Channel Ten hammers A-League with huge change for struggling comp as women’s games are dropped
Hammer blow for struggling A-League as Channel Ten makes a huge change to how games are covered and DROPS women’s football altogether
- Channel 10 will screen A-League men’s games for 2022/23 season on 10 Bold
- Followers of A-League Women’s competition will need 10 Play and Paramount+
- Comes after Ten’s reported $200million investment in the code across five years
- In contrast, AFL brokered a $4.5billion deal with Foxtel and Channel 7 this week
The struggling A-League has been dealt a hammer blow after Channel 10 shifted fixtures for the upcoming season to their secondary channel 10 Bold.
And the network also confirmed the A-League Women’s competition – formerly known as the W-League – won’t have any free-to-air coverage.
Women’s matches will only be shown live and free on 10 Play and live on Paramount+.
It comes after last season’s dismal ratings in both competitions and Channel 10’s reported $200million investment into the code across five years.
In better news for football fans, Channel 10 will broadcast two live A-League men’s matches each weekend on 10 Bold – an increase of 26 games from last season – come round one from October 7.
The A-League has been dealt a hammer blow after Channel 10 shifted fixtures for the upcoming men’s season to their secondary channel 10 Bold (pictured, Western United star Lachlan Wales in the grand final versus Melbourne City in May)
The network also confirmed the A-League Women’s competition – formerly known as the W-League – won’t have any free-to-air coverage (pictured, Melbourne Victory keeper Casey Dumont)
Those fixtures will be every Saturday night from 7.45pm (AEST) as well as a permanent 3pm Sunday afternoon timeslot.
The development is in stark contrast to the AFL, who this week sold its TV rights to Foxtel and Channel Seven for a record Australian broadcast deal of $4.5billion over seven years.
Australian Professional Leagues chief executive Danny Townsend was seemingly happy with the announcement from Channel 10.
‘This season’s broadcast schedule is designed to deliver more football to more Australian homes,’ he said.
‘Football fans will know exactly where and when they will be able to watch A-Leagues football week in and week out.’
The development is in stark contrast to the AFL, who this week sold its TV rights to Foxtel and Channel Seven for a record Australian broadcast deal of $4.5billion over seven years
The A-League Men season kicks-off on October 7 and run through to April 30, with the finals series in May.
The competition will go on hold from November 13 to December 9 while the the FIFA World Cup in staged in Qatar.
Fixtures for the A-League Women’s competition will be announced in the coming days.
The season begins on November 18, with the 2023 Grand Final in late April next year.
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