A-League value to jump if Optus enters the fray

The value of the next A-League broadcast deal in the wake of Optus snaring the coveted Premier League rights could be enhanced rather than diminished, especially if the telecommunications company decides to add the local game to its war chest.

Optus snaring the rights of the English Premier League could turn out to be a good thing for the A-League Source: Getty Images

It’s been mooted that the uncoupling of Fox Sports' A-League/Premier League package would tarnish the domestic competition's lustre amidst negotiations over what the FFA anticipates will be a far richer broadcast deal from 2017.

But Colin J Smith, the principal of communications group Global Media and Sports, believes Optus’s $50 million dollar raid on the Premier League from under the noses of Fox Sports has created a new "competitive tension" which may soothe concerns the A-League could tailspin in value.

"For the A-League, the positives outweigh the negatives," he said. "There's no longer the exclusivity there was in Fox Sports having both the Premier and A-Leagues but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Whereas before there was maybe only one bidder for the A-League - that being Fox Sports - with maybe a free-to-air game on Channel 7, 9 or 10, now you could have the entry of another player."

But even if Optus isn’t temped to double up and A-League remains the primary domain of Fox Sports, the network could well beef up thier interest in the local game.

“You could mount the argument that too differentiates the network in terms of content and that could force whoever is the successful bidder to take a more direct role to making the league a success, as imposed to saying  'well we have all football and the A-League is just a part of that".

In a major shake-up of the media rights landscape, Fox Sports has taken a beating from subscribers over being blindsided by Optus.

"There's been a hugely negative reaction from public to Optus seizing the rights to the Premier League from next season ... in essence that means that established viewers will need a Foxtel box, a Netflix box for their movies, and now also Optus or Fetch TV (live streaming0 box to be fully covered," Smith said.

Optus, though, is to reveal how the game's will delivered into households, and whether they also undertake the costly move of also producing the content complete with commentators and promotional shows. It is likely to also screen matches through mobile phones and tablets.

Another option, said Smith, is for Optus to on-sell the rights to an existing pay-TV provider or through a free-to-air channel.

"Paying double what Fox Sports had previously paid is a milestone in itself and the question is if they were to on-sell matches, at what price?

"From Optus's standpoint, they don't yet have enough content and will want to acquire more, whether that's the A-League or the four NRL games that are up for grabs, though that's a long shot because it could cost the best part of a billion dollars."