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Fair said the new research showed empirical evidence that Australians support Free TV’s view on the policy issue.
She said legislation was a key step towards securing a sustainable media sector, and giving Australians a fair choice in choosing content services.
ASTRA full-page advertisement in The Australian.
Fighting against the policy, ASTRA, the lobbying body for subscription media providers in Australia, launched a national communications campaign on Monday, taking out a full-page advertisement in The Australian arguing against preferential placement for free-to-air services.
News Corp, publisher of The Australian, also owns a majority stake in pay TV company Foxtel, ASTRA’s key member. Foxtel operates local subscription video services Binge and Kayo, and will launch a new streaming aggregation service called “Hubbl” next year, displaying both free and subscription applications.
ASTRA commissioned its own research via YouGov, delivering vastly different results to Free TV’s findings. ASTRA’s research said that, given the choice, 94 per cent of Australians did not want the government controlling the order and layout of the apps on their TV.
“Millions of Australians rely on subscription TV services and we are very concerned that the Government could take control of what and how these Australians watch their TVs with new Prominence legislation,” an ASTRA spokesperson said.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has some tough decisions ahead.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The policy has not been made public, but Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told this masthead the government was committed to ensuring Australians could easily find local services following years of change in the media landscape.
“While offering significant benefits for Australian audiences, these changes are creating a more challenging environment for the delivery of local TV services to viewers,” she said.
“The government wants to ensure Australians can readily access the local TV services they rely on for Australian content, sporting events and news and emergency information.”
Proposed legislation is touted by several media executives as being “weeks away”. Meanwhile, Rowland is scheduled to speak at the National Press Club on November 22.
Other items on the reform agenda include curbs to gambling advertising, updates to anti-siphoning legislation, which regulates which sports should be made available free, and local content quotas for international streaming players. Rowland’s office said her speech would address online safety, rather than media reform.
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