The 2019 AFL Premiership is underway, and coverage of the season is set to be better than ever with select matches throughout the year to be broadcast in 4K Ultra HD. Bringing the colours and sounds of our national game to your living room like never before, 4K will add a new dimension to your footy viewing experience.
What is 4K Ultra HD TV?
4K is the highest definition broadcast available in Australia, and is also referred to by Foxtel as Ultra HD. Offering up an unrivalled picture quality, it brings the colours, sounds and excitement of whatever it is you’re watching direct to your living room. Using roughly four times the number of pixels as High Definition and twenty times that of Standard Definition, 4K Ultra HD will revolutionise your AFL viewing experience.
How to Watch the AFL in 4K HD
The AFL in 4K Ultra HD won’t be found on the free-to-air broadcasts, nor will it be aired on Foxtel’s regular football channels. Instead, you’ll need to head to Channel 444, Foxtel’s 4K channel, when the selected games are on.
In order to get the full 4K experience, you’ll also need to have an iQ4 set-top box as well as a 4K compatible TV. If you’ve got both of these, you’re ready to begin watching the footy like you’ve never seen it before. The broadcasts available on Channel 444 will be exactly the same as you would find on Fox Footy or FOX Sports – the same great commentary teams, Foxtel’s renowned pre and post-game analysis, and no ad-breaks during play. The only difference will be the quality of picture, which will have the action leaping off your TV screen.
AFL 2019 Premiership Season Programming Guide
The 4K Ultra HD coverage aside, FOX Sports (Foxtel/Kayo) has comprehensive coverage of the 2019 AFL Premiership season, with every match of every round LIVE and ad-break free during play (grand final excluded). Expert commentators and analysts are ready to take you once again through every mark, every tackle, and every moment of play. Moreover, you’ll get extensive coverage of the key events going on behind the scenes, so you can be up-to-date on everything regarding your favourite team. The action began with the traditional Carlton v Richmond season opening clash at the MCG, and continues across twenty-three rounds until August 25th, when the final eight will be determined. The finals then begin on Thursday, September 5th with the elimination finals, and all of this action is available on either Foxtel or the newly launched Kayo Sports streaming service.
2019 LIVE AFL 4K TV Fixtures (Sydney time)
Sunday 28 April: Geelong Cats vs West Coast Eagles at 4.40pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 4 May: Brisbane Lions vs Sydney Swans at 4.35pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 5 May: Carlton Blues vs North Melbourne Kangaroos at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 5 May: Adelaide Crows vs Fremantle Dockers at 4.40pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 19 May: Port Adelaide Power vs Gold Coast Suns at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 19 May: GWS Giants vs Carlton Blues at 4.40pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 25 May: Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne Kangaroos at 2.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 26 May: Melbourne Demons vs GWS Giants at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 1 June: Collingwood Magpies vs Fremantle Dockers at 1.45pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 9 June: Sydney Swans vs West Coast Eagles at 3.20pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 22 June: Melbourne Demons vs Fremantle Dockers at 1.45pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 22 June: St. Kilda Saints vs Brisbane Lions at 4.35pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 23 June: Western Bulldogs vs Collingwood Magpies at 3.20pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 29 June: Hawthorn Hawks vs West Coast Eagles at 1.45pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 29 June: Collingwood Magpies vs North Melbourne Kangaroos at 7.25pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 30 June: St. Kilda Saints vs Richmond Tigers at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 6 July: Essendon Bombers vs Sydney Swans at 1.45pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 6 July: Adelaide Crows vs Port Adelaide Power at 4.35pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 7 July: Carlton Blues vs Melbourne Demons at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 7 July: GWS Giants vs Brisbane Lions at 4.40pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 13 July: Sydney Swans vs Carlton Blues at 1.45pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 14 July: Richmond Tigers vs GWS Giants at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 14 July: Port Adelaide Power vs Brisbane Lions at 4.40pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 20 July: Richmond Tigers vs Port Adelaide Power at 1.45pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 21 July: Geelong Cats vs Hawthorn Hawks at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 21 July: St. Kilda Saints vs Western Bulldogs at 4.40pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 28 July: Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle Dockers at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 3 August: GWS Giants vs Sydney Swans at 2.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 4 August: Collingwood Magpies vs Gold Coast Suns at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 4 August: Brisbane Lions vs Western Bulldogs at 4.40pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 11 August: West Coast Eagles vs Adelaide Crows at 4.40pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 17 August: Carlton Blues vs St. Kilda Saints at 1.45pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Saturday 17 August: Adelaide Crows vs Collingwood Magpies at 4.35pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Sunday 18 August: Richmond Tigers vs West Coast Eagles at 1.10pm (Foxtel/4K/Kayo)
Stream the AFL Live and Free
If you’re not ready to make the leap to 4K Ultra HD, you still have great options for enjoying all the AFL action throughout 2019, including watching the AFL online in Australia with Foxtel Now, who are currently offering a 10 day free trial.
