NEW BROADCAST DEAL LEAVES FANS DISAPPOINTED

Football Australia’s new broadcast deal with Paramount Australia is being touted as a major victory for Australian football, but for many sports fans, it’s a significant letdown. The four-year agreement will see Network 10 and Paramount+ broadcast all matches involving the Socceroos and the Matildas, with one major exception: the next Men’s World Cup.

Under this new arrangement, the Matildas’ next two major tournaments—the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, hosted by Australia, and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil—will be part of the broadcast package. However, the vast majority of games in these tournaments will be shown behind the Paramount+ paywall. Of the many matches in these events, only six from the Asian Cup and 15 from the Women’s World Cup will be available on free-to-air television. While it is expected that the free-to-air matches will feature the Matildas, fans who want to catch all the action will need to shell out nearly $100 a year for a Paramount+ subscription.

This decision follows criticism Network 10 faced in July for placing the Matildas’ final Olympic tune-up match against Canada behind a paywall. Similarly, in June, Socceroos fans were frustrated when their World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh was available exclusively on Paramount+.

The Matildas’ impressive run to the semi-finals in last year’s Women’s FIFA World Cup, hosted in Australia, shattered TV viewership records, highlighting the significant value in securing the broadcast rights to their games. Paramount Australia’s strategy to place a substantial portion of upcoming matches behind its paywall is likely aimed at driving more subscribers to their streaming service, with subscriptions starting at $6.99 per month.

While the deal may benefit Paramount Australia, it has left many fans feeling alienated, especially those who were hoping to see more matches on free-to-air television. The move underscores the growing trend of sports events moving to paid streaming platforms, raising concerns about accessibility and the future of sports viewership in Australia.