Footy codes in battle to ban Optus app dubbed the 'game changer'

A SMARTPHONE application to record football is a "game changer" that could scupper broadcast deals that put hundreds of millions of dollars into sport, it will be argued today.

Telstra, the AFL and the NRL will face off against Optus today in a test case in the Federal Court in Sydney, as they try to ban TV Now. Available on smartphones and computers, the service allows people to record broadcasts from free-to-air stations and start watching within a minute of the game starting.

It is believed the International Olympic Committee has already been contacted over what the football codes see as a growing scourge of "cloud computing" services that effectively hi-jack their sports and show them free.

And we in WA care, why? We wait till 8.50pm for the friday night games of AFL. We don't get games if the Dorkers and Budgies aren't playing. I say bring it on. Perhaps the networks should treat us better.

By Claire Connelly, Research Reporter IN a win for geeks everywhere, a company has made superhero costumes. The catch? You need to learn to ride a motorcycle.