SBS planning on scrapping soccer coverage

[Beaussie]

Wow, hard to think of Soccer without SBS. Doesn't look good for A-League tv coverage.

SBS planning to scrap football in shock programming upheaval
Date March 18, 2015 - 11:00PM
Sebastian Hassett
Football reporter

The spiritual home of football on Australian television, SBS, is in advanced plans to cut ties with the sport as part of a dramatic programming overhaul.

While the decision has not been finalised, Fairfax Media understand the network's content division recently concluded that SBS's 35-year relationship with football – **** Australian television's most iconic – should be scaled back dramatically.

The government broadcaster has the rights to show the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and one A-League match on free-to-air television each Friday night.

Tentative discussions have been held with other free-to-air broadcasters about offloading their A-League commitments for the next two seasons. SBS and Fox Sports signed a four-year, $160 million agreement to share the rights until 2017. On Wednesday Channel 7 indicated they would be interested in televising Socceroos matches when the current agreement with SBS and Fox Sports runs out in 2017.

However, in what may be seen as a significant step backwards for the game, no broadcaster is likely to show the Friday night match on their primary channel, instead shuffling the match to their digital off-shoots.

After gaining the free-to-air rights to show A-League matches from 2013, SBS surprisingly opted to initially show live games only on SBS 2.

Despite an upgrade to the primary channel this season, the residual impact of the original decision remained, with ratings hovering either side of 100,000 viewers nationally.

The network has also been frustrated by a lack of access to premium games, with primary broadcaster Fox Sports requesting the FFA schedule big matches – like most derbies and traditional clashes – on Saturday nights.

But perhaps most shocking is the thought that the next World Cup may not be on SBS, which has broadcast each tournament since 1990.

The rights are a highly prized asset and SBS could make a huge sum of money by on-selling the broadcast agreement for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

While rival networks are still considering their options, they have all shown interest in broadcasting football during the past two years.

Fellow government broadcaster ABC took secondary rights to this year's Asian Cup and broadcast all of the Socceroos' matches live.

SBS is undergoing a major shift, triggered by the federal government's decision to cut funding to the ABC and SBS.

SBS is under significant pressure from Canberra to boost ratings and lose its "niche" perception in order to maintain future funding.

Chief content officer Helen Kellie and TV and online content director Marshall Heald are believed to have identified football as an expendable part of the programming schedule.

They recently presented their recommendations – the "project shape" – to the SBS board, who offered a tentative green light. The next few months will be critical in determining how deep the proposed cuts run.

Staff have been widely unimpressed at what they believe is a rapidly morphing culture, described by one member as "increasingly corporate" and "commercial-driven". An unpopular round of redundancies was recently undertaken on the advice of government-hired consultants.

Many inside the organisation believe the SBS company charter, which "sets out the principal functions of SBS and a number of duties it has to fulfil", is being blatantly ignored.

"There is a very fundamental change occurring at SBS. Those in charge at the network have made it clear to everyone they intend on taking a new path," one insider said. "They want to increase ratings by any means and appear prepared to stray from the charter, if necessary.

"If it wasn't for SBS, football would never have found a home on Australian television all those years ago. But those in charge of content have come in from outside and have dismissed its importance."

The rights to broadcast Champions League matches expires in two months and it is believed SBS will make no more than a token bid to secure the rights for the next three years.

Earlier this month, British broadcaster BT Sport paid £900 million (A$1.73 billion) for the next three years of European football's elite league.

In Australia, that leaves ESPN (who have part of the existing rights), Fox Sports and Al-Jazeera's beIN Sport to wrestle over SBS's Champions League share.

Channel Seven recently latched onto the visits of Manchester United, Liverpool and Juventus, while Channel Nine has bought the rights to showcase Tottenham Hotspur's clash with Sydney FC in May.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/sbs- ... m28og.html

[ParraEelsNRL]

I remember some guy called foolzball or something at the raah saying the a league will rate half what the nrl and AFL does in each state because sokka was played more. LOL LOL

[AFLcrap1]

Everyone,except Sokka fans ,can see how far behind the other big 3 ,SOKKa is .

& it seems to be going backwards .

All the talk of taking over ,sleeping giant ,are nothing but fantasies .

