“Channel 10 set to abandon entire state”
“Fears ‘entire state’ of Tasmania could lose access to Network 10”
“Network 10 wavers on turning off broadcast across swath of WA”
“Fears Channel 10 could be axed in TWO Australian states – after shutdown in major city caused outrage”
Headlines in the past week have arguably thrown 10 under the bus around the shutdown of Mildura Digital TV …and potentially Regional WA and even Tasmania.
Alarmist headlines may be great for generating traffic, but are they factually correct?
The short answer is no.
In all cases the broadcasters concerned are joint ventures, none of them owned by 10 which is the content supplier.
While the situation in regional areas is indeed concerning, there is also considerable politics at play together with some articles where a little knowledge is dangerous….
Mildura.
MDT joint venture was switched off last week, a decision which is understood to have been led by WIN Corporation. In a statement the board said, “the financial position is no longer tenable” and indicated it had been “running at a loss since its inception” in 2006.
TV Tonight understands the costs to upgrade ageing transmission equipment was too prohibitive and a major factor in the decision making.
10 was the content supplier only and had no say in the outcome, forced to recommend viewers turn to 10Play to continue watching favourite shows.
A belated decision by the government to allow VAST (which covers Eastern Australia and Remote Central Australia) access was deemed “not realistic” by Free TV Australia, given the $800 costs to households to install satellite dishes and set top boxes.
Regional WA
An AFR story last week correctly referred to a last minute reprieve for regional WA viewers thanks to government funding to West Digital TV, a joint venture operated by WIN / Seven. It operates WA Satco across regional WA (the western equivalent of VAST).
A satellite contract funding boost of some $500,000 a year was committed over a period of seven years.
But AFR’s headline “Network 10 wavers on turning off broadcast across swathe of WA” was somewhat misleading -again 10 is the content supplier to a broadcasting joint venture owned by others.
It’s also important to remember WA funding is ongoing, yet is no guarantee one of the joint venture owners could still decide it is no longer viable at any point.
Tasmania
Tasmanian Digital Television is owned by WIN / Southern Cross Austereo.
Interestingly a Southern Cross Austereo spokesperson went on the record last week telling Pulse, “TDT is profitable. There are no plans for TDT to shut down in the next three years. SCA is focused on audio and has considered various options for sale of its television assets in recent years.”
Was that a strategic statement to absolve them of any blame should a shutdown come to pass? Or was it a sales pitch talking up the very TV assets they are currently seeking to sell? Or both?
While SCA went on the record, WIN has not.
Free TV Australia
All Free to Air networks, via their advocacy body Free TV Australia, have lobbied the govt to “Abolish the outdated and unjustified spectrum tax.”
Free TV CEO, Bridget Fair said, “With content spend going up, and revenue going down, the costs of providing regional TV services across the wide Australian land mass are a serious concern—particularly when you consider the excessive spectrum tax they pay every year. The tax was introduced as a temporary measure in 2017 and should have been abandoned years ago.
“The solutions to keeping the lights on for regional TV are squarely in the hands and control of the Albanese Government.”
Network 10 Statement:
A Network 10 spokesperson said: “We strongly support the 4-step plan put forward by Free TV Australia and reiterate that the immediate survival of free-to-air television in regional Australia is now squarely in the hands of the Government.
“We remain bitterly disappointed that the people of Mildura won’t have the same access to all free-to-air broadcast channels as people living in cities.
“This is grossly unfair for those people but also for all regional Australians.
“With the ongoing cost of living crisis impacting every Australian, their access to the full array of broadcast free to air TV remains important as ever.
“We continue to call on the Federal Government to intervene and ensure that every Australian, no matter where they live or how much they earn, has the same access to all local free to air TV broadcast channels and the local content they love and enjoy such as vital news and emergency information, epic sports, comedies and entertainment.
“It’s also a reality check for the Federal Government who must listen and act now to update the impending prominence laws to ensure every connected TV in Australian homes today and in the future, has local free to air apps like 10 Play automatically downloaded and easily accessible on screens.”
links to content on ABC
TV Tonight
