News Coronavirus and NRL

[unforgiven]

On the surface this looks good but when you delve in to it, it just isn't economically feasible thus the reason that the American sports have advanced subscription services yet still have FTA coverage to the point they black out their streaming service in the local market or when games are nationally televised.

You might say X amount of subscriptions equals $Y and that looks great but if you go it alone you are paying for all the infrastructure to broadcast and host the service and the associated labour which is not cheap.

Unfortunately for the NRL (and any sport in Australia) is that the American model won't work either. Their streaming in addition to traditional TV works because of three reasons, A) There are a heap more games played, B) A tonne are played at the same time and C) Their population is much more de-centralised than ours with mostly one team cities in any given sport.This means that if I'm a Detroit Tigers fan living in LA for example, there is no real way for me to watch my team play on a regular basis other than subscribing to the MLB streaming service.

The situation is different here with half the teams being in the same city and games being played in standalone slots meaning all I need to do to be guaranteed to see every game my team plays is to either pay for foxtel, pay for kayo or go to the pub.

That's not to say the NRL shouldn't develop a streaming service (particularly aimed at overseas subscribers) because you never know what technology is around the corner but the bread and butter of any competition is still going to be traditional TV rights for a while yet. The NRL just needs to show some balls at the negotiating table.

I watched the 2011 Semi between the Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra on the NRL streaming service from my hotel in Niagara Falls.

 

[Wily Ole Dog]

Please, for the love of god call their bluff.

Let the Federal Government buy the rights as a ”corona stimulus “ and whack it on the ABC & Fox

CH9 can come back begging in 3 years when the arse falls out of their ratings

 

[Canard]

I think it's time the NRL abandoned these scummy, archaic broadcasters and moved to a Netflix style subscription service.

As a ballpark figure, $19 per month or $195 annual pass. You'd get every 2nd household in Qld and NSW on board I reckon; plus plenty more throughout Australia.

Now obviously it's a lot more complex than throwing out the name "Netflix" and a dollar value; but principally this should be the way forward.

I think it could be just as profitable in the long run and it has the delicious added bonus of sending Foxtel bust and probably doing the same to Channel 9.

The problem is two-fold (and a lot of what @Valheru is somewhat repeated here).

- Cost in staff and infrastructure to run this sort of system. As we have already seen the majority of Rugby League fans see any spend in this area as "wasted" and want the NRL to be run with the same staff as a local fish and chip shop.

- Anti-siphoning laws, X amount of content has to be on FTA.

I think it is a good aspirational goal however, but its probably a bit more longer term (say 5 to 10 years)

 

[Canard]

I watched the 2011 Semi between the Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra on the NRL streaming service from my hotel in Niagara Falls.

Where you also in a barrel.........?

 

[RL The greatest game]

COUNCIL UNDER FIRE AFTER STORM SNUB





Melbourne say their return to NRL training in Albury won’t be impacted by a shock local council decision to ban them from using their preferred ground.

The warm welcome for the Warriors in Tamworth wasn’t repeated for the Storm in the border town, with councillors holding an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night and voting five to four against them using any council managed facilities. Melbourne had intended using Greenfields Park, the home of the local rugby league team.

Deputy mayor Amanda Cohn, who is a local doctor, described allowing the Storm to use council grounds when others could not as a “slap in the face”.

Aware of the growing backlash, Melbourne already had a back-up plan and will use the Albury Sports Ground, which is the home of the local AFL team, and not managed by the council.

Storm boss Dave Donaghy has expressed his disappointment at the decision and while some commended the council’s bold stance, plenty of pundits took to social media to accuse the council of short-sightedness and “grandstanding”.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/64fe0a348a4dc55f7d9a9ab328c69864

No doubt in mind that Albury council received a phone call from Vicky Kicky house and told them to do this.

 

[unforgiven]

No doubt in mind that Albury council received a phone call from Vicky Kicky house and told them to do this.

So why are the using a local AFL sides training facilities?

