Opinion Are you really ready for the 2025-2031 TV Broadcast deal conditions?

[RussellEbertHandball]

Its dawned on me the last few weeks, that footy fans in WA and SA, but also in NSW and Qld who don't have Fox Footy via Foxtel or Kayo, only watch the footy on 7, are in for a bit of a shock at the start of next season. Kane moving to 7 for 2025 today reminded me of this.

The first 8 rounds of the season there are no Saturday games on Channel 7 - none in the arvo, twilight or evenings - and no 3 hour delayed games.

Don't know if 7 will have the rights to show a replay on Sunday for the home state teams outside Victoria. I haven't been able to confirm games will still be available in full on the AFL website, but I assume they will be. 7 will now be able to show their games on their 7+ app/internet channel.

Fox Sports story September 2022

A new Super Saturday will see Fox Footy air every Saturday match (marquee games like Anzac Day excluded) exclusively through the opening eight rounds of the season.

At least the first 15 rounds of the season will feature Thursday night games.

Fox Footy’s own commentary team will be available on every game from 2025.

Every single AFL and AFLW home and away match, final (excluding the Grand Final) and pre-season game will be aired on Fox Footy, as under the previous deal.

The Age story September 2022 - currently 7 shows at least 77 of the 207 games. There is a bit of flexibility and they can show 5 or 6 extra because Gather Round was added after the 2023+24 extension was signed in Covid and the odd scheduling abnormality that occurs.

The new deal includes the same number of free-to-air games as the current deal; however, fewer matches will be aired on Saturdays and more will be available on Thursday nights.

For the first eight weeks of the AFL season free-to-air viewers will be unable to watch Saturday games, aired exclusively on Foxtel and streaming service Kayo Sports.

However, the deal will lead to the Seven Network broadcasting more Thursday night games, played over at least the first 15 rounds, and will make free-to-air games available on its streaming service 7plus.

Blockbuster AFL matches - including if they fall on a Saturday timeslot - such as Dreamtime at the ’G, Anzac Day and eve, Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Queen’s Birthday will be aired on free to air, as well as three more marquee matches such as the season opener.

What does it mean for non-Victorian games?​

The match involving the local team outside Victoria will be broadcast live into the local Seven Network and its streaming service.
But selected matches that have a delay will not be aired on free-to-air.

This will mean three games in the first eight rounds in NSW and Queensland won’t be available live on free-to-air.

Fans of West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide, retain the status quo for free-to-air games overall, but all 12 delayed games will fall on Saturdays in the first eight rounds, meaning they will be exclusive to Foxtel and Kayo Sports.

What does it mean for game start times?​

There could be room to move here but the new deal includes a provision to move Friday night games forward from the current start time at 7.50pm from 2025.

But it also does not include any requirement for the grand final to occur at night – a decision left to the AFL – despite Seven West Media chief executive James Warburton stating the network’s preference for a nighttime game.


I have been talking to Chewy316 this season about the NRL's Super Saturday and all games being on Fox Sports. In the last NRL TV deal, 9 actually bid for a Saturday night NRL game, but once the deal was signed, they on sold it to Fox Sports, so Fox Sports could push their Super Saturday coverage of the 3 games on Saturday ie arvo game, twilight game and evening game. Think 9 did the same thing the previous TV deal.

But a few times this season I have flicked on a Saturday night and seen NRL games on 9Gem. Chewy pointed out to me they have been replacement games "lost" to 9 because of Magic Round and the Olympics coverage. Pretty sure all these replacement games have been because Thursday night games were "lost" to 9.

I have heard Dwayne on SEN mainly, but one or two others on SEN who work for Fox Footy, the last month or so, pump up next season's Super Saturday broadcasting arrangement and wank on about the Saturday twilight game being the new premium time slot for the best games of the round.

I guess we will have to wait and see how much arm twisting Foxtel/News do on the AFL and the "big" games scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights get moved to Saturday twilight time slot and how many more dross games will be scheduled for Friday night from next season onward.

