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AFL considering later Grand Final

"I think there's some benefit in trying something different," says AFL's broadcasting boss.

This year more than any other the AFL is considering its options for a Grand Final to be played later in the day.

Marcus King, Head of Broadcasting and Scheduling at Australian Football League, yesterday told media buyers,  “I feel like there’s more flexibility this year than perhaps any other year, really. I think our fans understand that and our broadcast partners in Seven in particular understand that. I don’t think we’ll lock ourselves into a particular time until we know exactly the date of the Grand Final.

“We are working towards late October. If the season were to roll out as 16 weeks plus four weeks finals, that would have a grand final date of the 24th of October. That may eventuate. But there’s so much uncertainty, which is why we’re doing a flexible fixture. We just can’t pin that date just yet. And so, it could be later, who knows?”

Asked about the advantages of a twilight game he said, “Generally, viewership is optimised the later the day goes on. I feel like the Grand Final, whenever it is, is a massive TV event. So I’d be really confident in that. But we’ll work closely with Seven to work out when is the best slot. I think there’s some benefit in trying something different.”

AFL returns to  at 7:30pm AEST tonight on Seven / 7mate, check guides.

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