2025 Streaming and TV Ratings Discussion

[BuffaloRules]

Average ratings, the NRL takes the crown. No question. Anyone who says otherwise is a f**king moron.



Theres a number of factors that decide the rights that mean average audiences arent everything. This includes Foxtel being driven by subscriber numbers, and from their recent press releases, minutes watched is coming to the fore. This includes advertising breaks on both FTA and STV, but primarily on FTA. It includes match length for your broadcast partners - this also means more coverage of things like "the such and such scoreboard/goal/highlight/injury report/sideline coverage and on and on and on - which are mostly national broadcast partnerships and things like that.

For me theres also the question of whether most viewers is in fact "average" viewers - more correctly its an average of an average taken every 15 minutes - ive posted the raw data here before - or whether most viewers is all viewers that tune if during the show.

That said, viewership as we have understood it for some time has always meant average viewers. I have no issue with Vlandys and co trumpeting out this very valid data and trying to get increased rights as a result.

Finally, none of us is in the boardroom so everything is really speculative at our end. I wouldnt say any side is wrong or right here.

I see the actual most important thing for Subscription TV is what sports are actually motivating consumers to pay for the service … so the advertising metric is not as important I would imagine …some people might only watch their own team for instance ….. I assume also the AFL is shown “ad free “ anyway during play like the NRL is… it would be interesting to see the breakdown of NRL v AFL subscriber numbers because I would say the large majority are still either one or the other ….. my gut feel is that these would lean NRL

Of course FTA is a much different story ,,, and the advertising revenue is much more important in that space ….the AFL cleans up here ..

 

[The_Wookie]

I see the actual most important thing for Subscription TV is what sports are actually motivating consumers to pay for the service … so the advertising metric is not as important I would imagine … I assume the AFL is shown “ad free “ anyway during play like the NRL is… it would be interesting to see the breakdown of NRL v AFL subscriber numbers because I would say the large majority are still either one or the other ….. my gut feel is that these would lean NRL

Foxtel reported 360m in advertising revenue - thats not exactly nothing. I mean its 15% of the revenue that subs drive but still.

The accounts show Foxtel had a good year for advertising. It reported revenue of $2.9 billion in the 2024 financial year, which was made up of $2.5 billion from subscribers, $360 million in advertising and $46 million from agency and installation fees.

Of course FTA is a much different story ,,, and the advertising revenue is much more important in that space ….the AFL cleans up here ..

 

[BuffaloRules]

Foxtel reported 360m in advertising revenue - thats not exactly nothing. I mean its 15% of the revenue that subs drive but still.

And the advertising is not shown during the games ( live play) ? So no advantage here for AFL….

 

[Iamback]

And the advertising is not shown during the games ( live play) ? So no advantage here for AFL….

I presume their 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 time break would be slammed with ads

 

[The_Wookie]

And the advertising is not shown during the games ( live play) ? So no advantage here for AFL….

Then you didnt read my comment properly. Broadcast partners arent just ads between breaks, its specific segments, highlights, scoreboards, injury reports, replays, the arc/whatever the f**k the AFL call their thing - all while play is going on.

And not just applicable during matches, but magazine shows as well.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Then you didnt read my comment properly. Broadcast partners arent just ads between breaks, its specific segments, highlights, scoreboards, injury reports, replays, the arc/whatever the f**k the AFL call their thing - all while play is going on.

And not just applicable during matches, but magazine shows as well.

IBut all those things are available to the NRL too …. The advantage the AFL has on FTA is around the length and opportunities for more stoppages after goals to show ads…. No arguments there

 

[BuffaloRules]

I presume their 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 time break would be slammed with ads

good time to go to the toilet then

 

[Wb1234]

That afl national footprint is kaka

 

[NRLMad]

AFL is watched by an aging white/anglo-saxon population majority from vic/sa/wa. The Australian population mass is changing fast. In the next 20 years AFL will be 50% of what the NRL is.

List of Oceanian countries by population - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

50% of Oceania is Australia, the NRL is going to dominate this region.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

AFL is watched by an aging white/anglo-saxon population majority from vic/sa/wa. The Australian population mass is changing fast. In the next 20 years AFL will be 50% of what the NRL is.

In addition, NRL has greater potential for internal demographic expansion in NSW/QLD than AFL has in Vic/WA/SA. Investment in female RL and non-contact participation will bring consistent and growing returns from historically untapped sections of the populace.

 

[Canard]

The problem for our game is that all these "wins" have never turned into a big TV deal once in the games history.

The main reason being weak leadership, and that includes V'landys who absolutely showed his arse to Fox last time around.

 

[Canard]

AFL is watched by an aging white/anglo-saxon population majority from vic/sa/wa. The Australian population mass is changing fast. In the next 20 years AFL will be 50% of what the NRL is.

List of Oceanian countries by population - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

50% of Oceania is Australia, the NRL is going to dominate this region.

Overwhelming the vast majority of current immigration is from Asia and SE Asia.

https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/country-profiles/profiles

 

[Iamback]

The problem for our game is that all these "wins" have never turned into a big TV deal once in the games history.

The main reason being weak leadership, and that includes V'landys who absolutely showed his arse to Fox last time around.

Alot of the issues are around the reporting

apples v Oranges comparisons doesn't help.

2012 - AFL went to 9 games. 4 Live on FTA.
NRL had 8 games. The 3 on FTA only 1 was live.

NRL has been chasing since. Even now the figure quoted includes Telstra cash.

Again setting up the NRL to seem like a failure

 

[Canard]

Alot of the issues are around the reporting

apples v Oranges comparisons doesn't help.

2012 - AFL went to 9 games. 4 Live on FTA.
NRL had 8 games. The 3 on FTA only 1 was live.

NRL has been chasing since. Even now the figure quoted includes Telstra cash.

Again setting up the NRL to seem like a failure

V'landys himself admitted they let Foxtel sign up to a cheaper deal during Covid.

 

[Iamback]

V'landys himself admitted they let Foxtel sign up to a cheaper deal during Covid.

Well no he said they didn't get into a bidding war. There is a big difference

The game is expanding, buying assets can afford Vegas.

So going early hasn't held the game back which is what matters not apples v oranges comparisons

 

[Perth Red]

Well no he said they didn't get into a bidding war. There is a big difference

The game is expanding, buying assets can afford Vegas.

So going early hasn't held the game back which is what matters not apples v oranges comparisons

Imagine where it would be with an extra $100mill a year in coming though!
Vlad fluffed it an cost the game a few hundred million. Theres no getting away from it.

 

[Iamback]

Imagine where it would be with an extra $100mill a year in coming though!
Vlad fluffed it an cost the game a few hundred million. Theres no getting away from it.

To get that you need ongoing talks, that pushes everything back
No one person can approve the deal, The ARLC approved it and would of done so because it was a fair deal, that paid for their ambitions