Jackson said Essendon Football Club was pleased the Seven Network and Network Ten had matched the PBL offer and secured the TV rights.
""We are naturally pleased that Channel Seven is back in football. We maintained our support of the network over the past five years through a productive business partnership and that relationship extends to our home ground tenancy at the Telstra Dome,"" Jackson said. ""
""We look forward to further strengthening this relationship now that Channel 7 will have the rights from 2007,"" he said. ""We also think it is a great result for Channel 10 – a network that we have also enjoyed a very good working relationship during their time as rights holders.""
The latest TV rights deal commences in 2007 and runs through until 2011. The deal involves a cash component of about $690,000 and $90 million in contra. It is an increase $280 million on the current deal with Nine, Ten and Foxtel.
Jackson says the latest deal provides the AFL with the opportunity to cement its position as the number one sporting competition in the land. He says it also provides the AFL with the chance to set up all key stakeholders in the game beyond the next TV rights deal.
""We need to look beyond the next TV rights deal for the good of the game. I think that needs to be a real focus. Players make the game but I think the pay increase issue needs to be carefully considered in light of the inflationary impact it can have on Clubs and as a result the game as a whole,"" Jackson said. ""Clubs also need, and deserve, an increased distribution.""
""However the long-term good of the game will not be served by passing all this revenue onto players and Clubs. We need to think about how best to invest this money to generate other revenue streams that the competition can access in the long-term.
""To simply distribute all this money to stakeholders in the game will be to let an important opportunity pass. It will make the game dependant on future broadcasting rights negotiations and we have no guarantee the money paid for TV rights will continue to increase.
""The $140m per annum is a relatively small proportion of an industry that is valued by experts at being worth between $1.0 billion and $1.7 billion. The turnover of the AFL and Clubs stands at between $500m and $600m. The latest deal will increase that figure by some $50m or $60m but the lion share of revenue generated still sits outside the AFL and Clubs. The AFL needs to use this opportunity to secure access to some of this revenue.
""The AFL has discussed this with Clubs in recent times and now the AFL Commission will pursue this agenda. We certainly support this approach in the long-term interests of the game.""
