Finally, some commonsense from Football Federation Australia, with Frank Lowy realising the game is up for the A-League and the Australian World Cup bid if drastic changes aren’t made – and made now.
At a function hosted by Melbourne Victory, Lowy acknowledged the future of the game wasn’t in being squirreled away on pay-TV and said “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”.
This is a seismic statement from the FFA chairman and will have Fox Sports executives, to extend the earthquake metaphor for a moment, shaking in their boots.
With two years left on their seven-year, $120m deal, Fox would have been forward-planning to embed themselves even further in the profile of the local game, withstanding the rights already purloined by SBS, which include the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Instead it has been left on shakier ground than ever before.
Football has been Fox’s glittering prize: A-League matches, A-League highlights shows, Socceroos qualifiers in Asia and for the World Cup, home friendlies.
A not inconsiderable bounty.
In the process, broadcasting careers have been made and a wedge driven between Fox and SBS for the bragging rights as the “home of football”.
But it appears Lowy has cottoned on to the fact that if he is going to bid for the World Cup, a mission whose raison d’etre is to bring the game of football to as many people as possible, he can’t at the same time be seen to be denying it to the majority of Australians, the very people he needs to get behind the campaign.
Hence his new, calculated message of “football to the people”. Up until now, true to his businessman’s creed, it was “football to the highest bidder”.
Football fans would be right to be cynical about it but hardly in a position to complain. For the game to truly grow it does need to be seen by as many people as possible, and that is on free-to-air.
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. Hill’s selling rights to Channel Seven back in the late 1990s was one of the greatest mistakes in the history of Australian sport.
Who can forget the slogan: “NOBODY SCREWS SOCCER LIKE 7”?
A former chief executive of its then-pay TV arm, C7, even admitted in an email the network had deliberately “suffocated the sport” in order to appease the AFL, who transferred its own rights from Seven to Nine and Ten.
No, the rights must go to the station that will do the right thing by the game. That station is SBS.
I say that not as a SBS employee (though I am) but as a football fan who appreciates what SBS has done and continues to do for the game I love. No one else, in my opinion, comes close to their passion for the game and the credibility and intelligence of their staff.
Give it to SBS, Frank. And let’s all get on with the show.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
"I don’t work for SBS-TV. I am an employee of the online division, which has a separate budget and separate employees" - So Mr Fink, when it suits you to distance yourself from the tv division so as to retain your credability you do so, then to kiss Jason Culina's arse you refer to the collective at SBS on your blog at TWG. "We all thrilled, including us here at SBS" - http://www.theworldgame.com.au/blogs/halftimeorange/gold-coast-brought-it-on-themselves-249847 Make up your mind.
The Answer
Guest
Yeah, a fair call Jesse. I must admit I read it later myself and realised that you were talking about C9 rather than SBS and there is a fair point of distinction between the two and indeed FTA networks in general. Just the memory of the headline stirred me, don't write such memorable headlines! I agree if the A-League is to be treated fairly on FTA it should begin with SBS, I don't think the other networks could be trusted not to bury it if ratings dipped.
Jesse Fink
Guest
Didn't add this bit in time. Having read it again, I can see the ambiguity. Yeah, a fair cop. Poorly written and edited by me. I was haranguing the commercial FTAs, Nine, Ten and Seven, in direct response to the letter writer's assertion that "the FTA networks have their finger in the AFL and NRL TV rights pie they’ll do anything to help us forget football". The insertion of the word "commercial" following after that quote in my own copy would have helped clarify what I was saying. Point accepted. I have never had an issue with the government-owned FTAs and their contribution to the Australian game. Cheers.
Jesse Fink
Guest
No, I was talking about the FTAs outside of ABC and SBS.
constantine
Guest
also there definately is a growing aleague fan base. i liken hal to mls. they went through a novelty stage and were going great, then they stagnated and then following a good wc by the NT they are back on the ascendency. HAL will be the same here, people that think it wont work dont realize just how many people play it and if they dont play it; they dont realize how many afl and nrl fans also have an interest in the world game. it doesnt have the 150 year history but it has a strong foundation, over time our senior team will get stronger (with the new changes at grassroots im confident about this) and all the xenophobia facing the sport will whither away. it took the j-league 25 years (including a wc) to become the juggernaut it is today (that included almost completely dying out), we have had 5 and people are already panicking. give it time its a sport for absolutely everybody and it will do fine here
constantine
Guest
40k was basicly a sell out lol. and a sell out at rip of prices.
