If Ben Buckley wants to leave the game in a healthier state than it has been under his guidance, then he would do well to obtain a free-to-air TV element for this season, capitalising on the arrival of Alessandro Del Piero.
The talk around the traps is that Fox Sports want exclusivity for the upcoming season, which kicks off in just over three weeks.
Given that Fox signed a seven-year deal at the beginning of season two, they certainly should feel entitled to this.
The football team, led by producer Murray Shaw, have, in the main, done a great job, and they should certainly feel entitled to a sense of reward for backing the game at a time Frank Lowy needed the support.
History should judge Fox well for forking out $120 million over seven years, even if many fans of the game would suggest the length of the deal has actually impacted on the Socceroos in recent years.
The FFA, at the time, were certainly in no position to choose.
And many would argue, under the guidance of Buckley, they are in no greater position now.
But if there’s ever a time to get the product out to a broader market, beyond the reach of pay TV, it is now.
The arrival of Del Piero has been described in many quarters as a game-changer, and for many involved in the decisions that guide the future direction of the round ball code in Australia, this should mean being flexible and adaptable.
By having the A-League at least in part on a free-to-air network, most likely to be SBS, the local game would be in a position to touch the broader audience, aroused by the arrival of Del Piero next week.
Twelve months from now and who knows what the landscape will look like.
Certainly, it’s not a time for panic, but having Del Piero start at a time there’s a free-to-air element would help accelerate the growth of the game.
Indeed, in an ideal world, the deal being brokered now by Buckley and the likes of Fox and SBS should be short, no longer than three years.
With the AFL and NRL signing five year mega-deals, that would give football an opportunity to be ahead of the cycle by the time the next round of negotiations come around.
Strategically, that would allow the league some greater exposure in the short term, while Del Piero is in town, but it would also give incoming CEO David Gallop an opportunity to build something over the next couple of seasons that would be worth more in a few years.
By many measures Buckley’s rein at FFA will not be remembered fondly.
Chief among the failures has been a retreat out of Queensland, both in the north and south, and an inability to manage the game’s myriad of stakeholders, particularly the club’s owners.
Too often he’s barely been sighted, bunkered down at FFA headquarters.
The game’s been told this ‘low-profile’ is essentially so he can work on the next TV deal, the reason, we’ve been told, he was brought in.
If the sum of this work is a mere doubling of the deal to approximately $40 million dollars a season, as has been reported across the News Ltd network, then he will not be remembered for leaving a great legacy.
This is especially the case if you believe the suggestion in some quarters that there was a significantly larger offer on the table a couple of years ago.
But Buckley has a chance to change some of this legacy if he can somehow convince the folk at Fox to share at least a portion of their coverage with a free-to-air station this season.
Whatever that is, whether one game a week, live or delayed, or a highlights and analysis show, is better than nothing at all.
Certainly, the news that broke late yesterday that SBS had been granted the right to broadcast this morning’s World Cup qualifier in Amman, a hour delayed, points the way forward.
As I argued in this article almost two years ago, the more exposure football and the A-League gets in the mainstream, the more likely it is that people will want to sign up to Fox for more.
It’s an often-used cliche, but for the good of the game, it’s in everyone’s interests to come to the table and make it happen, particularly in light of the gift that has arrived in Del Piero.
Buckley still has time to make a mark.
Midfielder
Guest
Also Optus recently lost its court case re applications...meaning the value of the phone rights is again up for sale... somehow me thinks if the 35 million is the top offer ... maybe be an online operator may consider buying the rights ... and optus being tired up with fetch tv is a chance..
Midfielder
Guest
Time is tight as the old Booker T & the MG's song goes... the longer it goes unannounced I think the better as ten must be coming in harder than expected
FN433
Guest
Great article by tony tannous, My personal opinion is FFA needs foxsports to show all games for the hardcore football fans, and SBS for a game per week for free to air component and tall the socceroos. Also think that the game needs $60million per season to be seen as a success for Buckley as anything less will not be enough for the game to make any inroads into mainstream Australia.
womble
Guest
Unless there is free to air involvement, aleague is small fry, no doubt.
