The AFL has elected to keep half-time breaks at 20 minutes for the 2020 season.
Discussions at the CEO's conference in November centred around the possibility of reducing the length of the break by up to 10 minutes, with League officials meeting with key stakeholders to weigh up potential benefits and issues that would arise from altering the duration.
The messaging is in line with the League’s decision to maintain consistency in 2020, with the decision to not make any rule changes before the season starts.
A 10- or 15-minute break had been mooted, with TV viewership retention numbers the driving motivator behind a potential change.
Up to 20 per cent of fans watching from home switched off at half-time last season, but shortening the break would disadvantage fans at the game queueing up for food or bathrooms.
"Our focus is to ensure the best experience for fans at the ground or watching the broadcast, and ensuring the best possible outcome for players and clubs, we have decided to keep the length as is (20mins) for this season," AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking wrote to clubs on Friday night.
"We will continue to work with stakeholders around the evolution of the game and will ensure you are engaged in any further developments."
Bulldogs defender Easton Wood was unfazed by the potential change when it was floated.
"I've never seen something so small cause such an uproar. We're talking about 10 minutes aren't we?" Wood said.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, however, was a supporter of the idea.
"I'm OK with it," Goodwin told SEN late last year.
"If you look around the world in terms of the game, our game is incredibly long.
"If we can find ways to reduce the length of the game for our spectators and the people involved in the game, I think it's a good thing.
"Ten less minutes for me is not going to affect the way we coach."