The Answer
Guest
Change of tune Jesse? http://www.theroar.com.au/2008/10/29/fk-fta-the-revolution-isnt-being-televised-anyway/
cab711
Guest
Im of two minds on this line Jesse. I respect the effort that SBS has given towards football while other FTA channels will have nothing at all to do with it. It may be perhaps because of backdoor dealings granting higher coverage towards rival codes but I dont care. If all that channel 7/9/10 want to show are players behaving badly I just wont watch it. I understand why staff at SBS would feel justified that the A-League would go to SBS given the decent effort of coverage on football we get weekly. Im sure most of the people on this blog who just now criticised SBS watched the EURO and Champions League games this week. Im sure SBS would do justice to the League though I feel financial stability would be better in the long run. IMO FTA is not the magic card that will ensure long term stability of the HAL. It is financial stability the HAL needs now more than ever. I also feel than none of the other FTA channels will do the HAL any justice. I would hate to see a ridiculous Footy Show of the HAL. It is hard to predict how the HAL would perform on another FTA channel and epic failure is not what the HAL needs right now. Unfortunately, keep it on FOX.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Again, its the formula of cash(x) x viewership(y) x quality(z) = desirable result. x, y and z being the weightings. The question is the weighting that is provided to each. SBS score highly on quality, decent on viewership however can they come to the party on cash? This matters as at the moment the weighting 'x' is heaviest at this time of our game's development and other stations have greater financial backing. Football purists would love to see a combination of 'y' and 'z' receiving greatest weighting however the reality of our current position dictates otherwise. The Noble Prize for Ale Inspired Economics awaits.
eastgate
Guest
A league's chance to grow to the wider population is by hitching itself with a commercial network.- not SBS or ABC. As the A league is essentially a summer competition - Ch 10 is realistically the only commercial network over the October - March period with adequate free air time to push the code. Ch 9 has cricket, Ch 7 has tennis / golf. As for SBS, they should always be given the World Cup as no one does it better.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
"which has a separate budget and separate employees" - Rubbish, a seperate division for all intents and purposes it is not. If we were to look at who does the football at SBS it's the same people with the same agenda's in both "divisions", just because the money comes out of different pots doesn't make them independent from one another and to say so shows an inherent lack of understanding of how businesses like that are operated. We aren't all so naive as to swallow that crap. Maybe you haven't worked for "SBS-TV" but you've done a lot of work for their "Online Division", either way you are a part of the greater SBS machine, an entity with an agenda, a common goal etc etc. You are employed by them because you write interesting football related opinion pieces which fit in with their general strategy and views. If Rebecca Wilson wanted to write a weekly football piece we all know SBS wouldn't have her because she doesn't fit their footballing-ethos. Stop trying to distance yourself from valid criticisms of your work, perhaps some of the wording was wrong but we all know you have a number of agendas, some like Nicky Carle's selection for the Socceroos appeal to many, others like Lucas Neill getting a club annoy the hell out of those who regularly read your work and when you write a "company orientated" piece like you did here, you will get some stick, you're the one who needs to "man up" and take it on the chin.
James
Guest
Peter = Rolled
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Yeh - Hannah and Sonny are pretty popular with the kids. In fact, even on free to air, the final of master chef rated more than all the footy grand finals for 2009 combined.
Chook
Guest
Simonjzw intersting point what sport do you follow??I think people do want to watch it but not as many as AFL or league but I think if the A- League had the exposure that the AFL or league does free to air it will, I watch football in the summer and league in the winter it great and if it were on i certainly would watch it. yeah I agree the main media networks are not really interested atm. I know in Brisbane that the Roar will struggle due to the fact that the Broncos are own by the only Brisbane newspaper hence the last 3 back pages are dedicated to league. but look at the NSL average crowd was 4000 now the league has around average 10,000 The NRL has 95 - 14600 96 12303 97 10510 98 - 16979 99 - 16317 2000 - 15915 2001 - 14054 etc etc today 2009 - 16979 the point is that the league grew with time so will the A-League Football has a lot of growing it doesnt have the 150 years of history the AFL has and has to work hard to identify with the public. Contry to popular belief there is a small but growing element that follows the A- League closely and we all no the quality is not as good as Europe but is getting better. The socceroos are a different ball game all together league, rugby and AFL would salivate for the crowds and the following the Socceroos have internationally. We bag them for getting 40,000 to Holland and 20,000 to Oman but league would never get those numbers. Not for a friendly or a qualifier with a team ranked below.
