ESPN2

Submitted on Sun, 05/16/2010 - 8:05 PM EDT

The first live AFL match on ESPN2 will air this coming Saturday night / Sunday morning US time when Carlton v Hawthorn is aired by the network. This surprise word has reached AFANA and we feel confident this will happen however we are seeking final confirmation of the schedule from ESPN (Ed. note: 5/17/10: ESPN now confirmed!) and the AFL and will revise this story when that is received. The match coverage will begin at approximately 12:00 MN EDT Sunday 23 May running until 3:00 AM EDT. Not since the early 1980's has an AFL match aired live on either of the two flagship networks of ESPN. We expect the audience for this match may surpass last year's Grand Final on ESPN Classic as the most viewed AFL match in US history. The match will also be available on ESPN3.com.

Fans are encourage to watch this web site for any future updates and to get the word out. The more fans who watch this match and the higher the ratings the better for the future of live coverage on ESPN2. Please send fans to this site for the facts and accurate information on any schedule changes. If you plan a viewing party please let us know. While we won't be doing full blown listings like we do for the Grand Final, we will compile any information sent to us and provide a summary listing. (If you send a listing, please provide a contact phone number or e-mail address and a location [venue, city, state] or we will not include your listing. Thanks.) We will also be making updated info available in a more condensed form on our Twitter feed and Facebook page. Links are to the right of this article.

2010 Television Coverage for US and Canada Announced

Submitted on Wed, 02/17/2010 - 10:43 PM EST

The 2010 season TV coverage for North America is finally becoming clear. For the most part, coverage will not be different than what was the case in August and September of last season. The primary US coverage will be via internet broadband on ESPN360.com. This is free if your ISP has a deal with ESPN [about 50% of US homes including internet providers Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications, etc. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks]. We will be posting round by round schedules for virtually the entire AFL season shortly. Round 1 will have

Grand Final Coverage Bulletin

Submitted on Thu, 09/03/2009 - 8:33 PM EDT

Do Not Adjust Your Television Set (Here We Go Again!)

(Update: 09/21/09: This story is no longer being updated. See here)
(Update: 09/15/09: For our Canadian fans, TSN2 will carry the Grand Final live.)
(Update: 09/14/09: The Grand Final will be live on ESPN Classic and ESPN360. The AFL and ESPN have confirmed this. Coverage will begin just before bouncedown at 12:25 AM EDT and run until 3:30 AM EDT. ~~We are still awaiting word on TSN for Canada.)~~
(Update: 09/10/09: We are in on-going communication with the AFL and monitoring progress on this issue. We are guardedly optimistic a positive resolution will be found. However, if things do not move forward very soon AFANA will not hesitate to tell you, the fan, what you can do to help get the Grand Final live.) The current ESPN TV schedule shows that ESPN2 will air the AFL Grand Final at 2:00 AM EDT on Saturday, September 26, 2009. The Grand Final will be edited for a two-hour window and will be delayed two hours. For Canadians, at present TSN has not committed to any confirmed coverage at all.

We are in constant contact with the AFL about the situation. The AFL international broadcasting staff in Melbourne is working with ESPN and "pushing for live." The AFL will keep us posted with updates as they happen on that front.

We will continue to keep AFANA members and footy fans apprised of the situation, so stay tuned. Starting next week, we will provide some ideas as to what all footy fans in North America can and should do (whether it is to lobby ESPN, call local stations, make voodoo dolls, etc.) to see if we can get the a live broadcast of the game.

Thank you for your time. Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Back To The Future: Why AFANA Matters

Submitted by admincms on Sun, 08/30/2009 - 8:20 AM EDT

About three years ago, I wrote an entry on my blog here at AFANA.com on "Why AFANA Is Important Even If You Don't Get The Footy Now". My argument then, in a nutshell, was this: If the only time you support what we do is when you are happy with the coverage, we might not be there on the day when you are not. Or alternately, if you only visit our site when you feel you need us, don't be surprised if we aren't able to help you.

TV Coverage Returns to ESPN and TSN

Submitted on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 11:57 PM EDT

This article is out of date. For info good in 2018 go to TV Info.

Begins with Round 19 for USA and Canada

For the first time since 1997, the Australian Football League will be on an ESPN network in North America. Following the demise of the sport on Setanta, the AFL has struck a deal for live coverage on ESPN360, limited coverage on ESPN2, and for Canada, on TSN and TSN2. AFANA worked closely

The ESPN Deal And History

Submitted by admincms on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 2:43 PM EDT

One of the luxuries of being the "Chairman Emeritus" is that I get to help but I'm no longer responsible for the nitty gritty between the AFL, networks, and AFANA on TV issues. I can also offer my perspective as the "old man" on the block -- the gray haired veteran with (hopefully) sage wisdom. Now that the details are finally being published on the new AFL contract with ESPN and TSN in North America, I can also talk more freely without jeopardizing contract negotiations.

Fans are already starting to weigh in and predictably

Television Coverage Q & A

Here are some answers to questions and comments we get frequently here at AFANA. (9/2015: This page is no longer maintained. It is obsolete. Go here for information.)

If you have a question please let us know by contacting us and if your question seems relevant to others, we may add it here. This information in this FAQ has not been fully updated in a long time. Some old questions are kept for reference purposes.

Contents:
1. I can't find the network or the times Aussie Rules is on the TV!

2. We got no warning that footy was leaving Fox!

3. Will Setanta show more than one live game per week?

4. There are too many commercials on Setanta and all they do is promote their own programs. They should show interviews and other halftime coverage, too.

Television Info - Aussie Rules TV Coverage for North America in 2020

Australian Rules Football Television Coverage in 2020

We have full schedules at our AFL TV schedules page.
We have weekly radio listings for the AFL at our AFL Radio page

(7/06/20): We have the schedules for coverage of the resumption of the AFL season on our schedules page. These are the changes in coverage for 2020: There is live coverage on FS1 & FS2 and on all TSN [Canada] networks including multiple live matches. ESPN carries two live games per week on ESPN1/ESPN2/ESPN3 (no repeats) for the rest of 2020 and schedules will be updated as we receive them. The expanded coverage on ESPN, FS1, and FS2 is not guaranteed to continue past the end of this season as the future contract status is not yet known. Repeats are only on FSP. We also have the WatchAFL schedule. We remain in touch with the networks and will update this notice with more information when available. Schedules, as released so far, are through July 12^th for the US and 16^th for Canada. WatchAFL subscription changed as of the start of round 2.

This page will give you the basic facts you need to know about TV Coverage in the USA, Canada, and Mexico in 2019 and is expected to be largely unchanged from late 2018. Information will be updated as necessary throughout the 2019 season. It appears we will get one live game per week on FS2 (rarely on FS1) and three on FSP. This year there is extensive coverage of the AFLW, AFLX, and AFL preseason. Coverage in Canada is unchanged from last year, mostly on TSN2 and occasionally other TSN channels.