Foxtel and Austar are to deliver every AFL game of every round live for the first time launching a dedicated FOX SPORTS AFL channel.
If you hate Aussie rules, tune out now. Every AFL game will be broadcast “live, nationally and commercial free” on the channel for footie fanatics.
Pay TV announced the “historic new agreement that will revolutionise sports broadcasting in Australia” today as AFL rights for the 2012-16 period have just been revealed.
Read Telstra Snares The Rights To All AFL Games story here
Telstra, which owns 50 per cent of Foxtel, emerged as the major winner in the AFL rights battle with the carrier snaring the rights to all games.
Channel Seven will also broadcast the games on free-to-air, and is thought to have paid $475 million for the privilege, although some of this will include advertising for the football league.
The pay TV footie channel will cover everything: all home and away games live, pre season competition and games will also be delivered to Telstra mobiles.
Additional matches will be available to Telstra T-Box customers and Microsoft Xbox LIVE customers who subscribe to Foxtel.
The games will be broadcast in High Definition and matches from the “archive vault” can also be accessed.
There will be 9 games per round this year due to the AFL’s recent expansion to Western Sydney and the Gold Coast.
There will also be magazine shows On The Couch, After the Bounce, AFL Winners, 360, Insider, Teams and Winners Presents – The Greatest.
“It’s an agreement for the 21st Century which takes all the truly amazing possibilities of digital technology to put the viewer firmly in control of their television viewing and to deliver to them live sports coverage like never before and over a device of their choice,” said Kim Williams CEO Foxtel.
“We look forward to working with our partners at Foxtel and Fox Sports to raise the bar even further,” Austar CEO John Porter said.
“The agreement will ensure the AFL has an even stronger funding base to continue to support the players, world class sporting venues and grass roots competitions,” the duo said in a statement.
