Aussie webs bow Save My Sport

Ads urge auds to keep anit-siphoning law

By PAUL CHAI

SYDNEY -- Aussie terrestrial webs launched the Save My Sport campaign on Thursday, airing a series of ads urging consumers to urge the government not to change legislation, known as the anti-siphoning law, that keeps events of cultural significance on free-to-air TV.

The government is proposing a "use it or lose it" system for the events, which are mostly sports.

Payboxes and terrestrials have been waging a war of words over the past few months since the changes were first mooted, but the new campaign represents an escalation.

"Australian sports fans take for granted that they will always be able to see their favorite sporting events on free-to-air television, but that right is under threat as never before," said Julie Flynn, topper of industry org Free TV.

The campaign is backed by the toppers of all the commercial free webs: Ten's Grant Blackley, Seven's David Leckie and Nine's Eddie McGuire.

"This is a wake up call that the sports Australians love are at risk of being lost to pay TV and experience overseas shows that once they are gone, they don't come back," Leckie said.