I was just re-reading the Micallef article.  He's speculating that the A-League clubs will get a greater say, and the first thing they'll do is cancel the Fox deal because they feel they can do a lot better.

Presumably, that means Optus or some other streaming service.

Could possibly get into bed further with Telstra? They'd just need to tweak their app to allow things like Chromecasting and they're pretty much set.

I'm hoping that Glory qualify for the ACL at the end of this coming season, go the ACL next season and then Sage will finally STFU with his Asia ambitions. 

That's the only reason he wants to play in Asia.  In 14 years, Glory have never made it there.  What better way to get there by changing the rules from the inside.

Does the contract allow cancellation?  The broadcast contract includes Socceroos and Matildas coverage so would the clubs be up for covering the FFA's loss of income from the deal?

You don't think that'd drive the A-League into a sort of 'niche' sport tucked away on an streaming platform?  

Again I'm showing my ignorance here but when Telstra and Optus stream these games do they have pre and post match programs?  Highlight shows, weekly shows etc etc like they do on Fox?

Would Telstra or Optus pay $60 mil a year?  What did the EPL cost for Optus?

It says here Optus paid approx $50 mil a year for the EPL. 

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/optus-sport-extends-premier-league-rights-opens-up-sports-platform-20180501-p4zclv.html

Why would they pay the equivalent (or more) for the A-League? Genuine question.

What would the clubs do if Fox was given the flick and they only got $30 mil a year? Or worse, less.  

Considering some of the owners are billionaires,it is not impossible that one or more of them will buy the media rights.Who wouldnt want in early to a national competition ready for a growth spurt?
FFA with their metrics have not been entrepreneurial.An independent league could do many things and reap in millions.
Naturally before that happens the owners want control of the league so they get the biggest return and FFA only get a set dividend.
The possibility of no salary cap and no salary floor,transfer fees,promotion,relegation,,new football owned stadiums,full ownership of Intellectual property and sponsorship revenue,no recalcitrant governing body ,no cowering to hostile media,,etc gives reason to be optimistic.

Meanwhile back at the ranch the new improved FFA ,collects its National league dividend and does what is is supposed to do with a democratic congress and meaningful debate from different stakeholders ,rather than a bunch of sycophants rubber stamping the Lowy mantra of metrics,while everything stagnates.

Goodtimes ahead,all dependent on some redneck federations holding the reform process to ransom.
Worst case scenario.We are suspended ,football goes back into cyclic hybernation and the house of cards falls over.In five years time we start again from the bottom,doomed to perpetual failure and mediocrity.

Instead of asking what the evil club owners could do to football,the question should be what will happen if Lowy gets his way.

Actually to expand on this why would Optus buy the A-League at all if they're then going to go into competition with themselves. (I realise the times don't clash but even so.)

Also Telstra has a 35% stake in Fox. If Fox drop them or get given the arse why would Telstra pick them up?

On another matter Who pays for the games to be covered if Fox leaves? IE the physical cameras and all the other stuff that gets taken to each ground. Do Optus have those facilities or is that subcontracted out? Presumably they're just buying the feed from the EPL so ther's no capital cost there but what about in Australia?

If I were Fox I'd seriously look at calling the A-Leagues bluff at the next set of negotiations. I was surprised they bid as high as they did given there wasn't even another hat in the ring at all.

Also my understanding is the current deal includes the national sides. (Is that right?) If the Matildas, the Socceroos and all the other national teams are calved off into separate portions then wouldn't that devalue the A-League even more?

Perhaps, but it'd probably be combined with a weekly game on FTA - streaming is really no different to pay TV, both are behind a paywall. The difference is, that the Telstra deal would automatically be open to existing Telstra customers (like it is now), which in 2014 totalled 16 million people. That's a helluva lot more potential viewers than Foxtel, who had 2.8 million subscribers in 2015. I would imagine if Telstra became the dominant partner for the A-League they'd also do the whole match shows and highlights, just like Optus currently does on their platform.

For what it's worth, Optus having the EPL rights swayed me to buy my NBN from them, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who would see value in the telcos having sports rights. As 5G becomes the norm, it'll only get easier for telcos to distribute high quality streams to the masses.

I think that's very wishful thinking.

If I were a billionaire I'd buy an EPL club rather than broadcast rights to a fledgling league.

I'm not pro FFA or pro independence I'm just trying to find out where this big magical pot of money is going to come from.

