$700 million TV offer from Seven-Ten bid

[Fishfinger]

I'm just hanging out for an Eddie McGuire-free broadcast.

There's been a lot worse in the past on 7. As long as they don't bring Graham Cornes, Neil Kerley and Doug Hawkins out of mothballs it should all be sweet. 

[bluey_21]

I'm just hanging out for an Eddie McGuire-free broadcast.

There's been a lot worse in the past on 7. As long as they don't bring Graham Cornes, Neil Kerley and Doug Hawkins out of mothballs it should all be sweet. 

I know what you mean

[WilliamPowell]

They were claiming on the news that the average player salary could rise from $180k now to $270k by 2011. Going on that someone like Lids could be earning $700k by then. Not bad money for just a 23 y.o.  .

Oh to be a teenager again @$270k p.a - sadly my the best of my playing days are long gone

$180k would do me

[Razorblade]

And he still doesn't have a girlfriend!

Obviously Cogs and Browny haven't taught him everything about being closet gays, their the biggest limp out yet they both do have girlfriends/expensive pieces of meat! 

[WilliamPowell]

TV partners set to make it pay

By Caroline Wilson
February 15, 2006


The stand-off has ended between the AFL's new broadcasting alliance Channels Seven and Ten and its pay TV carrier Foxtel, with the two parties opening negotiations to split football coverage from 2007 until 2011.

In a major shift from the current fixture, Foxtel now looks certain to hold exclusive rights to weekly Sunday twilight games to be introduced by the AFL next season.

While the two parties have not reached any meaningful agreement over money - Foxtel contributed $30 million of the initial cash component of $76 million in 2002, the opening year of the last broadcast deal - the ice was broken between the parties in Sydney last week, with formal negotiations to start next month.

Although Channel Seven remains embroiled in a billion-dollar legal action against Foxtel over the previous media rights deal, subtle indications have been communicated to Kerry Stokes' network that Foxtel will accept the 5-3 break-up of the weekly home-and-away games, while insisting on better-quality games.

Foxtel executives helped the AFL design the winning bid document put forward by Channel Nine and subsequently matched by Seven and Ten, but lost the opportunity to televise an extra weekly AFL game when Seven and Ten emerged victorious.

Although there has been speculation that Foxtel would refuse to do business with Channel Seven, the network has indicated its continuing interest in AFL, an interest which saw its subscriptions rise to close to 25 per cent of TV audiences following its foray into AFL.

The likely outcome of the negotiations will see Foxtel televise Friday night football live into Sydney and Brisbane, with Seven televising Friday nights in Victoria and across the southern states.

While Channel Ten and Foxtel are expected to share the four Saturday games as they have done previously, the pay TV network looks certain to push for exclusive rights to a handful of first-choice Saturday night games, along with its exclusive Sunday twilight game. The latter fixtures will be scheduled by the AFL later this year.

Channel Seven, which has made up a larger part of the $780 million cost of the new five-year broadcast rights, will televise the remaining two Sunday afternoon games.

The loser of the 2007 coin toss for the right to televise the Grand Final will be given the best of the two preliminary finals and also take first pick of games during the first two weeks of the 2007 finals series, along with the exclusive rights to the Brownlow Medal count and the pre-season grand final.

The AFL will open talks with Channel Seven bosses David Leckie and Ian Johnson, along with Channel Ten chief executive Grant Blackley, next week.

While the AFL has reportedly been surprised at being excluded from Seven's talks surrounding a pending sale of Telstra Dome, it is understood the AFL knocked back the chance to bid to buy the stadium late last year.

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/02/14/1139890736291.html

[one-eyed]

Threat to punt football channel
Mark Day
The Australian
May 25, 2006

PAY-TELEVISION giant Foxtel is considering scrapping its sports flagship Fox Footy Channel after the AFL grand final in September. But AFL games would still be seen on subscription TV, possibly on a new Fox Sports 3 channel.

The future of the FFC is uncertain because of the slow pace of negotiations between the new AFL rights holders - the Seven and Ten networks - and Foxtel. Despite reports to the contrary, no dollars have been discussed and no deals have been done. Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams told Media he wanted to continue with AFL, but "not at any price".

"We love AFL," Mr Williams said. "We want to look after our subscribers who also love it. But we are not willing to do anything which is not commercially and operationally in the best interests of the company."

