2018 Crowd Watch

[Perth Red]

Lol I love how you assume a massive company like FoxSports are acting on a “hunch” - 100% they do extensive research with their scheduling of a multi million dollar broadcasting contract. Just because it’s not in the Daily Telegraph doesn’t mean there isn’t research to back their strategy

Well it is unprovable either way as the only measurement you could take is from the viewing audience for the later Friday game on fox, but given the increased subscriptions due to everygame being covered it is impossible to know if an increase, if there has been an increase, is due to lead in game or more subscribors.
Either way the nrl should never had said yes to another nail in the coffin of crowd growth.

 

[Timmah]

Not everyone has foxtel FOR the football.
And many older people have watched the ch 7 or 9 news nightly for 40 years.

But if you are right, as you always think you are, then explain why fox want the 6pm game, if it’s not to gain lead in viewers to stop people watching channel 9 coverage

Why the need to throw such incendiary bullshit in? Ask the question, have the debate, and play the ball, not the man. I didn't insult you, I simply disagreed with you.

To answer your question - I think we agree? Fox have absolutely put the 6pm game on to pull viewers away from 9 earlier in the night and keep them engaged through the second match to ensure they increase their market share. It's definitely (IMO) a better option than a standalone MNF game, although crowds are probably middling.

Either way this is going slightly off topic so I'm gonna throw some crowd spec for Round 7 up.

CBY v SYD @ ANZ - 14k (likely to be disappointing IMO, even with Dogs winning on Sat)
WAR v SGI @ Mt Smart - 16k (positive results + Friday night should be good)
BRI v MEL @ Suncorp - 38k (Brisbane people how's sales tracking, am I way over the odds here?)
SOU v CAN @ Gosford - 15k (Sat arvo should help but Raiders being the away side?)
WST v NEW @ Tamworth - 10.5k (I believe 11k is the capacity?)
NQL v GLD @ 1300SMILES - 12k (after 14k last week, another loss = less interest?)
PAR v MAN @ ANZ - 14k (two teams playing like busteds)
CRO v PEN @ SCGS - 15.5k (in form Panthers, Sunday arvo @ Shark Park should fill, surely?)

 

[Timmah]

That might be what fox want but it isn’t based on any evidence just a hunch, and that hunch is killing attendances even more than we’ve had before.

Hyperbole 101 here. Attendances are not "being killed more than ever before".

 

[Perth Red]

Hyperbole 101 here. Attendances are not "being killed more than ever before".

Wasn’t last years crowd avg the worse since 2004?
And isn’t this years running close to par with last years so far, and we’ve had a better weather start, DH’ers and an early Easter?
All of the Friday 6pm games have been significantly below that clubs avg or below what that match up would have drawn in a better slot except the opening night in Newcastle. They were sht last last year and they are proving equally sht this year.
The world must be a very shiny place through those rose tinted glasses you walk around in.

 

[Saint Doc]

Why the need to throw such incendiary bullshit in? Ask the question, have the debate, and play the ball, not the man. I didn't insult you, I simply disagreed with you.

To answer your question - I think we agree? Fox have absolutely put the 6pm game on to pull viewers away from 9 earlier in the night and keep them engaged through the second match to ensure they increase their market share. It's definitely (IMO) a better option than a standalone MNF game, although crowds are probably middling.

Hardly an insult, apologies if you were offended.

Regardless you’re not being consistent. You disagree with me that people with fox would potentially still watch the 9 broadcast out of habit, but then agree Fox want the 6pm game as a lead in to ensure people watch their 7.50pm broadcast. Why would they bother if anyone with Fox “invariably” watches Fox no matter what?

 

[ReddFelon]

Are there really people who go to the effort of having Fox Sports that happily watch RL on 9 with an ad break every try and standard definition?

 

[BlueandGold]

 

[mozza91]

Good news. Hopefully we can out number the Tigers fans on Saturday and give it a home game type atmosphere.

 

[Springs09]

I think the lead-in is more about people staying to watch the 7.50 game rather than not at all. On a Friday night if it was Brisbane v Melbourne on at 7.50 I usually wouldn't watch it, but if Parra play at 6 and the game finishes at 7.45 there's a lot better chance of me staying on the couch to watch the next game.

Either way, 6pm timeslot is rubbish. The NRL and Fox should not be selling out two sets of fans every week so they get more people watching the 7.50 game. When a bunch of people can't watch their team play at the ground or on TV because of a stupid timeslot, it's gone too far. Anyone who works 9-5 on a Friday is in a rush to catch kick-off on TV and next to no chance to get to the ground.

 

[Clifferd]

Good news. Hopefully we can out number the Tigers fans on Saturday and give it a home game type atmosphere.

Sucks we’ve virtually given up home ground advantage yet again against decent opposition. If we win I won’t really care tho

 

[Timmah]

Wasn’t last years crowd avg the worse since 2004?
And isn’t this years running close to par with last years so far, and we’ve had a better weather start, DH’ers and an early Easter?
All of the Friday 6pm games have been significantly below that clubs avg or below what that match up would have drawn in a better slot except the opening night in Newcastle. They were sht last last year and they are proving equally sht this year.
The world must be a very shiny place through those rose tinted glasses you walk around in.

Yes, it was the worst average since 2004, but also the 14th best of all time. Crowds have been around the 15k mark for a few years now.

This year's is running probably above I'd say, on the back of a strong opening fortnight. We'll have a better picturing after ANZAC round. I think this year as well we'll have the benefit of the competition not breaking for rep round. IMO that stunted crowds as footy was largely out-of-sight out-of-mind for a week.

