Fox Sports and Seven Network have tied up the rights for the AFL from 2017 to the end of 2022 for a record breaking $2.508bn. Meanwhile, Telstra retains the digital rights for the sport.
He added that Fox Footy will be able to be broadcast on all devices, which means that if you subscribe to Foxtel Play or use Foxtel Go you’ll now be able to watch all games on PCs and Macs as well as tablets, phones and games consoles.
“Our company has a long and highly valued relationship with the AFL, and has followed and reported on the game since its inception in 1858. Aussie Rules continues to be a centrepiece in all our newspapers, Fox Footy, Fox Sport Australia and Foxtel. This deal secures and builds that relationship well into the future,” News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch said.
The deal smashes all previous records for broadcast rights (the AFL netted $1.25 billion in 2011, a deal that expires at the end of next year) and follows the NRL tying up a five-year $950m deal with Nine Network just last week.