The Australian Football League "struck a deal with a suite of commercial radio stations to extend its broadcast rights agreements" to the end of the '22 season, according to Peter Trute of the HERALD SUN. Triple M, owned by Southern Cross Media, "will continue to call matches in capital cities and regional areas." Melbourne’s 3AW, Sydney’s 2UE, Magic 882 in Brisbane and 6PR in Perth -- all owned by Macquarie Media -- "are on board for another six years too." Melbourne station SEN, owned by listed tiddler Pacific Star Network, "has also renewed, along with Adelaide’s FIVEaa and Sydney’s 2SM, which are owned by private companies." No value "was disclosed for the latest deal," but the broadcasters are speculated to have collectively agreed to fork out about A$10M ($7.4M) a year for the rights -- up from A$5M ($3.7M) under the current deal (HERALD SUN, 9/14). In Melbourne, Caroline Wilson wrote Crocmedia, which has become the umbrella rights-holder, "will now oversee various programming and match-day calling agreements with all AFL broadcasters across Australia, producing five games on its own each round into all capital cities." Crocmedia "will also produce extended football and program coverage for AFL.com.au." In a contentious negotiation with SEN, Crocmedia "will provide broadcasts for that station's two weekend twilight games, along with providing game coverage for 5AA in Adelaide and 6PR in Perth and extending the AFL coverage into Sydney and Brisbane through the Macquarie and Southern Cross networks" (THE AGE, 9/14). Increased penetration into regional and developing markets is a highlight of the AFL's new six-year radio rights agreement.
The AFL borrowed from the same recipe book as with last year's TV rights deal by essentially sticking with the same broadcasters, but for significantly more money. AFL.com.au and the AFL Live app will continue to stream every game from all broadcasters while rights holders will now be able to stream match broadcasts from their own websites (AFL).
