AFL

Thu 24 Nov, 7.00pm AEDT, LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on FOX SPORTS 1HD and FOX SPORTS 1

The next generation of AFL stars will be unveiled on November 24 when the 18 AFL clubs select their new recruits at the 2011 NAB AFL Draft.  Footy fans can watch LIVE as their club builds their 2012 playing list with coverage commencing at 7pm. 

FOXTEL today announced it has signed Eddie McGuire to spearhead its AFL coverage and launch a groundbreaking dedicated high definition AFL Channel from FOX SPORTS, to be called – FOX FOOTY.

FOX FOOTY will bounce down from February, 2012 and will be a standard inclusion at no extra charge for FOXTEL’s basic sports tier in a standard FOXTEL broadcast subscription package.  

FOX FOOTY (which will be produced by FOX SPORTS) will provide AFL fans with unprecedented LIVE coverage commencing with the exclusive broadcast of the NAB Cup pre-season competition, followed by every game of every round of the home and away season LIVE including the entire Finals series*, in high definition and standard definition, and uninterrupted siren to siren – where games clash, matches will broadcast on FOX FOOTY and FOX SPORTS 1.

FOXTEL’s Chief Executive Officer, Kim Williams AM said, “Today marks a great achievement for FOXTEL in securing one of the biggest names in television and AFL broadcasting to our dedicated AFL Channel.   We are thrilled to welcome Eddie to the team; he brings with him a wealth of live broadcasting knowledge and unwavering passion for the game. I share, with a legion of fans, a deep admiration and affection for Eddie’s passion, knowledge and joy in all that makes AFL great.”

“Eddie is an outstanding television presenter with more than 20 years experience, his tremendous depth of knowledge, experience and vital talent will compliment an already well established team.”

Eddie McGuire said, “I am looking forward to joining FOXTEL and FOX FOOTY in this landmark AFL broadcasting deal and getting back behind the microphone calling the game that I love. Being a part of the new historic broadcast landscape with FOXTEL and FOX FOOTY is a great opportunity to be able to showcase AFL how we all want it on our television screens – every single game live, uninterrupted siren to siren and in HD. Calling the footy one game a week is something I’m really excited to be doing. Everyone knows I love the Pies and for that reason I will not be calling Collingwood games for FOX FOOTY, instead cheering them on from the stands or wherever I am around the country calling for FOX FOOTY! This new channel has every team live every week and I relish the challenge and opportunity to be a central part of it.”

Eddie McGuire will join FOX FOOTY’s match day coverage calling an initial one game per week for FOX FOOTY. He will also host, in the first of several initiatives with the channel, his own signature program to be telecast weekly as part of the comprehensive AFL magazine program line-up exclusive to FOX FOOTY.

FOX FOOTY’s agreement with Eddie McGuire is possible with the agreement of the Nine Network where Eddie will continue hosting Millionaire Hot Seat, other programs and events.

Patrick Delany, CEO of FOX SPORTS said of Eddie’s appointment, “Eddie will be a remarkable addition to a great team we have for the new FOX FOOTY – we have been in close dialogue with him for several months and it is a pleasure to welcome him to the exciting new sports home for AFL – FOX FOOTY – we can’t wait for the 2012 AFL season to commence!”

“Complementing Eddie will be a rich array of broadcasting expertise and talent to bring the new FOX FOOTY to life with a program schedule which will be announced in the coming weeks. FOX FOOTY will offer a one stop AFL destination – a new home for ALL games, news and AFL review, analysis and entertainment.”

FOX FOOTY will commence for season 2012 with LIVE and exclusive coverage of the NAB Cup with the first triangular match between Hawthorn, Richmond and North Melbourne on Friday February 17, 2012*.

# supplemental charges will apply for HD and Xbox customers (separate pricing will be announced by Telstra for its TBox and Mobile FOXTEL products).

*FOXTEL’s live NAB Cup coverage is simulcast with the Seven Network. Only the AFL Grand Final will be broadcast on delay.

Only 13 games will start at 2.10pm next year and only five of those are in Melbourne.

