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Central Coast Mariners players (L to R) Tom Pendeljak, Matthew Simon and John Hutchinson sit dejected after loosing 0-1 to the Newcastle Jets in the A-League Grand Final in Sydney on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2008. AAP Image/Paul Miller
The tide of public opinion seems to be turning against Fox Sports. With A-League crowds dipping, the fact the league’s reach is limited by that of Foxtel’s is not lost on those who are searching for answers to explain the disinterest.
Even its presenters, such as the likes of Mark Bosnich, aren’t spared from the criticism.
Bosnich seems to be dividing public opinion as a Fox Sports presenter more than he did as a player.
He certainly is growing in confidence in his new role for the broadcaster with that infectious laugh, palpable excitement and unpredictable responses.
But his work on Fox Sports alongside Robbie Slater, particularly on the Matchday Saturday coverage and to a lesser extent on Fox Sports FC, grates with some fans.
Matchday Saturday can certainly be banal and downright silly at times, but should we grin and bare it, consoling ourselves in the fact the game is being afforded extra coverage? Or is the A-League being done a disservice in having such coverage dumbed down in the fashion of the AFL and NRL Footy Shows?
It’s up to the eye of the beholder and their respective tastes.
Fox Sports may be Anglo-centric in their coverage, especially when compared to erstwhile rivals, SBS, but credit to the former for their commitment to the game, be it the A-League, Socceroos or wider football scene.
Kudos to them for offering the Asian Champions League final in addition to their A-League coverage Saturday night, for example.
It also helps strengthen the A-League when it is coupled with the English Premier League coverage, hopefully helping to marry supporters of the EPL to our domestic league, and there has definitely been an obvious effort from Fox Sports to do so during this season.
Football supporters certainly owe Fox Sports a huge amount of gratitude.
Fox Sports’ $120million, seven year television rights deal signed in 2005 marked a turning point in the FFA revolution. Frank Lowy described it at the time as “a transforming transaction for the sport.”
But Lowy knows the limitations of pay television at this critical juncture for the A-League.
“There’s no doubt that the game needs to be shown on free-to-air from time to time, or certain parts of the competition on free-to-air,” he said at a recent Melbourne Victory function.
The ideal scenario would be to have a shared deal between Fox Sports and a free-to-air broadcaster; having the majority of games live and interrupted on Fox Sports – one of the few broadcasters who could give games that type of coverage – with selected matches and possibly a highlights package sold to a free-to-air network.
As Jesse Fink states: “What Lowy must equally do, however, is not make the same mistake as his predecessor, David Hill, and sell the game’s soul – or part of it – to the station with the biggest ratings or advertising revenue.”
But Fox Sports isn’t going to cave in when its deal with the FFA comes to an end in two years.
It needs to keep a hold of football with the growing threat of ONE HD and the potential of future digital rivals robbing it of market dominance.
This next media deal will be critical for the A-League’s future, perhaps, considering the expansion phase it’s undertaking and need for an injection of funds and interest, just as crucial as that first deal with Fox Sports.
As for those who bemoan Fox Sports’ coverage, just remember the dark days of Channel 7’s flawed coverage of the game.
Give me Mark Bosnich’s laugh any day.
But it might be time to seriously examine how the A-League can maximise its impact on the box.