Latest news with #GillonMcLachlan
The Age
a day ago
- Business
- The Age
At risk of losing the Devil they know, the AFL stands firm to keep Tassie's footy dream alive
Whatever happens in Tasmanian politics, whoever leads the island state, the AFL's position has not budged one millimetre: The Devils will only enter the competition if a roofed stadium is constructed at Macquarie Point. No stadium, no team. That position was reiterated by the AFL on Wednesday, as the Tasmanian parliament considered and debated the potential removal of Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff, whose support for the stadium has been critical to the agreement that would see the Devils become the league's 19th team. The AFL has a contract with the Tasmanian government, which has to provide this expensive stadium (opponents dubbed it 'the Gil Mahal' after departed AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan) – as the price of admittance to the competition that has long plundered Tassie's players and dollars. A hard-headed portion of the 18 rival club presidents will sniff Tasmania's political convulsions and hope that this uncertainty surrounding the stadium scuppers the 19th license. Those presidents know that, should the Devils collapse, that $360 million designated to Tassie over a decade will remain in the AFL coffers, and the drafts of 2027, 2028 and 2029 that are slated for pillaging by the new team will be preserved. But rendering the Devils an endangered species in utero is certainly not the wish of the AFL hierarchy – now led by CEO Andrew Dillon – who want to see the Devils delivered in 2028, and the stadium that will cradle the infant club completed shortly thereafter. The Devils were spooked by the political unrest on Wednesday, as a tearful senior executive Kathryn McCann pleaded for the politicians to stick with the stadium deal, which is not a matter of negotiation for the AFL.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
At risk of losing the Devil they know, the AFL stands firm to keep Tassie's footy dream alive
Whatever happens in Tasmanian politics, whoever leads the island state, the AFL's position has not budged one millimetre: The Devils will only enter the competition if a roofed stadium is constructed at Macquarie Point. No stadium, no team. That position was reiterated by the AFL on Wednesday, as the Tasmanian parliament considered and debated the potential removal of Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff, whose support for the stadium has been critical to the agreement that would see the Devils become the league's 19th team. The AFL has a contract with the Tasmanian government, which has to provide this expensive stadium (opponents dubbed it 'the Gil Mahal' after departed AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan) – as the price of admittance to the competition that has long plundered Tassie's players and dollars. A hard-headed portion of the 18 rival club presidents will sniff Tasmania's political convulsions and hope that this uncertainty surrounding the stadium scuppers the 19th license. Those presidents know that, should the Devils collapse, that $360 million designated to Tassie over a decade will remain in the AFL coffers, and the drafts of 2027, 2028 and 2029 that are slated for pillaging by the new team will be preserved. But rendering the Devils an endangered species in utero is certainly not the wish of the AFL hierarchy – now led by CEO Andrew Dillon – who want to see the Devils delivered in 2028, and the stadium that will cradle the infant club completed shortly thereafter. The Devils were spooked by the political unrest on Wednesday, as a tearful senior executive Kathryn McCann pleaded for the politicians to stick with the stadium deal, which is not a matter of negotiation for the AFL.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Tabcorp boss Gill McLachlan reveals bold, new vision for TAB's 3700-strong retail outlets
WELCOME to renovation rescue - TAB style. Gillon McLachlan's bold, new vision for the future of TAB will gain momentum this week as the wagering giant sets about a revitalization of its 3700-strong retail network. Languishing for too long and losing ground to its opposition as the digital age takes hold, McLachlan has identified bringing TAB's expansive retail offering up to modern day expectations as a key priority. 'We know we can be better,' McLachlan said. 'This will be the biggest upgrade to our retail network in the country's history because we want more people going to pubs and clubs. 'Going forward, there is no more important part of the strategy of TAB than the retail networks, some parts are of equal importance, but nothing is more important. 