This Month
ARN throws a Hail Mary to revive collapsed radio merger
Takeover target SCA gave a dim view of the revised plan, which doesn’t include private equity firm Anchorage Capital.
- Nick Bonyhady
- Opinion
- Media & marketing
New laws risk the end of free sports on TV
The government has one chance of modernising how broadcast rights are organised. Otherwise, iconic sporting events will be harder to find.
- Greg Hywood
April
Foxtel faces its streaming apocalypse
Once the country’s most profitable media group, Foxtel is losing subscribers and is facing a mega-sports rights bill. Will it make it through?
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
December 2023
Amazon snaps up rights to cricket World Cups until 2027
The deal means major tournaments including the T20 World Cups – previously aired by Foxtel, Nine and Seven West – will instead be consolidated at Prime Video.
- Zoe Samios
October 2023
- Exclusive
- Business of sport
England wants $50m for next two Ashes series
Seven may be out of the race to secure the rights to the English Ashes series, informing top executives it could not meet its financial expectations.
- Zoe Samios
- Exclusive
- Business of sport
Matildas success prompts World Cup rights deal
The FIFA Women’s World Cup was a major success for Football Australia. Now, they’re betting on the Matildas to generate a record broadcast deal.
- Zoe Samios
- Exclusive
- Business of sport
British cricket execs hosted at AFL, NRL as Ashes talks heat up
Seated among the thousands of fans at the NRL and AFL grand finals were two unlikely attendees: two English executives in charge of brokering a new Ashes deal.
- Zoe Samios
September 2023
Nine alone in Melbourne Cup rights race after Seven withdraws
Seven West Media boss James Warburton told Tabcorp and the Victoria Racing Club the network would pull out of the Melbourne Cup bidding.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones and Zoe Samios
August 2023
Football Australia chases record TV deal after Matildas success
The governing body’s chief executive, James Johnson, is expecting a record-breaking cash injection for the sport off the back of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
- Zoe Samios
July 2023
- Analysis
- FIFA World Cup
Women’s World Cup offers broadcaster Optus a shot at redemption
It can’t control how well the Matildas do in the World Cup, but Optus Sport says it has pulled out all the tech stops to make its coverage a success.
- Paul Smith
June 2023
Network Ten quits race to broadcast Melbourne Cup from next year
The Paramount-owned broadcaster has aired the race for the last five years. Its exit leaves Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media competing for the rights.
- Zoe Samios
Melbourne Cup broadcast attracts low offers as Tabcorp plays hardball
Sources say the wagering group wants a 50 per cent share of all advertisements during the four-day carnival, while race organisers want to control commentary.
- Zoe Samios
Tabcorp asks free-to-air broadcasters for Melbourne Cup bids
Securing a deal of up to $100 million over five years through the ASX-listed wagering group is crucial for the Victoria Racing Club, which faces a cash crunch.
- Zoe Samios
March 2023
- Exclusive
- Start-ups
Aussie tech start-up brings virtual golf to the world
Play Today will unveil its new metaverse golf club in time for the NSW Open Championship, for which it has acquired exclusive broadcast rights.
- Paul Smith
October 2022
Major sport events need to be protected from streamers: expert
Online streamers should not have more access to major sporting events now on the list because services are still less accessible to Australians than free-to-air TV, says academic David Rowe.
- Edmund Tadros
Fight begins over access to major sporting events
Potential changes to sports broadcasting rules could lead to big events disappearing from free-to-air broadcasters and moving to subscription streaming services such as Foxtel, Amazon Prime and Stan.
- Updated
- Edmund Tadros
‘We’re always negotiating’: The NRL approach to media deal-making
NRL chairman Peter V’landys says the code will take advantage of the AFL’s record-breaking media rights deal when it begins bargaining with broadcasters.
- Edmund Tadros and Mark Di Stefano
September 2022
Footy not the only AFL contest as McLachlan’s job goes up for grabs
Gillon McLachlan’s term is set to end at the end of this season after a 22-year career at the AFL, capped off by eight years leading the sporting code.
- Samantha Hutchinson and Mark Di Stefano
The Sydney effect: how AFL wins when the Swans make the grand final
Seven and the AFL are set to benefit from a ratings bonanza when Sydney takes on Geelong in Saturday’s AFL decider, history says.
- Gus McCubbing and Mark Di Stefano
Key streaming loophole extended for another five years
The Albanese government’s move points to wholesale changes to Australian media laws.
- Mark Di Stefano
