A somewhat up to date list of Australian media rights deals including the ABL, A-leagues, AFL, Cricket Australia, Melbourne Cup Carnival, NBL, Netball Australia, NRL, Racing NSW/ATC and WNBL.
ABL (ended 2024) Triple B Media
The Australian Baseball League has announced a broadcast licensing agreement with Triple-B Media.
Under the partnership terms, the ABL will provide full-length broadcasts to Triple-B, which will in turn disseminate ABL games on its platforms, including Sportstak – a new 24/7 multi-sport channel distributed on OTT platforms and over the air – and other channels.
Triple-B Media is a full-service television and digital media company, specializing in the operation of free, ad supported television networks. To date, Triple-B Media owns or operates several television networks including Sportstak, MotoAmerica TV, Fido TV, Billiard TV, Jai Alai TV, Boxing TV, and Broadway On Demand. The Company also operates its own streaming platform called Streamstak at www.streamstak.com/. For more information, visit www.tripleb.tv/.
A-leagues 2022-2026
The five-year, ground-breaking agreement which commences in 2022, will change the landscape of sports broadcasting in this country, giving Australian football the greatest reach it has ever had.
The Herald and The Age reported that the A-League and W-League has signed a five-year contract with Ten and its streaming subsidiary Paramount+ worth $200 million in cash and commercial contra, according to sources, and contains triggers for a further three-year extension.
The deal includes a significant portion of contra and advertising support, and APL is hopeful that Ten can provide the A-League and W-League with the same level of visibility and primacy in the summer months as it once did with cricket’s Big Bash League.
- Every Saturday night during the season is Football Night on 10, with the A-League’s match of the round broadcast live at 7:30pm.
- 10 Bold will be the new home of the Westfield W-League, with a match broadcast live every Sunday of the league. All free-to-air matches will also be simulcast on 10 Play.
- And, in a football first, A-League and Westfield W-League games will be available on Paramount+ which launches on Wednesday, 11 August, 2021 for $8.99, with football fans and Club members given a special deal to access all games.
- In a further sign of the company’s commitment to growing the sport, Ten’s owners ViacomCBS have bought a minor share in the Australian Professional Leagues, the club-run body now in charge of both the A-League and W-League after securing independence from Football Australia at the end of last year.
In October 2024, the broadcast arrangements were slightly altered
Isuzu UTE A-League Men season broadcast notes, include:
- Every Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s match will be shown live on Paramount+.
- Each Saturday two Isuzu UTE A-League Men matches will be broadcast live and free on 10 Bold and 10 Play.
- Outside of the Saturday double-header on 10 Bold and 10 Play, Paramount+ is the only place to catch every Isuzu UTE A-League Men match.
- Every Ninja A-League match will be made available live and free on 10 Play, and live on Paramount+.
- Minis, highlights and replays available to stream on 10 Play
AFL 2025-2031 – Seven Network/Foxtel
THE AFL has landed the biggest sports broadcast rights deal in Australian history after extending its partnership with the Seven Network, Foxtel and Telstra for another seven seasons. The AFL’s new deal is worth $643 million a season – an upgrade on the $473 million per season under the terms of the current two-year deal that ends after the 2024 season.
- The deal will run for seven years, from 2025 to 2031
- It is worth $4.5 billion – the biggest sports broadcast rights deal in Australian history
- The same number of games will be broadcast on free-to-air TV each season
- The AFL will retain control of the timing of the Grand Final
- Seven and 7+ Digital will broadcast Thursday night games in each of the first 15 rounds of the season
- All marquee matches will be live and free on Seven (Dreamtime, Anzac Day Eve, Anzac Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Queen’s Birthday) plus at least three additional marquee matches – such as the season opener and Queen’s Birthday Eve
- At least 30 NAB AFLW home and away games, AFLW finals and the AFLW Grand Final will be live and free on Seven and 7+ Digital
- All AFL and AFLW home and away games and finals (excluding the AFL Grand Final) will be broadcast on Foxtel and Kayo, with their own commentary teams
- Foxtel and Kayo will exclusively broadcast a ‘Super Saturday’ of games in each of the first eight rounds of the season (except Anzac Day Eve, Anzac Day and Dreamtime at the ‘G if they fall on Saturday)
Broadcast Revenue
Cricket Australia 2023/24-2030/31 – Seven Network/Foxtel
The seven-year deal worth $1.512 billion formally begins in 2024, with a year still to run on the current six-year deal signed in 2018, and will see cricket remain on Fox and Seven until the end of the 2030-31 summer.
Nine Entertainment has successfully secured the Australian free-to-air broadcasting rights for the highly anticipated 2027 and 2031 editions of the Ashes Test cricket series.
The 2027 and 2031 Ashes
Football Australia – Network 10/Paramount 2024 2028
For the first time ever, this landmark agreement brings together rights for one broadcaster for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™, in addition to the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ (FIFA World Cup 2026™ Asian Qualifiers Final Round), the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™, the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™, and international friendly matches for both the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos.
- Paramount Australia (parent company of Network 10 and Paramount+) will be the home of the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos in Australia, including the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ being hosted in Australia and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.
- More than 100 international football games featuring either the CommBank Matildas or Subway Socceroos will be telecast live with at least 50 games on free-to-air television.
- In addition, Paramount Australia have acquired exclusive rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™, in a deal brokered in partnership with IMG.
- New package also includes all CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos’ friendly matches, all AFC Tournaments (including AFC Asian Qualifiers™), and the Australia Cup Finals through to 2028.
- Under the agreement, Network 10 and Paramount+ will become the exclusive home to all Australian Women’s Senior National Team matches for the next four years, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™, up until the LA 2028 Summer Olympics, and the Men’s Senior National Team matches including all AFC Asian Qualifiers™ (FIFA World Cup 2026™ Asian Qualifiers Final Round) except the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
The full list of rights included in the agreement are:
- AFC Asian Qualifiers (FIFA World Cup 2026™ Asian Qualifiers Final Round):
- 5 Sep 24 – Australia v Bahrain on Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+.
- 10 Sep 24 – Indonesia v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
- 10 Oct 24 – Australia v China PR on Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+.
- 15 Oct 24 – Japan v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
- 14 Nov 24 – Australia v Saudi Arabia on Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+.
- 19 Nov 24 – Bahrain v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
- 20 Mar 25 – Australia v Indonesia on Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+.
- 25 Mar 25 – China PR v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
- 5 Jun 25 – Australia v Japan on Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+.
- 10 Jun 25 – Saudi Arabia v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
- FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ (15 matches on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+)
- AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ (six matches on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+).
- AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ (all matches exclusively on Paramount+).
- AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026™ and 2028™.
- All CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos International Friendlies 2025 to 2028 (15 CommBank Matildas Friendlies on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+ and 10 Subway Socceroos’ Friendlies on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+).
- Australia Cup Finals 2025 to 2028.
Hockey Australia 2023-2025 – Seven Network
The Seven Network has struck a deal with Hockey Australia which means it will broadcast the sport on Channel 7 and 7plus.
The initial two-year agreement will see all internationally sanctioned matches played by Australia’s iconic national teams, the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos, as well as every match of the Hockey One League 2023 and 2024 seasons shown live and free on 7plus.
Melbourne Cup/Spring Racing Carnival 2024-2029 – Nine/Sky/Tabcorp
The six-year agreement, believed to be worth up to $50 million, will see enhanced year-round sponsorship, and domestic and international media rights for the carnival.
Tabcorp bought the rights for the Melbourne Cup from the VRC mid-2023, but must find a free-to-air network to sublicence the race to under the federal government’s anti-siphoning laws.
- Nine will be the broadcast home of Derby Day, Melbourne Cup Day, VRC Oaks Day and Champions Stakes Day.
- All four days of the Carnival will be broadcast live and free in high-definition on Channel 9 and streamed on 9Now.
- The carnival will be broadcast on all SKY platforms and the TAB app, with Tabcorp having the right to on-sell the coverage to wagering providers.
- Nine will be the free-to-air partner of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, including audiovisual rights for broadcast, streaming, mobile, digital and social platforms.
- Tabcorp will be the exclusive wagering integration partner for Nine’s broadcast of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
- Tabcorp, which owns the Sky Racing channels, will air the race on all Sky platforms, in its own TAB app, and will be the exclusive wagering advertiser for Nine. It can also sell the broadcast to other wagering players.
NBL 2024/25 – Network Ten, ESPN (Foxtel etc)
The rights are believed to be worth upwards of $15 million next season. The deal is a one year rollover of the previous rights agreement encompassing the financial rise.
- ESPN is widely regarded as the home of the NBL and basketball and remains the only place to watch every game including finals, live. ESPN will also continue to provide strong coverage for fans with weekly news and shows, including on digital channels.
- ESPN’s NBL programming will also be available via Foxtel, Kayo Sports and Fetch TV.
- The marquee 2:30pm Sunday afternoon game will also be shown on Network 10’s main channel, and marks the first time the NBL has been on a main channel in a decade.
Netball Australia 2021-2025 – Foxtel
The deal is believed to be worth $60-80 million
The new agreement, commencing in 2022, has been structured to ensure elite netball remains highly accessible to its growing base of fans throughout Australia while increasing investment in match production.
- Every game of every round of the Suncorp Super Netball competition will be available live and ad-break free during play on Foxtel Group platforms including Foxtel and Australia’s number one sports streaming app, Kayo Sports.
- Every week, two Suncorp Super Netball games will be available live and free as part of Kayo’s recently announced Kayo Freebies, along with every match of the Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series.
- All Origin Diamonds matches (currently excluding Netball World Cup and Commonwealth as these event fall under separate rights) played in any given year will be broadcast as Kayo Freebies.
- Fox Sports, Australia’s leading producer of elite sports television, will undertake the production of all matches played in Australia and develop new netball magazine shows to deepen fan engagement, including a presence for shows on Kayo Freebies.
- The Netball Live Official App will no longer stream matches from 2022. Matches will continue to be streamed on the Netball Live Official App as normal in 2021.
In 2023. the Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) secured exclusive radio rights for Suncorp Super Netball and Origin Australian Diamonds matches, as part of a three-year agreement with Netball Australia, with SEN to broadcast a ‘Match of the Round’ each week and every match of SEN’s newly acquired eighth SSN Team across its radio and digital platform.
NRL 2020 (Extended 2023) -2027- Nine/Foxtel
The game’s three television broadcast partners, Nine, Fox Sports and Sky TV New Zealand have now all agreed to new partnerships and increased commitments until the end of the 2027 season, with a record total media rights revenue for the game in excess of $400m per annum.
Media and rugby league sources claim the total agreement, which expires in 2027, is worth a little over $1.7 billion when including rights in New Zealand.
The new partnership, from 2023-2027, includes;
- A joint commitment to grow and promote the game from grassroots participation to the elite level across all of Nine’s media platforms.
- A focus on broadcast innovation and presentation of the game for fans.
- Nine retaining the exclusive live broadcast rights of the NRL Telstra Premierships Grand Finals Day and the Ampol State of Origin Series. All three Origin games will be played on Wednesday nights.
- Nine continuing to broadcast a live Telstra Premiership game on Thursday and Friday nights as well as Sunday afternoons and a Saturday night game for the final five rounds prior to the commencement of the Finals Series.
- Nine radio continuing to broadcast rugby league via Radio 2GB and 4BC.
Olympics 2024 – 2032, Nine/Stan
Nine will be the Australian home of the 2024 Paris Games, 2028 Los Angeles, and 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympics.
In addition, the network will host the 2026 (in Milano Cortina) and 2030 Winter Olympic Games.
Viewers will be able to watch most of the Games’ action live and free on Channel Nine, nine.com.au and 9Now.
While the IOC does not sell publishing rights, Nine mastheads like the SMH and the Age will have access to exclusive video content, while non-rights holders such as News Corp will have limited access.
PGA Tour of Australasia 2022-2025, Foxtel
Racing NSW 2021-2026, Seven
The agreement means Sydney race meeting will be televised on a dedicated mainstream and digital channels 52 weeks a year until 2027 and complements the existing coverage on Sky Racing and Sky Thoroughbred Central.
All of Sydney’s major race days will be featured in the free-to-air deal including the Epsom Handicap meeting at Royal Randwick on Saturday, the $15 million The TAB Everest and $7.5 million Golden Eagle later this month, and next year’s Golden Slipper and The Championships during autumn.