Who knows, Super Saturday might lead to a stand alone showdown being shown on 7 on a Friday night. This year the crows got a stand alone Thursday home showdown.

The Dawson goal after the siren showdown in 2022 was their home Friday night game, but AFL in their wisdom also did the rare double Friday night game and 7 showed Melbourne v Essendon game. Freo's home game copped the double Friday night games earlier this year.

 

[240volt]

Yeah it’s the slow death of free to air football.
Basically whats happening world wide.
4.5 billion over 7 years is better money than stacking shelves at Coles.
This is the way of the world now, you either pay up or piss off.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Foxtel these day's is 65% owned by News Corp and 35% Telstra. It upped its stake from 50% to 65% in 2018.

News Corp a couple of weeks ago said they are looking at selling their stake in Foxtel.

News Corp is looking to sell off Foxtel, chief executive tells shareholders

Local pay television platform Foxtel is up for sale, News Corp global chief executive Robert Thomson has revealed after the company delivered its full year earnings results.

www.abc.net.au

It started off as 50% Telstra, 25% Murdoch and 25% Packer back in 1995, then after Kerry died, James sold Consolidated Press Holdings stake, to Murdoch.

The $4.5bil 2025-31 deal is basically funded 65% by News and 35% 7 Network. In previous deals Telstra paid for mobile rights, but News paid for them now and have on-sold some of them to Telstra for an undisclosed amount, as they want to protect Kayo.

If News are selling out of Foxtel, they will want to get agreements to move more of the games to Super Saturday and that twilight time slot, stitched up with the AFL, so they can get a higher selling price.

 

[TeeKray]

I don't know why anyone with more than a passing interest in AFL wouldn't just sign up to Kayo. $25 per month, you only need it for 6 months of the year, total cost for the year is $150.

 

[jdeezy]

The first 8 rounds of the season there are no games on Channel 7 - none in the arvo, twilight or evenings - and no 3 hour delayed games.

A new Super Saturday will see Fox Footy air every Saturday match (marquee games like Anzac Day excluded) exclusively through the opening eight rounds of the season.

For the first eight weeks of the AFL season free-to-air viewers will be unable to watch Saturday games, aired exclusively on Foxtel and streaming service Kayo Sports.

What does it mean for non-Victorian games?​

The match involving the local team outside Victoria will be broadcast live into the local Seven Network and its streaming service.
But selected matches that have a delay will not be aired on free-to-air.

This will mean three games in the first eight rounds in NSW and Queensland won’t be available live on free-to-air.

Fans of West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide, retain the status quo for free-to-air games overall, but all 12 delayed games will fall on Saturdays in the first eight rounds, meaning they will be exclusive to Foxtel and Kayo Sports.

I've grabbed a few relevant comments to us here because I'm a bit confused by them.

If Port have a Thursday or Friday night game, then that is broadcast live nationally as normal.
If they have a Sunday game it's broadcast live into SA (and whatever other relevant market).
This seems fairly straight forward and same as it has been.

But what happens with Port's Saturday games for those first 8 weeks? Are they shown on Ch 7 on delay or just not shown at all? The article intially mentions Channel 7 not showing any, but then it mentions delayed games.

If each of Port / Adelaide / WC / Freo is supposed to get 3 delayed games per year (a total of 12), and all of those delayed games are scheduled for the first 8 weeks on Saturday, then you'd have to assume we're not going to be fixtured with Saturday Night games for those first 8 weeks wouldn't you? (They're not going to broadcast a delayed game at 11pm surely). That's really shitty because I'm pretty sure that's one of our preferred timeslots for game attendance. Or an I misunderstanding this?

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I've grabbed a few relevant comments to us here because I'm a bit confused by them.

If Port have a Thursday or Friday night game, then that is broadcast live nationally as normal.
If they have a Sunday game it's broadcast live into SA (and whatever other relevant market).
This seems fairly straight forward and same as it has been.

