This year was bad for incumbents in global politics.
It remains to be seen whether that trend will transfer to football commentators in 2025 when viewers are, for the first time, given a choice of call teams when they sit down to watch the AFL on Thursday and Friday nights.
Channel Seven commentator Brian Taylor and Fox Footy’s Gerard Whateley are set to call Friday night footy in 2025.Credit: Stephen Kiprillis
In the incumbent corner in the prime-time Friday slot is likely to be the long-standing Channel Seven duo Brian Taylor and James Brayshaw, or “BT” and “JB”, as they are known. Their challengers: Fox Footy staples Gerard Whateley and Anthony Hudson.
If the early poll on this website is anything to go by, punters will be sending a clear message. As it ticked over 1600 votes and counting, 83 per cent had indicated their preference for the Whateley-Hudson call. Five per cent said they would tune in on the radio, leaving just 12 per cent voting for the free-to-air call.
That’s not unexpected as those who already subscribe to Fox Footy will easily make the switch to callers they are both familiar with and enjoy. It’s also in line with the zeitgeist.
A sample of the responses by readers on social media and commenters on the article announcing Whateley and Hudson was in line with the poll results.
“Easy choice”, “no-brainer”, “bliss” and “the best news” highlighted the majority sentiment – people would tune in to Foxtel.
The question for Fox Footy is whether the choice of commentary teams, their uninterrupted coverage (with advertising at breaks), plus the need to subscribe to watch Saturday games will hold enough appeal for supporters to fork out their money – or if people will stick to what they know on free-to-air.
That will occupy the minds of broadcast executives who paid a jaw-dropping amount for the rights to broadcast the game.
One thing is for certain – BT will be commentating with his eye on the action in front of him and his mind on the viewers rather than gazing across to Fox Footy’s Friday night commentary box. Foxtel’s callers will be, on a case by case basis, either at the ground or in the studio. Both Taylor and Whateley played down the notion they are going head-to-head.
To both of them, the new broadcast agreement simply means choice for viewers.
However, Taylor has not risen through the ranks to be the lead commentator on the host network by being worried about competition and the free-to-air callers still have a bigger audience than their opponents.
Taylor cut his teeth in the brutally competitive radio business where he developed a legion of fans and he has the gift of inspiring emotion from viewers – good and bad – that his new Friday night opponents don’t necessarily evoke. Taylor and Brayshaw, assuming they retain the slot, would be more likely to lift their standards, as they will need to, to meet the challenge than to shy away.
The footy media landscape has already been shifting drastically as Seven, Foxtel and Nine (owner of this masthead) make changes to their weekly programming and personnel. The moves of big names such as Kane Cornes, Nick Riewoldt and Caroline Wilson have been much discussed and publicised.
But this announcement from Fox Footy marks the first real change for game-day viewers (though Luke Darcy, who commentated on Saturday nights for Seven, had already announced his departure).
Those who are critical will now be able to put their money where their mouth is, a choice with the potential to reshape the business dramatically.
There will be comparison, there will be criticism, there will be competition, there will be choice.
On Friday nights, that choice is yours: BT and JB? Or “Huddo” and Gerard?
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