Three years after selling out of Foxtel and reaping half-a-billion dollars from its stake, Seven West Media "is staging a return to the pay-TV sector," according to Darren Davidson of THE AUSTRALIAN. The free-to-air TV network "is to launch a paid-for app at the Rio 2016 Olympics as part of the most comprehensive television and digital coverage of the quadrennial event yet." While Seven "will broadcast more free hours across multiple platforms than ever before, it will enable fans to watch every single event and stage live coverage for a one-off charge with no lock-in contract." The move "is significant as it would mark the first step in reducing Seven’s reliance on volatile advertising markets after the media company offloaded its shareholding" in James Packer’s pay-TV vehicle Consolidated Media to News Corp. in '13. Seven "seized on next year’s Summer Olympics as a test bed for future sports broadcast deals." The plan was unveiled in an Olympics presentation for advertisers as Seven’s commercial team "kicks off negotiations for premium-priced sponsorship packages a year before Rio." Seven Chief Revenue Officer Kurt Burnette said that "the company was still discussing pricing details for the app, and stressed that the telecast remained the main drawcard for viewers and advertisers." Burnette said, "The engine is still the main broadcast and the advertising model -- mass audience delivery, audience aggregation, big emotional moments" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 8/10).
