Door opening for New Zealand AFL club

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Door opening for New Zealand AFL club

Authored by: GarethB
on Saturday, January 19 2013 @ 07:46 pm ACDT

Gidday Tinka,

Can't help you definitively - someone who's followed it closer might be able to fill in the details.

However, Prime NZ was sold to Sky in the mid-2000s and now shows replays of some rugby union, rugby league and cricket matches. AFL games dropped out of the Prime mix fairly early in the piece, from memory.

Over the years Sky has dipped its toe into the AFL waters by sometimes showing live games and highlights packages on its pay channels. Despite its woeful regular season coverage last year, Sky did better in the playoffs. There is the odd oasis in the desert for AFL fans over here.

The St Kilda game has given AFL's media profile a boost in NZ, as has Hawthorn's recruitment of a couple of young Kiwis, but TV coverage is one of the ducks that have to be got into a row for the sport to do any growing here in Godzone.

Maybe the AFL are locked into an unfavourable contract with Sky, or perhaps they just have trouble convincing NZ broadcasters to show the game. It'd be interesting to know.

Door opening for New Zealand AFL club

Authored by: pants
on Monday, January 21 2013 @ 11:42 am ACDT

A few years back, the CEO of Genesis Energy was an Aussie and through him they sponsored the AFL coverage on Sky. He left 3 years ago and since then, the coverage has been pathetic and it boils down to two things...money and broadcast space.

It costs money to broadast AFL, and Sky won't pay for live rights especially when they have to show a whole bunch of other stuff at the same time. On some weekends, there's Super rugby, NRL, sometimes Golf, sometimes Cricket and when there's aq 4 way clash, AFL used to miss out. It's probably cheaper to broadcast the replay.

Although, if the AFL sponsored it, I reckon it would be on.

And now with Livesport.tv, I don't bother to complain as I get every game live.

Door opening for New Zealand AFL club

Authored by: GarethB
on Monday, January 21 2013 @ 08:09 pm ACDT

Top stuff. Thanks for the background info.

Sounds like the AFL need to split from Sky, which has too much content locked up for anyone's good. The earlier suggestion of Maori TV might be on the money.

Door opening for New Zealand AFL club

Authored by: tinka13
on Friday, January 25 2013 @ 07:15 pm ACDT

The AFL are fully aware of what's needed to make a real go of it in NZ. The things we have been commenting about were discussions between NZAFL and AFL back in early 2000's. Its all a matter of politics. They can't be seen spending to much money on overseas expansion plans, whilst some AFL clubs continue to fail financially in Australia. Its a real shame because we have lost 10 years of expansion opportunities, especially in NZ.

Door opening for New Zealand AFL club

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Friday, January 25 2013 @ 09:04 pm ACDT

Exactly, it's a slow process primarily because of the need to keep the "heartland" happy. We've often commented and tried to explain to people that the AFL aren't ignorant about international development, they have simply pragmatic about not alienating the players, clubs and supporters of the AFL. Easy to criticise and ignore the political reality but alas politics are important.

I've been pleasantly surprised with some reason rapid developments and the fact that, publically at least, there doesn't seem to have been much backlash. If the Wellington match(es) go well and clubs keep signing NZ talent, it could really embolden the AFL to accelerate things.

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Door opening for New Zealand AFL club

Authored by: KeyWee
on Saturday, January 26 2013 @ 05:11 pm ACDT

Brett, thanks for that link.

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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