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

[raptalia]

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

Good post it supports the point that the ground is changing and it is the future that we need to worry about. The prospect of paying multiple subscriptions to get the TV coverage we have enjoyed for decades should not excite any of us.

We had an example recently with the T20 cricket World Cup. That wasn't on FTA or Foxtel but was shown exclusively on Amazon's Prime Video and if you wanted to watch you needed a subscription. In this instance you could try a 30 day free trial but that will only work once and may not be available in the future.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

jdeezy in the 2025 fixture thread wrote in reply to my comment that, all games played on a Saturday - day, twilight or night - in the first 8 rounds are only available on Fox Footy, - "Found out the other day that in Victoria that it's even longer, the first 15 Saturdays are locked to Fox only."

Pretty sure Fox Footy made that public for the first time the other day, after re reading my first few posts in this thread.

Shaun Burgoyne Joins Fox Footy’s AFL Commentary Team for 2025

Four-time AFL champion Shaun Burgoyne joins Fox Footy’s expert team in 2025, coinciding with new rights for exclusive Saturday coverage.

tvblackbox.com.au

The broadcaster is set to enhance its offerings under the new rights deal, particularly with the introduction of Super Saturday Live, where Kayo Sports and Foxtel will be the exclusive providers of live AFL games on Saturdays. This arrangement includes exclusive live streaming of at least the first eight rounds nationally and the first 15 rounds in Victoria.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

The Age the last few days has clarified that 7 can show games on delay on Saturday's.

10th November article

What footy will look like on your TV in 2025

The battle of the TV networks has become almost as fierce as the contest for AFL premiership points.

www.theage.com.au

We’ll know more when the fixture is unveiled (which could be as soon as next week), but live coverage of Saturday footy in 2025 will be exclusive to Foxtel for “at least” the first eight rounds in all markets. These are likely to remain on pay TV or Kayo.

For Victorians, the first 15 rounds of coverage on Saturdays will be live on Fox Footy.

Seven, however, can show Saturday matches on delay. There must be a two-hour gap after they start on Foxtel, or start no later than 8.40pm local time.
1st November article

How Fox Footy’s ‘Super Saturday’ deal will shape the AFL fixture

The new deal, starting in 2025, gives Fox Footy exclusive broadcast rights on Saturdays for the first eight rounds and will result in delayed coverage on free-to-air.

www.theage.com.au

Clubs are bracing for the commercial impact of delayed free-to-air AFL coverage on Saturdays from next year as Fox Footy holds exclusive live broadcast rights of the game nationally for the first eight rounds.
......

Under the deal, announced in September 2022, delayed games, or hold-back games, will be broadcast on free-to-air two hours after they start on Foxtel or no later than 8.40pm local time. That means a 4.30pm game would start on free-to-air at 6.30pm; however a 7.30pm match would be shown on free-to-air at 8.40pm.

 

[Papa G]

FTA TV is very much dying. Whilst people 40 plus still watch it, I saw a stat from the UK where only about 13% of 18-39 year olds watch FTA TV. Can confirm that my 16 and 18 year old basically never watch TV. The next broadcast deal, next decade, will be far different to this one.

 

[dirty2]

It's all to hard.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

7 the other day had their Upfronts media release of their 2025 programming schedule.

They are making a decent investment in non game footy shows after big cut backs due to covid and not spending much post covid for a couple of years.

Whether they are any good is another thing, but its dawned on them that they have to vigorously compete with Fox Footy who will now have their own commentators at every game and 9 have had more non game footy shows in production than them in the last 3 seasons.

Seven Upfronts: Returning Hits, Music Specials and New AFL Footy Shows Lead Seven’s 2025 Slate

Seven’s 2025 lineup includes new music specials, fresh AFL footy shows, changes to daytime news and returning reality hits, plus Shaun Micallef on DWTS.

tvblackbox.com.au

• New AFL Footy shows including: The Agenda Setters, Unfiltered, Extra Time, Sunday Footy Feast, The Wash Up and Kane’s Call.

