Seven, Nine tensions over TV app regulation surface in Parliament
In a rare moment in Parliament on Friday, tensions between Nine and Seven spilled into public view over proposed regulation over the placement of apps on smart televisions.
In recent months, a government proposal to give Australian free-to-air television apps preference over others on smart TVs has been at the centre of a public fight between Foxtel and the free-to-air lobby group, FreeTV. Now, attention has turned to tensions within.
There was a rare moment in Parliament on Friday, when the free-to-air camp was off-sided by an effort from Nine Entertainment to have its paid subscription-based streaming service, Stan, preferenced along with the network’s free-to-air competitors as part of proposed regulation to preference the apps of commercial networks on smart television app rails.
At a Senate committee hearing in Canberra, tensions triggered by Nine’s submission spilled into public view. The group’s chair Greg Hywood and CEO Bridget Fair appeared alongside Nine chief Mike Sneesby and Seven West Media boss James Warburton, as well as Paramount and Network Ten vice president Beverley McGarvey.
Toward the end of FreeTV’s hearing allotment, Sneesby asked to be heard on Nine’s shared submission with Stan. Shortly after, Warburton said: “Senator, it’d be worth adding, though, today is FreeTV, and we are only advocating for free services for prominence.” Sneesby returned after a 15-minute break.
