THE AFL is expected to be ready to stream games to homes by 2017 despite changes to the National Broadband Network.

It's believed the AFL is preparing to offer an internet TV subscription of possibly up to three live games direct to homes.

The direct league digital offering would sit alongside free-to-air and pay-TV components of the post-2016 broadcast agreement.

Broadcast rights expert Colin Smith, who advised AFL chief rights negotiator Gillon McLachlan and predecessor Ben Buckley on the past two deals, said the revolution was inevitable.

"They will be ready to go to market with direct to the household AFL," Smith said.

"They'll be looking at the economics this time of pay television, a free-to-air model and a direct to the household digital model.

"Then they'll also be looking at a companion app that supports what's on the big screen."

EDDIE TAKES AIM AT POORER CLUBS

The league had top-level meetings with NBN executives prior to the federal election about how the sport could use the new broadband network.

The Abbott Government has scaled back the power of the network with a minimum download of 25 megabits per second expected and a maximum of 100.

The previous Labor government had flagged a maximum download capability of 1000mbps.

But the NBN and experts say the new model, to be formalised early next year, won't kill the AFL's direct TV dream.

"At the moment the proposed system from the current government that I'm aware of is 25 megabits (per second) to premises and that should be ample to carry at least three current high definition TV signals simultaneously," engineering and computer science expert at Australian National University Bob Edwards said.

"I'm not aware of a high-def system that requires greater than what is being proposed under the new model."

Smith said the internet TV model would take hold quickly.

"You're not going to be stuck watching it on your PC, this will be on your big screen and will be high definition as well," he said.

Smith said he could envisage the league starting with about three games a week and a subscription could be linked to club or league memberships.

He said the cost would depend on what games the AFL chose to show, but he predicted it would be about a third of the cost of a Foxtel subscription, where all games are shown live.

"They'd get lives games, replay rights and then probably their own sports programs and then probably club TV as well," he said.

"The question would be it could be really cheap, let's say it's purely the bottom rung teams, or it could be quite expensive if it's a selection across leading teams.''

CLUBS TO HIT COUNTRY FOR COMMUNITY CAMPS

He said the AFL could also use the proposal as a way to generate more money from existing broadcast partners.

"I could see what the AFL would want to do was have this out to maximise the price that they get from Foxtel and/or a free-to-air channel,'' he said.

"They will use this as a bargaining chip. But I would suggest to you they would definitely take some games direct."

The AFL this year recruited Peter Campbell from Foxtel to head its media division, AFL Media, which was established in 2012.

Campbell refused to speculate on AFL Media's digital plan but said the league put fans first.

"The future I think for media consumption, for sport consumption, live sport consumption, I think is really exciting," Campbell said.

"That's the reason why I joined AFL Media. I really love what they've got today and I love what it could be tomorrow and I think ultimately it's the supporter that's going to drive what we do."

Every home in Victoria is expected to be able to access download speeds of between 25 and 100 megabits by 2016.

"Fibre to the street corner, as well as the NBN's fixed wireless and long-term satellite services will all offer minimum speeds of 25mbps which certainly offers sufficient capacity to live stream events," NBN spokesman Andrew Sholl said.

AFL AND THE NBN

- AFL's current broadcast agreement with Foxtel, Channel 7 and Telstra ends in 2016

- League weighing up selling direct stream subscription matches to fans via the internet

- National Broadband Network is the key to delivery