No footy for Griffith after Seven, WIN spat

WIN has stopped broadcasting the Seven signal to part of NSW and much of SA after the companies failed to reach an agreement before commercial terms expired — so residents can’t watch the AFL, cricket or even Home and Away.

Residents in Griffith — and large parts of South Australia — are unable to watch the AFL and cricket after Seven and WIN failed to reach a commercial deal for the broadcast. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has called on the federal government to intervene after residents in Griffith woke without access to Channel 7 on their televisions.

WIN stopped broadcasting the Seven signal on Tuesday after the two companies failed to reach an agreement before the current commercial terms expired.

It means residents in Griffith, as well as large parts of South Australia, will not be able to watch the AFL or Cricket or even Home and Away.

Ley, whose electorate, Farrer, includes Griffith, said it was imperative Seven and WIN work together to restore the service as soon as possible.

Sussan Ley has called for the federal government to intervene in the spat between the network and broadcaster. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“I am very concerned about our communities missing out on access to these services,” she said.

“The Coalition has been pushing for the networks to come to a deal so regional families would not miss out. We are now calling for the government to get off the sidelines and get the networks to figure this out.

“WIN and Seven should work together to form an agreement fast. The government needs to take a role in this and strongly urge both networks to find a viable and credible solution.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Seven CEO Jeff Howard said the network was seeking the assistance of the Federal Government and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to help resolve the matter.

Seven West CEO Jeff Howard. Picture: LinkedIn

Federal communications minister Annika Wells. Picture: NewsWire

“Seven has not turned off our signal. We continue to provide our content to WIN for broadcast into these markets and WIN has made the decision to switch off the Seven signal to these communities,” he said.

It’s understood Seven would not extend the deal, which expired on June 30.

A spokesman for Federal Communications Minister Annika Wells said she had asked ACMA to investigate whether any compliance breaches had occurred.

“This is a disappointing outcome. Australians should have access to local media as these services provide vital connections, especially in regional areas,” the spokesman said.

“The Government urges the parties to work together to deliver for these communities.

“Minister Wells has asked regulatory body ACMA to investigate any potential non compliance and alternative methods for delivering these services.”

Residents in the affected areas can still access Seven’s programs through the network’s streaming service 7Plus, however until an agreement is reached between them and WIN they will be met with a graphic saying Seven programming is no longer available when they turn on the television.

Originally published as No footy for Griffith after Seven, WIN spat