Instead, 1.45pm will become the norm on Saturdays and 3.15pm on Sundays to suit broadcasters in the first year of a five-year $1.25 billion TV rights deal.

FRIDAY night matches will begin at 7.50pm, rather than 7.40pm.

A SATURDAY twilight game has been created, starting at 4.40pm.

SATURDAY night games have been pushed back from 7.10pm to 7.40pm.

AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan fiercely denied there would be supporter backlash from the shift away from the traditional start time.

“I’ve got to challenge that, I don’t buy that,” McLachlan said.

“About four million people watch the television every weekend and we’re trying to get this broadcast schedule to work with the extra game.

“One of the games on Saturday afternoon moves forward 25 minutes, Saturday night moves back 30. Hopefully, people understand.”

The Saturday shift allows Foxtel to show three games back-to-back on its new 24-hour football channel.

The later start on Sunday will allow Channel 7 to show the game live before its 6pm news bulletin.

McLachlan said the 3.15pm start on Sundays could be good for families.

“All I’d say is people have different views on what works for them depending on the age of your (family members),” he said.

“For a lot of families, you move it back on Sundays and then you’ve got all of the kids’ sport done and so three o’clock is easier to get to than 2.10.”

Only one Monday night game will be played in 2012, with little appetite for the timeslot from fans or broadcasters.

The Celebrity Apprentice: All Fired Up. Nine, 7.00pm.
The obligatory weekly summary episode when Nine strip these reality shows over 7pm. Like they did for The Block, this show will highlight the highs and lows and tears and tantrums of the week as 12 celebrities compete to raise money for charity.

International Rules Football. First Test: Australia Vs Ireland. Ten 8.30pm (AFL States), ONE 8.30 (non-AFL states)
The International Rules Series for the Cormac McAnallen Cup comes to Etihad Stadium. Australia currently holds the trophy after winning both matches in Ireland last year.

Mamma Mia! Seven, 9.00pm
Based on a Broadway musical and featuring the music of ABBA, this is the story of Sophie, a young woman who goes on a quest to search for her father’s identity. Inviting three men from her mother’s past back to the Greek island paradise they last visited 20 years ago, she attempts to narrow down which one of the men is her father – testing her mother’s

My Big Breasts and Me, SBS ONE, 10.00pm
Three young women tell of the problems they encounter having much larger than normal breasts. The average chest size of a British teenager has grown dramatically over the past 10 years and is now 36D. For some young women this is a cause for celebration, while for others it can lead to a life of misery as they face ridicule and increasing physical pain. Thousands of teenagers – some as young as 13 – are now going under the knife in order to reduce their bust size.

One Missed Call, SBS TWO, 11.15pm
Master of horror Takashi Miike serves up a polished, deliciously creepy Japanese horror flick. A handful of schoolgirls start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, in the form of the sound of them reacting to their own violent deaths.

SEVEN is delighted to announce that MICHAEL MALTHOUSE, BRIAN TAYLOR, LUKE DARCY, CAMERON LING, and BRETT KIRK will join its AFL broadcast commentary team from next year.

Together they are five of the biggest names in football – and they’re coming to the home of football at Channel 7.

MICHAEL MALTHOUSE: A triple premiership coach and an icon of AFL football.

CAMERON LING: A triple premiership player who held the cup aloft as Geelong captain in 2011.

BRIAN TAYLOR: A boisterous Coleman medalist and one of the kings of football commentary. 

LUKE DARCY: A champion Bulldogs ruckman and AFLPA MVP winner.

BRETT KIRK: The revered Swans captain and premiership player with a unique perspective on life. 

They join what is already regarded as the pre-eminent stable of match-day AFL broadcasters in the country, led by DENNIS COMETTI, BRUCE MCAVANEY, LEIGH MATTHEWS, TIM WATSON, TOM HARLEY and MATTHEW RICHARDSON.

In addition, Seven can also announce that AFL Game Day host HAMISH MCLACHLAN and Channel 7 Perth sports presenter BASIL ZEMPILAS will enjoy expanded roles as match commentators. 

Collectively it’s a line-up that represents the most decorated, revered and popular figures in AFL football today.

