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AFL faces IPTV threat

Websites are offering free live coverage of AFL matches, including this weekend's finals, while sporting bodies wake up to IPTV.

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boundarySporting bodies are starting to wake up to the threat of internet television, which airs their copyright games online.

Websites are offering free live coverage of AFL matches, including this weekend’s finals, at the same time as some matches are being delayed on television.

AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan was last night trying to prevent the net broadcasting of this weekend’s qualifying finals.

But the games use peer-to-peer streaming, making it difficult to police.

One reader told the Herald Sun, “It’s over the net in high-definition digital and doesn’t cost a cent.”

“There are people breaching our copyright . . . and we are constantly vigilant in our monitoring so as to enforce our rights,” McLachlan said.

As well as potentially hitting advertising revenue at Free to Air TV, there is Pay Television as well. And all this before the next AFL deal is to be tackled.

It’s perplexing that it has taken sporting bodies this long to wake up to the threat of IPTV, or perhaps they didn’t want it discussed in the wider arena.

While the AFL holds live telecasts until a sellout, fans in Sydney are often delayed regardless of tickets at the gate, particularly when a match is on Seven.

Source: Herald Sun

  • Tagged with AFL

21 Responses

  1. The NRL and AFL need to look at, and use the same online models that sporting organisations in North American use (NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB).

    They provide live video and/or audio for every game of the season for a decent price and have subscriptions for home and abroad viewers.

    As an Aussie living in Canada, websites cater for live afl/league/soccer/union needs for games back home.

  3. Bindi – there’s a few areas in Australa that do get Friday night football live, and it’s in those areas where the games are streamed from.

    I’m more than happy to say that I stream the F1’s (BBC coverage) on the net each Sunday night, because I can’t get ONE in my area yet. The F1 bosses are very wise to what’s going on, as every 20-30 mins, the feed will be stopped by them. Problem is, whoever is providing the feed will find themselves somewhere else to broadcast, and the circus continues.

    Once I get ONE, and once Friday night footy is shown live on TV (especially in WA where there’s a 3 hour delay), then I’ll stop watching sport online.

  4. I never knew about this website mentioned in the Herald Sun article but last night watched the AFL game live on the website. Thanks Herald Sun I will never have to wait until the TV broadcasters decided to actually show the game. TEN is much better with its live coverage than Seven.

    Interestingly, the website was featuring “google placed” ads for Foxtel. I thought that was quite funny.

  5. how are people getting access to the footage? are they streaming what the tv stations are recording? and if so how do they get access to it, can’t the networks increase security or something. and if it is filmed by spectators who are there, the quality wouldn’t be very good and why can’t they just ban video cameras and prosecute those found to break the rules, doesn’t really work but it may deter enough people to make footage rare.

  8. The AFL can’t do much about this. Every professional sport in the world gets streamed online live these days. All the major bodies have tried to stop it and all have failed.
    If the AFL knew any better they would turn a blind eye to it.
    Why? Because these streams expose the Australian game to an international audience and can only be a good thing. They also allow ex-pat footy fans to watch their teams play.
    Also these feeds rarely get more than a few hundred people watching, really a drop in the ocean of viewership anyway.

  9. Fans deserve better is the simple reason people use alternative and illegal avenues. i can’t afford club membership nor the cost of pay tv 9and i am ina rental which complicates matters).

    if clubs and the AFL were smart, they would offer cheap club internet memberships that included all games played by their club on the internet, on perhaps a pay per view system. A small contribution to the club could be added. i would be happy to pay 5-10 bucks per game for ones I viewed if i was guaranteed seeing it.

  10. Do they realise that most of the people that watch on the net are people overseas or people in states that aren’t receiving the match????

    Live streams have helped me sooo much with Adelaide games living in WA.

  13. Note aussie rules – “welcome to the new millinium” ”
    Sports fans (in particlual Football Fans) have know of this for years. I couldnt tell you the amount of International,A-League, English,Europeane,Asian,Sth American……ect. Football I/Friends have watched online over the years. And this is from someone you has had Foxtel for 10 years.

    You cant stop it!

    As far as the Sydney vicball fans not getting live finals are concerend (all 3 of them). Why would C7/C10 show games in Prime-Time when the 56997th repeat of Back to the Future will kill the alf game in the ratings.
    Don’t you get it by now!

  14. Not legal but oh well. If it was shown live on FTA then there would be no problems, would there?

    AFL fans have it good when it comes to free broadcasts of games (well, except if you live in Syd/Bris). Nine only shows one live NRL game a week (plus two on delay). It’s good for the sport codes for the games to be broadcast live and free as it gives maximum exposure (my opinion – don’t want to get into a FTA v Pay debate)

  15. who would watch it on a computer? hardly lives up to the experience of finals!!! i like watching finals on a big screen tv with a theatre system, not on a tiny box where i have to squint to see a player

  19. I am not surprised that AFL matches are shown live on websites because 1. people are sick of one-hour delay and 2. overseas fans, who may not get the AFL on their local cable network, can see their favourite teams play as they go to air in Australia. Coincidentally, The Age reported during the week that the league wanted broadcasters to show Friday and Saturday games live in the next TV deal (that means the end of Better Homes & Gardens on Friday nights). That requirement will cover regular season games but not the finals.

  20. mmm, show it live then these people have little incentive to broadcast over the net. will never happen when the AFL sell out to paytv and pretend they don’t

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