Foxtel boss Kim Williams has weighed in on the war of words between the ABC and the subscription television industry, sparked earlier this month when the pay TV channel Sky News said public broadcasters should have to compete with the private sector for government money for new channels.
"The ABC sees itself as a solution to every content issue and editorial issue in Australia," Mr Williams said yesterday. "Well, who says? I don't accept that."
"The ABC is the one which is vigorous in its own defence, we make no apology for being vigorous in pushing forward our own case. Contestability is a good public principle in relation to content issues."
Sky News, which is shown on Foxtel and its regional counterpart Austar, argued that funding for a proposed new commercial-free children's channel or education channel should not automatically go to public broadcasters, but that there should be an open tender.
Sky intends to contest the ABC's $20 million contract next year to run the overseas TV station Broadcast Australia, which is airing throughout Asia for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The managing director of the ABC, Mark Scott, had fired back that the Government shouldn't "outsource its broadcasting diplomacy to Rupert Murdoch's media empire."
Mr Williams made his comments yesterday after addressing a subscription television industry conference with Austar's chief executive, John Porter.
Both claimed that pay TV would prove resilient in the economic crisis as people went out less and looked for entertainment at home, with viewing levels up 10 per cent from a year earlier.
They also lashed out at the free-to-air broadcasters over their new digital channels. Network Ten will launch a digital sports channel next week, with Channels Seven and Nine following suit with their own new digital channels later this year.
Free-to-air TV will ultimately offer 15 channels in total, including those of the ABC and SBS.
Mr Williams accused the networks of making "false claims" advertising 15 new channels, arguing a dozen of those existed already and were on air.
Seeking to increase its market penetration beyond 30 per cent of Australian households, subscription TV is desperately pushing for changes to the anti-siphoning list, which gives free-to-air broadcasters exclusive rights to more than 1300 sporting events for their main channels.
While the communications minister, Stephen Conroy, has indicated he wants to prevent the free-to-air networks from hoarding events they don't broadcast through a "use it or lose it rule," the industry fears he may amend the list to let free-to-air show big ticket events on their new digital channels, weakening the appeal of subscription TV.
"We have to increase our level of lobbying, public relations and enlisting participation of stakeholders in this debate," Mr Porter said. "If we don't do that, we could get steamrolled."
Mr Williams said that pay TV and the football codes had to coordinate their lobbying "in a much more reliable fashion." Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd, which holds 25 per cent of Foxtel and 50 per cent of Fox Sports, also part-owns the NRL.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Foxtel
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Monday, March 23, 2009
Online Bingo TV
Online bingo websites spent over £7million on TV advertising in 2008 according to Nielsen Media Research.
With more than 230 different online bingo sites in the UK, the competition for players’ hearts and minds has become more intense and this trend is borne out by more than £7m spent during 2008.
Leading the spending in 2008 was Foxy Bingo with more than £2.25m spent on TV advertising. The second largest spend was on the new launch of Tombola during 2008, with a spend of £1.75m. Only these two sites spent more than £1m on TV advertising.
Two other sites spent more than £500k; Think Bingo spent more than £750k and Party Bingo spent in excess of £640k. In the £400k+ bracket were Crown Bingo (£427k) and Jackpot Joy (£414k), while the Daily Mail’s 2008 launch of Coffee Break Bingo was backed by a £330k TV campaign. One other bingo site (Littlewoods Bingo) spent more than £100k on TV advertising, spending £193k.
The full list of TV advertisers is completed by seven more online bingo sites which between them spent a further £300,000.
The exact spends according to Nielsen Media Research are as follows;
Foxy Bingo - £2,255,128
Tombola - £1,746,989
Think Bingo - £786,311
Party Bingo - £641,053
Crown Bingo - £427,275
Jackpot Joy - £414,217
Mail Online - £336,786
Littlewoods - £193,925
Bingos - £98,947
Bingo Scotland - £63,370
Love Bingo - £52,070
32 Red Bingo - £39,663
Bingo Palace - £37,435
ScotBingo - £8,390
Mikes Bingo - £4,725
Total £7,106,284
Media Man Australia Profiles
Advertising
Television
Bingo
Online Bingo
Bingo News
Online Casino News
With more than 230 different online bingo sites in the UK, the competition for players’ hearts and minds has become more intense and this trend is borne out by more than £7m spent during 2008.
Leading the spending in 2008 was Foxy Bingo with more than £2.25m spent on TV advertising. The second largest spend was on the new launch of Tombola during 2008, with a spend of £1.75m. Only these two sites spent more than £1m on TV advertising.
Two other sites spent more than £500k; Think Bingo spent more than £750k and Party Bingo spent in excess of £640k. In the £400k+ bracket were Crown Bingo (£427k) and Jackpot Joy (£414k), while the Daily Mail’s 2008 launch of Coffee Break Bingo was backed by a £330k TV campaign. One other bingo site (Littlewoods Bingo) spent more than £100k on TV advertising, spending £193k.
The full list of TV advertisers is completed by seven more online bingo sites which between them spent a further £300,000.
The exact spends according to Nielsen Media Research are as follows;
Foxy Bingo - £2,255,128
Tombola - £1,746,989
Think Bingo - £786,311
Party Bingo - £641,053
Crown Bingo - £427,275
Jackpot Joy - £414,217
Mail Online - £336,786
Littlewoods - £193,925
Bingos - £98,947
Bingo Scotland - £63,370
Love Bingo - £52,070
32 Red Bingo - £39,663
Bingo Palace - £37,435
ScotBingo - £8,390
Mikes Bingo - £4,725
Total £7,106,284
Media Man Australia Profiles
Advertising
Television
Bingo
Online Bingo
Bingo News
Online Casino News
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Poker, d'oh - Fairfax - 17th March 2009
Making money in commercial TV is always a bit of a gamble. Especially for a network whose parent company is playing Russian roulette with its bankers. So good luck to Ten's Nick Falloon. Talk is he's replacing Big Brother not with just a cooking show but a new reality concept: live poker. And we were looking forward to repeats of The Simpsons.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
Network Ten
Reality TV
Poker News
Television
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker
Network Ten
Reality TV
Poker News
Television
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