The_Wookie posted this picture on the Footy Industry board thread of 7's programming schedule taken from their Upfronts media release.


taken from their Upfronts

 

[ibd77]

Will it get to the point of pay per view rather than subscription?

 

[Andre]

FTA TV is very much dying. Whilst people 40 plus still watch it, I saw a stat from the UK where only about 13% of 18-39 year olds watch FTA TV. Can confirm that my 16 and 18 year old basically never watch TV. The next broadcast deal, next decade, will be far different to this one.

The only reason it even cracks that much is shows forced to be on FTA by governments. Anti-siphoning laws are a desperate hold onto the 1950's, family around the TV, by FTA networks.

 

[FishingRick04]

The only reason it even cracks that much is shows forced to be on FTA by governments. Anti-siphoning laws are a desperate hold onto the 1950's, family around the TV, by FTA networks.

I’m 51 I don’t bother anymore

 

[Enviable Tradition]

The only reason it even cracks that much is shows forced to be on FTA by governments. Anti-siphoning laws are a desperate hold onto the 1950's, family around the TV, by FTA networks.

And the use of streaming services will be an excuse to bow down and end these laws soon.

On SM-G975F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Will it get to the point of pay per view rather than subscription?

Nah - 100% subscription / pay tv / pay per view rights is the death knell for sports to try to become a dominate national sports.

Look at the NFL they are the dominate #1 sport, but they know they are in the entertainment business, so - it is on 4 Free to Air networks, who pay billions each, for a slice of the game, as well as their streaming services ie NBC/Comcast, CBS/Paramount and ABC/Disney. Pay TV paid for rights, NFL network and ESPN via its ABC/Disney parent ownership.

Google/Youtube have paid for rights, Amazon paid for Thursday night football rights.

College Football is huge in USA, some million people + cities don't have NFL teams, but have college teams who become the biggest show in town, tens of millions of alumni students don't live in the state they went to uni, so they can watch on Free TV if they live in a state where say another Pac Ten Uni plays in and is on free TV, or buy subscription tv packages to watch their team, and the NFL know if they don't have games on Free TV these football fans might by-pass the NFL and not have another subscription.

Pay/Cable TV is in big decline in North America. Ten years ago 85% of people in USA as well as in Canada had pay TV. This year its estimated to drop under 50% in both countries.. People are buying specific subscription streaming services for their demands/needs, not pay for 500 channels most they don't want to watch.

World Football is on pay/subscription TV 100% in the top leagues like EPL, Bundeslega, La Liga, Serie A etc but those leagues go for 9 months and there are 2nd and 3rd division leagues that are on Free TV and still get huge ratings because tens of millions of fans support those lower league teams, and may not have a team they support in the top tier league.

So like the NFL/gridiron, world Football has the content volume to spread across the various delivery platforms in different markets.

Cricket in England/UK has suffered from being 100% pay TV. The quality of the broadcast production has improved markedly in the last decade, but the number of people watching and interested in the game has dropped off.

Rugby Union has seen a big drop in popularity in Oz since its gone 100% subscription TV, but they know to get the bigger sponsorship and TV $$$, their flagship Wallabies team is on Free TV - as advertisers pay bigger $$$ when the audience is bigger.

NBL found out a similar thing when it tried to go 100% subscription TV rights.

Free TV will be around for decades and may decline in total size, but it will find a profitable niche because its easy - and free!

For decades people have been saying radio will die. First because of TV, then colour TV, then pay TV, then internet, then new delivery platforms around podcasts, youtube etc.

But radio keeps re-inventing itself and finds its niche. Yes its overall audience has declined, but its not on its last gasp. Over the last decade, if you had an annual list of the highest paid media personalities in Oz across all platforms, for most years, 3 of the top 5 would be from radio land? Why if its a dying industry?? Because its found its niche and its a very intimate and personal medium, advertisers like that and see proven increased sales results, and its easy to operate and free!

 

[Andre]

I’m 51 I don’t bother anymore

Team 51 as well, and honestly can't remember the last time watched FTA. If you include catch up TV on website, maybe a handful of times the last 5 years. Actually FTA live though, honestly can't remember, it'd be at least 3 years.