SOCCER will be back on free-to-air television next month with a $40 million-a-year deal likely to be signed this week.

Fox Sports will continue to televise every domestic and international match live.

The Herald Sun understands SBS will also secure rights for A-League matches for four years from 2013, plus Socceroos games for five years.

SBS staved off a late bid from Network 10, which re-entered the race after missing out on NRL rights three weeks ago.

Kicking in a year earlier, the Socceroos' World Cup qualifiers will be televised on SBS on a one-hour delay, starting with a qualifier away to Iraq on October 16.

However, A-League will likely have to wait another year before games are shown on free-to-air.

The Herald Sun understands SBS will televise one live game a week - probably Saturday night.
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While SBS was keen to start immediately, Fox Sports wanted to retain exclusivity until 2013, when the present deal expires.

SBS may also screen a weekly highlights package.

The $40 million-per-year deal is likely to include at least $5 million in contra, with Fox Sports paying the lion's share. Fox Sports has had exclusive rights for A-League and Socceroos World Cup qualifiers and friendlies since 2005. The last deal was worth $21 million a year, incorporating $3 million of contra.

Football Federation Australia is proposing to lift the annual club dividend to $2.5 million once the deal kicks in (it already agreed to up the disbursement from $1.45 million to $1.9 million last July), covering the salary cap.

A-League owners are expected to fight for a larger sum.

Fox Sports executives were unavailable for comment and SBS head of sport Ken Shipp last night declined to comment.

Chief executive Ben Buckley remained tight-lipped last night and stressed that FFA was in no rush.

"We will take as much time as we need to take to get the agreement right and that's what we've said all along," Buckley said.

FFA has enjoyed a testy relationship with SBS.