The 2025 AFL season will deliver the type of coverage never seen on such scale. In the first year of the league’s new $4.5 billion, seven-season broadcast deal, Fox Footy will now show all matches live complete with its own commentary teams, including in the marquee Friday-night slot, while the number of news and analysis shows have exploded, with Seven, Fox and Nine all making a splash.
Here’s what you need to know to lock in your weekly calendar.
Kane Cornes will host a show on Seven on Sundays.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Nine, 9Now: Sunday Footy Show, 10am
The Sunday morning review begins in earnest when this Tony Jones-led staple returns for another year of analysis and, dare we say, hijinks. The searing hot takes of Kane “Volkano” Cornes may now be at Seven, but Nine welcomes former Adelaide Crows captain Rory Sloane into the fold. Expect Sloane to have an immediate impact. The “velvet sledgehammer”, Matthew Lloyd, complete with his strong opinions and analysis, remains a key figure on this panel show, alongside veteran journalist Damian Barrett. Essendon great James Hird, returning to the media, is also expected to be rotated through.
Seven, 7Plus: Sunday Footy Feast, noon-2.30pm
Eddie McGuire may be a long-time Nine man, but it hasn’t stopped the indefatigable host from having his production company, JAM TV, produce a pre-game preview show airing from midday leading into Seven’s marquee Sunday afternoon clash.
Fox Footy, Kayo: Sunday Ticket, 12.30pm-1.20pm
Jack Riewoldt, Kath Loughnan, David King and various commentators will be on the panel.
Fox Footy, Kayo: Game one: 1.20pm-3pm
Fox Footy, Kayo: Sunday Ticket: 3pm-3.20pm
Fox Footy, Kayo: Game two: 3.20pm
Seven, 7Plus: Live game, 3.20pm
Fox Footy, Kayo: Sunday Ticket: 4pm
Fox Footy, Kayo: Game three: 4.40pm
Fox will unveil a new studio, including a 56-square metre curved screen, and new graphics, including scores appearing at the bottom of the screen – NFL style. Fox will have more drones and cameras and for the first time, viewers will have access to a coaches’ tool called Rocket – which replicates the Champion Data metrics coaches use live in games. Fox will provide six key metrics comparing the two teams.
7Mate, 7Plus: The Wash Up, 6pm
This hour-long review show follows the Sunday afternoon game broadcast.
7Plus: Kane’s Call, 7pm
Here’s the one everyone will be talking about – Cornes is in the house. We’re already dubbing Seven “Channel Corn”, and here’s why. Sometimes divisive, sometimes combative, Kane Cornes now has his own show after a controversial poaching from Nine. If you want to experience a few thunderbolts, come along for the ride, with Cornes expected to hit on half a dozen issues.
9Now, Nine: Footy Furnace, 7.30pm
This Sunday-night review of the round was a welcome addition last season for footy tragics desperate for more news, analysis and opinion just hours after the round had finished (or was still going, depending if there were games on a Monday). Presenter Tom Morris, Nine’s chief football reporter, is the host and delivers the news, while Jimmy Bartel, the Geelong great, provides analysis and opinion. Leigh Matthews is a loss, but we expect Hird to make headlines upon his return to the media.
St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt is ready to say what he thinks on Seven’s The Agenda Setters.Credit: Getty Images
Fox Footy: Bounce, 8.30pm
Host Jason Dunstall and the team are back for their weekly comedic look back at the week that was, focusing on the lighter side of what has become a largely intense industry that often takes itself too seriously.
Fox Footy: First Crack, 9.30pm
This is one of the sport’s most under-rated shows, combining sharp analysis and strong opinion, sometimes just hours after the afternoon and evening games have finished, typically from David King and Leigh Montagna.
Fox Footy: AFL Tonight, 6pm
Host Drew Jones and AFLW star Ruby Schleicher provide a comprehensive wrap of the day’s news and events.
Garry Lyon is joining AFL360.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Fox Footy: AFL360, 6.30pm
Garry Lyon, the former Melbourne great and long-time media performer, steps into the co-hosting role alongside Gerard Whateley after Mark Robinson was cut. While this show has been award-winning, it has lost the edge needed to compete with its newsier competition.
7Mate, Seven, 7Plus: The Agenda Setters, 7pm
Craig Hutchison will host, and his company, Rainmaker, will produce the Monday night edition of The Agenda Setters featuring Cornes and St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt, the latter making his major media return after an overseas sabbatical. The former St Kilda captain, like Cornes, is never short of an opinion.
Fox Footy: On the Couch, 7.30pm
Lyon steps out of the hosting seat, with network chiefs placing their faith in Jack Riewoldt, the three-time Richmond premiership star who has gradually taken on greater prominence at the network. Riewoldt’s job will be to get the best from opinion-shapers Jonathan Brown and Nathan Buckley. Fellow long-time Fox Footy expert Jordan Lewis and prized recruit Matthews will also be involved. This show has been a favourite of those who prefer greater detail and analysis of players, teams and tactics.
