Football Federation Australia has this week issued tender documents for the next set of broadcast rights to the A-League, the top tier of domestic club football.
The Australian Financial Review said FFA is seeking offers by a deadline of December 9, with a view to potentially completing agreements before Christmas.
The newspaper said FFA is targeting a deal that would encompass at least four seasons of the A-League, commencing from 2017-18.
Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports and public-service broadcaster SBS are currently engaged in four-year deals with FFA, running from 2013-14 to 2016-17, worth A$160m (€111m/$117.7m). The rights encompass the A-League, along with the Australian national team and the Asian Football Confederation’s Asian Cup tournament.
The FFA has previously indicated that it is hoping to double its annual rights income for the A-League to A$80m in the next cycle. Fox Sports currently holds a ‘last rights’ clause in its contract which enables it to match any offers the FFA receives from other parties.