A post for any stupid AFL people who read this forum....

[Bear]

The fact is you can't please everyone all of the time.
CTS you have serious constraints - financial, marriage, kids, etc - yet expect everything to be suited to you by a billion dollar business.
The AFL is doing a good job generally but not everyone can be catered for in exactly the way each individual wants.
Try and find some positives.

[ScottH]

I can handle the fact that the swans aren't on every week. (Disappointing as it may be)
What disappoints me most is the first point CTS made. Why are games, such as StK v Swans on FTA TV when it is in Melb?

They used to want the buns on seats, but I guess now they don't care as they have already got their $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ from the TV rights.

The other thing that makes it tuff, for Melb fans is the fact that up until 2006, nearly all Swans Sunday games were on FTA. We were spoilt, now that has gone and most of the Saturday night games as well.

As I said earlier, it's not just the swans. Other teams playing outside of Vic are effected.

[CureTheSane]

I also think that the AFL is doing a good job overall.
I've never used the term "fat controller" etc and I think a lot of the crap given to the AFL is unjustified.

However, I reserve the right to air the grievances I have with the AFL.

I am NOT complaining about not being able to get to the games played in Melbourne.

My only issue is the lack of access that Victorians have to the Swans if they do not have Foxtel, and I think it is a very valid point.

I don't expect everything to be suited to me, and I am not asking for every game played out of Victoria to be shown on FTA.

Simply, it could be fairer for Victorians - it is not fair right now.

every other state has more access to their team than Victorians who supported South Melbourne.

Live in WA and support Eagles or Freo - you get to be at or see almost all of their games.
Live in Sydney and support the Swans - same.

Easy to say that the Swans are a Sydney based team, but unfortunately all of us who supported South Melbourne didn't relocate to Sydney with the Swans.
There is a supporter base down here that is not being catered for adequately.

[swansrock4eva]

I agree with you big time CTS! I think the AFL has pulled a big dodgy on us. I hate that I can't even get to watch the boys play this weekend - I'm working Sunday afternoon so can't go out to the hotel, and being a student I can't afford Fox so simply don't get to see my boys play. Since I moved to Melbourne in late 2006 I have felt so disconnected from the Swans. I feel I've become a better football fan in general due to exposure to other clubs via FTA, but I hate that it's at the expense of my Swans.

[AnnieH]

Snip

Live in Sydney and support the Swans - same.

We are indeed spoilt in Sydney. We get 22 live games on FTA every year - 26 if we go all the way.

It does suck CTS, seeings that the AFL did promise FTA coverage, they should now at least show the games that aren't being played in Melbourne.

[goswannie14]

I am in the same boat as CTS in that I can't afford Foxtel, so don't have access to those games.

The problem really got bad with this tv rights deal. Only 4 games (it has been 5 for as long as I can remember) on FTA each weekend in Melbourne meant that some teams coverage in Melb would be dimished. We are the main club to suffer this.

In previous years (before the current deal) we usually had about 16 games on FTA a season, I can cope with that. But now that is down to 6. All because 7 won't televise 2 games on a Sunday. What we need, in Melbourne is fir 9 to win the rights again and reinstate 5 games on FTA a weekend again, but now that more games are on pay tv, that seems unlikely.

As an aside, we will be visiting the in-laws in Northern NSW during June, just when no games are due to be played or shown in Melb.

Plus I offered my wife two trips to see he relo's in Canberra this year, as long as I get to go to the footy (and sit with Big Al and Annie).

[swantastic]

I've had a few arguments with Foxtel about their packages for their service.

I have the premium Fox package($105pm) of which i am happy with and am glad to be able to afford.

One question for Fox was,why cant we choose which channels to lease?and pay per channel so that we can tailor a package to suit our selves.

Of the x number of channels i have i only watch about 7/8,my kids about 5 and the missues about 7/8.So out of al the channels we watch about 20 of them and the rest are a waste of money.

Hence my argument with them to pay per channel to make it affordable to others.Out of all their packages not 1 suited all my familys needs which pisses me off so there fore i had to get the premium package.

I agree CTS the AFL have to do some thing about it with channel 7/10 and Foxtel.

[AnnieH]

By the end of the season, I will have all the games stored on my new 400gb DVD recorder.
If you're really good, I may arrange to send you the odd game you particularly wanted to watch, but missed.

[robbieando]

In previous years (before the current deal) we usually had about 16 games on FTA a season, I can cope with that. But now that is down to 6. All because 7 won't televise 2 games on a Sunday.

Regardless of who got the current deal, there would of only been the ONE game on FTA on a Sunday. Channel 9 and Foxtel are the ones who worked out this deal NOT 7 and 10. So blame Channel 9 for the lack of FTA matches and the lack of Swans games on FTA.

What we need, in Melbourne is fir 9 to win the rights again and reinstate 5 games on FTA a weekend again, but now that more games are on pay tv, that seems unlikely.

Of course it is unlikely because 7 and 10 matched the bid the 9 and Foxtel made with the AFL and hence the current TV deal is only 7 and 10 following the contract 9 and Foxtel set out for them. But of course they don't get any of the blame and everyone hopes that 9 getting the FTA rights back would mean 5 FTA matches again. It won't because they are the ones who made the agreement with Foxtel in the first place to go down the path of a 4/4 split of games per week.

Plus in the move we were never promised FTA coverage of our home games forever. 5 non-Victorian teams have entered the competiton, we don't play on Fridays, there are now 16 clubs instead of 12, plus Pay TV has enter the game. You can't expect a promise from 1981 to still be valid in 2008 when the picture of TV, the game and the League HAS CHANGED across the board.

Plus ratings help the TV networks decide which games are shown on FTA in Victoria, NOT the AFL (they just set the fixture and dates and times). Ratings weren't as important in 1982 as they are now, hence the reason games played in Victoria are shown into Victoria when on Foxtel there is a game interstate with the Swans playing Port (or even Freo playing North). The FTA networks want to show games in Victoria that rate, not games that don't. They paid millions for the ratings in Victoria alone.

So hence we get few games on FTA in Victoria these days. Sad but true.

[Damien]

I am in the same boat as CTS in that I can't afford Foxtel, so don't have access to those games.

The problem really got bad with this tv rights deal. Only 4 games (it has been 5 for as long as I can remember) on FTA each weekend in Melbourne meant that some teams coverage in Melb would be dimished. We are the main club to suffer this.

In previous years (before the current deal) we usually had about 16 games on FTA a season, I can cope with that. But now that is down to 6. All because 7 won't televise 2 games on a Sunday. What we need, in Melbourne is fir 9 to win the rights again and reinstate 5 games on FTA a weekend again, but now that more games are on pay tv, that seems unlikely.

Huh?

Channel 9 and Foxtel caused all this. Their agreement was a 4-4 split.

When 10/7 matched the deal, they wanted 5 games (2 for Ten and 3 for Seven), but Foxtel would only offer 17 million for it, hence one of the major reasons why the deal took so long to sign.

The only way 10/7 could get any money out of Foxtel was to basically agree to the same deal that Nine had made with them.

So anyway, it will forever be a 50-50 split between FTA and Subscription TV. I actually think it will get worse for people without Foxtel or Austar in the next round of rights, Nine and Foxtel are already working on a joint deal which I think will pretty much evenly divide blockbuster games.

[Damien]

FWIW I think the best bet to get the Swans on TV more often would be to lobby the AFL for more 2pm Sunday games. Those games are guaranteed Free To Air and there is no reason why we can't have 2pm games in Sydney all the time.