APAC: The Simpsons vanishes from Aussie free-to-air TV, pray for Mojo

Just when it seemed like Australia’s Channel Ten might be out of the woods.

Negotiations between Channel Ten and 20th Century Fox over the Australian free-to-air broadcasting rights to the new seasons of The Simpsons and other shows have stalled, causing the network to cease all Fox programming until a deal is made. It seems the fact that Ten has been the home of The Simpsons for 25 years wasn’t enough for Fox, who are reportedly unhappy with Ten’s current bid. In Ten’s defence, at this stage it’s unknown when the full effects of the network’s recent sale to CBS will be felt, meaning that it can’t really afford to forget about its longstanding financial troubles, even if The Simpsons is one of its most reliable shows.

Channel 10 bad want money now. Channel 10 sick. Courtesy: Pinterest

Forgetting the potential impact this could have on the million-dollar company, I’m more disturbed by how difficult it just became to watch Fox cartoons on TV Down Under. The Animation Fixation block, the cornerstone of Wednesday night programming for Ten’s sister channel Eleven for over 6 years, is gone. Aussie viewers looking for The SimpsonsFuturamaBob’s Burgers, and whatever flavour of the month Ten had bought the rights to (Bordertown, anyone?) will likely have to look into Foxtel subscriptions if this continues, since at time of writing no other network has announced a bid for any specific shows.

Pray for Mojo indeed.