In all Seven’s commentary team has won 21 premierships, 17 best-and-fairest awards and played or coached in 3315 games. 

And footy fans won’t have to pay a cent to enjoy their unrivalled commentary and analysis as Seven steps up to become the sole free-to-air broadcaster of AFL football next year.

Under the 2012-2016 AFL broadcast agreement, Seven will show four games every weekend during the home-and-away season, as well as every final and the Brownlow Medal. The AFL Grand Final will also be shown exclusively live on Seven.

The Managing Director of Channel 7 Melbourne, LEWIS MARTIN, said:

“This is the start of a new era for AFL on Seven and we’re tremendously excited that they’ve accepted our invitation to come onboard.”

“We reckon we’ve got the best AFL commentary team in the business, some giants of the game, and these new additions only make us stronger.

“They’re astute, they’re passionate, they’re connected to the game, and they’ll give viewers an insight in the footy they won’t find anywhere else,” he said.

Seven’s Head of Sport, SAUL SHTEIN, said: 

“When I look at the names on this list, I feel privileged to be a member of the Seven Sport team. It includes some of the greatest players, coaches, captains and callers of all time.

“Their success, on the field or in the commentary booth, speaks for itself, but it is also their personalities which will provide plenty of entertainment.

“It is with great anticipation and excitement here at Seven that we look forward to season 2012. We just love the footy.”

The AFL Grand Final was not able to be seen live in HD in Australia this year, even though it was last year.

Don’t get me started on that one. I have blogged enough about how absurd the situation of HD free to air TV in Australia is compared to the rest of the world!

According to Media Week, the AFL Grand Final was airing in HD on ESPN in the US. Probably at some ungodley hour, like US sporting in HD is aired on ONE.

However, unless HD cameras were used by Ten, I fail to see how the US ESPN coverage could have been anything other than being upscaled to HD.

If HD equipment was used for the AFL Grand Final broadcast in Australia, yet not aired in HD here, it just further reinforces the ridiculous position we are in at the moment in this country with HD sporting telecasts.

Having said that, at least the Bathurst 1000 on Seven will air in HD on 7mate next weekend, and the Aussie Moto GP the following weekend will air in HD on ONE. Both events also air on the standard definition main channels.

But still, that leaves the Footy Grand Finals – both AFL and NRL – stuck in the dark ages with no HD broadcasts.

Last year, both (other than the AFL Grand Final replay) aired in 3D as well.

Isn’t this 2011?

The AFL Grand Final is one of the most watched events on Australian TV.

While this applies more so in the AFL states, it is still the most watched TV event in all markets when it airs. So why would Ten not have capitalised on this event to promote more of what the network has to offer for the rest of 2011 and beyond?

Ten could have used its last telecast of an AFL game for now as a means to launch or promote the network’s new shows and to help draw the huge audience’s attention to what is airing on Ten on the last eight weeks of the 2011 ratings calendar.

While I can’t speak for all markets, promos in Sydney for Ten shows during the AFL Grand Final seemed to focus The Renovators which is entering its final week, and Terra Nova. One pop up ad aired in Sydney for Terra Nova simply said “1 day to go.”

Keeping in mind that there would have been alot of viewers watching Ten that normally may not, it would surely have been better to promote Terra Nova as “Sunday 8.30pm?

And, as for The Renovators, given its low ratings, why not promote that it enters its final week, and the auction results and finale will air Monday October 9 from 8.30pm?

Then there was the “coming soon” promo for “Recruits Paramedics” – the premiere of which airs airs Thursday October 13 at 7.30pm. Even though that air date and time was embargoed to the media until today, there is no reason why Ten themselves could not have promoted this new local observational series as airing Thursday week so potential viewers could keep in mind when it airs. The words “coming soon” means little to people these days.

Then there is the latest changes to Ten News. As of this week, there is no longer a late night news service on Ten. Sports Tonight will no longer exist as a stand alone program on either Ten or One from now on. The brand will be part of the network’s evening news service.

