Having tested the waters with its expanded live streaming of sports coverage, the Seven Network has announced that it will be bringing all three of its digital television channels to an internet connected device near you.
Dubbed 7 Live, the network will begin live streaming 7, 7TWO and 7mate (and their regional equivalents) online from December 1, with each of them ticking over 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
To prepare for the full roll-out of live streaming services, Seven has already begun streaming Sunrise and The Morning Show.
Keep your eye on the ball
Sports fans will be happy to know that Seven’s sports coverage will also be live streamed, including AFL, which was originally absent from Seven’s sports streaming plans.
In regards to AFL, Seven has stated that “the simulcast transmission will be identical to the original broadcast (including all advertising and programming in the original broadcast) except for programming or advertising that is replaced due to rights issues.”
If you’re worried about how East Coast / West Coast streaming conflicts for AFL matches, you have nothing to worry about – the 7 Live FAQ states that “the service will be available in all metro and regional areas, with regional areas receiving their nearest metro transmission.”
Technical talk
While Seven has stated that 7 Live “will be a free service to the user and is just an extension of our free to air television broadcast,” wording found in another part of the FAQ, stating that “for the initial free release, it will be available in SD only,” seems to indicate a paid HD version will be coming sometime in the future.
If you’re an Aussie living abroad who wants to keep up with Home and Away (heaven forbid), you’ll be disappointed to hear that 7 Live will be geo-blocked for Australia only.
Though no supported device list has been provided as of yet, Seven has stated that “the service will be available on most internet-connected devices: TV, Games Consoles, tablets, mobiles,” and that it recognises that “more and more people consume their television over the internet, to the mobile device or computer.”