Foxtel set up FFC in 2002 to provide a non-stop showcase for AFL. It pays about $35 million a year for the rights to show all games each week - three live - and the dedicated channel costs about $50 million a year to run.

AFL rights have been held by News Limited (publisher of The Australian) since the 2002 season. It has sold free-to-air rights to the Nine and Ten networks, and pay-TV rights to Foxtel.

Last year Nine's parent Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd bid $780million for the 2007-11 rights, but a first-and-last bidding clause allowed rival Seven, in partnership with Ten, to match the offer and win the rights.

Seven plans to program live AFL on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. Ten will have rights to Saturday matches. A new Sunday night game will probably be broadcast live on Foxtel if an agreement can be reached. The finals will alternate between Seven and Ten.

The Seven-Ten consortium has the right to sell as many as four games to pay TV - or another broadcaster - each round. While SBS and pay-TV minnow SelecTV have been nominated as potential partners, only Foxtel and the regional provider Austar present a viable option for Seven.

As one insider put it: "Seven needs Foxtel and Foxtel needs football." AFL is a subscription driver for Foxtel, particularly in the southern states, and it carries a strong loyalty factor.

Seven and Ten have to try to claw back as much as possible from pay TV to lower their AFL costs, a task proving difficult because of the tense relationships between the parties.

Seven boss Kerry Stokes is suing Foxtel, PBL and News, among others, claiming they conspired to put his sports pay-TV arm, C7, out of business through predatory behaviour. The case has run almost 100 days and is not expected to be over for many months more.

Insiders say negotiations between the parties are at their earliest stages. Media understands preliminary agendas and questions have been exchanged, but discussions on prices have not yet started.

Foxtel says it wants negotiations to be over by the end of July, or at least before the start of the finals in September, to allow planning time for next year's FFC programming if it is to continue.

If negotiations on price and terms are not accepted by then, Foxtel would close FFC rather than keep presenters and staff on the books through the summer.

Other sources suggest that might happen anyway. Media was told: "It makes more sense for Foxtel to do away with the FFC and put football games on a new Fox Sports 3 channel. The saving on FFC staff and infrastructure would allow Foxtel to pay more for the games, a win-win outcome for Seven and Foxtel."

But this move would be likely to spark new tensions between Foxtel's owners, PBL, News (each with 25 per cent) and Telstra (50per cent.) It would channel the dollars through Fox Sports, jointly owned by News and PBL, rather than Foxtel.

Evidence in the C7 case has shown that relationships between News and Telstra were particularly tense in 2001 when Telstra suspected News and PBL of over-pricing Fox Sports products to underwrite their losses on Foxtel.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said FFC was a huge plus for football. "A 24/7 dedicated channel is a fantastic vehicle for us," he said. "If Seven and Ten can come to an arrangement [with Foxtel] on broadcast rights, we'd be delighted. If that arrangement includes FFC, we'd be even more delighted."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19245536-36035,00.html

[one-eyed]

Foxtel may grab bigger slice of pie
Caroline Wilson
The Age
June 2, 2006

THE prospect of half of next season's home-and-away games being sold to pay television gained momentum yesterday when it emerged that Foxtel had put forward a written bid to the Seven and Ten networks worth up to $60 million in return for four games each weekend from 2007.

Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams this week wrote to the bosses from Seven and Ten offering the two networks the same agreement Foxtel had reached with Channel Nine late last year — an agreement which Seven and Ten later matched.

The Foxtel offer to Seven and Ten also included a drastically reduced financial deal should it only be offered three games.

Williams is understood to have instructed Seven and Ten that his network required a resolution to negotiations by the end of July.

While Channel Seven's line yesterday remained in favour of a five-three split, with Foxtel receiving a better mix of games than in the current deal, speculation increased of a four-four split. Williams is scheduled to hold talks with Seven executives in Sydney early today.

Until now Foxtel, which is being sued by Channel Seven, has negotiated only with Network Ten on behalf of both free-to-air channels.

Today's meeting between Seven and Foxtel was to be the first between the parties over the AFL rights since Seven and Ten agreed to pay the AFL $780 million for the right to televise football until 2011.

