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AFL declines live request

TEN tried it on, but the AFL said no to a live broadcast of the NAB Cup in Victoria.

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mcg-aerialThe AFL has rejcted a request from Channel TEN to televise tomorrow night’s NAB Cup semi-final live in Victoria.

Originally, the AFL wanted the game to be delayed on TV by 60 minutes, but TEN persuaded the league to trim it to 30 minutes.

TEN’s AFL executive producer David Barham said he would love the opportunity to televise live AFL games.

“The only reason we don’t go live is because the AFL won’t let us,” Barham told the Herald Sun.

AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan said last night the league treated requests game by game and that often a broadcaster’s motive was to suit its programming schedule.

“While broadcasting is obviously very important, we want our start time to maximise our attendance,” he said.

This year’s NAB Cup final, which has been moved forward by 24 hours on Friday week to avoid the bushfire benefit concert at the MCG.

Source: Herald Sun

  • Tagged with AFL

11 Responses

  1. I am more annoyed the fact the NAB final is now on Friday night instead of Saturday night because of Sound Relief. I was planning to go if Collingwood beat Essendon (which they will) but i’m tied up on Friday nights so now I have to watch it delayed on ten. 🙁 And David, I have been curious for a while, why do you always write “Ten” in capitals?

  2. If the game isn’t soldout, then it’s fair if it’s show on slight delay to give incentive for people to got ot the game so they can increase revenue. It’s normal business sense and people still don’t get it….

  3. I like the delay as it allows you to look up the live score online. If it is a close game I will watch it, if it is a walkover I just don’t bother.

    Now if it was live, I would have been hooked in from the start, so at least the delay saves me a potentially wasted evening.

  7. what a ridiculous excuses, like andrew b said people go to the afl cause it’s a different experience than watching it on tv and would still go even if it were shown live, many other sports are shown live and the attendance don’t go down.

  8. I’m sympathetic to not going live against the gate.

    However, for everyone outside of Victoria there are absolutely no excuses for not showing the game live on television. So, 10, how about it ?

    Watch 7 blatantly disregard this on Friday nights throughout the coming season. I now listen to the games on the ABC and by the time the telecast starts, the game is already in the third quarter. 7 should re-badge it’s Friday night telecasts as the History Channel.

  9. Should all be live. I too don’t see how that would affect attendence as the experience of being there is much different to simply watching the show on TV.

  10. a few days ago i posted a comment saying as part of the afl deal with the networks the network should have to show games live , but it now seem the afl is the one forcing the networks to delay games not the other way around.
    “While broadcasting is obviously very important, we want our start time to maximise our attendance” how does showing the match live on tv conflict with that?

  11. Damn annoying.
    Just when the TV networks listen to us the sporting governing body gets into a hissy fit.Nice try Ten – shame on you AFL
    Sidenote – like most other Victorians I will listen to game, if close I will watch delayed telecast, if not over to another channel.

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