Channel Seven Grabs Rights To E.J. Whitten Legends Game Away From Nine

Channel Seven "has swooped and secured the rights to the popular E.J. Whitten Legends game," ending a 20-year relationship between the popular charity match and the rival Nine network, according to Hawthorne & Pierik of THE AGE. The board of the E.J. Whitten Foundation met in Melbourne this week and decided to accept a "lucrative cash offer from Seven for the rights to the match," a decision that will "come as a blow" for Nine and its "embattled" The Footy Show. The Australian Football League reportedly "also intervened in negotiations to help assist Seven, which is the broadcast partner of the league." The AFL has now scheduled the match on Sept. 2 at Etihad Stadium. The AFL and Seven have agreed to underwrite a minimum A$300,000 ($215,100) to the foundation, and this could exceed A$500,000 ($358,600) if the night "is a success." In December, Channel Nine hatched a "secret plan" to save the popular E.J. Whitten Legends Game and rebrand it The Footy Show All-Stars match (THE AGE, 2/16).