In a deal beginning in 2012, live matches will be accessible to more parts of Australia on more platforms than ever before.
The agreement, announced on Thursday at AFL House, will deliver $1.253 billion to the League, up from the $780 million in the previous broadcast deal.
The Seven Network will broadcast four games of each nine-match round, as well as all finals, which will be shown live across the country.
It is unknown if Seven will choose to on-sell any of its four games to other broadcasters.
Every home-and-away match will be broadcast live on Fox Sports through Foxtel (and Austar where applicable), using both subscription television and IPTV (internet protocol television).
Foxtel will also broadcast all finals excluding the Toyota AFL Grand Final, and will re-establish a dedicated AFL channel.
In addition, Telstra will broadcast all matches including finals using the Telstra NextG service that can be viewed on mobile phones and iPads.
The Grand Final and Brownlow Medal will be telecast on the Seven Network, with Foxtel, IPTV and Telstra also to show football's biggest night.
Key points include:
- Showpiece matches on Friday and Saturday nights will now be shown live or near live across most regions of Australia
- Friday night football will be telecast live into Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania on free-to-air television, near live into South Australia, and on a reduced delay into Western Australia
- Matches shown on free-to-air television on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon will be broadcast live nationally, on either primary or multi-channels by state, while Saturday afternoon matches will be broadcast live in Queensland, NSW and the ACT on multi-channels and on delay in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania
It will eradicate the "blackspots" in South Australia, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia that previously meant some games could not be viewed.
Fans in NSW, the ACT and Queensland will benefit from four games of live football broadcast on free-to-air channel Seven Mate.
The introduction of IPTV will see games streamed using the Internet to devices such as the Telstra T-Box.
AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan told afl.com.au the broadcast arrangements with both free-to-air and pay networks would deliver vastly superior coverage than in previous seasons.
"This is a great outcome for all our stakeholders - our fans, clubs, and players," he said on Thursday.
"It means that footy remains affordable for all our fans and that we can invest in facilities, clubs and our players.
"The government's input has meant that we can provide the right balance between free-to-air and pay television."
AFLPA CEO Matt Finnis congratulated the AFL on a deal "which promises to secure the future of the game for the clubs, players and, most importantly, the fans.
"The work that the AFL has done in shepherding the game to the point where it can command this kind of commitment from broadcasters should not be understated."
Finnis said the Players' Association's goal, along with the League and clubs, was to ensure that AFL players enjoyed the best sporting careers in the country.
"We want to attract the best athletes in the nation for many years to come," he said.
"This deal provides a wonderful opportunity for the game, its clubs and players to achieve this goal."
The structure of the 2012 season is yet to be confirmed with an announcement due mid-year on how the 18-team fixture - and finals series - will operate.
The season will consist of at least 22 rounds of nine matches, with at least four weeks of finals.
A typical round will feature one match on Friday night, five on Saturday - including a new twilight time slot - and three on Sunday; some of which have slightly new start times to previous seasons.
Match 1: Friday night 7.50pm EST, 8.40pm EST when played in WA or SA
Match 2: Saturday afternoon, 1.45pm EST
Match 3: Saturday afternoon, 2.10pm EST
Match 4: Saturday twilight, 4.10pm - 5.40pm EST
Match 5: Saturday night, 7.10pm - 7.40pm EST
Match 6: Saturday night, 7.10pm - 7.40pm EST
Match 7: Sunday early, 1.10pm EST
Match 8: Sunday afternoon, 3.15pm EST
Match 9: Sunday twilight, 4.40pm EST
