A-League again on secondary 10 channel
Free-to-air coverage of the men’s A-League competition will again be restricted to Network 10’s secondary channel when the new season kicks off on October 20.
As was the case last season, 10 Bold will show two matches – one on Saturday night and one on Sunday – each week during the regular season.
In the first season of the Network 10/Paramount + broadcast deal, 10’s main station televised a live game each Saturday night.
However, satisfied with a viewer increase last season and intent on creating “consistency” with ways to watch the A-League, Australian Professional Leagues officials were content for 10 Bold to remain the free-to-air home of the men’s competition.
“We are building from a successful season 2022-23 where crowds grew 44 per cent and broadcast viewership was up over 50 per cent on free-to-air television for the finals and saw a 48 per cent growth in minutes viewed for the A-League men’s regular season,” A-League commissioner Nick Garcia said.
The season will open on Friday, October 20 at Coopers Stadium where Adelaide United will host reigning champions, the Central Coast Mariners.
The opening round will also include a derby at AAMI Park between Melbourne City and Western United and a “Big Blue” between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory on October 21.
As previously reported, the A-League won’t stop for the January-February AFC Asian Cup but will halt for FIFA international windows.
Games also won’t kick off at 3pm or earlier from mid-December to the end of February to avoid the heat during summer, while the schedule will also include five Thursday night matches during December and January.
The A-League’s women’s season kicks off on October 13 in Gosford with an F3 derby between the Mariners and the Newcastle Jets.
The finals series for the women’s competition will expand to include six teams and run similarly to the men’s playoffs.
All women’s matches will be shown live on 10 Play and Paramount +, which will also broadcast all men’s games.
A-League men’s round 1 matches (AEDT):Oct 20: Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners, Coopers Stadium, 7.45pm. Oct 21: Macarthur FC v Brisbane Roar, Campbelltown Stadium, 3,30pm; Melbourne City v Western United, AAMI Park, 5.30pm; Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory, Allianz Stadium, 7.45pm. Oct 22: Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix, CommBank Stadium, 3pm; Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets, HBF Park, 7.45pm.
Originally published as Two free-to-air A-League matches each weekend to again be shown on 10 Bold in new season
Source: News
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