Off the wire
• Mutai and Mergia confirmed to run London Marathon  • Roundup: Australia changes mind on China-proposed Asian infrastructure bank  • U.S. concerned about alleged IS use of chlorine  • Spanish stock market rises 0.73 pct, closes at 11,114 points  • Roundup: U.S. stocks rebound strongly as dollar falls  • Albania asks Russia to lift ban on its agricultural products  • Banco de Madrid files for bankruptcy  • Roundup: China, Germany eyes closer innovation cooperation as CeBIT kick offs  • Law granting Maduro expanded powers takes effect in Venezuela  • Senior UN official visits Nigeria ahead of polls  
You are here: 　 Home

Australia's Communications Minister hits back at Murdoch over sport on free-to-air TV

Xinhua, March 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australia's Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has trashed remarks made by billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch who suggested Turnbull's decision not to change free-to-air TV rules suited the minister's "buddies" in the industry.

Murdoch, who owns 50 percent of the Australian pay-TV service Foxtel, was critical of the minister's decision to keep major sporting events on free-to-air television, and not alter existing rules that would enable Foxtel to secure the rights to more sport.

The head of global media empire News Corporation took to social media network Twitter to voice his displeasure on Monday, stating: "Aust! Turnbull's plans to scrap certain rules suit buddies at ( FTA network) Channel Nine. Can't oppose dumping all regs but not this. Nice to see how MT plays."

But Turnbull hit back at Murdoch - an American citizen - on Tuesday, saying his move was designed to protect "ordinary Australians," and that access to sport on free television was something that separated Australia from other nations.

"This is a very Australian arrangement. In many countries, pay TV has been able to secure the rights to major sporting codes thus requiring sports fans to pay for a subscription," Turnbull told Fairfax media on Tuesday.

"The policy question for government is simply whether we want to continue with a free-to-air television system where ordinary Australians, who may not be able afford a Foxtel subscription, can nonetheless watch their favorite sport on free-to-air TV?"

Under the current arrangements of Australia's anti-siphoning laws, a list of 1,300 sporting events are offered to free-to-air networks before pay TV providers such as Foxtel.

Murdoch has made it clear he wanted this system changed, allowing Foxtel to bid for the rights to sporting events the first time around.

But Turnbull said the Australian public was happy for the government to retain this policy.

He said that everyday Australians deserved a "fair go" at watching their favorite sports on television and that he had " encouraged" free-to-air broadcasters, pay TV and sport organizations to collaborate and strike deals with each other under the current rules to keep all parties happy.

"To date they have not been able to do so," he said. Endi