THE AFL would be prepared to move the start time of a Saturday afternoon match to allow it to be shown live on free-to-air television.
A little-known clause in the media rights contract gives Foxtel the right to 'sub-licence' one of its games each week – 22 in total – to a free-to-air network.
In what would be a win for fans watching from their lounge rooms without subscription television, the League confirmed this week it would be prepared to move the starting time of that game to accommodate a live free-to-air telecast.
"The Saturday afternoon game in question (game three on fixture) can be played in any period between 1.45pm and 3.10pm Eastern time, so it can move anywhere in that timeslot for a free-to-air provider to show live," an AFL spokesperson confirmed.
At this stage, Foxtel maintains its standard line, saying it "has no plans to sub-licence any of its AFL matches next season," but as has been evident in recent months, the sports media industry can move extremely fast.
Since the new $2.508 billion media rights deal came into play at the start of this season, there hasn't been a Saturday afternoon game on free-to-air in Victoria.
In 2017, game three on the fixture included some major all-Victorian blockbusters like Collingwood-Carlton in round seven, Geelong-Richmond in round 21 and Collingwood-Geelong in round 22.
The most likely option had always been seen as Network Ten, with commercial links already in place.
Fox Footy experts like Dermott Brereton have even begun appearing in Ten's five o'clock Melbourne news to preview Friday night football coverage.
While the Murdoch family-owned News Corporation now appears unlikely to assume full control of Ten, the potential arrival of American broadcasting giant CBS as the network's owner could keep them in the race for a slice of AFL.
CBS has a rich history of sports broadcasting including the National Football League and US Masters Golf.
Channel Nine could also emerge as a surprise player, with Eddie McGuire now seamlessly appearing on sports programming across both networks.
McGuire's arrangement with Foxtel bosses has seen an enormous amount of integration with The Footy Show, including promotions of Fox Footy telecasts and giveaways of Foxtel subscriptions.
A live 3.10pm AFL broadcast would provide Nine with a bumper lead-in to its Saturday night 6pm news bulletin.
Nine also has no other commitments in that timeslot – such as NRL in other states – which could allow for the game to be televised nationally.
McGuire would be the obvious choice to front a simulcast of Fox Footy coverage on Nine, potentially allowing for mega promotion of Foxtel's broader offering.
Even if Foxtel decides against on-selling next season, the prospect remains an option for the duration of the current rights deal, which doesn't end until 2022.
