Hawthorn star signs four-year extension after Essendon bid

Subscribers have complained on social media about technology issues such as freezing, buffering, and app crashes, especially when there is high demand.

Loading

But Delany said the problems could be due to satellites affecting the weather or household bandwidth.

“What I would say is that most of the problems occur in the consumer’s home because there is no coincidence between streaming 4K live sports and the kids being on their computers and everyone else doing something,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily because we have a lot of users on our end. It’s often because Wi-Fi or broadband is being expanded at home. That doesn’t mean we’re perfect. That’s one of the things in and around broadcasting, especially in sports. Broadcasting is more complicated but overall I think we’re pretty good, if not perfect, and I’d encourage people to look at home setups. You may be getting a home signal but you may not get much or not enough through the pipe, and modern homes use a lot of bandwidth.”

The streaming service this month increased its premium service from $40 to $45.99 per month, citing the hundreds of millions of dollars it spends on a number of major sports. Kayo’s standard tier price point will remain at $29.99 per month. The premium subscription allows viewers to stream the sport on two devices simultaneously and in 4K.

There’s a $5 increase in Kayo Sports’ standard and premium packages in early 2025.

“This really reflects our ongoing investment in quality sports rights. You have to remember Kayo is not just any broadcaster. In fact, it’s probably the best broadcaster in the world, streaming 50 sports live. No one else anywhere in the world has that. No one in Australia comes close to that,” Delany said.

“It’s one thing to have 50 sports. It’s one thing to have the AFL, NRL, cricket and motorsport at the top level. They’re expensive. But what we’ve done is retain great value and we’ve kept our base price pretty low.”

Delany said Foxtel had contributed an “extraordinary amount of money” to the sport. Industry sources, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said Foxtel contributed about 70 per cent of the broadcasting rights.

Loading

The AFL has added more products to its program to help broadcasters, including the return of State of Origin and a new wildcard round that expands the finals to 10 teams.

The AFL trialled a Monday night football match in each season from 2009 to 2014, leaving it one match short of the previous day’s list of Mother’s Day matches that struggled for attendance and viewing. But the Monday night concept eventually ran into the same problem.

Sunday night games also flopped a decade ago, but Seven’s sports boss Chris Jones said this week the timeslot was now lined up alongside Thursday and Friday night games.

When asked if there was room to hold games from Monday to Wednesday, as is the case during the pandemic, Delany said: “It’s an interesting idea. We want sports to be played every night.”

Loading

“Going back to the value of the subscription, that makes it more value for the subscription.

“I think there always needs to be a balance between when it is convenient for subscribers and fans to watch the game, both in terms of the time they can spend at home and the time they can get into the game.

“You need to balance those. There may be scope for that, but it’s something we haven’t discussed with the AFL.”

Weddle married to Hawks for four more years

Peter Ryan

Rising Hawthorn star Josh Weddle has signed a four-year extension that will earn him around $900,000 per season next year.

The club confirmed the 21-year-old’s decision, which came after Essendon made a bold bid for the powerful Hawk when it was reported that the Bombers had made a seven-year offer that would earn him around $10 million to lure him away from Hawthorn.

Weddle, who will be a free agent when his next contract expires, has made a huge impact since making his debut in 2023, playing 60 games in a variety of positions.

Although he plays mainly defensively, his attacking performance in the final quarter of last year’s qualifying final against GWS turned the game in Hawthorn’s favour.

Hawthorn football boss Rob McCartney said Weddle was a key part of his plans.

“He is an important part of what we want to achieve and we are extremely confident that his best is yet to come,” McCartney said in a club statement.

“Early in his career, Josh has shown the capacity to create some special moments that can change the game or draw his teammates back into the competition.

Loading

“While his explosive running power is well documented, the evolution of Josh’s game as a defender to playing on the wing, at back and even forward highlights his versatility and dedication to play whatever role is needed to make us better.”

Weddle has been trialled in midfield and on the wing, but is expected to continue to develop his game from defence, as his poor runs and strength make him a dangerous opponent. While he may not be among the club’s best-and-fairest 10 in 2025, he is viewed as a high-ceiling match-winner.

Weddle was in demand during the 2022 national draft when the Hawks traded for Sidney, moving him ahead of the Giants, who are keen on the athletic youngster. He was selected with the 18th pick.

“There were a lot of injuries throughout the year and someone you never thought of stepped up and really shaped their career.”

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.