Fox Footy has given viewers a choice. Will they pay up?

That will occupy the minds of broadcast executives who paid a jaw-dropping amount for the rights to broadcast the game.

One thing is for certain – BT will be commentating with his eye on the action in front of him and his mind on the viewers rather than gazing across to Fox Footy’s Friday night commentary box. Foxtel’s callers will be, on a case by case basis, either at the ground or in the studio. Both Taylor and Whateley played down the notion they are going head-to-head.

To both of them, the new broadcast agreement simply means choice for viewers.

However, Taylor has not risen through the ranks to be the lead commentator on the host network by being worried about competition and the free-to-air callers still have a bigger audience than their opponents.

Taylor cut his teeth in the brutally competitive radio business where he developed a legion of fans and he has the gift of inspiring emotion from viewers – good and bad – that his new Friday night opponents don’t necessarily evoke. Taylor and Brayshaw, assuming they retain the slot, would be more likely to lift their standards, as they will need to, to meet the challenge than to shy away.

The footy media landscape has already been shifting drastically as Seven, Foxtel and Nine (owner of this masthead) make changes to their weekly programming and personnel.

The moves of big names such as Kane Cornes, Nick Riewoldt and Caroline Wilson have been much discussed and publicised.

But this announcement from Fox Footy marks the first real change for game-day viewers (though Luke Darcy, who commentated on Saturday nights for Seven, had already announced his departure).

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Those who are critical will now be able to put their money where their mouth is, a choice with the potential to reshape the business dramatically.

There will be comparison, there will be criticism, there will be competition, there will be choice.

On Friday nights, that choice is yours: BT and JB? Or “Huddo” and Gerard?

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