Coalition to ban gambling-related ads during live sports coverage – The Guardian

Minister for communications senator Mitch Fifield says television licence fees are a relic of a bygone age of regulation in todays media environment. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The Turnbull government will launch a crackdown on gambling advertising on live sporting coverage as part of a package of sweeping media changes.

Parents around Australia will be delighted when they know that during football matches, cricket matches and live sporting events before 8.30pm, there will be no more gambling ads, Turnbull told reporters in New York before leaving the US to return to Australia before Tuesdays budget.

The communications minister, senator Mitch Fifield, said the new restriction would ban gambling ads from five minutes before the commencement of play until five minutes after the conclusion of play or 8.30pm, whichever came sooner.

These things are also a balance between recognising that commercial media need to have sources of revenue but at the same time we need to protect families and children, he said.

The existing exemptions for advertising that covers the racing industry and lotteries will remain.

The anti-gambling campaigner and Senate crossbencher Nick Xenophon said the measure was a good first step but didnt go far enough.

Its not the end of the story in terms of gambling reform, he said on Saturday.

The independent MP Andrew Wilkie said gambling ads in sports broadcasts during G-rated viewing periods were normalising gambling for children and had to stop.

We know that children are especially susceptible to advertising and hero worship and that gambling advertising has a real and measurable impact on the children who are subjected to it, Wilkie said.

Struggling television broadcasters are celebrating after securing some financial relief.

They have had their broadcasting licence fees and datacasting charges abolished, which saves $130m but instead they will pay new annual spectrum fees estimated to raise about $40m.

Fifield said licence fees, which were revenue based, were introduced when broadcasters could generate significant profits due to their exclusive access to mass audiences.

In todays media environment, licence fees are a relic of a bygone age of regulation, he said.

The Nine chief executive, Hugh Marks, urged the parliament to pass the media reform package in its entirety.

The Seven West Media chairman, Kerry Stokes, also backed the changes.

It will give us a real opportunity to compete in the new media environment, he said.

The package includes changes to Australias anti-siphoning regime to reduce the size of the list.

The scheme stops pay TV broadcasters from buying the rights to sports events on the anti-siphoning list before free-to-air broadcasters have the opportunity to buy the rights.

The government will spend $30m over four years to encourage subscription television to increase coverage of womens sport and niche sports.

Senator Fifield confirmed the government would push ahead with plans to scrap the two-out-of-three rule that prevented a company controlling more than two of three radio, television and newspapers in an area.

It will also aim to axe the rule that prohibits a proprietor from controlling a TV licence that reaches more than 75% of the population.

Childrens and Australian content will undergo a review too.

The opposition is waiting to see the detail on the full package before it announces whether it will support it.

We want to see a diversity of voices in the Australian media and we know the economics of journalism have changed a great deal, the Labor deputy leader, Tanya Plibersek, told reporters.

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Coalition to ban gambling-related ads during live sports coverage - The Guardian