The Nine 4pm game was a 2:10pm start, so none of it was live.
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2030 will be 2 years before the Brisbane Olympics. Most sports will be on DTC service by then.
However, itâs understood that Nine has missed out on a slice of the lucrative AFL broadcast rights, which are likely to be finalised in the next week or so.
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And then there were three.
Didnât think Nine had as much of possible a chance of obtaining the rights as much as Paramount does since they reportedly only wanted Thursday Night Footy (though others reported full rights like 10/P), so it isnât a complete surprise.
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Still think Nine would have been a good option with having a stable subscription platform in Stan. Probably best they go after Cricket and retain the tennis.
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I doubt weâll attract the overseas players until either the game (or a third party like JAM TV) produces the content for carriage, especially if theyâre only interested in one or two games a round
Sorry, but YouTube is far from neutral (regardless that it has basically become that) - I think the only way to achieve it is for the codes themselves to stream it.
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Thing with AFL though is itâs appeal internationally is still very limited when compared to other sports, which would put it on a lower pegging order for overseas based streamers.
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That may be the case, however according to @blackboxâs Podcast a few months back, Rob McKnight had said according to what he was hearing at the time, Gillon McLachlan is interested in the international aspect of the AFLâs coverage via streaming as well.
I could be interested in the Antarctica aspect, doesnât necessarily mean there is something necessarily substantial there. 
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Of course, and it appears that way at the moment with other large streamers out of the mix for consideration.
Though maybe it could change in the future, but obviously not right now.
But that requires getting the eyeballs onto their other service, likely after a sign up and a log in.
YouTube is to me I think the closest thing to the âwhatâs on the TVâ effect of FTA sport in the past, have people just watch it because itâs on, and not be worried about what they have a subscription to. Facebook has the slight edge on net total users, but YouTube reaches the younger audiences that the AFL need to capture to grow going forward.
7+ is a good step forward for access, but itâs a level of the need to seek out AFL content that wasnât there back in the day when FTA television was the default.
FTA wonât like going back to the bad old days of sport on delay. More so as so much gambling advertising relies on live sporting coverage.
So the choice could be watch it live as is or
Watch it on delay without gambling advertising⌠tempting
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Communications Minister Michelle Rowland asked the AFL Commission to keep matches freely available amid an ongoing review of laws designed to keep major sporting and cultural events free for the public. The comments, which are highly unusual from a federal government, could delay or significantly alter where AFL games are aired and how much money the sport receives.
âI note reports AFL media rights negotiations have entered their final stages,â Rowland said. âI encourage the AFL Commission and its broadcast and streaming partners to ensure there is no diminution in the availability of AFL matches on free-to-air television under the new deal.â
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Theyâve hardly âintervenedâ.
Legislative changes and enforcement of the anti-siphoning list would be a more productive intervention.
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If the new government is serious, beef up the anti siphoning laws. All a strongly worded letter is going to do is end up in the shredding bin.
At the moment every game is supposedly protected yet due to the loopholes in the laws we have roughly 2/3rds of games on pay TV only.
An amendment closing these loopholes and extending them to cover IP based services, in return for establishing a minimum number of games per week (3 or 4) that must be available free to air would be a fair compromise in my view.
The current laws in their present state are pretty useless as we have seen especially with cricket.
Ideally, Iâd also like to see some form of âmust carryâ legislation introduced that eliminates the practice of blocking rights on certain platforms such as the current situation with AFL and Cricket on 7. Itâs 2022, a lot of people are primarily using IP based services for TV delivery and itâs increasingly illogical to discriminate against these viewers solely based on the platform they use to access TV services.
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A statement from Seven West Media
Seven West Media (ASX: SWM) welcomed the statement today from Minister for Communications, The Hon Michelle Rowland MP, on AFL media rights. SWM Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, James Warburton, said: âAs a proud, Australian-owned free-to-air television network, Seven welcomes Minister Rowlandâs statement today, which backs up the Albanese Governmentâs stance on the issue of antisiphoning prior to the federal election. âSeven will continue to fight fiercely to ensure all Australians can watch the sports they love live and free.â
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ding dingThe more Seven and Fox end up squabbling among themselves, surely this has to eventually dent the AFLâs confidence in their ongoing suitability as broadcast partners.
Thatâs one big benefit of the rival bid (aside from the free cake)- the rights are all under one roof and youâre not continually negotiating with two separate, rival businesses who each want what is solely in their own best interest.
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From Free TV Australia
Free TV acknowledges Minister Rowlandâs Statement on Live and Free Sport on TV
Free TV acknowledges Minister Michelle Rowlandâs statement today on the need for socially and culturally significant sporting events to remain live and free on the televisions of all Australians.
Free TV Chairman, Greg Hywood said âLive and free sport on television is a fundamental part of the Australian way of life. It remains the great social connector of our times, allowing Australians from all walks of life to share in the same moments together.
âBeing able to watch your favourite sporting team live and free on TV without having to pay subscription fees or worry about your data usage or your internet reliability is very important for most Australians,â Mr Hywood said.
Free TV CEO, Bridget Fair said âThe Ministerâs statement today clearly shows that the Government understands the connection between the standard of living enjoyed by Australians and their access to iconic sporting events, equally available to all of us, live and free.
âResearch released by Free TV in February 2022 revealed strong support for commercial television services across the community:
- 78% of Australians agree that reliable free-to-air television services are crucial, especially for those without strong internet;
- 76% of Australians agree that free-to-air television ensures Australians have access to iconic sporting events; and
- 72% of Australians agree that free-to-air television allows access to television without straining budgets.
âWhat the Government highlighted in their statement today is that there is a real risk of iconic sports events being exclusively acquired by subscription platforms.
âWe strongly agree with the Governmentâs commitment to updating the current anti-siphoning rules, which are 30 years old and only cover free-to-air and pay TV.
âThese are analog rules in a digital world, and we look forward to working with the Government to renew the anti-siphoning list and expand it to cover all subscription platforms so that all Australians can continue to enjoy live sport on their TVs, free and for everyone,â Ms Fair said.
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