Melbourne Storm after better TV slots

[Flapper]

So in theory the NRL can be on Go or Gem in AFL states next year?

 

[adamkungl]

So when these changes are brought in, NRL finals MUST be shown nation wide at least on digital channels. What about 'tier 2' events, ie. normal games. It says they must be televised or sold to another network, but no mention as to whether live or not. So really the ball is in the NRLs court still, as far as I can tell. Given how piss weak they have been in the past, I don't have high hopes.

 

[skeepe]

I hope the "in full" proviso prevents ridiculous situations like today where the final part of the first day of the Ashes cannot be watched anywhere in Australia.

 

[AuckMel]

So in theory the NRL can be on Go or Gem in AFL states next year?

That was my impression too.

 

[gallagher]

I hope the "in full" proviso prevents ridiculous situations like today where the final part of the first day of the Ashes cannot be watched anywhere in Australia.

Can in Perth.

 

[gallagher]

That was my impression too.

It doesnt look like they are going to be forced to though. Ch9 perth show 50 yr old movies starring Lucille Ball on sunday arvo instead of league at the moment.

 

[El Diablo]

if 9 aren't forced to they won't show it in other states on multi channels

 

[Bastard Squad]

Sounds good to me, live NRL in places like Melbourne on a digital channel is infinitely better than the current situation.

 

[parano1a]

All NRL and AFL games now MUST be shown on no more than a 4 hour delay in every state.

This means that in Perth the Friday night double header MUST start no later than 7.30, otherwise the starting time of 2nd game would be in breach of the rules.

I think it's safe to say that Friday night double header will be shown at 7.30 (possibly earlier for Perth) on GEM nationwide

 

[beave]

this is channel 9 you are talking about here........ don't bet on it.

 

[parano1a]

this is channel 9 you are talking about here........ don't bet on it.

Seeing as non-compliance with the new legislation will impose penalties on the broadcaster, I think they have no choice.

Besides, it makes good commercial sense to show NRL live on a digital channel in Melbourne, even though it is currently commercial suicide for them to show it on the main network.

NRL only needs to attract a niche audience on GEM (maybe 80-100k) to be worthwhile for Nine to show it live.

I'm pretty confident Melbourne viewers will finally get to watch Friday Night NRL at the same time Sydney and Brisbane viewers do.

Likewise, 7 will show the Friday Night AFL live on either 7two or 7mate into Sydney and Brisbane, so fans of all sporting codes should be pleased.

 

[beave]

they will show it in Melbourne about 3.5 hours after the game finishes in the league states, which is probably about the same time it is shown now on the main channels. You watch, the merkins will do it.

 

[parano1a]

they will show it in Melbourne about 3.5 hours after the game finishes in the league states, which is probably about the same time it is shown now on the main channels. You watch, the merkins will do it.

With the Friday night double header, they can't do this, unless they are going to show both games at the same time on 2 different channels.

Games cannot be delayed by more than 4 hours. Both Friday games start at 7.30pm.

So if they wanted they could show:

11.30pm Game 1 on GO!
11.30pm Game 2 on GEM

But this would hardly make commercial sense.

They could show if they wanted:
9.30pm Game 1 on GEM
11.30pm Game 2 on GEM

But I think that in terms of selling advertising it would be more beneficial for them to just show the games at 7.30 and 9.30 on GEM. It would save money too as they can just air the same feed as Sydney.

They can air a chick flick on Nine, and a teen movie on GO! as they do now, League on GEM, and capture 3 different demographics.

ESPECIALLY if Seven continues to show Friday Night AFL delayed at 8.30 as they currently do, after Better Homes and Gardens airs at 7.30. A very large portion of AFL fans would prefer to watch the first hour of the NRL if live rather than Better Homes and Gardens - and if the AFL game turns out to be one-sided, many would flick back to the league later in the night as well.

 

[Quidgybo]

Let's for the moment assume that, unlike the NRL's current contract with Nine, the new regulations are strictly enforced by Government. Two thoughts...

1/ The Four Hour Delay

The four hour delay allowed on the B list (three regular season NRL games per week) ensures none of the three matches are shown more than four hours after they are played. That means under the current schedule, the Sunday afternoon match must start screening in Melbourne no later than 7pm that evening. It must start in Perth no later than 5pm.

*Both* Friday night matches must start in Melbourne no later than 11.30pm and no later than 9.30pm in Perth. To screen the matches consecutively instead of simultaneously would mean that one of the two Friday night games must start in Melbourne no later than 9.30pm and in Perth no later than 7.30pm.

