27 October 1999

ABA to vary Children's Television Standards for Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) is inviting public comment on its proposal to vary the Children’s Television Standards (CTS) to allow extensive coverage of the 2000 Olympic Games by the Seven Network.

"The Sydney Olympic Games are a sporting and cultural event of great national importance," said Professor David Flint, ABA Chairman.

"The planned extensive coverage by the Seven Network, coupled with time zone differences across the country, mean that the Sydney Olympics required more scheduling flexibility than the current rules allow."

The CTS require commercial television stations to show children’s C and preschool children’s P programs during the week in designated time slots. The proposed variation will be a temporary measure for the duration of the games. The variation will allow weekday children’s C and preschool children’s P programs to be displaced for the Seven Network’s coverage of the Olympic Games. Instead the Seven Network will be required to make-up these programs at other times.

The Seven Network will broadcast an hour a day of new Australian C drama programs in enhanced and promoted time slots during the winter school holidays of the 2000 school year. In most States these will be the holidays between second and third terms, while in Tasmania the winter holidays are between the first and second terms. An hour of P preschool programs will be shown in two separate time slots each day in the week on either side of the Games.

"So that children would not miss out the ABA sought the advice of a child development consultant on Seven’s options for the rescheduling of the P and C programs," said Professor Flint. "The consultant considered additional C programs in the school holidays would be welcomed by school age audiences during the colder months, while re-scheduling close to the Olympics event is a more appropriate solution for the pre-school audience."

The Seven Network will inform children, parents and carers in its audience of the changes to their usual viewing slots due to its Olympic coverage.

The proposed variation, Children’s Television Standards (Variation) No.2 1999, is available on the ABA web site at www.aba.gov.au or from the ABA. Submissions should reach the ABA no later than Wednesday 17 November 1999. Submissions may be sent by mail, fax to (02) 9334 7799, or email to info@aba.gov.au.

Backgrounder

Consultation

The ABA is required by section 126 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to seek public comment before varying a program standard. It is therefore inviting submissions on its proposal to vary the displacement provisions of CTS 3(1).

CTS displacement rules

The current CTS rules allow C programs for primary school age children to be displaced for live coverage of sport or events of national importance. For the Sydney Olympics, however, it would be difficult to make up the amount of displaced C programming within the week either side of the Olympics as required under the current rules. In the case of P programs for preschoolers there is no allowance for displacement. However, a variation would allow the displacement of P programs to follow the current rules for C program displacement.

Proposed variation

The ABA proposes to insert the following new subparagraph in CTS 3 for the period 15 September to 1 October 2000:

to allow coverage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games a licensee holding the exclusive rights to live coverage of that event may displace any weekday C period to another time in the C band during the winter school holidays in the 2000 school year, and any weekday P period to another time in the P band within the week either side of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Consultant advice

The ABA sought advice from a child development consultant on a range of options provided by the Seven Network for the rescheduling of the C and P programs. For C programming the consultant favoured re-scheduling the displaced period to the school holidays preceding the Olympic Games. An hour of programming each weekday afternoon from 4 pm to 5 pm during the winter holidays is likely to be acceptable to the child audience at a time when there are good reasons for seeking to be indoors. School age children are more likely to understand the significance of the Olympics and rescheduling of programs. In most States the C programs will be broadcast in the holidays between the second and third terms of the 2000 school year, while in Tasmania the winter holidays are between the first and second terms.

For P programming, the consultant favoured doubling the programming in the weeks before and immediately after the Olympic Games using two time slots: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Unlike school-age children, pre-schoolers would have difficulty connecting extra programming in, for example, July with the loss of their programs in September. The consultant considered it would be easier for them to understand the changes if they occur within a shorter time-frame. Scheduling episodes at separate times, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, will help maintain very young viewers’ enjoyment and engagement. The consultant also stressed the importance of the Seven Network alerting children, parents and carers of the changes to their usual viewing in an effective, prominent and frequent manner.

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