AFL wants live TV coverage (Herald-Sun)

[one-eyed]

AFL wants live TV coverage

    * AAP
    * From: Herald Sun
    * March 19, 2010 6:24PM

THE AFL wants television networks to show matches live under the next broadcast rights deal for the 2012 season and beyond.

The next five-year agreement is expected to be worth more than $1 billion and AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the league would seek a commitment to screen games live.

Currently, the four games per week shown on free-to-air television are usually delayed telecasts.

"Regardless of what people have thought in the past and regardless of what my personal view is one way or the other, the world is demanding to see their sport live," Demetriou said today.

"The consumer, the viewer out there, wants to watch their sport live and you can't stop the tide coming in."

Demetriou said the current delayed telecasts were partly due to a past AFL belief that live screenings caused reduced attendances, but that had since been shown to be false.

"We've always believed in a delay on Saturday afternoon, for example, for 30 minutes or 40 minutes," he said.

"On the Friday night that was the choice of the Seven Network to delay.

"We're finding, there's no doubt now, that certainly when you go live it doesn't affect the gate, which is one of those misnomers that have been perpetuated over a long period of time.

"We're going to kid ourselves if we think the consumer and the viewer at a point in time (will) tolerate not getting their sport live."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-wants-live-tv-coverage/story-e6frf9jf-1225842978449

[WilliamPowell]

Andy D, Andy D.... stop treating us like fools....

You forget to mention that when CH 9 had the rights they REFUSED to show Firday night games live as well... 

Further; I read an article this week where you state that the money IS NOT the driving force behind the awarding of the AFL TV rights.

This is crap because at the last lot of negotiations you and your team first accepted the Nine/Foxtel bid that was higher in $$$ but inferior to Seven/Tens FTA coverage in developing markets - in particular Friday night coverage which Seven/Ten guaranteed a 10.30pm start in Sydney & Bris. Nine/Foxtel promised live PayTV coverage but delayed FTA coverage after the NRL (around 11.30pm).

Seven/Ten then matched the Nine/Foxtel bid which is all they had to do and we are left with what we've got now... not what we could have had....

Trust me when the AFL award the next lot of rights it will be to the highest bidder not the group offering the best overall coverage to ALL supporters

[Penelope]

Sad, but true.

[mightytiges]

Trust me when the AFL award the next lot of rights it will be to the highest bidder not the group offering the best overall coverage to ALL supporters

Andy D when the next tv rights deal is being negotiated  .....