[Raiderdave]

:_<> :_<>

Wheres that lying flea porky

But but but everywhere else
:_<>

[King-Eliagh]

Yeeeeaaahhhhp, that's some good planning right there.

But it's kinda sad too to see a code falling in a heap, with its professional status in this country literally dying in front of us as we speak.

Porky? Are you gunna stand in the background and watch us piss on the dying ffa? Or are you gunna be a man and get ur ass in here to defend ur beloved

[post_hoc]

sorry been bsuy, I am standing here and laughing at you guys though. Falling in a heap LOL dream on nrl fanboys

[AFLcrap1]

The old .im busy excuse .

Funny how when the Titans were in trouble ,you found plenty of time to post about them .
Now your lol league is slowly sinking beneath the waves ,you are suddenly too busy .

So funny to watch .
Whenever there is any negative news about sokka .
You deflect or dissappear.
You won't discuss this .
You won't provide a source for your claims .
You won't talk about ratings ,especially Disney shows giving the lol league a beating .

Sad little capo just runs away

[King-Eliagh]

It's really sad he can't stand up and either:

A) illustrate to us why he sees everything as fine while his a-league looks set to loose its major revenue source (I mean if the home of sooker sbs says gwt fukked things are lookin pretty grim)

Or

B) expresses his understanding that the a-league looks up shit creek without a paddle.

Either way would gain the chump an ounce of kudos. But it's nuttin from ol porkchop I mean it's clear the a-league is headin up shit creek, ol porky can't even tell us what their paddle might be

The a-league. Doomed within 5 years

[AFLsforPussies]

Wow, hard to think of Soccer without SBS. Doesn't look good for A-League tv coverage.

SBS planning to scrap football in shock programming upheaval
Date March 18, 2015 - 11:00PM
Sebastian Hassett
Football reporter

The spiritual home of football on Australian television, SBS, is in advanced plans to cut ties with the sport as part of a dramatic programming overhaul.

While the decision has not been finalised, Fairfax Media understand the network's content division recently concluded that SBS's 35-year relationship with football – **** Australian television's most iconic – should be scaled back dramatically.

The government broadcaster has the rights to show the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and one A-League match on free-to-air television each Friday night.

Tentative discussions have been held with other free-to-air broadcasters about offloading their A-League commitments for the next two seasons. SBS and Fox Sports signed a four-year, $160 million agreement to share the rights until 2017. On Wednesday Channel 7 indicated they would be interested in televising Socceroos matches when the current agreement with SBS and Fox Sports runs out in 2017.

However, in what may be seen as a significant step backwards for the game, no broadcaster is likely to show the Friday night match on their primary channel, instead shuffling the match to their digital off-shoots.

After gaining the free-to-air rights to show A-League matches from 2013, SBS surprisingly opted to initially show live games only on SBS 2.

Despite an upgrade to the primary channel this season, the residual impact of the original decision remained, with ratings hovering either side of 100,000 viewers nationally.

The network has also been frustrated by a lack of access to premium games, with primary broadcaster Fox Sports requesting the FFA schedule big matches – like most derbies and traditional clashes – on Saturday nights.

But perhaps most shocking is the thought that the next World Cup may not be on SBS, which has broadcast each tournament since 1990.

The rights are a highly prized asset and SBS could make a huge sum of money by on-selling the broadcast agreement for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

While rival networks are still considering their options, they have all shown interest in broadcasting football during the past two years.

Fellow government broadcaster ABC took secondary rights to this year's Asian Cup and broadcast all of the Socceroos' matches live.

SBS is undergoing a major shift, triggered by the federal government's decision to cut funding to the ABC and SBS.

SBS is under significant pressure from Canberra to boost ratings and lose its "niche" perception in order to maintain future funding.

Chief content officer Helen Kellie and TV and online content director Marshall Heald are believed to have identified football as an expendable part of the programming schedule.

They recently presented their recommendations – the "project shape" – to the SBS board, who offered a tentative green light. The next few months will be critical in determining how deep the proposed cuts run.

Staff have been widely unimpressed at what they believe is a rapidly morphing culture, described by one member as "increasingly corporate" and "commercial-driven". An unpopular round of redundancies was recently undertaken on the advice of government-hired consultants.