Mazzalenko
Guest
Agree on FTA but on SBS???....its time we cut the umbilical cord to SBS as quite frankly we are preaching to the converted by going on that station. Its disappointing that SBS gets the gig again, their viewership is nothing compared to CH2 and CH10 for gods sake!! I much prefer it on CH10/1HD and let the other two have their AFL/NRL!!
phutbol
Guest
So we can expect nobody to see FTA adds on SBS in the same way nobody sees the ads on Fox now? Thats where FFA should get Ch10 involved. Dunno if its accepted practice but they could flip Ch10 a highlights package for nothing more than contra which also mentions the SBS live coverage... Or even if Ch10 wont cross promote SBS (given they arent a 'real' commercial rival it might be doable??) at least it puts the A-league presence on a 'mainstream' FTA channel....
Midfielder
Guest
Fraser said in his article if possible the FFA should buy the rights for Socceroo matches from the AFC ... then sell back to a FTA network... Wonders aloud what that would cost ... remember the starting point is say 6 million being say 1 million per match...
Kasey
Guest
Yes when football fans complain about the "lack of promotion being done by FFA" they are usually fresh from viewing a FTA TV advert for one of the other sports, being paid for not by the AFL/NRL (they pay to create the ad) but part of contra is the commercial stations running promotions for their partners and giving it a dollar value.
theworldofando
Guest
Hey Fuss, where did you get this information? What's your source?
TC
Guest
Yes, more or less, promotion, anything paid in-kind. TC
nordster
Guest
I agree it seems like a lot of the criticism ffa gets on tv rights issues is for criticism's sake. But i'd also agree the whole way the clubs relate to the central body (whether it be ffa or league) needs a rethink, commercially and labour market wise.
Matt
Guest
Time to grow this sport in this country and not meander to FOX. Putting it on FOX is not the answer. I love the game, I can afford to have FOX, but I choose not to. Soccer needs to be put in everyones face and that is on FREE TO AIR TV. Grow the the supporter base, grow the fan base will grow the interest and grow the revenue. FFA needs to spend a little money to make money and not depend on the handouts from the government and FOX. If it meant sitting through 30mins of adds to watch the game I love I would do it.
phutbol
Guest
Excuse my ignorance, but contra is what exactly? Value of free advertising?
Nick
Guest
Not anymore, Friday night, Saturday nights and Sunday AFL games are all live. Only FTA AFL game not live is Saturday arvo on an hourish delay .I watched the Jordan game on the 1 hour delay and unless you get nervous and check the scores it is as good as live anyway.
TC
Guest
That's right, it did happen, and fans jacked up. It's difficult because ch 7, for example, would happily return to showing a mainstream show like Better homes and gardens at the prime slot of 7:30 (huge ratings), and suffering a ratings drop for the footy on delay. From their perspective - it maxismises revenues. From the fans perspective - it sucks.
Cappuccino
Roar Guru
It'd be great to have SBS involved.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"then people like Fussball will avoid paying Fox Sports to just buy what he wants" The future is here. For the first time since cable TV started in the USA, total subscriptions numbers have fallen. Derek Thompson, who is a senior business editor at "The Atlantic", explores "The End of TV & the Death of the Cable Bundle" and concludes: "The question isn't really if the Internet's unbundling revolution will visit the television industry but when." http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/07/the-end-of-tv-and-the-death-of-the-cable-bundle/259753/
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Channel Nine routinely delays rugby league games as well. Its one of those things that everyone hates, but at the end of the day we find acceptable.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Futabanous, I should have been clearer - I think the national team on delay on FTA and live on pay TV is a good compromise between wanting FTA exposure, and leaving some money on the table for the Pay TV company thats signing the cheques.
Philip Coates
Roar Guru
I cant believe Fraser is saying that all the Chairmen/CEO's/Directors of A-League clubs don't know that the FFA owns only the rights to Socceroos’ friendly matches. Most, if not all, of the rusted on football supporters here on this site know this fact as it has been reported many, many times. Fraser knows it too, so why does he think the clubs are in the dark? I'm sure it would have come up in a few FFA/A-League meetings over the seven years of the HAL. Fraser is just a winging puppet of Palmer with nothing constructive to say.