are you still here? if so, i have some questions (for FSW Producer, not somebody with an idea or hunch). i emailed comments to the site but haven't gotten any replies (ever). 1. will you be showing AFL this season, if yes, when will you be starting? 2. any cricket, even just a highlight show?
Let me know if you find out about this. I love Aussie Rules Footy but there are a lot of rumors I've been reading that it might not be shown this year on FSW I found a cool organization on the web called AFANA (www.afana.com) which basically is like a special interest group that tries to nag broadcasters in North America to show more AFL. Phil
I would be surprised if Aussie Rules gets any air time on FOX Sports World without an edict from one Lachlan Murdoch. The only reason why Super 12 Rugby gets live coverage on FOX Sports World is allegedly because Lachlan Murdoch needs his live Rugby fix. Remember that FOX Sports World only needs to air one product to justify its existence: English Premier League soccer. Everything else is filler.
It's a different sport, but I heard Rupert Murdoch was/is still a big Rugby League fan. In fact, News Corp owns the entire NRL. It was almost going bankrupt, but Murdoch's money had kept it afloat. Above logic regarding Lachlan Murdoch's love for Union bringing Super 12 live here seems a bit dubious (especially with the creation of the Rugby Club). I mean, if he wants to watch whatever feed from Australia/South Africa/NZ, he would have easy access to it. Why would he need FSW for that? Or maybe he wants to push his love for Union to more people here. I don't think it should be a problem getting the AFL feeds for FSW, as the Fox Footy channels cover the sport in Australia extensively (apart from other competitor channels: Channel 7, Channel 9, Channel 10). Take a look at the sports coverage of the various Fox channels in Australia here: http://www.foxtel.com.au/channel/sport.html
Re: Aussie Rules Note that FOX Sports Int'l has exclusive international TV rights to Aussie Rules in all countries and territories outside Australia through the 2006 season. However, because Aussie Rules does NOT sell lager in the US (Fosters no longer buys advertising), FOX Sports World will not air the product. Bottom line for a mature business such as FOX Sports World: if it doesn't sell ads, it doesn't air unless one of the Murdochs issue an edict (i.e. allegedly in the case of Super 12 Rugby Union). As for cricket: Kelly Broadcasting (a subsidiary of EchoStar) controls US TV rights to a ton of cricket. Also, Zee TV USA has some cricket from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (rebroadcasting feeds from NewsCorp-managed ESPN India and STAR Sports India).
It looks like Australian Football is headed to the obscurity level of Gaelic Football. It's a shame, but that's the reality. It shows the short-sightedness of the league chiefs. Not to mention all the scandals they're caught up in (St. Kilda, Port Adelaide, Sydney). It maybe consuming their precious time for crisis-prevention rather than devoting it to something constructive like international TV coverage. Check out some of the following weblogs: http://www.afana.com/blog/archives/000040.html http://www.afana.com/blog/archives/000039.html Also see: http://www.afana.com/af_tvinfo.shtml
Re: Aussie Rules Word on the street with regards to Aussie Rules: as expected, the "Lachlan Murdoch" card has been put into play. Stay tuned...
Re: Aussie Rules That is now a done deal. Aussie Rules is back on FOX Sports World, allegedly because Lachlan Murdoch says so.
Re: Aussie Rules So forget all this "doesn't sell" and "mature business" garbage, the way to get something I want on FSW is to convice Lachlan Murdoch to like it. Sounds good to me.
Re: Aussie Rules I have been tracking the Aussie Rules TV deals for the past 10 years. I have a good idea who did what and when. You don't have to believe anything I write if you don't want to.
Some stuff I believe, some I don't. It's usually a pretty obvious choice. I just enjoy poking holes in all of your "allegeds" and conspiracy theories. The funniest thing you do is when you act like the profit motive is irrelevant in business. You don't do it alot, but when you do, it's really funny.