Fans Dudded - Nine promised to show games live

[skeepe]

Push for RLWC to be live

By Jon Geddes and Steve Mascord
October 27, 2008 12:00am


WORLD Cup organisers will seek talks with Channel Nine boss David Gyngell this week after proof emerged the network has dudded rugby league fans.

The Daily Telegraph has unearthed a damning media release showing Nine pledged to show the World Cup's marquee games live.

But last night the network - which only weeks ago was heavily criticised for breaking a promise to show the NRL finals live - again gave the football the boot by showing World Cup games on delay.

In an official release on April 19, 2007, the station stated: "Nine will televise games including the 'Super Pool' matches, semi-finals and final of the 10-team tournament commencing in Sydney on October 25. The Nine Network will televise nine of these live on Saturday and Sunday nights.''

Click here to see the full press release.

The then CEO of Nine Eddie McGuire gushed: "Nine is the home of rugby league ... and this exciting partnership with the Rugby League International Federation demonstrates our continued commitment to the sport.''

Nine's comments were backed up by an Rugby League World Cup release from May 8 year.

"Host Broadcaster the Nine Network will televise all nine Super Pool matches and all finals live in prime time,'' it stated. The Super Pool involves Australia, England, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

But telecast of Saturday's opening England-PNG game was delayed by 90 minutes. And the station's decision to delay broadcasts of last night's Australia-New Zealand match from the Sydney Football Stadium meant the host country was one of the few among 100 nations taking the game not to get the match live.

Nine's head of sport Steve Crawley wouldn't comment to The Daily Telegraph last night.

Tournament director and Rugby League International Federation chairman Colin Love refused to criticise the network, saying: "Channel Nine are our partners and they felt that by putting the game on at 8.30pm, they would not have to move 60 Minutes and it would deliver strong ratings. It also means that the telecast did not go up against the gate for the game.
"I'll have a talk to David Gyngell this week but that would have happened anyway. We would always review things after the first weekend but it worth remembering the game is on live all around the world and we have got a prime time spot in Australia.''

Love would not confirm that Nine were in breach of contract, citing privacy provisions. The situation reached such an extraordinary stage yesterday that the Australia-NZ game was likely to be shown earlier in Queensland by secondary rights holders Fox Sports than it would on Nine. It is expected that situation will arise again unless Nine brings telecasts forward.

RLWC could hand or sell games to other broadcasters if Nine does not meet its commitments or seek compensation but Love ruled that out, saying: "We are not about to go out and sue or litigate against our partners.''

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24555246-5006014,00.html

Further proof of the blight Channel 9 are to the game. Why oh why does Colin Love not have the balls to take them to task about this?

 

[cupid]

I hate nine with a passion

 

[International RL]

Unbelievable...

Why not litigate? They're in breach!

 

[Frustrated Fan]

Compared to the promotion Channel Seven did with the Rugby Union World Cup, Channel Nine is a complete joke.

 

[joel caine number 1 fan]

you would think at least aussie games would be live but no

give RL to the abc or 7 at least on of those channels will show it live

 

[Alehana]

if 7 or 10 had league, WOW, i cant imagine who wouldn't know what game was on, they advertise to the extend where your last thought b4 u go 2 bed is what was that add i just saw, gets me annoyed, but every1 would know.

nine can go fu** a d!ck, they have no desire to see league go foreward, they just hope they get the next tv rights to the AFL, as if eddie macguire a present of a AFL club would be commited to see league prospering. doesn't make any sense. not suprised at all.

 

[Brutus]

And I thought David Gyngell was a league person.

And as for that Steve Crawley guy. If I hear someone call him a good league man again I'll scream!!!!

 

[Billythekid]

The way 7 advertise union and the way 7 and 10 advertise AFL is phenominal. If rugby league could get but a taste of that who knows where we would be.

 

[innsaneink]

What can we do?
Nothing.
Or follow another code.
And they know it.
Its why it is the way it is.

 

[Misanthrope]

Nothing.
Or follow another code.

Starting to look like a tempting option...

 

[adamkungl]

"after proof emerged"....WTF. The proof was the f**king TV guide released last week. ffs...

