TV breakthrough for the northern states

[Mike]

More on footy coverage in the rugby states. All your letters phone calls and emails have had an effect. Keep it going and wear them down on free to air.

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From the Official Website of the Australian Football League

TV breakthrough
2:01:21 PM Thu 11 April, 2002
Paul Gough


AFL fans in the northern states will now be able to watch Friday night football virtually live after the league today convinced Channel Nine to allow the matches to be shown earlier on pay television.

Footy fans in New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT have been outraged by a lack of coverage of Friday nights over the first two rounds of the season – particularly as this season the best game of the round is designated to be played on Friday nights.

With Channel Nine refusing to show the games in the rugby strongholds until before 11pm, instead preferring to show rugby league in the 8.30pm timeslot, Foxtel has also been prevented by Nine from showing the matches before 11pm.

However starting with tomorrow night’s Carlton and Collingwood MCG blockbuster, fans in the northern states will now be able to watch Friday night games far earlier.

While Friday night games will still not be available on free-to-air television, the matches will now be shown at 8.30pm (the same as they are in Melbourne) on Austar in major southern New South Wales’ country towns such as Wagga Wagga, Deniliquin and Griffith and on the Gold Coast as well as on Foxtel in the ACT at no extra cost to subscribers.

And Foxtel will also now show Friday night matches at 9.30pm in Sydney and Brisbane meaning fans in those cities will be able to see the games nearly two hours earlier than the current schedule.
Under the AFL’s previous television deal – Friday night games were also shown after 11pm on Channel Seven in the northern states but were shown live on Seven’s pay-TV arm – C7.

The breakthrough comes as the AFL found itself under increasing pressure over its new television deal with Channels Nine, Ten and Foxtel – which is worth $100 million a year for the next five years.

Even Federal Communciations minister Richard Alston intervened in the dispute yesterday when he threatened to re-write broadcasting laws to ensure AFL fans weren’t deprived of prime-time games.

"Live (games) or near-live is OK, but (games) delayed by some hours to a point where you’re effectively precluding the vast volume of the population from watching is far from acceptable," he told The Age.

[This message has been edited by Mike (edited 11 April 2002).]

[WhyPhilWhy?]

That's one win for the good guys, but lets keep the pressure on.

People with Pay TV in certain areas may get better coverage, but our nothern brothers and sisters without it still miss out.

Also, the mid north coast of NSW isn't covered, and neither is Cairns where there is a thriving Aussie Rules competition.



Any year we beat Carlton is a good year

[GeorgeQ]

Thanks for that Mike, my excuse for not buying Foxtel has now gone. I was not going to pay for a football channel that did not show the Friday game live. Now all I have to do is find the money.

[molloymagic]

Is this also for football fans in Tassie?????? If I have to put up with boring old burke's backyard before the AFL is on the tv on friday night I will personally travel upto the AFL headquarters and strangle them(not quite but i'm sure u get the picture*s*).

btw, did anyone see Club Corner this week on Fox Footy? Molloy hosted it at the club night, was very entertaining but still to short.

Jarrod Molloy RULES!!!!
*2002 Joint V.C*

[NICK THE PIE MAN]

F*CKING BRILLIANT!!!!


PURE BLOODY GOLD!!!!!


YAHOOOOO!!!

KILL FOR COLLINGWOOD

[Bones]

Don't get too excited, you still need to have PAYTV....
But i guess it is a start...

[2 PIES IN CAIRNS]

WhyPhilWhy? .. Are you saying that those of us who live in Cairns and have subscribed to Fox Footy channel through Austar won't be seeing Friday night games at 9.30??

[Bones]

I bet me left tit that this gets no coverage on the Footy Show tonight...