According to various sources, then NRL chief executive Todd Greenbergand his then chief commercial officer, Andrew Abdo, presented a paper to the commission in late March strongly advising against signing a new broadcast deal during the pandemic.
hmmmm.
AW: Was it a mistake doing the deal with Foxtel during the pandemic?
At the time, Fox needed an asset on its sheet to continue its viability. If we didn’t come into play, there’d be no Foxtel.
then why the f**k didn’t he hold them over a barrel?
We set up the platform for AFL to be able to do this. If the game hadn’t started on May 28 [2020], and both the NRL and AFL cut their broadcast requirements to make Fox and Nine viable because they were in uncharted waters, they [the AFL] wouldn’t have the platforms to do what they’re doing.
what an arrogant prick. And notice how he keeps bringing up his covid response to deflect current criticism? Also he fails to mention that afl got back all of their covid reduction whilst we got nothing.
The ARL Commission chairman is under fire after the AFL announced a mammoth broadcast deal with Seven and Foxtel.
www.smh.com.au
Hahaha yep it’s only the AFL that spin. My goodness. What a load of horse shit.
Well thank god the NRL set it all up for the AFL to absolutely shit all over the NRL. Job well done PVL haha
The AFL leveraged Marvel Stadium and great relationship with NAB to get $500m loan for 2020 season to ensure the game stayed afloat.
Due to their solid relationships with state and federal government they were planning on getting the game up and running in July. They did this in good faith to give government air to breath without unnecessary pressure to get things back to normal unrealistically.
NRL pushed back on government and went on their path to starting up early because NRL had no line of credit. It then started back up on 28 May 2020 ahead of schedule due to need to get revenue or risk going bankrupt.
By starting on 28 May, they then had a public fight with channel 9 and foxtel. Both companies required a discount due to NRL not delivering 25 rounds of football. Both companies held NRL over a barrel because they knew NRL was desperate.
Yet all along NRL stated they got a better deal than AFL but retained all information on the revised media deal as commercial in confidence. Also gave away its digital division.
Now, do I criticise NRL for starting on 28 May at a discount - hell no. They risked bankruptcy if they didn’t. Do I question the fake bluster and lies about the renegotiation of media rights? Yep.
Did NRL save the AFL by starting on 28 May? Nope - they had $500m loan to save them. Did NRL starting on 28 May force AFL to start earlier than July? Yep.
It would appear the NRL ego and spin is in uncharted waters at the moment.
Isn’t it funny, AFL get a $500m loan to save it and help state government navigate a few months of unknown covid issues - then AFL somehow manage to negotiate $510m cash between 2025-27? It’s almost like their CEO builds phenomenal relationships with all key stakeholders (government and media etc) to secure his games future.
Contrast the AFL approach to the NRL approach
- publicly blast nine and foxtel during renegotiations
- apologise to nine for speaking out of school with no consultation
- blast NSW government for reneging on a handshake deal for stadiums to help flood victims
Is anyone sensing a theme here? It’s almost like the head of a national sport needs to schmooze government extremely well rather than blast them and bag them off in the media.
If NRL are gonna sell the GF like the Super Bowl - you’d probably want Victoria to bid on it - at least to boost the price. After all, by 2030, Melbourne will have the highest population of any Australian city.
While the condescending way NRL now talk about all things Victoria seems to appease the Sydney crowd, it’s detrimental to the game overall.
The VRC do not like PVL. The VRC are appointed by Victorian government. Do you seriously think Victorian government is going to splash money at out bidding NSW or QLD for NRL GF?? Not while PVL is around they won’t.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand the biggest TV market over the next 50 years will be Melbourne. To grow the game needs to consolidate Qld with more teams - there should be 3 in Brisbane and grow the game in southern states. Neither of these things appear close to being a reality under the current NRL leadership
