An Australian government-funded digital TV sports channel "could be established as soon as 2014 under an Australian Sports Commission plan," according to John Stensholt of the AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW. The Sports Commission has "received approaches from YouTube and other companies" since Australian Sports Commission Chair John Wylie "flagged the establishment of a television channel for lower-profile sports in which Australia is successful globally." They include field hockey, netball, rowing and athletics, which are "popular in a participation sense but receive little coverage on commercial television networks." Wylie said that the commission was "keen to establish the digital service should a partner be found and if it would be financially beneficial to the sports." He said that he hoped the channel "could be ready to launch as early as the second half of 2014." Wylie said that those sports already pay TV networks about A$3M ($2.7M) annually in "production costs for their events to be broadcast." Wylie believes "that money could be better spent on a new channel" (AFR, 8/28).
