I could be wrong but my understanding is that areas where there is one license for all three or 2 licences and 1 JV and a network decides not to run a service, the other networks could step in. I understand its cost prohibitive, hence why it is 1 license or 2 license area but it is possible. So each network, 7, 9 and 10 or WIN, etc could each run their own signal at their own cost. So, 10 could have turned the lights back on at Mildura. Seven could run Griffith.
seems to be a lot of negativity against WIN, but what about SWM. Based upon what they did in WA on print costs for AFR, maybe SWM wanted a higher share of revenue going forward?
I reckon WIN is demanding free Seven affiliation in these areas. That being as WIN do not insert local content, including paid local ad breaks for well over a year now. No doubt WIN argue no cut of the local ad revenue is available to pay for affiliation. Knowing WIN, they are possibly also demanding Seven pay for the costs of the transmitter too! Seven should call their bluff and not get railroaded by Nine’s largest shareholder.
As I have banged on for years, these outdated TV1 licence areas as relied on by the likes of WIN should have been abolished long ago. As they have done no service to regional viewers especially. All three commercial networks should have nationwide licences same as ABC and SBS. Regional TV operators need to get out of the way and be extinguished, well passed their used by date by skimming off the top of their metro partners. Prime and Southern Cross did the right thing, time WIN did the same. At this rate WIN will get their way and only transmit Nine programming in those regions where it has a monopoly. It really is time the Federal Govt stepped in and did some substantive change and not tinker at the edges as they have done for several decades now.
Can it be done following a review into the current regional TV1 licence system? Now that the Albanese government has been returned for a second term, this should be high on the agenda of the new Communications Minister Anika Wells.
As the rules stand, WIN pretty much have Seven over a barrel here given that they own all 3 allocated licences in the region (and have no obligation to allow anyone else to enter these markets)).
As such, they can pretty much name their price and it’s up to Seven as to whether 100% nationwide affiliate coverage is more important than getting some form of affiliation revenue from these areas.
This may also be a power play as well, even if Seven offer to accept any terms that WIN put forward, WIN may well still (as a major Nine shareholder) decide there is greater benefit in using their position to block Seven from being broadcast at all in these areas to reduce competition to their main Nine signal and also to impair Seven’s ability to claim nationwide coverage.
It is also possible that 10 might face the same fate in these areas too (especially now that WIN have no major relationship with 10 since the sale of NRN)- this might be less likely however given that 10 is likely to be seen as less of a ‘threat’ to WIN’s Nine viewership.
I think you’re looking too much into it, this is nothing more than a cost issue. As costs continue to edge up they need to find savings to offset them.
WIN are very welcome to hand the S38A licences it holds back to ACMA with ACMA being able to call for expressions of interest for those licences so as TEN and SEVEN can have those allocated to them so as to aid nationwide coverage to the likes of the AFL and CA. Not sure if ACMA has done that in Mildura yet? Don’t be surprised if SEVEN come to an arrangement with SBS to carry AFL and Cricket into those regions to bypass the WIN monopoly situation. a cost SEVEN would cop to stymie WIN.
The question is though (and it’s not one I know the answer to)- are WIN obliged to hand these licences back?
My understanding is that technically they have already ceased broadcasting on the third licence in Mt Gambier and Griffith with 10 and 7 already sharing a multiplex to cut costs (and have not had to hand the licence back as far as I know).
Would dropping the 7 services completely actually affect anything from a legal standpoint as far as WIN is concerned?
That would not surprise me either, it’s about the only leverage Seven have here from what I can see.
There’s parts of me that does agree with you. But I believe these areas do deserve a better local services.
If I had my way, and heaven help all of us if that was the case, I’d actually combine east and west regional South Australia into one license area - GTS/BKN carrying Seven, SES/RTS carrying Nine, and a new licensee (either Ten direct or a JV of Seven and WIN). Griffith and Mildura getting absorbed into their larger state counterparts.
Your nationwide license (which ABC and SBS doesn’t really have - ABC is state based, and SBS has some state ads IIRC) is a good idea in some way and could be integrated into a new National Remote/Satellite Service. But you need to ensure they have access to some regional content, and access to their state ABC.
Where possible, some local commercial news would need to be included. Seven would have to continue the local news on Western services, and I’d make either Seven or WIN do local news on Central service The Eastern service, you’d probably have to get Seven or WIN to do something. As for Impaja, either they’re going to have to take Ten, or disappear completely, merge their remaining operations into NITV, and have Ten have a new license.
I wouldn’t be letting the networks out of their regional obligations completely. You want to broadcast into all of the regions. Fine - you have to serve them. You don’t like it - fuck off.
The two SA markets should absolutely be combined into one. But based on the small population I think the only way for it to feasible under the current system is to keep the entire thing as a monopoly market.
Remember, Central is dying as a two-operator market, WA and Tasmania are apparently not doing much better, and Mildura has already lost 10.
I seem to recall that back in late 2015 when WIN and Nine signed a 6 month affiliation deal literally right at the last minute (New Years Eve IIRC), there was talk about SBS broadcasting the remainder of the Test Cricket series if WIN went dark as it was in the broadcast contract that the cricket must be shown on FTA nationwide. I wonder if SBS will be called upon to do something similar with the AFL and Test Cricket with the lack of a 7 signal in these areas unless the contracts are different now?
What is required is for the Fed Govt to step in and abolish the steam train era TV1 licence régime so as the metro networks can broadcast nationwide without having to go through a 3rd party via the likes of WIN. And yes, I would mandate all areas of Australia, including Central carry local content obligations, even on 10 Central. The economics of regional television died when Aggregation commenced and have been on a death spiral ever since.
The last time I watched 10 Central, every ad break was filled with CSA’s. No actual advertising. This was about three years ago so it may have changed. The Hawke Government killed regional TV with aggregation. The supplementary licence idea would have guaranteed local content.
Exactly & now we are seeing none aggregated markets go from 3 TV services to only 2 (Excluding regional WA, Tas, Remote Central) but I guess It will only be a matter of time before a service ceases in these markets.