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2025 Crowd Watch

Messages
394
I dont know why we struggle to get good crowds for Wembley, but the NFL get 80 odd thousand for their game is just plain nonsens. Ive watched several games of NFL, but there's no way in the world its as appealing as what RL is, not even close - ill give it 1/8 of sheer boredom or even much less 😴
Lots of Europeans buy into the whole American culture and razzmatazz thingy even though it’s sports are about as entertaining as paint drying.
 

Dogs Of War

Coach
Messages
13,112
Once the NRL shorten the season, we won't be playing finals as the NFL kicks off.
Cross promotion will be much easier then, you'll be able to follow both full seasons.
The season would start later. The NRL wants the finals series in September. Just as the weather is getting better and the footy looks better.

Either way, I don't see the season being shortened other than artifically with more byes if anything. I really do hope the NRL goes to conferences when it gets to 20 teams.
 

Gobsmacked

Bench
Messages
4,477
The season would start later. The NRL wants the finals series in September. Just as the weather is getting better and the footy looks better.

Either way, I don't see the season being shortened other than artifically with more byes if anything. I really do hope the NRL goes to conferences when it gets to 20 teams.
Once we get 20 teams the season can be shortened because they're extra fixtures every week, then they can have more Internationals.
 

Dogs Of War

Coach
Messages
13,112
Once we get 20 teams the season can be shortened because they're extra fixtures every week, then they can have more Internationals.

Internationals won't bring the dollars standard rounds bring. It's all about content. Not to mention our main competitor is AFL. We need not give them clear air at any time.
 

T to the T

Juniors
Messages
684
Once we get 20 teams the season can be shortened because they're extra fixtures every week, then they can have more Internationals.
I can't see the season shortening. It wouldn't help the TV rights with less inventory to sell and also a lot of the stadium deals now have dependencies on clubs to play a certain number of games there.

Whilst previously I was open to less, taking into account that the league WILL go to 24 one day. If the amount of fixtures was reduced to 19, it would be very difficult getting increases to that number past the RLPA in the future.

24 games is about right albeit right on the upper limit.
 

Valheru

Referee
Messages
20,467
I dont know why we struggle to get good crowds for Wembley, but the NFL get 80 odd thousand for their game is just plain nonsens. Ive watched several games of NFL, but there's no way in the world its as appealing as what RL is, not even close - ill give it 1/8 of sheer boredom or even much less 😴
The NFL will be getting the 2nd highest attendance in Australia next year behind only the AFL GF.

It is a giant on the world stage.
 

Dogs Of War

Coach
Messages
13,112
NRL 2024: NRL season length, shorten season, NRL expansion, PNG bid, Western Bears bid, Peter V’Landys, Clint Newton https://share.google/mU4K8pZ6NXVFumS35

As I said, it more byes that work well to reduce the amount of games. Rather than the actual length of the season. Newton says a reduction of 2 games is all that is being asked for (22 rather than 24 rounds). With another couple of byes, probably around Origin time, players would be fresher, and we wouldn't lose the momentum and provide AFL with free hits. That won't be possible until 20 teams comes in so you have enough product to sell.
 

Valheru

Referee
Messages
20,467
Once we get 20 teams the season can be shortened because they're extra fixtures every week, then they can have more Internationals.
The NRL won't be shortening the season.

Everything the NRL and any other major sporting competition has done in the last couple of decades is about increasing content, not decreasing it. See NBA, MLB and NFL as key examples.
 

Dogs Of War

Coach
Messages
13,112
The NRL won't be shortening the season.

Everything the NRL and any other major sporting competition has done in the last couple of decades is about increasing content, not decreasing it. See NBA, MLB and NFL as key examples.

2 of those sports have done nothing to increase games. NBA and MLB have been the same forever. That said, those 2 sports rotate players heavily during the season due to the sheer number of games they play (NBA 82 MLB 162)

NFL has increased by one game. And lost one preseason game. I'd say the next move is to remove another preseason game, and increase the season to 18 games. But after that, I suspect they won't go any further. They are hitting the sweet spots they like and have the draft which dominates as well. A good yearly spread that gets in the papers all year round pretty much.
 

Valheru

Referee
Messages
20,467
2 of those sports have done nothing to increase games. NBA and MLB have been the same forever. That said, those 2 sports rotate players heavily during the season due to the sheer number of games they play (NBA 82 MLB 162)

NFL has increased by one game. And lost one preseason game. I'd say the next move is to remove another preseason game, and increase the season to 18 games. But after that, I suspect they won't go any further. They are hitting the sweet spots they like and have the draft which dominates as well. A good yearly spread that gets in the papers all year round pretty much.
NBA has added the play in tournament (6 extra games) as well as the mid season tournament (1 extra game being the final).

