Labor caught between free-to-airs and Foxtel in TV app placement dogfight
The government’s “prominence framework” was a 2022 election promise that pledged to legislate reform ensuring local TV services can be easily found on smart TVs.
Ahead of an address to the National Press Club scheduled for later this month, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland finds herself at the centre of a policy skirmish tilted by the full weight of the Australian media lobbying machine.
Currently in play is the 'prominence' that some global video streaming apps — including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube — take over their free-to-air counterparts on smart televisions out of the box. And the imminent arrival of legislation has triggered a dogfight that has spilled well into public view.
The Albanese government’s “prominence framework” was a Labor election promise that pledged to legislate reform aimed at ensuring that local TV services can be easily found on devices “so they can continue to contribute to Australia’s public and cultural life”. The forthcoming regulation is one of four items on the government's media reform agenda.
This one, however, has split the television business into two staunchly opposed camps.
