Live matches in focus as AFL TV rights deal comes down to the wire

Seven West Media and Foxtel are at loggerheads over live matches in AFL-mad markets like Adelaide and Perth, as the race for the league’s broadcast rights hots up.

Port Adelaide’s Charlie Dixon collects the ball during a match between against Melbourne. Picture: Felicity Elliott/AFL

Seven West Media and Foxtel are at loggerheads over live matches in AFL-mad markets like Adelaide and Perth, as the race for the league’s broadcast rights hots up.

The AFL is trying to entice Seven West Media and Foxtel to up their bids for television rights to as close to $600m annually as possible, in an effort to keep the incumbent broadcasters in place until at least 2029 and as ViacomCBS-owned Network Ten considers a potential knockout bid for all free-to-air and streaming rights to the code.

Seven and Foxtel have indicated they are keen to maintain their rights, and discussions have begun regarding what mechanisms could be used to entice either party to raise their bids.

One option being discussed is Foxtel gaining rights to show more live matches of the local teams in passionate AFL cities Adelaide, where the Crows and Port are both popular, and Perth, the home of the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle.

Seven currently can show matches for those clubs in their home markets, even if they are earmarked for Foxtel and its streaming service Kayo in other parts of the country.

Foxtel would like exclusive rights to those games, though they are protected for now by the federal government’s anti-siphoning legislation, which has a list of sports that have to be offered via free-to-air means.

One option for Foxtel, who would pay more for the rights, is its Kayo Freebies service that allows for the streaming of select events without a charge. But Seven is being steadfast in its discussions with the AFL that it must maintain the strong-rating Adelaide and Perth games.

Foxtel is also keen to cement Saturday as its showpiece day for showing AFL games on an exclusive basis, similar to its “Super Saturday” collection of NRL games each weekend.

News Corp – publisher of The Australian – owns 65 per cent of Foxtel, with Telstra owning the rest. Kayo has achieved strong viewer interest with its AFL telecasts in recent years.

Seven and Foxtel currently have rights to show the AFL until 2024, but the league’s outgoing chief executive Gillon McLachlan is keen to clinch an extension to the deal or a new contact with Network Ten and its Paramount+ streaming service before he leaves his role later this year.

As reported by The Australian in early July, Ten and the AFL have discussed a knockout bid for all of the sport’s rights, including streaming options, for about $600m per year in cash and contra, or $3bn in total over five years. Seven and Foxtel will pay a combined $946m for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

The AFL has been keen to use Ten’s interest to push up the price Seven and Foxtel would possibly pay to maintain the rights. The league is keen to clinch a deal within weeks, with talks set to gather pace after Mr McLachlan returns from a short break.

Nine Entertainment has proposed a bid for a package of Thursday night games to the AFL, though the league is believed not to be keen to split its hosting options across more than two broadcasters unless it receives bids that are too lucrative to turn down.

With Foxtel and Seven looming as the most likely option though, it means Mr McLachlan has failed so far to generate significant interest from international media companies such as Amazon Prime, Netflix and YouTube, despite initial discussions and meetings.

ViacomCBS, which owns Network Ten and Paramount+, hosted AFL executives on a visit to the US earlier this year.

Ten’s most recent foray into Australian sport is a $200m deal to broadcast soccer’s A-league for five years, with most matches on Paramount+. The deal, which included a small equity component in the privatised league, was plagued by low ratings and technical issues in the 2021-22 season.

Seven, Foxtel and the AFL declined to comment.

Originally published as Live matches in focus as AFL TV rights deal comes down to the wire