https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/a-league-looking-for-new-broadcast-partner-with-fox-sports-set-to-walk-20200330-p54fbc.html

A-League looking for new broadcast partner with Fox Sports set to walk

Football Federation Australia has begun scoping out options for a new broadcast partner for the A-League, believing Fox Sports is looking to end its 15-year partnership with Australian football.

Despite having three years left to run on its contract, senior club and FFA sources anticipate Fox Sports will seek to end its $57 million per-year deal with the A-League, which has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FFA chief executive James Johnson would not comment on negotiations with Fox Sports but confirmed the organisation has already started to discuss back-up plans in the event the pay-TV network pulls out of football.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to question all aspects of how we do business. From the way we work, to the programs and services we deliver. Change, innovation, potential and possibility are commodities we have to deal in now," Johnson said.

Foxtel declined to comment on its partnership with the A-League when contacted by the Herald on Monday, however clubs have been warned by FFA not to expect to receive the last quarterly payment for this year's broadcast rights. That final payment is due next month and worth around $900,000 for each club. Club sources suggest Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar are set to follow Perth Glory in temporarily standing down their squad while the season is suspended due to lost revenue.

The A-League will not resume until April 22 at the earliest. An extended delay to the season could provide Fox Sports with the opportunity to walk away, according to sources with knowledge of the contract. With the A-League unable to provide matches due to the pandemic, the deal could potentially be deemed a "frustrated contract".

Whether that can be used as a reason to exit the broadcast contract would likely result in a legal dispute but the FFA and A-League clubs have already started to workshop contingency plans, to ensure the competition can still be seen by fans. The plans include the possibility of the A-League being broadcast by live streaming services, free-to-air partners and digital broadcasters.

The ABC televises one A-League match each weekend and will be approached as a potential back-up television partner. A previous deal with Network Ten could be revived after the free-to-air station was close to securing two live A-League games a weekend this year before talks with Fox Sports stalled.

Optus Sport has increased its football coverage since purchasing the rights of the English Premier League in 2016 including a significant push into the Australian domestic market. The telecommunications company has produced several Australian football documentaries and shows in recent months. It has never previously sought the A-League rights but could be tempted to add the competition to its growing list should it become available at a cut price.

As revealed by the Herald last month, online streaming service 'DAZN' is set to enter the Australian sports broadcast landscape and could emerge as a potential bidder for the A-League rights, should they become available this year. The over-the-top streaming platform has already obtained the broadcast rights for other football league's around the world, including the Italian Serie A.

And a big fucking issue about to occur. 

How is the league going to handle a 20 million dollar pay cut in tv rights per year when it's about to expand to 12 teams

It's inevitiable. News Corporation wouldn't be too upset about losing the A League & if you're cutting costs across the board then it's a good place to start.

Dead money in many ways & the FFA doesn't have a banking sugar daddy to prop them up.  

Optus has proved that streaming is 100% viable & profitable so whether they or whoever may be interested it would be good to open up dialogue with assorted companies & see how they would handle it.  

Either way whoever may be get this in the future they'd be insane not to poach Simon Hill from Foxtel, get him on talking both A League & EPL, he'd love it.  

It's inevitiable. News Corporation wouldn't be too upset about losing the A League & if you're cutting costs across the board then it's a good place to start.

Dead money in many ways & the FFA doesn't have a banking sugar daddy to prop them up.  

Optus has proved that streaming is 100% viable & profitable so whether they or whoever may be interested it would be good to open up dialogue with assorted companies & see how they would handle it.  

Either way whoever may be get this in the future they'd be insane not to poach Simon Hill from Foxtel, get him on talking both A League & EPL, he'd love it.  

Streaming is easy to make profitable when you're not producing the content. Issue still remains with who will pay for production. If Optus are willing to produce it like Fox were, then great. Otherwise the iHAL may be in the position in which they will need to fund production directly themselves. Difficult option given the current situation.

Streaming is easy to make profitable when you're not producing the content. Issue still remains with who will pay for production. If Optus are willing to produce it like Fox were, then great. Otherwise the iHAL may be in the position in which they will need to fund production directly themselves. Difficult option given the current situation.

Streaming is easy to make profitable when you're not producing the content. Issue still remains with who will pay for production. If Optus are willing to produce it like Fox were, then great. Otherwise the iHAL may be in the position in which they will need to fund production directly themselves. Difficult option given the current situation.

Production is easy. People keep offering this up as a problem but any half decent creative arts student with an iPAD can produce content. 

I get that you are exaggerating a bit there, and you are right that production is easy, however live event broadcasts are a different kettle of fish altogether. Setting that aside, the issue is not how difficult it is to produce the content. The issue is who is going to pay for it, because it is definitely not cheap.

Yup, I was being a little flippant on the production thing but there’s two elements to it. 

pretty shitty thing for foxtel to drop on the league. using the virus as an excuse to get out of the contract. fuck them.

A-League on Optus Sport seems like a fait accompli now. 


Fox definitely has form in this kind of thing. 
If the A-League is set back 3-5 years as others have said, it's still 'better' than the 20+ years they set back the NRL. 

It's more that it would be an expense that the HAL hasn't had to pay for directly in the past. Obviously they would have been paying for it indirectly to a certain extent, but when the league needs to pay these costs directly it has the potential to be a problem. Especially with the current situation. 

If Optus do take the iHal they will want a good product - it would be a false economy to force a poor product - support it properly and it will grow better than on Fox

Phillip Micallef reporting that

I've just learned from a reliable source that @FOXFOOTBALL is legally bound to pay its latest rights instalment unless it goes into liquidation. If the @ALeague does not return by May that's another thing

That's interesting.

Phillip Micallef reporting that

I've just learned from a reliable source that @FOXFOOTBALL is legally bound to pay its latest rights instalment unless it goes into liquidation. If the @ALeague does not return by May that's another thing

If you were pretty sure you weren't going to be even broadcasting a league past a certain date would you bother with the final instalment.   ;)

It's more that it would be an expense that the HAL hasn't had to pay for directly in the past. Obviously they would have been paying for it indirectly to a certain extent, but when the league needs to pay these costs directly it has the potential to be a problem. Especially with the current situation.