Andrew Brain.
The sporting landscape in Australia is evolving. Nowhere has that been more evident than in the success of live cricket streaming on 7plus over summer, which made significant strides in digital sports broadcasting – and more importantly – provided valuable insights for how the Australian sporting landscape will be shaped by an even bigger milestone: the launch of AFL matches live and free on 7plus for the first time.
The arrival of AFL on a free streaming platform is not just a technological leap: it represents a paradigm shift in how Australians access live sport. The launch of 7plus Sport has turned the platform into a powerhouse of free digital sports content, making AFL, cricket and other major sporting events available to every Australian, anytime, anywhere – for free.
A key issue here is accessibility. Some media executives claim Australians think it’s normal to pay for content these days. That might be the case for some shows on SVOD platforms, but it sure isn’t the case with sport. The vast majority of Australians expect top-tier sport like AFL, cricket and NRL to be available for free. It’s a very reasonable expectation.
Sport should be for everyone, and by promoting free access to live sport, we’re fostering a larger, more inclusive sporting community. Take, for example, kids who want to watch top-tier football, like the English Premier League. In the past, it was available for free on SBS, but today, they must subscribe to Optus to watch it. The challenge is that even Optus is struggling to make the financials work, which in turn critical questions about the long-term viability of football in Australia.
Around the world, sport is increasingly slipping behind paywalls. From next year, cycling fans in the UK will have to subscribe to Discovery+ and Eurosport to watch the Tour de France. Closer to home, Australians will not be able to watch the Australian men’s cricket team play Sri Lanka in the ICC’s World Test Championship final on 11 June for free: Amazon owns the rights and, at this stage, isn’t interested in sub-licensing the rights to a free-to-air TV network. Who are the losers here? Australian cricket fans.
Not everyone can afford streaming subscriptions. For many families, particularly parents wanting to introduce their kids to sport, paid access is a significant barrier. This limits engagement and ultimately stifles grassroots growth. Initiatives like the AFL grassroots program recognise this, and it’s why free and quality content – whether for young AFL fans or through premium programming – plays a crucial role in keeping sport accessible.
These days, sports fans who don’t want to (or cannot) watch their favourite sport on traditional TV – that is, using an antenna – have a clear alternative. And they are embracing it. We know that. Over the summer, from the first Australia-India Test to the last Sri Lanka-Australia match, 7plus registered more than 600,000 new sign-ups. Even more significantly, 41% of those new users streamed live cricket, while 67% of them also explored non-live-cricket content on the platform.
This data underscores a crucial insight: live sport on a streaming platform is not just shifting traditional television audiences online, it’s attracting new viewers altogether – and that is great news for sport.
AFL, which kicks off on 6 March, is poised to deliver similar results. Just as cricket broadened the reach of 7plus, footy’s massive following is expected to introduce a fresh wave of users to the platform.
Of course, it’s up to the free streaming platforms to make sure they get viewers and keep them engaged. To ensure AFL fans receive a premium streaming experience, Seven has introduced a suite of upgrades tailored specifically for the sport.
The latest iteration of the 7plus app on Apple TV and VIDAA, for example, promises a seamless, best-in-class viewing experience, allowing users to access AFL matches with ease. This year there will be new AFL-specific features on 7plus, including dedicated team pages with exclusive content, an AFL hub that aggregates all footy-related programming, and an “upcoming live” schedule to enhance content discoverability. These features go beyond standard live streaming, ensuring fans have deeper engagement with their teams and matches.
Another innovation is the implementation of picture-in-picture functionality for iOS and Android users. This means footy fans can stream their favourite matches uninterrupted, even while multitasking on their mobile devices. The emphasis on user-friendly enhancements reflects modern sports consumption: fans want convenience, flexibility and an interactive experience.
These innovations are, of course, designed to hook viewers for 7plus. But there is another benefit. Sport organisations and their streaming partners including Seven and Nine have a unique opportunity to take sport to more people and create lasting, valuable engagement with audiences. The AFL’s digital debut on 7plus isn’t just about streaming; it’s about shaping the future of sports accessibility in Australia.
Andrew Brain, Director, Data and Growth, Seven Network