I also didn't say the 6pm slot is working well, but it's what we've got and the draw isn't changing this year. Agitating about it might be worth worrying about for future years but for now all we can do is encourage and hope that people turn up to these games. This week is a good one given its an 8pm NZ kickoff.

Regardless you’re not being consistent. You disagree with me that people with fox would potentially still watch the 9 broadcast out of habit, but then agree Fox want the 6pm game as a lead in to ensure people watch their 7.50pm broadcast. Why would they bother if anyone with Fox “invariably” watches Fox no matter what?

Consistency is irrelevant, they're two separate things.

I believe the majority of people who have Fox and watch the second game would watch it on Fox regardless if they'd watched the game before (that doesn't mean they all will, of course).

I also believe that Fox's intent with the 6pm game, as do you, was to have those who are watching it to continue watching at 7:50pm, as per the first part of @Springs09's post above mine.

 

[Stallion]

Wasn’t last years crowd avg the worse since 2004?
And isn’t this years running close to par with last years so far, and we’ve had a better weather start, DH’ers and an early Easter?
All of the Friday 6pm games have been significantly below that clubs avg or below what that match up would have drawn in a better slot except the opening night in Newcastle. They were sht last last year and they are proving equally sht this year.
The world must be a very shiny place through those rose tinted glasses you walk around in.

I would suggest that the next Knights home game at 6pm on a Friday against South Sydney will draw over 20000 with good weather if both sides are doing OK, perhaps bigger than that?

 

[Perth Red]

Yes, it was the worst average since 2004, but also the 14th best of all time. Crowds have been around the 15k mark for a few years now.

@Springs09's post above mine.

Lol, that’s ok then, didnt realise it was 14th best ever, there was me worrying about an apparent stagnation at best, reduction at worse scenario over last few years.

Let’s hope this years reaches the 15th best year ever!

Years of sht Monday nights, a year of sht Thursday and Monday nights and now 6 years of sht Thursday and Friday 6pm nights. Only in the nrl!

 

[Timmah]

Lol, that’s ok then, didnt realise it was 14th best ever, there was me worrying about an apparent stagnation at best, reduction at worse scenario over last few years.

Let’s hope this years reaches the 15th best year ever!

Years of sht Monday nights, a year of sht Thursday and Monday nights and now 6 years of sht Thursday and Friday 6pm nights. Only in the nrl!

So make up your mind then - are crowds "being killed worse than ever before", or is it just apparent stagnation?

And no, not only in the NRL, other codes play football on Thursday nights.

 

[DIOGENES]

@footyindustryAU
·
Apr 15
End of R6 of the 2018 NRL Season, and crowds remain up 13% to 786,765 at an average of 16,391. R6 of the NRL season was down 10% on the previous year, most likely due to R6, 2017 being the Easter round. 115,545 people attended R6 at an average of 14,443.

It took a lot of searching to get this information and even then it comes from a site which is much more interested in AFL

This year, on this thread, data seems to have taken second place to pushing your own agenda

 

[Raiderdave]

@footyindustryAU
·
Apr 15
End of R6 of the 2018 NRL Season, and crowds remain up 13% to 786,765 at an average of 16,391. R6 of the NRL season was down 10% on the previous year, most likely due to R6, 2017 being the Easter round. 115,545 people attended R6 at an average of 14,443.

It took a lot of searching to get this information and even then it comes from a site which is much more interested in AFL

This year, on this thread, data seems to have taken second place to pushing your own agenda

round 7 was easter last year not 6
174019 attended
we're not going to get near that this weekend

Bulldogs V Roosters 12500
Warriors V Dragons 22000
Broncos V Storm 40000
Souths V Raiders 12500
Tigers V Knights 11000
Cowboys V Titans 14000
Parra V Manly 12500
Sharks V Penrith 16500

around 140K I'd predict in good weather

 

[Stallion]

round 7 was easter last year not 6
174019 attended
we're not going to get near that this weekend

Bulldogs V Roosters 12500
Warriors V Dragons 22000
Broncos V Storm 40000
Souths V Raiders 12500
Tigers V Knights 11000
Cowboys V Titans 14000
Parra V Manly 12500
Sharks V Penrith 16500

around 140K I'd predict in good weather

Souths v Raiders will be more and maybe Bulldogs v Roosters. Otherwise, I think you are spot on.

 

[forby]

Form has a lot to do with crowds! You say 11000 for the Parra-Manly game, but if Parra weren't 0-6 and Manly coming off a flogging they would get >30k! Scheduling has some effect, but form has more!

 

[Perth Red]

So make up your mind then - are crowds "being killed worse than ever before", or is it just apparent stagnation?

And no, not only in the NRL, other codes play football on Thursday nights.

Well given last year was the first season of thurs and fri 6pm and we achieved our worse crowd avg in over a decade I’d say, on the evidence we have so far, being killed. Maybe this year will reverse that trend but thurs and majority of fri games so far would suggest not.

 

[Perth Red]

Form has a lot to do with crowds! You say 11000 for the Parra-Manly game, but if Parra weren't 0-6 and Manly coming off a flogging they would get >30k! Scheduling has some effect, but form has more!

Yes and no, statistically it is likely that at least 5 of the top 8 will be big drawing clubs, some clubs even when on form don’t give massive crowd boosts whilst we know the big clubs do. If you have the perfect season of all top 8 being big drawing clubs then sure butbthe avg would still get dragged down somewhat by the poor performing clubs. It also seems these days that making the 5-8 spots may not be enough to get the band waggoners turning up.