Much of the 2025 AFL pre-season action will be coming from the respective commentary booths for TV rights holders Seven and Fox Footy.
With the start of a new rights agreement, the FTA and subscription TV broadcasters are overhauling both their game coverage and their weekday programming.
Under the new rights deal, Fox Footy will be mounting its own commentary for all nine AFL games each round.
Seven has already embarked on a hiring spree that will impact its match coverage on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, but also what is expected to be an expanded schedule of analysis shows on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
To date, Fox Footy hasn’t made many moves ahead of next season, apart from revealing Mark Robinson had been dropped from AFL 360.
That changed on the weekend with news that Fox Footy had poached one of Seven’s key AFL analysts.
Decorated four-time AFL Premiership champion-turned-analyst Shaun Burgoyne will join Fox Footy in 2025, coinciding with the start of a rights deal signed by the Foxtel Group.
Most recently, Burgoyne, who played 407 games for Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, has been providing special comments for Channel Seven.
The Foxtel Group reported that Burgoyne is the first of several experts expected to sign with Fox Footy in new roles next season as they bolster their ranks to maximise the opportunity the 2025 rights afford them.
One major change in 2025 impacts the first eight rounds nationally and at least the first 15 rounds in Victoria. The only place fans will be able to watch AFL live on a Saturday will be on Kayo Sports or Foxtel. Fox Footy is marketing this exclusive coverage as Super Saturday Live.
Fox Sports managing director Steve Crawley commented: “Shaun is a straight shooter with a trusted opinion and has earned the respect of all football fans. He is football royalty and he wants to work at Fox Footy.”
Burgoyne will take his place at Fox Footy next season alongside its existing lineup which includes Garry Lyon, Nathan Buckley, Jonathan Brown, Jason Dunstall and many more.
During the 2025 AFL season, Fox Footy commentary and production will be available on all games for the first time along with no ad-breaks during play and every match will also be made available in 4K on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.
See also: Bombshell footy trade – Kane Cornes quits Nine, signs with Seven for 2025 and beyond