Sydney FC became the first Australian club to win five national Championships on Sunday evening, defeating Melbourne City FC 1-0 after extra-time at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta as the 43rd season of Australian national football league came to a close.
The broadcast of the 2020 Grand Final was watched by an average national audience of 151,000 across the combined platforms of Foxtel. This figure includes an audience of 84K via Foxtel cable/satellite set-top boxes and a further 66K via digital platforms including Foxtel Now/Foxtel Go and Kayo.
Overall the Fox Sports figures were down 14% compared with last year.
Free-To-Air figures for the match were also down considerably compared with 2019. The match attracting a 5-city metro audience of 23k on multi-channel ABCME. This year’s broadcast agreement required the ABC to screen the game on a two-hour delay.
The A-League season resumed in July under a renegotiated contract with Fox Sports. The new deal will see the pay-tv broadcaster continue A-League and W-League for one more season in 2021.
Fox Sports will also broadcast Australia’s final four FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, along with Socceroos and Matildas friendly international matches up until 31 July 2021.
TV Blackbox understands Fox Sports is paying $25 million in cash and $7 million in contra to retain the football rights. Figures that are down considerably on the previous arrangement which committed Foxtel to $57 million per season until 2023.
The Sky Blues, who claimed their victory courtesy of a 100th minute chested goal from Socceroo Rhyan Grant after a pinpoint pass from Luke Brattan, overtook Sydney City, Marconi Stallions, South Melbourne FC, and Melbourne Victory (four Championships each) as the club with the most men’s domestic Championships following their victory in Parramatta.
Sydney’s Grand Final triumph was the club’s third in the past four seasons, and adds to a remarkable period of success for the men from Moore Park Road, with the club having also claimed three Hyundai A-League Premierships and an FFA Cup crown since 2017.