MLB has added teams and thus games to the post season.

NFL as you say has increased by one regular season game but also added the 7th seed meaning 13 total playoff games opposed to 11.
 

Dogs Of War

Coach
Messages
13,112
NBA has added the play in tournament (6 extra games) as well as the mid season tournament (1 extra game being the final).

MLB has added teams and thus games to the post season.

NFL as you say has increased by one regular season game but also added the 7th seed meaning 13 total playoff games opposed to 11.

The play in tournament only impacts the teams that play them. It's not like all teams have 6 extra games, and as I pointed out, they rotate players heavily during the season. I also think it's a pretty dumb concept which will go in a few years.

Same with MLB. Players rotate heavily, and end of season games are where the money is at. So getting more teams involved is imporant.

I wonder if we move to a 10 team final series once the NRL gets to 20 teams. I'd like it kept at the top 8, but money will talk at the end of the day.
 

yakstorm

First Grade
Messages
6,804
I have no doubt the NRL wants to reduce the length of the season, I mean it's something that's been talked about for years, the biggest blocker to that will be what the broadcasters would be prepared to pay for a reduction.

For the likes of Fox/DAZN, they know the end of the NRL season results in a drop in subscription revenue, it's why they are so keen to cover the likes of the Pacific Championship and paid to get the pre-season competition, for them if the NRL was prepared to offer 12 months worth of content, they'd happily pay for it. A Stan / Paramount / Netflix / HBO Max / etc would be similar.

A reduction in the length of the season, for them, not only would result in subscription hit, but would also impact their advertising and partnership revenue as well.

The happy medium will need to see the NRL get creative with the season structure, potentially looking having 20 teams but only ever playing 8 games a weekend to spread it out over multiple weeks and/or introducing mid-season breaks for things like Origin and Tests. Otherwise they'll need to be prepared to take a pay cut or not have much growth on the current media rights value.
 

Valheru

Referee
Messages
20,467
The play in tournament only impacts the teams that play them. It's not like all teams have 6 extra games, and as I pointed out, they rotate players heavily during the season. I also think it's a pretty dumb concept which will go in a few years.

Same with MLB. Players rotate heavily, and end of season games are where the money is at. So getting more teams involved is imporant.

I wonder if we move to a 10 team final series once the NRL gets to 20 teams. I'd like it kept at the top 8, but money will talk at the end of the day.
I'm talking about increasing content... not necessarily the amount of games each team plays.
 

Valheru

Referee
Messages
20,467
I have no doubt the NRL wants to reduce the length of the season, I mean it's something that's been talked about for years, the biggest blocker to that will be what the broadcasters would be prepared to pay for a reduction.

For the likes of Fox/DAZN, they know the end of the NRL season results in a drop in subscription revenue, it's why they are so keen to cover the likes of the Pacific Championship and paid to get the pre-season competition, for them if the NRL was prepared to offer 12 months worth of content, they'd happily pay for it. A Stan / Paramount / Netflix / HBO Max / etc would be similar.

A reduction in the length of the season, for them, not only would result in subscription hit, but would also impact their advertising and partnership revenue as well.

The happy medium will need to see the NRL get creative with the season structure, potentially looking having 20 teams but only ever playing 8 games a weekend to spread it out over multiple weeks and/or introducing mid-season breaks for things like Origin and Tests. Otherwise they'll need to be prepared to take a pay cut or not have much growth on the current media rights value.
I don't think the NRL has any interest whatsoever in decreasing the length of the season, why would they?

The NRLPA might want it but that's a different kettle of fish.

Decreasing the length of the season equals less dollars and that's the bottom line for the NRL.
 

Burns

First Grade
Messages
6,248
Would think they would open the remainder of Level 7 for Sunday? There aren’t exactly heaps of tickets left on sale at present.
 

yakstorm

First Grade
Messages
6,804
Updated Suncorp sales map. Currently there are less than 70 seats left on Level 5. Surprisingly they still haven't opened up the back rows of 604, despite how well everything else is selling on Level 6. At the current rate of sales, I imagine they'll need to open up either 735 or 732 soon for the Samoan supporters.

1761010550939.png
 

eels4lifee

Juniors
Messages
692
Three amazing crowds coming up this weekend.


The one I'm looking forward to the most is the game at Wembley, even though it won't reach full capacity, but it bloody sounds like it is if England can put on a show and shock us like they used to in the first games
 

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