AFL seals cut-price TV broadcast deal with Channel 7 until end of 2022 season
The AFL has agreed to a new broadcast deal with Channel 7 which includes pay reductions for the next three years due to the COVID-19 crisis. Here’s how it will work.
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The AFL has agreed to a discounted TV rights deal with Channel 7.
An agreement was reached with the free-to-air broadcaster late this evening.
Payment reductions have been agreed for this season as well as 2021 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 crisis.
Seven has also renewed its arrangement with the league for an extra two years until the end of 2024.
But reports Foxtel has agreed to a revised deal as well as a two-year extension for 2023 and 2024 are incorrect.
All parties were determined to resolve a revised broadcast arrangement for the current six-year contract that expires at the end of 2022 before Thursday’s Collingwood-Richmond season reboot but terms have not yet been agreed with Foxtel.
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The discounts are being sought because the season has been cut by five rounds and quarters slashed from 20 minutes to 16 minutes plus time on.
Both networks have suffered financial losses during the 81-day shutdown leading them to seek reduced contracts for the next two years.
The AFL has pocketed about $417 million a season in TV rights cash and contra since 2016 – accounting for more than 60 per cent of the AFL industry’s total revenues.
Seven West Media boss James Warburton said tonight: “The AFL and Seven are a core part of each other’s DNA , and we are delighted to have not only reached a revised agreement for the current contract team, but to have extended our relationship for a further two seasons taking the agreement through until the end of 2024.”
Seven told the ASX it would make savings of $87 million over the next three years as a result of the revised arrangement, including “production savings”.
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Originally published as AFL seals cut-price TV broadcast deal with Channel 7 until end of 2022 season
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