Business of Media
Smart TV showdown on cards as networks fine-tune pitch to Canberra
Australia’s free-to-air television sector is descending on Canberra this week to lobby politicians to get their apps better visibility on smart TVs, reports Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan.
A group of 16 senior executives from the ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, 10 and Free TV Australia will be in the capital to boost support for a planned “prominence” framework, which would mandate television and device manufacturers to make local free broadcast video on demand (BVOD) applications – such as 9Now, 10Play and ABC iView – easy to find, and given preferential placement on home screens.
The five broadcasters want a new set of rules to be implemented for TV manufacturers, including access to all TV channels provided by free local networks; installing all local TV apps in the first…