UPDATE: beIN will now televise the entire Spring Tour. Read about the details here.
In what is a major stumbling block ahead of the Wallabies’ Spring Tour, it has been revealed that TV coverage for some of the games is yet to be locked in, with negotiations still ongoing.
The Spring Tour will see the Wallabies play five Tests, yet just a handful of days out from the start of the Tour, only three are guaranteed to be broadcast, and even then fans will need a Foxtel subscription to view them.
While Network Ten has broadcast the Wallabies’ home games this year, as well as Spring Tour games in the past, they have not secured the rights to the 2016 northern hemisphere fixtures, leaving them in the dark on free-to-air TV.
Under the new Australian rugby broadcast deal, Ten remained as the free-to-air provider for all Wallabies home matches, as well as all of the side’s Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship away games.
However, there was no mention of the spring Tests under the agreement, and the fixtures do not appear on Ten’s list of Wallabies games they are broadcasting in 2016.
Fox Sports is believed to have placed a bid to broadcast a number of the matches, but for the games to be played against Wales, which kicks off the tour this Sunday, November 6 (AEDT), Scotland on November 13 and Ireland on November 27, BeIN Sports will be the exclusive Australian broadcaster.
While that makes sense given BeIN are a European broadcaster, what doesn’t make sense for Australian rugby fans is the matches on November 20 against France and December 4 against England – the latter of which is the arguably the biggest of the entire tour – are yet to be snapped up by a TV network.
Negotiations for those two matches are believed to be ongoing, but it’s worrying for rugby fans, to say the least, that there may be no way to watch these matches live, with less than three weeks left until the first of them kicks off.
The Wallabies will also play an extra tour match against the French Barbarians on November 17. However, that fixture has rated no mention thus far in negotiations and is not likely to be televised.
Wallabies Spring Tour schedule (times AEDT)
November 6, 1:30am – Wales vs Australia at Principality Stadium, Cardiff (BeIN Sports)
November 13, 1:30am – Scotland vs Australia at Murrayfield, Edinburgh (BeIN Sports)
November 20, 7am – France vs Australia at Stade de France, Paris (TV Coverage TBC)
November 27, 4:30am – Ireland vs Australia at Aviva Stadium, Dublin (BeIN Sports)
December 4, 1:30am – England vs Australia at Twickenham, London (TV Coverage TBC)
Paul Turner
Guest
Really gutted I can not view either the All Black vs Ireland or Wallabies vs Wales games!!! The only real reason I subscribe to Foxtel is so that I can watch my beloved game of Rugby Union. Tried to live stream and they ask for your credit card details...what the!! My friends across the ditch are enjoying watching the rugby live through SKY Sports Pull your socks up Fox Sports, otherwise will be pulling the plug on you!!
mike
Guest
Not on free to air, you have just lost a lifetime follower. What a pathetic mess the ARU is putting rugby in tis country
David Perry
Guest
By not having all Wallabies games showing on free to air tv . And just have pay tv coverage . The rugby union will lose supporters and make less money. Just another way they don`t encourage support of the game. No support no game.
Meh
Guest
Fascinating to read that the folk who can afford Foxtel are missing out. As a free-to-air viewer, I'm now looking for an internet-sourced option to watch the Wales- Wallabies game tonight. I can see why Rupert wanted the NBN fibre-to-the-house crippled, his support for whoever wants to get elected in Australia comes with Certain Conditions. Thanks Libs for nothing!
Tinfoil Hat
Guest
Their directors have a fiduciary duty to run those companies in the interests of the shareholders. I am pretty sure that doesn't include acting as a charity in order for you to get to watch all the sport you want to for free.
Tinfoil Hat
Guest
When fox lost the epl,they added bein. So soccer fans get far more games from all around the world now. The added bonus for us is that bein do most of the AI's and euro club rugby.
