[TV] ONE HD to be axed!?

[Razor]

Seems that Jim Packer is thinking of axing Network Ten's sports channel if he gets his way:

Originally Posted by NineMSN article

There may be a very different Channel Ten in the offing if James Packer nabs a seat on the network’s board, according to some media analysts.

After it was confirmed that Mr Packer was behind the on-market share raid of Ten Network Holdings Ltd, analysts claim that investment bank UBS plans to buy up to 20% of Ten on the behalf of Mr Packer's, enough to give him board representation.....

This could mean that Ten’s sports channel, ONE HD, might be axed and replaced with a free-to-air version of the Rupert Murdoch owned Sky News service.

Rest of article here

So what does this mean for Australian fans of F1, NASCAR, WTCC, BTCC and WRC who don't have the luxury of pay tv?

[Big Mac]

That's an unlikely result considering the significant outlay and above expected penetration (read success) Ten has seen with OneHD since it's inception.

Ten thought One would rate @ 0.5% across the five major cities in its first year but has been pulling double that and has continued to grow its share (the most current free weekly OzTAM ratings has them @ 1.3%.)

Compare that with Sky News which is pulling 0.2%. Admittedly this number is skewed as its only offered on Fox which still only enjoys an approximate penetration of 25% of households in Australia compared with the near 100% of free to air.

Even if you times Sky News ratings by four (to indicate a similar market penetration if it were free to air) you're still well short of the ratings One is pulling at present.

For comparisons sake, the only free to air news channel (ABC News 24) currently rates at 0.4%. It hasn't been on air for 6 months yet but all of which indicate a commercial free to air news station is not guaranteed to be a financial success.

Considering one of the early reasons given for Packer's decision to buy into Ten was to form a bidding block for the AFL rights with Fox, why would he move to axe a specialist sporting channel?

That's not to mention the internal resistance from within the Ten he would be forced to overcome to get such a deal through.

Never say never but I wouldn't be too concerned about OneHD disappearing at this stage. F1, WRC, MotoGP etc will be safe for a while yet.

[Oldtony]

The entire DNA background of the people around Packer would indicate that the LAST thing they would do is dump sport in favour of news.
The logic behind the bid would seem to be to put the Packer groups 50.5% interest in Foxtel in a better position to bid for AFL and other major domestic, and International sport involving Australians.
The word seems to be that anti syphoning will stay, but on a use it or loose it basis, and with the HD channels counting as FTA broadcast.
This would get around the sort of farce that saw Bathurst broadcast by 7 in SD while a perfectly good HD channel broadcast junk. With analogue due to be switched off soon that is the logical way to go even if Conroy doesn't often act logicaly.
Murdoch are trying to make their products more in house and pay per view. It doesn't seem logical to show Sky News on a parallel FTA channel.
If motor sport is to be dumped from One it would be much more likely to be squeezed out by Footbal (AFL & NRL) cricket, Golf and possibly Horse racing.
The big interests of the Packer Group in Gambling could also see them wanting to compete with the TAB to run a live racing service aimed at the on-line punter.

[dyewat808]

Originally Posted by Razor

Seems that Jim Packer is thinking of axing Network Ten's sports channel if he gets his way:



Rest of article here

So what does this mean for Australian fans of F1, NASCAR, WTCC, BTCC and WRC who don't have the luxury of pay tv?

You get all that for free!?

I'm moving to Australia!

[bluesport]

Originally Posted by dyewat808

You get all that for free!?

I'm moving to Australia!

Yes, all for free on ONE HD and ONE digital.

[Scrut]

Speed TV starts on Foxtel 1st November.

[gossie]

If ONE HD goes I'll sell the TV.

[Bevan-L]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-O...50272995015727

[eduardo1]

Shutting down OneHD is to ensure the profitability of FoxSports, which he also (half) owns. He makes much more money out of that than he possibly could out of OneHD. Re-transmitting Sky News will be far cheaper, regardless of ratings. Roy Masters wrote a good article on it in the Herald today.

