Support easy access to free TV before your favourite shows go behind a wall of content you need to pay for.
Free local TV services bring our communities together. Regardless of where we live, or how much we earn, free-to-air TV entertains, informs and unites all Australians.
Free local local TV services provided by all commercial networks support our democracy with trusted news and current affairs. They keep us safe with critical emergency warnings and updates. And they provide thousands of hours of great entertainment, Australian drama and live and free sport.
But these local TV services are disappearing before our eyes.
Australians should be able to easily find free-to-air services
On some TVs it’s almost impossible to find free local TV services and content. Global deals between TV manufacturers and international streaming giants give them exclusive access to the prominent positions on home screens and on remote controls.
Large payments are demanded from free local TV services to even be included on their screens or in the app store. This takes away choice for Australians and makes news about their city, updates on their footy team and local entertainment all but invisible.
This might be a great deal for TV manufacturers, but it’s a terrible deal for Australians who just want to get their trusted local news services, cheer on their footy team or sit back and enjoy the thousands of hours of great local entertainment and drama programming, all available for free to every Australian.
Australians should always have access to free iconic sports no matter how they get their free TV
Australians have always had access to free iconic sports like the Olympics, AFL, NRL, and cricket. The anti-siphoning rules are laws that stop pay TV providers from buying sports rights until they have been acquired by a free-to-air broadcaster. The current anti-siphoning rules only apply to TV you watch using an aerial.
The Government is proposing new laws to stop subscription streaming services like Amazon, Apple and Disney from buying exclusive terrestrial broadcast rights. However they don’t guarantee the availability of free coverage for the increasing number of Australians who rely on the internet for their free TV.
Global streamers are buying up sporting rights—for example, last year Amazon bought exclusive Australian cricket rights for all ICC matches. If we don’t extend the rules, Australians will have to pay to watch the sports they currently get for free. The laws should be extended to make sure that Australians get free sport no matter how they get their free TV.
So what’s the solution?
New rules should require that manufacturers provide free of charge:
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Access to all TV channels provided by our free local networks
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Installation of all local TV apps in the first positions on home screens
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Free local TV content first in search results and recommendations