Meanwhile, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou also flew to Sydney yesterday where he held individual meetings with Foxtel's Williams and Channel Ten sports chief David White before dining last night with Channel Nine chief executive and Collingwood president Eddie McGuire. Demetriou was also scheduled to have breakfast today with Seven chief executive David Leckie. Although the AFL boss continued to back away from the prospect of a night grand final, key players in the AFL's new media partnership of Channels Seven and Ten privately predicted the switch from tradition was inevitable.

Seven and Ten chiefs have not ruled out the prospect of a night play-off next season, while conceding they would have to convince the AFL the move was in the best interests of the game. Not only have the clubs softened their traditional stand, individual AFL commissioners are less determined to stick with a day play-off than in the past.

Five years ago the AFL also stated that the two preliminary finals would not be played 24 hours apart in fairness to both grand final teams, a pledge it later broke after striking a deal with Channel Ten.

The original agreement reached between Channel Nine and Foxtel was to have seen Nine televise Friday night football into Melbourne along with two games on Saturday (one on Saturday night) and a Sunday afternoon game to be televised no later than 3pm. Foxtel was to have retained its two Saturday games, along with a 1pm Sunday game followed by a twilight game starting at about 5pm.

The Seven and Ten plan allowed Foxtel three games — two on Saturday and one Sunday twilight game — which under the original plans would be one of the top two or three games of the round.

Such is the bad blood between Seven and Foxtel that the possibility of all eight weekly games remaining on free-to-air next year was not ruled out yesterday.

While speculation remained that Foxtel could shut down Fox Footy and televise AFL on its Fox Sports Three channel, alongside other Australian sports, the prospect of four AFL home-and-away games each round would certainly see the AFL channel remain broadcasting.

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/06/01/1148956482774.html

[one-eyed]

ESPN keen to present pay-TV bid
Jordan Chong
The Age
August 2, 2006

GIANT global sports network ESPN remains an active player in the drawn-out tussle for AFL pay-TV broadcast rights, a senior executive has confirmed.

Bernard Stewart, vice-president and general manager of ESPN Asia Pacific and responsible for its Australian operations, said he would love to televise AFL if the price was right.

Channel Seven and Ten snared all rights to telecast the sport from 2007 to 2011 in January this year for $780 million. However, the pay-TV component remains unresolved, leaving incumbent Foxtel (and its Fox Footy Channel) with an uncertain future. Like other parties, ESPN must wait and see what Channels Seven and Ten have to offer.

"This has been going on for some time and it's really about the league and the primary-rights holders making their own decisions as how they see it moving forward in this area," Stewart said.

"When we find out clearly what opportunities exist then we make decisions about whether or not to become an active negotiator in the process. We're listening as everyone else is."

Adding to the uncertainty, Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams told a conference in June he was "not at all confident" about negotiations over AFL pay-TV rights between his company and the two TV networks.

Stewart said ESPN would be keen to bid if it managed to develop the right business model. "For us to be interested in AFL, our financial model would be drastically different than what I'm sure anyone at Fox Sports and anyone else's is looking," he explained.

"We each have our own ways of looking at who we are and how we represent ourselves to consumers."

Media analyst Steve Allen from Fusion Strategy believed AFL could help increase ESPN's Australian presence. "If ESPN was ever going to want to become more local and relevant, here is an opportunity," Allen said.

Potentially adding further to its locally produced Australian content could be the an Australian edition of the network's flagship news program Sportscenter, which has already taken place throughout Asia and South America.

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/08/01/1154198139883.html

[one-eyed]

AFL games all likely to be televised free
Caroline Wilson
The Age
September 28, 2006

AFL fans could be in for an unprecedented feast of free television coverage from next year, with Channels Seven and Ten now almost certain to show every game, according to league chief Andrew Demetriou.

Just days before Foxtel is scheduled to shut down its Fox Footy channel this weekend, the pay TV provider has shown no signs of making a new offer for a three or four-game package.

"We are preparing the fixture (for next year) on the basis all eight games will be shown on free-to-air television," said Demetriou. "I fully believe that will be the outcome. I've believed that for weeks now and I don't see any indication that an agreement will go ahead with Foxtel. We have no issue with that."

The prospect of Seven and Ten sharing the entire $700 million cash component of the new five-year deal had been regarded as unworkable in terms of scheduling, given that the two networks would be forced to televise Saturday night games against each other.

