AFL broadcast rights 2025-2031

We all know it will just be an extension of the current deal lets be honest. :cry:

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Well this settles it I guess.

Anyone with a HS sub that could tell us what the article says?

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I personally don’t know why Fox would want their own call teams, wouldn’t that just increase the cost for them?

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More of the same. I’d want Fox to use their own announcers as what they do with cricket and Rugby League.

My preference was Nine/Ten plus a streaming service like Stan, Paramount+ or Amazon.

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Another disaster in the offing. Simulcast deals that have no value to free to air. Murdoch running the show. The fox product has detoriated over the years.

Lazy AFL not even getting bidders in from elsewhere. Just an extension of the current deal is ridiculous.

How do they know what others are willing to pay.

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Yep, being the AFL they’ll stick with what they know it seems. I almost think the best we can hope for is FTA games being allowed on 7Plus (but that’s no guarantee given the debacle that is the cricket rights deal).

Key points from the HS article:

Despite speculation a streaming service like Amazon or Stan might emerge for one game per week, McLachlan said last month the league was happy with its current Fox Footy-Seven arrangement.

But it would take something extraordinary for the league to hand the rights to rival bidders.
The Herald Sun understands a new deal would be for at least three more seasons past 2024 and give the league at least five seasons of financial security.

It also has significant exclusivity, with Foxtel likely to ask for more games broadcast exclusively into non-Victorian markets.

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Happy with mediocrity and no innovation?

Australia is still a backwater when it comes to rights deals. They haven’t been interested in what happens in the US and Europe and they’re poorer for it.

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A lot of Australians don’t have fast and reliable enough internet to be streaming data intensive AFL Games. It would also annoy a lot of people to be have to pay extra just to watch 1 or 2 games that are exclusive to that service.

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However long they extend the deal for will give a bit of a clue as to what the AFL is thinking as far as the number of teams.

The Tassie team question is meant to be finally resolved later this year, if that gets the go ahead, the AFL has only ever had odd numbers of teams for short periods of time, adding a 20th team in say 2028-2029 brings in a 10th game per round and more options/revenue in the broadcast rights.

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This is terrible news.

I don’t have a problem with the outside-Vic changes, but the lack (potentially) of any FTA streaming (at least this year the non-game parts are live streamed) is just plain stupid. And to not even ask the question of anyone else is dumb, you could pump up the price if you say “oh we’ll go somewhere else”.

And to completely disregard the potential of Amazon coming in to steam a game or two is also stupid.

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from www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2022-gillon-mclachlan-stands-down-as-league-chief-executive-key-questions-tv-rights-deal-contenders-to-replace-him-19th-team-latest-updates/news-story/461c50f4a5b162b5510b2dbb0bb399a0

There was an option in the current broadcast deal for Fox to onsell a weekly Saturday afternoon game to a FTA network. Seven didn’t want them, and 10 was mentioned but also didn’t want them (this was prior to their A League deal).

The fact is Saturday afternoon is by far the lowest rating timeslot in TV terms.

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They need to toughen up and accept what is given to them. If they cant afford it, just watch the games you are given. Same with the Football here in the UK. Stop whinging. Pay extra if you can afford it, but Murdoch is protecting his interets and his compamies, i say good on him.

There is also a potential for Amazon Prime (and Paramount+) to stream matches to its international subscribers. In parts of the world where Amazon Prime and/or P+ are not available, the existing deals with local broadcasters should remain.

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I think by 2025 this will be much less of a problem, by then Starlink (and potentially others) will cover all the current internet blackspots with internet that is unlimited and fast which will vastly reduce the current digital divide in remote areas.

Starlink is still very expensive though.

Anyway back to the rights coverage:

I wouldn’t mind seeing Seven go with Amazon Prime in a partnership and get rid of Fox altogether (they have a fairly cosy relationship with their partnerships in drama and Seven airing certain Amazon Prime content occasionally). If something like that happens and Nine/Stan as well as 10/P+ are in the mix then Fox really has nowhere to go.

This is the first chance the FTAs can screw Fox over after so many years of Murdoch holding a dagger by their throats.

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Sadly it ain’t happening this time around.

Gil trying to keep his brother in a job for a few more years. Another conflict of interest by the AFL.

The problem with an extension of the current deal is it’s the worst possible outcome for fans. Broadcasting has moved on from this model.

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This is 100% the case.