Reports: Seven, Foxtel secure AFL rights
Media reports claim Seven and Foxtel have snared the AFL rights after TEN withdrew three weeks ago.
- Published by David Knox
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Media are tipping that an announcement on the AFL rights for 2012 -2016 could be announced as early as today.
All point to Seven having secured the rights in a joint deal with Foxtel, after TEN withdrew three weeks ago. Interim Ten boss Lachlan Murdoch was keen to cut costs, concerned about a $10m loss per year.
Seven is believed to have bought four regular-season matches per round for $475 million in cash and advertising “contra.”
Foxtel will reportedly pay $500m for five matches per round as well as the right to simulcast Seven’s games live with some of the commercial network’s advertising.
Foxtel will also be able to simulcast all finals except the grand final.
But Seven could yet sub-license games to either TEN or Nine.
There is some speculation that Friday night games in Melbourne could be shown live, as well as away matches featuring Perth and Adelaide teams.
Together with digital and mobile rights, the deal will top the $1b deal being sought by the AFL.
But the AFL Commission must meet on the issue to approve any deal.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is yet to confirm that the AFL has signed a deed ensuring the free-to-air networks are given the best game on Friday night and the second-best match on Saturday night.
But some commentators claim the deal has contributed to the downfall of ONE.
Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Roy Masters notes: “ONE HD would have allowed TEN to show games on its primary channel in its main markets, while broadcasting the same game to minor markets via the digital service.
“So how must those AFL fans on the Gold Coast watch their new team, the Suns, and Rugby League fans in Victoria follow the Storm?
“By buying subscriptions to Foxtel, of course, which is 25 per cent owned by News Corp, of whom Murdoch is a director, with another 25 per cent owned by Packer’s Consolidated Media Holdings.”
Source: The Australian, Herald Sun.
39 Responses
Hopefully that will mean the ONE HD footy shows will be gone as well, they are terrible and so self indulgent, but lets hope Robert Walls and Matthew Lloyd getspicked up the only bright lights in a pathetic roster.
If Ten isn’t going to buy into the rights then they might aswell forget about football and make 7 pay for the lot!!! Why would Ten want games seven throws at them? they obviousy would give the the worst games.
@Graeme, I understand what you mean that they would Want to have their fingers in everything, but I just don’t know if they are that wealthy. $475 million for this, plus presumably a similar figure for the NRL… they can afford it if they kill off all their regular programming.
The sad part is, if they Do what you are suggesting, they will end up with the ‘local’ sport on the main channel, and the ‘foreign’ sport on 7mate. So everyone will end up with the sport they Don’t want to watch in HD.
I guess that’s where the Foxtel simulcasts come in for those who want HD.
@ararat – it gives Seven national coverage. The AFL doesn’t rate in Qld and NSW and the NRL doesn’t rate in VIC, SA OR WA. Having a piece of both codes fixes that – not cheaply but it does.
Combined with the fact that Nine are in all sorts of strife at the moment and Seven will want to inflict as much pain as they can….
We will have to see I guess.
@Graeme, how do you figure that this Means that Seven is after the NRL as well? After sinking $475 million into this deal (near the TOTAL value of the current NRL deal), what exactly are they going to come after the NRL with?
@Armchair Analyst, how exactly do you figure that the Anti-Siphoning list is being ‘bypassed’. The list guarantees that certain games remain on FTA. Foxtel is simply simulcasting them With the ads from Ch7 (how is this different to foxtel just carrying Ch7? except that it will go into regional markets as well).
Are these games still on FTA? Yes they are. They are available to view by people who don’t subscribe to Foxtel. So the list has done its job, and anyone who suggests otherwise is simply trolling.
saly it will be another 5 years of bruce, tim, dennis and the mega wall. @AS. god don’t say they should bring over quarters and maher. they are the biggest idiots at 10
The AFL is a great property but not worth this money for anyone except Foxtel.
While the AFL care about the northern states, no-one else does. People always complain but the fact is TV ratings have Not grown in NSW or Qld for 10 years – adding a team in each state is not going to make a big difference. I think the suns will do well but as one person put it, GWS will be the AFLs Vietnam.
It will be interesting to see what TEN do. There is merit in the argument of the AFL being a loss leader by promoting other programming and assisting the brand but not if you’re losing enormous amounts of money.
It seems crystal clear what Sevens strategy is and that is to secure some NRL as well – Nine are in all sorts of trouble if they think NRL will remain as it is know…
The other thing for Seven is for V8 Supercars and where they fit or will they part ways – it actually ties in very well with either football code so time will tell on that one.
