The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found sports streaming service Kayo contravened gambling advertising rules by showing gambling advertisements during the May 2022 Fremantle V Collingwood AFL match.
Gambling ads must not be streamed during live sport events between 5am and 8.30pm, including the five minutes before and after the event.
The ACMA investigation found gambling promotions were streamed on the Kayo service within 5 minutes before play commenced and during scheduled breaks.
ACMA Chair Nerida OâLoughlin said audiences expect streaming platforms to show live sports in accordance with the rules.
âStreaming services need to comply with the rules in the same way traditional television broadcasters do,â she said.
âGambling advertising during live sport is a major concern for Australians. Families want to watch live sport without needing to worry that children may come to think of gambling as a part of the game.â
During the course of the ACMAâs investigation, Kayo implemented live production testing and technical enhancements to the processes and software it uses to schedule advertising. Kayo will also have senior management review and sign off on future system changes that may affect the streaming platformâs compliance with the rules.
The ACMA has issued Kayo with a formal warning for contravening the gambling advertising rules.
That assumes that the subscriber-to-viewer rate is simply 1:1 and canât really be considered in isolation from Foxtelâs sports subscriber numbers.
There are 9.3m households in Australia - thats probably a more accurate comparison
Many also will die without funding that comes from subscription-driven broadcasters/streamers (whether it be Foxtel or Paramount or Stan or anyone else) - Iâm sure all sports would like greater free coverage, but the reality is that it doesnât deliver the money that the sports want and there is only limited capacity.
No. You canât pirate live sport in the same way you can pirate the shows on Binge. Yes, I am aware there are ways to get Fox Sports illegally, but weâre not going there.
IMO a significant Kayo problem, both personally and from many comments online, is its quality (streaming performance and user interface to name a couple) vs its cost & cost increases, as well as comparing it to Foxtel proper (broadcast cbl/sat) and services globally. Wouldnât be surprised if many, especially post-COVID and current cost of living/inflation, have cancelled or upgraded to Foxtel proper (either new or returning) or opted for alternatives (pubs/family/friend/FTA if available/radio/or just abandoned viewing such altogether).
This is a problem for the sportâs administrators, not the broadcasters.
Most professional sports in this country live in pretty precarious financial circumstances - the AFL is probably the one that bucks this trend, but thatâs on the back of the decision to build VFL Park and actually own assets that can be used for security on loans or to sell if the situation gets dire. Its taken Rugby League until last year to do something similar.
Its hard for these sports to build a warchest on the back of increasing media revenue because most have competitor pay agreements that are tied to revenue