The Australian media watchdog, ACMA, has recently reminded licensed broadcasters nationwide about the regulations concerning gambling advertisements. This follows the ACMA’s discovery of discrepancies in how these regulations are being understood.
In essence, the regulations, implemented in 2018, aim to limit gambling promotions during live sporting broadcasts on television, internet platforms, and radio between 5 am and 8:30 pm. Beyond these times, the limitations are less stringent.
Over the past year, the ACMA has focused on observing online platforms, specifically collecting data on gambling advertisements during live sports. They reached out to various broadcasters to gain a better understanding of their practices.
Although the ACMA determined that, generally, broadcasters are adhering to the regulations, there are some providers who are interpreting them differently. The primary inconsistencies pertain to when the regulations are not applicable and how records are being maintained. For instance, there’s a clause within the Broadcasting Services Act of 1992 that permits simultaneous online transmissions of sporting events to be exempt from the advertising regulations, and this is leading to some ambiguity.
The broadcasting regulator in Australia, known as ACMA, determined that television companies were excessively exploiting technicalities to rationalize the limited viewership of their subscription-based sports networks. It appears they were resorting to any justification they could uncover! With a growing number of Australians streaming sports content, it’s crucial to ascertain the actual viewership figures for conventional television broadcasts. This way, they can ensure that these technicalities are only employed when a sport genuinely has a minuscule following.
Speaking of technicalities, there’s also some ambiguity surrounding data collection practices. Various providers are monitoring different metrics, which raises suspicions. ACMA fully supports record-keeping but insists on a level playing field for all parties involved.
