ALM/W TV deal

[LFC]

MLS will forever be behind the core sports just as it’s happening here forever.
MLS though will keep having billionaires throwing in pocket money to keep it going.
Washing $ is a must when you have a portfolio that large.

 

[NoMates]

At least the MLS get a good TV deal unlike the ALM, Clubs got more money back when we were at Foxtel and the money has not increased in 7 years. Meanwhile the AFLW, NetBall, AFL NRL/W and Basketball has all seen TV revenue jump and the A-League has been stagnated.
Lets go back 15 years, each club got around $2.5m and only this year they get $3m give or take with a strict cap. TV revenue has not grown one bit.

 

[Football us life]

Paramount Plus have just snared the secondary UEFA Champions League tv rights for UK and Ireland for 2027 to 2031 away from TNT Sports....

Amazon Prime getting the first pick fixture of each round.

Sky Sports have won the Europa League and Conference League rights.

Seems P+ are still in football for the long run.

 

[HappyGuus]

NBL like their Sunday slots, and ALM were happy with their Saturday ones. But fair to say one is booming while the other isn't.

The NBL26 season has been full of surprises and excitement, following one of the biggest and best off-seasons in league history. That momentum has carried into the regular season, with the NBL announcing a 20% increase in viewership for regular-season games on ESPN’s primary platforms – reinforcing its position as Australia’s fastest-growing sport.

NBL Group CEO David Stevenson said, “These numbers are a testament to the growth and strength of our League and the growing number of people falling in love with elite basketball in Australia and New Zealand.”

A major factor in attracting new fans has been the league’s free-to-air presence, with two dedicated Sunday time slots at 2:30pm (AEDT) and 4:30pm (AEDT). The 2:30pm game is up 49 per cent in average audience, while the 4:30pm game is up 33 per cent.

The surge across both major broadcast partners reflects the league’s broader growth domestically and internationally.

“The consistency of our broadcast schedule from Wednesday through to Sunday, the success of new initiatives like the Ignite Cup, and the added intrigue brought about by marquee matchups, rivalries and world-class players are all contributing to this sustained momentum,” Stevenson said.

He continued, “This phenomenal growth underlines the value we continue to deliver our fans and partners, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support of ESPN, Network 10, all NBL clubs, our players and our commercial partners.

Together, we are elevating the NBL on every platform, and we remain focused on delivering a premium, consistent and enjoyable experience for fans. The signs are incredibly positive – we’re reaching more fans, they’re watching for longer, and the NBL continues to take giant strides forward in Australia and around the world.”

With half the season still to play and one of the biggest playoff runs in NBL history looming, one thing is clear: global eyes are locked on the NBL. The league continues to grow from strength to strength, and these latest numbers are yet another powerful testament to its rise.

‘Phenomenal’ rise in numbers; new twist threatens ex-NBA star’s comeback bid — NBL Daily

‘Phenomenal’ rise in numbers; new twist threatens ex-NBA star’s comeback bid — NBL Daily

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Football us life]

NBL like their Sunday slots, and ALM were happy with their Saturday ones. But fair to say one is booming while the other isn't.

‘Phenomenal’ rise in numbers; new twist threatens ex-NBA star’s comeback bid — NBL Daily

‘Phenomenal’ rise in numbers; new twist threatens ex-NBA star’s comeback bid — NBL Daily

www.foxsports.com.au

I think that basketball has really gotten under the skin of Gen Z and Gen Alpha as well. It's a super fast sport with non stop scoring.. And kinda lends itself well to short video clips and highlight reels, which are preferred by a generation with shorter attention spans whenit comes to sitting down and watching a particular sport.

There's also the strong cultural aspect. Basketball has a strong presence in fashion, music, and social media, making it more of a lifestyle rather than just a sport.

There's a shop called Culture Kings where all the cool kids, the hip hoppers and teeny boppers buy their gear.....

Culture Kings caters to basketball culture by selling a wide range of NBA apparel and merchandise, hosting basketball-related events and challenges, and partnering with local communities to promote the sport.

 

[LFC]

Being on FTA helps NBL in the sense people channel surfing might stop and watch as a added %..
I don't notice any interested amongst the good circle of friends on my millenial/and 2 Genz kids.
They may know of X or X but none talk about it.
I think its good positive article pumping it up from a low base in the first place.
I had to buy some stuff from CKings for one of my GenZ's more so shoes, they wouldn;'t even bother about the store now.
You see people wear that over sized garb, in time they'll grow out it but for the eshays or whatever how its spelt haha

 

[Sutherlandbear]

I think that basketball has really gotten under the skin of Gen Z and Gen Alpha as well. It's a super fast sport with non stop scoring.. And kinda lends itself well to short video clips and highlight reels, which are preferred by a generation with shorter attention spans whenit comes to sitting down and watching a particular sport.

