- Channel 7 confirms that it has acquired an industry giant
- The network has made big changes in recent months.
The turmoil in the AFL media landscape continues with Channel 7’s announcement that former Footy Classified presenter Craig Hutchison will front new show Agenda Setters.
Hutchison will host Monday night’s show and will be joined by his Channel 7 colleagues Nick Riewoldt and Kane Cornes.
The show will go head to head with Nine’s Footy Classified.
“Seven is the home of AFL free-to-air and has an unrivaled history, legacy and contribution to AFL football,” Hutchison said on Wednesday.
‘These new programs will shape and set the agenda for the daily debate about football, which is at the heart of the game.
“The media and opinions around the game are the zeitgeist that drives Australian football, and we will bring the biggest names in the game to the table and call it what it is.”
Channel 7 has announced that former Footy Classified presenter Craig Hutchison (pictured left) will front new show Agenda Setters.
Hutchison will host Monday night’s show, where he will be joined by his Channel 7 colleagues Nick Riewoldt and Kane Cornes.
“And on a personal level, returning to Seven, where I spent many years earlier in my career, is an honour.”
There have been plenty of changes in what has been a fairly seismic television shake-up, with some iconic commentators and pundits leaving their respective stables, while others have jumped to rival networks.
Earlier this month, Fox Footy announced that AFL great Leigh Matthews would be joining its team of pundits.
He is set to join up with Shaun Burgoyne and Tom Hawkins, who also recently joined the team, with Hawkins hanging up his boots earlier this year.
Seven is also launching a football show hosted by Hamish McLachlan called Unfiltered. It will compete against the popular show ‘Front Bar’, presented by Mick Molloy.
Nine’s big announcement has been the signing of Bombers great James Hird, as part of a move to revitalize the network’s football programming after some big-name departures.
Seven has gone big with signings and new shows after coming under fire for not doing enough outside of match day coverage.
Seven sports director Chris Jones said: “The Agenda Setters on Mondays and Tuesdays will be viewable by appointment and, together with Rainmaker, we have assembled an incredibly experienced production team for this show to complement our unrivaled on-air programming.” .
Football legend James Hird (pictured) joins Channel Nine’s football coverage
‘Unfiltered on Wednesdays will 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 enjoy the best possible storytelling with the biggest and most fascinating names in the game,” he said.
‘At Seven, we’re looking forward to bringing football fans more content than ever, every week of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership season on Seven and 7plus.
‘From midweek football analysis led by new signings Kane Cornes, Craig Hutchison and Nick Riewoldt alongside our existing group of AFL experts, to light-hearted midweek football content – all before the first bounce on Thursday Night Footy, there’s never been a “It’s a more exciting time to be an AFL fan.”