But the financial crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has also impacted media companies,dramatically reducing an already declining capacity to spend big on rights fees and creating uncertain investment conditions,according to Global Media&Sports director Colin Smith.
"You couldn't pick a worse time,"Smith told theHerald."The world has been turned on its head and the business of sport is going to be affected,probably more than any other. This will be a reset."
Another senior media industry figure,who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of talks related to football,said every rights buyer in the world would be approaching new investments with an abundance of caution.
"The reality is everybody is going to be extremely cautious going forward because nothing is being played at the moment and nobody actually has any idea when stuff will come back,"the source said.
"Sports bodies the world over have not cottoned on to the fact that the world has fundamentally and structurally changed,and it's not going to be the same."
Fox Sports has not yet revealed its intentions regarding the A-Leaguebut could use the COVID-19 outbreak as an opportunity to renegotiate the current contract at a much lower price,or to pull out of the agreement entirely.