Australian commercial broadcaster Seven has renewed a rights deal with the South Australian National Football League Aussie rules competition.
The new agreement will cover the 2017 and 2018 campaigns, with Seven’s main channel showing a match of the week, usually on a Saturday afternoon.
The agreement, which includes a further four-year option to extend at the end of the 2018 season, will also allow Seven to continue broadcasting the Magarey Medal and Hall of Fame events.
“People have been telling us they love the traditional Saturday afternoon timeslot, so we’ve worked hard with Seven to make it happen in 2017,” the league’s chief executive, Jake Parkinson, said. “We are also delighted that the match of the week will be shown on the main channel, which is testament to the great ratings SANFL has achieved across the Seven Network over the past three years.”
The 2016 season culminated with the Grand Final attracting an average of 117,000 viewers – a 50,000 increase on the previous year.