Football Australia Sign Record Broadcast Deal With 10ViacomCBS
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etwork Ten and Paramount+ owners, 10VicaomCBS, have added more football to their portfolio after signing a landmark broadcast deal with Football Australia.
The agreement lasts until 2024 and will include the media rights for all of Australia’s national football teams controlled by Football Australia including the Socceroos and Westfield Matildas, as well as youth teams, Young Socceroos, Westfield Young Matildas, Westfield Junior Matildas and Joeys.
Football Australia acquired the rights to Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournaments from the AFC to include in the agreement with 10ViacomCBS, who will also broadcast FFA Cup games from the round of 32 onward.
According to Football Australia, the “largest Socceroos and Westfield Matildas broadcast deal ever” will commence on August 1 with “a minimum of 16 senior national team matches over the term, and the annual FFA Cup final to be broadcast on Network 10.”
In a statement, Football Australia CEO, James Johnson, said the partnership will bring all parts of Australian football together.
“This is the first time Football Australia has been able to secure a direct broadcast deal of this nature with a commercial free-to-air partner, which provides the game with vital exposure on the primary channels of Network Ten and a variety of other platforms, including the soon to be launched Paramount+,” Johnson said.
“We thank Network Ten and Paramount+ for backing the game in such a profound way and we look forward to a prosperous partnership where we can connect and engage with the biggest club participation base in Australia and inspire them with our Westfield Matildas and Socceroos via a unique viewing experience,” he said.
Football Australia head of women’s football, World Cup legacy and inclusion, Sarah Walsh added: “Through this partnership, we are well placed to elevate Australian football with the unprecedented reach these world-class platforms now offer, which includes the youngest audience for a commercial network (30% of audience under 39) and the most female audience of any commercial network (61%).”
“We are focused on anchoring the growth of Australian football through the continued growth of women’s football and our partnership with 10ViacomCBS, which is committed to the same objective, helps us achieve that,” Walsh said.
This commitment to the growth of women’s football will be on show in 2023 as Australia and New Zealand co-host the FIFA Women’s World Cup, an event organisers say is already on track to sell 1.5 million tickets.
Speaking at SportsPro Media’s APAC event, FIFA chief operating officer Australia, Jane Fernandez, said the additional matches and stadium size mean they’re on track to see fan numbers increase from the previous Women’s World Cup in France.
“We know in France, over a million fans attended the 52 matches… and we now know that we’re going to have 64 matches in 2023,” Fernandez said.
“The 10 stadiums that have been confirmed range from boutique to mega size, so we’re definitely on track,” she said.
Pundits agreed the 2019 tournament set a new standard for the Women’s World Cup and contributed an estimated US$358 million (AUS$465 million) GDP to France, SportsPro Media report.
Football Australia’s head of commercial and events, Tom Rischbieth, said there will be similar benefits from the 2023 tournament.
“Yes, it will deliver amazing football matches but also substantial benefits socially and economically,” Rischbieth said.
“We know from a tourism perspective 60,000 international visitors are predicted for the tournament equating to 600,000 bed nights and the numbers just keep growing, an estimated 5000 jobs will also be created, it’s a huge opportunity and one that we realise the benefits of,” he said.