Alternatively, you can check out the 14 day free Kayo Sports trial which will offer the exact same 2019 AFL programming as Foxtel. With Kayo you can immediately start streaming the 2019 AFL live using eligible mobile devices, and with the split-view option you can enjoy up to four events simultaneously, allowing you to tune into the other exciting sport scheduled on TV at the exact same time.
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Every 2019 AFL Match Broadcast LIVE
A total of 46 matches from the 2019 AFL Premiership season will be broadcast in 4K Ultra HD – a significant number considering it’s the first year in which the option is available at all, but one which still leaves a majority of games off the list. To make sure you don’t miss any of the action, each and every game of the season (grand final excluded) will be broadcast live, in High Definition, and ad-break free during play on both Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
Must See AFL 4K on Australian TV
The Melbourne Demons and the GWS Giants were both seen as premiership contenders heading into 2019, and as the season reaches its midpoint they will clash in a game likely to have significant repercussions. The Demons started the year slowly, but their talent is undeniable and they will feel confident in their chances against a GWS side which only rarely gets to play on the hallowed turf of the MCG. The Giants, however, are arguably as talented as any team in the league, and will be looking to solidify a spot in the upper reaches of the ladder with a win in this game. With the first bounce at 1:10pm on Sunday, May 26, this is a game not to be missed.
The Sydney Swans and the West Coast Eagles developed one of the most entertaining rivalries of the modern era courtesy of back-to-back close Grand Final match-ups in 2005 and 2006, which they split one apiece. That kick-started a run of incredibly close games, and though the strength of the rivalry has eased somewhat in recent years, the sustained success of the two clubs has ensured that there is always still an added sting to the matches. At 3.20pm on Sunday, June 9 of this year the teams will take centre stage as the only game on Queen’s Birthday Eve, and with the reigning premiers heading to the Swans lair, another classic could be in the making.
In mid July, as teams begin to jostle for finals places, perhaps the most entertaining rivalry in the league will take place as the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power battle out the 47th Showdown on Saturday, July 6 at 4.35pm AEST. Testament to the closeness and intensity of the rivalry, the two sides have virtually split past match-ups equally, and in 2018 played out two of the best in history. With both sides likely battling for a spot in the finals, expect even more heat in this one.
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What Else is on Channel 444?
Since debuting their 4K-dedicated channel late last year, Foxtel have gradually been adding to the list of sports available in Ultra HD. We were treated to a summer of cricket on Channel 444, which brought the sights and sounds of one of Australia’s favourite summer pastimes in a way never seen before. The Supercars at Bathurst also found a new home there, as did the US Masters PGA and now, it’s the winter codes’ turn. In addition to the listed AFL fixtures, Foxtel will make available over 40 NRL matches, as well as select women’s football action and Super Rugby matches in Ultra HD.
