Disaster For Aussies- Future Of Afl In Doubt

[softgeorge]

To all those who love Australian Rules football not only in Thailand but across Asia.

The Future of AFL telecasts to Asia on Australia Network.

The ABC's current management rights expire at the end of August and the winner of the next 10 year tender, is yet to be announced by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade. According to AusNet's CEO, Bruce Dover, "DFAT has indicated in the associated tender documents that in any case in the future, sports programming on the channel should be limited, as 'much of the Sports [football] historically shown appeal more to the expatriate community rather than the target audience.' Consequently, sports programming - be it NRL, rugby, AFL or V8 Supercars - will be significantly restricted on the channel after August 2011."

Objections should be emailed to;

1. The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard at http://www.pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm

2. The Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, at [email protected]

3. The Australian Embassy Jakarta at [email protected]

4. Please action and circulate.

[PaulHamon]

awesome get it off the telly.

[Blinky Bill]

I'd like to encourage more people to join this league...........Click here

[chooka]

I think the Dept of Foriegn Affairs should keep thier nose out of television broadcasting. If the Australian Network did not have the expat audience then there would be no network. Expats aren't thier target audience well I really can't see to many Thais turning of thier soaps and tuning into the Australian network to watch Australian soaps. Apart from the news and sports programs the rest of the programing is simply old rubbish.

[Blinky Bill]

Choose any of the above

[chooka]

Choose any of the above

It's the old saying if you don't like then don't watch it. Plenty of Thai soaps to watch. From what I read DFAT wants to restrict all sports not just AFL even V8 Supercars so if you are a motor racing buff then say goodbye to this also.

[saintofsilence]

Sports should not be touched especially Aussie Rules as this is the only Australian channel to watch for Aussies overseas including service people , goverment workers , volunteers of various associations and people away on holidays most Australians love sport and this would be very disapointing if Australian rules is taken off or restricted.

Personally I think it will continue as it is also a great promotion for tourism being australia's No 1 sport and the PM is a strong supporter of Aussies Rules also.

If anything there should be more games covered every weekend and a few old programmes removed.

[bdenner]

Gillard and Rudd do not give a toss about Aussie expats working and/or living abroad. And for Rudd to TELL us that the Australia Network is there to promote Aussie culture ie. the 13th repeat of Sons and Daughters, in South East Asia and not to entertain expats is utter bullshlt.

Isn't any wonder I live here in Thailand and away from the shlt-heads running our country.

[chooka]

Sports should not be touched especially Aussie Rules as this is the only Australian channel to watch for Aussies overseas including service people , goverment workers , volunteers of various associations and people away on holidays most Australians love sport and this would be very disapointing if Australian rules is taken off or restricted.

Personally I think it will continue as it is also a great promotion for tourism being australia's No 1 sport and the PM is a strong supporter of Aussies Rules also.

If anything there should be more games covered every weekend and a few old programmes removed.

I think the AFL will have a say in it.

[metisdead]

Rather than close this topic, have moved it to the Sports, Hobbies & Activities forum.

[Yuu_CM]

Fellas, if it drops out it's no big deal. In fact, you'll be better off because you'll then have access to www.liveafl.tv

You'll actually be better off.... liveafltv is currently blocked in Thailand as the Aus network has the rights. If they give up those rights, you'll get the liveafltv site and be able to watch every game live + post game shows + news shows etc.

I'm not much of an AFL man, I'm a hard core rugby league man and I was just like you last season when the Aus network dropped it's NRL coverage.............i.e. I thought the sky was falling in losing my 2 live games a week / only coverage.

Instead, I now get every game LIVE.............a million times better and it's not expensive.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Yuu_CM

[ozsamurai]

AFL?? Its all gone to the dogs since they stoppped VFL......I'd rather watch SBS content anyway than that rubbish. Having said that,,,, Carn The Blues!!

Oz

[saintofsilence]

Fellas, if it drops out it's no big deal. In fact, you'll be better off because you'll then have access to www.liveafl.tv

You'll actually be better off.... liveafltv is currently blocked in Thailand as the Aus network has the rights. If they give up those rights, you'll get the liveafltv site and be able to watch every game live + post game shows + news shows etc.

I'm not much of an AFL man, I'm a hard core rugby league man and I was just like you last season when the Aus network dropped it's NRL coverage.............i.e. I thought the sky was falling in losing my 2 live games a week / only coverage.

Instead, I now get every game LIVE.............a million times better and it's not expensive.

I would much prefer to watch it on TV due to the internet being unreliable and there are quite a few other programmes that are good like The Cook and the Chef

[bdenner]

Fellas, if it drops out it's no big deal. In fact, you'll be better off because you'll then have access to www.liveafl.tv

Maybe OK in the big smoke but we out here in the rice paddies are at least 15 years away from any sort of broad band connection looking at the way the Thais are expediting the 3G rollout.

[chooka]

Fellas, if it drops out it's no big deal. In fact, you'll be better off because you'll then have access to www.liveafl.tv

Maybe OK in the big smoke but we out here in the rice paddies are at least 15 years away from any sort of broad band connection looking at the way the Thais are expediting the 3G rollout.

Then you have all the aussie bars and sports bars that cater for expats and tourists who show the AFL to get customers in.

[machans88]

Fellas, if it drops out it's no big deal. In fact, you'll be better off because you'll then have access to www.liveafl.tv

You'll actually be better off.... liveafltv is currently blocked in Thailand as the Aus network has the rights. If they give up those rights, you'll get the liveafltv site and be able to watch every game live + post game shows + news shows etc.

