Kayo Sports vs Free-to-Air TV

Over many years, free-to-air TV has been the bastion of televised sport, always ready to beam the latest major events into our homes for free. Test cricket and one-day internationals, the week’s top AFL and NRL games, Wimbledon, the Olympics, and dozens more.

Sport on free-to-air TV became such a part of Australian culture that there’s specific legislation designed to protect it – the so-called “anti-siphoning list” of sporting events that must be shown on free-to-air TV.

But the television landscape is changing rapidly, as the expense of covering sporting events has started to become a burden on increasingly cash-strapped networks looking for cheaper programming to attract viewers.

Foxtel has more than ably stepped in to save the day with their peerless global sports coverage across 12 channels, with deals in place for everything from the AFL to Formula One which ensures the only way to get the complete package is by paying your money and getting Foxtel installed. Or at least, that was the only way before Kayo Sports.

Sports streaming in Australia

Sports streaming is something that’s been on the cards for years – it’s been tried on a very small scale here in Australia (such as with the AFL and NRL apps via Telstra, or with Foxtel Now’s rebroadcasts of the satellite Foxtel channels) but sports fans have been clamouring for an alternative to linear broadcast TV for their sporting fix for some time.

Watching sports on Kayo, you can pause whenever you like. You can pull up live stats, and if you’re curious what the score is with another match you can pop it into a picture-in-picture window effortlessly and see both at the same time.

If you don’t have enough time in your day to watch an entire hours-long game, but don’t feel like you’re getting the full story with the highlights packages seen elsewhere.

Kayo has the answer for you there as well – Kayo Minis. These are 15-30 minute versions of games that have been professionally edited to show you all the key action of the game as well as the way it flowed – just in far less time. Kayo Sports has other unique features to enhance your sports streaming experience.

In so many ways, Kayo feels like a little revolution in the way we will consume sports in the future, and so far, sports fans appear to be loving it.

But what about the all-important thing – the content? What can free-to-air offer, if anything, that Kayo cannot? Let’s take a look.

Sports to watch on Kayo

We’ve made mention above of the amount of sports where rights have slowly been snapped up by Fox Sports for a reason; Kayo Sports is, as you’re probably aware, a sister company to Fox Sports and as a result they have full access to their coverage.

The other advantage, of course, is that Kayo is all sports, all the time, on demand. You can watch live, watch delayed, watch replays, or even watch those specially edited “mini” versions of games if you’re just after the highlights.

And of course, when it comes to those key sports where free-to-air only has a small selection of games, Kayo has (or will have, when the seasons start) access to all of it. AFL, NRL, Formula One, A-League, NBA, NBL, surfing, even international darts and pool.

Sports to watch on free to air

There’s no getting around it – the amount of sport on free-to-air TV has been slowly but inexorably shrinking over the past few years. As we mentioned above, there are very valid cost reasons for that, as various sporting codes charge more and more for the rights to broadcast their games and events, to the point where free-to-air networks, struggling to make money in a world where suddenly there’s a vast array of new options, can’t afford to buy the rights alone.

As a result we see some of the biggest sports on free-to-air TV sharing a licensing deal with Fox Sports, which has become the powerhouse of televised sports in recent years. So a fan of Formula One, for example, can catch the Championship on Channel 10 – but only the Australian Grand Prix is available live. Instead, the remaining are broadcast as replays, well after the race has been run and won.

AFL and NRL, too, are shared between Fox Sports and free-to-air – but it’s here that the anti-siphoning laws deliver a win to free TV.

AFL on free to air

The biggest sport in the country runs from March through to September, when the Grand Final is played at the MCG. Defending champions Melbourne can expect to be pushed all the way by the likes of Western Bulldogs, Brisbane Lions and Geelong this year, in what should be a hugely competitive season.

Each and every week a number of live AFL games for out on free to air via Channel 7. These are often the biggest games of the weekend on Friday and Sunday. Every game from every round across the season is available to watch via Fox Footy (Kayo Sports/Foxtel).

NRL on free to air

The 2022 NRL season is set to get underway, with the likes of Penrith Panthers, the Rabbitohs and Melbourne Storm favourites to go all the way to the Grand Final.

Up to four games per round of the NRL season, including the Finals and the Grand Final, go out free to air in Australia via Channel 9. All the live NRL across the regular season is likewise available via Fox Sports (Kayo/Foxtel).

But it’s not all good news for free-to-air. There used to be an array of niche sports to watch – many on the ABC, like lawn bowls – but they’re becoming more and more rare. The Seven network has, at least, started showing local football codes like VFL, or weekend racing meetings, but the pickings are thin.

Free-to-Air v Kayo Sports: Price comparison

There’s no getting around this one. Free-to-air is, well, free. As long as you’ve got a TV and an antenna you can watch all day and all night and never be asked for a cent. The price you pay is, of course, in being made to watch all those ads, but even so, it’s hard to argue with free.

Except when the new, online option in Kayo Sports costs a mere $25 per month for the Kayo One plan – less than six bucks a week. For that flat price you get access to everything, whenever and wherever you are. Kayo Basic ($27.50 per month) meanwhile allows two people able to use your account at the same time, so you can settle family arguments about watching the footy or the cricket (a plan that allows 3 streams is available too, for $35).

So yes, Kayo does cost more than free – but so little per week for what you get, it’s hard to complain about it – especially when you start to realise how much content there is there to watch (and we didn’t even mention all the quality sports documentaries you get access to as well!).

Kayo free trial offer

If you’re still on the fence about Kayo Sports, there’s an easy way to see if it’s as good as we say it is – grab the app, sign up and enjoy two weeks of the full service absolutely free of charge. The 7-day free trial gives you plenty of time to explore Kayo’s unique features and deep sports coverage, and there’s no charge at all if you decide it’s not for you.

How to watch on Kayo Sports and Free to Air

Free-to-air TV has been expanding its viewing options in recent years, and alongside the trusty television itself, you can now stream most free-to-air channels live via both their own apps. Kayo, on the other hand, continues to enhance its streaming technologies for greater compatibility.

Compatible devices for streaming on free to air

Free to air networks make it easy for Australians to watch on the go by having their own catch-up streaming services. Below are the free-to-air catch-up platforms in the country. Device compatibility vary depending on the app, but most of these allow watching on mobile devices, smart TVs, Telstra TV, Apple TV, and more.

Compatible devices for streaming on Kayo

Kayo, meanwhile, is available on iOS and Android phones and tablets (with full Chromecast support for Chromecast 3 and Ultra), Apple TV, Android TV, Telstra TV and of course desktop and laptop computers via a web browser. More device support is on the way, but already, there’s not many situations where you’d find yourself unable to watch something on Kayo, no matter where you are. For the complete list of Kayo devices, check out the table below.

Kayo vs Free to Air: The winner

Earlier when we compared Foxtel Now and Kayo, we came to the conclusion that it wasn’t a fair fight, as Kayo won on both price and features. In the battle between Kayo and free-to-air sports, the stakes are different – Kayo costs money, free-to-air doesn’t.

But regardless, the clear winner is again Kayo Sports – priced low enough to be a Netflix-like no-brainer for any sports fan, and boasting so much sports coverage that free-to-air TV couldn’t possibly find the hours to keep up – even if they could afford to.

Compare streaming services: Comparison guide

If you want to explore more and find amazing streaming services available in Australia, here are some helpful comparison guides that you can use as references: