It appears likely that Fox will seek a renegotiation of the contract for less money,which has prompted FFA to consider different methods of structuring the 15-year partnership between the pay-TV provider and the sport.
Industry sources claim FFA chief executive James Johnson recently toured the facilities of NEP,the company to which Fox outsources its production work for all sports in Australia,and also runs the NRL's bunker and the A-League's central VAR booth.
Johnson confirmed the visit to theHerald but while he did not offer further comment on the A-League's future,other sources within the game say it is inevitable that the sport will take on production costs,which traditionally sit with broadcasters like Fox.
Global Sports and Media director Colin Smith,a previous broadcast rights advisor to the AFL and NRL,estimates the cost of producing a season of the A-League at the moment would be between $12 to $15 million.
By taking on the responsibility of production,FFA could find ways of reducing these expenses,then sell the content directly to Fox or its streaming subsidiary Kayo - or another media service if their partnership was to end.
"Looking at doing it themselves I think is really smart,"Smith said."You're then open to more broadcast partners who don't have the ability or the history of production,and doing things differently rather than just having a singular relationship with a broadcaster who does the production.