stickeylabel Posted April 22, 2007 Posted April 22, 2007 According to The Australian: (For full story see http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...17-7582,00.html) BILLIONAIRE television owner Bruce Gordon has outlined plans for WIN Corp to become Australia's first independent regional network, amid takeover and affiliation rights battles with the James Packer and private equity-owned PBL Media.Successful moves on Nine affiliates in Perth and Newcastle would ultimately position WIN to compile its own programming schedules. In an interview with The Australian yesterday, Mr Gordon presented a scenario where WIN could remove itself from its affiliation agreement with PBL Media's Nine Network. His comments have come as Sunraysia Television yesterday finally recommended WIN's $163.2 million bid for Channel 9 in Perth, having previously recommended a lower PBL Media bid for the station. Mr Gordon said part of the possible motivation for WIN sourcing its own programming was stalled talks with PBL Media over a new affiliation agreement, with the current agreement due to expire in June. Mr Gordon yesterday claimed WIN was being asked to pay half of its gross revenues in affiliation rights - significantly more than competitors such as Southern Cross Ten and Seven Network affiliate Prime. "We believe our two opposition networks are paying about 29 per cent of their revenue, and we're being asked 50 per cent," he said. Mr Gordon added that on its current affiliation agreement, it had been paying Nine "34.25 per cent of our gross revenue". But the existing affiliation agreement was struck when Nine was the country's top-rating network. As one WIN source puts it: "We paid that figure because they were winning the ratings." Mr Gordon has proceeded with starting to drop Nine Network programming, in what has been widely seen as a salvo in the fight over affiliation rights. Earlier this month, WIN dropped daytime chat show The Catch Up from its schedule, and the network has also dropped other Nine programming such as overnight show Quizmania. With WIN's Nine Affiliation contract ending at the start of June, and Nine wanting 50% revenue from WIN for the affiliation, do you's think that WIN will actually source its own programming. Also, are there enough US programming to fill another network? stickeylabel,
anthonysimilion Posted April 22, 2007 Posted April 22, 2007 This is bad, very bad for Perth and Adelaide viewers! Either way, having WIN as the owner with all this conflict is bad, bad news. They're not seriously considering rebranding Nine Perth as WIN, are they!?!
DrP Posted April 22, 2007 Posted April 22, 2007 Certainly some interesting times are ahead. If the worst happens and WINs own efforts turn out to be a dud, channel BT is always ready and willing.
matturn Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 With WIN's Nine Affiliation contract ending at the start of June, and Nine wanting 50% revenue from WIN for the affiliation, do you's think that WIN will actually source its own programming. Also, are there enough US programming to fill another network? WIN have been doing their own overnights for ages, though much of the content is from the Nine pool. However, they source a fair bit from their own limited back catalogue. Many forget they own Crawfords and they still produce things like "Saddle Club". The ABC catalogue is open to the commercials. Seven started running a series of Frontline when that became available, but it didn't rate so they stopped it. WIN could buy a lot of stuff from ITV Plc. WIN with NBN and Nine Perth and in league with SCB's Nine Adelaide would have as many potential viewers as PBL. WIN could control the Nine Network (or whatever else it will call it), not PBL. The old PBL sans private equity would have been very open to this. The new one would probably fight it. If WIN were to break off from the Nine Network, despite all the free sources of content, it would need to buy rights from PBL or take output deals currently held by other commercial networks. Otherwise it couldn't compete with it's competitors. WIN wouldn't start a "fourth network". It just couldn't compete. It might take over the Nine Network, but most likely it's just going to negotiate a better affiliation deal.
Timmy Downawell Posted April 28, 2007 Posted April 28, 2007 WIN wouldn't start a "fourth network". It just couldn't compete. It might take over the Nine Network, but most likely it's just going to negotiate a better affiliation deal. I'm sure you're right, but it would be good if they did piss of Nine, even just so those of us who can receive both Nine and WIN would get a fourth network out of it.
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