Australian football broadcast to N America —
I'll be travelling to Vancouver and Seattle for the last half of September. I'll be doing some work at University of Washington. I'll also be taking my 7-year-old daughter and introducing her to my father and sister. I'm really looking forward to the trip.
But while we are across the big pond, the Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final will occur. As a committed Western Bulldogs member, there is a chance that they could be in it. But even if not, I want to see the match. Up until yesterday, I knew of only one neighbourhood pub in Vancouver that was bringing it in on a pay-per-view channel.
This morning I am informed (via the organiser of an Australian ex-pat meet-up group in Vancouver) that the AFL has just signed a broadcast rights deal with ESPN and its affiliated TSN in Canada. This deal will bring live game coverage in each of the 22 rounds of the season, plus finals. Starting immediately!! Woo-hoo!
Now I just need to find some people to view the match with who will understand that there is no perversion in yelling "Ball!!!" or "Another bloody behind!"
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That's great news. Not that I ever purchased a membership, but I did start cheering for the Kangaroos while I was (briefly) living in Australia. And I remember watching on television here in Canada many years ago, when it was the VFL.
Posted by Downes 08 August 2009 11:17 am | link
Actually, there has been live coverage widely available in the USA and Canada since 2006 and due to the financial issues of Setanta Sports, the coverage changed. Some fans think for the worse. AFANA.com is the go to source for fan and TV info in North America.
Posted by Rob de Santos 09 August 2009 08:32 am | link