The Seven Network has
announced it will offer a paid subscription service via an app as part of its Rio Olympics coverage this year.
This will make Seven the first free-to-air broadcaster in Australia to charge for broadcasting sport.
This is a new approach to the station’s coverage of the Rio Olympics. Last year, it
said the coverage would include all three digital channels (7, 7two and 7mate), in association with a 24-hour digital news channel, online catch-up, and a free app with 36 live streams.
At the same time, Seven said their approach to the games would be “the most technologically advanced coverage of any event to all Australians with its all-encompassing coverage”.
This week’s announcement that it will add a subscription service will have massive implications, not just for the future of sports broadcasting in Australia, but also free-to-air television more broadly.