Fox would only get dropped if there is a better deal on the table elsewhere. Really doubt an independent HAL would drop them without something else more lucrative lined up. However at the end of the Fox contract, Fox could use metrics to argue the league is worth less than previous as viewer ratings are really poor. 

Once unlimited data becomes the norm (and it's coming) I can see the arse falling out of Telstra business model which has relied on plans limiting data and calls and the concurrent fees that go with excess usage.

 I wonder how much free money Telstra is going to have to splurge then. You only have to look at their share price (halved in 18 months) to see they've got massive dramas with their earnings model.

And Foxtel doesn't? lol

Well yeah that's true but at the end of the day where is the 'new' money going to come from?

Two words: time zone

This is like back to the future.  

2004 - We need to dissolve the competition because we can't trust that naughty Soccer Australia to run football so you need to give all of it to the Shopping Centre Man.
2018 - We can't trust those nasty A League clubs because what do they know about having any input into running a football league so you need to continue to allow the Shopping Centre & Son monopoly to continue because we know what's best.  

The Lowy's need to depart Australian football,  preferably forever.  

Yeah, it's a really good idea to take control away from one corporate despot and hand it to a number of corporate franchise despots. Because everyone knows that corporations like CFG only care about the health and well-being of Australian football. 

We're fucked no matter what happens. 

Ok ...Mr Negative ...your suggestions for the best possible league ?..........

Fox deal isn't just going to be 'dropped'. They are the main financial backing of the league and have been since day 1. A new administration may try and reneg the current deal and perhaps bring on a different broadcaster, but it's stupid to think they will completely cut up the Fox Sports contract.

Derider,
If all the participants in a competition want to run that competition,rather than be ruled by a self serving despot ,whats wrong with that?
Who ever wants to participate in anything where they have no say?
We live in a democracy.It's logical that in a democracy entities are run the same way.

HAL clubs won't be calling the shots on junior programs in NT ffs.

-PB

It's not logical. Sport isn't politics. Stop thinking in such reductively black and white terms. The only reason they want to run it themselves is to take more money. It is openly just a cash grab. The unashamed selfishness and greed of some of these clubs is breathtaking. They don't want any of the league revenue going anywhere but in their coffers, even when it's clearly intended for the good of the game at large (ie. the national teams, grass roots etc.). It blows my mind that people are so excited about pouring money into a Qatari company called CFG at the expense of our national teams. You people are so twisted by your hatred of Lowy that you completely ignore the immense dangers of the clubs getting their way. The whole thing is just hopeless. We're literally stuck between two different modes of corporate dictatorship. 

Do you not like Arabs or something mate?

Are you joking or actually accusing me of racism because I don't trust the Qatari government to act in the best interests of Australian football? 

Tell me more about how the Qatari government is single handedly going to be running all of football in Australia?

.....so you think business men owning football clubs and wanting some input into how they make and generate their money is greedy ? It blows my mind that people would expect businesses to spend millions to buy a football club , then spend millions each year to run it, but have also no say in how they can run that club or how they can generate income or make a profit .
Your post is naive in the extreme.
As for "immense dangers of clubs clubs getting their way "....what way is that exactly ? maybe making a profit (unlikely) ?...also...you do realize they won't actually own the A-League ?
It would be run by an independent body much like the EPL in England... and they seem to go ok .
Your thoughts are breathtakingly ill informed ....it is people like you being duped by the Lowy misinformation machine who amaze me.
On a personal note ..I do not think it is the responsibility of the A-League to pay for ..or even subsidise the National team .
The FFA already receives income in its own right from player rego fees ,advertising, government grants ,media rights ,TV etc . Maybe it should make some cuts to its huge pay packets and bloated staff ?

I dislike your tone. It just makes me want to slap you, so don't talk to me again. Dickhead. 

Or how the Qatari government is going to take over a UAE company.
If Australian clubs are owned by foreigners so be it. If they have the money and desire to do so and local companies don't then they should be welcomed...
but we (Australia, our government, the FFA, whoever) make the rules and enforce them for the benefit of all of football here.
Not sure the FFA are that cluey though.

In my opinion.  For basic governance: The HAL will be run under FIFA (even with New management structure) conditions,one of those is the competition will be an Australian Football Federation(now know as FFA) regulated and controlled competition. The AFF  will take a fee from the HAL (% will stay the same if FFA win the vote) to be negotiated between the HAL clubs and AFF - This is how the $ flow to AFF.    AFF will administer all football (daily management of HAL and possible 2nd tier should be independent)  ITS a quiet Friday hanging out for Beer Oclock.   

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