Defining Narrowcasting

[matturn]

http://www.acma.gov.au/acmainterwr/_assets...ation_draft.pdf

See also: http://www.acma.gov.au/acmainterwr/_assets...wcasting_tv.pdf

The closing date for submissions is 9 March 2007.

It appears kids channels for the Channel A mux will be ok. As will channels in languages other than English. News programming is out, unless it's targeted to people in a specific area, or is on a particular topic. Live or delayed sport is out, unless no Australians are competing. Or it's the AFL. Music programming may or may not be ok.

So Coonan's boat channel might be ok, as long as it doesn't feature any boat races with Australians competiting.

It's all crazy. Every new channel in a "digital multichannel" environment is going to be narrowcasting, in the sense that it's intended audience will be relatively tiny. No matter what it screens. Has the UK or US seen a single new digital only network that challenges the established analog ones? No.

[MELso]

Narrowcasting is not a new concept and what you're seeing here is broadly consistent with narrowcasting in radio such as HPONs and (*shudder*) LPONs. Having said that, the costs of the licences are likely to be a lot less than a full licence (unless two or more parties compete in the hope of getting a 'trojan horse').

Enforcement of the rules will be tricky although, in practice, unlike radio, it is likely to be far more rigorous to avoid the new channels treading on the existing TV networks' toes.

[Timmy Downawell]

OMG the government is pandering to the demands of networks and Foxtel. Are you surprised?

[Geminus]

Those documents were way too long to read! Though I have to say I think it is mighty silly the government spend so much of their time and our money investigating these things and deciding what we can watch/broadcast, when it is all about pleasing businesses, not consumers. How dare digital tv actually provide us with something useful!

It would be much simpler if television were banned and the next couple of budget surpluses got distributed amongst the big players.

[MELso]

Got to keep up public servants in a job!

Although banning TV would create a nice new compliance regime...