AFL

Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, GO! 5.00pm
Premiere. The gang goes on a trip to check on Velma’s younger sister, Madelyn. She’s been studying stage magic at the Whirlen Merlin Magic Academy, where apparently there have been sightings of a giant griffin. The gang decides to investigate.

Hubble’s Amazing Rescue, SBS ONE, 5.30pm
The best-known scientific instrument in history was dying. After nearly 20 years in space, the Hubble Space Telescope’s gyroscopes and sensors were failing, its batteries running down, and some of its instruments were already dead.

AFL: Freemantle Vs Geelong, Seven 6.30 VIC. 7mate 6.30 NSW 
Saturday Night Footy heads to Patersons Stadium as Ross Lyon debuts as Dockers coach while the reigning premier Geelong opens their premiership defence. (QLD & SA get Gold Coast Vs Adelaide. QLD 7mate from 3.30pm, SA Seven from 4pm)

NRL – another triple header on Fox Sports 2/2HD from 5.30pm AEDT
Penrith Panthers Vs Cronulla Sharks, Parramatta Eels Vs Manly Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters Vs New Zealand Warriors

Martin Scorsese: Emotions Through Music, SBS TWO 8.30pm
Legendary film director Martin Scorsese looks back over his filmic oeuvre and reveals the reasons for his eclectic choice of music in each film, ranging from opera and classical music to blues, soul, rock and popular Italian music. He looks further back into the history of American cinema and at his own upbringing in Little Italy, illustrating how music has been an essential narrative drive in his own and Hollywood’s rich stories.

Annnnd – don’t forget that daylight saving ends at 3am Saturday night / Sunday morning in NSW, VIC, ACT, SA and TAS. At 3am, make it become 2am – and either stay up for another hour or enjoy an extra hour of sleep in the morning (unless you have kids – who will get up when the sun rises, not knowing what time it is!)

Fri 30 Mar,7.30pm AEDT, LIVE on FOX FOOTY 

A huge four days of Round 1 AFL action features on FOX FOOTY from March 29 when the 2012 Toyota AFL Premiership season hits full steam.  A blockbuster battle between Hawthorn and Collingwood highlights the match-ups when the two AFL heavyweights open their campaigns at the MCG on March 30.  

A huge weekend of AFL kicks off Thursday night LIVE and FREE on Seven with the Richmond v Carlton MCG blockbuster – two of the biggest AFL clubs in what has become a traditional opening match in Melbourne in recent years.

The massive AFL matches continue right through the weekend on Seven with a rematch of last year’s epic Hawthorn v Collingwood Preliminary Final on Friday Night Football, with Nathan Buckley debuting as senior coach.

And then Saturday Night Footy heads out west to Patersons Stadium as Ross Lyon debuts as Dockers coach while the reigning premier Geelong open their premiership defence.

Thursday March 29

RICHMOND v CARLTON (MCG)

Commentators: Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Leigh Matthews, Tom Harley, Tim Watson, Matthew Richardson. In a half-time feature Leigh Matthews interviews Chris Judd about his passion for footy, fatherhood and taggers.

Melbourne         7.30pm LIVE on Channel 7

Adelaide              7pm LIVE on Channel 7

Adelaide              7pm LIVE on Channel 7

Perth                     7pm on Channel 7

Sydney                 7.30pm LIVE on 7mate

Brisbane              6.30pm LIVE on 7mate

Friday March 30

HAWTHORN v COLLINGWOOD (MCG)

Commentators: Mick Malthouse joins Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Leigh Matthews, Tom Harley and Tim Watson. At half time Tim Watson goes head-to-head with Lance Franklin in a feature on Buddy’s preferred position and where his improvement will come from this year.
 
Melbourne         7.30pm LIVE on Channel 7

Adelaide              7pm LIVE on Channel 7

Perth                     7pm on Channel 7

Sydney                 7.30pm LIVE on 7mate

Brisbane              6.30pm LIVE on 7mate

Saturday March 31

FREMANTLE v GEELONG (PATERSONS STADIUM)

Commentators: Brian Taylor, Luke Darcy, Matthew Richardson, Cameron Ling and injury analysis from Dr Peter Larkins. Pre-match Ross Lyon joins the panel, we go riding trackwork with Dockers star Hayden Ballantyne, delve into Geelong defender Harry Taylor’s photographic memory and meet Fremantle’s No1 ticket holder and Victoria Cross winner Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith.
 
