AFL could take 組ame or two' for web Mark Robinson
From: Herald Sun
June 01, 2012 THE AFL could claim rights to broadcast "a game or two" on its own website within five years.
League chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the AFL could enter as a competitor, to telecast games, in the next media rights negotiations.
The current five-season deal, in its first year, is worth more than $1.25 billion.
The AFL could seek to stream games exclusively or simultaneously with other broadcasters.
Demetriou said the changing landscape in media, and the creation of AFL Media, had given the league a bargaining chip.
"What we've done to almost fence proof the next rights is we've started our own AFL media company," Demetriou said.
"By having our own investment in AFL Media we think it will create some competitive tension for our prospective bidders next time.
"We won't hesitate to put a game or two, if we have to, on our own platform."
Demetriou said it was not known what technologies or platforms would be available at the end of this deal.
"It is a changing landscape and I can tell you every five years we've done a media rights deal it's changed more significantly than we ever imagined," he said.
"What I can tell you is that 2016, whatever we think the rights will look like, they won't. There will be some new technology (introduced) that we haven't even thought of."
In an address to the Australian Stockbrokers Association, Demetriou also acknowledged big spending clubs had a better chance of playing finals than rivals.
It's been a long-held belief, but rarely acknowledged by the league, that richer clubs held a significant advantage.
"Like stockbroking, investing in the best talent wins," Demetriou said.
"If you're a football club spending anywhere between $16 million and $20 million on your football department, it's highly likely you're going to play in the finals.
"If you're a low-spending club on your football department, spending low on their talent, their players, their research, their analysts ... on coaches ... they are more likely to finish in the bottom half of the table."
Recent figures show the five clubs that spent most on their football departments last year played in the finals.
Of the four top-spending clubs, Geelong, Collingwood and West Coast came top four.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/afl-could-take-game-or-two-for-web/story-fnctrk3q-1226377823648