Rugby Australia 2020-2023 (extended to 2025) – Nine/Stan
In 2021, Rugby Australia reached an in-principle agreement with Nine Entertainment Co. The three-year partnership commencing in 2021 includes a two-year option to extend, ushering in a new era and a new home for Rugby in Australia, that will result in an overall benefit to the sport worth $100 million over the initial three-year period.
- All Super Rugby AU matches will be live and ad-free on video-on-demand streaming service, Stan, alongside Super W and all matches of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
- Saturday night’s Super Rugby AU match will be live, free-to-air on the Nine Network every week. All Super Rugby AU finals matches will also be live, free-to-air on the Nine Network.
- Stan will also exclusively stream every Wallaroos Test, The Rugby Championship, The Bledisloe Cup, as well as all inbound Tests for Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina with select games also broadcast free-to-air on Nine.
- The rivalry and tribalism of Club Rugby is also included in the landmark deal, which will see every match from two of Australia’s oldest premier Rugby competitions – the Shute Shield in New South Wales and the Hospital Challenge Cup in Queensland – on Stan.
- The new partnership with Australia’s leading media and entertainment company will also see unrivalled support and promotion of Australian Rugby across its blue-chip holdings in radio, newspaper publications, digital media, streaming services and free-to-air television broadcasting.
- Moreover, Australian Rugby will benefit from additional investment into a world class broadcast production which will be integral to growing fan engagement from the grassroots up.
In 2023, Nine told Rugby Australia it would take up an option in its favour to broadcast rugby until the end of 2025 in an extension of the current, $30 million-per-year deal struck in 2020.
Tennis Australia 2025-2029 Nine Network/Stan
The new five-year deal (from 2025 to 2029) includes a $425 million cash component plus considerable additional value in contra, retained rights and promotion, making it the biggest in the history of Tennis Australia.
The average annual cash rights fee over the five-year period is about $85 million, starting lower and indexing over the term of the deal.
Nine will also support Tennis Australia with contra, services and promotion.
The five-year deal gives the Nine Network the domestic broadcast rights for the Australian Open and summer of tennis lead-in events, including the brand-new global teams competition, the United Cup and other special events.
WNBL – Nine/ESPN
ESPN’s WNBL programming will also be available via Foxtel, Kayo Sports, and Sky Sports NZ.
The marquee 12:30pm Sunday afternoon game will be shown on 9Go and marks the first time the WNBL has been on a free-to-air main channel in five years. All remaining games will be available on Nine’s free digital channel, 9Now.
Broadcast production partner, JAM TV, will continue to work behind the scenes to deliver the games to ESPN and Nine, with a number of key areas uplifted to improve the fan viewing experience.
State Leagues
- NSWRL – Foxleague, NSWRL.tv
- QRL – Qplus.tv, Foxleague
- SANFL – Seven (SA), SANFL.com.au, AFL.com.au
- VFL – Seven (Vic), AFL.com.au
- WAFL – Seven (WA), AFL.com.au, thewest.com.au
Foreign Leagues in Australia
- Bundesliga – BeinSports to 2026.
- EFL – BeIN Sports to 2028
- French Open – Nine Network (to 2024)
- La Liga – BeIN Sports to 2027
- MLB – ESPN/AppleTV+
- NBA/WNBA – ESPN to 2035-36. That is not a typo, they did an 11 year extension.
- NFL – the Seven Network has announced it has secured the rights as the exclusive Australian free-to-air television broadcaster of the National Football League (NFL) for another three years to 2024.
- NHL – Foxtel
- Premier League – Optus Sport through 2028
- Serie A – BeinSports to 2023/24
- Superleague – Fox Sports and NITV (Australia),
- US Open – Nine Network (to 2024)
- Wimbledon – Nine Network (to 2024)
Carriage Agreements in Australia
- ESPN – In 2023, Fetch TV and ESPN confirmed a multi-year extension to their channel distribution agreement, covering ESPN and ESPN2. The ESPN channels have been available on Fetch since 2012. Likewise, in July 2023, it was confirmed Australian sports fans will continue to have access to US sporting giant ESPN’s mammoth selection of American sports broadcasts via Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
- BeIN Sports – Amazon Prime (from 2024), Fetch, (No longer available on Foxtel since July 2023)
- Eurosport – Not available on any carrier after Discovery decided to remove it from the Australian market in 2020.