Melbourne         7.30pm LIVE on Channel 7

Perth                     4.30pm LIVE on Channel 7

Sydney                 7.30pm LIVE on 7mate

MELBOURNE v BRISBANE (MCG)

Prized Demons recruit Mitch Clark steps out for Melbourne for the first time and faces off against his old club Brisbane in the Demons’ first match since the death of Jim Stynes.

Brisbane              12.30pm LIVE on 7mate

GOLD COAST V ADELAIDE (Metricon Stadium)

New Crows coach Brenton Sanderson steps out for the first time as a senior coach. Plenty of eyes will be on the young Gold Coast Suns after an impressive debut season.
 
Adelaide              4pm LIVE on Channel 7

Brisbane              3.30pm LIVE on 7mate
 

Sunday April 1

WESTERN BULLDOGS v WEST COAST (Etihad Stadium)

West Coast had a superb year in 2011 finishing fourth, but a question mark remains over whether they can reach these lofty heights again. Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney makes his senior coaching debut.

Perth                     11am LIVE on Channel 7

PORT ADELAIDE v ST KILDA (AAMI STADIUM)

After a disastrous 2011, the Power will be looking to the young stars they retained in the off-season to inflict defeat on the Saints. St Kilda’s Scott Watters steps out for the first time as a senior coach.

Adelaide              4.30pm on Channel 7
 

AFL GAME DAY

AFL Game Day host Hamish McLachlan is joined on the panel by Leigh Matthews, Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell and Herald Sun’s Jon Anderson to tackle all the big footy issues. North Melbourne coach Brad Scott and Hawks superstar Sam Mitchell are the special guests.

Melbourne | Adelaide | Perth   10am on Channel 7
Sydney | Brisbane  10am on 7mate

FOOTY FLASHBACKS

1979/1981 Grand Finals, Carlton v Collingwood. Host Sandy Roberts goes down memory lane with Carlton’s Ken Sheldon and Collingwood’s Ray Shaw who were combatants in both Grand Finals.

Melbourne | Adelaide                   11.30am on Channel 7
Sydney | Brisbane                           11.30am on 7mate

Hundreds of people have started packing into Federation Square in Melbourne to pay their respect to AFL footy legend, Jim Stynes, who passed away from brain cancer.  

Jim Stynes’s widow will issue an emotional-charged plea for Australians to act on her husband’s enormous legacy at his funeral on Tuesday.

Fulfilling one of his last and most heartfelt requests, Sam Stynes will stand before a huge audience and lay down a challenge for anyone touched by his story to stand tall and make a difference in the lives of others.

The funeral service is expected to bring central Melbourne to a halt.

But in keeping with Stynes’s wishes, the funeral will serve as a call-to-arms rather than lament our loss.

His coffin is expected to be draped in an Australian flag and medals marking a lifetime of achievement, including his Brownlow, will be displayed.

Melbourne Football Club players will form a guard of honour as his coffin is carried out by pallbearers. He will then be cremated and his ashes scattered in Ireland.

Reach Foundation co-founder and friend Paul Currie, Stynes’s brother Brian, and footy mate Garry Lyon will also pay tribute.

Jim Stynes Factfile

Born: 23 April 1966 in Dublin, Ireland
Died: 20 March 2012 in Melbourne
Age: 45
Played: 264 games for Melbourne from 1987-98 after he was recruited from Ireland, where he grew up playing Gaelic football
Honours: Won 1991 Brownlow Medal, won four best and fairest awards and played a 244 games in succession – at one point a league record. Was inducted into the AFL hall of fame in 2003
Off-field: Founded youth charity the Reach Foundation. Was awarded an OAM (Order of Australia Medal) for his work with youth and contribution to Australian rules football in 2007
Life with the Demons: Appointed club president in June 2008. Stepped down due to ill-health in February 2012
Legacy: Jim Stynes Medal is awarded by the AFL to the best Australian player in the International Rules series

In Melbourne – coverage starts at 10.30am on 7, 9 and 10, with ABC News at 11am. Check local guides for exact details in each state.

Fox Footy are today playing some of Stynes classic matches while SKY NEWS will have live coverage of the funeral from 10.45am, 7mate will have coverage from 10.30am and ABC News 24 from 11am in Sydney.

For more on Jim’s Reach Foundation click here

Source Fox Footy

Sydney’s first local AFL derby on Saturday March 24 has proved a ratings success for its Sydney broadcast on 7mate with 82,000 tuning in Sydney, reaching a peak audience of 98,000.

