Meanwhile, somewhere, some Channel 7 executives must be lining...

Meanwhile, somewhere, some Channel 7 executives must be lining up the biggest bonus in TV history. The broadcaster paid just $5 million (as rumoured in the financial press) for the rights to show the Matildas’ games. And somehow, out of that, they’ve conjured the most-watched Australian TV program since Cathy Freeman 2000.

The ratings for our triumph over France were astronomical.And the World Cup is not even finished.When we play England on Wednesday, the electricity companies should probably spin up a few extra power plants, because every TV in the country is going to be tuned in.It’s the same overseas.

The audiences are huge. But the fees the broadcasters paid for the rights are puny.