Since the final episode of Nine’s Footy Classified went to air, it has been expected Craig Hutchison would be returning to Seven as part of their 2025 AFL makeover.
Seven finally confirmed today that after 18 years, Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) chief executive officer, Craig Hutchison, will return to the network in 2025.
Hutchy is the latest high-profile recruit to join Seven to headline the network’s upcoming AFL news and opinion driven program, The Agenda Setters, which will air on Monday and Tuesday nights throughout the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on Seven and 7plus Sport.
Hutchy will host Monday night’s edition The Agenda Setters, where he will be joined on the panel by recent Seven signings Kane Cornes and Nick Riewoldt.
Chris Jones
Seven Network director of sport (and a former housemate of Hutchy’s), Chris Jones, said the new schedule was a win for fans, with the network set to have AFL programming seven days a week across Seven and 7plus Sport in 2025.
“The Agenda Setters on Mondays and Tuesdays will be appointment viewing, and together with Rainmaker, we’ve assembled an incredibly experienced production team for this show to complement our unrivalled on-air lineup.
“Unfiltered on Wednesdays is going to take us behind the curtain and give fans the opportunity to learn more about the person behind the athlete. With Hamish McLachlan at the helm, viewers will be granted the best storytelling possible with the biggest and most fascinating names in the game,” he said.
“At Seven, we can’t wait to bring footy fans more content than ever before, every week of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on Seven and 7plus.
“From mid-week footy analysis headlined by new signings Kane Cornes, Craig Hutchison and Nick Riewoldt alongside our existing group of AFL experts, to light-hearted footy content midweek, all before the first bounce on Thursday Night Footy, there has never been a more exciting time to be an AFL fan,” Jones said.
Craig Hutchison
Hutchy said: “Seven is the home of free-to-air AFL, and has an unrivalled history, legacy and contribution to AFL football. These new shows will shape and set the agenda of the weekday discussion of football, which is at the heart of the game.
“The media and opinions around the game is the zeitgeist of what fuels Australian football, and we will bring the game’s biggest names to the table and call it as it is.
“And on a personal level, to return to Seven where I spent many years earlier in my career is an honour,” he said.
There is still speculation that former Nine radio and TV contributor Caroline Wilson will also be part of the Seven team in 2025. It has yet to be officially announced though.
Seven’s 2025 AFL schedule
Seven is promising AFL content every day of the week during the AFL season, including games on 23 Thursday nights, 24 Friday nights, 25 Sunday afternoons, five Sunday nights, plus marquee games and every game in the Finals Series including – exclusive to Seven and 7plus Sport – the Brownlow Medal and the AFL Grand Final.
See also: Seven’s new sports boss – Chris Jones details AFL, cricket plans and a whole lot more