Seven Network has launched a new campaign titled 'We are Aussies, of course I want free sport', calling on the Federal Government to amend its proposed changes to the anti-siphoning regime.

The campaign aims to protect Australians' access to free sports content across broadcast and digital technologies, arguing that the current Bill before parliament only protects Australians' access to free sport via broadcast TV, but not if they watch TV through the internet via an app like 7plus.

Seven’s campaign supports the broader industry campaign from industry group Free TV Australia, which is seeking changes to the prominence and anti-siphoning Bill to prevent free TV content from disappearing behind paywalls. Created by Seven’s in-house creative agency, Red Engine, the creative features Seven talent including Bruce McAvaney, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Matthew Richardson, Abbey Holmes, Mel McLaughlin, Matt Evans, Jason Richardson, Juliet Godwin, Emma Freedman and Mark Beretta.

"Australians shouldn't be denied access to free sport just because they don’t have an aerial. If you want to stream sport over the internet, the anti-siphoning scheme should ensure internet delivered sport is also free," McAvaney said.

Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, James Warburton, said Seven supports most parts of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Prominence and Anti-Siphoning) Bill 2023, but has a major issue with a particular omission from the Bill.

"It only guarantees free sport content for Australians that have an aerial. It does not guarantee people will get free sport if they choose to stream it over the internet or don’t have an aerial," he said. "No aerial means no guarantee that Australians will have access to free sport in the future. As the Bill is drafted now, there is nothing stopping Amazon, Kayo, Prime and Netflix from buying all the digital rights to Australians’ favourite sports and making them pay if they want to stream sport over the internet."

Warburton further called on the Federal Government to amend the Bill to include the free digital stream alongside the free broadcast stream so that all Australians can access free sport, regardless of whether they have a TV aerial or not.

The campaign is currently running across all major social media platforms.