CUTTERMAN wrote:Does anyone know if this is a locked contract for a certain number of years? I'm guessing one of the clauses would be that both Adelaide and Port whores are in the comp.
Three year deal. As stated by jtc, because the SANFL is paying for the privilege of broadcast, Ch 7 would be contracted to keep doing it regardless of whether Echunga and Tumby Bay took the place of Port Adelaide and Adelaide in the SANFL comp, and would be quite happy to do so (provided it gets more than 10 viewers and doesn't damage the channel's image).
In the meantime, the vast majority of Australians continue to be able to watch Satdy arvo local footy (including rugby union in that term) on the ABC—with the cost to each comp falling somewhere between 'nil' and 'pretty modest' (given that say the NSW Rugby Union and the NTFL wouldn't have a fraction of the budget that the SANFL have).
The real question as to whether the numbers add up, is whether the sponsors (whose support allegedly subsidises the massive broadcast cost so the out-of-pocket expense is little more than the SANFL paid to the ABC) are also locked in for 3 years.