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It’s now official. In a massive coup for the game, the AFL today announced the rights to broadcast football from 2012-2016 have been sold for $1.253 billion. Channel Seven and Foxtel will be the TV broadcasters, while Telstra have won the mobile rights.
The final figure was well above the AFL’s original goal of $1 billion, which was seen by many as a target they couldn’t reach.
Here’s how it’s all going to work:
– Seven will show four games on free-to-air each round, although they may on-sell one or two of those games to either Channel Ten or Channel Nine. All four of these games will be shown in New South Wales and Queensland on 7mate, while Friday night games will be shown live into Victoria.
– Foxtel will show all nine games each round live and will also return to having a dedicated AFL channel, to be called Fox Sports AFL. The only game Foxtel will not hold the rights to is the Grand Final. Fans in South Australia and Western Australia will benefit from no longer putting up with “black spots” where certain games don’t get shown at all.
– Telstra will broadcast all games live to mobiles and tablets, the first time the AFL has sold such rights in Australia. One match a week will be shown via Telstra’s T-Box product.
So what does this mean for fans?
Well, those with enough disposable income to afford Foxtel or Austar have every right to be over the moon at the moment. Every game being shown live, combined with the return of a dedicated AFL channel, is a huge win for pay-subscribing fans.
Those who are not as fortunate have some right to feel disappointed. While four games will still be shown on free-to-air – just as with the last deal – the fact there will be nine games from next year onwards means a smaller percentage of games for these supporters, and that means less opportunities for them to watch their favourite team.
It’s at this point where it must be remembered the pay TV take-up rate still hovers around one third of the population. That leaves a lot of people unable to watch when games aren’t shown free-to-air.
On the plus side, there will be more live football for free-to-air fans, something that was long overdue.
So what does this mean for the future growth of the game?
Mostly, this is great news for the AFL’s future. $1.253 billion is a lot of money to have flowing through the game. Grassroots will benefit, the expansion push will be strengthened, memberships and tickets can stay affordable, more money can be stored in the war chest … there are many positives.
Perhaps the ratio between free-to-air and pay TV might lead to less engagement from casual or younger supporters – remember, kids don’t control the family budget or have the option of “going to the pub” – but you’d have to think in this case, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
$1.253 billion certainly puts the AFL in a very good position looking forward. It also underscores the AFL’s position as Australia’s number one football code.