AFR article post BRTV creditors' meeting, page-84

None of what i have said is having a go at you but you aren't clear on what went on. I've had the following passed on by a few people who i trust that were close to the action.

The following is the reality.

1. Businesses were pitched that they could potentially feature in an online tv show ( free exposure so good for the business in their eyes, apparently these shows were never made but it was a great content gathering exercise for BIG ). If they didn't make it onto the show then their business would still be loaded onto BIG's own ecosystem and shown there.

2. They were told that the cost of the filming would be covered by a sponsor ( finstro, there again a plus for the business )

3. For there being no cost that sponsor had a couple of offers for the business that they would like to run by them. These were briefly mentioned by the sales staff in their pitch but it was made very clear that they weren't obligated in anyway to take them and Finstro would follow up and try and get the business to take up their offers not the BIG sales team. The sales team did the work to get the gatekeepers details within the business and Finstro saw that as an easier lead then to try and sell their products. ( one being a line of credit facility that if taken up could be used for ANYTHING.....NOT just the video packages...no mention was ever made that the business HAD to use that for purchasing a package. Great for the business again, some free trials and something to potentially help out with cashflow or take a holiday with if they wanted )

4. Businesses were told they were simply being filmed and there is no commitment to purchase anything in the future but if they wanted to license the footage later then the premium package was 1k per month. If sales staff were quizzed or pressed about the cost they would mention that that was the premium one with all the bells and whistles but there were others to choose from as well. ( So there was no risk to a business in their eyes to be filmed but it gave them the opportunity to see their business in video and to make a purchasing decision later )

5. Deposits were hardly ever taken ( maybe 2 0r 3 $500 deposits out of 100 ). The carrot for paying one was that the client would supposedly jump the queue and be sped up in production time and it also got them a 10% discount off a package IF they decided they wanted to buy AFTER seeing their edited footage in about 4 - 8 weeks down the track.

6. If they decided they didn't want to go ahead in 4 - 8 weeks the deposit was refundable!

7. All the businesses who clicked on the digital agreement to accept to have BIG come out and film were classified by the company and reported in the figures to the market as a 12k cash receipt because on the agreement there was mention that the premium package was 1k per month. In the eyes of BIG that constituted a contract regardless of what had been pitched or told to the business and what that business thought was a non committal agreement to have BIG go and film them.