Sydney Swans Vs Greater Western Sydney was easily the most watched show on any digital channel for Saturday night in Sydney. It’s Sydney figure of 82,000 even outdid the 66,000 in Sydney that watched the movie Cast Away that aired on Seven’s main channel that night – who says Seven should NOT have aired the AFL on the main channel?

In Brisbane, 33,000 watched the AFL, giving the 7mate broadcast a total average audience of 115,000 over the four hour broadcast.

In traditional AFL markets, where the game aired on Seven’s main channel, Sydney Swans Vs Greater Western Sydney was watched by a further 574,000 with 374,000 in Melbourne alone.

7mate’s 5 city channel share for the night was 4.3% – placing the channel as the most watched digital channel for the night, just ahead of ELEVEN’s 4.1% share, and ABC News 24′s 4.1% share bolstered by the Queensland state election.

Nationally, 251,000 tuned into the AFL season opener live on Pay TV’s new Fox Footy Channel.

Total audience across all broadcasts (except for free to air regional) was 825,000 – not bad exposure for the new Sydney team.

All broadcasts aired live in all markets.

Ratings figures OzTam 5 city and OzTam STV. 7mate figures sourced from Seven. Pic: The Telegraph.

An Idiot Abroad – Karl Comes Home, 9.30pm, TEN
Karl sits down with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant to recall the highs and lows of his Bucket List journey, including previously unseen footage.

AFL – Round 1: GWS v Sydney, 6.30pm, 7mate
Greater Western Sydney Giants’ inaugural AFL premiership match will be a fiery local derby against the Sydney Swans, with both clubs keen to mark out their territory.

Mad Men, 9.15pm, SBS ONE
The firm welcomes back an old client. Joan and Greg make plans for their future, and Betty and the kids take a trip.

NRL Triple Header, 5.30, 7.30, 9.30pm, Fox Sports Two
First see the NZ warriors take on the Titans then the Dragons take on the almighty Eagles, followed by the Cowboys and the Sharks

Moonlight (Season 1, Ep 1) 9.30pm, Arena
After a series of vampire-style murders are committed in Los Angeles, investigator Mick St John begins to search for those behind the deaths. While doing so, Mick reconnects with internet reporter Beth Turner, a woman from his past.

AFL legend Jim Stynes will be farewelled with a state funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral this Tuesday, March 27. 

The funeral will be broadcast live on Channel Seven. 

The 45-year-old lost his brave and courageous battle with cancer on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his wife Sam and children Matisse and Tiernan. 

Seven News presenter Peter Mitchell will host the broadcast alongside Sandy Roberts. Rebecca Maddern will be at Federation Square and Nick McCallum will be at St Paul’s Cathedral. 

Seven News Director Steve Carey said the city had lost a true gentleman. “Jim was the embodiment of courage and compassion. Beyond that, his incredible fighting spirit and love of his family made him a great man far beyond the footy field. It’s a privilege to be able to bring Melburnians a way they can also say farewell to Jim Stynes.” 

The funeral will be on Channel Seven live at 11am, with comprehensive coverage from the day during Seven News at 6pm.

On Monday night throng Australia will publish a tribute to this amazing man – not only a footy legend, but a legend of a man!

This year, with Friday night AFL games being broadcast live into AFL markets on Friday nights, Better Homes and Gardens has been forced to move to Thursday nights instead of its traditional Friday night timeslot.

But next week, with AFL also on Thursday night (March 29), as well as there being a game on Friday night, Better Homes and Gardens will actually air on Wednesday night March 28 at 7.30pm (perhaps this is why My Kitchen Rules had to finish on Tuesday (March 27) this year!?

Better Homes and Gardens remains on Friday nights in non-AFL markets.

During the first Easter non-ratings week, with no AFL played on Good Friday, all markets will see Better Homes and Gardens on Friday (April 6), then, after Easter, the regular routine of the show being on Thursday night in AFL markets will settle in.

For the next few weeks, however, it means AFL markets will see Better Homes and Gardens on differing nights.

Will be interesting to see how the show performs in a weeknight timeslot.

This Saturday, March 24, sees the first ever Sydney AFL derby as the Sydney Swans play the AFL’s newest team GWS Giants (Greater Western Sydney).

The game plays a week ahead of the rest of the week 1 games, at ANZ stadium in Sydney. In Sydney, there will be extra trains and buses scheduled to take the expected large crowd to and from the stadium before and after the game.