"It's not ideal," conceded Ten sports chief David White, a key negotiator for the 2007-11 rights. "But if that's the reality, we are prepared for it and we believe it will grow the football audience as a result.

"It's highly likely now that we won't be doing a deal with Foxtel. I think the football public will be delighted they won't be paying up to $100 a month to watch their footy on TV."

The stalemate over next year's break-up of games is understood to have placed some pressure on the AFL as it prepares its 2007 draw, although Demetriou said the fixture would be completed on schedule in mid-October whether or not a final deal had been done.

The AFL chief is also believed to have conveyed to Seven and Ten yesterday that he would be delighted if they televised all games.

Of the query over how Channel Seven would cope with televising live games into the tough NSW and Queensland markets each Friday night against rugby league, Demetriou said he believed the network had several options.

While Seven has still not ruled out onpassing those games to SBS or selling them to a pay channel such as Sky or ESPN, the station has also spoken to community station Channel 31, which has indicated enthusiasm at the prospect of televising Friday night AFL games into Sydney and Brisbane.

Seven's regional affiliate Prime would televise those games into the smaller northern markets.

There also is uncertainty in the Seven camp over its new line-up of football broadcasters. While Bruce McAvaney seems certain to call and perhaps host Friday night football, few other calling positions have been confirmed.

Foxtel has not spoken to the new consortium officially since it marginally revised its annual $17 million offer for three of the eight weekly games to $21 million.

That was rejected by Seven and Ten, which would demand more than double that figure.

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/09/27/1159337221792.html

[one-eyed]

Channel 9 might be back in the picture
Damian Barrett
Herald-Sun
October 05, 2006 12:00am

TEN months -- to the day -- have passed since Channels 7 and 10 secured the 2007-11 AFL TV contract.

Arguably, they have less idea now than they did then about how matches will be broadcast next year.

Their AFL involvement is messy, becoming messier with every day of delay, and certain football people are edgy.

Depending on who one speaks with, the matching by Seven and Ten of the $780 million Channel 9-Foxtel bid will be proven a masterstroke or a disaster.

There are suggestions by TV executives that Seven and Ten, if they choose to broadcast all eight weekly matches, will share losses up to $45 million a year.

There is a thought held by some key AFL club officials that the uncertainty has caused a delay in the release of the 2007 fixture.

Then there is the doozy. As nigh-impossible as it sounds, talk has spread in the past week -- particularly from the mouths of some corporates at the Grand Final on Saturday -- that Nine may yet play a role in the broadcasting of football next year.

"I don't think that is going to happen," AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said yesterday.

"I think that is a million-to-one chance."

Nine boss Eddie McGuire said: "We haven't spoken with them (Seven and Ten). I don't know where they are at."

Demetriou, who has long denied the Seven-Ten issue is delaying the release of the 2007 fixture, said yesterday he was not pressuring the networks for a quick resolution.

But it is known that he and others at AFL House and in football are desperate to know how their games are to be broadcast next year.

If forced to cover all eight matches, Seven and Ten have three major problems.

One: meeting the AFL requirement of broadcasting matches live, or near live, into the northern states, particularly on Friday nights against Nine, which will be televising a rugby league double-header.

Two: the watering down of advertising dollars when they go head-to-head against each other in certain timeslots, mainly Saturday nights.

Three: production costs, which some in the industry estimate to be up to $1.5 million a game.

Channel 9 executives have become quite excited about the problems fronting Seven and Ten with AFL.

As Australia's biggest media buyer Harold Mitchell said yesterday: "They (Seven and Ten) say they are prepared to (broadcast all eight games), though they have been very careful.

"And I suspect they would rather that doesn't happen because while AFL is strong in the southern states, it is unlikely they would bring the really big numbers they would want on each channel.

"Overall, the AFL figures would look very good. But that might make Nine stronger as a result, being the alternative."

Foxtel has offered Seven-Ten about $21 million for three games a week from next year, and about $45 million for four matches.

The pay-TV operator has claimed those figures were the same as per its involvement with the Nine bid. Seven and Ten are convinced they are significantly less and have rejected them.

"I wouldn't be writing it as a disaster, that they (Seven and Ten) would be losing $40 million (a year), because that isn't the case," Mitchell said.

"There are a number of alternatives, including solving this.

"It is as, if not more, important to Foxtel as it is to Seven and Ten.

"The top 40 programs on Foxtel, 39 of them are sports programs.

