AFL signs broadcast extension with radio partners on eve of 2025 season

The AFL has clinched a broadcast deal extension on the eve of the new season — and it’s good news for football fans. JAY CLARK explains why.

Matthew Nicks speaks on radio before a Crows match.

The AFL has clinched a three-year extension with all of its major radio broadcast partners which will help cut out in-stadium delays.

The Herald Sun has confirmed radio partners Southern Cross Austereo, SEN, Nine Radio, FIVEAA, K Rock and ABC have all secured a last-minute deal until the end of 2027.

Negotiations went down to the wire with confirmation of the deal only hours before the bounce of the opening game of the season in Sydney between Hawthorn and the Swans.

And the price of the rights extension plateaued after the radio partners stood firm on what they were prepared to pay in a challenging media market.

Radio chiefs refused to concede significant ground in recent months which resulted in a delay dragging on through the preseason games.

The overall value is understood to be a sliver of the blockbuster seven-year $4.5 billion television deal which helped deliver a bumper financial result for the AFL.

But the new deal will help deliver a win for footy fans as the AFL has maintained rights holders’ access to deliver zero latency calls at AFL venues.

It means patrons will be able to experience calls at certain matches with little to no delay on the Marvel Stadium app and AFL website.

Other stations have used zero delay technology but have made changes to suit their broadcast obligations including advertisements.