For those who have a Foxtel subscription...

[docbrown]

Imagine if Foxtel lost 84.31% of their NSW and Qld customers?

Especially considering this:

Yeah well that's asking a group of hardcore fans.

SMH reckons about 500,000 are subscribing for NRL content. But there's also a cross over group that are subscribing for both NRL & Entertainment packages. If the NRL is no longer on Fox Sports and is available elsewhere (like F2A or a different subscription package) a significant percentage of cross overs may make the decision to dump Foxtel for an NRL subscription combined with a entertainment stream (Netflix, Stan etc). Some people are saying the real churn could be closer to 1,000,000 which is about a third of their subscriber share.

But forget about subscription losses for a second. The real threat here is the Fox-10 revenue collapse. They were projecting revenues for MCN at around $1 billion. A significant proportion of that projected ad spend will follow wherever the NRL goes.

Even if 10 doesn't get a single NRL match it is in their best interests to get the NRL to stay of Foxtel too.

 

[RoosTah]

Yeah well that's asking a group of hardcore fans.

SMH reckons about 500,000 are subscribing for NRL content. But there's also a cross over group that are subscribing for both NRL & Entertainment packages. If the NRL is no longer on Fox Sports and is available elsewhere (like F2A or a different subscription package) a significant percentage of cross overs may make the decision to dump Foxtel for an NRL subscription combined with a entertainment stream (Netflix, Stan etc). Some people are saying the real churn could be closer to 1,000,000 which is about a third of their subscriber share.

But forget about subscription losses for a second. The real threat here is the Fox-10 revenue collapse. They were projecting revenues for MCN at around $1 billion. A significant proportion of that projected ad spend will follow wherever the NRL goes.

Even if 10 doesn't get a single NRL match it is in their best interests to get the NRL to stay of Foxtel too.

I've read very similar analysis on the web about this, and frankly that being true explains the relentless attacks on the game by News Ltd since this deal with 9 has been struck.

What's promising is Dave Smith is by all accounts not at all phased in spite of all the yelling and screaming by all the Foxtards at the Tele, Triple M and on Fox 360 etc.

The NRL has a lot of time to get this to work in their favour, so the more Murdoch and his Cassandras shriek the more we know they're feeling the pressure.

 

[DC_fan]

For me Foxtel is about the entire package, just not the sports.

 

[_Johnsy]

Interesting article, without the biased comments of News ltd employees (yeah I'm looking at you Paul Kent). If it wasn't for the NRL, foxtel would be lucky to still be operating in Aus, or would have waited a decade to turn a profit. In all honesty they owe the NRL.

http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-leag...o-do-a-deal-with-the-nrl-20150821-gj4qlq.html

The figures that show why Fox Sports needs to do a deal with the NRL


According to ratings figures up until August 19 for live sport on Fox Sports, 49 of the top 100 most watched programs were NRL matches, including 25 of the top 50.
In comparison, 35 AFL matches feature in the top 100, including just 14 in the top 50 and none in the top 10. The number of NRL and AFL matches in the top 100 is down on previous years because of the ICC Cricket World Cup, which makes up five of the top 11 most watched programs on Fox Sports, including the top three, and the Asian Cup, which had five matches in the top 100, including three of the top 10.
The second Bledisloe Cup match between the Wallabies and All Blacks was ranked No.14 and the A-League grand final was 65th.


The most watched NRL match on Fox Sports so far this season was the April 20 Cronulla-South Sydney clash (sixth), with 335,000 viewers tuning in to watch the teams slog it out in horrendous weather conditions. Souths' matches against North Queensland (325,000) and St George Illawarra (321,000) also feature in the top 10, with the most watched AFL match, Sydney Swans v Collingwood (317,000), being 12th. Another 10 NRL matches are ranked between 15th and 28th. ​
Overall viewing numbers for NRL matches on Fox Sports are up 3 per cent from 22,455,571 for the corresponding period of the 2014 season to 23,199,335, with the average numbers of viewers for each game being higher than AFL.

​

 

[RoosTah]

For me Foxtel is about the entire package, just not the sports.

Fair enough I suppose. Personally the "entire package" is mostly filler, and outside of sport I can get everything else I want cheaper on other platforms.

 

[strong_latte]

Fair enough I suppose. Personally the "entire package" is mostly filler, and outside of sport I can get everything else I want cheaper on other platforms.

Same. What is the entire package anyway? Mostly reruns of old Simpsons episodes and movies that are much easier to get online.

 

[DC_fan]

However, Fox Sports negotiators will argue their highest rating NRL matches are usually on Saturday night, which will now be on free-to-air as part of the $925,000 deal with Channel Nine for four games per week, and Monday night, which is being axed from 2018.

According to the figures collated by Rugby League Ratings, 43 of the 49 NRL games in the Fox Sports top 100 are in those time slots, with Monday night matches averaging 253,000 viewers and Saturday night matches averaging 239,000 viewers.

The average viewing figures after last weekend for the other time slots are: Saturday 3pm - 186,000; Saturday 5.30pm - 232,000; and Sundays - 193,000.