I’ve been no fan of Roy Masters’ journalism in the last couple of years but it’s obvious to everyone that Packer and Murdoch’s behaviour stinks to high heaven. I’m sick of the way that the cosy relationships between the key players in the Australian sporting/media landscape are used to enrich certain organisations and rip off everyone else. The ACCC shouldn’t have allowed anyone with a major involvement in Fox to get anywhere near another media group with a heavy investment in sport, what were they thinking?
So, Lachie Murdoch is selling AFL to Kerry Stokes and David Leckie at Seven.
Ten is the new OneTel… AFL has contributed significantly to Ten’s success in markets like Perth and Adelaide, and in particularly the super lucrative free-to-air market Melbourne.
On paper they might lose out a few mill from production cost, but the ability to build a brand and advertise shows around the 6+ hours of AFL a week on Ten is pretty valuable. Ten will see a decline similar to 9 if they lose AFL.
But then again, maybe Packer and Murdoch dont care, as long as people start subscribing to Foxtel.
Where is the ACCC to investigate this clear conflict of interest??
@ Kuttsywood – I don’t reckon it will be a problem for Seven at all, reckon you will find Seven will be able to air live on 7Mate in those northern markets by the time the deal kicks in.
Well at least we now know who the broadcasters are likely to be. I doubt that 7 will get into bed with their rival 9 Network, although stranger things have happened. The deal as it stands is ok. However Foxtel getting every game of the season including finals troubles me. If i was Kerry Stokes and David Leckie i would be very careful what i sign because when a Television rival even a pay tv rival is able to broadcast matches which you are broadcasting and have bought then their is something rotten in the works, and my finger points to the AFL masterminding this whole process. Also with regards to the Anti-Siphoning list with 4 AFL matches guaranteed on Free To Air Tv it is now likely to be pointless considering that Foxtel has bypassed this. As far as Network Ten is concerned i doubt that they will get any matches because the Network just does not have enough money to pay the inflated price that the AFL or 7 or Foxtel want.
Oh god Ten please get the NRL & Nine get Nothing.
Really hoped Ten/One could get every game. They have the best coverge and best commentators, but that account for nothing with the greedy AFL. Seven need to put Friday night footy live in Adelaide. No excuses. Surprised they’d give Sundays to Nine and allow them to get lead in into Sunday news, but Nine promised live footy so won’t really be a lead in.
Unfortunately, Seven is going to realize from early on in the new deal, that their main problem won’t be fans in AFL heartland.
It’ll be in QLD/NSW, the AFL’s growth markets. Those areas have had excellent treatment by Ten, for main channel coverage of Swans/Lions/Suns games, most often, live.
I’d love for Seven to commit to airing on the main channel, any game featuring Swans/Giants and Lions/Suns live into their respective states, much like Ten would have done.
It’ll be interesting to see if Seven try to poach any of Ten’s commentators. I’d love to see them replace Bruce with Stephen Quartermain (not that it’s going to happen). Ten definitely have some that would be worth pinching (Anthony Hudson, Andrew Maher). They managed to sign Dennis Cometti when Nine lost the rights so I definitely think they’ll try to stich up a few.
It’ll also be interesting to see what happens to Before The Game. This is a great show but I’m not sure how it will rate if it’s not leading into Ten’s Saturday night AFL match. Would Roving Enterprises consider a switch to Seven?
It’s a waste putting the afl on 7, a shame for afl fans that Ten/OneHD won’t be airing games anymore.
What a disaster for those who watch AFL on ONE HD. You can bet your life 7 won’t be showing any matches in HD, and I refuse to watch their garbled SD mess.
Hmm I always enjoyed Ten’s coverage more than Seven’s. A bit of a shame
So wrong on so many levels, money talks and sh?t walks, sounds like branch stacking! Isn’t this anti competitive, oh wait….. this is Australia I would expect no less
sad day for the true fans of the afl. they will probably win the nrl rights as well
Very convenient that Ten/One pulls out of AFL rights only once Mr Murdoch gets involved, and as a result it works in favour of his pay-TV investments. Amazing coincidence.
So I’m guessing Nine didn’t get it? Good, now they can use the $1B on real programming.
As for ONE, its finished. Being a sports channel, this is disasterous as AFL is one of the most watched sport in the nation.
Doesn’t affect me much though, as a devout Queenslander, I like NRL.
See TEN really needed this for ONE and it’s main channel. You would think having a 24/7 HD sports channel would be an advantage!
So will some games turn up in HD on 7MATE?
Can almost taste the bitterness in Roy Master’s article.
There is nothing in the new channel format that will stop them showing AFL on One on a weekend if necessary anyway