The battle to keep major sporting events free heats up as Aussies warned they will pay ‘hundreds’ each year in US-style paywalls

Australian sports fans could soon be forced to pay “hundreds” of dollars annually to watch major sporting events on digital TV if the anti-siphoning bill is not amended to include digital rights, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has warned.

This week, the battle to keep major sporting events free for Australian viewers will heat up once more as the Senate debates the Albanese Government’s anti-siphoning laws through the Prominence and Anti-Siphoning Bill — which has been heavily criticised for favouring streaming giants.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young talks about the battle to keep sport free on TV.

The bill in its current form prevents streaming services such as Amazon, Apple, and Disney from buying exclusive “broadcast rights” to major sporting events, such as the AFL and Olympics.

However, under the bill, streamers would be able to acquire exclusive digital rights — which will lock out millions of viewers who watch free sports on services such as 7plus, 9Now and 10Play.

Recently, US streaming giant Netflix purchased the rights to much-watched Christmas Day games in the National Football League, bringing to seven the number of services to which US football fans will need to subscribe to watch the whole season.

And in a dire warning for what could be to come for Australian viewers, the total cost of seeing each game is now $US1600 a season— about $A2000.

On Tuesday, Hanson-Young joined Matt Shirvington on Sunrise to speak about the fight to keep big sporting events free for Australian viewers.

“If you’ve got the old school television with an antenna, then you’ll be fine. But if you watch TV or sport on a smart TV, on your phone, or on a tablet — which is increasingly so many of us — then you’re going to be locked out,” Hanson-Young said.

“You’re going to have to pay for a sporting subscription, Kayo, or something else. Possibly Netflix or Amazon, and you’re going to have to pay hundreds of dollars to watch your favourite team win.”

Amazon late last year obtained the rights to the International Cricket Council’s global events for the next four years, with no free-to-air broadcasts of those events in Australia.

The recent men’s T20 World Cup was only available via the service.

“It’s not Australian,” Hanson-Young said.

“It’s not good for us. Our country has celebrated watching sport together, celebrating the wins and commiserating the losses. It’s such an important part of who we are as a nation.”

She noted the popularity of the Matildas matches and how they had brought the country together, but said being able to watch the games free was a key component of that success.

“You think about all these young girls and young women getting inspired after watching The Matildas in the final rounds of the World Cup. It was such a good feeling right across the country,” Hanson-Young said.

“All of a sudden we had young girls signing up to play soccer, to play other sport, to want to be involved in community sport. This is what is so powerful about watching sport together as a nation.

“What I am worried about is this new law the government wants to push through the Parliament this week, really makes a group of haves and have-nots.

“I am really pushing the government, don’t stuff this up.

“Don’t lock out half the country, particularly young people, you think about how teenagers and young people are watching their sport and news, it’s not on the old-school TV anymore.

“We need those people to be involved in watching our national sporting teams.”