For AFL fans in Sydney, it is set to be a major event.

So why is it, that free to air coverage of the game is airing on 7mate and not the main channel Seven? Sure – over 90% of us have access to digital TV now, but only about 40% of TV’s overall – when you count the second, third, etc, TV in households are able to receive the digital channels, but isn’t this – the first Sydney AFL derby worthy of coverage on Seven’s main channel?

It’s not like Seven are going lose significant ratings if they did play the AFL on the main channel. Yes, AFL does not rate well in Sydney, but Swans games can draw an audience as good, if not better than the usual movies that air on Saturday nights on Seven.

Isn’t the AFL trying to increase its following in Sydney? Would the AFL be happy about the fact that this historic game is NOT on Seven’s main channel? It is on the main channel in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth LIVE.

It all seems very strange that this first game between two Sydney teams is not on the main channel in the city it is played in. If TEN were still doing the Saturday night AFL games, you can be sure that this game would have been on the main channel.

But now it is all Seven – and the mantra is that all games are live on Seven in AFL states and live on 7mate elsewhere (and lets not forget though that EVERY game airs live on the Fox Footy Channel). The 7mate broadcasts are good news for AFL fans outside of the AFL states.

But this should not include games with NSW and QLD teams – who should be able to see their teams play on the main channel, not 7mate, if it is one of the four games Seven are covering each week.

UPDATED: Turns out to have been a ratings success for 7mate:

www.throng.com.au/afl/sydney-swans-vs-greater-western-sydney-last-saturday-ratings-hit-7mate-sydney

FOX FOOTY KICKS OFF THE 2012 HOME AND AWAY SEASON WITH A STAR STUDDED LINE-UP

Australia’s only dedicated 24/7 AFL channel kicks off a big week of football coverage with a fantastic line-up of programming featuring some of the biggest names in the game.

Tonight at 7.30pm AEDT AFL 360 Gerard Whateley and Mark Robinson will be joined in the studio by AFL coaches Chris and Brad Scott followed by On The Couch at 8.30pm AEDT with special guest AFL CEO, Andrew Demetriou in the hot seat.

Tuesday night at 8.30pm AEDT AFL Insider with Jason Dunstall, Alastair Lynch, Brad Johnson and David Parkin take viewers through an in-depth analysis of the state of the game as it is today compared with past years, and how the future looks in regards to the free agent rules.

Open Mike returns for 2012 with icon of the game 5 day and 5 night premiership superstar Dermott Brereton in the spotlight on Wednesday March 21 at 8.30pm AEDT. At 9.00pm AEDT stay tuned for the premiere of The Club an inner sanctum look at the Collingwood Football Club. Hear Mick Malthouse’s final emotional address after the 2011 Grand Final and go inside the mind of his successor Nathan Buckley.

Then at 9.30pm AEDT, the premiere of The Hangar – a first-hand feel for the rhymes and rhythms of the most successful club in VFL/AFL history, Essendon Football Club. James Hird tells of his plans for finals football in 2012. Michael Hurley, Jobe Watson and Dyson Heppell star in the behind the scenes insight into the Bombers pre-season and you’ll hear the coach in the rooms after last year’s Elimination Final.

Thursday night has League Teams hosting a season preview including an interview with GWS Giants coach Kevin Sheedy. Then tune in at 9.30pm AEDT for all the exciting coverage from the 2012 Toyota AFL Season Launch from Sydney Town Hall.

Grand Final Recall Premier’s Cut premieres on Friday March 23 at 7.30pm AEDT taking viewers to the inner sanctum of the Geelong Football Club for a truly unique experience. Anthony Hudson and Dwayne Russell join Geelong coach Chris Scott and a host of Cats superstars for a private screening of the 2011 AFL Grand Final, spoken by the players’ themselves as they reflect on their victory.

Saturday the season begins with the opening round when GWS Giants make their debut on the big stage against home town rivals Sydney Swans LIVE, with no ad-breaks siren to siren in brilliant High Definition from 7.00pm AEDT on FOX FOOTY.

Sunday finish your football week at 7.30pm AEDT with After The Bounce LIVE hosted by Jason Dunstall and featuring Danny Frawley, Alastair Lynch and Andrew Gaze followed by EMT LIVE at 8.30pm AEDT for cutting-edge news and cutting-edge stories to set the agenda for the week.