SM
Bigfooty Legend
They were considering going to amateur status last year to stem the losses.
Channel 10, Paramount Plus TV Rights Thread
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They were considering going to amateur status last year to stem the losses.
Which, you know, Fox Sports should’ve and could’ve done. No idea why FoxSports wouldn’t pushed for a FoxFootball channel. But guess ever since they loss EPL rights, they couldn’t care less.
It’s actually not that bad in terms of cost and quality. Optus probably have had better coverage then Foxtel ever did. I’m sure Paramount will build their database much like Disney+.
if you add up Netflix, Stan,Disney+ abs Amazon it works to be more affordable then Foxtel alone. Foxtel has nothing to offer of excitement compared to the streaming services.
SM
Bigfooty Legend
Still, contributing to it in some way as they used to/still do with FA Cup.
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Why Ten is taking a $200m punt on the struggling A-League
Five years ago, 61,880 people packed into what was then known as ANZ Stadium for an A-League Sydney derby. Almost five weeks ago, there was a crowd of just 990 at Melbourne’s AAMI Park for a Western United game.
Sure, it’s not an apples-for-apples comparison, and there has been a pandemic. But it’s as good an example as there is of where the A-League used to be, and how far it’s fallen. (So, too, the fact that many casual observers probably have no clue what a Western United even is.)
On face value, then, the A-League and W-League’s new five-year broadcasting deal with Network Ten and Paramount+ may not make a whole load of sense. But only if you view it through the lens of a traditional TV contract.
This is not that. Ten’s owners, ViacomCBS, are not just handing over a whopping $200 million to the Australian Professional Leagues - the newly-independent, club-run body that runs both competitions. They’ve actually bought into the APL, purchasing a small stake in the whole operation.
It means the words of ViacomCBS’s chief content officer and vice president in Australia and New Zealand, Beverley McGarvey, don’t feel as hollow as they might have.
“Fundamentally, we believe in it,” McGarvey told the Herald when asked why her network is investing so much into a struggling league.
Foxtel tried to make it work for 16 years – and there was a fleeting moment where it felt like they did in the middle of last decade, before the code tore itself apart, as only it can, with a trademark civil war.
“Of course there have been challenges in the past but to a degree, that makes it an amazing opportunity,” McGarvey continued. “We believe the time is right for the partnership. We actually like to get in at a stage in something where together we can make it bigger and better.
“That’s our ambition. This is a perfect sport to do that with.”
Ten’s key performance indicators will include the usual fare – ratings figures for the weekly Saturday night men’s and Sunday afternoon women’s matches on free-to-air, and the number of subscribers that will be driven to the soon-to-be-launched Paramount+ service for the rest of the games. But it’s now really in their own financial interest that the sleeping giant of Australian sport wakes up and doesn’t hit snooze again.
It should all be music to the ears of long-suffering A-League and W-League fans. Having for so long complained about the lack of advertising for the game, they have been promised a marketing blitz on the eve of the new season, which is likely to begin in late October pending final agreements from Football Australia and Ten. Suddenly, endless soccer crossovers with ratings hits like MasterChef and The Bachelor, and regular spots for players on The Project, are in play.
“We’re not going to make this kind of investment and not tell everybody,” McGarvey said.
But there is immense risk on both sides of this partnership. The potential downside for Ten is obvious: $200 million is a lot of money to spend on something that isn’t a sure thing.
They are, however, convinced that their target demographics are perfectly aligned with football’s: young, diverse, digital natives. They believe that with the right investment and presentation, and a redux of the old Big Bash League formula, they can return the A-League to its former glory and take the W-League to the next level as the 2023 Women’s World Cup draws nearer.
“People still refer to what Network Ten did with the Big Bash as developing that game. We very much hope to leave the same influence on the A-League and hopefully be long-term partners with it also,” Jarrod Villani, ViacomCBS’s other local executive vice president, said. “We think it’s the right time for this game to really take a step forward and announce its prominence in the Australian landscape. We’d like to be part of that story.“
The big challenge for the APL is they must now convince fans to migrate to an entirely new, relatively unknown streaming service. That won’t be easy. Research from Gemba last year showed that 72 per cent of Australians had maxed out what they were willing to spend on sport and entertainment platforms, and one in five people were actively looking to reduce their montly outlay.
Is domestic football enough to make them pay another $8.99 per month, even if they get a whole bunch of other US film and television content to go with it? Perhaps not enough on its own, although McGarvey admitted Paramount+ was interested in “lots more elements” of football, and declined to elaborate any further. That could mean the Socceroos and Matildas rights, as well as the 2023 Women’s World Cup, or even the suite of European leagues which will hit the market in the coming months.
