$5 million foxtel Pub's deal cancelled-Today's herald sun

[jk23]

FOOTY fans who don't have Foxtel at home will soon find it harder to pop down to the local pub to watch a game.

Bruce Mathieson, who owns more than 260 pubs, has cancelled a deal with Foxtel worth more than $5 million a year.

Two months of negotiations between the pub-and-pokies magnate and the pay-TV operator broke down last Friday.

Under the AFL licence agreement, Fox Sports broadcasts four games each week -- half the round.

Fans without the pay-TV service may have to find another way to watch their team in action.

Bruce Mathieson Jr, who helps his father run the pub-and-pokies empire, told the Herald Sun the right to show AFL games had become far too expensive.

He said showing footy games on Foxtel cost each pub more than $20,000 a year.

"For a pub it's in the thousands and it gets to one of those things, it's a question of value," Mr Mathieson said.

"Our fees go into the millions. We just didn't think we were getting value for money."

Mr Mathieson said Foxtel would be switched off on Friday. But free-to-air AFL games would still be shown.

"We get the best games on free-to-air and it's just a business decision we've made," Mr Mathieson said.

"They were trying to sting us a fair bit more.

"With all the new AFL broadcast deals they brought out a new price list and it's pretty expensive.

"We had a contract for two years. It was up for renewal and we went to negotiate and we didn't see the value in it."

The Mathieson empire also controls more than a quarter of Victoria's 27,500 poker machines.

An AFL spokesman said it couldn't comment on the issue last night. The Australian Hotels Association also declined to comment.

[Banger2Plugger]

Well, fortunately they don't own every pub!!!!

Now if I were Foxtel - wouldn't a couple of million be better to receive than nothing at all ?

As a viewer who can't afford Foxtel in my own home - I'll be searching for his competitor and take my business elsewhere.

My condolences for those who will be unable to do the same.

[Solar]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......

This is how he deals with people, pla hard ball and they come back with a better deal....

but just shows how pathetic the TV deal is at present..... so when your team is playing interstate people need to pay for fox or miss seeing their team play....

[ausfatcat]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......

This is how he deals with people, pla hard ball and they come back with a better deal....

but just shows how pathetic the TV deal is at present..... so when your team is playing interstate people need to pay for fox or miss seeing their team play....

Wasn't that the whole idea of it?


At least now you can see it if you really want to. There was never 8 games shown on live TV and there never will be, so it's not that bad of a situation (would be better if there were 6 games live thou).

[saintspremiers]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......

This is how he deals with people, pla hard ball and they come back with a better deal....

but just shows how pathetic the TV deal is at present..... so when your team is playing interstate people need to pay for fox or miss seeing their team play....

I wonder reading between the lines if foxtel actually paid Bruce a sum of money to remove fox sports from his pubs, thereby encouraging a higher subscription rate.

Bruce aint a dill!

[Solar]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......

This is how he deals with people, pla hard ball and they come back with a better deal....

but just shows how pathetic the TV deal is at present..... so when your team is playing interstate people need to pay for fox or miss seeing their team play....

I wonder reading between the lines if foxtel actually paid Bruce a sum of money to remove fox sports from his pubs, thereby encouraging a higher subscription rate.

Bruce aint a dill!

especiall since most pubs they own do not have the TAB so fox isn't the be all, anyway it stops people from playing the pokies!

my gripe was never that games were shown on fox but the fact that two victorian teams are shown into melbourne over a vic team interstate should never have been allowed by the AFL when they developed the TV rights deal. Two vic teams playing interstate even more so.

When ever someone brings this issue up people suggest we stop complaigning and go down to the nearest pub.... me thinks this might not be a good argument in the future!

[plugger66]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......

This is how he deals with people, pla hard ball and they come back with a better deal....

but just shows how pathetic the TV deal is at present..... so when your team is playing interstate people need to pay for fox or miss seeing their team play....