Many inside the organisation believe the SBS company charter, which "sets out the principal functions of SBS and a number of duties it has to fulfil", is being blatantly ignored.

"There is a very fundamental change occurring at SBS. Those in charge at the network have made it clear to everyone they intend on taking a new path," one insider said. "They want to increase ratings by any means and appear prepared to stray from the charter, if necessary.

"If it wasn't for SBS, football would never have found a home on Australian television all those years ago. But those in charge of content have come in from outside and have dismissed its importance."

The rights to broadcast Champions League matches expires in two months and it is believed SBS will make no more than a token bid to secure the rights for the next three years.

Earlier this month, British broadcaster BT Sport paid £900 million (A$1.73 billion) for the next three years of European football's elite league.

In Australia, that leaves ESPN (who have part of the existing rights), Fox Sports and Al-Jazeera's beIN Sport to wrestle over SBS's Champions League share.

Channel Seven recently latched onto the visits of Manchester United, Liverpool and Juventus, while Channel Nine has bought the rights to showcase Tottenham Hotspur's clash with Sydney FC in May.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/sbs- ... m28og.html

AFL games in Sydney are all put on digital off shoot channel 7mate because they don't rate well enough here.

So if the A league was shown on 7mate as well it would be fine.

[post_hoc]

It's really sad he can't stand up and either:

A) illustrate to us why he sees everything as fine while his a-league looks set to loose its major revenue source (I mean if the home of sooker sbs says gwt fukked things are lookin pretty grim)

Or

B) expresses his understanding that the a-league looks up shit creek without a paddle.

Either way would gain the chump an ounce of kudos. But it's nuttin from ol porkchop I mean it's clear the a-league is headin up shit creek, ol porky can't even tell us what their paddle might be

The a-league. Doomed within 5 years

Because the major revenue source isn't sbs you idiot.

How the fuck am I hiding or running, I have posted on here, the fact I wasn't here when you wanted me is your issue not mine. Unlike you NRL fanboys others on here have a life and we come and go out our choosing, you guys are so devoid of social ability you appear stuck here.

Now when you post some I was going to say intelligent but not like that will happen how about we just say when ou post something worthy of comment I will engage until then you are just going to have to have your own little circle jerk.

[AFLcrap1]

Bullshit .
You have avoidance issues ,
You continually refuse to discuss the terrible ratings of the lol league .
Any mention of shows that outrate these games is met with avoidance or deflection .

When you grow a set & decide to talk about the bad times ,then you might get some respect
You are quick to talk about any good aspects of th lol league ...they are few & far between .
When you can post a source for your pet memberships claim ...you might get some respect .

But for now all you do is run .

[post_hoc]

More bullshit aflcrap, more bullshit from you trying to protect your fan boy lyingdave

[King-Eliagh]

ol porkys like ... I have a life you know

Porky I don't give two shits about what you do in yer spare time. i really don't wanna know neither. But I do wanna know ur thoughts on the impending disaster the a-league appear to be facing. If you can't even do that then what good are yA?

Ok, if you can't do that go on then and give us some examples of the amazing life you have. Btw Looks like I'll only be taking two-three trips o/s this year. One for pleasure and one-two for work. It's ok but I was hoping for four... sometimes life just don't bring everything yet after eh.

[AFLcrap1]

More bullshit aflcrap, more bullshit from you trying to protect your fan boy lyingdave

Lol

Ok porky .,,sorry capo ,no bullshit .its all there in the threads .
Everyone can see ,the repeated deflection ,or some rant that is not a proper source
Show me where in the KNOW YOUR ENEMY thread you actually discussed the ratings .
I can show where you deflected continuously .

You didn't talk about the lol league getting outrated by Doc once .
You dogged it ..

This has nothing to do with RD .
This has to do with you calling someone out asking for proof ,when you won't do the same about pet memberships .

You are weak as water .
Typical hooligan

When you grow a set ,come & talk ,
But for now. You are seen as a pathetic joke .

[King-Eliagh]

Easy aflcrap1. I say we sit ol porkchop down, let him have a freshly made hot cocoa drink and ask him about his life. He clearly has something to say about it and perhaps, we'll just perhaps it'll help us understand why he's such a gutless clown who deflects and defers 24-7

I think that's a nicer approach here. Porky? Sit down yA lil wimp and tell us ur story