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Senator Jackie Lambie has criticized the federal government potential changes to anti-siphoning laws which could threaten access to free sport for millions of Australians.
The Communications (Publicity and Anti-Siphoning) Amendment Bill 2023 currently prevents streaming services such as Amazon, Apple and Disney from buying exclusive “broadcast rights” to major sporting events including AFL, NRL and the Olympics .
However, the government is currently considering a new bill that would guarantee free access to sports only for Australians with over-the-air television.
Digital rights will be up for grabs, meaning those who don’t own over-the-air TV but prefer to watch their favorite sports on free video-on-demand services including 7plus, 9Now and 10Play will be left out.
Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, Lambie said the government’s proposed changes represented a “big problem” and all Australians had the right to “see what’s free”.
“We are already seeing this with Amazon buying exclusive rights to ICC cricket tournaments, including the next Cricket World Cup,” she said.
“You don’t need a subscription to watch Australian sport! Is the government really suggesting you have to get paid to watch Australian sport?’
Lambie said the bill should require free broadcast and digital streaming rights to be offered to a broadcaster before a sporting event can be acquired by a company such as Netflix or Amazon.
“The bill stops subscription services such as Amazon, Apple and Disney from buying exclusive broadcast rights, but does not ensure free-to-air coverage is available for the growing number of Australians who rely on the internet for free-to-air TV,” she said.
The visibility aspect of the new bill, which is supposed to ensure that consumers can easily find and access free video-on-demand apps on smart TVs, has also been questioned.
If the bill is passed in its current form, smart TV manufacturers will have to meet minimum exposure requirements for new devices brought to the Australian market, making free streaming services such as ABC iview, SBS, 7plus and 9Now easier to find.
In a joint statement, the bosses of free-to-air networks Seven, Nine and Ten called on the government to apply the rules retroactively.
“The industry … wants the government to apply the prominence framework to TVs already on the market,” they said.
The networks have also launched a new advertising campaign – Free Sport is on the Line – to lobby the federal government to reverse its proposed changes to the bill.
Seven West Media managing director and chief executive Geoff Howard said the government needed to do more to recognize the changing way Australians watch television.
“She needs to recognize that the way people watch sport is changing and extend the anti-ripping regime amendments to include free streaming,” Howard said.
“(The issue) is very simple, the bill only guarantees free sport to Australians who have an aerial. This does not guarantee that people will get free sports if they choose to stream it over the Internet.
“No aerial will mean no access to free sport… the clock is ticking as people increasingly use the internet to watch sport they will have to pay unless the government acts now.”
More information can be found at The Free TV Australia website is free for everyone.
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