Vikings Rugby
Guest
ARU HAS BETRAYED AUSSIE RUGBY COMMUNITY. Wallabies playing other nations and it can't be seen on TV in Australia!!! It is a crime. Shame ARU, shame!
Tinfoil Hat
Guest
Alot of Australians can't afford foxtel. Most rugby in NZ is on sky. Australia is the odd one out with people expecting things for free.
tom smith
Guest
I agree. I am going to do the same.
John ashby
Guest
way to go (Aust rugby, foxtel etc), how do we promote the game if its not to be shown. how do we the public watch our team without paying through the nose to purchase TV time, who is in control of this my god this is frustrating
Larry
Guest
You say that Foxtel will be broadcasting the Australia-Wales game live at 1.30am and you would be right. But, the game is scheduled for HD Channel 282 BeIN Sports. To access this channel requires a package upgrade... even though I already subscribe to Fox Sports. Worse still, to receive HD programs and record them requires an upgrade of your set top box... and who knows how long that will take now on Friday afternoon before the game being broadcast live!! Poor effort, Foxtel... not impressed and not happy. :((
Bakkies
Guest
'won’t pay the price that the UK/Europe Unions are asking for these matches.' The unions don't own and sell the rights
Bakkies
Guest
They have five channels that they need to fill between the hours 11pm and 5pm. The Indian Soccer League is more important
Rory
Guest
Check your Fox Sports stations. I have the standard Fox Sports subscription and channel 515 has recently been added. That's the oneway that, will be televising the matchGreen v Wales on Sunday morning Sydney time. Careful if you are recording itof to watch later. Originally it was slotted for channel 513 but now it is scheduled on 515.
Dave_S
Guest
I love this myth that rugby is non-stop action! What do you think happens at every ruck, scrum and lineout? League play-the-balls are on average about the same length of time as the average rugby ruck (in each code it's about 1-3 secs), so call that even. League "scrums" are far quicker (due to the scant regard to the traditional scrum, admittedly, but at least it's quick and no mysterious penalties ensue) and there are no lineouts in league. If you don't like league, that's fine, but at least be in the ball-park of accurate about it.
Reality
Guest
Rugby is no different to any other game, statements like this normally come from people who watch cricket too, it baffles me that they can form this "too complicated" "too little play" and then harp on about how great cricket is. NFL has to be one of the most complicated codes of football but yet its is adored by millions in the USA, a "simple free flowing" game like soccer is lost to the majority of them. People in NZ, SA, Fiji, Wales, England, Georgia, Madagascar all love rugby and would look at AFL and NRL in baffled amazement, I've witnessed it first hand when a Saffa watched RL for the first time, it was very amusing at the first play the ball. . An outsider can pick faults with any game, the problem for the ARU is most Australians are now RU outsiders who only watch on the the occasional big game. I also think the media has a part to play in feeding the loop, the masses like a certain game -> media talks up game to sell - the masses grow - > media pump more - the sheep follow, etc etc. With rugby the inverse is happening with the media pulling back as popularity wanes leading to a reduction in popularity
Clifto
Guest
What an absolute farce.
Reality
Guest
Thats' a fair call Matt, I guess I just feel cheesed off that nobody else likes my sport and took it out on you.
Sydneysider
Guest
"Wallabies rate more than any of the above." Obviously they don't. Not even a Bledisloe Cup match. "As Spiro said a few years ago, SBS should live up to its charter of multiculturalism and broadcast rugby union. There are millions of Irish, English, Welsh, Scottish, Kiwi, French and Pacifc Islanders living here in Australia." Most of those people (with the exception of French and pacific islanders perhaps) speak English. French is already covered on SBS with movies, French news and other French mini series. Talk about being deluded.
Sydneysider
Guest
LOL... Like I said. My bet is that some of you guys here haven't ventured past Channel 503 because those other channels don't have rugby, BUT you are wrong! There is rugby on EuroSport channel (French Top 14) and BeIn has some Heineken Cup and Aviva Premiership matches.