Government already bails out Broadcasting in Australia to the Tune of $1.4bn per year... It's called the ABC & SBS, which are feather-bedded and left untouchable by the political class.
I've said it previously ABC is getting too big to the point of crowding out parts of the private sector:
* abc.net.au is essentially a 24 hour online free newspaper (why pay for a newspaper or pay to go through Fairfax/News firewalls..)
* ABC24 - A 24hr News channel when the free-to-air networks (excl. Sky's 24hr news) provide news almost throughout the day.
* Then there is ABC2, ABC ME, ABC Kids + online streaming through iView.
* Up to 5 radio stations in the major cities (incl. Triple J, which could survive in the private sector..)
* SBS also isn't needed when most people stream cultural TV through online providers like Netflix and Stan.
This isn't 1950s black and white TV era anymore where information was more scarce. $1.4bn a year public broadcasting is way too much, even more so when Fed Govt is paying over $17bn a year in interest on government debt.
When will ABC/SBS face the real world like TEN and Fairfax? or is their funding going to perpetually increase?
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