It would seem that the glory days of Free TV sport are about to end as abruptly as they started.

[porsche91722]

Originally Posted by gossie

If ONE HD goes I'll sell the TV.

+1
I'll be disappointed if ONE HD gets shafted. We definitely need a sports only network in Australia, and NOT one that is controlled by Packer or Murdoch.

[Razor]

http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2011/04/...nment-channel/

Seems that the Ten Network wants to see ONE HD as a "male TV channel" in the same vein as 7Mate and GO!

Originally Posted by Speed Cafe article

Formula One and MotoGP will remain at the forefront of ONE HD’s programming after it is relaunched as a general entertainment channel on May 8th.....

A presentation to shareholders stated that “ONE’s poor weeknight prime-time ratings were unsustainable”, adding that the recent “introduction of male-skewed general entertainment has lifted ONE’s primetime ratings”.

General entertainment already added to ONE HD includes ‘factual dramas’ Ice Road Truckers and Extreme Fishing with Robson Green. Murdoch’s presentation today also named COPS, Long Way Round, dramas Sons of Anarchy, Breakout Kings and Lights Out and movies such as The Last King of Scotland, Jarhead, The Fast and The Furious, The Manchurian Candidate and 28 Weeks Later as future programming for ONE.

Murdoch’s presentation outlined ONE’s future target market as “distinctly male, aged 25-54” with the new direction of “premium sports and male targeted general entertainment”.

Weekdays will mainly consist of general entertainment, with premium sports such as Formula 1 and AFL programmed on weekends.

Hmm. They say that sport takes precedence but will they keep that promise or will ONE HD be like Channel Ten a few years ago with showing replays of F1 during midnight?

[Andy77]

Originally Posted by Razor

Seems that Jim Packer is thinking of axing Network Ten's sports channel if he gets his way:



Rest of article here

So what does this mean for Australian fans of F1, NASCAR, WTCC, BTCC and WRC who don't have the luxury of pay tv?

I almost thought you'd be speaking of UK's One HD and was near a heart attack

Originally Posted by dyewat808

You get all that for free!?

I'm moving to Australia!

Except Nascar, I have the other for free as well down here in Germany in either HD or SD format. Just not on one channel only and in different languages of course

[Trev Campbell]

Well there goes being able to watch the Le Mans 24 hour in Australia.

[porsche91722]

Originally Posted by Trev Campbell

Well there goes being able to watch the Le Mans 24 hour in Australia.

I wouldn't be too concerned at the moment Trev. Although it was great that ONEHD showed the LM24 over the last couple of years, there has been no shortage of good quality full race live streams of it anyway. As I understand the situation, ONE's intention, at this stage is to still cover weekend sport, which should mean that the LM24 may (??) still be in their plans. Lets hope so.

[racer69]

Originally Posted by Trev Campbell

Well there goes being able to watch the Le Mans 24 hour in Australia.

The Le Mans 24hr was shown live and in its almost entirety (practice, qualifying, warm-up and 22 of the 24hrs) in 2010 on Foxtel, and will be again this year.

[porsche91722]

Originally Posted by racer69

The Le Mans 24hr was shown live and in its almost entirety (practice, qualifying, warm-up and 22 of the 24hrs) in 2010 on Foxtel, and will be again this year.

Indirectly, this is why it is so disappointing that ONEHD is scaling down its sporting content. For a free to air network, they left Foxtel for dead in the variety of sports that they aired and of course their superior motorsport coverage. I consistently found myself watching more of ONEHD than any of the other networks, but that's probably got a lot to do with the crap content of the others, and the fact that I follow a lot of sport in general. The cost of Foxtel has never stopped me from signing up, just the fact that I couldn't justify it. Other than the NRL, and there is only so much footy you can watch on any weekend, I don't think I would get my moneys worth.