7 September 2010

AFL and Prime TV in Canberra - The Angst Continues

| MrMagoo
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Regulars will know I have posted before on this issue which often raises my own personal ire but again I wonder why Prime TV bothers with AFL Broadcasting at all???

Friday promised at least an 8.30pm timeslot and sure as the sun went down I flicked on to one of the 4 Prime options afforded us on Digital to find….. The Vicar of Dibley. Now I’m sure a fine show and funny to boot, but not the qualifying Final between two AFL powerhouse teams in Geelong and St Kilda.

Do they even care? Prime’s glib response in the past has been well it doesn’t rate. Well of course it doesn’t at 9.30 on a Friday night! What does??

Here’s hoping that the 8.30 timeslot proffered in the guide this week comes true. No breathe holding though.

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Kerryhemsley3:29 pm 13 Sep 10

vg said :

“I think the RL people should also find something better to do, instead of posting their ignorant code vs code comments.”

Talk me through this comment. Can’t see a single comment like that in this thread, but I’ll give you one just to make you feel better.

AFL is ghey

Flame away

Small shorts , biceps on show, no tickers

While I’m a big fan of the AFL, it saddens me that games arent being shown. I’m amazed that no one yet has pushed the issue of having all the Sydney games televised, no matter who they are playing. I for one would much rather watch two teams from the top 8 go at it than see Sydney play Richmond or West Coast. As for those who keep going on about how good foxtel is, there needs to be a better option. No doubt the coverage of the sport is quite good, but for $88 a month, I’d want it to be. As someone who only really has time to watch on weekends, I cant justifiy paying over $20 a week just to see a couple of games, and I am sure a lot of people feel the same, particularly as Prime is supposed to be showing the games. What ever happened to the 4 or 5 games a week that was shown when I was young?

“I think the RL people should also find something better to do, instead of posting their ignorant code vs code comments.”

Talk me through this comment. Can’t see a single comment like that in this thread, but I’ll give you one just to make you feel better.

AFL is ghey

Flame away

It’s all very simple. If you want better coverage you have to pay for it.

On Fox Sports, for NRL or AFL fans, there is either a game or a show about the game on at prime time every night of the week. And as a bonus you get to watch the games ad free. I don’t know how I’m going to survive watching the GFs with ads after every goal.

If foxtel doubled the cost I reckon I’d still pay it.

Nothing has changed for this week either, still 9.30pm.

I emailed Prime about the issue, but of course they choose not to respond.

I think the RL people should also find something better to do, instead of posting their ignorant code vs code comments.

John Moulis said :

Unfortunately you can’t really blame Prime for this. The anti-siphoning laws state that protected sports such as the AFL must be shown on the main free-to-air channel, not on one of the digital channels. So Prime serving rugby-leaning regional NSW has to juggle a Melbourne-based sport with Channel Seven shows which top the ratings in Sydney and Brisbane. No prizes for guessing what takes priority. Conroy refused to change the law early in the Rudd government’s term in the mistaken belief that only the rich (ie: Liberal supporters) had digital TV.

Does the anti-siphoning (what a f%^ked up term) legislation take into account the new digital channels that are around now?
Is this simply a case of the law lagging behind technology?

Didn’t we JUST have this conversation?

http://the-riotact.com/?p=27247

MrMagoo said :

ohpiem said :

Get Fox Sports – AFL live on Main Event Ch518 every Friday night into the ACT region (not even Melbourne viewers get it live – they get 30 min delay on Seven and Fox are not allowed to go up against them in that market).

Plus you will get to see most Raiders games live as WIN doesn’t seem to want to support its local team during the regular H&A season. Amused me to see them jump on the bandwagon last week when they made the finals.

Ohpiem they only picked up teh game live after WIN TV (basedin Wollongong) was literally bombarded with calls to air it live. They had planned to show the Titans/Tigers but public pressure worked on them.. Perhaps the same pressure shoudl be exerted on Prime.

I don’t think the 10 phonecalls they would receive from local fans would cut it.

ohpiem said :

Get Fox Sports – AFL live on Main Event Ch518 every Friday night into the ACT region (not even Melbourne viewers get it live – they get 30 min delay on Seven and Fox are not allowed to go up against them in that market).

Plus you will get to see most Raiders games live as WIN doesn’t seem to want to support its local team during the regular H&A season. Amused me to see them jump on the bandwagon last week when they made the finals.

Ohpiem they only picked up teh game live after WIN TV (basedin Wollongong) was literally bombarded with calls to air it live. They had planned to show the Titans/Tigers but public pressure worked on them.. Perhaps the same pressure shoudl be exerted on Prime.

Get Fox Sports – AFL live on Main Event Ch518 every Friday night into the ACT region (not even Melbourne viewers get it live – they get 30 min delay on Seven and Fox are not allowed to go up against them in that market).

Plus you will get to see most Raiders games live as WIN doesn’t seem to want to support its local team during the regular H&A season. Amused me to see them jump on the bandwagon last week when they made the finals.

Also, Channel Seven has to make agreements on Prime’s behalf (with the AFL mob), when things can be aired. For example, Gold Coast get AFL early, followed closley by Vic, followed by selected NSW markets, followed by everyone else.

As someone who worked in Prime’s on air presentation dept, it’s a bloody mess (on Friday night, 5 people are required just to switch AFL to all the different markets – normally only 3 people plus a supervisor on), and they try and make it more complicated each year. From a presentation coordinators perspective, we’d love to just switch it out to everyone at the same time, would make life a lot easier…

gospeedygo said :

“You just lost us the game…You just lost us the game. Do you understand that?”

Imagine if the ump turned around to Mooney and said ‘actually the clown who gave away the free lost you the game’

“You just lost us the game…You just lost us the game. Do you understand that?”

Unfortunately you can’t really blame Prime for this. The anti-siphoning laws state that protected sports such as the AFL must be shown on the main free-to-air channel, not on one of the digital channels. So Prime serving rugby-leaning regional NSW has to juggle a Melbourne-based sport with Channel Seven shows which top the ratings in Sydney and Brisbane. No prizes for guessing what takes priority. Conroy refused to change the law early in the Rudd government’s term in the mistaken belief that only the rich (ie: Liberal supporters) had digital TV.

Growling Ferret4:20 pm 07 Sep 10

Watch the league, then get up early Saturday morning and watch the AFL replay on 7-2.

Or convince Mrs Magoo that Foxtel is a very good thing and necessary for your eternal happiness.

What you can also blame is the stupidity of the anti-syphoning laws that prevents Prime from showing the game live on one of its alternative digital (70, 71, 72, 73) channels if they are not showing it on their ‘prime’ channel.

Since the Prime management locally, in their infinite wisdom, continue to make this kind of decision, minds need to be changed locally.
Know how ya do it?
Watch the shows during that timeslot. Take note of all the ads in the period.
Then, you start writing letters to the companies that advertise in those timeslots, telling them you’ll be boycotting them for supporting a decision you disapprove of. Or visit the businesses, and inform the proprietors personally.
Don’t use form letters.
Get as many of your friends as possible to do this.

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