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Questions over future of TEN footy team

Where to for the AFL commentators at TEN / ONE?

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Seven’s signing of AFL rights raises questions over the future of commentators at TEN / ONE.

They include Stephen Quartermain (pictured), Tim Lane, Robert Walls, Anthony Hudson, Malcolm Blight, Kelli Underwood and Michael Christian.

TEN may yet snare a game if Seven on-sells one match a week. Yesterday Seven CEO David Leckie did not rule out a deal with TEN, having shared broadcast rights under the current contract.

But while ONE currently maintains matches, it is already diminishing its overall sports coverage on the channel.

This could also raise questions over Roving Enterprise’s Before the Game which features Andrew Maher, Mick Molloy, Dave Hughes, Sam Lane, and Lehmo.

Source: Herald Sun

21 Responses

  1. i know i am a one eyed west aussie, but please can’t any of the telecasters get it right. seven’s video is amateurish and seriously if i hear one more pro-any-melbourne-team commentator, i may just scream, turn down the sound and turn on the radio. wa is sick of jason dunstall, tony shaw. michael christian………

  2. One aren’t allowed to show Super Rugby as Foxtel threatened SANZAR last year (or year before that) that if One was allowed to bid they would put in a heavily reduced offer for the tv rights. As you would expect SANZAR stuck with Foxtel and got in the end $120m or so asking price (correct me if I’m wrong).

    Speaking of channel Rex take last night they sexed up the game beforehand and made reference to the wedding by putting crowns on the heads of Goodes and Judd saying they’re roylty of their respective home grounds. I reckon the return Channel Rex makes on the footy rights is minimal as advertisers will only pay upto a certain amount for advertising. I think the new deal is better than the old deal for AFL viewers still!

  3. Ten had the best coverage and now we are left with Seven who have the worst. Hope their key talent pick up other gigs and I feel for the production staff who are left in a difficult position. I hate McAvaney’s commentary and Seven do such silly gimmicks to ‘sex’ up their coverage which turns everyone I know off it. Purists and casual observers alike.

  4. You should try living in an area where Ten/ONE only broadcast AFL matches live on Saturday nights if they involve the Swans. The remainder are shown at around 11 PM following the WWF, monster trucks or whatever. Good riddance.

  5. I thought Ten did a good with the AFL is much better than 7s coverage without the Megawall. The only one I don’t like is Maher and Lane can get a tad annoying at times. One week at a Time I have enjoyed watching on Monday nights. That Game Plan Show with Cummings is overrated. I feel for LLoyd with that show for puttting up with Cummings. Kelli Underwood now has netball so she wont be out of a job. She’s taken over from Darcy who at one stage had to call netballl games (I felt sorry for him with that gig). Also the 5th Quater was good as it gave you all the scores of the previous round matches. Unlike 7 who don’t bother or use it for plugging sponsors and their own shows after a Friday night game! Also wont miss Before the Game especially Fitzy, Hughesy and Malloy!

  6. If ONE HD wants to survive they need to start talking to the ARU and V8 Supercars. With the expanded Super Rugby Competition ONE HD can do a deal with Fox and ARU to telecast 1 – 2 key games each week (ie: Rebels games live in Melbourne and Reds games live in QLD etc). V8 Supercars have been kicked to the curb by channel 7 because next year other than Bathurst I can’t see how other rounds will be telecast live across Australia even if they put it on their digital channels the V8 Supercars wont be impressed because not everone has a digital TV so the ratings will drop considerably and so will sponsorship dollars…..

  9. The thing is, I can’t stand Channel 7 footy. I can only watch Channel 10 football because as said above it really is the standard it should be with Channel 10. I’d even prefer Channel 9 football over Channel 7.

    It’s just a shame that good, light-hearted shows like ‘Before the Game’ will now be gone and we’ll probably be stuck with the boring cast of Channel 7.

    I’m hoping Channel 10 pick up at least ONE game.

  12. Agree with DanDans, 7 treat the AFL like some sort of chore, 10 have carefully crafted the telecast into something watchable, even from the opening voice over, 10 seem to give the game the gravitas and spectacle it deserves, while on 7, Cometti has to carry a sleepwalking Bruce and whatever combination of C grade hack they decide to shove in the broadcast calling the action.

  14. Getting in before all the vitriol and nastiness and just want to say I have enjoyed ONE and TEN’s AFL coverage for the past 9 years (this year will be their tenth) – they have broadcast 7 of the last 9 Grand Finals and done a superlative job – they were the first with HD and the first (and the only consistent one) with 5.1 (Ch 7 only did the one GF with 5.1).

    If TEN dont secure the rights to AFL next year (and lets be honest, there is NO WAY Ch 7 wants to do those two Saturday games, this is just a bargain chip for them over TEN) then its been good to have commentators like Quartermaine, Lane, Christen and Hudson – but lets not forget the ones who were there from the start including Daicos and Silvagni, and Christie Malthouse.

  15. Stephen Quartermain has been working with Ten for the past two decades and should continue his regular job as sports presenter on Ten News Melbourne, and may also have a role in Ten’s coverage of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Both Quartermain and Christian commentate AFL matches on Triple M when they are not covering for Ten, and that should continue as well.
    I do hope Ten can maintain some AFL-related programs on air even though it may not have any matches to screen from next year. Nine has succeeded with the AFL Footy Show and Footy Classified, Ten should do the same with The Game Plan and The Final Siren.

  16. Sad thing is Ten had the best coverage and best commentators. I rate Quartermain, Christian and Hudson.

    Now we’re stuck with delayed games, and the stupid megawall

  17. The best thing about the AFL coverage today is Channel 10. I hope that they retain games. The AFL related shows (Before the Game, Game Plan, One Week at a Time etc) that are on TEN/ONE are far superior than anything that Seven and Nine offer.

  18. i doubt 7 will on sell any games and i can’t see 100 wanting to fork out a fair bit of money for only 1 game. no more dud commentators is the best thing about them losing the rights

  19. Malcolm Blight, Robert Walls and Kelli Underwood are easily the worst AFL commentators in Australia with Michael Christian not far behind.

    The best news about the TV rights deal is that we won’t ever have to hear from them again.

  21. I like Huddo and Malcolm Blight (when he’s not commentating on Gold Coast games), plus Luke Darcy and Matthew Lloyd who you haven’t mentioned, but I won’t be upset if I never have to listen to Walls, Quartermaine & Lane commentate a game after this year.

    Tim Lane pulled out his soapbox and said he couldn’t possibly commentate with Eddie due to his Collingwood bias, but has had no problem being in the box with Quartermaine shamelessly barracking for Hawthorn and Tim shamelessly barracks for Carlton himself. To make matters worse both have been guilty of monotone delivery and completely unenthusiastic calls when their sides are getting thumped and in close matches involving their sides the difference in delivery is also noticeable depending on which side (theirs or the opposition) has kicked the goal.

    As for Walls he’s never been able to remove personal issues (particularly with Kevin Sheedy) from his calls and I’m sure he’d be especially terrible next year during GWS games.

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