There's also the strong cultural aspect. Basketball has a strong presence in fashion, music, and social media, making it more of a lifestyle rather than just a sport.

There's a shop called Culture Kings where all the cool kids, the hip hoppers and teeny boppers buy their gear.....

Culture Kings caters to basketball culture by selling a wide range of NBA apparel and merchandise, hosting basketball-related events and challenges, and partnering with local communities to promote the sport.

Basketball is a snoozefeast at any level.

 

[Football us life]

Basketball is a snoozefeast at any level.

Yep. I wouldn't watch it if you paid me.....absolutely fucking terrible!

 

[NoMates]

If you were Ch10 who would you dump? The ALM that has only rated twice this season on FTA or NBL that has smashed ratings since its inception on FTA?. I know which one will get the better TV deal next year that's for sure.

 

[LFC]

If you were Ch10 who would you dump? The ALM that has only rated twice this season on FTA or NBL that has smashed ratings since its inception on FTA?. I know which one will get the better TV deal next year that's for sure.

Yes and NBL would accept half the dough APL would ask - win win eh.
In time peppa the pig would keep on top and they have the same issue - pork chopped

 

[HappyGuus]

DAZN wanting to cut back:

The owner of Foxtel, the AFL’s major broadcast partner, believes it is paying too much for the rights following its decision to pull the plug on a second domestic soccer deal in Europe over financial concerns.

Two senior media industry sources, who requested anonymity to discuss contractual matters, said Foxtel’s British owner, sports streaming giant DAZN, felt it was over-paying for a domestic product with limited scope for subscription growth, and could seek to claw back money from the agreement.
An advertisement for Kayo Sports promoting its exclusive AFL coverage on Fox Footy on Saturdays.

DAZN, which bought Foxtel for an enterprise value of $3.4 billion last December, inherited the AFL rights for which Seven and Foxtel paid a combined $4.5 billion over seven years, to 2031. Previous reports put Foxtel’s contribution at about $418 million a year, or almost $3 billion in total.

Five senior sports industry sources said it was widely accepted that Foxtel had been pushed to its upper limits after a massive offer from Paramount that would have yielded $6 billion over 10 years.

AFL lawyer and media executive Jeff Browne, also the ex-Collingwood president, has been briefed on DAZN’s position, according to two other media sources.

But Browne said he had not been approached to represent DAZN’s interests in potential talks with the league.
Former Collingwood president Jeff Browne.

Browne was recently a contender to succeed Richard Goyder as chair of the AFL Commission, but withdrew his candidacy. The commission last month endorsed former Geelong president Craig Drummond to step into the role when Goyder leaves in March.

DAZN this week terminated an €83 million-a-season ($148 million) deal with the Belgian Pro-League, less than 12 months after its agreement with the French Ligue 1 collapsed.

DAZN had been unable to find distribution channels for its Belgian coverage.

“No company should be forced to operate at a loss,” DAZN Belgium managing director Massimo D’Amario said in a statement. “That’s simply not a sustainable business.”

The streaming company had previously tried to renegotiate the French contract, which was worth €400 million a year for six years, after disappointing subscription numbers and issues with piracy.

A Foxtel Group spokesperson did not address specific questions from this masthead on whether the company would try to renegotiate the AFL deal, and referred questions about DAZN to the UK company.

“The AFL has been a valued broadcast partner of Foxtel Group for more than 25 years. The 2025 season marked the beginning of a new era in our partnership and delivered our highest-ever season viewership,” the spokesperson said.

“There have been no discussions on changes to our contract with the AFL, and we look forward to delivering live, 4K coverage of every game, of every round for many years to come.”

The 2025 season was the first in the new AFL media deal.

The NRL’s $1.7 billion agreement with Foxtel and Nine, owner of this masthead, expires in 2027.

DAZN is backed by British-Ukrainian billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik.

Last month Blavatnik injected $891 million into DAZN, after the company posted a substantial financial loss. His company, Access Industries, has invested more than $11 billion into DAZN in the past decade.

Under the new AFL deal, Foxtel and Kayo have exclusive rights to Saturday football in Victoria and use their own commentators for all matches rather than taking the Seven call for games that are on both networks. However, there was a backlash among fans who objected to Saturdays going behind a paywall.
Carlton and Essendon were banished from free-to-air TV in round 24.

There was also frustration about fixturing, particularly after the AFL handed Carlton and Essendon prime-time matches on Thursday and Friday nights despite both teams falling from finals contention.

Seven’s football ratings dwindled towards the end of the home-and-away season – the free-to-air broadcaster elected not to show the round 24 Carlton-Essendon Thursday night dead rubber – but received a significant boost at the start of the finals.
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The AFL last month announced the introduction of a wildcard weekend, which would see two more games added to the fixture; seventh on the ladder would play 10th, and eighth would play ninth.

During the announcement, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the decision to add the wildcard weekend was for the fans.

