ABC have reportedly relegated the A-League Grand Final to their third digital station, ABCME, with the network only able to show the final on a two-hour delay.
Fox Sports' broadcast sharing negotiation with Australia's national broadcaster over the A-League only allows the ABC to show finals on a two-hour delay, which has led to the A-League's pinnacle event reportedly being so lowly scheduled.
ABCME, as the broadcaster's third digital channel, attracts less than 2% of the overall ratings share, which could lead to some of the lowest Grand Final ratings in the competition's history.
Ratings for the A-League across the competition have already plummeted this year, with many games on Fox Sports attracting around the 10,000 total viewership mark, in light of the broadcaster's reluctance to continue showing the competition.
The ABC took on A-League and W-League free-to-air broadcast rights after Channel 10 declined to renew their deal, having relegated the competition to a subsidiary network.
SBS did the same when they shared rights previously, showing the competition on SBS Two.
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