Channel Seven will feature three new women in its AFL grand final broadcast this year following the decision by respected analyst Daisy Pearce to pursue a coaching career in the AFLW.
Kate McCarthy, Katie Brown and Kate Massey will help bring viewers 12 hours of coverage on Saturday afternoon featuring 23 television personalities. But the most significant change to the broadcast this year is the effort by Channel Seven to use the game to promote the launch of its sports-specific streaming offering 7plus Sport.
The new platform will include so-called “mini-matches” and other programs targeted at sports-lovers over the summer of cricket and into the next football season, when a new AFL broadcast rights agreement – with expanded access to pre- and post-match coverage and on-demand replays – begins.
Dedicated subscription-based streaming platforms such as Kayo, Stan, Paramount+ and Optus Sport have been first movers in obtaining digital rights. However, the launch of 7Plus Sport, increased digital promotion by Channel Nine especially during the Olympics and a policy stoush over prominence on smart TVs, represent an acknowledgement by the free-to-air giants that their traditional TV aerial-delivered, ad-supported model must also include a strong online presence to keep up with audience demands.
Foxtel and Kayo have rights to screen other AFL matches, but the grand final is exclusive to Channel Seven and last year attracted 3.4 million viewers, as well as 441,000 on 7plus. Gereurd Roberts, the group managing director at Seven Digital, described the 7plus Sport launch as “the most significant change in Australian sport in decades”.
The network’s TV line-up for the first all-interstate AFL grand final since 2006 is largely similar to last year and is headlined by Brian Taylor and James Brayshaw, commentators well-established in traditional AFL markets.
Revered announcer Bruce McAvaney, who was brought back into the team for last week’s preliminary finals, is third on Channel Seven bill, leapfrogging Hamish McLachlan, Luke Hodge, Matthew Richardson and Abbey Holmes in the pecking order. Melbourne ruck Max Gawn and Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury will also feature. Holmes is the most senior woman in the broadcast, which also includes Rebecca Maddern returning to the grand final “brunch” program.
Pearce, the former AFLW player who took up the coaching job at West Coast this year, will be in Sydney preparing her side for Sunday’s match against GWS. The Eagles’ captain’s run at Henson Park on Saturday forms part of the city’s “Footy Festival”, which culminates with the Swans’ AFL grand final being shown on the big screen at the Marrickville venue.
Former Lions AFLW player McCarthy and Sunrise reporter Brown join the team, as does news reporter Massey. They will feature alongside entertainer Katy Perry, the major attraction for the pre-match entertainment. Former Hockeyroo and AFLW player Georgie Parker was part of last year’s broadcast but is now working with other media outlets.
O’Keeffe said his team “couldn’t be more excited” about the clash between Sydney and Brisbane. “As Australian rules football continues to reach new heights in Queensland and New South Wales, it’s fitting that the two best teams of 2024 herald from the northern states.”
