FFA in drivers seat as football bidding war heats up

If this week’s media reports are to be believed, free-to-air A-League rights are up for grabs, which could spark a fierce bidding war for Australia’s fastest growing sport.

The rumour mill kicked off when Fairfax Media‘s Dominic Bossi reported that Channel Seven were keen to take on the football mantle for free-to-air, interested in securing not only A-League rights but also Socceroos matches.

Sebastien Hassett then dropped the bombshell that SBS, the self-anointed home of football, were in talks to cut ties with the world game after federal government funding cuts forced a programming overhaul.

A football future without SBS? Say it isn’t so. Australian football fans grew up with Les Murray and Johnny Warren. We had World Soccer, On the Ball, Fan’s Corner, Futbol Mundial, and, of course, The World Game. Life was bliss on a Sunday morning.

It will be a sad day when football is no longer screened on SBS.

Though, to be fair, it has been coming. There can be no argument against the fact that SBS dropped the ball when they finally won the rights to show Friday night A-League games.

The home of football failed to take advantage, screening the games on SBS 2, and producing the shockingly inept Thursday FC. The wider public didn’t even know SBS 2 existed. Too many times when drinking in a pub sans Foxtel, was I forced to explain that yes, the A-League is on free-to-air TV, and yes, SBS 2 is a thing.

However, Thursday FC was easily their biggest crime. It was one of the most cringeworthy pieces of entertainment I’ve had the misfortune of watching. The show was eventually canned, to be replaced with… nothing.

I wrote back in August that it was time for SBS to deliver. They failed.

The decision to abandon football could in fact just be an admittance of the inevitable. SBS may be taking a gracious step back, rather than taking the humiliation of losing the game because they no longer have the money or recent track record.

Hopefully they hold onto the World Cup, which they will at least screen in 2018 and 2022. Because no World Cup on SBS would be a further blow.

So, if SBS do decide to give up their beloved world game, who will step up, and how can FFA ensure it works out? This is a big opportunity for the governing body, and the next broadcast deal will be chief executive David Gallop’s crowning moment.

Many fans will still have bitter memories of the last time Channel Seven took control of football broadcasting rights in Australia, with their ill-fated NSL deal between 1998 and 2002.

Let’s look at the hard facts first. Channel Seven pushed NSL onto their ultimately doomed pay TV station C7 Sport, and showed the games delayed. It was a clear showing of disdain and disrespect for the football.

Then came the infamous email, where a Channel Seven executive claimed that the station had bought the NSL rights in order to “suffocate” football in order to protect AFL. This stance is yet to be confirmed through other sources, yet it sparked an impassioned protest from football fans, who rallied under the slogan ‘Nobody Screws Soccer Like Seven’.

It is hard to imagine a television network forking out millions only to blacklist their new product, and they were the only willing and viable bidders when the broadcast rights became available. However, regardless, their attitude towards football was deplorable.

But forgive and forget, right? Or rather, forgive but don’t forget. FFA must used that botched negotiation from Soccer Australia as a valuable lesson. This time around, however, the governing body holds the advantage. Football is a strong product, and one that is highly sought after, particularly Socceroos fixtures.

Channel Ten have also expressed interest, and that means that Channel Nine will most certainly be crunching the numbers to determine their own bid. Football is on the rise, and it would be folly for any station to fail to realise the potential of having exclusive free-to-air rights.

If FFA are to give the contract to Channel Seven, or to Channel Ten or Channel Nine, then there has to be stringent stipulations included in the deal to ensure another poorly managed roll-out doesn’t occur.

Obviously showing the games live must be the first deal breaker, followed by screening the action on the broadcaster’s main channel. Next, assurances that not any old presenter will be wheeled out to direct the action from the studio couches.

One thing SBS did boast, and still currently do boast, was expert voices. Les Murray, David Basheer, Craig Foster, Mariana Rudan and Lucy Zelic are fine presenters, even if you disagree with their viewpoints.

A major concern is who the other networks would bring in to commentate, analyse and dissect the game. Football does not need free-to-air coverage if the personalities delivering the product are second rate. We don’t want another Thursday FC, and definitely not an A-League version of The Footy Show. Please, just no.

If Channel Ten got the deal, at least we’d get Mel Mclaughlin back in the A-League fold. Now that would be bloody brilliant.

Also, if SBS are to cut ties, then wouldn’t it be a case of the earlier the better? If they looked to on-sell the next two seasons of their contract (2015-16 and 2016-17) it would give the FFA a chance to assess the winning bid’s credentials before committing long term.

Buying the A-League rights from SBS for just two years would also pose less of a risk for the other channels. If they prove themselves, they would be in a strong position to negotiate for the next deal, and if it doesn’t work out, then they have only paid for two years.

It will be hard to say goodbye, but SBS undoubtedly failed to deliver when given the chance, and a new free-to-air provider could be just what football needs to rise yet another level.

FFA need to get this right. It should be a win-win situation for the governing body, and it represents a fantastic opportunity for the world game.