Australian women's football will get "fresh TV exposure" under a broadcast deal being formulated to build on the Matildas' success at the Women's World Cup, according to Tom Smithies of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. One of the W-League fixtures will be played every Sunday during the women's season as a "precursor to the A-League game at the same ground, broadcast live on Fox Sports and possibly a free to air network." It is understood the ABC is "very interested in showing the games" and has held talks with Fox about "simulcast" coverage, eight months after the national broadcaster "culled its W-League coverage in the wake of selling off its outside-broadcast units." The chosen game would kick off "some two-and-a-half hours before the A-League fixture at the same ground." Fox Sports' full HD broadcasting facilities "would be used as they would already be in place, reducing the cost considerably." Though "no formal deal has yet been reached," the economics of the concept mean it is being viewed favorably by broadcasters "keen to engage the Matildas' growing profile" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 7/13).
