Large areas of regional New South Wales and South Australia have lost access to free-to-air programming from the Seven Network, including AFL, cricket and news, after a commercial standoff with the WIN Network led to the signal being shut off on Monday.
The affected regions include Griffith, Riverland, and Mount Gambier. As of 1 July, residents are no longer able to receive Seven’s programming over traditional aerial transmission, including live sport and local news bulletins.
The graphic appearing on WIN 7 channels in SA (Credit: Eugene Boisvert)
The dispute arises from a failure to agree on new commercial terms between the two broadcasters. Seven West Media said it continues to supply its content to WIN, but that the regional affiliate made the call to cease broadcasts.
“Despite our best endeavours, we have been unable to reach a mutually acceptable commercial agreement with the WIN Network to provide access to Seven via aerial transmission,” said Jeff Howard, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Seven West Media.
“Seven has not turned off our signal. We continue to provide our content to WIN for broadcast into these markets and WIN has made the decision to switch off the Seven signal to these communities.”
Howard added that Seven is seeking assistance from the Federal Government and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to help resolve the issue quickly. In the interim, affected viewers are being directed to watch content via 7plus.
Government weighs in
The signal shutdown prompted a strong response from both sides of federal politics during a segment on Sunrise, with concerns raised about the growing difficulty of ensuring regional Australians retain access to major cultural events and information.
The Sunrise segment about the Seven v WIN regional TV issue
Clare O’Neil, Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, described the development as “concerning,” adding: “We want footy to flow freely across the country… the government is working with networks to try to resolve this.”
She said Communications Minister Annika Wells had already been in touch with both parties and was reviewing regulatory options.
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie went further, calling for stronger intervention: “This is our cultural practice, particularly in the regions – it’s our bread-and-butter,” she said. “The Government needs to get involved, not just ‘Annika, sit ‘em down for a little chat’. These are commercial entities having to make commercial decisions because the environment they’re operating in isn’t financially sustainable.”
Responding to McKenzie’s criticism, Clare O’Neil defended the Government’s handling of the issue, saying Communications Minister Annika Wells was “completely on top of this.”
“I don’t think Annika needs any advice from me or respectfully from Bridget about how to handle this matter,” O’Neil said. “I agree with a lot of what Bridget has said there – we do want sport flowing free into our suburbs but also into our regions and the government is working with the networks to try to get this corrected.”
Both politicians stressed the importance of protecting free-to-air access to live sport and news, especially in communities with limited digital connectivity.
Top image: Jeff Howard, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Seven West Media.