Jump to content

Fox Footy

From Alfawiki
Fox Footy
Company typeSubscription television channel
IndustrySports broadcasting
PredecessorFox Footy Channel (2002–2006)
Founded2002; 24 years ago (2002) (original), relaunched 2012
Headquarters
Melbourne
,
Australia
Area served
Australia
OwnerFox Sports Australia

Fox Footy (presented as FOX FOOTY) is a subscription television channel in Australia devoted exclusively to Australian rules football games and related programming. Operated by Fox Sports Australia and headquartered in Melbourne, the channel is accessible across the country via Foxtel and Optus Television. It represents a revival of the original Fox Footy Channel, which was active between 2002 and 2006, relaunched ahead of the 2012 AFL season following a renewed broadcast agreement involving Premier Media Group, Austar, Foxtel, and the Australian Football League (AFL).

By late September 2023, Fox Footy attracted a weekly audience of 753,000 viewers, ranking it as the top-performing channel under Fox Sports Australia's portfolio and the second most viewed subscription channel on Foxtel, trailing only behind Lifestyle.

History

Foxtel initially ran the original Fox Footy Channel from 2002 until its closure in 2006 after losing AFL broadcasting rights due to unsuccessful negotiations with free-to-air networks Seven and Ten. Between 2007 and 2011, Foxtel aired four AFL games each week on its Fox Sports platforms but did not maintain a dedicated AFL channel.

On 28 April 2011, Fox Footy was reintroduced for the 2012 AFL season as part of a fresh broadcast rights agreement that granted Foxtel live coverage of every regular-season AFL match. Although initially planned to be called "Fox Sports AFL," the channel reverted to "Fox Footy" and recommenced transmissions on 17 February 2012 with coverage of a NAB Cup round-robin fixture.

Fox Footy possesses live broadcasting rights for all Marsh Community Series matches, AFLW home-and-away fixtures, AFLW Finals including the Grand Final, every AFL home-and-away game, and all AFL Finals matches except for the AFL Grand Final, which is televised exclusively live by Seven. Matches are delivered in real-time with 1080i HD and 4K Ultra HD quality, featuring uninterrupted play without commercial breaks. When multiple games occur concurrently, one is shown on Fox Sports 503.

Since its relaunch in 2012, Fox Footy has emerged as Australia's leading Pay-TV network in terms of viewership. The channel's AFL preliminary finals in 2017 drew an average audience exceeding 400,000 viewers. Beginning in 2020, Fox Footy expanded its reach internationally through Canada’s premium streaming platform DAZN.

In 2018, Fox Sports established the Andrews Hubs in Sydney and Melbourne to streamline production processes, enabling Fox Footy to produce matches nationwide from its South Melbourne headquarters.

The 2022 season saw programming updates including new series such as 'Best on Ground' and 'Face to Face,' along with a scheduling adjustment for On the Couch. The network encountered public controversy when senior reporter Tom Morris was dismissed following leaks of offensive remarks.

For the seasons spanning 2025 to 2031, Foxtel will implement its own commentary teams and graphics package for all matches. Foxtel along with its streaming platform Kayo will broadcast every game except for the grand final. Kayo will simulcast selected matches alongside Foxtel’s football programming on streaming service Binge. Furthermore, all Saturday games aside from marquee fixtures will be exclusively available on Foxtel and Kayo nationally during the first eight rounds and within Victoria, Tasmania, and Northern Territory throughout the home-and-away season.

Current Shows

  • AFL Tonight (2016–ongoing on Fox Sports News and Fox Footy)
  • AFL 360 (aired 2010–2011 on Fox Sports, resumed 2012–present on Fox Footy)
  • Midweek Tackle (launched 2024 and currently airing)
  • On the Couch (broadcast 2002–2006 via Fox Footy Channel, 2007–2011 on Fox Sports, and from 2012 to present on Fox Footy)
  • Bounce (shown 2007–2011 on Fox Sports, continuing from 2012 on Fox Footy)
  • First Crack (since 2019 to present)
  • Best On Ground (special one-time episodes)
  • Face to Face (airing since 2022)
  • Trading Day (post-season program running from 2018 to present)

Past Shows

  • AFL Insider (2010–2011 on Fox Sports, 2012 on Fox Footy)
  • The Club
  • Ed & Derm's Big Week In Footy
  • Eddie McGuire Tonight (aired in 2012)
  • The Hangar
  • The Recruit (2014–2016, also broadcast on Fox8)
  • The Supercoach Show
  • The Winners Rebooted (aired 2015–2016 on Fox Footy)
  • League Teams (broadcast from 2002–2006 on Fox Footy Channel, then 2007–2011 on Fox Sports, and later from 2012–2017 on Fox Footy)
  • The Greatest (aired in 2017)
  • Up The Guts (2019 broadcast)
  • On the Mark (aired between 2018 and 2019)
  • The Beep Test (broadcast during 2018–2019)
  • The Weekend Lowdown (aired in 2018)
  • Open Mike (shown from 2009–2011 on Fox Sports and continued until 2020 on Fox Footy)
  • Bob (aired during 2018–2019)
  • Saturday Stretch (broadcast from 2017 to 2021)
  • Speed Round (2020 season)
  • Dermie Delivers (aired in 2021)
  • Best On Ground weekly edition in 2022

Matches

All Australian Football League premiership fixtures are shown live without advertisements during play, except for the AFL Grand Final and Brownlow Medal, which are broadcast with a delay due to exclusive rights held by the Seven Network. Most games in the AFL Community Series are also aired live. Coverage includes:

Special Occasions

Coverage extends to:

Personnel

For selected matches such as Friday night games, public holiday fixtures, and finals, coverage is sourced from the Seven Network. Fox Footy utilizes Seven's live video feed—including graphics and commentary—but substitutes all ancillary footage with its own production. Starting in 2025, Fox will receive clean feeds from Seven’s broadcasts, enabling the network to incorporate its own commentary, graphics, and supplementary footage across all matches.

Commentators

Play-by-Play Announcers

Expert Analysts

Studio & Match Day Hosts

  • [Sarah Jones] has been hosting since 2016
  • [Garry Lyon] and [Kelli Underwood] both active since 2018
  • [Jason Dunstall] serves as a fill-in host from 2018 onward
  • [Kath Loughnan] joined hosting duties in 2020
  • [Ben Dixon] and [Mark Howard] began hosting roles in 2024

Field Reporters

  • [Jon Ralph] reporting since 2012
  • [Drew Jones] active since 2018
  • [Cath Durkin] reporting from 2021 onwards
  • [David Zita] joined reporting team in 2022

Hosts and contributors

AFL 360

On the Couch

Bounce

First Crack

AFL Tonight

  • Ruby Schleicher (Monday host)
  • [Drew Jones] (Tuesday host/reporter)
  • [Cath Durkin] (Wednesday host/reporter)
  • [Isabella Leembrugen] (Thursday/Friday host)
  • [Jon Ralph] (reporter)
  • [David Zita] (reporter)

Former

The following individuals have previously contributed as commentators or panel members:

Sarah Olle (2017–2021)

Brenton Speed (2017–2022)

Watch AFL

For audiences outside Australia, Fox Footy provides Watch AFL, an international streaming platform that broadcasts every match live—including the Grand Final—unlike the domestic coverage where the final is shown on a delayed basis.

See also

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Fox_Footy&oldid=64242"