Carlton Draught walks away from The Front Bar

Beer giant Carlton Draught has walked away from The Front Bar in a shock move, with a rival brand swooping on the hit footy show.

Beer giant Carlton Draught has quietly walked away from a lucrative sponsorship deal with hit footy show The Front Bar.

The Herald Sun can reveal rival brewer Lion Nathan will be the new major sponsor of the popular Channel Seven program, starring comedians Mick Molloy, Sam Pang and presenter Andy Maher.

Beer brand Furphy will be announced as the new sponsor of the show in a deal believed to be worth more than $1m a year.

A Seven Network spokeswoman confirmed the switch on Monday afternoon.

“The Seven Network is proud to announce Furphy as the 2023 sponsor of The Front Bar when it hits the screens of Seven from February 1,” she said.

While Seven and Lion Nathan hailed the new deal as a coup, it is believed CUB was happy to exit its seven-year deal.

The Front Bar hosts Andy Maher, Mick Molloy, Sam Pang. Picture: Supplied

In a statement, a Carlton Draught spokesman said a decision had been made “to conclude our longstanding partnership with the Front Bar”.

“We’ve been with the Front Bar from the very beginning in 2015, so it was a difficult decision,” the spokesman said.

“We love The Front Bar, but it’s time for us to take a fresh approach to promote Carlton Draught with footy and pub fans.

“We have a massive new marketing campaign planned for 2023 and will have more exciting announcements soon.”

A Seven source said an extra four episodes of The Front Bar would screen next year, as part of the new deal.

Furphy signage and drinks for hosts and guests would replace Carlton Draught but the format of the show would remain the same.

Molloy said: “Furphy slid into my DMs, we hooked up and the rest is history.

“I’ve always been a fan of Furphy. It’s a beer. It’s from Geelong and … it’s a beer.”

Furphy brand director Chris Allan said the deal built on its support of a number of AFL and AFLW teams.

The Front Bar won the 2019 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award for Best Sports Entertainment Program.

It launched in 2015 as an online show filmed at the All Nations Hotel in Richmond on Friday nights but was quickly snapped up by Seven and turned into an hour long program.