Surely, Ten, rather than going straight into a movie at 6.30pm in eastern states after the AFL Grand Final formalities, could have capitlised on the large audience by re-launching its new look news services on Grand Final Day.

It is surprising Ten did not have a promotional package spruiking all of the shows the network has to offer during the Grand Final. Looking at Seven and Nine, during any major event they air, those two networks almost always air a montage of up and coming shows and events set to air on their networks. As annoying as self promotions can be, what better time that a major event is there to advertise what the network is doing in coming weeks, months and into the next year?

For Ten, however, it appears they overlooked the benefits of such promotions. Ten have as much to offer as Seven and Nine do, but their ratings are far below their two commercial counterparts. There would have been no better time than during their last AFL Grand Final broadcast for now to promote themselves more than ever before.

Ten has almost as much new fast tracked international content as Nine does. While they have nowhere near the local content Seven does, again – they could have used the Grand Final to promote what they do have, and thereby potentially lifted ratings in the remaining ratings weeks of 2011.

For the next five years, AFL on free to air TV will be exclusively on Seven. Ten are now well and truly out of it. It is unlikely Ten will be part of the NRL rights either, with a deal between Nine and Foxtel most likely, just like Seven and Foxtel have agreed upon for the AFL.

Congratulations to Geelong for winning the flag for 2011.

AFL Premiership, 9.30pm, ONE
If you missed it at 1.30pm on Ten, here is your second chance.

The Nanny Diaries, 8.30pm, GO!
New Jersey girl Annie saves a boy from being run over in the park and is subsequently employed as a nanny in New York. However, she struggles to juggle the family’s dysfunction and a new hidden romance.

Mythbusters – James Bond Special – Part 2, 8.30pm, SBS ONE
Jamie and Adam are back to test the gadgets inspired by the James Bond movies. GoldenEye’s exploding pen, Goldfinger’s killer hat, Moonraker’s jaws of steel and the shaken versus stirred martini myth.

Dr. No, 6.30pm, 7mate
On a mission in Jamaica, Agent 007 discovers that the nefarious Dr. No is plotting to derail the US space program and take over the world.

From Russia with Love, 8.50pm, 7mate
Secret agent James Bond is on a mission to steal a Soviet decoding device from the Russian Embassy. To do this Agent 007 will need the help of the beautiful Russian agent Tatiana Romanova.

AFL Teams, Thu 29 Sep, 7.30pm LIVE on FOX SPORTS 1HD and FOX SPORTS 1

After the Bounce, Fri 30 Sep, 7.30pm, LIVE on FOX SPORTS 1HD and FOX SPORTS 1

As part of Grand Final Week, FOX SPORTS will broadcast popular AFL magazine shows – AFL Teams and After the Bounce – LIVE from Federation Square as finals fever hits town.   Regular expert panelists will provide fans with all the latest news, insight and analysis they need ahead of the Saturday’s showcase event

Channel Seven Melbourne will be the only station to broadcast the Cats and Magpies AFL Grand Final Parade LIVE this Friday.

The broadcast will be hosted by Seven News’ Sandy Roberts and Rebecca Maddern, together with former Geelong captain and Channel Seven football commentator Tom Harley. The Seven News sports team will be on the ground providing roadside reports.

The annual parade is the last opportunity for fans to see their favourite players before the big game, including Brownlow medalist Dane Swan.

Melbourne will come to a standstill as the two teams are ferried down St Kilda Road and Swanston Street, before turning into Collins Street and finishing on the steps of the Old Treasury Building.

Coverage will begin at midday following the 11.30am news bulletin, and the parade will also be streamed live on Yahoo!7.

Seven Melbourne’s Director of News, Steve Carey, said the event celebrated great entertainment in Melbourne.

 “The Channel Seven Grand Final Parade gives Geelong and Collingwood fans a great chance to see their heroes up close before the big clash! And a chance for families to experience a fantastic school holiday event. 

 “Seven News has a track record of covering big “live” events such as The Cadel Evans Welcome Home, Moomba and Melbourne Cup Parades. The AFL Grand Final Parade will be no different – allowing Seven News viewers to get up close and personal to the game’s champions.”