What do you guys think of a night grand final now? Has anyone changed their view?
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Night grand final on cards as networks push
Caroline Wilson
The Age
June 1, 2006
The seemingly irresistible push for a night Grand Final is gaining momentum, with TV networks holding greater sway after their exorbitant payment for AFL broadcast rights.
THE first AFL night grand final seems destined to take place next year if the league's new broadcast partners have their way.
Having committed $780 million to cover football between next season and 2011, the Seven and Ten networks are set to renew their push for a historic change to the last Saturday in September, with an MCG grand final starting about 6.30pm.
And in another surprising development yesterday, the Seven Network conceded it could reach a deal that would allow the AFL's pay TV carrier, Foxtel, to televise four home-and-away games each week from next season.
Channel Seven executives held a summit in Sydney yesterday where the prospect of the free-to-air network hosting just two of the eight fixtured AFL games was not ruled out, should Foxtel be prepared to meet the network's selling price.
Channel Seven chief executive David Leckie has long been an advocate of the move, having pioneered National Rugby League Sunday night grand finals during his tenure at the Nine Network.
While Seven and Ten have not reached official agreement as to which network will host the first grand final of the five-year agreement — the mooted coin toss remains uncertain — both networks will mount campaigns for the change.
Yesterday's Seven talks, which included executives from Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide, reached no final decisions regarding Seven's programming but ended with broadcaster Bruce McAvaney favoured to return to his seat as the network's No. 1 Friday night football caller.
Seven's Melbourne boss, Ian Johnson, has emerged as the network's head of AFL programming.
Although AFL chief Andrew Demetriou has said in the past that the AFL would continue to support the traditional afternoon time slot, half the 16 AFL clubs last year demonstrated cautious support for the change when the prospect was raised by Collingwood president Eddie McGuire in front of the AFL Commission.
Had Channel Nine won the AFL rights that network was also believed to be planning a night grand final. Nothing in the new AFL broadcast agreement prevents the change and while the league's current finals broadcaster, Channel Ten, has accepted the AFL's view in the past, the network appears to be shifting in its view as well.
Spokesmen for the Seven and Ten networks were not available yesterday.
Ten executives told Richmond and Essendon before the recent Dreamtime Game that it viewed that match and its impressive pre-game entertainment as something of a night grand final dress rehearsal.
Under the record agreement the AFL struck with Channel Nine last December — a deal matched two weeks later by Channels Seven and Ten — Foxtel was to have hosted four of the eight home-and-away games each week over the 22-week season.
Seven and Ten had always maintained they preferred a five-three split — with Ten hosting two games each Saturday and Seven broadcasting Friday night football and two Sunday games. But that scenario was envisaged before the five-year rights package was sold for $780 million.
Since then Seven has bought the rights to the V8 Supercars, a competition that currently clashes with AFL matches on six Sundays during the home-and-away season.
Foxtel is almost certain to televise Sunday twilight games from 4.30 or 5pm. Those matches could directly follow a 1pm game, also on Foxtel, while Seven would host a 2pm game. Under the new AFL agreement that 2pm match could be delayed until 3pm should Seven have a scheduling clash with motor sport.
Regardless of whether Foxtel gets three or four games next year, its package will consist of better-quality matches.
When McGuire thrust the night grand final debate back onto the agenda last year, he told The Age: "I think it's something that's probably inevitable."
McGuire pointed to the impressive success of the Australian Open men's tennis final, which was Australia's highest-rating show in 2005, with 4.05 million viewers, when it switched to Sunday.
The move by the NRL to play its grand final on a Sunday night drew 2.6 million nationally, including significant ratings numbers in Melbourne. The AFL attracted 3.39 million viewers last year.
Channel Ten sports chief David White said last year that he had raised the prospect of a night grand final with Demetriou, who had always rejected it.
Demetriou has always cited tradition and the fact that it might "mitigate against children and older fans".
"I think a grand final at night would rate higher," White said.
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/05/31/1148956418591.html