But what happens with Port's Saturday games for those first 8 weeks? Are they shown on Ch 7 on delay or just not shown at all? The article intially mentions Channel 7 not showing any, but then it mentions delayed games.

If each of Port / Adelaide / WC / Freo is supposed to get 3 delayed games per year (a total of 12), and all of those delayed games are scheduled for the first 8 weeks on Saturday, then you'd have to assume we're not going to be fixtured with Saturday Night games for those first 8 weeks wouldn't you? (They're not going to broadcast a delayed game at 11pm surely). That's really shitty because I'm pretty sure that's one of our preferred timeslots for game attendance. Or an I misunderstanding this?

Super Saturday means 7 gets nothing on a Saturday in those 8 weeks. ZERO, ZILCH, NADA.

They are moving the 3 Port games x 3 hour delayed games we have had since 2017, to those 8 weeks. The same for Freo, WCE and the crows and thats how you get 12 games.

 

[jdeezy]

Super Saturday means 7 gets nothing on a Saturday in those 8 weeks. ZERO, ZILCH, NADA.

They are moving the 3 Port games x 3 hour delayed games we have had since 2017, to those 8 weeks. The same for Freo, WCE and the crows and thats how you get 12 games.

So the "delayed" games just won't be shown on free to air at all?

In that case the implication has to be that us, Adelaide, West Coast and Freo get exactly 3 Saturday games in the first 8 weeks. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm pretty confident it won't suddenly mean an influx of Thursday or Friday night games so I'm expecting a lot of Sunday games early in the season.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

So the "delayed" games just won't be shown on free to air at all?

In that case the implication has to be that us, Adelaide, West Coast and Freo get exactly 3 Saturday games in the first 8 weeks. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm pretty confident it won't suddenly mean an influx of Thursday or Friday night games so I'm expecting a lot of Sunday games early in the season.

No we wont get many, but Gather Round will see Adelaide and Port get at least one Thursday/Friday night game. If ANZAC day is on a Saturday, we will probably get a Saturday night game as that is our #1 request to play at home as close as possible to the actual day.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

jdeezy thinking about what you said a bit more, I can see the WA teams getting late Sunday arvo / early Sunday evening games at the start of the year as with no daylight savings in Perth, try and make them start in prime time in Victoria around 7pm maybe as late as 8pm EST against a Vic team,

If its only a couple of games each at the start of the year, its not too bad, but too many late Sunday arvo games is shit for players, as well as travelling, as they will get those 3 Saturday games which mean three lots of 6 day breaks.

 

[Onward To Victory]

I don't know why anyone with more than a passing interest in AFL wouldn't just sign up to Kayo. $25 per month, you only need it for 6 months of the year, total cost for the year is $150.

I have Kayo membership through the club (PAFC digital membership). This can be added to game access memberships too.

 

[Capital Power]

I don't know why anyone with more than a passing interest in AFL wouldn't just sign up to Kayo. $25 per month, you only need it for 6 months of the year, total cost for the year is $150.

Digital Club Membership is $250, includes 12 months of Kayo Basic, which allows two concurrent streams. Split the cost with a mate and you have Kayo for a tad over $10 a month.

 

[Cam1870]

Well done to all involved. Price the game for the common man out if it, or force households to make poor decisions with $ they can't afford. AFL meets KPI. Some d*head executives get a few million extra in bonuses. All too predictable bs

 

[backtozero]

I don't know why anyone with more than a passing interest in AFL wouldn't just sign up to Kayo. $25 per month, you only need it for 6 months of the year, total cost for the year is $150.

Because it's a shit service.

I dont mind paying money for something that works, but Rupert owning the complete monopoly on sport in this country makes me sick.

I won't be paying a cent to stream something that was free for my life up until now. Will head to the local or the Port Club for away games going forward.

 

[backtozero]

So the "delayed" games just won't be shown on free to air at all?