9Now, Nine: Footy Classified, 7.30pm
The Age journalist Sam McClure hosts one of the most respected AFL shows in the business, one that has undergone considerable change this season. Produced by McGuire’s JAM TV, Classified will have McClure replacing Hutchison, who joins Cornes at Seven. Sloane also joins the Monday-night edition of Classified, alongside Lloyd.
Caroline Wilson has made the move to Channel Seven.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Fox Footy: AFL Tonight, 6pm
Fox Footy: AFL360, 6.30pm
Seven, 7Plus: The Agenda Setters 7pm
Cornes will be back, although Hutchison and Nick Riewoldt will not join him on a Tuesday. The Age’s Caroline Wilson, who also quit Nine last year, is set to join this show.
Finger in two pies: Eddie McGuire, through his JAM TV production company, produces Footy Classified on Nine, and is involved in Seven’s AFL menu.Credit: Nine
Fox Footy: Midweek Tackle, 7.30pm
News and views from a rotating panel including Corbin Middlemas, Scott Gullan, Glenn McFarlane, Lauren Wood, Jon Ralph and Josh Barnes.
Nine, 9Now: Footy Classified, 7.30pm
McGuire will front the week’s second edition of this footy staple (previously aired on Wednesdays), and will have Hird as one of his key panellists. Expect it to have a sharper edge considering it falls on a prime news day.
Sam Pang is on the Front Bar panel.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Fox Footy: AFL Tonight, 6pm
Fox Footy: AFL360, 6.30pm
Fox Footy: Midweek Tackle, 7.30pm
7Plus: Unfiltered with Hamish McLachlan,7.30pm
While his brother Gillon is no longer an official part of the AFL scene, Hamish remains a central figure for Seven, and has always enjoyed extracting an interesting tale. Here he gets the chance with his own one-on-one show. This will be produced by Hutchison’s Rainmaker company, as it’s also expected to air on SEN.
Seven, 7Plus: The Front Bar, 8.30pm
This is a more light-hearted look at the game and those who live in the fishbowl that is the AFL. Guests who often played in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s are a highlight, a time when the sport, still a part-time job for many, was far less filtered, and characters – and stories (some of which can be repeated publicly) – abounded. Comedians Mick Molloy and Sam Pang do an outstanding job, while Andy Maher is the host and straight man needed to pull his teammates into line.
Jack Riewoldt will be part of Fox Footy’s Thursday night call team.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Fox Footy: AFL Tonight, 6pm
Fox Footy, Kayo: Live game coverage from 6.30pm
Panel includes Sarah Jones, King, Dunstall and Montagna. Mark Howard, Matt Hill, Jack Riewoldt and others will make up the commentary team.
Seven: Live game coverage, time TBC
TBC. The network’s overall calling team includes James Brayshaw, Brian Taylor, Hamish McLachlan and Jason Bennett, while Luke Hodge, Joel Selwood and Jobe Watson are among the special comments experts.
Seven: Extra time, post-game
Seven will use their hosts and special comments stars to analyse the night’s game, and report from the dressing room and press conferences. Chief football reporter Mitch Cleary is expected to be the man on the ground.
Gerard Whateley will call games for Fox Footy on Friday night.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Fox Footy: AFL Tonight, 6pm
Fox Footy: Live game coverage from 6.30pm
Panel includes Lyon, Brown, Buckley and Lewis. On commentary will be Anthony Hudson, Whateley, Dunstall, Lyon and others.
Seven: Live game coverage, time TBC
TBC.
Seven: Extra time, post game
More news and analysis from that night’s game, and what we can expect over the weekend.
Fox Footy will have exclusive rights to Saturday footy.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Amid Fox Footy’s Super Saturday of exclusive games, there will be almost 12 hours of live coverage.
Saturday Countdown: Noon-1.20pm
Game one, 1.20pm
Twilight Countdown, 4pm
Game two, 4.15pm
Saturday Night Countdown, 6.50pm
Games three and four, 7.35pm
Saturday Debrief, 10pm
And don’t forget
It may have popped up as a topic of discussion around the barbecue, but many football fans have yet to fully comprehend that there will be no live free-to-air matches – in Victoria – on Seven on a Saturday through the home-and-away season under the new seven-year broadcast deal. Only the marquee Anzac eve, Anzac Day and Dreamtime games will be shown live on free-to-air, if they fall on a Saturday.
Fox Footy’s team for the 2025 AFL season Photo: Fox FootyCredit: Photo: Fox Footy
In terms of other states, Fox Footy/Kayo will have exclusive coverage through the opening eight rounds on a Saturday in South Australia and Western Australia, and through the first 10 rounds in NSW and Queensland.
That Seven’s live Saturday night game has essentially been shifted to a Thursday night means the overall number of free-to-air games will remain the same as under the previous agreement.
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