The A-League itself has a lot of work to do, which APL managing director and Sydney FC chief Danny Townsend – who brokered the deal with Ten – freely admits. That work can now commence, and it’s pretty exciting: abandoned concepts like big-name marquees are back on the table, as well as targeting lesser-known stars from countries like India and Vietnam to stimulate migrant populations. Further expansion of the A-League and W-League will happen within the term of this new broadcasting deal, although timelines and processes have not yet been defined. Re-engagement with active and non-active fans alike is also a priority. There’s a long list of those.
“We all believe in the sport, that’s why we work in it,” Townsend said. “Part of that challenge has always been to convince others to believe, and when you’ve got a partner that comes to you and says, ‘I want to put your sport as the number one sport on our network’, that gives you a huge amount of confidence.
“You can’t fix this with one lever. You’ve got to move all the levers in the same direction. When you get that right, magic happens. We’re at that stage – we’ve got to reimagine the game.”
It’s all in front of Townsend, the clubs, the APL, and Ten, who are not afraid of talking a big game. It’s now time to deliver.
acm21
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That would include all Asian tournaments, hopefully atleast the majority of games.
I guess that depends on your perspective
To be fair the game almost went bankrupt after Covid and the Folau debacle. But the game has pretty much vanished off the radar - the A League is at risk with a similar structure. You'd want done other top quality sport/football as part of that deal to get the eyeballs on it.
Will I pay $9 a month? I'll try it out.
I've loved watching the league this year, the quality has been good and the intrigue in the finals spots has been great.
Also, funny that people are more fascinated talking more about media rights deals then the game.
New TV deal locked in, but Ten and FA could be set to clash over season start
Channel Ten and Australian Professional Leagues could be set for a stoush with Football Australia, who control the calendar, over the start date for new A-League season.
Winter or Summer? FFA want to align the calendar, broadcasters want clear air...
acm21
Club Legend
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Summer is probably the best option for the comp. Would also coincide with the European game, with limited significant breaks from international duty.
New TV deal locked in, but Ten and FA could be set to clash over season start
Channel Ten and Australian Professional Leagues could be set for a stoush with Football Australia, who control the calendar, over the start date for new A-League season.www.smh.com.au
Winter or Summer? FFA want to align the calendar, broadcasters want clear air...
SM
Bigfooty Legend
Aligning with the European game is an underrated factor that actually boosts interest I think.
Winter you get better quality of football, but venue congestion.
Other than Hindmarsh, no other purpose built stadiums so ground sharing the season with NRL. & Super Rugby. Less regular fixtures and strange time slots.
Plus eyeballs and code choices (watching your AFL team over the A League).
You get a bit of that with the summer season, but it's mostly clear
Other than Hindmarsh, no other purpose built stadiums so ground sharing the season with NRL. & Super Rugby. Less regular fixtures and strange time slots.
Plus eyeballs and code choices (watching your AFL team over the A League).
You get a bit of that with the summer season, but it's mostly clear
acm21
Club Legend
- May 7, 2019
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You forgot to mention the phantom stadium in Western Victoria.
But yeah summer is unfortunately the only practical time to go the competition. Easier to compete with basketball and cricket then it is to compete with the other football codes (especially the nrl and afl)
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Not sure how much other sport Adam Peacock does for Fox but would like to see him come over.
Simon Hill
Adam Peacock
Rohan Connelley(?)
Craig Foster
David Davutovic
The guy whose name I forget who partners up with Archie - gone blank here, help me out.
Would be a great start for media/commentary I reckon.
I'm actually pretty excited about this. For the cost of a coffee a week (or less depending what happens with members) you'll be able to get some decent content and all the games. Foxtel couldn't care less about Football any more (as prevalent by Archie Thompson commentating).
Michael Zappone?
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Need a combination of fresh faces and ones who are trusted with their knowledge such as Simon Hill and Adam Peacok.
I reckon they will do something similar to what they did when 10 got the BBL.
they had a lot of fresh faces along with 5 presenters/callers already from 10, and only a handful from Fox
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Adam Peacock mentioned on the FOX podcast that he is contract to FOX for a couple more years.
He does the Tennis coverage on FOX too but don't know how much Tennis coverage FOX has left either I know they lost the rights to Wimbledon and the Australian Open not sure on the other two Grand Slams.
acm21
Club Legend
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I believe the other 2 are on stan, definitely the French. Not sure they would be willing to buy out the contract for peacock, depends on money and clauses of course.
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