The Australian (www.theaustralian.news.com.au) reports all three football codes think that the rules giving automatic first broadcast rights for a long list of sporting events to free-to-air TV are restrictive. The rules – called anti-siphoning – where established more than a decade ago when Pay TV first started.

The fear at the time was that Pay TV would aggressively bid for icon events and force people to pay for them – helping build market share in a fledgling industry. But times have changed, and there is now concern that pay free-to-air TV is not showing all those events it has the right to – and sports fans are the losers.

The Telecommunications Minister has announced it is time for a “use-it-or-lose-it” clause, which is to be hammered out in discussions with industry.

As flagged in nowwearetalking on 15 September some sports seem to prefer the flexibility to decide how their games are spread between pay and free TV. Some may value depth of coverage to specialist markets available viaon pay TV for matches that may not appeal to the mass market – and therefore get less air time free-to-air.