From the 2025 season, AFL fans in Victoria and Tasmania will no longer see Saturday matches on free-to-air television, as a new broadcast deal pushes the games exclusively to pay-TV. The arrangement, part of a $4.5bn seven-year agreement between the AFL, Channel Seven and Foxtel, has sparked backlash and raised questions about the effectiveness of Australia's anti-siphoning laws.
Under the deal, Seven will not air any AFL matches on Saturdays in those states, even on delay. Instead, viewers must subscribe to Foxtel, Kayo or Binge to watch. While Seven has pledged more footy content overall, including daily shows and VFL matches on Saturday nights, the move effectively places a key part of the season behind a paywall.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland defended the anti-siphoning scheme, which is designed to ensure iconic sporting events remain accessible. 'The scheme promotes free access to televised coverage of iconic sporting events, including the AFL,' she said. However, she acknowledged that 'rights deals and scheduling decisions are ultimately a matter for the relevant sporting code and their media partners.'
The anti-siphoning list includes 'every match in the Australian Football League premiership', but broadcast consultant Jon Marquard of Janez Media explained that the law only requires free-to-air networks to be given a reasonable opportunity to acquire rights—not that they must broadcast them. 'It basically adds complexity,' he said, noting that free-to-air networks often strike complex commercial deals that allow them to forgo screening some matches in exchange for other benefits.
The deal has prompted concern from the government, with Rowland calling in 2022 for 'no diminution in the availability of AFL matches on free-to-air television'. Yet, as the new season approaches, fans in the game's heartland face the reality of paying to watch Saturday footy.
