Will "Aunty" continue to run the Australia Network - Official Media Sponsor of the Swannies' 2011 AFL Grand Final Parties?
Today’s Age newspaper (24 October 2011) has run an article under the headline, Rudd forced tender on Asia Service.
The article looks at the process used to appoint an organisation to run the Australia Network. This story is of interest to the Vietnam Swans and Asian football as it will have an impact on the televised coverage of AFL into Asia. But no one seems to be able to tell us what impact it will have. Yet.
Below is an excerpt.
Kevin Rudd rejected plans to allow the ABC to keep operating Australia’s official TV service in Asia, despite a confidential government review that gave a gold star to the public broadcaster for running Australia Network.
The detailed ”mid-term” report by the Foreign Affairs Department was never released to the ABC but was prepared last year to help decide the future of the $223 million service.
But Mr Rudd – toppled from the prime ministership only days before the report was finalised – decided, on taking over as Foreign Minister after the election, to demand a more intense process. This resulted in putting the service out to tender in February and allowing Rupert Murdoch’s part-owned Sky News to compete with the ABC for a new 10-year contract.
A final draft of the official review, obtained by The Age, states the ABC ”consistently met or exceeded” the performance markers set out in the existing contract.
”The quality of the programming was assessed as good, credible and timely and provided far better coverage of the region than other international broadcasters,” it said.
A decision on the future of Australia Network, now more than a month overdue, is shaping as a major headache for Labor.
The government is sitting on two separate independent reports that recommend Sky News should take over the service after lodging a superior bid.
But some cabinet members have baulked at the prospect of handing the contract to a company linked to News Corporation over the publicly funded ABC and are privately blaming Mr Rudd for creating the mess.
To read the rest of the article, click onto The Age.
Related articles
- Asian footy clubs make submission re AFL on Australia Network. This submission was prepared and lodged by the Vietnam Swans on behalf of 26 Asian footy clubs. 3 July, 2011.
- DFAT reply re AFL footy on Australia Network. 11 July 2011.
- Australian Business Asia bats for footy on the tele. 23 June 2011.
- Australia Network tender process lacks transparency, The Australian, 4 July 2011.
- Move to block TV bid, The Age, 4 July 2011.
