AFL on Radio

(Updated after email from SiriusXM to AFANA.) The SiriusXM satellite radio service announced today (6/4/20) that they will add AFL coverage for the first time with a "match of the week" and a weekly radio show hosted by Eddie McGuire, AFL commentator and Collingwood president. The first radio show will run tonight, June 4^th, at 6 PM EDT for an hour and then each Thursday at the same time. 

"Aussie Football Rules America with Eddie McGuire" will run "on SiriusXM's Dan Patrick Radio channel (ch. 211), recapping the previous week's AFL action and looking ahead at the exciting matches in the weekend ahead" according to the press release issued today, and the broadcasts are also online at SiriusXM.com and on the SiriusXM app for connected devices and speakers. The full press release is given below, courtesy of PR Newswire. (Home page users click on "Read more".) It will be available in the US and in Canada since channel 211 is available in both countries.

The first radio broadcast tonight (6/4/20) will be a replay of the 2018 Grand Final between West Coast and Collingwood and will follow the radio show hosted by McGuire. This to be the Triple M coverage from that day and the weekly matches to be one of those covered by Triple M. The coverage will be on delay, repeated from the previous weekend each week, and follow the McGuire hosted show. Coverage of finals and the Grand Final is included. Matches will be condensed to fit in a two-hour time slot. AFANA will follow up with SiriusXM and add more to this in the coming days and update our radio page. SiriusXM will be providing AFANA with the match selected each week in advance of the Thursday airing. (Update: 6/5/20: Our staff writer in Melbourne, Johnson Leung, reports that Melbourne media is suggesting that the weekly match could be the Thursday night match from 14 hours earlier and that the Grand Final could be live. We're following up with SiriusXM. 6/9/20: our radio page now has match schedules.)

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NEW YORK, June 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SiriusXM announced today that it is adding Australian Football League programming to its sports lineup for the first time ever, featuring a new exclusive show hosted by Australian media icon Eddie McGuire, as well as play-by-play broadcasts of an AFL Match of the Week.

Another note to alert everyone that AFANA is closely tracking any developments the AFL makes to their season plans going forward. For now, everything downunder is suspended and the league is desperately trying to manage the financial impact. Fox Sports in the US is airing re-runs from March all month on Fox Soccer Plus but no other channel at this time. TSN is not airing any AFL coverage so far as we know in Canada. Our TV schedules are up to date through the end of April. Other pages like the radio page, draw pages, etc. will be updated as things become clearer. 

Fans have also asked for an AFANA financial status report. It's still unstable in the long run but thanks to some limited sales commissions from WatchAFL and severe cost cutting, we will survive for the next few months for sure. As long as the season is shut down, that revenue will cease after May and we'll reassess where we are in early June. We badly need donations, particularly monthly commitments to cement our long term survival. We know that all of the chaos brought about by the COVID-19 virus puts added financial pressure on each of you as well. If you are fortunate and can spare some dollars please consider a donation using either of our donation buttons (GoFundMe or PayPal) at the top of the page. Consider $10 a month but any amount helps. Thanks for your support.

Just a quick note to alert everyone that AFANA is closely following any changes the AFL makes to their schedule, whether it ends up being a shortened season as indicated overnight or is ultimately canceled. That will have a ripple effect on our TV schedules, radio page, draw pages, etc.  As the dust settles we will make the necessary updates or notes but it might take awhile for everything to trickle down to the entire site and the networks to catch up.

Fans have also asked about where we are financially. It's still precarious and we badly need donations to pay the bills and debts. We know that all of the chaos brought about by the COVID-19 virus puts added financial pressure on each of you as well as on our long term viability. Please continue to consider a donation using either of our donation buttons at the top of the page. Thanks for your support.

(This post will be updated with any changes right up to match time and network schedules often change.)(9/23/19: TSN pre-game coverage start time moved back to 9:00 PM. All coverage and times are now confirmed.)
Fox Soccer Plus (FSP) in the USA and TSN2 in Canada will carry the 2019 Grand Final between Richmond and Greater Western Sydney LIVE on Friday night / Saturday morning, September 27^th / 28^th. US coverage on FSP will begin at approximately 12:24 AM EDT Saturday. Coverage will continue until approximately 3:30 AM EDT Saturday concluding after the match. No other pre- or post-match coverage will be provided on Fox. FSP will air multiple repeats of the game. Set your DVR accordingly and add extra recording time before as the match starts earlier than the half-hour and the feed may start unexpectedly (most guides show the start time as 12:30 AM so you'll miss at least 6 minutes if you don't) and after so you don't miss anything if the match is extended due to a tie at the end of the 4th quarter!

Canadian coverage on TSN2 will begin with the pregame at 9:00 PM EDT Friday and the game coverage at 12:24 AM EDT Saturday and run to 3:30 AM EDT Saturday.

If you have no access to either of the preceding options, the game will be live via the internet on WatchAFL (payment required, US$23 for individuals) and you can sign up at this link.  WatchAFL coverage will begin at 12:24 AM EDT however, they will have pre-match coverage beginning at 7:00 PM EDT and post-match coverage for as long as the Fox Footy in Australia continues. Pre- and post-match are relayed on the Fox Footy feed area of the service. Free coverage by internet radio is also available; check our AFL Radio page.

