AFL Fans Face Paywall Shock: Live Saturday Matches Move to Foxtel and Kayo in 2025
Aussie footy fans are in for a shake-up this season as live Saturday AFL matches go behind a paywall, thanks to a new broadcast deal between Fox Sports and Channel Seven. If you’re in Victoria or Tasmania, you’ll need a Kayo Sports or Foxtel subscription to catch live Saturday games for every round of the home-and-away season. And it’s not just local – the paywall applies nationwide for the first eight rounds.
Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany is confident fans will “run towards the light” and sign up for the service, believing Aussies are used to paying for content. He argued, “Sport is nothing unless it’s live,” highlighting that 90% of Kayo’s viewership is live sport. At $25 a month, Delany thinks it’s a no-brainer for families wanting entertainment.
While Kayo’s basic plan remains at $25 per month, its premium tier – offering 4K streaming and access on two devices – will jump from $35 to $40 in March. In addition, Foxtel will roll out its own AFL commentary for every match, ending the previous setup of using Channel Seven’s broadcast feed.
Meanwhile, Channel Seven is putting a fresh spin on its Saturday lineup by focusing on state footy, including the WAFL, SANFL, and prime-time VFL, aiming to provide new footy content every day of the week. Last year, Seven’s Saturday matches averaged half a million viewers, regularly topping Australia’s Saturday TV ratings.
The new seven-year, $4.5 billion AFL broadcast deal comes as competition in streaming heats up. Disney+ is set to add ESPN to its platform, and big players like Amazon and Netflix are reportedly eyeing sports content. But Delany isn’t fazed, insisting that ESPN’s American sports are “minor” in Australia and pointing out that kids today prefer YouTube and TikTok over traditional free-to-air TV.
Foxtel is also awaiting regulatory approval for a takeover by Saudi Arabia-backed streaming company Dazn, which Delany sees as a massive opportunity to expand Aussie sports globally. “Dazn is in 200 countries,” he said, hinting at a new era for Australian sports broadcasting.
With live AFL now locked behind a paywall on Saturdays, fans will need to decide: is it worth the price of admission?
