Don’t Miss a Minute: Get Your Antenna Finals-Ready Before the AFL Grand Final
If your TV picture is playing up, the time to fix it is now, not in the last week of September. The 2026 AFL Grand Final kicks off at 2:30pm AEST on Saturday 26 September at the MCG, shown exclusively free-to-air on Channel 7 and 7plus. There’s no subscription and no streaming backup if your reception drops out, so a working antenna is the only thing standing between you and the game.
Every year, calls about dropped channels and pixelated pictures spike in the weeks before the finals. Most people only notice once the game is already unwatchable, and by then everyone else has had the same idea and booked out the local technicians.
Why do reception problems show up around finals season?
Reception issues tend to surface in August and September because a few things line up at once. Winter storms quietly damage antennas months before anyone notices, and viewing habits change for finals, so a fault that was tolerable in June suddenly isn’t.
- Storm damage goes unnoticed. Wind and rain can knock an antenna out of alignment or damage cabling, but a small drop in picture quality is easy to miss if nobody’s watching closely.
- Expectations go up. More people, bigger screens and higher stakes mean a flickering picture that was fine in June is a problem in September.
- Channel 7 has changed its broadcast format. Seven has recently finished rolling out its move from SD to full HD broadcasting nationally, with Melbourne the last major market to switch over. Some older TVs and set-top boxes that only support the old format have lost access to Channel 7 as a result. We’ve covered how to fix a missing Channel 7 signal in more detail if that sounds like your situation.
What should you check now, not on Grand Final morning?
Run through a short checklist today so you’ve got time to fix anything before the crowds book in. It only takes a few minutes.
- Turn on Channel 7 (and 7mate, where some AFL coverage sits) and check the picture is clear, not pixelating, freezing or dropping out
- Retune your TV if you haven’t done so recently. Most reception complaints are solved by a simple auto-scan
- Look up at the antenna from the ground if you can see it. A leaning mount or a loose mast is easy to spot early
- Think back over winter. Any big storms that might have shifted the antenna or damaged the cabling?
What if something’s still not right?
If you’ve retuned and you’re still getting a poor picture or a channel drops out altogether, book a proper assessment now rather than waiting. Antenna technicians get booked out fast in the lead-up to the finals series, and that’s the same every year.
A full assessment picks up what a retune can’t fix: an antenna that’s drifted off alignment, ageing or storm-damaged cabling, a weak signal that needs an amplifier, or a TV and set-top box that isn’t compatible with the current broadcast standard. This kind of fault-finding really is a job for a trained antenna installation professional rather than trial and error on the roof.
Book your finals check-up now!
If you want peace of mind before the biggest game of the year, get in touch with your local Jim’s Antennas technician for a full antenna repairs and servicing assessment. We’ll find the problem, fix it properly, and have you set for finals season with time to spare, no last-minute scramble required.
Get a free quote and get it sorted before the rush.
