All 18 teams will survive, they've come too far, invested too much coin into all of them and the TV rights will dictate that. As soon as you move to 16 or 14 teams, the broadcasters will say hands off.
If the AWfl did decide to reduce the games dramatically, channel eagle will be saying bar lees, we are not paying up.
Then don't discount 9 or 10 or a consortium swooping in and saying thank your mother for the rabbits.
9 have lost the cricket (bar the WC from memory, negotiated years back) and if they have no Rugba (see Peter V'landys, what's going on with that) then they will need remotes to change channel and they are flying in the ratings and would love nothing more then to put the knife into 7.
tvtonight.com.au/2020/03/monday-30-march-2020.html
4th in the ratings last night
9 Network 30.2
10 Network 22.2
ABC Network 21.1
7 Network 20.6, they are bleeding with no footy.
No consumers, no advertising, no channel.
Fun times ahead.