When football fans imagine their utopian A-League, it's inevitably broadcast on free-to-air, with a commercial network replicating the wall-to-wall coverage Fox Sports has provided from day one without the need to pay those monthly Foxtel bills. Only OneHD could have done that.
But Australia's first sports-only free-to-air channel hasn't survived Channel 10's restructuring. OneHD, which included a healthy smattering of European football, will be relaunched with a wider focus.
According to the statement from Channel 10: "One will now broaden its focus on engaging and entertaining males 25-54 and the schedule will centre on targeted drama, HD movies and documentaries, and premium sport."
That change in focus could have a big impact on Football Federation Australia, who will soon accelerate negotiations for a better television deal, with the current one due to expire at the end of 2013. The changes at Channel 10 likely take out of the equation the one network that could've seriously bid for the complete Socceroos and A-League package, giving the latter an acceptable platform on free-to-air.
While Fox Sports is reportedly keen on extending its A-League deal, it will do so without Socceroos' World Cup qualifiers, which have been added to the anti-siphoning list that determines the sporting events/occasions which must be shown on free-to-air.
While that's great news for Australian football fans and the profile of the Socceroos, who should now have a significant free-to-air presence, it does complicate the FFA's television deal; likely forcing two separate deals.
Independent news site Crikey reported at the time the new anti-siphoning list was released: "Soccer is the one outright loser. Football Federation Australia, which has had a lucrative, successful, mutually-rewarding relationship with Fox Sports, has been punished for the one-off mass audience interest shown whenever the Socceroos try to qualify for the World Cup.
"FFA used the World Cup qualifiers to spice up its domestic A-League rights. Now it has to sell the A-League without being able to bundle in the Socceroos. That will eventually result in less money for the grassroots game in Australia."
In theory, as the anti-siphoning list only includes World Cup matches and qualifiers involving the Socceroos, friendlies and Asian Cup qualifiers could potentially be sold as a separate package, likely to be with Fox Sports, married to the A-League rights deal. There would then be a separate deal with a free-to-air network for the Socceroos' World Cup qualifiers.
It then becomes a question of what sort of A-League material the FFA can marry to its free-to-air Socceroos deal, if any, with the FFA desperate to add a free-to-air A-League presence to complement the likely Fox Sports coverage (incredibly important to help the A-League reach and attract a wider audience).
It's highly unlikely the likes of Channel 7 and 9 would be interested in one live or delayed match per round, let alone a highlights packages.
As an example of what said networks do with fringe leagues' coverage, which they are lumped with as part of national team television packages, see Channel 9's coverage of Super Rugby.
As part of its deal to snatch the sought-after rights of the Rugby World Cup starring the Wallabies, Channel 9 took on Super Rugby highlights package to satisfy the demands of Australian Rugby Union, who were also in desperate need of free-to-air coverage. But Channel 9 has thrown the highlights package on at midnight during the week, hardly significantly increasing the exposure of the competition.
Awarding the free-to-air rights to SBS, while providing the A-League with free-to-air coverage that's sure to be more significant than a midnight highlights package, would be preaching to the converted.
But Channel 10 and OneHD could have satisfied the free-to-air Socceroos requirement while providing the A-League with a potentially greater platform. With 24 hours of sporting content needed to fill its schedule, OneHD could have done much more with the A-League than other networks.
According to industry speculation, there was some interest from Channel 10-OneHD. Now, as the network balances its current sporting content with a wider entertainment platform, it remains to be seen whether there is still interest in the A-League. With its current deals showing the AFL (assuming Channel 10 retains a share of the rights), NBL, netball's ANZ Championship, Formula One and MotoGP, there could be no room for further sports once the movies and like move in on One.
With the AFL set to sign off on its $1 billion contract beginning next season and the NRL soon to follow with its own deal, free-to-air networks are scrambling for their piece of the Australian sporting landscape.
The Socceroos' World Cup qualifiers will hopefully command significant interest. It's just a shame for the FFA that the one network that could've provided an A-League-Socceroos combo with the sort of free-to-air coverage the league desperately needed, may now be out of play.
