Fox Footy Channel

Infobox TV channel
dummy parameter=
name= Fox Footy Channel
logofile=FOX Footy Channel.svg
logosize=160px
logoalt=Fox Footy Channel Logo
launch= March 6, 2000 [ [http://video2.foxsports.com.au/video.php?cat=112&id=5857 FOX SPORTS Video Player ] ]
closed date= October 1 2006
share= 0.6%
share as of= Jul '05
share source= [http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/2005/A1_20050710.pdf]
owner= Foxtel
web=
availability note = at time of closure
terr avail=Not Available
sat serv 1=Foxtel
sat chan 1=Channel 16
sat serv 2=Austar
sat chan 2=Channel 16
cable serv 1=Foxtel Digital
cable chan 1=Channel 506
cable serv 2=Austar Digital
cable chan 2=Channel 506
cable serv 3 = Optus Television
cable chan 3 = Analogue Channel 14|

The Fox Footy Channel was a channel exclusively dedicated to Australian rules football. It was owned by Foxtel, and operated out of their Melbourne based studios. It was available on Foxtel, Austar, Optus Television, TransTV and Neighbourhood Cable up until transmission was ceased at 4.00am on 1st October 2006, its final program to air was a replay of the 2006 AFL Grand Final.

The channel was created in 2000 after News Limited won the television broadcast rights to the AFL for the 2000-2006 seasons. It granted to free to air rights to the Seven Network, Nine Network and Network Ten and granted the subscription rights to Foxtel. Fox Footy was originally offered by Foxtel for an additional subscription during the first four seasons of the rights agreement, however it was moved to the Basic package effective 2004-02-01, making it available to all Foxtel subscribers without additional charge for the balance of its life. [ [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/03/1072908951765.html Fox Footy package is free for a price] . From "The Age" online, 2004-01-04. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.]

Due to broadcasting rights, each state had a separate version of the channel to allow free-to-air right holders exclusive live coverage. For example, if Channel Ten broadcast a match between the Adelaide Crows and Sydney Swans live in Adelaide, Fox Footy would have been prevented from showing the match live, where as if Ten didn't broadcast it in Melbourne, Fox Footy would be allowed to show it live there. Fox Footy typically repeated all matches after they were played, although often with the commentary of the free-to-air network that presented it live originally. Fox Footy only broadcast the AFL and not any state football leagues such as SANFL, WAFL or VFL.

The future of the channel was placed in doubt after the awarding of the AFL rights from 2007 to the Seven Network and Network Ten. On the 23rd of August, 2006, Foxtel announced the Fox Footy Channel would cease broadcasting at the conclusion of the current AFL season. Foxtel CEO Kim Williams stated "It's not financially viable to continue operating a 24-hour-a-day (Australian rules) football channel when we can only get three live games a week and not on the terms we have sought." [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Sport/Broadcasters-brawl-as-Foxtel-axes-AFL/2006/08/23/1156012608114.html Broadcasters brawl as Foxtel axes AFL] . Article from AAP via "The Sydney Morning Herald" online, 2006-08-23.] Seven and Ten came to terms with Foxtel and four games per round will be shown on pay-TV, through the Fox Sports channels.

Commentary Team

* Clinton Grybas(dec)
* Matthew Campbell
* Jason Bennett
* Kevin Bartlett
* Gerard Healy
* Jason Dunstall
* Wayne Schwass
* Alistair Lynch "(special comments)"
* Tony Shaw "(special comments)"
* Wayne Carey "(special comments)"
* Tiffany Cherry "(boundary rider)"

The Sunday afternoon game covered by Fox Footy usually had the combination of Grybas, Carey and Healy; Saturday afternoon saw Bennett, Schwass, Lynch and Shaw; while Bartlett and Campbell were among the Saturday night match commentators.

Programming

Fox Footy not only televised live AFL games, but produced and aired many other programs including:

* White Line Fever
* Saturday Central
* On the Couch
* The Gospel
* Grumpy Old Men
* Classic Quarters
* The Fox Footy Archive
* Fox League Teams
* Fox Footy Feature
* From The FOX Footy Vault
* Footy Flashbacks

Legacy

References to Fox Footy still appear on hotels and clubs around Australia.

Another thing that is remembered is the last words on the channel before the replay, spoken by Clinton Grybas, who introduced the channel with the introduction of:

Good to have you with us, welcome to the program, indeed welcome to the channel, football's new home ground.

.

The final words were:

"Well I guess as I was the one who welcomed you on this bold adventure five years ago, it's only fitting that I'm here to say goodbye."

This last line Clinton Grybas said is ironic as he was found dead a little over two years later.

The BigPond member-only channel Footy TV serves as a sort of a descendant, because the channel shows replays of all AFL matches during the week, but, unlike Fox Footy Channel, no live games are shown.

References