 

[Sonny83]

I can't think of anything else Nine can offer to viewers once walk away from NRL except for that stupid MAF show.

 

[moffla]

So why are the using a local AFL sides training facilities?

They're privately owned so can do what they like...If I were to guess, the Albury Tigers probably have the foresight to see how beneficial this can be for them in the long run.

 

[Chook Norris]

COUNCIL UNDER FIRE AFTER STORM SNUB





Melbourne say their return to NRL training in Albury won’t be impacted by a shock local council decision to ban them from using their preferred ground.

The warm welcome for the Warriors in Tamworth wasn’t repeated for the Storm in the border town, with councillors holding an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night and voting five to four against them using any council managed facilities. Melbourne had intended using Greenfields Park, the home of the local rugby league team.

Deputy mayor Amanda Cohn, who is a local doctor, described allowing the Storm to use council grounds when others could not as a “slap in the face”.

Aware of the growing backlash, Melbourne already had a back-up plan and will use the Albury Sports Ground, which is the home of the local AFL team, and not managed by the council.

Storm boss Dave Donaghy has expressed his disappointment at the decision and while some commended the council’s bold stance, plenty of pundits took to social media to accuse the council of short-sightedness and “grandstanding”.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/64fe0a348a4dc55f7d9a9ab328c69864

Lol didnt this end up looking super ineffective by Albury Council. Political grandstanding and showing off that they will protect the community.

Nek minnit, the Storm look even more entrenched with Albury.

The net result of all this? The same risk to the community and some bad publicity / backlash from the sporting community (who are dying for sport)

 

[unforgiven]

They're privately owned so can do what they like...If I were to guess, the Albury Tigers probably have the foresight to see how beneficial this can be for them in the long run.

You don't think if the AFL put influence over a local council that they would do the same thing to the local AFL side?

 

[Johnny88]

Fox Sports eyes Origin, grand final as Nine threatens to walk away from NRL
Michael Chammas and Zoe SamiosMay 6, 2020 — 12.00am
Fox Sports has begun preparing for the possibility of a future without Channel Nine, with the pay-TV operator looking to form an alliance with a rival free-to-air network to broadcast rugby league.

The news comes after Nine Entertainment Co chief executive Hugh Marks heaped pressure on the NRL to significantly reduce its broadcast rights fee, expressing a willingness to walk away from the sport if he doesn't get the right deal.

Nine Entertainment Co chief executive Hugh Marks.Louie Douvis

Such a move could see Fox win the right to screen rugby league’s long-coveted crown jewels, the grand final and three State of Origin matches, although the games would have to be simulcast on a free-to-air network to satisfy anti-siphoning legislation.

Foxtel already has a strong relationship with Channel Seven through its partnership with cricket and AFL, as well as racing through the Sky network.

As reported by the Herald last month, Seven West Media chief executive James Warburton, who has a strong business relationship with V'landys, has been in dialogue with NRL powerbrokers about pursuing the rights to rugby league.

Marks, speaking with analysts and investors as part of the Macquarie Australia Conference 2020 on Tuesday afternoon, gave the strongest indication yet that Nine, the publisher of this masthead, could relinquish its rights to rugby league, although such a move could involve some legal wrangling.

"It's not a given that NRL has to be part of our future," Marks said on the conference call. "It has to just pay its way like all of our content does, and if it doesn't, well ... again, we are less reliant on that as a revenue source.”

Seven is financially challenged, but any rugby league offering in partnership with Fox would come at a discounted rate given Nine currently pays an exclusivity premium for three State of Origin matches and the grand final.

Foxtel is also struggling financially, although it may be in a position to invest more in a discounted rugby league product, given the uncertainty over its existing deals with Football Federation Australia and Rugby Australia, which are each worth $60m per annum.

Foxtel currently pays $190m-a-year for all 24 regular season rounds, plus eight finals matches, while Nine was due to pay $118m in 2020 for 75 simulcast regular season games, the finals series as well as exclusive rights to the Origin series and the decider.