"That's how they sell subscriptions."

The most likely outcome for AFL TV in 2007 remains a Seven-Ten-Foxtel mix.

Perhaps Nine, a 25 per cent shareholder in Foxtel, will be there, too, having brought Foxtel to the Seven-Ten negotiating table.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20526691-11088,00.html

[WilliamPowell]

Channel 9 might be back in the picture
Damian Barrett
Herald-Sun
October 05, 2006 12:00am

Then there is the doozy. As nigh-impossible as it sounds, talk has spread in the past week -- particularly from the mouths of some corporates at the Grand Final on Saturday -- that Nine may yet play a role in the broadcasting of football next year.

I know Damian Barrett is a Channel 9 stooge with his obvious bias - but pluuuuuzeeeeeeeeee. Channel 9 working with Ch 7 - yeah right

"I don't think that is going to happen," AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said yesterday.

"I think that is a million-to-one chance."

Most intelligent thing Andy D's said all season 

[WilliamPowell]

Foxtel back in AFL mix
18 October 2006   Herald-Sun

Mike Sheahan and Damian Barrett

FOXTEL has reactivated its bid to telecast four AFL games a week from next year.

The pay-TV channel is in discussion with the Ten network, which is also representing its broadcast partner for the next five years, the Seven network.

It is believed the parties have set a 48-hour deadline for a resolution of the long-running issue.

If the Foxtel bid is successful, it will show games Friday nights into New South Wales and Queensland, Saturday afternoon and night nationally, and the early and twilight game nationally on Sundays.

The latest development in the bitter TV rights battle has prompted the AFL to delay the release of its 2007 fixture.

The fixture was due for release tomorrow, but the AFL's chief operating officer Ben Buckley admitted last night it has been "held back".

Foxtel will need to pay in the order of $55 million for four games a week, roughly the amount it committed to in its joint bid with the Nine network.

Seven and Ten, holding the right to bid last, won the 2007-11 rights when they matched the Nine-Foxtel offer of $780 million.

The latest known offer from Foxtel to Seven and Ten is $21 million for three games a week, and an unknown amount for four games.

Buckley was tight-lipped last night. "One of the reasons we held the fixture back was to deal with some of the issues brought up by Seven and Ten in relation to games and game times," he said.

Loosely speaking, Buckley was saying the AFL and the free-to-air networks still weren't sure whether Foxtel would be a participant.

Seven spokesman Ian Johnson said last night: "At the moment, we just have to work on the basis that we will be doing four (games) each."

Asked about Foxtel's reported fresh interest, he said: "I can't answer that."

The AFL broadcast landscape has been clouded by the on-going legal battle in which Seven is suing several media organisations, including Foxtel, over the demise of its pay-TV arm, C7.

Any AFL matches on Foxtel next year would be broadcast on Fox Sports 3. Regardless of the outcome of the latest negotiations, the Fox Footy channel will not be revived.

The fate of the channel's popular supporting programs is uncertain.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20601850%255E20322,00.html

[one-eyed]

Announced on 3aw today that the TV rights deal is done.

Fox Sports 3 to show 4 'live and exclusive' matches per round plus replays of the 4 Seven/Ten broadcast matches. Official announcement is on Monday.

A weekly schedule was posted on BF:

Victoria

Friday night - 7 @ 8:30pm delay/live interstate
Saturday afternoon - Fox Sports 3 @ 2:00pm live
Saturday afternoon - 10 @ 3:30pm delay
Saturday night - 10 @7/7:30pm live/delay
Saturday night - Fox Sports 3 @ 7/7:30pm live
Sunday afternoon - 7 @ 1:00pm live   (time may change as Seven don't need to fit in NRL game at 4.00pm like Nine did)
Sunday afternoon - Fox Sports 3 @ 2:00pm live
Sunday twilight - Fox Sports 3 @ 5:00pm live

Non AFL states

Friday night - Fox Sports 3 @ 7:30pm live / 7 @ 10:30pm delay (the earliest)
Saturday afternoon - 10 @ 2:00pm live
Saturday afternoon - Fox Sports 3 @ 2:00pm live
Saturday night - 10 @ night live/delay
Saturday night - Fox Sports 3 @ 7:30pm live
Sunday afternoon - 7 @ 1:00pm live
Sunday afternoon - Fox Sports 3 @ 2:00pm live
Sunday twilight - Fox Sports 3 @ 5:00pm live


According to a BF poster, WLF is dead for good, FFC building is getting sold and Fox won't have a capable live broadcast facility. On The Couch (or a derivative there of a weekly wrap program) will be the only program that will return on FS3 (and maybe a preview/pre-match program).