In that case the implication has to be that us, Adelaide, West Coast and Freo get exactly 3 Saturday games in the first 8 weeks. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm pretty confident it won't suddenly mean an influx of Thursday or Friday night games so I'm expecting a lot of Sunday games early in the season.

I didn't understand that part of what REH posted.

What defines a game as being delayed if it's not being shown at all?

 

[Rendaw]

 

[Hammer#8]

It's definitely heading in the direction of streaming services. Interesting how it started first with pre-season games, only way you could watch Port pre-season games was getting a Kayo subscription. Felt excessive paying to watch Port play with few alternatives other than going to the game. You'd cancel it soon after since most of Port's H&A games were televised free to air in SA.

Didn't Bigpond host digital streams of AFL games before? There seemed a streaming platform there waiting to be tapped into and monetised, you can look up old threads on BigFooty with links to streams that seem dead now.

I have reservations of Kayo the service, it seems horribly optimised and lacks robustness in streaming quality at times. Not the greatest of features, an alternative commentary choice would be a relief. Apparently a lot of the MLB/NBA streaming channels are chalk and cheese in terms of quality. Kayo has never seemed to gotten better after 5ish years of existing.

 

[WillemDaDrew]

The Kayo app is so passé.
With the amount of coin the AFL demand for tv rights, surely they can provide their own streaming service partnered with 7.

 

[GremioPower]

Yeah it’s the slow death of free to air football.
Basically whats happening world wide.
4.5 billion over 7 years is better money than stacking shelves at Coles.
This is the way of the world now, you either pay up or piss off.

You want people to consume your product. You can hide and charge for it where it’s very popular, but you shouldn’t do this where it’s not.

Then, you must make your product as easily available as possible. If not on FTA TV, then in the internet through YouTube, Twitch or similar apps.

For instance, it should be really easy FOR ME to watch footy here. It’s not. It’s a mistake.

 

[GremioPower]

The Kayo app is so passé.
With the amount of coin the AFL demand for tv rights, surely they can provide their own streaming service partnered with 7.

Internationally, there is this one:

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I didn't understand that part of what REH posted.

What defines a game as being delayed if it's not being shown at all?

I dont know if you have noticed but since 2017, 3 Port games a year, produced by Fox Footy were on a 3 hour delay on 7. They were mainly Saturday arvo games, but ocassionally Saturday rwilight or the Sunday early games. They were mainly away ganes but ocassionally a home game.

The same rule has applied to Freo, WCE and the crows. So those 12 games will be wiped from channel 7' scedules in WA and SA from 2025.

So those 3 Port games will not be on 7 at all. No 3 hour delay no 12 hour delay no 24 hour delay etc

From 2025 onward, 20 of Port's game will be available on ch 7 in SA and 3 will be exclusively on Fox Footy. Those 3 games will occur in the first 8 rounds of the season.

 

[240volt]

You want people to consume your product. You can hide and charge for it where it’s very popular, but you shouldn’t do this where it’s not.

Then, you must make your product as easily available as possible. If not on FTA TV, then in the internet through YouTube, Twitch or similar apps.

For instance, it should be really easy FOR ME to watch footy here. It’s not. It’s a mistake.

Obviously where you are is Football crazy, how does it work there?
People hang out at bars a lot to watch?

 

[GremioPower]

“Australia” is the answer for “What would Brazil be if rich?”

 

[Burningleviathan]

Fees to watch the NBA (pretty reasonable)
Fees to watch the NFL (excessive)
Fees to watch the EPL (excessive)
Fees to watch the AFL (Kayo the same price as Optus sport).
I ain't paying for Kayo. I will utilise one of many streaming services. If I can't , oh well.
The only reason I pay for the others is because of time zones and lack of reliable replays.

The AFL will face a barrage when the regular viewers find this out next year.

The NBL found out what happens when you take the cable money

 

[scotty13]

Internationally, there is this one:
View attachment 2094050

There are also some iptv that will give you footy too.

 

[PowerBaz]

What won’t be a subscription in 15 years?