Fox Sports is understood to be interested in securing rights to State of Origin and the NRL grand final.AAP

The NRL remains at loggerheads with both broadcasters over the value of the sport – in a reduced 2020 season and going forward into future years – although sources with knowledge of the negotiations suggest Foxtel could be willing to ink a standalone deal for the 2020 season as early as this week.

Nine, however, is still playing hardball, with Marks saying on Tuesday: "COVID has changed how you need to consider sports rights and evaluation of sports rights for the future because if we don't take that change now like we are in all other aspects of our business and we wait until the contract expires in two years ... everyone's in for a rude shock in two years.

"Now's the time when we need to make the changes necessary to make these sports rights more sustainable. The future of our businesses is in aggregated video consumption. We're a business that actually is now less reliant on live sport and the reason for a lot of sport and its being was its volume contribution to free-to-air advertising."

Sources close to the negotiations have told the Herald that even if Nine remains as the NRL's free-to-air rights holder, Fox is pushing for simulcast rights to the Origin series and the grand final, which would help Marks drive his part of the cost down further.

The Herald last week reported Nine wants to pay $28m less than the $118m it was due to pay in 2020, but is now seeking a further reduction as part of the company's reassessment of the value of live sport. In return, Nine is willing to provide the NRL with the long-term security of an extended rights deal until the end of 2025, an additional three years on top of the current arrangement that expires at the end of 2022.

Marks also confirmed Nine was interested in taking over the NRL's digital arm, which it believes runs in competition to the network.

"The rationale was you're spending a lot of money in the NRL on your own digital team, but we've got a digital team and Fox Sports has a digital team," he said.

"Surely it would be better if we just relied on what the broadcasters were already doing rather than going into competition and creating a whole other cost base on top of what already exists. We know what the NRL needs, which is a direct communication with their fan base.

"That can be facilitated through Nine and through Fox Sports and by us sort of supporting the nrl.com website. We can do that a lot more cost effectively than they can."

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/fo...ns-to-walk-away-from-nrl-20200505-p54q5d.html

 

[AnonymousLurker]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/fo...ure-in-tv-merry-go-round-20200506-p54qal.html

Interesting article by Roy masters .i think the full fox option with free on Kayo would be bad for nrl , also I would like it in ten , with7 having afl to absolutely smash nines ratings

 

[Perth Red]

The problem is two-fold (and a lot of what @Valheru is somewhat repeated here).

- Cost in staff and infrastructure to run this sort of system. As we have already seen the majority of Rugby League fans see any spend in this area as "wasted" and want the NRL to be run with the same staff as a local fish and chip shop.

- Anti-siphoning laws, X amount of content has to be on FTA.

I think it is a good aspirational goal however, but its probably a bit more longer term (say 5 to 10 years)

I was quite surprised how little nine spend on producing the NRL games (think it was $15mill a year mentioned in one of the articles). Production cost is more than covered by advertising so subscriptions are really the meat and potatoes of the revenue. Producing their own streaming service would hurt Fox, FTA would still get 2 games a week at elast, difference might be that they could go with a FTA partner for a lower cost but that delivered what the game needs, quailty coverage, positive vibes and national coverage. A ballsy NRL could aim to expand with another 2 games over next few years and have them exclusive on its streaming service meaning one more Fox deal then start to transition fans to its own service. Even just the threat of it would be enough to keep Fox honest in the next deal and finally surpass their AFL deal.

 

[Mr Angry]

Marks also confirmed Nine was interested in taking over the NRL's digital arm, which it believes runs in competition to the network.

f**k right off

 

[Desert Qlder]

"There's a contract in place": V'landys hoses down Nine speculation

ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has allayed concerns about the Nine Network walking away from the game in the near future, saying the broadcaster has a contract to fulfil.

V’landys’ response comes after Nine chief executive Hugh Marks on Tuesday claimed it wasn’t a “given” the NRL was a part of the network’s future.

Marks promised to continue to be “hard” in delicate talks with the league over how much it will pay to broadcast this year’s re-jigged season.

