Perhaps they were hoping they could sign with Seven? Not going to happen now of course.
2 Likes
I reckon that was the plan
2 Likes
What is SCA going to do now that nothing have happened yet in the last 2 years? Would they have to sign a 5 year agreement with ten then?
Either sign an agreement or go it alone and source programming elsewhere. The length doesn’t really matter as was mentioned. The 2 years was in the hope of getting the 7 one when the Prime/7 deal ran out but with 7 announcing their intention to fully buy Prime a couple of months after that, it put that plan to bed and with WIN and Nine sewn up and talk that will go further by the end of the agreement then that leaves SCA with not much to choose from. Seven for Tas, SA and NT, a couple of small pockets with Nine and then Ten for the majority.
If they had been prepared to split their stations I think they could have sold off the Seven affiliated stations to 7 and maybe tried to flog the others off at a loss then it’s someone else’s problem.
3 Likes
SCA has said they wouldn’t sell the TV stations until the price is right for them to do so. But would SCA have been better or worse off if they had sold some of the stations to the 7 network and the others to 9 and 10?
1 Like
Why would News Corp buy into a dying medium of entertainment?
The regional affiliates merging with the networks will be the only way for them to survive in today’s climate. Now that Seven has tipped the first domino, it’ll be interesting to see television when the affiliation renewals come up in 2028.
5 Likes
A proposal to merge SCA stations with the ten network cannot be ruled out, But I doubt that both ten network and SCA will be willing to consider a merger.
1 Like
Regional TV in the past has changed ownership on a market by market basis: SCA’s 10 affiliated stations would not be able to be given away let alone sold but its Tassie market may be of interest to 7 and probably nobody else. The Port Pirie and Broken Hill solus markets might be of interest to someone as they are still a monopoly there.
If Capital City 10 ever went broke there is still a chance WIN would buy the licences which would leave 9 in need of a regional station.
I feel sorry for all the TV workers in places like Launceston, Townsville and Coffs that have been left out of a job over the years. Recently staff in Port Pirie have also been left out of work too.
3 Likes
Could WIN be interested in those areas similar to the other SA regional areas?
In relation to workers losing jobs, also Canberra and regional Victoria particularly Bendigo and Gippsland is included in the areas where people have lost their jobs as wall
2 Likes
Add to those locations Toowoomba, Rocky, Ballarat, Orange, Tamworth, and Bunbury where WIN and Prime shutdown and regional TV is not a good story - probably a thousand plus previously steady jobs lost out of those towns. Canberra is the only place where they would have picked up replacement jobs relatively easily.
2 Likes
Correct. Same as how all the metro Sevens are set up legally for tax/accounting purposes, they are all affiliates of 7NOL.
Spot on!
Nothing stopping WIN being a dual Nine/Ten affiliate in current SCA Ten markets thereby leaving SCA on their own to source independent content. And or the more likely scenario of a WIN owned TEN having SCA TEN markets as affiliates. Being TEN currently owns no regional markets unlike 7 and 9 who do, there would be no requirement to divest a license for a company breaching the one TV license to a market rule in aggregated and metro markets. This would still be a headache for ACMA as there would still be arguments about who has effective editorial control in WIN markets of two licenses, the direct WIN ones and the SCA ones sourcing content from a WIN owned TEN. The sooner the regional affiliates are swallowed up by a metro partner as was the case with the Prime taken over by Seven, the better for all concerned including viewers. How much bloody longer do WIN viewers have to put up with WIN delaying the rollout of 9GEM-HD? If NEC directly owned WIN market stations, they would have upgraded 9GEM to HD ages ago.
2 Likes
Why wouldn’t it?
4 Likes
i think there was some discussion a while back that SCA’s deal with Ten expires on 30 June, though realistically, where else are SCA and Ten going to go? Seven is stitched up, and Nine/WIN is locked in for a few more years.
7 Likes
I very much expect that SCA will sign a extended contract with ten in the near future or it may already have.
1 Like
They may not even have a deal by 30 June, there is precedent for a monthly rolling contract between the parties up till such time as a proper deal can be finalised.
Edit: Although an article today suggests a deal is indeed imminent:
3 Likes
Extension confirmed today for six months pending a longer deal which will look at further integration of Sales functions.
1 Like