Free-to-air (FTA) television viewers may be in danger of missing pivotal matches in the Socceroos’ final phase of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup as Fox Sports and Football Federation Australia attempt to renegotiate their A-League rights deal.
Fox Sports hold exclusive A-League negotiating rights until 30 September as part of their current contract with the FFA.
And any inability to renegotiate a new deal before the Socceroos’ first match on 1 September against Iraq means FTA viewers would likely miss out.
It is understood that both parties are in favour of renegotiating before 1 September with reports today suggesting Fox Sports have penned a new offer believed to be well in excess of the current $40m-a-year deal.
While A-League and Socceroos rights are sold separately it is intimated that Fox Sports would bundle the A-League and Socceroos rights together and then look to sell to a FTA partner, with Channel Ten looking the most likely recipient at this stage but Channel Seven and Nine not out of the picture.
If negotiations were to fall through by 30 September, FFA would be able to negotiate directly with FTA networks, however more World Cup Qualifiers available to FTA would likely be in jeopardy.
The Socceroos are set to play Saudi Arabia away on 6 October before returning to Australia to play fierce rivals Japan on five days later, leaving less than a week for the FFA to strike a deal and find the Socceroos a FTA home in time for two must-see fixtures on the qualifying calendar – a challenging prospect.
Fox Sports’ current A-League rights deal still has another year remaining and without a new deal being struck, they will continue to broadcast the upcoming A-League season which kicks off on October 7.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
