Seven Sport

Prior to 2001, Seven was the only broadcaster of Australian Football League matches. As the single broadcaster, only one match could be broadcast in any timeslot, so it was not possible for every match to be broadcast. In 2001, Nine and Ten entered a joint rights deal with pay TV provider Foxtel to ensure that all eight matches of each round were televised, starting in 2002 and concluding in 2006. That brought Seven's 45-year run as VFL/AFL football broadcaster to an end.

On 5 January 2006, Seven regained the rights to the AFL in the following broadcast deal, covering the period between 2007 and 2011 inclusive, in a joint contract with Ten and Foxtel. The cost of the deal was A$780 million, an A$280 million increase on the Nine/Ten/Foxtel 2002-2006 joint broadcast venture. Under the deal, Seven and Ten alternated the Brownlow Medal ceremonies and the AFL Grand Final;[1] Seven televised the Friday night and Sunday afternoon Premiership season matches, while Ten televised the two Saturday matches and Foxtel televising the rest.

In 2011, it was announced that Seven and Foxtel would share the football broadcast rights from 2012–2016, bringing Ten's 10-year run to an end. Under the new deal, Seven would televise four games per week, and Foxtel would simulcast coverage of Seven's games and broadcast the other five weekly games live and exclusive. Seven televised the entire finals series, with Foxtel simulcasting all finals except for the Grand Final, which was televised live and exclusively by Seven. The deal required Seven to televise all but the Saturday afternoon match live into Victoria and Tasmania; all four games were shown live into the northern states on 7mate and games were shown live or on delay into Western Australia (night matches on 7mate, day matches on Seven) and South Australia (all on Seven) depending on Seven's television schedule.

It was announced in 2015 that Seven would again be the sole free-to-air broadcaster of AFL matches, for the period between 2017 and 2022. Under the deal, Seven no longer televises the Saturday afternoon match into Victoria, however, matches in this timeslot involving interstate teams continue to be televised into their respective markets.[2][3] Controversially, however, up to three matches involving each of all four of the Western Australia and South Australia clubs (the West Coast Eagles, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide) are televised on a significant delay, with the telecast starting after the final siren has gone in real time.[4][5][6]

The network's coverage of the 2000 Sydney Olympics attracted a TV audience of over 6.5 million Australians for the opening and closing ceremonies. The broadcast also ran on the short-lived C7 Sport subscription channel.

During its time as the broadcaster of the Olympic Games, it has won the Olympic Golden Rings for the Best Television coverage for the best television programme during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.[7]

During the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Seven and NBC Universal were the major recipients of the Golden Rings; with Seven taking the Golden Rings for the best Olympic Programme, the Silver Rings for the best Olympic feature (NBC Universal received the Golden Rings), and the Bronze Rings for the Best Sports Coverage (behind SRG Switzerland and YLE Finland).[8]

During Seven's coverage of the XXIX Olympiad, numerous complaints by the general Australian public were made to the Seven Network for several reasons, including the lack of a broadcast of events to which Australia is not competing in, too many advertisements and at inappropriate times during events and poor commentating of events. There has also been media speculation about the editing of Olympic events by Seven; how live sound from events is faded and the commentary sound is the prominent sound feature.

Seven had exclusive Australian free-to-air, pay television, online and mobile telephony broadcast rights to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The live telecast of the XXIX Olympiad was shared by both the Seven Network and SBS Television. Seven broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies and mainstream sports including swimming, athletics, rowing, cycling and gymnastics. In stark contrast, SBS TV provided complementary coverage focused on long-form events such as soccer, road cycling, volleyball, and table tennis.[9]

Seven's coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics was widely criticised by viewers, with many angry at the networks contractual obligation to show AFL football over the Olympics. Viewers also complained that many team sports were delayed, with the absence of Roy and HG and with seemingly large amounts of advertising breaks during live events upsetting some viewers.[10] Despite this, the International Olympic Committee awarded Seven the 'Golden Rings' award for "Best Olympic Programme". The award is given for the best overall Olympic coverage.[11]

From 2016, Seven once again became the home of the Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games and the Summer Paralympic Games. The Network secured the Australian broadcast rights to the Olympic Games in a deal that ensures its place as the Olympic broadcaster until 2020. The multimillion-dollar deal includes TV rights to the summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020, the winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang in 2018 and the summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020.[12]

Seven screened the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April 2018.[13]

From 1963 to 1997, Seven was the home of motor sport in Australia as they broadcast the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) and the Bathurst 1000. Seven were the first broadcasters to use race cam in the 1979 Bathurst 1000, which allowed them to talk to the drivers mid-race.

The Seven commentary team included Evan Green, Will Hagon and Geoff Stone (late 60s to the mid 70s). From 1977–1995 Mike Raymond and Garry Wilkinson from 1978–1996 (V8 1000). Neil Crompton reporting from the pits from around 1985, Mark Oastler (1989–1996), Doug Mulray (1988–1994), Allan Moffat (1985–1996, V8 1000) and as a pit reporter Andy Raymond (early 90s). At the Bathurst 1000, Sandy Roberts or Bruce McAvaney would be the host during the early to mid 1990s.

