The competition has been fierce. For weeks now the Australian commercial television networks have been changing their watermarks in a battle to see who could make the most annoying aberration to a TV programme picture. We had thought Channel 9 had won.

And then the ABC joined the fray. Who would have thought that a non-commercial network – a network paid for by tax payer dollars – could out-innovate the commercial networks? If you’d asked me last week, I would have said it wasn’t possible. Yet here I am today, watching TV, and there it is.

Not one, but two watermarks. And two colours. In two different corners. Genius!

It pains me to say this, but the ABC now officially sucks more than the commercial networks. The proof is right here. Sadly, the ABC looks likely to win this battle – though we’ve yet to hear from SBS. SBS surprised us all last year when the non-commercial network suddenly decided to go commercial, complete with annoying popups before and after ads. So they could surprise us all soon – maybe a multi-coloured animated watermark?

As a tax payer I think I should have a say in what the ABC spend their money on. And spending their money on technology for watermarking their programmes is not what I have in mind. I want to watch the ABC without watermarks! Who’s with me? Anyone out there willing to sign a petition to make the ABC (and SBS) drop their watermarks? Or maybe there is some other action we can all take to stop the insanity?