If it’s profitable for Fox even after doing the heavy lifting I can see it being equally profitable for Nine/10 now that they have their own subscription services that they can grow a subscriber base from. Something like the AFL would be a massive drawcard especially in the AFL states and one of the few things that they could justify spending the big $$$ on. To be successful though, I would think the FTA component would have to massively cross-promote the subscription service (in a model similar to the A League and Super Rugby but with one would imagine at least 3 FTA games a week). Tying up with club memberships such as the Geelong/Kayo and A-League/P+ arrangements could also be a significant way of attracting subscribers.
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If our sports had a lot more games/events, these sort of arrangements may be more beneficial (and attractive, especially given they dont get great viewer numbers) - its going to be incredibly hard to get someone excited enough to pay a premium for 17 or 18 games a year if you were to follow a model similar to say the NFL
Also, neither model allows a local viewer to watch every game live - in fact, we get better live access to the EPL in Australia than someone watching in the UK gets.
Yep, for someone like Nine and Ten offering a model that allows them to have the rights under a single broadcaster, it should be straightforward, on the proviso that they are able to offer enough of a financial incentive to attract it way from the status quo.
Seven is kind of stuck not having the paid streaming platform - they could try and do a deal with an existing player (like Amazon, but I cant see that happening, they’ve not shown wavering interest) or continue to pursue a deal alongside Foxtel.
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Lol everyone I know in the UK loathes that because it’s so splintered across 3 pay services. Not sure this is it.
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Forgive my naivety, what were those deals struck during 2020 for with both Seven and then later in the year (protracted) Telstra & Foxtel? Is this adjustments or extensions to those? Or a brand new deal (like the last $2.5b one in 2015? And of so what years/time frame for all the aforemntioned are we talking? Thank you, guys 
I think you’ll find that if Fox can cover all 9 games themselves, and the SA/WA FTA games disappear, they’ll allow 7 to stream their FTA coverage on 7+. That seems like a fair trade off to me.
This would be my ideal situation:
*Thursday 7.20pm [Pay TV/Streaming Exclusive]
*Friday 7.50pm [FTA]
*Saturday 2.10pm [FTA]
*Saturday 5pm [Pay TV/Streaming Exclusive]
*Saturday 7.50pm [FTA]
*Sunday 12.30pm [Pay TV/Streaming Exclusive]
*Sunday 3.20pm [FTA]
*Sunday 6.10pm [Pay TV/Streaming Exclusive]
The 9th game would be a mixture of byes (9 rounds, one per team in the middle of the season), PH games, Friday Double Headers (7pm/10pm) or a second game at 2.10pm Saturday, which would be on FTA.
The FTA component could be one broadcaster or two (ie 7 or 9+10), the Pay TV/Streaming Exclusive could be done by Foxtel or by Stan Sport/Paramount+ (where a paid subscription helps to subsidise costs).
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That is the main sticking point for any improvements to the existing broadcast deal.
I think Foxtel will go even further by asking the AFL to remove the guarantee that NSW and QLD viewers will be able to see their teams on FTA every week.
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Yep it’s why Foxtel didn’t sign until a later date on the latest extension. They wanted more SA/WA exclusivity.
By having NRL rights, I don’t think they care all that much about NSW/QLD exclusivity.
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I don’t. They already have NRL exclusivity and since Ch10 the AFL have held strong on having FTA coverage for all NSW/QLD games in those states to promote the game.
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This was the reason why Seven (and Ten when they had the rights) were not allowed to show Saturday afternoon AFL matches live in Victoria.
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No chance either of these things will happen considering how the AFL balked at Foxtel’s request for more exclusive SA/WA games not so long ago.
Why though? 18 games live on FTA, 4 games fully exclusive to Fox seems like a fair deal to me.
Why should fans of SA/WA clubs have a god-given right to watch every match their team plays for free?
How many viewers are tuning in to 7 for the games on a 3 hour delay anyway?
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It’s not like for like unless those services plan to transmit their channels via satellite.
How many pubs/restaurants have you walked into where live sport is on the TVs through Stan/Paramount+/Optus Sport?
There is nothing stopping Seven airing live Saturday afternoon games in Melbourne under the current deal. They were offered the chance by Foxtel who wanted to on-sell a weekly Saturday afternoon game and Seven passed on it as they didn’t see the opportunity as profitable (their significant investment in horse racing coverage may also have been a factor in the decision).
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In New Zealand, all top-level cricket switched to Spark Sport (streaming) at the end of 2020. Some pubs were slow to switch but over the most recent summer most had switched. If the content is available and it will drive in pubgoers/increase revenue, pubs will broadcast it. The A-League and Super Rugby are not enough to turn that tide.
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At the moment it’s almost like that with 4 games of both SA teams being aired delayed on 7 with the games live on Fox Footy. Still creating an incentive to get Fox Footy.
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I suppose it’s just whether the AFL’s perceived value of having the non-Vic teams shown weekly in their home markets on FTA is matched or bettered by Fox.
I’d assume given that the AFL needs to grow the game in QLD and NSW more than anything, and that the fan base isn’t enough to encourage a massive Fox Footy uptake, that there won’t be much movement in those markets.
In SA/ WA it might be more possible and there’d be a massive uproar but I could see the 3 delayed games just going fully behind a paywall. Hopefully not though.
Not really as they are already paying for a broadcast team to do the pre, half and post show on Friday nights already.
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Optus Sport? Pretty much all of them. Optus provides Pubs with a box that can pick up all their channels for EPL coverage. If Stan Sport / Paramount+ was serious about the AFL rights they’d do the same thing too. Easily done.
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Optus somehow sneak their sport channels on to Optus 10: Optus 10: 12727 V - LyngSat.
Helps that they own the satellite! I reckon Stan Sport / P+ might face more prohibitive costs doing this, or alternatively they could provide IP delivery to pubs. Has anyone seen Stan or P+ in a pub yet?
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One of my local pubs definitely has Stan (the publican is a massive rugby fan).
Stan had a deal with Sky Channel to get them into licenced venues for Tabcorp to subsequently tear it up - allegedly at Racing NSW behest
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