Matildas boom prompts crackdown on sports disappearing behind paywalls
The record 11-million-strong audience for the Matildas’ FIFA Women’s World Cup bid has helped put women’s sports on the table for an overhaul of games protected to appear on free-to-air television.
The Albanese government’s proposed reform of the “anti-siphoning list”, which outlines the sporting events that must sell their broadcast rights to free-to-air networks before pay TV or streaming companies, should be boosted by 600 events to include more women’s and para sports.
The list was created in 1994 to stop major sporting events, like the AFL and NRL grand finals, from disappearing behind pay TV companies like Foxtel. Since then, global streamers like Disney+, Netflix and Amazon emerged and have scooped up sports rights around the world.
Optus Sport bought the rights to the current FIFA Women’s World Cup, for example, then sold 15 games to Network Seven.
Matildas captain Sam Kerr.
“Every Australian deserves the chance to enjoy live and free coverage of these events, no matter where they live or what they earn,” Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said in a statement.
“The government’s preferred reforms will bring online services into the regulatory framework and broaden the range of events on the list to include more women’s sports and Para-sports.”
The list currently includes key events in 11 sports – the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, AFL, NRL, rugby union, soccer, tennis, netball, motorsports, horse racing and cricket.
The government wants to “modernise” the list to add the Paralympic Games, the finals matches of the women’s AFL and NRL, and the NRL Women’s State of Origin series. It proposed two other options – one with a dramatically expanded number of sports included, and one with many sports cut
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