A la carte pay TV - is real choice possible?

The ridiculous entry level prices continue to hold back the growth of pay TV in Australia, and to contribute to high churn rates. The industry in the US, though far more successful in a much larger market, faces intense criticism over its failure to offer choice to consumers. If they won't do it in the US, is there any hope for Australian viewers?

Comments

[Eric]

Interesting the comment regarding will Pay TV ever improve in Australia if not in the US. Interesting because we are so far behind the USA in coming close to their content that we should worry about catching up to them before sharing content concerns with them.

I am consistently annoyed by pay TV in australia. There is only one reason I ever initially purchased pay TV, to watch NBA basketball from the US. When I first got Pay TV with Austar in 2002, Fox sports 1 provided 1 delayed, edited game per week, (which they would occasionally leave at the end of a close game with 2 minutes to go to some inane program like the Ian healy testimonial match) and ESPN, which is not actually the US ESPN, but the watered down pacific rim version of the 'ESPN 1' channel available in the US (USA has ESPN1, ESPN 2, ESPN News and ESPN Classic). They played only two live games per week. At the end of the 2002 year, Fox sports dropped its NBA coverage altogether. ESPN now in 2005 has scaled the coverage back so much it is not even worth having.

Having just returned from the USA, where I was able to watch US cable company TNT promote their '40 games in 40 nights', plus ABC's coverage, plus ESPNs coverage, I am hugely discouraged, and actually realise what a B grade nation Australia is in terms of both basketball coverage and cable tv services in the world generally. Asia get good coverage, europe gets good coverage, we get nada. Not only do we get Nada, but there are so many people who have cable for NBA, and the cable companies show no signs of even investigating increased rights.

Consumer choice is paramount. If I wish to be able to watch more basketball, why cant I get it? Why dont the companies care and why must I be subjected not only to a gradual depletion of basketball games on ESPN over time, but an increase of that moronic brain bash (known as AFL)content on the same channel.

The USA also has a premium service available called NBA TV. This is a similar concept to what was the Fox footy channel, but specialises in , you guessed it, NBA games. This package consists of up to 9 channels which may simultaneously broadcast games. Heaven essentially.
This package is not even available as a premium choice in Australia.

Furthermore frustrating is that Fox (owned by Australia's own Rupert Murdoch) has sole rights to broadcast NBA games in certain parts of the USA and share rights, with ESPN in Australia and the pacific rim, to broadcast NBA games here, but choose not to.

Life is tough for a basketball fan here in Australia right now. Austar, Optus, Fox, they all stink. Content and pricewise (The best cable co in terms of price and content in southern Victoria is easily Neighbourhood cable right now.around 14.99 per month but you have to be in Geelong or Ballarat to get it.) Its almost enough to make you want to move to the states. Until choices improve to even close to the standard of cable in the USA, then we have a long way to go.

[M.Jeffrey]

ur dame right!!!! they have even droped the usual double header on thursdays, and now only play the one game, its bad enough that we dont get to watch much NBA games in australia, but if u dont support major teams such as lakers heats or spurs then you have no hope!!

[Jason Baltoski]

I agree 100% with the points raised. I subscribed to Austar earlier this year thinking there would be at least 1-2 games a week (like Austar used to provide) only to be bitterly disappointed. If we're lucky we now get one game a week, and half the games are pathetic matchups (anyone see the Spurs/Knicks game a couple weeks back? Why show a game that's almost definitely going to be a blowout when better matchups are available?).

It's obvious there's alot of support in Australia for NBA services, so why doesn't any of the paid TV providers start wising up and give us more NBA? Or maybe provide the NBA.TV service for a fee?

The NBL is dying, and without more coverage of the NBA imo the local game doesn't have long to live. And when it does, then what?

Be pro-active companies, or else reap the whirlwind later.