A- League won’t rate. They’ll get the small ratings that they are already getting. It’s just an observation.
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They’ll be able to brand it themselves. It is virtually exclusive as it is only simulcast on Paramount+ rather than Fox
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As it stands it is:
Every A-League/W-League game live on Paramount+
Saturday Night A-League on 10
Sunday Afternoon W-League on 10Bold
News on the finals?
Shame it is not HD.
Time for them to bring back 10 Bold HD. While they’re at it, make all their multis HD.
ViacomCBS And Australian Professional Leagues Announce Landmark Rights Deal.
• Network 10 and Paramount+ to be the new home of A-League and Westfield W-League bringing more football to more fans.
• A-League live and free every Saturday night on 10 and 10 Play on demand.
• Westfield W-League live and free every Sunday afternoon on 10 Bold and 10 Play on demand.
• A-League and Westfield W-League matches on brand new Paramount+.
ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) today announced a landmark media partnership deal which will revolutionise the way the A-League and Westfield W-League will be broadcast to Australians.
The five-year, ground-breaking agreement which commences next season, will change the landscape of sports broadcasting in this country, giving Australian football the greatest reach it has ever had.
Every Saturday night during the season is Football Night on 10, with the A-League’s match of the round broadcast live at 7:30pm.
10 Bold will be the new home of the Westfield W-League, with a match broadcast live every Sunday of the league. All free-to-air matches will also be simulcast on 10 Play.
And, in a football first, A-League and Westfield W-League games will be available on Paramount+ which launches on Wednesday, 11 August for $8.99, with football fans and Club members given a special deal to access all games.
Beverley McGarvey, Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Australian Professional Leagues to become the new home of football for both the A-League and Westfield W-League, giving all Australians access to more football than ever before.
“As part of this landmark media rights partnership, all the action, excitement and fierce competition of the A-League and Westfield W-League will be broadcast on Network 10 and Paramount+.
“Ensuring broad reach on free-to-air, as well as extensive access on Paramount+, we are committed to showcasing the sport in innovative ways and exposing it to a plethora of programming opportunities across all our platforms, including those of our parent company ViacomCBS.”
Jarrod Villani, Chief Operating and Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand said: “The distinct alignment between our audiences further cements our strategy and commitment to broadcasting the sport. In addition to exhibiting the most diverse and youngest fanbase in Australia, football also boasts the highest male and female participation rate for a sport in Australia, and it’s still growing.
“And, we are proud to be making the Westfield W-League available to all Australians for the first time on commercial free-to-air television.
“We are looking forward to working with the Australian Professional Leagues and establishing one of the best sporting partnerships in the world.”
The investment by ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand, further cements APL’s plan to unite, entertain and grow the football audience in Australia. It marks the first significant commercial announcement for APL since its member clubs began taking control of the A-League, W-League, Y-League and e-League on 31 December last year.
APL Chairman, Paul Lederer, said: “Less than six months ago we pledged to create value for the whole ecosystem of Australian football, and this deal is the first step in our delivering on that promise.
“This agreement with one of the world’s biggest content providers, is exactly the kind of significant and vital milestone we have always believed was possible - and that we intend to continue achieving.”
One of the key tenets of the deal is the ability to deliver and promote top-level football to every household in Australia, as APL moves quickly to realise its planned growth, predicated on its newly secured independence.
APL Managing Director, Danny Townsend, said: “Fundamental to our strategy is a determination to ensure that we connect and engage with every Australian. This agreement starts that process by giving the game unprecedented reach and the backing of an absolutely iconic and globally renowned broadcaster.
“Football is played all over Australia, and the creative power that this partnership will deliver can unlock what we believe is an audience the game has never managed to reach before.”
Jarrod Villani added: “This landmark rights deal will extend the A-League and Westfield W-League to be visible across the network, across platforms and across the full year. It provides a fantastic opportunity to engage new and growing audiences to the game, the players and to the sport of football, which can only deliver positive promotional benefits for the sport.”
The next season of the A-League and Westfield W-League will be broadcast on Network 10 and Paramount+.
Further details about the broadcast and commentary team will be announced soon.
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Hope they take a leaf out of Stan’s book here and go for a largely fresh look with the commentators.
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Simon Hill. Please.
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Surely he has to be their number 1 target.
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You’d fucking hope!
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I notice that Michael Zappone has been calling more matches for Fox Sports. 10 needs to sign him up once the current A-League season is over.
Will Paramount+'s coverage of A-League and W-League use its own watermark (which is yet to be revealed) or the 10 logo?
Same as Stan and 9 I’d say.
In other words, yes.
I doubt they’ll put a job listing out for resumes sadly… I’d be the first to apply!
That statement is a bit confusing. Will there be a special deal that will reduce the $8.99 per month cost, or will there be a special deal of $8.99 plus the cost of a football package? If it’s the former then everyone whether they are a soccer fan or not will be trying to sign up to Paramount+ at the reduced rate, you would think.
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New Zealand’s broadcast rights to be confirmed in the coming months:
As part of this transition, the APL will start producing Paramount+ gameday content, from commentary and camera vision of matchdays all the way to a free-to-air A-League panel show.
The shift towards direct control over the programming helps to assuage the concerns of moving to an inexperienced broadcaster. But it also further develops the sense of a genuine partnership between the two parties, which may bode positively for the long-term future of the game.
…this new broadcast arrangement offers a glimpse of what a new era for the sport may look like.
We’re about to witness independent club control, all the way from the boardroom to the broadcast, and the potential new relationships that opens the door to.
So in essence, 10 and Paramount+ are broadcasting it, nothing else?
Similar to how the Supercars rights deal currently operates (Supercars Media produces the broadcast but some Fox & Seven talent feature in it), 10/Paramount+ might have some sway in who’ll be involved with the coverage
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… it just goes to show how much broadcast regulation was thrown out with the introduction of the Broadcasting Services Act in 1992 … previously no entity other than the licensee could exert this level of control over what was broadcast … it certainly “opens the door”, but to what is a serious question …
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