Beaussie said:
Can to explain yourself further there, or are those comments just dribble posted as fact?
Haha mate, I don't post dribble as fact. Lets just say with my current position I have a lot of contact with the involved parties, and I see the politics going on first hand.
I mean lets put forward one of the most obvious components of the politics. Channel 9 had to do a lot to prove to the AFL that it would give it respectable coverage. There was a lot of fear that the organisation, especially with the heads of it being strong league fans, that AFL may not get the level of coverage or promotion that Channel 7 guarenteed it.
Channel 9 in exchange also for a pretty significant amount of cash, has done a number of things to ensure its has kept a happy relationship with the AFL including not televising finals, showing most matches a late time slots and not showing Origin live.
Now you may ask why do the NRL let this happen? Simple at the time the current Television contract was signed Channel 9 held the upper hand cause Channel 10 was bankrupt and Channel 7 had brought in an administrator cause of its financial woes. In no part of the deal did it say Channel 9 must show a certain amount of league in the states outside of NSW and Queensland. A mistake by the then ARL? Maybe but it was understandable why such a stance was taken at the time. Channel 9 was also reasonable with the coverage until it started chasing the AFL deal.
As for your claim that the NRL Footy Show wont exist in 2005, I think your mate is having you on, considering Channel 9 just signed an extension sponsorship deal for the show with Hyundai and Mars Confenctionary.