I'm not much of an AFL man, I'm a hard core rugby league man and I was just like you last season when the Aus network dropped it's NRL coverage.............i.e. I thought the sky was falling in losing my 2 live games a week / only coverage.

Instead, I now get every game LIVE.............a million times better and it's not expensive.

I agree,i have a very weak wifi connection,but i can livestream every nrl game via livenrl.com,for 500bht a month i watch evey game including state of origin and test matches,if the afl provide this service to thailand,then it will be a better coverage

[gkinbkk]

Agreed, its not a disaster. Many people cant get the Australia Network here anyway.

For an Australian channel which should be representative of the entire Australian population its been failing more and more as the years go by..... it may as well be called the Victoria Network. DFAT taking over the programming, well good luck to them.Its actually costing taxpayers more money as they lost the majority of their revenue stream when they gave up Rugby Union. Full of lefty propaganda...in summary good riddance!

liveNRL.tv has been a god send to me.....we actually get MORE live games now here than in Australia. The quality of the streaming is pretty good and with the exception of this past weekend when they had 'technical issues' its been totally worth the money.

AFL fans, you should be writing to KRudd demanding they cease AFL on Australia Network sooner rather than later so you can have access to liveAFL.tv ......its much better.

[bdenner]

Fellas, if it drops out it's no big deal. In fact, you'll be better off because you'll then have access to www.liveafl.tv

Maybe OK in the big smoke but we out here in the rice paddies are at least 15 years away from any sort of broad band connection looking at the way the Thais are expediting the 3G rollout.

Then you have all the aussie bars and sports bars that cater for expats and tourists who show the AFL to get customers in.

They are in exactly the same boat!!

[chooka]

Just got off the phone with Michael Horan of the Herald Sun. I have emailed him as much as I can. I also told him that Gary Buckenara had informed by email Demetriou and co.He has the telephone numbers. His response to me is was that it was a fantastic story to run and he was happy to target the Government and approach the AFL to get their thoughts.Given it is early in the day I would not be surprised if a decent article was in the paper in the morning.Given that this has the ability to bring into disrepute the Governmets Communication policies, and they are there by the grace of 2 rural independents, I suspect this is an issue the Foreign Minister will not want to get legs. To piss off expats means votes. to piss off developing sporting bodies means not as much. But to piss off overseas serving combatants and peacekeepers means letters from Mum.

[softgeorge]

Some don't realise that this is concerning all sports and not strictly AFL

[jackspratt]

While I am not happy with the decision - as it will affect my watching of the AFL - I can understand the reasoning behind it.

Given that ABC Asia is primarily funded by the Dept Foreign Affairs, they have right to have a say in its programming (Piper....tune...etc). I can't imagine that the primary target audience of DFAT is the AFL-watching Aussie expat population of Asia.

Edited May 18, 2011 by jackspratt

[softgeorge]

Response from the Australia Network......... Sounds like politics to me. STIFF COMPETION from another broadcaster......... Who is the other broadcaster fighting for the rights????????

The future of Australia Network post August this year is still very much up in the air. The Department of Foreign Affairs, which funds Australia Network, this year put out a tender for companies to operate Australia Network from August 2011. The ABC has run the channel for the past 5 years and now we are waiting to hear what decision DFAT will make on the future of the channel.

We very much hope to continue the service but are up against stiff competition from another broadcaster. As such all programming post August this year is still unknown.

If we at the ABC win the right to continue the service then I would hope we will broadcast the remainder of the AFL season as we have been doing. There is, however, an indication that DFAT wish for whoever runs the network to reduce the amount of sport shown as they feel it attracts the wrong audience. These are the kinds of programming decisions that would be negotiated once DFAT decides on the future of the network.

I'm sorry I do not have better news for you at this time, however, as mentioned we are waiting to hear about the future of the channel as you, our audience, are too.

Regards

David Eunson

Manager of Scheduling

[jackspratt]

The awarding of the tender appears to have been delayed by at least 6 months - which means this year's AFL finals should be safe.

The decision also appears to have been taken away from Foreign Affairs, and will be made by cabinet. This means the reported interference by Kevin Rudd may be ameliorated.

The decision was to have been made by the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dennis Richardson, but the government said the decision would now be referred to cabinet. DFAT previously gave June 8 as an indicative date to sign the contract.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/government-backlash-at-australia-network-delay/story-e6frg996-1226082386126

[piewarmer]

Whats the latest news? Is AFL on ABC Asia channel in 2012 or not?

[Will27]

Trend Setters

Have just received this reply from Australia Network regarding next

years broadcasting of the AFL.

"The final contract with the AFL is yet to be signed, however, it looks as if we will have the

broadcast rights to between 4 and 6 games per round."

We will update the Sports Lounge website with details when we get them."

Not confirmed but it's looking promising. Hopefully it will be 6 games.

I'd suggest if it's 4, will get the Friday night game, plus Sat afternoon

and night with a game on Sunday.

I'm keeping the fingers crossed.

Regards

Will

[jingjoe8]

Fellas, if it drops out it's no big deal. In fact, you'll be better off because you'll then have access to www.liveafl.tv

You'll actually be better off.... liveafltv is currently blocked in Thailand as the Aus network has the rights. If they give up those rights, you'll get the liveafltv site and be able to watch every game live + post game shows + news shows etc.

I'm not much of an AFL man, I'm a hard core rugby league man and I was just like you last season when the Aus network dropped it's NRL coverage.............i.e. I thought the sky was falling in losing my 2 live games a week / only coverage.

Instead, I now get every game LIVE.............a million times better and it's not expensive.

I totally agree,the nrl.tv is a much better option,although truvision have bought the rights from setanta now and start broadcating the league this year,i hope this is a good coverage and that i can still access other games via the nrl site