This masthead revealed last week that A-League clubs were forced to contemplatethe controversial $12 million sale of their grand final hosting rights partly due to a shortfall in broadcast income this season,after failing to hit benchmarks in the first year of their TV contract with Network 10.

The APL’s contract with Network 10 was renegotiated earlier this year,which led to A-League Men’s matches being moved off the main channel to 10 Bold on Saturday nights,and all A-League Women’s games taken off their terrestrial channels entirely and placed on 10Play,their free streaming service.

Beverley McGarvey,Network 10’s co-vice president said in May that she “absolutely” wanted better ratings for A-League Men’s matches,which were averaging around 86,000 at the time,according to data from measurement provider Oz TAM.

Sources told this masthead that the APL was required by a clause in that contract to achieve a certain number of subscriptions for Paramount+,the paid streaming service,which launched last year in Australia and shows the majority of A-Leagues matches,but fell short of reaching the required target.

As a result,the APL received less money than anticipated from Network 10 this season,and distributions to the 12 clubs were lower as a result. The agreement between the APL and Destination NSW sparked fury among fans,players and stakeholders.

Almost every A-League club or chairman has now released a public statement,either disagreeing with the move to strip hosting rights for the grand finals away from the highest-ranking team or accepting it as a decision that had to be made for the greater good.

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