There are two ways to improve the A-League’s exposure via free-to-air television.
The first is an opportunity when the league becomes a 12-team competition, and the second requires a forced change.
1. Two Friday night games
When Macarthur FC becomes the 12th A-League team, there will be six games each weekend for the first time in the competition’s history.
Each season to date, the A-League has played its five games each round in separate timeslots across the weekend, which has maximised exposure for each club and Fox Sports.
Playing six games, however, will be more difficult, as there is no clear position for an additional timeslot.
The summer heat already regularly makes 5pm and 4pm games unfair for players and spectators, so a new timeslot earlier in the day, such as 3pm, is unthinkable. Second, the unfriendly time for spectators of 6pm Sunday already hurts, so a similarly unfriendly time – such as 8pm Sunday night or Thursday night – would only exacerbate low crowd figures.
If there is no room for a new timeslot, two games will need to be played simultaneously, or at least overlap.
Saturday night is traditionally reserved for the big games, such as derbies, so Friday presents an exciting opportunity: the free-to-air timeslot. This time, however, it would be better targeted at viewers and be a more valuable piece of content.
With two games to choose from, the free-to-air broadcaster would decide state-by-state which of the two games is preferable.
For example, Victorian and Queensland viewers would be shown Melbourne Victory versus Brisbane, while simultaneously New South Wales and South Australia viewers would be shown Sydney versus Adelaide.
This state-by-state arrangement occurs with the AFL for the same reason of maximising each club’s exposure in its home state.
This set-up would mean fans can see their team play around a third of their games on FTA, which is effectively double the current number to keep fans engaged.
In addition, the A-League is showcased at the start of each round as the Friday night broadcast gets people’s attention and promotes the four remaining matches.
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
2. SBS is a better home than the ABC
Presuming the three commercial channels are not interested in paying Fox Sports for access to one game a week, the only option is for one of the government broadcasters (ABC and SBS) to show it.
The ABC is the main government broadcaster and generally gets around double the ratings of SBS, but SBS is a better home for the A-League.
First, SBS has the historical and cultural link to football. SBS’s long history of covering football is well known to football fans in this country – there is a reason it was referred to as ‘soccer bloody soccer’. Its multicultural foundations link it perfectly to the world game and the A-League needs to connect with these roots.
Second, SBS (probably because of its traditional links) covers today’s world of football better than the ABC. Unfortunately, SBS’s weekly television program ‘The World Game’ only covers European leagues and international football, and therefore conspicuously does not cover the A-League, but it is still a good thing that this football-dedicated program exists at all. On the ABC, the only dedicated sports program, ‘Offsiders’, barely mentions the A-League or football more broadly.
These two suggestions would allow fans to see their team play around a third of their games on FTA television on Friday nights, through a broadcaster in SBS that is the spiritual home of football in this country.
It would allow the A-League to connect both with its grassroots base and provide access to new fans, and therefore strengthen its future.
Nemesis
Guest
You missed the point completely that Georgina Robinson was reporting from her conversation with Optus Sport. The point Optus Sport was making was: 1) football fans love watching football content 2) the number of people watching any particular match is irrelevant to Optus Sport. Their plan is to have enough football content on their App that will ensure every football fan will want to buy a mobile phone or nbn plan. It doesn't matter if they watch Faroe Island vs Montenegro or UCL Final. Optus wants them locked in for 12 months on a mobile phone or nbn contract. If you don't see the big picture, you won't understand the Optus strategy.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
max There is a lot of evidence to suggest that is the case. For example, by the time the Newcastle game was played last Monday, we knew that would be the last football game for a while, and yet, less than than 10,000 tuned in, and that was on a weekday with no other sport on. On the other hand, Georgina Robinson recently wrote that many Australians watched the Faroe Islands vs Montenegro on their small screens.
max power
Guest
football fans do not watch tv. so funny
max power
Guest
you are only kidding yourself if you think that football people dont watch TV.
adriandon
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the best wishes, but it's a bit patronising to call me green. It might be my first article, but I understand the landscape and I did my research. Try to be more thoughtful next time. If you go back and actually read my article, I suggested one game is given to FTA, but with two games to choose from, state-by-state. Exactly as is done with the AFL. As for going back to SBS, just because they weren't happy in the past doesn't mean we stick with ABC forever. The above suggestion of targeting games better state-by-state makes it a better piece of content which might appeal better than in the past. And yeah sure SBS has lost live football, but it still provides better coverage of football than ABC through its TV and social media coverage. It's in its DNA. Nothing is easy in the sports media world, especially at the moment in this unknown space, but I think my suggestions are good ideas, and worth pursuing.
jamesb
Roar Guru
That should be a lesson for all sports governing bodies, not just the FFA.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Optus have waived subscription fees for the next two months, for those who pay them
Jack George
Roar Guru
Optus has been doing a 'free seat' match pretty much every day the Champions League was on, especially in knock out phases. When there was two round of sixteen games on Optus, usually one of them would be free.
