TV viewers could see "more sporting events shifted from free-to-air to pay-TV" as the federal government considers new rules for broadcasting rights but "rejects big changes" to Australian Football League and National Rugby League telecasts, according to David Crowe of THE AUSTRALIAN. Australian Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is open to "removing hundreds of individual matches and games from the government list that determines where sport is broadcast," raising the prospect of some tennis, cricket and other events moving to pay-TV. However, he ruled out affecting the main football codes, "saying changes to the AFL or rugby league competitions would be unpopular with viewers and would fail in the Senate." Turnbull: "To turn around and say to people you're going to have to start paying to watch games of football that you were previously able to watch for free on TV is unlikely to be popular. Now why does anyone imagine that this Senate would be likely to approve changes that would be clearly as unpopular as that?" However, he left "room for some adjustments," adding, "I think there are other changes that can be made to anti-siphoning" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 3/25).