He said the NRL re-starting this season would prove to be a net negative, but V’landys insisted he wasn’t concerned by the comments.

“Hugh’s been totally transparent but I’m still very confident that we will come to an arrangement with Channel Nine,” V’landys told AAP.

“Hugh’s a very good negotiator and uses strategy exceptionally well.

“But I’m not concerned about it.”

What might cause apprehension for the league was Marks’ thoughts on the free-to-air broadcaster’s long-term partnership with the game.

Marks said the network was less reliant on the NRL as a revenue source and the coronavirus had prompted a re-think of sports rights.

“If we don’t take that change now like we are in all other aspects of our business and we wait until the contract expires in two years, everyone’s in for a rude shock,” Marks said at a Macquarie Conference call on Tuesday.

“Now’s the time when we need to make the changes necessary to make these sports rights more sustainable.”

V’landys shrugged off any suggestion that Nine would walk away from the game before its current broadcast deal expires at the end of the 2022 season.

Nine is understood to be tipping in about $120 million into the NRL a year, but that number could reduce if a renegotiated deal is extended.

“There’s a contract in place, a legally binding contract. And even Hugh himself would understand that,” V’landys said.

“So basically, he would have to get out of the contract. There’s a long way to play yet. He’s playing a strategic game and it’s working well for him.

“So I’m not going to criticise it. We’ll keep moving forward with them. I’m still confident we’ll come to a resolution.

“But never-the-less, as a good partner, we’re looking to assist them in these harsh economic times. We don’t want our partner to suffer significant losses.

“Naturally, we’re at the table talking about it.”

AAP

https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/05/...in-place-vlandys-hoses-down-nine-speculation/

 

[Cactus]

"There's a contract in place": V'landys hoses down Nine speculation

“Hugh’s a very good negotiator and uses strategy exceptionally well But I’m not concerned about it.”

“There’s a contract in place, a legally binding contract. And even Hugh himself would understand that,”


https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/05/...in-place-vlandys-hoses-down-nine-speculation/

“Hugh’s a very good negotiator and uses strategy exceptionally well But I’m not concerned about it.”

“There’s a contract in place, a legally binding contract. And even Hugh himself would understand that,”

If both those statements are not a subtle get stuffed to Skid then I am a lesbian underwater polo champion.

LOL @ "even"

 

[Lebbo73]

That's fine. Bryce can just stay at home. No issue for anyone. On we move. Doesn't even require a please explain from the NRL. Just sweet as, good luck in your new career - which based on your perceived intelligence, might be f**k all.

Imagine still holding this geniused view after you live through a highly contagious virus the world has no immunity to. Hopefully the Titans can sack him and free themselves of his stupid salary.

What does the flu shot have to do with Covid19? I’m not an anti-vaxxer but Bryce is right to reject the flu shot. There’s evidence that the flu shot isn’t effective and is likely to make you sick. I’ve worked in a workplace where five out of the six office staff have had between one to two weeks off work within days of having the flu vaccination. My wife had the flu vaccination two years straight and then missed the next week both years from contracting the flu.
If he is banned from the NRL I can see a civil case and he’ll receive a payout. Did he sign a contract that states he must have the flu vaccination? Did anyone sign a contract that states they must have a flu vaccination. Tell the NRL to shove it up their arse Bryce.

 

[Lebbo73]

You would think the Albury Council would be happy to have Storm there putting money into the local economy and booking out accommodation.

Local councils are a weird breed.

 

[Haffa]

Where you also in a barrel.........?

He didn't say bank in Adelaide.

 

[King hit]

Fox Sports eyes Origin, grand final as Nine threatens to walk away from NRL
Michael Chammas and Zoe SamiosMay 6, 2020 — 12.00am
Fox Sports has begun preparing for the possibility of a future without Channel Nine, with the pay-TV operator looking to form an alliance with a rival free-to-air network to broadcast rugby league.

The news comes after Nine Entertainment Co chief executive Hugh Marks heaped pressure on the NRL to significantly reduce its broadcast rights fee, expressing a willingness to walk away from the sport if he doesn't get the right deal.

