Interview with Greg Jennett, ABC News Afternoon Briefing

GREG JENNETT, HOST: Now some other news happening domestically. The AFL has sold its TV rights for a record Australian broadcast deal of $4.5 billion. Yes, over seven years. They were sold to Foxtel, Telstra and the Seven Network. The previous deal, signed during the COVID pandemic, was worth $473 million for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Now, from 2025, Seven will show at least three games per week on free-to-air channels while Foxtel and its streaming arm Kayo will broadcast all nine AFL and AFLW matches under the new agreement. All AFL finals will be free to air on TV while Seven will also show all Thursday night games. Foxtel and Kayo will, though, have exclusive rights to Saturday games for the first eight rounds of the season.

GILLON McLACHLAN: The total agreement we are announcing today with our broadcast partners covers seven seasons, from season 2025 until the end of the 2031 season, and it will deliver football a financial return of $4.5 billion. Footy is the greatest game in the world and we have the best broadcast partners, and our announcement today is the biggest partnership in the history of Australian sport. On behalf of the AFL, we are very proud to once again be hand in hand with the Seven Network, Foxtel, Kayo and Telstra.

JENNETT: Well, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has been more than just a bystander as these commercial arrangements were negotiated. It’s a matter of record. Indeed, we covered it on this program that she made certain statements, made a bit of an intervention herself during the latter stages of those negotiations, around free-to-air rights. And Michelle Rowland joins us in the studio now. I’ll just ask a general one to start with, Michelle. Anything causing you concern from the shape of this deal as announced?

MICHELLE ROWLAND, MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS: Firstly, it is pleasing to see that there is an emphasis on affordability and accessibility here, and I note the AFL’s statement that there won’t be a reduction in the number of games. Obviously, this has just come out and the precise scheduling is yet to be fully clear, but I think it does emphasise the importance of free-to-air accessibility, a free ubiquitous and stable platform, and how important that is for Australians. And again it emphasises this Government’s commitment from the outset that we want to ensure all Australians, irrespective of their means or where they live, have the ability to view – live and free –iconic events of national significance just like the AFL.

JENNETT: So, leaving finals aside for one moment, at least three games per week plus Thursdays in an environment where you’re bringing women’s matches into the mix, the phrase is no reduction, but there’s no growth either, is there, in free accessibility around free‑to‑air? It doesn’t look like it’s the growing size of the equation here.

ROWLAND: That will be for the parties involved to explain, and I note that there is a desire there to recognise the importance of free-to-air TV and that is a good thing. But I think at the same time we need to recognise the ultimate arbiters of this transaction will be the fans, will be the citizens of Australia, and again ultimately the reason why these sports grow and survive is because, people can’t be what they can’t see. And being a suburban MP and just like every other member of Parliament and Senator in this building, we represent people who love their sport and for whom community sport is so important.

JENNETT: Yeah, so, just on that, I think part of today’s announcement was that a formula of about 10 per cent of the rights do go back through grassroots involvement, volunteers and all the rest that it takes to grow the sport at community club level. That’s adequate? That’s a healthy by-product in your view, is it?

ROWLAND: Well, I will say again as a local MP in a growth area, there can never be enough investment in sport and I note the way in which sport brings people together. It really does unite communities and the important social emphasis that that brings. But at the same time too, I will point out that this Government has committed to reviewing the anti-siphoning scheme as it stands and we will be releasing a discussion paper in the coming weeks, and we will have a fulsome consultation with the Australian people and all stakeholders about how that should look in future.

JENNETT: I do want to ask you about that, but I just step it back one more increment at the moment, Michelle Rowland. Why was it – if you take us back to when you issued the statement saying, “We’re keeping an eye on you, anti-siphoning is important to us”, why did you make that intervention, what are we saying, a couple of weeks ago now?

ROWLAND: Well clearly, this is a matter of great public interest and rightly so. The AFL is our national game, and sport, as I said, is so important to Australian culture and identity and it’s important that it’s accessible. I chose my words – 

JENNETT: Was there something, in particular, that was annoying you or alarming you at that time?

ROWLAND: I chose my words very carefully to make a statement of the law to encourage there to be no diminution in the amount available on free-to-air television, but also highlighting our commitment for a review. Every stakeholder will be well heard in that review.

JENNETT: So, is it theoretically possible that when the review comes forward, it may give you greater leverage to go back to this deal and ask for yet more broadcasting on free-to-air?

ROWLAND: I’ll not be pre-empting the outcomes of the review, which is yet to commence, but I do note that part of the reason why this review is so long overdue is that the scheme was devised at a time when we did not have these global streaming platforms with very deep pockets as well. So, it is pleasing to see that we have that accessibility, and that has been acknowledged for the importance of free-to-air viewership, but at the same time, the world is changing and people are undergoing extreme cost‑of‑living pressures at the moment, as we have seen, and I think it is vital that our regulatory landscape is updated to reflect those realities.

JENNETT: The nature of the parties involved in this deal – namely, Seven, Foxtel and its streaming subsidiary Kayo – none of those fall into the category for which you ordered the review in the first place.

ROWLAND: Well, that review was initiated as a result of observing the changes in this environment and the rise of these global streaming platforms. But also, it comes back to that principle of the strong desire of this Government to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their means, of where they live, has the same opportunities as everyone else.

JENNETT: And would you apply the same standard that you did to the AFL, to all other significant sporting events culturally in this nation, so cricket, Rugby League, Rugby Union and certain horseraces?

ROWLAND: I won’t be hypothesising on that, but the principle remains the same, exactly as I stated – that this Government seeks to ensure that events of national iconic significance are available on an equitable basis to every Australian.

JENNETT: And how controversial is that to these multinational streaming platforms? I won’t name them here, but if you are to maintain these principles, uphold these principles, after the anti-siphoning review, where would that leave Australia internationally? Is any other country doing exactly what it is that you’re looking at doing?

ROWLAND: Well, I think that’s a really vexed question because, you know, Australia is a small market compared to the rest of the world. We have a wide adoption of streaming although it is not ubiquitous and it certainly doesn’t have the same attributes as free-to-air TV. But I think, ultimately, this is about ensuring that Australian culture and our national identity and serving all those social purposes. So, we will be undertaking this review with an eye to that very bespoke constituency, and that is the Australian people.

JENNETT: Yeah, well, they are important in all of this and we just got a record media rights deal for sport in this country. Michelle Rowland, for that rapid response, we really appreciate your time in the studio to share those thoughts.

ROWLAND: My pleasure.