westy
Guest
Suggestion Jesse why not get the management of SBS to view your aticle on the roar and see the overwhelming support for SBS FTA overage of the A League. I do not know if SBS online or whatever run their football blog but i can assure you they like filtering or editing out or censoring any criticlal comments of SBS football coverage and comments. Compared to what you and Spiro cop on here that SBS football blog is a closed shop. Up the roar.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
md, you are right about the internet, this is likely to be either the last or second last tv-rights deal, after that the internet will take over. In fact I watched the Bordeaux - Bayern CL game online just this week, it was being streamed by SAT1, one of the big tv channels here in Germany and believe me, no German company would bother doing something like that if there wasn't money to be made. They did an excellent job of monetising it with a number of ads before streaming began and a packed half-time program and I'm getting quite used to the number of games available from actual tv channels online. However there is some truth that football in Aus needs to be FTA. Australia has long been privileged enough to get its main sports on FTA and many hold the view that if it's not on FTA that it's not worth paying for. Either way, for the game to grow at least one game per round must be shown on FTA. The majority of the Australian public do not have Pay TV and don't forget many can't afford it so if we want interest to grow then that's the best way to do it. Foxtel will in turn be rewarded as the League's popularity grows and more "casual" fans develop an interest, some to the point that it might tip them over the edge into getting Foxtel. Also, on FTA football might lose some of the stigmatism surrounding it. It's naive to think that it's not still called "Sokah" or "Wogball" in many parts of the country. By putting it out there and providing free entertainment from the game people will lose their skepticism over time, the more people that are exposed to football in Australia the better, that's the only way the game will grow, Foxtel has more-or-less reached its potential for growing the game and unless it spreads, even with some unique advantages, Australia will struggle to get the WC
Robbos
Guest
You certianly don't have pre teen girl children in your house, both Hannah & Sonny rules in my house well aboveany sporting events.
Midfielder
Guest
Sav Gee wizz ... mate .... just because you don't like my opinion on SBS or what the past management practices of the NSL and it's forbearers hardly means I am anti wog (in fact I think I am in the majority)..... as Westy has said above I don't use words like the ..."""tartan Brigade""" or the ''''Pommy influence""" ... On Kerry Packer ... if you think he was going to pay twice what he was paying for RL to loose money ... then that is your opinion .. but I would suggest if PK had taken over the running of Football in 1977 it would be very much like the A-League today... On the anti wog thing you accuse me of .... mate I have played football most of my life and it most teams the wogs well and truely out numbered me ... and at BBQ and watching the Socceroos were all wogs together.... Just don't play the race card because you disagree with me...
Westy
Guest
I think the FFA should look for the best FTA coverage and the best return. As SAV says this may not be SBS. I have nothing personal against Les and his heart is in the right place and I think that Craig is one of the best technical analysts in the game . However i think SBS would need for the sake of credibility alone to have a new spokesperson with Craig as say a technical commentator only.. We are past the race stuff but I listen to SBS and lines like the "tartan brigade " are not the best way to criticise the A league clubs or technical peoficiency. Les rightly or wrongly has hitched his sail to a certain point of view which make it very difficult for him to be a advocate for the current Aleague. That is all. I continue to watch and enjoy SBS's excellent coverage of overseas football.
The Link
Guest
Where does he say the Socceroos rate badly? In fact I thought he said the opposite. Adelaide v Sydney came in 24th for the week and it was a prime time Friday night. Its behind such ratings juggernaughts as Hanna Montana, Eastenders, Sonny with a Chance and Property ladder. The A-League struggles for Pay TV ratings with a relative clear window of sports scheduling in Australia.