A four hour delay allows the flexibility for the FTA network to cover a Friday night match in Auckland (7.30pm NST) and still show it as the second game in Sydney and Brisbane. If the four hours is strictly enforced then it will have big implications for FTA coverage in Melbourne and Perth even if Nine do ride the limits to delay games in these markets.

2/ Protection of Quality Games for FTA

A wide mechanism to ensure three "quality games" remain on FTA can not be enforce. The NRL will argue that their stated policy is to provide a competition where "every" game is a close, quality, contest. Therefore any three games are good enough for FTA. And perhaps they are correct - at least in the first part of the season.

I think the argument loses credibility in the run down to the finals as some games without finals implications becomes clearly less interesting. The interesting games are those that decide who is in and whose season is over. It is these critical matches in the last six to ten weeks of the regular season that must be protected for FTA coverage.

The only way that any rule could be written that might be enforceable is if it tightly focuses on just these last weeks of the season. Perhaps a rule like "in the last 10 weeks of the season, FTA can not be given a match contested by two teams that can not mathematically make the finals under the competition's standard win/loss point scoring system". I'm sure that would still leave plenty of loopholes but it'd at least narrow the scope for leakage of big games to Pay TV.

Leigh

 

[Goddo]

I don't understand why they would be pushing pay-TV though...

AFL rates shyte on FOX, surely they can't be banking on them paying overs again...:?

They seem to think they are going to get heaps more cash from it. I know it doesn't make sense but thats their angle.

 

[Hoggy]

The biggest issue I have as a Victorian who has Foxtel and loves both AFL and NRL is the fact that if I drive from my home in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, north approximately two and a half hours to Wangaratta, on a Friday night I could have live AFL at 7.30pm on Channel 7, and a live NRL double header on Channel 9 also at 7.30pm.

Then I consider the fact that if I am channel surfing on a Friday night at home, I have my choice of Better Homes and Gardens on Channel 7, or usually some rubbish like Airport, or Highway Patrol on Channel 9.

How does that make sense, when Sydney and Brisbane folk get a live double header, and if they have Foxtel, can watch Friday Night AFL on the Main Event Channel without additional fees.

I pay for Foxtel to watch things like the NRL, A-League, EPL, etc, etc (I follow Collingwood, so realistically we're on FTA down here almost every week so it's kind of irrelevant) but I am still forced to miss out on watching a double header of league every Friday night, until at least 10.30pm on Foxtel. If I want to watch it on Channel 9 with all of the pre game and half time, it will be not only post midnight, but also there will be 3.5 minutes of ads in every 10 minutes of game time.

I really, truly, do not see how much of an issue it would be to put the Friday night double header on Main Event Channel, so we also get a choice to watch what we as Melburnians, want to watch. It's frustrating as f**k.

 

[Paul J]

All NRL and AFL games now MUST be shown on no more than a 4 hour delay in every state.

This means that in Perth the Friday night double header MUST start no later than 7.30, otherwise the starting time of 2nd game would be in breach of the rules.

I think it's safe to say that Friday night double header will be shown at 7.30 (possibly earlier for Perth) on GEM nationwide

Has anyone got a link to a media release that states how much the FTA networks can delay telecasts?

Is it 3, 3.5, or 4 hours, or what?

Thanks.

 

[Paul J]

"However, the government will put in place a mechanism to protect the quality of games on free-to-air television to ensure Friday and Saturday games remain blockbuster games in the round..."

"But the government removed four AFL and five NRL regular season matches from the list, meaning they can now be showed on free to air digital platforms or pay television channels."

Why has the NRL ensured only 3 NRL games will be shown on FTA?

Do they want the NRL to continue to NOT have Saturday blockbuster games while the AFL continues to enjoy this?

We need an independent commission asap. We need to know if we are going to expand or not, and if we will have 8 or 9 games to sell.

If we have 9 games, why have only 3 on FTA and then 6 on Foxtel?

 

[applesauce]

What happens when we get a Perth team and on a Friday night they get beamed in on the east coast at 9:30pm LIVE?

9 can just play it in Melbourne at 1:30am?

Those scumbags better not gggrrrrhhhh!

 

[Quidgybo]

Has anyone got a link to a media release that states how much the FTA networks can delay telecasts?

Is it 3, 3.5, or 4 hours, or what?

http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/asse...01123_Anti-siphoning_Reforms_-_Fact_Sheet.pdf

New coverage obligations - end of page 1 and onto page 2.

Three NRL games per week are on the Tier B list which requires telecast on FTA (main or digital multi channel) within four hours.

Must offer obligation - page 2

If the FTA network is unwilling to meet the coverage obligation in a market, it must offer it in advance to another FTA network in that market. If no other FTA network is willing to take it then it must offer it to Pay TV.

Leigh