Home > Latest News > Another Free To Air TV Network Exec Throws In The Towel As They Lobby Feds For Help

Another Free To Air TV Network Exec Throws In The Towel As They Lobby Feds For Help

Another executive has quit the sinking free to air TV ship, with Seven West Media commercial director Bruce McWilliam following his CEO James Warburton out the door at the TV network.

Back in December James Warburton, the CEO of Seven West Media, told the market that he will leave his role at the end of the financial year in 2024.

McWilliams is leaving the group after more than two decades.

Mr McWilliam joined Seven Network as commercial director in May 2003 with his exit coming as the Seven Network along with Nine Entertainment, Network 10, and the ABC and SBS lobby the Federal Government to help them stop the rot at free to air TV stations as consumers switch to paid content, on networks such as Foxtel. They are also investing in the likes of Hubbl a content management system released by the Foxtel Group this month as well as streaming apps Kayo, Binge, Disney, Stan, and Netflix.

Yesterday the lobbyist for the free to air TV stations, Free TV CEO Bridget Fair, who are losing tens of millions in advertising and viewers due in part to poor content, and a lack of investment in 4K streaming tried to lobby the Government claiming: “Australian taxpayers are already forking out about $300 million towards new football stadiums in Hobart and Launceston.  And that’s on top of the $375 million being paid just by Tasmanian taxpayers and as a result of this coverage of games at these stadiums should “Be free”.

Currently the Australian Government has new laws before Parliament that free to air TV stations are lobbying should result in all football games being free on their networks.

“The Government must make sure the laws safeguard free access for viewers, whether they get their free TV over the air using an aerial, or the increasing number who watch over the internet using a free streaming app like 7plus, 9Now or 10 Play.”

Recently Foxtel Group made access to both free content and paid easier by listing games and free to air TV networks side by side, so that consumers and not the government decides what service they want, a paid for 4K stream or a HD stream on the free to air TV networks.

They claim that “The bill before parliament also stops subscription services like Amazon, Apple and Disney from buying exclusive terrestrial broadcast rights”.

ChannelNews understands that the Federal Government is not going to give the free to air networks everything they are demanding and that organisations both locally (Foxtel) and organisations such as the US Paramount who own the Ten Network will be allowed to bid for TV rights.

The free to air TV networks know that without sport consumers will desert their networks in droves with even older consumers complaining about the poor quality news coverage that the free to air networks are now airing due to budget cuts.

One observer told ChannelNews “News at Nine and Seven is nothing more today than footage of car crashes and fires shot by consumers on a smartphone. It’s sheer rubbish with limited overseas or interstate coverage of key news events eliminated from their coverage because they don’t have the budgets for overseas content from other networks”.

As for the exit of Bruce McWilliam, Seven Group chairman, Kerry Stokes said Bruce has been an “excellent” executive of Seven for the past 21 years, having been involved in all of the major corporate initiatives during that period, and a director of Seven Group Holdings for many years. “I thank Bruce for his significant contribution to Seven West Media and Seven Group Holdings and wish him and Nicky all the best in the future.”



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