The remainder of the 2019-20 A-League season will be shown on Fox Sports after Football Federation Australia reached agreement on a reduced deal for the coronavirus-delayed campaign.
The new deal is reportedly worth $32m and also covers the 2020-21 season, which will begin in December and finish in July next year, heralding a gradual shift back to a winter competition. Professional football in Australia has been played across summer months since 1989.
Fox Sports used a force majeure clause in the original deal with FFA – worth $57m a year – to walk away with three years remaining on the agreement when the league was shut down in March due to the Covid-19 crisis.
But the pay-TV broadcaster has retained an interest in the game and the revised deal is seen to be a win for both parties, given the exceptional circumstances brought on by the pandemic.
The agreement also reportedly includes the W-League, the Socceroos’ remaining World Cup qualifiers and Matildas friendlies. The FFA Cup is understood not be included in the deal, and may well be broadcast in-house by FFA as part of a streaming platform.
It is understood the deal is essentially completed with an official confirmation expected either late on Friday or over the weekend. It brings an end to an impasse between the two organisations which had been rumbling since the league was shut down in March due to the Covid-19 crisis.
The new deal is a significant reduction on Fox’s previous agreement with the governing body but does buy FFA time to secure a longer term deal for the 2021-22 season and beyond.
The 2019-20 A-League season will resume on 16 July with Western United taking on Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.
