TELEVISION BROADCASTING OF SPORTS – AUSTRALIA

Streaming lifts Foxtel’s sports subs to record

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 28-Feb-20

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany has defended the pay-TV group’s Kayo Sports streaming service, after its subscriber base declined in the December quarter. He argues that four of the five major sports in Australia end their seasons in September, so Kayo can expect to have fewer subscribers in a period when cricket is the only major sport. The media group’s sports subscriber base has risen to a record level when measured across its traditional broadcast, Foxtel Now and Kayo services.

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FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, FOXTEL NOW

Optus eyes more European football

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 24-Feb-20

Optus has ramped up its soccer coverage since gaining the local broadcasting rights to the English Premier League in 2015. The telco also has the rights to the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League, amongst others, and its Optus Sport streaming service now boasts some 825,000 active subscribers. Optus is also believed to be looking at gaining the rights to Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A; beIN Sports Australia’s existing rights deals are set to end in the next year or so.

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SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, OPTUS SPORT, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, BEIN SPORTS AUSTRALIA

Lions tour for next rugby TV deal scrum

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 17-Feb-20

Rugby Australia hopes to sign off on a new broadcasting rights deal by the end of April, with Foxtel, Optus and Network Ten understood to have signed non-disclosure agreements for the negotiating process. It is believed that Rugby Australia has secured the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour to help make its five-year rights deal more appealing to broadcasters; it had previously been reported that the deal would not include the tour. Rugby Australia’s new rights deal will include over 400 matches, including New South Wales and Queensland club rights.

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RUGBY AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

Optus in rugby maul as it chases new subscribers

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 14-Feb-20

Tender documents for Rugby Australia’s new five-year broadcasting rights deal will be sent to prospective bidders within days. Optus CEO Allen Lew says the telco would be interested in buying the rights, which would boost the offering of its sports streaming service. Optus Sports boasts some 825,000 active subscribers, making it the nation’s largest sports-focused streaming service. Foxtel has been Rugby Australia’s broadcast partner for 25 years, and some media reports have suggested that it will not seek to renew the rights.

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SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, OPTUS SPORTS, RUGBY AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Seven warning as rugby rights deal in balance

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 23 : 10-Feb-20

Super Rugby matches are exclusively shown on Foxtel under Rugby Australia’s current broadcasting deal. With Foxtel having chosen not to renew its deal, RA is believed to be want at least one Super Rugby match to be shown on free-to-air TV under its next rights deal. However, factors such as low ratings for rugby matches and a crowded sports schedule may deter interest from commercial networks. Meanwhile, Seven West Media CEO James Warburton says sporting bodies need to deliver "incremental revenue and growth opportunities" for their broadcast partners.

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RUGBY AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

Rugby blows its Fox Sports deal

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Original article by Jamie Pandaram
The Australian – Page: 32 : 6-Feb-20

Negotiations between Rugby Australia and Fox Sports for a new broadcasting rights deal have broken deal, with the pay-TV provider choosing not to renew the deal. The current five-year deal is worth $57m a year and is set to expire at the end of 2020. Rugby Australia is expected to seek a broadcasting rights deal with Optus; the Ten Network, which is Fox Sports’ broadcast partner, may continue to show some matches on free-to-air TV. Fox Sports has held the rugby broadcasting rights since 1996.

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FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RUGBY AUSTRALIA, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

Warning on coverage as Rugby Australia toys with Optus deal

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich, Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 15 : 23-Dec-19

Rugby Australia commenced talks with Optus regarding a broadcasting rights deal in November, after rejecting a ‘rollover’ agreement with incumbent broadcaster Foxtel. However, WPP AUNZ director John Steedman warns that a deal with Optus would be ‘disastrous’ for rugby due to the telco’s smaller audience. He also notes that advertisers would prefer a deal with a free-to-air or pay-TV network. Atomic 212 chairman Barry O’Brien agrees that rugby should be on free-to-air or pay-TV.

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RUGBY AUSTRALIA, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, WPP AUNZ LIMITED – WPP, ATOMIC 212, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Tennis Australia risked disaster if Ten won Open

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Original article by Liz Main
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 8-Nov-19

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission has launched legal action against former Tennis Australia board members Harold Mitchell and Stephen Healy. It alleges Mitchell went over the heads of other board members to ensure Seven secured a five-year deal in 2013 to cover the Australian Open, despite Network Ten putting in a competing offer, and it alleges Healy was complicit in the deal. Mitchell’s lawyer Neil Young QC suggested to former Tennis Australia executive Stephen Ayles during hearings on 7 November that if there was a risk that Ten could go into administration during the five years of a possible deal that it would be disastrous for Tennis Australia, to which Ayles agreed.

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AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, TENNIS AUSTRALIA, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

Melbourne Cup in turmoil as ratings and attendance plunge in 2019

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Media Update – Page: Online : 7-Nov-19

TV viewership of the Melbourne Cup has plunged in 2019, dropping by more than half-a-million viewers compared to 2018 (a drop of 28% in only one year) and down over 330,000 in Melbourne – the home of the race. In total 1.324 million Australians in the 5 Capital Cities tuned in to Network 10’s coverage of Australia’s most important horse race. Sydney viewing was down by over 100,000 and down by tens of thousands in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. As reported yesterday attendance at the Melbourne Cup was only 81,408, the lowest attendance for nearly a quarter of a century since 1995. In line with plunging attendance figures, TV viewership was down across the whole day including the Race, Presentation, Mounting Yard and other viewing segments. Attendance at the Melbourne Cup has now dropped for five years in a row and is a clear indicator of problems facing Australia’s Racing Industry which Roy Morgan shows has among the highest level of distrust of all sports.

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Tennis boss helped Seven win TV rights

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian – Page: 3 : 5-Nov-19

The Federal Court has commenced hearing a civil lawsuit against former Tennis Australia executives Harold Mitchell and Steve Healy. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission has made a number of allegations about the pair regarding the negotiations for a tennis broadcasting rights deal in 2012. Amongst other things, Mitchell is alleged to have provided the Seven Network with details of rival bids. The advertising industry veteran has denied the allegations.

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TENNIS AUSTRALIA, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION