Easy fix for me in the Riverland when WIN cans channel 7, still have a VAST satellite box that I can use. It might not be the S.A feed of 7 but it’ll do
Do you have a smart TV with 7plus?
I live firmly in Adelaide but don’t have a roof aerial. The little indoor aerial turns my gears to the point I usually give up and live stream anyway
I use 7Plus and the others on my bedroom TV
Griffith is something like 65% NRL / 35% AFL - that is only my personal take.
Wagga Wagga is more like 55% NRL / 45% AFL - again, personal take on local sentiments.
Will still get NRL and 10 and 9 News for free.
Thats interesting I thought the further west you went the more AFL took over, I played a few games against Hay in the old Kerang and District Football league (now Golden Rivers), talking to local always had the feeling that AFL was more popular but at an Aussie Rules game I guess they are always going to say that. The other NSW teams in the league Moulamein and Wakool where certainly AFL
Definitely political spin doctoring from BOTH sides. Im hoping that if an agreement cant be reached events like AFL Grand Final goes to SBS. I would love to see SBS try and twist Sevens arm and be able to feed the AFL coverage in other regions as a simultaneous coverage or even screened as a delayed replay that night right across Australia instead of live into those areas not serviced.
Another small update on the WIN website, they have removed the reference to “representing 7” in Riverland/Mount Gambier and Griffith, re advertising
given how infrequently they make updates to their website… sounds like no deal is a done deal!
Wild shower thought, but could WIN be angling for Seven to acquire the monopoly stations in Griffith and Mount Gambier/Riverland? “If you don’t like what we’re doing, then buy the stations from us!”
Seven are already acquiring the Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill monopoly as part of the SCA deal, so the last two monopolies would complete Seven’s nationwide TV ownership. As a bonus, it would bring all regional SA stations under common ownership for the first time and restore noodle updates.
It will be a sensible move for 7 to buy the 7 network channels from WIN in those areas but what happens to the ten network channels then?
Under current legislation, ownership of the Seven, Nine and 10 licences in the monopoly areas are tied together, so Seven would be purchasing all three if they wanted those areas.
Will this mean that Seven West Media will pull the Nine and Ten digital channels in Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill once they get the keys to that region?
I think others have suggested that the monopoly can be “broken up” and other licencees can buy part, e.g. the Seven channels only, but I can’t particularly see WIN being willing to lose its monopoly and introduce a rival competitor into the market when it’s so small as it is and there is no compelling reason for them to do so.
There is that risk, yeah. If WIN can get away with it, Seven can too. Unless it changes, they could also decide the fate of DDT, CDT and TDT as Seven will be inheriting the operations side of those JV’s from SCA. Seven did nothing to save MDT.
This would be the main roadblock to changing the status quo in any of the monopoly or joint venture markets.
If the joint ventures are struggling in areas with greater populations, the smaller markets in SA and Griffith would have no chance if their monopolies were broken up.
ACMA 2023 populations:
- Regional/Remote WA = 625k (joint venture)
- Tasmania = 554k (JV)
- Central = 408k (JV)
- Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill = 135k (monopoly)
- Darwin = 141k (JV)
- Mount Gambier/Riverland = 108k (monopoly)
- Mildura = 68k (defunct JV)
- Griffith = 66k (monopoly)
I may be confused by the conversation but:
- Seven have not acquired Griffith as part of the SCA deal. WIN controls all three licences
- If WIN gives up one licence (as they have with Seven) then Seven can apply to ACMA to acquire the single licence. However, this is unlikely given it would run it at a loss
@aarontvcentral Correct on both counts
My reading of the situation is the opposite.
The licenses in those regions are created by the S38A and S38B rules, but once the S38A is allocated it becomes a 2 channel market, thus eligible for the S38B third license, which in turn makes it a 3 channel market.
Once the license exists, it has no relationship to the original parent, other than for the purposes of Section 73/A and granting the exemption from the 1 channel rule.
The perhaps relevant thing is indeed precisely because Seven could purchase it - WIN could potentially argue in court that their dealings with regard to affiliation payments are precisely to push WIN into a situation of handing back the license such that Seven could buy it (or force them into a sale).
–
In terms of competition - Seven’s the only network that could be profitable/break even in regional SA, it’s only WIN’s affiliation with the wider Nine network that has them not embracing that.
Ads during Crows and Power games are probably the only valuable inventory that there is, you could run the operation on just being able to sell that, and potentially push WIN out of the market.
Dare I say it, could the local council, with state government support operate a 7WM service?? Even if its just the main TX at Loxton…