Fans express anger at loss of Saturday footy from free-to-air TV under AFL broadcast deal

Sunday mornings used to be a time for David Enticott and Geoff Pratt to talk footy.

The pair would meet at Enticott’s Rosanna church, where he is the pastor, and discuss Saturday night’s AFL game. Enticott said the sermon might be a bit more upbeat if his team, Collingwood, had a win, and if they’d lost, he’d get a ribbing from Pratt, a Carlton supporter of 61 years.

Enticott said their mutual love of the game created a connection which – almost – overcame the historic rivalry between their teams.

But when the football was taken off free-to-air TV on Saturdays, Pratt, who lives in an assisted living facility for people with disabilities and can’t afford pay TV, couldn’t watch the games, so the Sunday morning football debrief was no more.

Live Saturday night footy on free-to-air TV became a semi-regular fixture in the mid-’90s and became a staple until this year.

Kayo and Foxtel’s Fox Footy were granted exclusive rights to Saturday games as part of the AFL’s $4.5 billion broadcast deal – announced in 2022 and rolled out this year – with fans around the country disappointed to lose their Saturday pastime.

Enticott said the move had been disruptive for members of his congregation living in nursing homes or rooming houses, who couldn’t afford to pay to watch.

“[It’s] been taken away from just everyday people, not people with a lot of money, but just everyday people, like Geoff who … loves his club,” Enticott said.

“[It’s] something that gives people a bit of hope or a bit of laughter, a bit of joy in the week. Now that’s not there.”

Pratt said he was upset he couldn’t watch his Blues “legends” every week and was settling for the VFL instead.

“It’s not the same,” he said. “It’s not fair at all.”

In Geelong, Kate Duncan and her family got a rude shock when they sat down to watch Collingwood’s round one match together.

“I didn’t even realise that it was happening,” Duncan said. “It was horrible. It wasn’t on the TV. I thought I’d check 7plus for the replay … [but] that didn’t work,” she said.

“Watching the footy with the family is just something that we’ve always done. And not being able to just watch it on TV was quite sad.”

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The family cancelled their Kayo subscription after a price hike in March (Foxtel has since announced another price jump, with standard plans set to cost $30 a month from July 1). With their older TV incompatible with the service, the cost of upgrading wasn’t worth it.

“When you add up all of the devices, it costs too much. So I think it should be free on Channel Seven,” said Duncan’s partner, Simon Brooks. “[The AFL] know what they’re doing. It’s just a money grab.”

The AFL and Seven said the number of free-to-air games was unchanged from previous seasons, with Thursday night pitched as the new free-to-air prime-time match slot.

“For the first time ever, there is a season of Thursday night prime-time matches … which also includes 7plus having the free streaming rights to increase the reach of the matches for fans on free-to-air,” AFL spokesman Jay Allen said.

He said Seven continued broadcasting all major marquee games – including Anzac Day, Dreamtime, King’s Birthday eve, the Big Freeze, every final and the grand final – regardless of the day they fell.

After several trial seasons, Allen said fans had made their preference for Thursday night games clear, in a shift backed by strong viewership (1.1 million on average, up 5 per cent) and attendance figures (44,091 per game, up 5.3 per cent).

“Access and affordability remain at the centre of our decision-making,” Allen said.

“We continue to have the same number of free-to-air matches on broadcast, general admission tickets have been frozen for the seventh straight year, [the initiative] Kids Go Free nationally to matches was recently announced for rounds 16-19 coinciding with school holidays, as well as an additional Kids Go Free round in Victoria during round 21.”

A spokesperson for Seven said the network had also expanded its AFL-related programming, with shows like The Agenda Setters, The Front Bar, Unfiltered, AFL Saturday Rewind, Sunday Footy Feast, The Wash Up and Kane’s Call providing fans with daily content.

Sydney Swans fan Aidan Quicke said Saturdays were for families and friends to most likely gather to watch the game.

The 29-year-old said he cancelled his Foxtel subscription because he couldn’t justify the expense, and the decision to place Saturday footy behind a paywall was “cutting out a huge part of the market”.

“I think it takes a lot away from the work that’s been done to build the game outside of Victoria,” he said. “For a Sydney supporter, we only get one Saturday game a month … so it’s a funny thing to have that one game cost essentially $30 to $60 as part of a subscription service.”

In the Melbourne suburb of Diamond Creek, Bob Jephcott reminisced about the days when he was able to hop on public transport and travel to matches. But as he got older, his knees deteriorated and his mobility declined, so he watched the Pies from home.

“It doesn’t allow for people who are, say, aged, or suffering mobility problems,” the retiree said. “There are that many games going on … surely they could allocate one free-to-air game on the Saturday.”

The 77-year-old said his granddaughter had offered to buy him a Kayo subscription as a birthday gift, but he worried about her being locked into an ongoing monthly fee and wanted to make sure he would use the rest of the streaming service’s offerings.

Regional and remote fans have also been affected. North Melbourne fan Daryl Cossar lives on a property in Jundah, in regional Queensland, nearly 218 kilometres from Longreach.

In March, Cossar received an email from Foxtel informing him that all Hubbl apps – including Kayo – would no longer be available in very remote areas.

With no free-to-air-option and no access to streaming, he’s been unable to watch his team play on Saturday night.

“I can only think of swear words,” he said. “It’s totally annoying because I’m watching less and less AFL because I simply can’t access it.

“I was a big footy fan, but honestly, now I’m watching more rugby league than Aussie rules now.”

Port Adelaide fan Mel Sowden, also based in Queensland, said fans were being punished for not being able to pay.

“Our TV doesn’t have Kayo built in and [we] can’t afford a new TV,” she said.

“You would think the AFL, who put so much money into NSW and Queensland footy, they would want every chance to grab new fans. To grow the game, new fans want easy access, they don’t want to have to pay.”

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A Kayo Sports spokesperson said the streaming service represented excellent value for sports fans, offering more than 50 major sports, including every AFL and NRL game live, with no ads during play and many in 4K.

“We are very pleased with the engagement of fans on Kayo Sports. The elevation of Fox Footy commentary, production and graphics to every AFL game has been a winner with audiences up by well in excess of double digits this season,” the spokesperson said.

The streaming service has been pitched as the go-to destination for AFL fans, broadcasting every game of the regular season and offering round-the-clock coverage through programs such as AFL 360, On the Couch, Midweek Tackle and Bounce.

AFL Fans Association president Ron Issko said fans had voiced their frustrations.

“Many tell us they cannot afford to pay for a subscription and going to a pub to watch is not possible for them, especially older fans and those in aged care,” he said.

”Had we have been part of it [the consultation process] we would have said that fans put more value on free-to-air Saturday than free-to-air Thursday and Sunday. So if there is a need to take away free-to-air, don’t touch Saturday.”

Former Hume mayor Casey Nunn launched a petition in March calling for the AFL to reinstate free-to-air Saturday night games in Victoria.

The petition has almost 5000 signatures and though her own family can afford pay-TV, Nunn said she was standing up for others.

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“I think the decision needs to be reversed. They should be able to make plenty of money off other advertising and other avenues, rather than having football behind a paywall,” she said.

“You want the game to be accessible and to grow, and if people can’t watch it, then how are they supposed to fall in love with it?

“Footy is for everyone, and Saturday night games in particular, are a family tradition. I grew up in a really poor family, and we would never have been able to afford pay TV. I would never have had the opportunity to fall in love with the game like I have.”

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