The deal is $156 Million a year. However, the cash component is around $139 Million. The cash break up is most likely now:

Foxtel 55 Million
Seven 45 Million
Ten 39 Million

Foxtel will also take up a few million of the contra component, offering free advertising on the Foxtel channels.

Foxtel will pay the most for 4 games plus replays, Seven will pay more than 10 because they get Friday nights.

Now it's likely that Foxtel has been promised the likely best games on Sunday and to alternate between best Saturday afternoon/Saturday night game with Ten. The AFL will now be working working to ensure that the balance between Friday to Sunday is likely to make it all work for the broadcasters.

[WilliamPowell]

Announced on 3aw today that the TV rights deal is done.

Fox Sports 3 to show 4 'live and exclusive' matches per round plus replays of the 4 Seven/Ten broadcast matches. Official announcement is on Monday.
.

 

Waiting waiting 

What a surprise

[WilliamPowell]

This is interesting, funny but you'd think unlikely
=================================

ABC in talks for new AFL rights
Mark Day
October 26, 2006

THE ABC has emerged as a possible circuit-breaker in the tense negotiations over AFL television rights for the next five years. A spokesman for the national broadcaster confirmed that talks had been held with the networks Seven and Ten consortium, which holds the AFL rights until 2011, and "the door is not shut" on the possibility of the ABC's digital channel, ABC2, broadcasting live games.

The spokesman said: "There have been ongoing discussions about various possible scenarios. Nothing substantive has emerged at this stage, but we don't shut the door to the possibility."

News of the ABC's willingness to break the logjam over AFL rights will put pressure on payTV provider Foxtel. It is understood the negotiations, which have been active for six months, are at a critical stage.

A deal could be announced in the next few days, with sources suggesting that if an agreement isn't reached soon, the talks are doomed. The parties are believed to be wrestling over a $25million gap between the asking price and the offer.

Foxtel has shared in AFL broadcasts for the past five years, carrying three live games a week and showing the remainder after partner channels Nine and Ten have carried them live. It has paid $34million a year for these rights and when the cost of coverage and its dedicated Fox Footy Channel - now closed - is added, its annual commitment to AFL will be about $50million.

Last year Ten switched its allegiance to Seven in bidding for the new five-year rights and in January the Seven-Ten consortium agreed to a $780million deal that obligated them to carry all games live on free-to-air TV unless they invoked a clause that allowed them to on-sell up to four games a week to pay TV.

The only viable outlet was Foxtel. In early negotiations, Foxtel offered about $45million for four games a week, including the new twilight game scheduled for Sunday evenings.

This offer was rejected. Foxtel's offer for three games was $21million, which the Seven-Ten consortium also rejected. It is understood the AFL told Foxtel it was unimpressed by a 40 per cent reduction in its offer when overall rights had increased by 40 per cent. (ed: now that is funny)

A stalemate followed, with Seven sources suggesting the consortium was comfortable with the concept of broadcasting all eight games a week live and nationally. But the release of the AFL 2007 fixtures yesterday makes it clear that Seven and Ten would be broadcasting games in opposition on most Saturdays and Sundays.

It is also clear that Seven or Ten would have scheduling difficulties with the twilight game, which would run across crucial Sunday night news services.

The obligation to broadcast all games live nationally would also mean one of the networks would be crunched in the ratings in Sydney and Brisbane, where rugby league has a considerably bigger following.

But the terms of the AFL contract may be met by the ABC stepping into these markets to carry the games live on ABC2.
Whether this solution would be approved by the AFL is unclear, given that ABC2 can be viewed only via a digital set-top box or Foxtel.

Last week negotiations picked up again, with Foxtel resubmitting its offer of $45million for four games. The consortium demanded $70 million. Significantly, the negotiations were led by representatives of Ten, not Seven, and involved Fox Sports head David Malone and international sports rights expert Ian Frykberg.

Seven is reportedly planning to start selling sponsorships to the 2007 season next week.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20644633-2722,00.html