Asian Cup broadcast an own goal for ABC
THE AUSTRALIAN JANUARY 26, 2015 12:00AM
Print
Save for later
Darren Davidson

Business Media Writer
Sydney
https://plus.google.com/110880742894784650896
Aunty kicks an own goal with Cup
Tim Cahill of Australia heads the ball into the goal during the 2015 Asian Cup match against China. It was a different story for the ABC. Source: Getty Images
THE ABC has scored an own goal with ratings for its Asian Cup broadcast, calling into question why it wasted taxpayer funds to outbid SBS, the long-time home of soccer.

As the tournament reaches the closing stages, analysis of OzTAM audience data shows the Asian Cup has performed poorly compared with past figures from SBS.

It also compares unfavourably to the Fox Sports broadcast, even though its Asian Cup coverage is available in less than a third of Australian households on Foxtel’s pay-TV platform.

The ABC outbid SBS for the Asian Cup rights, paying a reported $1.4 million compared to the $700,000 SBS was willing to pay.

Despite a spectacular brace from Socceroos legend Tim ­Cahill against China in a live quarter-final, teeing up a semi-final match against the United Arab Emirates, ratings for this match did not even hit the highs that SBS’s World Cup soccer qualifiers coverage achieved on a one-hour delay.

“Presently this is not an outstanding success,” media analyst Steve Allen said. “We certainly expected more.”

SBS’s three World Cup qualifiers involving Australia averaged 813,000 viewers in June, far more than any ABC game. By comparison, the four Australian Asian Cup matches aired on the ABC averaged just 470,250 viewers. Fox Sports pulled in an average audience of 222,500 viewers for the matches.

According to sources at free-to-air broadcasters, if the average audience measurement rule of thumb were applied to the Asian Cup, FTA networks like the ABC should draw 2.5 times more viewers.

The ABC is way below this standard measure, attaining just 1.7 to 1.9 times the audience for the first three Socceroos games.

The ABC’s contract with Fox stipulates that the matches have to be shown on a one-hour delay, which could contribute to its lower ratings.

For ABC group matches on a two-hour delay in the total people age group on a national basis, Fox Sports captured an impressive 76 per cent share of the available audience in pay-TV homes. For all matches, Fox drew a 73 per cent share.

Feedback generated on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter reveals a high degree of negative sentiment towards the ABC’s efforts, citing a painful lack of soccer expertise, with many calling for the matches to be shown on SBS.

Late last year Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked ABC and SBS heads to explain their lunacy in bidding against each other.

ABC spokesman Nick Leys said the ABC did not pay $1.5m but refused to disclose the figure.

He said the ABC’s audiences were affected by its digital catch-up service iview, and competition from the Australian Open tennis championships and cricket’s Big Bash League on Seven and Ten respectively.

Fox Sports is owned by News Corp Australia, ultimate publisher of The Australian.

Evidently 90k in brisbane.