Furious footy fans smash Channel Seven as they’re ambushed by change that sees them stuck with watching Border Patrol instead of the grand final
- Channel 7 has the exclusive rights to the AFL Grand Final including streaming
- Fans watching on streaming platform 7Plus were locked out in the lead-up
- Instead, the 7Plus App would only play repeats of Border Force Australia
- It infuriated footy fans without access to free-to-air services across Australia
AFL fans trying to access the biggest day in footy have been locked out of the 2022 grand final because Channel 7 is not streaming the decider through digital services.
Furious supporters hoping to use digital platform 7Plus to watch the decider between the Sydney Swans and Geelong Cats were cut off during the pre-game entertainment show by megastar Robbie Williams.
Instead, they were treated to a best-of collection of clips from Border Force Australia.
‘If only I could actually watch it instead of Border Security (using 7Plus on my Google TV). Was working perfectly fine until the end of the warm-up. Very frustrating,’ an AFL fan named April posted.
That is despite Channel 7 clearly stating on their 7Plus website that the grand final would be available through the streaming service.
Both the desktop version (top) and mobile version blocked out access to the AFL grand final
‘Looking for the footy? The AFL Grand Final is LIVE now on 7plus via select connected TVs. You can also watch the AFL Grand Final live on Seven’s free-to-air broadcast on Channel 7 and 7HD. Find out more,’ a message on the 7Plus website read.
‘You can watch the AFL Grand Final on the following devices: Telstra TV, Samsung Tizen (2016 and later), Fetch TV, Apple TV, PlayStation 4 and 5, Android TV / Google TV / Amazon Firestick and LG TV.’
AFL fans vent their spleen about not being able to access the grand final on the 7Plus app
‘Ummm. If you try to watch the AFL Grand Final on it takes you to a 5 hour Border Force marathon,’ Tom Engelhardt tweeted.
Daily Mail Australia tried to access the grand final using an Android smart television, Samsung Galaxy Android device, multiple PCs and two different iPads and could get nothing except Border Force Australia.
The decision to lock digital users out of the grand final has angered many, with plenty of viewers unable to access the free-to-air network to watch the big game.
‘The fact I cannot stream the AFL Grand Final on @7plus @7AFL in 2022 is a disgrace. Apparently it’s meant to work on my Android TV but it does not. So now I’m going to look for a pirate stream because broadcast rights in this country are stupid and bad for consumers,’ Chad Ryan tweeted.
‘What a mess, doesn’t work on 7plus app on any of our Android TV, 6 months old Android phone, or Apple TV……. Seriously 7,’ Ross Thomas tweeted.