Astra fires latest salvo in ongoing battle for prominence

ASTRA, the subscription TV lobby group, has launched the latest execution in its ad campaign against government legislation to provide prominence to free-to-air apps on smart TVs.

The campaign, which incorporates TV, radio, print and digital, stepped up its assault last week as it goes head to head with Free TV Australia over the issue. Both sides are lobbying the government over legislation for a prominence framework that will determine how content, specifically TV apps, will appear on Connected TVs. 

An ASTRA spokesperson said: “We will continue to campaign for Australians’ right to choose their content and control the TVs they spend thousands on every year. Our argument is simple - TVs should serve the consumer, not the government and not Free TV Australia. When a consumer chooses to pay for a service, they should have easy access to that content.

"Content discovery should be determined by the consumer, not the government and not Free TV Australia. Australian content aggregators like the Foxtel platform and soon to launch Hubbl serve the consumer – they surface content both free and paid based on what the consumer wants. 

“Research shows that 1 in 2 Australians with a smart TV don’t know how to change the layout if their apps. We believe FTA channels should absolutely remain easily accessible. However, at a time when Australians are liberated with choice, legislating free-to-air app and search prominence on smart TVs will create limitation, complication and further frustration.”

See also: “It’s a matter of choice”: Free TV Australia and Seven West Media research finds Australians want accessible free TV

Free TV Australia recently launched its campaign emphasising the need for Australians to be able to easily access local free TV channels. 

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