declining interest in matches involving neutral teams

[dogz08]

watching the bulldogs play since our last bye would put anyone to sleep

 

[ram raid]

I haven't really noticed what you're noticing but I don't really have my finger on the pulse of fan culture either. Anyway I cannot understand how you could not enjoy games as a neutral. If you can't then you're not really much of an NRL fan IMO.

 

[chigurh]

This is the first year I haven't watched a shit ton of league. I always watch my team play, and the Monday night game each week (just because I'm always home for it), but I don't go out of my way to watch any other matches anymore. 2016 will probably be the first season I watch more NFL than NRL.

And as a side note the Friday 6pm kick off in 2017 is one of worst things I've ever heard of.

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

I still watch every game because of tipping, but there are definitely certain games, usually the ones with very little stakes that I just can't be f**ked watching. Anything involving Newcastle and the usual wrestlegrind fanatics playing each other like Storm, Dogs and Roosters.

 

[dogz08]

i've actually enjoyed watching the roosters play the last 2 weeks

 

[ram raid]

I'm pretty sure I won't be watching Souths Vs Newcastle Monday nght.

 

[undertaker]

This is the first year I haven't watched a shit ton of league. I always watch my team play, and the Monday night game each week (just because I'm always home for it), but I don't go out of my way to watch any other matches anymore. 2016 will probably be the first season I watch more NFL than NRL.

And as a side note the Friday 6pm kick off in 2017 is one of worst things I've ever heard of.

Well, you can blame the likes of Slothfield who started spruiking it after MNF was canned from 2017 as a result of Dave Smith's decision to award Ch9 regular Thursday night matches. This was simply nothing other than News Ltd chucking a dummy spit and their way of screwing the fans over (which they've been doing since the SL-war) in retaliation for losing MNF.

As I've already said, it's not only that Friday 6pm is one of the worst ideas in the history of rugby league broadcasting in this country, but furthermore WHO in the ARLC and WHY did the ARLC agreed to this proposal from News Ltd is a mystery. As the expression goes, it takes two to tango. I thought the purpose of the ARLC/independent commission was to sort these issues out, and that "the fans were going to have their game back" (as the likes of Gus Gould were saying at the time a few years ago). The performance of the ARLC since Smith left has been very disappointing, and appears to be nothing other than News Ltd back in control of the game, just under a different guise (whilst at the same time giving the illusion that the game is independent of their control). And I do question the timing and appointment of Greenburg as CEO, but that's a topic for a different thread.

Sunday 6/6:30pm was the most logical timeslot to replace the MNF game with if the ARLC still had this obsession with not wanting games to overlap with each other on the fear it was going to devalue the tv rights deal (which is complete utter nonsense, as AFL/EPL/NFL and other sporting codes with $1+ billion tv rights deals still have matches where the timeslots overlap and are still extracting good tv rights deals, whilst at the same time maintaining a good % of matches in family-friendly timeslots).

Furthermore, the 6pm game pushes the Ch9 Friday night game kickoff back to at least 8:10pm (ensuring they have enough time for a pre-game show and to give the 6pm game broadcast enough time in the case of golden point/on-field delays such as injuries and constant video ref decisions), finishing close to 10pm and most people at the game getting home after 11pm on a Friday night. So, now you have two timeslots on Friday that are not convenient for people to attend: 6pm for people who work, and 8:10-15pm for families with younger children and parents. In this situation, the ARLC would've been far better going back to 2 Friday night matches at 7:45-50pm kickoff.

 

[adamkungl]

Next year's timeslots are just yet another proof that the NRL actively hates its fans.

 

[Lambretta]

I shall be recording the Friday Night games and watching the first one at 8pm and the second one at 10pm.

I will stop the second game every 10 minutes for a 5 minute period and sing stupid jingles ad-nauseam to ensure the game doesn't finish until close to midnight so I can pretend I'm living back in the good old days or something.

That'll f**king show em

 

[Lambretta]

PS If anyone enjoyed watching St George fumble and wander round the field lost against half a first grade side, before being beaten. You need help.

That was frustrating and I enjoy watching St George lose.

 

[ed-grimley]

I enjoy any game where Brisbane, St George or Manly could get flogged.

 

[Bronxnation]

PS If anyone enjoyed watching St George fumble and wander round the field lost against half a first grade side, before being beaten. You need help.

That was frustrating and I enjoy watching St George lose.

eh i enjoyed it

 

[ed-grimley]

I'm looking forward to less game days next year. Footy 5 days a week has been overload, even though it's the same number of games. Thursday night doesn't feel natural though.

If we got a FTA game every Saturday I would stop complaining about RL.

 

[Perth Red]

Given how much I pay for Fox they should play every game at a time that best suits me, around about 10.15pm every night KO when the wife is going to bed to stop her hassling me about watching RL all the time. The game just isn't TV fan friendly enough.

 

[Lambretta]

eh i enjoyed it

maybe I should have tipped the Eels lol

 

[stormbati]

It is called getting old.

You will have more things to do and more responsibility now so games take on less importance.


Plus it was better when you were younger.
Said every old man about his chosen sport.

My thoughts exactly although if by some miracle I have no commitments then NRL and kava/ beers is first choice.