Unless the number of teams is increased to 18 within the next two years, the Nine deal would leave Fox Sports with one less match per week than now but the NRL believes that can be offset by offering the pay TV broadcaster the rights to all eight matches - four exclusive and four simulcast with Nine.

Such a deal would be similar to the one News Corp hastily negotiated with the AFL in the past week in a move widely being viewed as a get-square with the NRL but one which may end up costing Fox Sports more because the market value for sports rights has increased.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-leag...th-the-nrl-20150821-gj4qlq.html#ixzz3jVfXvb8o

We cannot expect Fox Sports to pay anywhere near what they did for the AFL if all they get is the bottom ranked four games each weekend.

If Fox Sports is able to broadcast all eight matches - four exclusive and four simulcast with Nine - then I believe the money they receive from the Nine contract will be lower because that channel will lose the exclusively live tag.

I think too many people here are placing a lot of faith in what the SMH has to say.

 

[DC_fan]

Fair enough I suppose. Personally the "entire package" is mostly filler, and outside of sport I can get everything else I want cheaper on other platforms.

I like the news channel options Foxtel offers as to the History and documentary channels. Their is a few BBC channels available also. So for me their is plenty to offer.

I tried Netflix and to be honest was rather disappointed in it.

 

[macnaz]

4th option required..

- yes, but will remove the sport package add on from my subscription

Me too.

 

[_Johnsy]

We cannot expect Fox Sports to pay anywhere near what they did for the AFL if all they get is the bottom ranked four games each weekend.

If Fox Sports is able to broadcast all eight matches - four exclusive and four simulcast with Nine - then I believe the money they receive from the Nine contract will be lower because that channel will lose the exclusively live tag.

I think too many people here are placing a lot of faith in what the SMH has to say.

The reality is for Foxtel that their subscription numbers consistently show that the NRL out rates the AFL. It's simple mathematics, more people watch the NRL on Foxtel then the AFL. This may not translate to an equal offer but it won't be anywhere near as low as the News Ltd employees would have you believe.

 

[RoosTah]

We cannot expect Fox Sports to pay anywhere near what they did for the AFL if all they get is the bottom ranked four games each weekend.

If Fox Sports is able to broadcast all eight matches - four exclusive and four simulcast with Nine - then I believe the money they receive from the Nine contract will be lower because that channel will lose the exclusively live tag.

I think too many people here are placing a lot of faith in what the SMH has to say.

Really? The SMH don't have a stake in the NRL either way, so I'll believe them before I listen to Murdoch's Goebbels unit.

As for the bottom four ranked games, it's already been shown here that they still tend to rate better than the AFL on Fox.

Simulcast is the only option fox has - anything less and strategically the NRL are better off going elsewhere

 

[bileduct]

I like the news channel options Foxtel offers as to the History and documentary channels. Their is a few BBC channels available also. So for me their is plenty to offer.

I tried Netflix and to be honest was rather disappointed in it.

The history channel?

Ohhhh, you mean the Hitler and UFO channel.

 

[POPEYE]

I don't watch anything on Ch7 or 10, only the afternoon news and actual footy games on 9, even record SBS or ad laden Fox channels so I can ff out the ads. I counter a guilty conscience associated with refusing to watch ads, which after all keep TV on the air, by paying for Foxtel, if everyone did what I do FTA would go broke

 

[kbw]

There are much cheaper options such as Fetch for the non sport bits.
I would drop it straight away and save a bucket load

 

[Canard]

We cannot expect Fox Sports to pay anywhere near what they did for the AFL if all they get is the bottom ranked four games each weekend.

If Fox Sports is able to broadcast all eight matches - four exclusive and four simulcast with Nine - then I believe the money they receive from the Nine contract will be lower because that channel will lose the exclusively live tag.

I think too many people here are placing a lot of faith in what the SMH has to say.

And Fox will have to pay the shortfall to makeup for the lower deal with 9

 

[nick87]

We're already considering getting rid of it, NRL is the only reason it stays
I'd cancel without a seconds thought

 

[cleary89]

We cannot expect Fox Sports to pay anywhere near what they did for the AFL if all they get is the bottom ranked four games each weekend.

If Fox Sports is able to broadcast all eight matches - four exclusive and four simulcast with Nine - then I believe the money they receive from the Nine contract will be lower because that channel will lose the exclusively live tag.

I think too many people here are placing a lot of faith in what the SMH has to say.

Yeh, wasn't it 9 drops 125m or 165m or something if "certain games" were simulcast. Dunno if that means regular season, finals, origin or all 3.

 

[Perth Red]

No Perth club no fox for me, once the expansion decision is made I'll make my fox decision.

 

[tumbidragon]

Rather stick to streams than give a cent to Uncle Rupp.

 

[Canard]

Yeh, wasn't it 9 drops 125m or 165m or something if "certain games" were simulcast. Dunno if that means regular season, finals, origin or all 3.

The NRL don't lose money though, they just very FOX (or other broadcaster) to pay this balance