Anti-Siphoning legislation change... what it means for rugby union fans

[TOCC]

Im actually surprised nothing has been posted yet... Ok, so depending whichever way you look at this, it is largely good news for Australian Rugby fans as a whole, mainly for those outside of the Rugby heartlands.

The new legislation sees the introduction of a 2 tier system to allow for the new digital multi-channeling, as below:
Tier A is described as "nationally iconic events"(NRL GF, AFL GF, Melbourne Cup etc)
Tier B is described as "regionally iconic and nationally significant events"(Olympics, NRL/AFL Rd matches etc)

So for Rugby in Australia this is a break down of of tiers:
Tier A: Rugby World Cup Grand Final
Tier B: RWC(All QF's and SF's as well as any pool matchin involving Australia) and every other Test match(tri-nations etc) involving Australia, played in Australia, NZ, SA or as part of the ‘spring tour’.

FTA broadcast requirements per tier: Tier A: These events would be required to be shown first on a free-to-air broadcaster’s main channel
Tier B: Free-to-air broadcasters may premier on a free-to-air multi-channel.

To sum it up, RWC GF will be live nationally on the main channel, all Wallaby matches and RWC finals matches will be live nationally on either the main channel or the multi channel(assuming a broadcaster picks up matches).

There is a slight allowance to delay events marginally depending on news broadasts or overlapping events.

 

[TOCC]

http://www.dbcde.gov.au/television/...television_review_of_the_antisiphoning_scheme

 

[disco]

Yeah it's good news for Rugby fans who get very little on free to air television, hopefully Ch Ten/One HD will be showing some super rugby ast some stage also.

 

[MrTimms]

the truly terrible thing about this is none of the FTA broadcasters HD channels are their primary channels, so you end up with stupid situations like Bathurst being live in SD and I dream of Genie and Knightrider in all their scaled up HD glory.

I know Channel 7 has the right to play Bathurst on both, but...

 

[troxler]

Sounds good to me, living in regional W.A. and not having pay TV, means im happy with more coverage of rugby on free to air.

 

[TOCC]

its not approved yet, should pass through parliment early next year

 

[RugbyReg]

sorry, but there will be no difference to Australia right?

Test matches will just be shunted to the digital channels.

They were always on free to air anyway. As it stands, I can't record digital channels with my DVR so I am actually, to speak personally, worse off.

Better get a job and then foxtel.

 

[TOCC]

No not all the test matches will be pushed onto the digital chanels, for us QLDers it will probably stay the same, some of the lower rating test matches(fiji etc) might get pushed onto the digital channel, buts its safe to assume that the tri-nations and major inbound tests will stay on the main channel, its at the discresion of the broadcaster as to which channel its broadcast on.


The biggest impact will be in the regions outside of QLD and NSW where they will be able to watch the Wallabies live on the alternate digital channel

 

[MrMouse]

Yeah mate, how much S14? How many pool games involving other nations? How much bullshit?

I'm with Reg, rugby fans don't get anything out of this.

I disagree about employment and/or foxtel. I refuse to pay dammit! And Newstart just wouldn't cover it anyway...

 

[MrMouse]

The biggest impact will be in the regions outside of QLD and NSW where they will be able to watch the Wallabies live on the alternate digital channel

Ok you post-hopped me so I hadn't seen this. I accept that a few rugby fans will be happy - the few in regional areas with sufficient reception for digital - but for the "mainstream" rugby fan nothing changes.

 

[RugbyReg]

The biggest impact will be in the regions outside of QLD and NSW where they will be able to watch the Wallabies live on the alternate digital channel

I'm not so sure. It doesn't say anything (that I could see) about HAVING to show it live. It just says it frees it up to play it live IF THEY CHOOSE TO.

 

[cyclopath]

I'm not so sure. It doesn't say anything (that I could see) about HAVING to show it live. It just says it frees it up to play it live IF THEY CHOOSE TO.

That was what I thought too, Reg.

 

[TOCC]

I'm not so sure. It doesn't say anything (that I could see) about HAVING to show it live. It just says it frees it up to play it live IF THEY CHOOSE TO.

Yeah i was wrong on that...basically

Tier A events must be shown live and in full. Events on Tier B must
also be shown in full, and commence within four hours.

However, as i said earlier, this wont impact on QLD and NSW, technically the FTA broadcasters arent required to broadcast any of the test matches live in these states currently, the only reason they do is due to Foxtel, if they delayed it they would lose ratings to Foxtel.

 

[TOCC]

Ok you post-hopped me so I hadn't seen this. I accept that a few rugby fans will be happy - the few in regional areas with sufficient reception for digital - but for the "mainstream" rugby fan nothing changes.

thats why i said "depending which way you look at it", for QLD and NSW fans, nothing will really change, the only real difference might be that during the RWC Channel 9 will be able to broadcast pool matches(not involving Aus) on there digital multi channel, which they were previously unable to do.

 

[Slim 293]

Now that Channel 9 have the rugby rights they will just continue to do what Channel 7 did with test matches... delayed games...

Channel 9 is also dumping Wimbeldon to compete for AFL rights from 2012... while I have doubts they will acquire it (as Channel 7 is killing them and have a lot more money to burn) they have the upper hand as they don't have to submit a bid until AFTER Channel 7 present theirs...

NRL will always comes first to them, but AFL will take up just as much time if they are awarded it and rugby will get less treatment than what Channel 7 gave it...

I do wish Ten/OneHD had got the rugby rights... but who knows if OneHD will last if the rumours circulating around the TV industry are true...

 

[RugbyFuture]

yeh i can concede this will help rugby fans not in canberra, NSW and QLD, but it does sound like the wallabies are gonna get shunted to the back of programming schedules and onto GO! and the oh so popular GEM (even though thats in high def, doesnt make a difference to me)

 

[Slim 293]

yeh i can concede this will help rugby fans not in canberra, NSW and QLD, but it does sound like the wallabies are gonna get shunted to the back of programming schedules and onto GO! and the oh so popular GEM (even though thats in high def, doesnt make a difference to me)

I don't care what channel it's shown on as long as it's live.

Wallaby tests and NRL are delayed until after midnight outside of NSW/ACT and Queensland for family flicks.

Why would Ch9 choose to show a Bledisloe live when they don't even give their flagship sport that respect?

 

[RugbyFuture]

also just reading up on it all, it states that all rugby matches including australia not being played in or against SA, NZ and the spring tour don't have to be played, so will there be an amendment when argentina join the Quad Nations?

 

[sevenpointdropgoal]

I'd have thought it wouldn't mean much at all. As fans of a sport that has a (perhaps undeserved) reputation for old-money elitism, I'd have thought we could afford our own petrol.

 

[TOCC]

yeh i can concede this will help rugby fans not in canberra, NSW and QLD, but it does sound like the wallabies are gonna get shunted to the back of programming schedules and onto GO! and the oh so popular GEM (even though thats in high def, doesnt make a difference to me)

The content is what dictates a channels popularity...