Fans should check our TV Schedule page for full TV listings including any repeats and our TV Info page for more information on FSP, WatchAFL, and TSN2. Party venues should contact us for commercial subscription discounts. For those looking for parties, see our listings on our Grand Final Party page. (Note: the only live coverage in North America is via these outlets and they are available nationally via cable and satellite services -- see our TV Info page. Asking us if there are others will not get you a different answer because there isn't one.)

(Update: 11/25/14: Fox Soccer Plus has added live coverage of the AFL Draft to its schedule. See our TV Schedule page for details. Update: 11/27/14 12:10 AM EST: FSP has the draft listed on their schedules 24 hrs later than we believe it actually takes place. We are not sure what they will air.) For US fans, there will be live coverage of the International Rules match between the AFL and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Coverage of Australia v Ireland will begin at 4:30 AM US EST from Perth on Saturday November 22^nd. Both Fox Soccer Plus and WatchAFL will carry the match live. (See our TV Schedule page for the full schedule with times and repeats.) WatchAFL coverage will cost US$10 and also includes coverage of the AFL Draft on November 27^th (3:00 AM US EDT Thanksgiving Day). At this time only WatchAFL will be available in Canada and Mexico. For those listening via internet radio, all of the major Melbourne sports stations will have some coverage of the draft. Only SEN will provide full live coverage of both events from Australia. There will also be internet radio coverage via RTÉ 1 from Ireland.

The following is the time line for the the Grand Final day events including key times for match and TV related activities. All times are listed first in Australian AEST and then in US EDT. This is based on information from the AFL, AFANA, press reports and past history. This story will be periodically updated with late information. (Revised 9/25/14)

Start Time AEST	Start Time US EDT	End Time AEST	End Time US EDT	Event	US / Can Network Coverage
7:00 AM	5:00 PM	11:00 AM	9:00 PM	AFL Game Day from the MCG (Ch. Seven Australia) Not available in US or Canada.	None
10:00 AM	8:00 PM			3AW radio pregame begins. NAB Academy All-Stars match (Australia Under 17s v Allies Under 18s) at the MCG (streamed online). At half-time of curtain raiser, TAC Cup presentation.	None

Coverage of the International Rules series between Ireland and Australia is on PremierSports TV (only) in the US (and probably Canada, too). It is available via online payment or at many Irish bars and pubs which carry Irish sports. There are two matches; October 19 and 26 at 2 PM EDT (delayed not live if the time they provided is correct). Go to

http://www.premiumsports.tv/

or call (415) 400-4869 for more info. Cost is $14.99 per match and online at Ustream TV. The AFL has confirmed be no coverage on AFL-TV or Australian radio for North American fans. See

http://www.ustream.tv/internationalrules for more info.

RTÉ from Ireland will provide live radio coverage on RTÉ Radio 1 beginning at 2:45 PM Dublin time (9:45 AM US EDT) . You can listen at this direct link:

http://av.rasset.ie/av/live/radio/radio1.m3u

or via their web player at http://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/rteradiowebpage.html

The following is the time line for the the Grand Final day events including key times for match and TV related activities. All times are listed first in Australian AEST and then in US EDT. This is based on information from the AFL, AFANA, press reports and past history. This story will be periodically updated with late information. (Revised 9/26/13 We have had major reductions in US coverage.Awaiting word on Canada. See our note here.)

Start Time AEST	Start Time US EDT	End Time AEST	End Time US EDT	Event	US / Can Network Coverage
7:00 AM	5:00 PM	11:00 AM	9:00 PM	AFL Game Day from the MCG (Ch. Seven Australia) Not available in US or Canada.	None
10:00 AM	8:00 PM			3AW radio pregame begins.	First radio coverage

[Revised 8 Feb 2013 with details on Fox plans and Canada and 10, 11, and 12 Feb with more on AFL-TV. Revised 27 Feb with more from Fox. Revised 13 March with more on Fox. Also initial TV schedules were posted on the main TV schedule page.. Readers on the home page please press "Read More" below to see this entire article. Also see the comments.] AFANA has some preliminary information on the internet and TV coverage for the upcoming 2013 season. We will be updating this post over the next few weeks as more information becomes available. Here are the main points to know:

* The AFL has indicated that Fox Soccer Plus (FSP) will provide the same coverage in 2013 as in 2012 and that means two live matches per week with occasional repeats. Fox has not yet responded to our inquiries so we do not have confirmation from their end. However, since this is consistent with what both the AFL and Fox said was the agreed deal for 2012-2014 we have minimal concern. [Update: 27 Feb.: Fox has replied, telling AFANA in part: "We will be broadcasting the 2013 AFL Season. There will be a minimum of 2 live games per week on FOX Soccer Plus, in HD, with the season kicking off Saturday, March 23rd. We will be broadcasting every playoff match including the Grand Final."]

* AFANA is aware of various reports on the plans by Fox to convert several existing channels to national sports channels

The following is the time line for the the Grand Final day events including key times for match and TV related activities.   All times are listed first in Australian AEST and then in US EDT.  This is based on information from the AFL, AFANA, press reports and past history. This story will be periodically updated with late information.  (Revised 9/28/12)

Start Time AEST	Start Time US EDT	End Time AEST	End Time US EDT	Event	US / Can Network Coverage
7:00 AM	5:00 PM	11:00 AM	9:00 PM	Season in Review / Grand Final Day from the MCG (Ch. Seven Australia) Not available in US or Canada.	None
11:00 AM	9:00 PM			Grand Final Preview (Relayed from Ch. Seven Australia). SEN radio pregame begins. Coverage on FSP begins.	Fox Soccer Plus (FSP)