AFLW TV rights: AFL looking to secure broadcast deal for women’s game

WHILE ratings have tumbled this AFLW season, the AFL is seeking to find a broadcaster willing to payup to show future games as the sport looks to emulate the success of Netball.

AFLW Round 4. Western Bulldogs v Carlton at the Whitten Oval. Ellie Blackburn clears from half back. Pic: Michael Klein

CHANNEL Seven and Fox Sports are expected to be the main players as the AFL for the first time seeks to sell broadcast rights for the women’s game.

AFLW has been screened for the past two seasons on Channel 7 and Fox Sports at no charge, but the league hopes to secure a deal from season three.

Monetising the game would have a flow on effect to players with the expectation a Collective Bargain Agreement would be drawn up to run concurrently with any broadcast arrangement.

The new pay deal would take affect ahead of the AFLW03 contracting period.

Ellie Blackburn clears from half back. Pic: Michael Klein

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Media rights expert Colin Smith, who as director of Global Media and Sports has previously worked with the AFL and NRL during rights negotiations, encouraged the league to sign a long-term deal.

Smith helped secure a rights deal for Super Netball.

The netball deal is a revenue share model where Channel 9 pays the cost to produce the matches, but all revenue generated (from advertising and other commercial deals) is shared between the TV company and Netball Australia.

Smith said the AFL could strike a similar deal.

He said he doubted broadcasters other than Channel 7 and Fox Sports would bid.

“(Netball is) the only women’s sport that’s actually getting a rights fee,” Smith said.

“It’s a completely different model. Channel 9 and Telstra pay for all TV production and then they pool all the revenues — during the game and post-game — and they share the revenues between the two of them (Channel 9 and Netball Australia).

“There’s been a huge uplift for Netball Australia and then it’s also got the selling power of the Nine sales team.

Can AFLW emulate the success of Netball Australia?

“It’s really highly innovative. If I was the AFL I’d do a long term deal … seven or eight years.

“I think it could be a revenue type model. I don’t think it’ll be as valuable as netball.

“It’s still building. It’s gone to market really quickly, and I think it was right to do that, but it’s building the standard.

“They need to increase their depth. It’s really investing in the competition and I don’t think you’ll see the fruits of your labour until five to six years.

“Right now, the only bidder would either be Foxtel/Fox Sports or Channel 7, or a combination.”

AFLW ratings dropped considerably on the debut season in the first two rounds — Fox Footy’s average viewership was down 61 per cent — but round three and four have seen an increase in the average audience compared with 2017.

An average audience of 50,014 tuned in to watch Round 4 on Fox, the highest average AFLW audience Fox has seen this season.