AFL Grand Final To Be Live-Streamed On Connected TVs For The First Time In History

Seven will live stream all its Grand Final coverage to Telstra TV, Apple TV, Fetch TV, PlayStation 4 and compatible Android TV devices, which together account for over 70% of Seven’s Connected TV live streaming.

Seven West Media’s Chief Digital Officer Clive Dickens said: “Today’s announcement marks another ground-breaking landmark in the rapid evolution of Australian live and free-to-air television online.

“Watching Seven on Connected TVs has exploded since we launched 7plus, making us the number one Commercial FTA Live Streaming BVOD* operator in the market, and it is only right that we give our audiences what they want – the biggest and best sporting final of the year on more of the screens of Seven.”

Seven West Media’s Chief Revenue Officer Kurt Burnette said: “We’re delighted to once again deliver live Addressable TV at real scale in a brand safe environment. As Professor Karen Nelson-Field’s research shows, BVOD*, whether delivered on a Connected TV, computer or mobile device, delivers a significantly stronger sales impact for brands than the biggest online-only video platforms on their best performing screen, mobile.”¹

Connected TV key facts:

• 46% of all Australian households now own a Connected TV²
• BVOD live streaming numbers on Connected TV grew 122% YoY³
• 6.7 million Australians watched free-to-air TV online in July 2018⁴
• Almost 60% of Seven’s streaming minutes were on connected TVs in August 2018⁵
• Seven has the highest share and total streamed minutes of live streaming on Connected TV in the Commercial FTA BVOD* market⁶

^Sources:

^{1 = The Benchmark Series, Professor Karen Nelson-Field, commissioned by ThinkTV
2 = Think TV BVOD Fact Pack
3 = H1 2017 v H12018, Think TV BVOD Fact Pack Jan-Jun 2018
4 = OzTAM VPM, July 2018
5 = Live and VOD minutes OzTAM VPM
6 = OzTAM VPM
*BVOD = Broadcaster Video on Demand. Premium Long Form Live and VOD professionally produced and streamed in a brand safe environment.}