In 1997, Seven lost the rights to the ATCC to Network Ten, but still broadcast the Australian Super Touring Championship until the series' demise in 2001. In 2003, Seven Sport broadcast the Nations Cup and V8 Utes, before Network Ten broadcast the V8 Utes in 2005 after the collapse of organising body Procar Australia.

From 2007 to 2014, Seven regained the rights to V8 Supercars. The commentary team included Neil Crompton, Mark Skaife and Mark Larkham. From 2015, Seven Sport broadcasts the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race.

On 13 April 2018, Cricket Australia announced that Seven alongside subscription TV distributior Foxtel had won the broadcast rights to televise Australian Summer of Cricket each summer. Seven will broadcast all Test matches, all Women's Internationals, 43 Big Bash League Matches and 23 Women's Big Bash League Matches from 2018/19 season. This ended the Nine Network’s 45 year reign of broadcasting international cricket and Network Ten’s 5 year reign of televising the Big Bash.[14]

In 2016, the Seven Network won the broadcasting rights deal to be the main broadcaster of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup in Australia, beating the other regular rugby league broadcasting channels of Fox League and the Nine Network to secure the deal.[15]

Most Seven programs, except Sunrise and The Chase Australia, went on hiatus during Seven's broadcast of the Olympic Games.[23]

The Seven Sport crew filming a pre-match interview between commentator Cameron Ling and Geelong Cats coach Chris Scott in 2014.

As Seven is forced to show viewers in Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland games featuring their respective teams live, sometimes it will show a different game at the same time into these markets then into the rest of Australia. On these occasions, it will pick up Fox Footy's coverage of the match.

[24]

• Mel McLaughlin (Host)
• Abbey Gelmi (Host)
• Andy Maher (Ball-by-Ball Commentator)
• Jason Richardson (Ball-by-Ball Commentator)
• Lisa Sthalekar (Expert Commentator)
• Julia Price (Expert Commentator)
• Brad Hodge (Expert Commentator)

• Tony Squires (2005)
• Stuart Clark (2005)
• Kerry O'Keeffe (2005)
• Sam McClure (BBL Host/Boundary Commentator) (2018-2019)

Wimbledon

• Todd Woodbridge (Host/Commentator)
• Rennae Stubbs (Commentator)
• Sam Smith (Commentator)
• John Newcombe (Commentator)
• Geoff Masters (Commentator)
• Jim Courier (Expert comments)
• Darren Cahill (Expert comments)

Davis Cup

• Todd Woodbridge (Host/Commentator)
• Basil Zempilas (Host/Commentator, Perth events)
• John Fitzgerald (Commentator)
• Roger Rasheed (Commentator)

Past

• Simon Marshall (Co-host, 2013–present)
• John Letts (Interviews, 2013–present)

• Giaan Rooney (2013)
• Scherri-Lee Biggs (2012–2013)
• Sonia Kruger (2002–2011)
• Matthew White (2004–2012)
• Glen Boss (2011)
• Sandy Roberts (2002–2013)
• Kylie Gillies (2002–2006)
• Rebecca Maddern (2013–2015)
• Ryan Phelan (2014–2020)

• Mark Beretta (Host/Pit reporter, 2015–present)
• Richard Craill (Commentator, 2015–present)
• Graham Goodwin (Commentator, 2015–2017)
• Jonny Palmer (Commentator, 2018–Present)
• John Hindhaugh (Commentator, 2015–present)
• Shea Adam (Pit reporter, 2015–present)
• Chad Neylon (Pit reporter, 2016–present)
• Alex Hart (Reporter, 2018–present)

• Pat Welsh (Host/Commentator, 2012–present)
• Wayne Grady (Commentator, 2012–present)
• Grant Dodd (Commentator, 2012–present)
• Ewan Porter (Commentator, 2017–present)
• Todd Woodbridge (On Course Commentator/Reporter, 2017–present)
• Alison Whitaker (On Course Commentator/Reporter, 2017–present)
• Bree Laughlin (Reporter, 2017–present)
• Jason Richardson (Host, 2018–present)

• Sandy Roberts (Host/Commentator, 2012–2013)
• Peter Donegan (Host/Commentator, 2014–2016)
• Ian Baker Finch (Commentator, 2012–2016)

• Basil Zempilas (Host/Commentator, 1998–present)
• Giaan Rooney (Commentator, 2018–present)
• Ian Thorpe (Commentator, 2018–present)
• Nathan Templeton (Poolside Commentator, 2018–present)

• Mark Doran (Host/Commentator, 2018)
• Gordon Bray (Commentator, 2018)
• Ashley Morrison (Commentator, 2018)
• Michael Lynagh (Commentator, 2018)
• Tony Lewis (Commentator, 2018)
• Scott Fava (Commentator, 2018)
• Peter Rowsthorn (Commentator, 2018)
• Dani Orlando (Reporter, 2018)
• Sam Longley (Field Reporter, 2018)

• Mark Readings (Host, 2019)
• Mel McLaughlin (Host, 2019)
• David Davutovic (Commentator, 2019)
• Stan Lazaridis (Commentator, 2019)
• David Basheer (Commentator, 2019)
• Jim Wilson (Host, 2015)
• Archie Thompson (Commentator, 2015)