Nine Entertainment Co chief executive Hugh Marks.Louie Douvis

Such a move could see Fox win the right to screen rugby league’s long-coveted crown jewels, the grand final and three State of Origin matches, although the games would have to be simulcast on a free-to-air network to satisfy anti-siphoning legislation.

Foxtel already has a strong relationship with Channel Seven through its partnership with cricket and AFL, as well as racing through the Sky network.

As reported by the Herald last month, Seven West Media chief executive James Warburton, who has a strong business relationship with V'landys, has been in dialogue with NRL powerbrokers about pursuing the rights to rugby league.

Marks, speaking with analysts and investors as part of the Macquarie Australia Conference 2020 on Tuesday afternoon, gave the strongest indication yet that Nine, the publisher of this masthead, could relinquish its rights to rugby league, although such a move could involve some legal wrangling.

"It's not a given that NRL has to be part of our future," Marks said on the conference call. "It has to just pay its way like all of our content does, and if it doesn't, well ... again, we are less reliant on that as a revenue source.”

Seven is financially challenged, but any rugby league offering in partnership with Fox would come at a discounted rate given Nine currently pays an exclusivity premium for three State of Origin matches and the grand final.

Foxtel is also struggling financially, although it may be in a position to invest more in a discounted rugby league product, given the uncertainty over its existing deals with Football Federation Australia and Rugby Australia, which are each worth $60m per annum.

Foxtel currently pays $190m-a-year for all 24 regular season rounds, plus eight finals matches, while Nine was due to pay $118m in 2020 for 75 simulcast regular season games, the finals series as well as exclusive rights to the Origin series and the decider.

Fox Sports is understood to be interested in securing rights to State of Origin and the NRL grand final.AAP

The NRL remains at loggerheads with both broadcasters over the value of the sport – in a reduced 2020 season and going forward into future years – although sources with knowledge of the negotiations suggest Foxtel could be willing to ink a standalone deal for the 2020 season as early as this week.

Nine, however, is still playing hardball, with Marks saying on Tuesday: "COVID has changed how you need to consider sports rights and evaluation of sports rights for the future because if we don't take that change now like we are in all other aspects of our business and we wait until the contract expires in two years ... everyone's in for a rude shock in two years.

"Now's the time when we need to make the changes necessary to make these sports rights more sustainable. The future of our businesses is in aggregated video consumption. We're a business that actually is now less reliant on live sport and the reason for a lot of sport and its being was its volume contribution to free-to-air advertising."

Sources close to the negotiations have told the Herald that even if Nine remains as the NRL's free-to-air rights holder, Fox is pushing for simulcast rights to the Origin series and the grand final, which would help Marks drive his part of the cost down further.

The Herald last week reported Nine wants to pay $28m less than the $118m it was due to pay in 2020, but is now seeking a further reduction as part of the company's reassessment of the value of live sport. In return, Nine is willing to provide the NRL with the long-term security of an extended rights deal until the end of 2025, an additional three years on top of the current arrangement that expires at the end of 2022.

Marks also confirmed Nine was interested in taking over the NRL's digital arm, which it believes runs in competition to the network.

"The rationale was you're spending a lot of money in the NRL on your own digital team, but we've got a digital team and Fox Sports has a digital team," he said.

"Surely it would be better if we just relied on what the broadcasters were already doing rather than going into competition and creating a whole other cost base on top of what already exists. We know what the NRL needs, which is a direct communication with their fan base.

"That can be facilitated through Nine and through Fox Sports and by us sort of supporting the nrl.com website. We can do that a lot more cost effectively than they can."

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/fo...ns-to-walk-away-from-nrl-20200505-p54q5d.html

We can't be pay tv exclusive. As much as I like Fox League's presentation on the games just restricting it to pay tv always bites you in the arse eventually. Just look at Union here for example. Been foxtel exclusive for 20 years or something is one of the reasons for the decline.