AFL broadcast rights 2025-2031

Television Sports Broadcasting Rights
1882

Been thinking about how to maximise the fixture to get best value for fan and TV.

The best thing to come from Opening Round is the byes to open the season. Taking a game out of the round opens up a lot of opportunities.

I would also start the season in VIC labour day weekend. Byes for all 18 clubs between Rounds 3 and 10 (Five rounds have byes, the other three don’t due to Easter, Anzac Day and Gather Round).

A second series of byes would go between Rounds 17 and 21 (over the school holidays).

Thursday nights would kick off at 19:00 every week

Friday nights would also kick off at 19:00 on weeks with one game, or 18:30 / 21:00 when playing a double header with WA. The 18:30 game would be played in Geelong/Canberra/Marvel Stadium/Gold Coast. I’d say you’d be looking at roughly ~6 of these double headers a year

Saturdays with 3 games would be scheduled 13:00 / 16:00 / 19:00 (in 7/8 game rounds)

Saturdays with 4 games would be scheduled 12:00 / 14:30 / 17:00 / 19:30 (only needed for nine game rounds with no public holidays)

Sundays with 2 games would be scheduled 14:00 / 17:00 (Ch7 to take the 2pm game)

Sundays with 3 games would be scheduled 12:00 / 15:00 / 18:00 (one hour later during daylight saving) with the 15:00 game being on Ch7, and the 18:00 game being played in WA. Looking at another ~6 of these WA game being played at 4pm local time.

Example opening 11 rounds:

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The last round of the season, I’d play all nine games at 2pm or 3pm on Saturday. Move the finals bye to be between the prelim finals and the grand final.

1883

Thursday & Friday 7pm would not happened because of 7news, earliest would be 7:20-7:30

Sunday 2pm on 7 would not happen because they would want news lead in

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1884

They can run the news until 6.50pm.

They can do a proper post-game show and wrap up the round before the news.

Reality is Fox pay the majority of the broadcast money (7 only get a look in because of the anti-siphoning laws). The less games that overlap mean the more $$$ spent on advertising and more money for the game next broadcast deal. 7 might need to stop dictating when games are played and start letting the league be run professionally.

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1885

Could they also do this for NSW matches that are delayed on Saturdays in the first third of the season from next year (e.g. a 1:30pm game between Sydney and GWS would start airing no earlier than 4:30pm on 7mate, and run until 6:30pm), or would it run the full three hours like most broadcasts?

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1886

Adelaide cut’s the broadcast down to either 2 hours or 2 and a half hours, probably edit out the breaks between the quarters.

IIRC the new deal will see the delay reduced to two hours, so they could air it from 3pm until 5pm, or 3pm/3:30pm-5:30pm (then lead into Sydney/QLD Weekender programs).

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1887

Big possibility of 9:30pm broadcast starts on Saturday night games, which has been avoided under the current deal.

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