Nemesis
Guest
Pretty sure Optus has been offering Free Access to at least 1 UCL match every round. Sometimes even via Youtube. It's pretty obvious Free To Air Tv is just not part of the viewing preferences for Aussie football fan. Maybe FTA TV is still widely used by other sports fans, but football fans are not interested. Even when a match has been on FTA TV, I've been happy to just use the LiveStream option. Maybe it's because football fans have been used to streaming matches for nearly 20 years. As far back as 2004 I had signed up to beIN Sports to stream Euros.
Christopher
Guest
Not against a deal with Optus as long as there is a provision for some coverage on FTA. Optus have allowed FTA to broadcast EPL and UCL and quickly shut it down as what it wants is exclusivity. That would not be ideal for the league.
Nick Symonds
Guest
THE WORLD GAME FOX DEAL: “In terms of the A-League, I would suggest firstly they won’t get any new payments and secondly, I understand, Fox Sports have the right to withdraw altogether (from the final three years of the six-year $346 million deal). “They might not embark on that course right now - but I think they’ll be keeping their options open to say ‘thank you, we won’t continue to broadcast ... feel free to go with anybody you want to’. “I would imagine they have Force Majeure clauses and everybody will be going back to read the fine print.” - OPTUS MOVE IN QUESTION: “The A-League, I think, would be on their radar,” he said. “But they wouldn’t make the numbers work (on the same magnitude of the current A-League deal). “You have to remember that Optus will also be hurting. The money being taken out of the economic system might lead to people cancelling subscriptions, and that will hit Optus’ bottom line." - https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/fox-sports-primed-to-pull-pin-on-a-league-claims-broadcast-rights-guru
Christopher
Guest
Beamed into 25 million homes doesn't mean people were watching it. I doubt Italians are giving AF about the A League right now. Stupid article and you are just beyond ...... for posting this.
Christopher
Guest
Firstly, good luck on your Roar writing career. I can tell you are a bit green. What you'll do in the future is to make sure you have done your research and get an understanding of the media landscape before putting forward your thoughts. With your first proposal, assuming Fox continues with the coverage, there is no way they will give the go ahead for two games at the same. Second, games moving to SBS. SBS did show the A League previously and ended up wanting out of the coverage as they weren't getting the viewership they expected. They also shelved the games from their main channel. Furthermore, SBS is no longer the spiritual home of football. Growing up it was. Serie A on Sunday mornings. The Prem live. UCL and Europa League. It now shows zilch.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
I am hoping you are correct.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
I seem to recall they (Italy) used to take Del Pierro's matches live when he was at SFC. At least for his first year here anyway. The W League is gaining in popularity I understand, especially in the US because they know so many of the players here, US players among them.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
A ratings number in one country larger than the Australian population!
chris
Guest
There were a couple of really nice goals in that game as well.
Nick Symonds
Guest
NOTE: That's just 25 million homes in Italy. No idea about other countries.
Nick Symonds
Guest
FTBL: The footballing First World knows almost nothing about our game, but that has changed in the last couple of weeks as the Covid 19 Apocalypse closes down all sport. Usually broadcast into about 70 (I think…someone will correct me) countries, the last few matches have been seen by a far wider audience in the sport starved northern hemisphere (whose leagues were closed down earlier). Even Italy, the league of choice for the Eurosnobs, is watching. Last night’s match between Newcastle Jets and Melbourne City was (apparently) beamed into 25 million Italian homes, live. - https://www.ftbl.com.au/analysis/take-that-eurosnobs-539734
Nemesis
Guest
Seems the previous FFA Board & CEO were extremely cosy with News Corp. Maybe, it helped extract more money from Foxtel for TV deals. But, from all we know about Rupert Murdoch & News Corp I'd be surprised if News Corp didn't get the better end of any deal. Would be out of character for them to hand over more money than the very minimum they thought was needed to seal any deal.