APL and Paramount ANZ Extend Media Rights Partnership in Three-Year Renewal

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) and Paramount Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) have finalised a landmark three-year media rights extension, ensuring Paramount+ remains the exclusive streaming home of domestic professional football.

The renewed agreement takes the total partnership to an eight-year tenure. Emerging from an extensive open-market bidding process, the revised framework encompasses an increased annual rights fee, a collaborative commitment to heightened joint marketing initiatives, and an expanded broadcast footprint targeting commercial venues such as pubs and clubs across the country.

Commenting on the media rights extension, APL chief executive officer, Steve Rosich, said: “The process highlighted that Paramount+ and Network 10 provide us with, not just a commercial growth outcome, but the most free-to-air exposure to the alternate offerings.”

“The extension of this partnership cements our combined ambitions to grow our audiences, and realise the potential of the A-Leagues,” Rosich said.

Sharing his comment, Paramount ANZ director of sport, Adam Cush, added: “The A-Leagues’ future in this country is bright.”

“We are determined to play our part in expanding its reach, growing its audience and giving football the platform it deserves,” Cush said.

Expanded Free-to-Air Distribution Strategy

The broadcast framework guarantees complete digital coverage alongside broader free-to-air exposure for the domestic game.

Under the terms of the extension, every Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s match and every Ninja A-League Women’s match will stream live on Paramount+.

The commercial networks will restructure their broadcast distribution as follows:

• Men’s Division: One Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s match per week will air live and free on Network 10, with premium marquee games prioritised for the network’s primary channel.
• Women’s Division: Every Ninja A-League Women’s match will stream live and free via 10 Streaming. Additionally, ten selected matches each season, including the Grand Final, will receive free-to-air television coverage on 10 Drama.
• Support Content: Network 10’s weekly pre-game show Football Tonight will remain anchored on linear television, while the leagues’ auxiliary programs, Total A-Leagues and DubZone, will transition exclusively into digital assets on 10 Streaming.

The commercial renewal follows a steep upward trajectory in viewership. Digital consumption of the A-Leagues has achieved record figures during the 2025/26 season, marking a 55 per cent increase compared to the 2021/22 cycle. Across aggregate streaming and linear broadcast channels, the ongoing campaign has reached a total audience of four million unique Australian viewers. The upcoming 2026/27 domestic seasons are officially locked in to commence on 16 October 2026.

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