'We are focussed on turning the old, tired TAB/Pubs into an omnichannel entertainment experience.' The overhaul will see the old electronics betting terminals (EBT's) phased out over time and replaced with modern, smaller and more user friendly EBT's that are similar to the TAB's always evolving App offering. Bigger, more futuristic screens will also be installed across venues which will also see the demise of the teletext system with the old odds screens to be replaced with screens that again mirror the TAB App. 'I call this the death of teletex in venues,' Tabcorp Chief Commercial Officer Jarrod Villani said. 'Rather than the old teletext screens, the first step of the upgrade is to get better, clearer displays to give venues an instant uplift. 'This will start rolling out from this week.' The fresh, new retail rollout will also see 'bump stations' come to life which will offer TAB customers a seamless In-Play betting outlet. While In-Play betting is available on the old school EBT's, the bump stations, currently being trialled in select venues, will allow for a far cleaner experience. By simply placing your phone against the Bump Station, you will be directed to the TAB app live betting option where you can then wager as normal, negating the onerous need to place a call. 'We think this is a real game changer,' Villani said. 'We think it will engage customers across the week because it applies to all sports. 'Why do we think it's such a big game changer? 'In-Play betting is 50% of the global market and it's about 4 or 5% here in Australia.' With upgrades to begin this week across the network, Villani expects the full rollout to take about three years. 'We are going to start an EBT renewal program across the country,' he said. 'There's been a lot of discussion about terminals. Whether you are looking at our terminals or our screens or the way Sky is played - they look like they come from three different organisations. We're on a journey to create one seamless view of the way people should experience TAB. 'The experience on our terminals will be very similar to that on our app, simpler and much easier to understand.'
AU Financial Review
26-05-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Tabcorp unleashes promotions, but turns off commissions for 1300 pubs
More than a thousand hotels would lose all commissions from hosting Tabcorp's wagering venues in their properties under a proposal from the bookmaking giant outlined in detail to publicans on Monday. But the ASX-listed betting group and its new chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, are promising a raft of new promotions available only to punters in pubs – including so-called Tabtime on Saturday afternoon – as they attempt to reset the deals that underpin its retail wagering model.
Sydney Morning Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The true cost of the AFL abandoning free-to-air Saturdays in its $4.5 billion TV deal
As an AFL headline, it was one of the more impressive as Gillon McLachlan moved towards the conclusion of his 11-year stewardship of Australian rules football: A whopping and legacy-sealing $4.5 billion seven-year broadcast rights deal worth an extra $70 million annually to the game until the end of 2031. McLachlan and his team had managed to stick with what they knew in the game's media partner for the best part of more than three-quarters of a century, Channel Seven, along with its long-time pay TV partner Foxtel and Telstra, rejecting a $6 billion, 10-year offer from Paramount Plus. The players would be richer, the clubs would be safer and AFLW and all the game's markets would be developed and expanded. And the fans would never be better off. The McLachlan announcement came at the start of the 2022 finals series, but the deal did not kick in until he was long gone at the start of 2025 season. Nor did the hidden nasties: Notably the fact that the AFL had chosen for the first time to charge its supporters to watch the football on its most traditional day, and to place every game on a Saturday behind a paywall. Not one non-Victorian club of the six contacted by this masthead is happy with the new deal. At least four are deeply concerned about the changes the new deal has forced upon the fixture and the loss of audiences on a Saturday. Generally the clubs based in Sydney and southern Queensland believe the removal of Saturday night football from Channel Seven has handed the NRL a costly free kick. Loading Media and club bosses unwilling to be quoted on numbers for fear of antagonising head office say that the loss of the free-to-air Saturday night game has cost the AFL conservatively 400,000 viewers each week – even allowing for the boosted Fox Footy rating and the estimated uplift in subscriptions of 100,000. While it is true that Seven is more than making up the numbers with Thursday night football across each round and with the new and semi-regular Sunday night games, the decision to turn its back on a regular Saturday night free-to-air audience smacks of an own goal by the competition.