I wonder reading between the lines if foxtel actually paid Bruce a sum of money to remove fox sports from his pubs, thereby encouraging a higher subscription rate.

Bruce aint a dill!

especiall since most pubs they own do not have the TAB so fox isn't the be all, anyway it stops people from playing the pokies!

my gripe was never that games were shown on fox but the fact that two victorian teams are shown into melbourne over a vic team interstate should never have been allowed by the AFL when they developed the TV rights deal. Two vic teams playing interstate even more so.

When ever someone brings this issue up people suggest we stop complaigning and go down to the nearest pub.... me thinks this might not be a good argument in the future!

Well I would suggest you save $10 a week at get Foxtel at home. We get all games live which is better than we have ever had it.

[Solar]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......

This is how he deals with people, pla hard ball and they come back with a better deal....

but just shows how pathetic the TV deal is at present..... so when your team is playing interstate people need to pay for fox or miss seeing their team play....

I wonder reading between the lines if foxtel actually paid Bruce a sum of money to remove fox sports from his pubs, thereby encouraging a higher subscription rate.

Bruce aint a dill!

especiall since most pubs they own do not have the TAB so fox isn't the be all, anyway it stops people from playing the pokies!

my gripe was never that games were shown on fox but the fact that two victorian teams are shown into melbourne over a vic team interstate should never have been allowed by the AFL when they developed the TV rights deal. Two vic teams playing interstate even more so.

When ever someone brings this issue up people suggest we stop complaigning and go down to the nearest pub.... me thinks this might not be a good argument in the future!

Well I would suggest you save $10 a week at get Foxtel at home. We get all games live which is better than we have ever had it.

thats fine for me but not everyone can afford it.. plus it's not just the start up fee, its the sport extras isn't it...

I guess its the point of it all that I argue about

[sunsaint]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......


When ever someone brings this issue up people suggest we stop complaigning and go down to the nearest pub.... me thinks this might not be a good argument in the future!

Well I would suggest you save $10 a week at get Foxtel at home. We get all games live which is better than we have ever had it.

How do you get the footy for $40 a month?
that would only cover the base package

[plugger66]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......


When ever someone brings this issue up people suggest we stop complaigning and go down to the nearest pub.... me thinks this might not be a good argument in the future!

Well I would suggest you save $10 a week at get Foxtel at home. We get all games live which is better than we have ever had it.

How do you get the footy for $40 a month?
that would only cover the base package

I think basic with sport might be $53 a month so that is about 12 per week . Only a couple of dollars extra.

[Solar]

poor poor bruce LOL

as if they struggle to make 20k ..... thats a pokies room intake in a week......


When ever someone brings this issue up people suggest we stop complaigning and go down to the nearest pub.... me thinks this might not be a good argument in the future!

Well I would suggest you save $10 a week at get Foxtel at home. We get all games live which is better than we have ever had it.

How do you get the footy for $40 a month?
that would only cover the base package

I think basic with sport might be $53 a month so that is about 12 per week . Only a couple of dollars extra.

3 hours of football every month equals about $70 an hour for right to watch the saints...

point being is that they should have written into the contract that when there is two games on and one contains a vic side playing interstate compared to two vic teams in melbourne then the vic playing interstate should be shown...

of course it could get worse and they don't show certain games.... like WA

[saintspremiers]

Is this issue not all the more reason for our footy club to get foxtel set up at Moorabbin???

Provided of course something can be done to avoid paying 20K for the license fee of course!

Surely we find some advertising for a nice little contra for foxtel to help things out a bit eh???

[iwantmeseats]

Is this issue not all the more reason for our footy club to get foxtel set up at Moorabbin???

Provided of course something can be done to avoid paying 20K for the license fee of course!

Surely we find some advertising for a nice little contra for foxtel to help things out a bit eh???

Yep. Amd really, I mean...surely there is a saints supporter with foxtel somewhere along linton street. A 60mtr RCA cable would do the job.