The Australian Government is expected to reform the current Anti-siphoning law which protects major sporting events from being hijacked by pay TV providers such as FOXTEL. A typical scenario could mean that two or three blockbuster matches from every round of Australian NRL and AFL football codes become exclusive to pay TV only.
Sporting events like the Melbourne Cup, Olympic Games and World Cup Football (Soccer) have always been shown on free-to-air television as they are protected by the current anti-siphoning laws. Any change to this law could see major matches like the AFL’s Collingwood v Essendon Anzac Day clash lost to FOXTEL . They would join the likes of A-League (Australian Soccer League) which is entirely exclusive to FOXTEL.
“If you’re a footy nut, you probably want to get Foxtel. There’s going to be five games on there and sooner or later your team will be on there,” McGuire said on Triple M.
Any change to this law that would witness the loss of such sporting events and would outrage many considering only 30% of Australia’s population has FOXTEL pay TV. Then again, when contracts like the AFL-TV Network deal, which is expected to be in excess of $1 billion for the 2012-16 package, are done with a huge golden handshake, it’s no wonder the laws may change.
People like Eddie McGuire (President of the peoples’ AFL club – Collingwood) should know that Australia has been built on the back of major sporting events and codes. And it’s these very people, the average supporter and punter (the remaining 70% of the public) who made Australian Sport what it is today, and who may not be able to afford pay TV, will be the ones being robbed from the very foundation they helped to make .
What do you say about that Eddie?
Read more at the Herald Sun – Get used to paying to watch AFL games on TV, says Eddie McGuire
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