AFL broadcast deal: Gillon McLachlan aims to seal huge TV rights before stepping down

Gillon McLachlan is walking away from one of the biggest jobs in sport, but not before sealing the most ambitious deal of his career – a lucrative broadcast extension.

Shai Bolton of the Tigers in action against Essendon.

The AFL is optimistic it is only months from brokering a massive broadcast agreement with Fox Footy and Seven that will underpin Gillon McLachlan’s ambitious 2022 farewell agenda.

AFL chief executive McLachlan will depart the league after nine seasons but only after sealing the most ambitious agenda of his near-decade tenure.

On the AFL’s to-do list are extending the broadcast rights past 2024, a men’s and women’s collective bargaining agreement and cementing the club funding models for years to come.

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Gillon McLachlan will leave the AFL with a $475m parting gift. Picture: Getty

McLachlan made clear talks had already started with Foxtel and Seven on a new deal for rights currently worth $475 million per year from both networks combined for each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Despite speculation a streaming service like Amazon or Stan might emerge for one game per week, McLachlan said last month the league was happy with its current Fox Footy-Seven arrangement.

He believes there will be intense interest in the AFL’s rights - and an improved financial deal.

But it would take something extraordinary for the league to hand the rights to rival bidders.

The Herald Sun understands a new deal would be for at least three more seasons past 2024 and give the league at least five seasons of financial security.

The NRL’s broadcast deal with Foxtel gives the network the right for its own broadcast teams to call all eight games with its own commentators.

The AFL is negotiationg with Foxtel and Channel 7 on a new broadcast deal. Picture: Michael Klein

It also has significant exclusivity, with Foxtel likely to ask for more games broadcast exclusively into non-Victorian markets.

The league has significant leverage given exceptional early-season ratings and new broadcast windows for future seasons.

The AFL is keen to schedule Thursday night football on nearly every round from next season, and next month the AFL Commission will rule on whether to push back the Grand Final from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.

The league sees the current Seven-Foxtel model as a perfect combination of wide reach from the free-to-air partner and wall-to-wall devoted coverage from Fox Footy as the Kayo app draws a new generation of younger supporters.

The revenue generated from over $500 million of broadcast rights per season would allow the league to broker new pay deals with AFL and AFLW players.

The broadcast deal will allow the league to broker new pay deals with AFL and AFLW players. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The AFL player union has a vision to make its players fully professional by 2026 - the fourth year of a new TV rights deal - while the league could broker a men’s pay deal that ties into a percentage of its own revenue.

McLachlan said when those deals were struck the league would be able to finalise funding models for the medium-term future with clubs.

“The reality is there are four or five huge things to get done this year,” he said.

“It is easier to be clearer. Quietly we are having discussions with broadcasters. We will do a new broadcast deal this year,” he said.

“That is huge. We will have arrangements with men’s and women’s players with the new CBAs and we will contemplate that. Those discussions will be picked up in the coming days.

There will be a club funding model that will contemplate all those arrangements that hopefully interface with the men’s and women’s CBAs and Tasmania.

“The team will land the operational stuff (around Tasmania) this year. That is the agenda that has been put in front of me and we have decided to be explicit today because that is the job in front of us.”

BLUES BACK IN PRIME TIME AS ROUND 10, 11 FIXTURE CONFIRMED

Carlton has been handed a prime time Friday clash against Sydney in Round 10 as the league released two more rounds of its floating fixture on Tuesday.

As revealed by the Herald Sun on Sunday, the league was keen to retain Dreamtime at the ‘G in the Saturday night slot despite it conflicting with the Federal Election.

That game will be back at the MCG for the first time since 2019 in a 7.30pm slot.

Carlton secures the prime time slot, but plays on the previous Sunday, so the Blues will use up their only possible five-day break of the year under AFL rules.

Patrick Cripps and Lachie Fogarty celebrate during last year’s clash with Sydney. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The Sir Doug Nicholls round features Geelong v Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs v Gold coast on Saturday afternoon, with North Melbourne hosting Melbourne in the 4.35pm game.

Adelaide v St Kilda is the other Saturday night clash.

In the Friday night clash in Round 11, Sydney plays a home game against Richmond at the SCG.

West Coast hosts the Western Bulldogs in one of the Saturday night slot, while Gold Coast hosts Hawthorn at TIO Stadium in Darwin.

AFL fixture boss Travis Auld said the league was thrilled to retain the Dreamtime at the G game back at the home of football.

“It’s great to see the Dreamtime at the G game returning to the MCG in 2022 after the NT and WA did extraordinary jobs of hosting the match in the last two seasons,” he said.

“The round is a further opportunity to continue to listen and learn from first nations players and staff at all levels of the game.”

Election creates AFL TV fixture headache

The AFL will release rounds 10 and 11 of the rolling fixture this week as it prepares for its annual Dreamtime at the ’G clash to intersect with the Federal Election.

The league is keen to provide some certainty for fans travelling to interstate venues but also retain a rolling fixture to maximise the best teams in prime-time slots.

Carlton’s home clash against Sydney is the best game of round 10 and would be the perfect Friday night fixture.

But Carlton plays the Giants in Sydney on the Sunday of round 9 so would be playing off a five-day break with travel.

The other Friday night option is Geelong v Port Adelaide, but the Power are winless and could be out of finals contention by then.

The Dreamtime at the ’G game on May 21 is a Saturday night staple at the MCG and could draw as many as 90,000 fans given its popularity and the return of unrestricted crowds in Melbourne.

The annual blockbuster has been played interstate the past two seasons due to Melbourne Covid lockdowns.

Shai Bolton in action in the 2021 Dreamtime game against Essendon in Perth. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Broadcaster Channel 7 will likely have to feature its election coverage on its main channel, so would relegate Dreamtime to another digital channel.

In Round 11 Collingwood versus Carlton shapes as a perfect Friday night contest with Sydney versus Richmond another quality contender.

The AFL has made clear it is keen to reward high-scoring teams playing attractive football in its premier prime-time slots.

But after the first five rounds involving Thursday night football the league will return to a more condensed schedule featuring more overlapping games, which impacts TV ratings.

The Herald Sun last week revealed the AFL’s plan for Thursday night footy next year which will involve 18-20 games in that popular timeslot if it can broker an agreement for two five-day breaks per team per season.

Thursday night football remains a ratings monster, with another four or five Thursday contests scheduled around the mid-season byes when it is easier to minimise five-day breaks for teams coming off their bye.