require manufacturers to provide free of charge:
- Access to all TV channels provided by Australiaâs free local networks,
- Installation of all local TV apps in the first positions on home screens, and
- Free local TV content first in search results and recommendations.
Free TV Australia CEO, Bridget Fair, said the campaign aims to increase exposure to this issue, particularly given increasing cost of living challenges faced by all Australians.
âFree local TV services bring our communities together â it doesnât matter where we live, or how much we earn, free TV entertains, informs and unites all Australians,â said Ms Fair.
âFree local TV services are there for Australians when the chips are down. They bring us together for our greatest sporting moments, provide trusted news and current affairs and keep us safe with critical emergency warnings and updates in times of crisis. They also provide thousands of hours of Australian drama, documentary and entertainment programming watched by millions every single day.
âBut these local TV services are disappearing before our eyes. The TV manufacturers are now demanding free local TV services pay large amounts â up to 30 per cent of their revenue â to even be included on their screens or in the app store. That money would come directly out of Australian content.â
Ms Fair said that would mean it would be increasingly difficult to find free to air channels on TVs going forward.
âPay TV providers want you to pay. They want you to pay for content that is often available free on free to air channels and their free corresponding apps. This might be a great deal for TV manufacturers, but itâs a terrible deal for Australians who just want to get their trusted local news services, cheer on their footy team or sit back and enjoy the thousands of hours of great local entertainment and drama programming, all available for free to every Australian,â she said.
âClaims by some pay TV providers that the Government is trying to control your viewing or limit search results are utterly misleading. This whole issue is about putting the viewer in full control, not being served up incomplete viewing choices based on who has paid the most money to be in the line-up.
âFree TV has never sought a prominence framework that locks in apps on the home screen. Viewers should be given a full choice of all services available to them, both free and paid, and then be able to choose which ones they want to watch. That is what a prominence framework will do â give the consumer the choice,â said Ms Fair.
To protect Australian stories and the services that make them and to continue experiencing moments like the Matildasâ stunning FIFA Womenâs World Cup campaign, Ms Fair said the Government needs to protect Australiansâ ability to find them.
Further information is available at freeforeveryone.com.au
ASTRAâs response to the Free TV campaign 
Prominence legislation: Donât let the government control your TV
The Australian Government has committed to legislating a prominence framework which will determine how TV applications and/or content will appear on Australian TVs and what content appears first in search.
Foxtel commissioned research by YouGov* to see what Australians thought about this issue.
The overwhelming view of Australian consumers that they want to control the TVs they own and spend thousands of dollars on annually.
The research showed:
- When given the choice, 94% of Australians said they donât want the government controlling the order and layout of the apps on their TV.
- 73% of Australians want the ability to customise the order and layout of the apps on their TV themselves, followed by (21%) Australians who want manufacturers and service providers to do that for them.
- 80% of Australians believe the choice on what they watch should be their own.
- 1 in 2 Australians (50%) with a smart TV donât know how to change the layout and order of their apps.
- Australians on average spend up to $2000 on their Smart TVs every year in addition to the multiple streaming apps they subscribe to.
- Australians who pay to watch content want to decide where they watch it. 87% of those who pay for a streaming service agree if a sporting event is shown on both free and paid TV, they should have the right to choose which one they watch.
The research shows Australian consumers have spoken. Free TV services should be given presence via their primary FTA broadcast linear channels not their apps. Services should not be hidden from consumers or altered both in terms of app accessibility and in search. That control should sit with the Australian public who are paying for their devices and the services available on them. Overwhelmingly they have said they want this control.
ASTRA believes the policy objective is best met through a requirement to provide access to the primary FTA linear broadcast channels on connected TVs only. There is no need for double regulation of plug-in devices.
ASTRA encourages Australians to contact their local MP with their concerns. Download letter template here:
Prominence Regulation MP Letter
*Source Smart TV Study, conducted by YouGov, between August and Oct 2023. Sample of over 1000 Australians aged over 18 and nationally representative were surveyed. Frequent streamers are people who stream content 5+ days per week.
The first image was a full page ad in The Australian.
Have also seen this on social media - but it is a mock,
