The AFL has reached an agreement with the Seven Network, Foxtel and Telstra to broadcast AFL matches for the next five years, covering the period 2012-2016.
The agreement will deliver $1.253 billion to the game, as a combination of cash ($1.118 billion) and contra support.
CLICK HERE for details of the AFL’s new broadcast rights agreement on afl.com.au.
Collingwoodfc.com.au: What’s your reaction to the AFL’s announcement of the new broadcast rights agreement announced this week?
Gary Pert: Firstly I think it’s a great financial outcome for the entire industry. Apart from the financial benefits, we also have an outstanding deal for supporters of all clubs of AFL football. One of the biggest frustrations our supporters have experienced in the past was the lack of access to live football and also the lack of coverage in the developing football markets, and that has clearly been addressed in the new rights agreement. All facets of the game, from the grassroots level through to the AFL, will be positively impacted by this deal.
How important was it for the AFL to cater for supporters demanding live footy and living outside Victoria?
In consideration of Collingwood supporters specifically, I have no doubt supporters want to be at the game and part of the match day experience, but the reality is that we have 1-1.5 million supporters around the country and most of them can’t attend games. We’ll continue to make the match day experience at the ground as enjoyable and comfortable for our supporters as possible, but for those who can’t get there, for them to be able to watch games live is one of the great outcomes of this deal, particularly those in regional areas and developing markets. It’s something we’ve been pushing for some time. We have the opportunity to work with the broadcasters to engage with our supporters through match coverage like never before.
A lot of Collingwood supporters want to know how this deal impacts our club. Do you have enough information about the specifics of the deal to provide an answer?
Our supporters have every right to know how the money will be spent and how the club will benefit financially. As a club we haven’t been formally advised by the AFL on how the funds will be spent and allocated, that will play out over the course of this season. There’s no doubt that the clubs are the heart and soul of the AFL competition, so everyone wants to see the clubs in a strong financial position. Clubs need to be able to invest in their football programs, so that the players are going out every single week, not compromised by a lack of spending or support. That should be a key part of that allocation. Without the supporters of all clubs watching television broadcasts in such big numbers, we wouldn’t have these media rights deals, so the supporters and members are critical to this. We need to keep on investing in them, and maintaining strong links between the supporters and their clubs.
What are your thoughts on the players receiving an increased percentage of game revenue?
The players will be demanding that they are appropriately recognised for the role they play, and I think that’s reasonable. They are the ones putting themselves on the line every week, and putting on the show for the supporters. The career length of the average AFL player is not that long, and they don’t have much time to capitalise on their talents, so without going into specifics of how much players should be getting, it’s fair and reasonable for the players to be sharing in the increased income.
Telstra has once again won the rights for the online component of the broadcast deal, and increased revenue substantially in this area. What are your thoughts on the new online rights and how it impacts clubs?
It’s great to see that Telstra has continued to invest in the game and the clubs. As part of this deal, I’d like to see the standards, execution and usability of our club website improve substantially for the supporters. There’s no doubt we have the technology now to ensure a great online experience for the fans, but I believe there has been a lack of commitment from Telstra to ensure the experience is optimised, and hopefully, as part of this deal, the AFL and Telstra will work more closely with the clubs to ensure that standard of the online experience is extremely high. There’s no point just committing the money, they must commit the resources and the strategy to the project so the supporters are experiencing a higher quality product and greater connectivity with the clubs. We are proud of what we have been able to achieve online, and we will continue to invest heavily in all our online platforms and do what we can as a club to provide the best possible online experience for our supporters.
What’s the club’s relationship like with the television broadcast partners?
We’re delighted that Channel Seven, Foxtel and Austar will be the major players from a television broadcast point of view. We have built great working relationships with the broadcasters over the course of the current broadcast rights deal. They actively engage with the club and work with us on our initiatives in terms of membership and communicating with our members. We look forward to continuing this through the course of the next rights agreement.
