Global Advance,a start-up launched in 2021 aiming to “break the duopoly” of sporting production in Australia held by NEP and Gravity,has been responsible for bringing the A-Leagues to the screens of Network Ten and Paramount+ for the past two and half seasons.
Global Advance has been producing the TV production of A-Leagues matches for over two years.Getty
The Australian Professional Leagues,the club-run entity that operates the A-Leagues,partnered with Global Advance in a bid to bring down costs,having taken on the responsibility of production as part of their deal with Paramount,a rare move in Australian sport because most other codes leave it to the broadcasters.
On Wednesday,Global Advance went into administration,and the APL said in a statement that the development had put their fans,players,club,and broadcast and commercial commitments in jeopardy.
“We have been let down,and will be working with the administrators to recoup monies owing to APL,” an APL spokesperson said.
“Through a lot of hard work by a new production company,Ten-Paramount,and our team,we are close to finalising an agreement and are confident all matches will be broadcast,starting tomorrow[Thursday].
“There are many challenges that such a short timeframe presents,but we are working through this urgently with all of our stakeholders,and we thank the production company for their co-operation,flexibility and expertise at such short notice.”
Late on Thursday afternoon,the APL released a statement confirming it had reached agreement with NEP Australia to produce all matches for the remainder of the regular season and the 2024 Finals Series. Arrangements beyond the current season have not been finalised.
NEP previously oversaw production of the A-Leagues when they were on Fox Sports and produces the telecasts for most other codes in Australia.
The announcement landed just hours before the Central Coast Mariners were scheduled to face Western United in the A-League Women at 7pm on Thursday. Earlier on Thursday,a Paramount spokesperson said the company was confident Global Advance’s administration would not affect its coverage of the A-Leagues.
Sources familiar with the situation,who weren’t authorised to speak publicly,said that some APL directors had expressed doubts about Global Advance’s viability in mid-2022,and that costings were sought from NEP and Gravity in the event of a collapse of the company. Global Advance’s eventual demise has left APL about $1 million out of pocket,money the league will attempt to recoup.
Former Socceroo Robbie Slater called the situation “an embarrassing disaster” on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
It has been a tumultuous period for the APL,which split from Football Australia at the start of 2021 and has been beset by controversy ever since,with almost all the organisation’s key leaders having departed within the past six months.
In January,the APL in a bid to stabilise the body amid financial woes,having spent almost all of a $140 million cash injection provided by private equity firm Silver Lake.
The companies behind the A-Leagues broadcast are scrambling to get this week’s matches to air.Getty
Most of the staff were cut from the APL’s digital content arm,KeepUp,with new league commissioner Nick Garcia saying it was pivoting from attempting to be a “media business” to a renewed focus on the football itself.
Signing with Global Advance,instead of a proven production company,contributed to the APL’s financial problems. Sources have previously told this masthead that costs blew out to about $12 million per season due to technical issues.
Two clubs,Newcastle Jets and Canberra United,are also facing uncertain futures. The Jets have been propped up by other A-League club owners for several years,who now want out,but are yet to clinch a deal to sell it to a new investor.
Canberra United,which has played in the A-League Women for more than a decade and has been run by ACT federation Capital Football,is in limbo as the APL seeks a new owner to absorb the club and add a men’s division.
The Newcastle Jets A-League club are facing financial problems.Getty
The APL’s new chairman,Stephen Conroy,recently declared the league was no longer in a position to prop up struggling teams.
In 2022,this masthead reported that the APL had taken the unpopular decision of selling off the hosting rights to the men’s and women’s grand final,partly due to a shortfall in broadcast income,having failed to hit benchmarks in the first year of their TV contract. The grand final decision was reversed after an intense fan backlash.
Ahead of the A-Leagues’ second season with Paramount,the company moved its single weekly game on its main channel,Channel 10,to one of its secondary channels. The majority of games are shown behind a paywall on streaming service Paramount+.
Despite speculation the broadcast deal could be cut short before the contract expires,both parties have consistently insisted they remain committed to the partnership.
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