Netball fans have pushed Telstra to review its current subscription pricing after the telco removed the annual subscription price from its app, effectively making the yearly price more than five times more expensive.
This year subscribers could pay a yearly fee of $29.99 to watch both Super Netball and international netball games via the Netball Live app provided by Telstra. Channel Nine plays a selection of Super Netball games, with international fans unable to watch any Super Netball games from outside of Australia without the app.
The stoush with fans marks yet another rocky day for the game. Credit:Getty
"As the broadcast rights for netball are due to expire in 2021, we have removed the option for an annual subscription so that fans aren’t charged for a service beyond the expiry of the current broadcast deal," a spokesman said.
"We are currently reviewing our monthly and weekly pricing for 2021."
Nords Samuels, 28, who is living in Portsmouth, England said she and four others in her friend's group had made the decision to unsubscribe from the app after receiving no communication about the price increase.
"I didn't see any notices about it, and even so, I wouldn't have resubscribed," she said. "I enjoy watching the girls play as netball has been apart of my life since I was nine … watching netball is the only thing some people look forward to."
Jonathon Kelly, 39, said he had been watching Super Netball since its inaugural season in 2017 and paid for the app after leaving Australia to live in Thailand.
"Super Netball doesn't listen to its existing fans," he said. "In their chase to get more new fans they are prepared to lose loyal, existing fans that have supported netball for decades."
The subscription price stoush marks another rocky day for the sport.
On Monday, the West Coast Fever was fined $300,000 and docked 12 competition points for next season after being found to have breached the salary cap in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons. It is the second breach since Super Netball's inaugural year in 2017.
This week, it was also revealed that a former director of Netball Australia is taking the governing body to the Federal Court, accusing them of sidelining her from board deliberations and concealing from stakeholders its parlous financial position after she warned it was at risk of insolvency.
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