Live TV too costly

Press, 12 November 1985, Page 1

Live TV too costly

The high cost of satellite transmission has precluded Television New Zealand from screening live coverage of the present cricket series between New Zealand and Australia. Television New Zealand has been showing a 30minute highlights package at the end of each day of the first test at Brisbane. This coverage, from Sydney’s Channel 9, has cost $3500 a day.

Television New Zealand’s head of sport, Mr Charles Martin, said the high cost of satellite coverage and disturbance to normal programmes had precluded the cricket’s being broadcast live.

Satellite coverage costs $l2OO for the first 10 minutes, plus $7O a minute, a total of $25,700 a day for six hours of cricket. Mr Martin said that other substantial payments for broadcast rights and access to the television signal would be necessary for a live broadcast.

In spite of this, Mr Martin did not rule out the possibility of some live coverage later in the series. The executive'director of the New Zealand Cricket Council, Mr Graham Dowl-

ing, said that interest in live coverage was a natural reaction to New Zealand’s successful efforts in Brisbane. Three hotels in Christchurch that have screened the cricket live to patrons on satellite television dishes have reported big increases in custom during the test. A spokesman for the Chancery Tavern said that about 200 people watched the match there last evening. “We are normally lucky to have 10 or 12 on a Monday night,” he said. The Russley Hotel had up to 60 per cent more patrons last evening because it showed the cricket live, and the Avonhead Tavern had 150 to 200 more customers. The Hillsborough Tavern has recently been sold to a private owner, and its satellite dish is being shifted to Timaru.. A spokesman said the tavern had about 60 calls last week asking whether the cricket would be shown. Television New Zealand plans extensive live coverage of the one-day international matches involving New Zealand during the Benson and Hedges World Series in Australia in January.