“Our fans love finals games, so we think it provides opportunities and hope for our fans,” Dillon said.

“Our fans love finals and they love games of consequence.

“We know those games are the best-attended and most-watched on television.”
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Adding two more high-profile games will help Seven, which can sell advertising around them, but the extra content does not necessarily translate into more subscriptions for Foxtel.

Two sources who were part of negotiations for the AFL deal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the discussions, said Foxtel executives had been under pressure to ink the agreement before taking Foxtel to market for sale, which had meant the league had additional leverage.

 

[HappyGuus]

"The ALM is committed to expansion for its next TV deal, with the current one with Network 10 and Paramount+ expiring at the end of this season.
It's hoped a Canberra team would take the ALM to a 14-team competition, leading to an extra game for prospective broadcasters to televise."

Canberra A-League Men's investor finalised months ago

But it's believed talks have stalled amid concerns of cold feet.

www.canberratimes.com.au

 

[mikes27091]

being such a big NBL Fan myself right now the NBL is on fire with everything they do turns to gold right now and right now crowds are up 8% from last year , the other advantage is that they dont have to worry about the impacts of weather either which helps and indoor stadiums are well known for atmosphere , over here in Perth the glory suffer big time when the wildcats and glory go head to head with crowds on the same time and day

 

[Football us life]

DAZN wanting to cut back:

It doesn't take someone to have a PhD in media economic studies to work out that sports rights are way overvalued. Especially football broadcasting rights, perhaps outside the big 3 or 4 European competitions.

And in Australia it wouldn't surprise me if DAZN look to either offload or end the non sports part of Foxtel soon and move the financially viable sporting content onto their DAZN app. They will then peobably look ask customers to subscribe to each individual sport separately.

For financially viable sporting content in Australia that means AFL, RL, Cricket, F1 , SuperCars and maybe the novelty sport of darts.

Whether or not DAZN are happy with sharing the major interest 'football' codes and cricket with FTA is something that will be answered when the various broadcasting rights come up for renegotiation.

 

[patjennings]

It doesn't take someone to have a PhD in media economic studies to work out that sports rights are way overvalued. Especially football broadcasting rights, perhaps outside the big 3 or 4 European competitions.

And in Australia it wouldn't surprise me if DAZN look to either offload or end the non sports part of Foxtel soon and move the financially viable sporting content onto their DAZN app. They will then peobably look ask customers to subscribe to each individual sport separately.

For financially viable sporting content in Australia that means AFL, RL, Cricket, F1 , SuperCars and maybe the novelty sport of darts.

Whether or not DAZN are happy with sharing the major interest 'football' codes and cricket with FTA is something that will be answered when the various broadcasting rights come up for renegotiation.

The question is how many people who currently only watch on FTA are going to start streaming. There is a huge older demographic that get their AFL, NRL and Cricket on FTA. Will they start streaming or just go the the local games. Conversely football is heavily based on streaming. Some exposure on free to air but any football supporter already streams.

 

[HappyGuus]

The question is how many people who currently only watch on FTA are going to start streaming. There is a huge older demographic that get their AFL, NRL and Cricket on FTA. Will they start streaming or just go the the local games. Conversely football is heavily based on streaming. Some exposure on free to air but any football supporter already streams.

I use my TV as a second monitor, mostly for streaming. Haven't had it plugged into the antenna for ages. The aerial seems to be the more restrictive viewing experience these days, for me anyway.

 

[Football us life]

The question is how many people who currently only watch on FTA are going to start streaming. There is a huge older demographic that get their AFL, NRL and Cricket on FTA. Will they start streaming or just go the the local games. Conversely football is heavily based on streaming. Some exposure on free to air but any football supporter already streams.

Yes. Id be pretty surprised if there's many dedicated football fans out there in Australia who like to watch games on TV just surviving on Ch10's A League and whatever SBS can cobble together...

Most would have at least 1 or 2 streaming services.

Whereas if you're a multiple sports fan who follows 'all the codes' you could possibly have a fairly packed sporting schedule of events on FTA.

This would certainly be something that might not fully work with DAZN's model where, like most subscription sporting broadcasters they like to have exclusivity in their particular market.

 

[NoMates]

SEVEN’S CRICKET: WBBL – THE FINAL Seven 1,286,000
SEVEN’S HORSE RACING 2025 Seven 736,000
PEPPA PIG ABC KIDS PM 63,000
FOOTBALL: ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE 10 54,000

 

[NoMates]

Finally good to have a game rate for once that’s the 3rd time this season we have had any ratings so far, looks like we have a big gap to close behind women’s big bash league WAFL and WNRL.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

Finally good to have a game rate for once that’s the 3rd time this season we have had any ratings so far, looks like we have a big gap to close behind women’s big bash league WAFL and WNRL.

Do you have the figures from all the secondary channels?