 

[chigurh]

Well, you can blame the likes of Slothfield who started spruiking it after MNF was canned from 2017 as a result of Dave Smith's decision to award Ch9 regular Thursday night matches. This was simply nothing other than News Ltd chucking a dummy spit and their way of screwing the fans over (which they've been doing since the SL-war) in retaliation for losing MNF.

As I've already said, it's not only that Friday 6pm is one of the worst ideas in the history of rugby league broadcasting in this country, but furthermore WHO in the ARLC and WHY did the ARLC agreed to this proposal from News Ltd is a mystery. As the expression goes, it takes two to tango. I thought the purpose of the ARLC/independent commission was to sort these issues out, and that "the fans were going to have their game back" (as the likes of Gus Gould were saying at the time a few years ago). The performance of the ARLC since Smith left has been very disappointing, and appears to be nothing other than News Ltd back in control of the game, just under a different guise (whilst at the same time giving the illusion that the game is independent of their control). And I do question the timing and appointment of Greenburg as CEO, but that's a topic for a different thread.

Sunday 6/6:30pm was the most logical timeslot to replace the MNF game with if the ARLC still had this obsession with not wanting games to overlap with each other on the fear it was going to devalue the tv rights deal (which is complete utter nonsense, as AFL/EPL/NFL and other sporting codes with $1+ billion tv rights deals still have matches where the timeslots overlap and are still extracting good tv rights deals, whilst at the same time maintaining a good % of matches in family-friendly timeslots).

Furthermore, the 6pm game pushes the Ch9 Friday night game kickoff back to at least 8:10pm (ensuring they have enough time for a pre-game show and to give the 6pm game broadcast enough time in the case of golden point/on-field delays such as injuries and constant video ref decisions), finishing close to 10pm and most people at the game getting home after 11pm on a Friday night. So, now you have two timeslots on Friday that are not convenient for people to attend: 6pm for people who work, and 8:10-15pm for families with younger children and parents. In this situation, the ARLC would've been far better going back to 2 Friday night matches at 7:45-50pm kickoff.

Agree with all of this.

I hadn't thought of the early Friday game pushing the kickoff for the later game back. It's just another reason to dislike it and I can all but guarantee it will finally kill off the already dwindling enthusiasm for Broncos membership amongst some of my mates who were already over the constant Friday games.

If the NRL is so against more Sunday games they should have just kept Monday nights. I know there have been some issues with teams backing up but most of it seems to be down to poor scheduling, not some fundamental issue with having both Thursday and Monday night football.

 

[undertaker]

Agree with all of this.

I hadn't thought of the early Friday game pushing the kickoff for the later game back. It's just another reason to dislike it and I can all but guarantee it will finally kill off the already dwindling enthusiasm for Broncos membership amongst some of my mates who were already over the constant Friday games.

If the NRL is so against more Sunday games they should have just kept Monday nights. I know there have been some issues with teams backing up but most of it seems to be down to poor scheduling, not some fundamental issue with having both Thursday and Monday night football.

In another thread last year, I also said at the time that it was a big mistake for the ARLC to rush in and finalise a tv deal with Fox. With the tv rights not expiring until end of 2017, the ARLC should've made Fox sweat it out for at least another year (especially after the comments Murdoch made at the press conference when the AFL tv rights deal was announced), having the upper hand in the negotiations in knowing that Fox's existence would be jeopardised without any NRL coverage. It's no coincidence that Fox were very keen to jump back into negotiations and formulate a deal with the ARLC ASAP after Smith left, and again, a mystery why the ARLC obliged to this (as well as Fox's terms and conditions, including the Friday 6pm match) after all the negative press News Ltd had been hammering them with last year and in the lead-up to Smith's resignation.
Definitely a rat somewhere in ARLC headquarters.

Also, ROFL at this point in the NRL tv rights announcement last year. What a joke. Can't believe no one else has picked up on this:

http://www.nrl.com/nrl-broadcast-rights-deal-announced/tabid/10874/newsid/91023/default.aspx

• News Corp Australia will use its local media and newspaper resources to promote the game wherever it is played

God help us all if News are going to rely on the likes of Slothfield, Rebecca Wilson, Massoud, Ritchie, Paul Kent, James Hooper etc. to do that. Surely it wasn't Dave Smith who wrote that, as he could see right through the jerks at News Ltd. Whoever at the ARLC wrote that in the conditions (about News Corp) has their head right up News' rear end

 

[Perth Red]

The ARLC are gutless, simple as. They bent over and took a lower $ deal for worse fan outcomes than AFL, AFTER news Ltd had openly slagged them off. As usual the priority for them was to be able to announce a $billion deal and not do what was best for the game. The current mentality that all that really matters is growing revenue, even at the expense of growing the game, will not change whilst the current commissioners are in power.

 

[undertaker]

Not sure if someone covered it as I skim read the thread - but the Youtube issue in the first post is simply down to rights - the NRL/Telstra simply won't allow alternative copies of matches on other platforms if they can help it. Once they became aware of "illegal footage" it was all over.

I distinctly remember when the NRL website had highlights/match replays of games going all the way back to Round 9, 2001......all gone now. Any specific reason for doing this? It's almost as if the NRL want that period of the game to be forgotten and consigned to the trashheap.

Many memorable/classic matches since Rd 9 2001, and absolutely no footage can be found online, not even on the NRL website. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Even when the NRL channel is launched on Foxtel next year, I highly doubt that they will show highlights from any of those games.