Seven hints at new role for Adam Cooney after Armchair Experts show axing
Adam Cooney announced the axing of his AFL talk show, Armchair Experts, on air this week, but according to Seven’s director of sport, that doesn’t necessary mean the show’s popular hosts won’t be seen on the network next year.
The Brownlow winner revealed that Channel 7 had pulled the plug on Armchair Experts on Tuesday morning on his SEN Breakfast radio show, lightheartedly blaming SEN chief Craig Hutchison, who led a massive defection from Nine to Seven, causing the show’s axing.
“I’m just a victim of some of my colleagues here coming in and taking the cash,” he said. “Hutchy puts a little bit of tucker on my table, but then he’s taken a bit off.”
Nine’s long-standing Footy Classified team — Kane Cornes, Nick Riewoldt, Caroline Wilson and Hutchison, move across to Seven in 2025, with Hutchison’s Rainmaker company tasked with producing a number of AFL shows for the network, as part of its expanded AFL digital rights coverage.
Adam Cooney
Although Cooney joked that recent Seven signing and fellow SEN radio host Kane Cornes is “just taking everyone’s jobs. He comes over here and he’s taken our jobs” – Cooney might not be benched as quickly as it seems.
Seven Network director of sport, Chris Jones, confirmed the axing of Armchair Experts to Mumbrella, but has left the door open for other project involving not only Cooney, but his co-hosts Cam Luke, Kate McCarthy, and Tommy Sheridan.
“With expanded AFL digital rights and further programming opportunities on Seven and 7plus in 2025, we are working closely with our group of Armchair Experts hosts for potential collaborations in the future,” Jones said.
“We look forward to sharing more details in the new year.”
Seven announced at its recent upfront it would be offering ‘7 Days of Footy’ as part of its expanded digital rights coverage, meaning Cooney and co. could slot into one of the new programs slated to launch in 2025.
Seven’s 2025 AFL lineup
Gereurd Roberts, group managing director of Seven Digital told Mumbrella that Seven’s coverage of AFL in 2025 will be significant, being the first time Australians can stream the AFL for free.
“We’re big believers in Australians’ right to have access to free sport,” he said.
“Australia’s biggest summer and winter sports have never been available to stream for free for Australians, ever. That’s quite incredible. You can imagine the impact it’s going to have when they come onto 7plus for the first time, free to Australians.
“We think it’s significant. And the other great thing about sport is we acquired the digital rights, not for more of the same audience, but for new audience. And so those audiences that’ll come and watch on 7 Plus, once again, will sit completely alongside the broadcast audiences that we see.
“They’re entirely complementary. And that’s been our experience in every major sporting event, Olympics, AFL Grand Final, World Test Championship for cricket. It’s actually, again, just extending our demographic reach and adding audience.”
Whether or not Cooney is part of this complementary programming is a question that will have to wait. As Jones said, Seven will share more details in the new year.
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