Football TV rights: ‘Show me the money!’
Roar Rookie By Billy McClure, 8 Jun 2009 Billy McClure is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Ben Buckley, football, sports on tv, TV, World Cup
163 Have your say
Related coverage
- Football news
- World Cup Favourites news
- World Cup Roar of the Crowd Competition news
- Football World Cup - South Africa 2010 news
After qualifying for back to back World Cups and a never ending line of hopeful A-league franchises, Ben Buckley must be licking his lips at the thought of TV rights come 2011. I can see Buckley now yelling with delight “show me the money!”
Surely free-to-air TV is the next big step after the World Cup. You would think with the other codes seemingly shooting themselves in the foot on a weekly basis, and with football growing so fast every year, that the broadcasters would be fighting over who gets the TV rights to football.
If football got a deal on par with AFL or NRL, they would blow the other codes out of the water and claim the mantle as the nations most loved sport for sure.
I can see it now: Fox coverage of every game, live for Socceroos and A-league, with extension to B-League when and if it comes in, and free-to-air TV, with Friday and Saturday night and Sunday evening games, plus highlights package. Football fans can only hope and dream that this becomes a reality ASAP.
Recommend this story.
- Explore:
- Ben Buckley, football, sports on tv, TV, World Cup
June 8th 2009 @ 8:32am
Kurt said | June 8th 2009 @ 8:32am | Report comment
I’m having flash backs to first year politics at Uni when all the Socialist Worker Party members would sit around talking about how great it would be the inevitable workers revolution came. Bet they’re still waiting…
June 8th 2009 @ 9:19am
Eamonn said | June 8th 2009 @ 9:19am | Report comment
Would the A-League attract big enough audiences on FTA to entice the TV dudes to pay the money?
Big risk..however if Channel 7, 9 or 10 got in, bought the rights and promoted it the way to do the other codes it would have a big chance of succeeding not to mention enticing a Robbie Fowler or Dwight Yorke at every team, and be good for any tv station to throw in something against the cricket in my view.
That said it’s all about ratings and the A-League on FTA..week in week out is one of the great unknowns….it’s only a matter of time, but maybe we need one more TV deal before it happens…or maybe one blockbuster on FTA each week to start.
Unless Roy Masters jumps up and down on behalf of football. ..then who knows where the game could go. Go you good thing!
June 8th 2009 @ 9:37am
BigAl said | June 8th 2009 @ 9:37am | Report comment
If the trend continues here, of people submitting ‘features’ when they are really only capable of making posts, this forum risks the danger of disappearing up it’s own backside !
June 8th 2009 @ 9:39am
tifosi said | June 8th 2009 @ 9:39am | Report comment
Firstly the new deal comes in 2013 not 2011. Long way away.
Secondly its the socceroos they will all be chasing not the a-league, wiith the socceroos being put back on the anti-siphoning list in 2013. Therefore how australia performs in the future will be key.
This article from foxsports, albeit a bit old now, thinks football can get a pretty good deal though.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23545880-5000940,00.html
The big plus for football is that ben buckley is pretty good at doing tv deals.
June 8th 2009 @ 9:42am
MVDave said | June 8th 2009 @ 9:42am | Report comment
The fact that the Socceroos World Cup qualifying takes at least 18 months and possibly 24 months is a great enticement for FTA channels…around 16 competitive games with 7-8 guarenteed in prime time at home. Then the biggest show on earth for 4-6 weeks and the lead in with high profile friendlies…yep Socceroos TV deal will be worth hundreds of $millions.
The HAL is still in its infancy and much will depend upon whether the FFA tie their TV rights to the Socceroos. A FTA channel may need to show one game per week plus a weekly highlights show (Channel One HD perhaps??) if they want the Socceroos telecasts and Fox Sports the rest?
BTW Channel 9 news had the Socceroos as the lead story on yesterdays evening news bulletin.
Sorry Kurt that whilst you like to denigrate from afar the facts are football in this country is making huge strides and it wont be too much longer before the above scenario becomes reality. Dont worry your local code will still be king pin in the local market (Southern Oz) but if you have a look around international sports websites the Socceroos are receiving plaudits and acknowledgement world wide for their efforts.
So HAL will need to hang on to the coat tails of the Socceroos for at least one more TV deal and then perhaps be strong enough to negotiate its own deal around 2018.
June 8th 2009 @ 9:51am
Waterboy said | June 8th 2009 @ 9:51am | Report comment
Billie……what colour is the sky in your world?
June 8th 2009 @ 10:07am
BigAl said | June 8th 2009 @ 10:07am | Report comment
But Tifosi . . . your post is sort of what I’m trying to get at here…
Puting a link to that sort of article in your post as ‘evidence…’ is like fronting for a job interview with your Mun & Dad providing all your references.
June 8th 2009 @ 10:13am
Koala Bear said | June 8th 2009 @ 10:13am | Report comment
There was an interesting article in the SMH by Roy Masters (NRL) … The ARL are going to split their product so to cover all the FTA TV channels; NRL, SoO and Tests … This is a very good affordable idea for all the FTA networks to get involved and on board to maximise new dollars for the ARL in any new TV deals done in the future…
While AFL are stuck with one product; we in Australian Football can also promote many variations of Australian Football like the ARL, from domestic HAL, ACL, Roos in AFC and FIFA tournaments, from youth to Men’s and Women’s national team competitions..
Ben and Archie (FFA) must take a leaf out of the ARL’s new approach to FTA TV and split the Football products up to maximise the TV dollars ..
~~~~~~
KB
June 8th 2009 @ 3:32pm
jimbo said | June 8th 2009 @ 3:32pm | Report comment
Funny old Fox Sports promoting football and saying the TV deals are worth much more, when they are the ones that got a bargain and are making good money out of it.
John O’Neill sold us short in hindsight and didn’t have the genuine faith in the potential of Australian football to negotiate harder.
2013 is still 4 years away and the only way the other channels can show football is to pay Fox Sports their ridiculous asking price and the FFA doesn’t make another cent out of it.
Kurt and BigAl,
great to see you guys are still so interested in football and so excited your Australian national football team qualified for another FIFA world cup.
Sour grapes taste sweet when mixed with poisonous envy.
June 8th 2009 @ 3:42pm
Slippery Jim said | June 8th 2009 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
Pay TV is the lifeblood of a commercially successful football league. The model has been used to create the explosive success in ratings, popularity and incredible financial turnover that is seen in the EPL. To call for free to air TV for the A-LEague is a big mistake. I agree a highlights show on FTA would be great, but certainly not regular matches – FTA simply cannot provide the money. If we did not have the benefit of Pay TV money there would not be an A-League at all…