 

[Billythekid]

Starting to look like a tempting option...

I won't stop watching league because it is by far the best sport in the world, however i have already started watching other sports.

 

[El Diablo]

I won't stop watching league because it is by far the best sport in the world, however i have already started watching other sports.

and i think thats what 9 is trying to do. turn people off the game

they're doing a great job at it and merkins like Crawley and Gyngell should never be forgiven for what they have done

it makes things even worse when you read 9 have just signed up that Sam Newman arseclown for $3 million

we know what 9's priorities are and that is to promote AFL

 

[Choppies]

This article is all well and good but nothing will come out of it. Usual sh*t I've come to expect as a Rugby League fan.

 

[Brutus]

Colin Love has said that the televised kick-off to Aus v Eng will occur at 8.32pm next Sunday night. Still doesn't hide the fact that broadcast is going to be padded out with ad after ad.

I will watch until half-time then into bed for an early start the next day.

 

[El Diablo]

FMD Gyngell is a wanker. it's your fault, deadsh*t. don't blame someone else

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/nrl/story/0,27074,24560443-14823,00.html

Nine blames Eddie McGuire for delayed World Cup coverage

By Dean Ritchie | October 28, 2008 12:00am

ANGRY fans were demanding Channel Nine show its World Cup matches live after the station was lambasted for its lengthy and frustrating delay of Sunday night's World Cup match between Australia and New Zealand.

Nine claimed the undertaking to show the games live was made by former chief executive Eddie McGuire but they were no longer obligated as he had been replaced.

Tournament director and ARL chairman Colin Love has meekly accepted Nine's decision - despite the public outcry from parents whose children missed the match due to its late start.

Nine's telecast began at 8.30pm - following 60 Minutes - before highlights of the opening ceremony pushed kick-off on television back to 9.04pm - an hour after the game actually started.

Nine though won't budge and will show the Kangaroos-England game this Sunday night in Melbourne on delay from 8.30pm - 30 minutes after kick-off. Love and Nine management will this week hold top-level meetings to discuss the situation.

More than 90 per cent of respondents to an exclusive The Daily Telegraph on-line poll agreed Nine should show matches live.

Former CEO McGuire issued a statement in April last year pledging to telecast all marquee World Cup games live. But a senior Nine executive last night told The Daily Telegraph that David Gyngell was now CEO and had simply negated McGuire's decision.

The executive said this Sunday Nine would go straight from 60 Minutes to the match's team sheets and kick-off, probably by 8.33pm.

"You can't please all the people all the time. If you try, you just go nuts,'' he said. "We couldn't ditch the opening ceremony.''

But Opposition spokesman for broadband, communications and the digital economy, Senator Nick Minchin, last night criticised Nine's decision as "extraordinary''.

"Nine has an obligation to its fans to show it live,'' Sen Minchin said. "I'm sure Fox Sports would be more than happy to show the match live. It was hugely disappointing for the thousands upon thousands of league fans, particularly the kids.

"I understand Nine's commitment to 60 Minutes but they could have forfeited 60 Minutes for this one night or moved its timeslot. It was a premier World Cup pool game in Sydney, the capital of rugby league.''

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy wouldn't comment

Nick Minchin

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/new...-delaying-games/2008/10/27/1224955948726.html

Nine to score $2m more by delaying games

Andrew Stevenson | October 28, 2008

THE Nine Network's decision to break its contract with the Rugby League World Cup and show key matches on delay could return a windfall profit of more than $2 million, with the network able to dramatically increase its advertising content.

In a move that has infuriated many fans, matches right up until the final on November 22 will be shown on a delay of an hour or more. Sunday night's match featuring the Kangaroos and New Zealand had finished while Nine's coverage was still limping towards half-time.

The decision, a clear breach of Nine's commitment to show key pool matches and the semi-finals live and in prime time, allows the network to run far more ads than is possible in a live broadcast. Instead of being limited to showing ads during breaks in play, such as tries or injuries, Nine can run ad blocs when it chooses.

Barring the almost inconceivable knock-out of the Kangaroos, Australia will play a further four prime-time matches. Each time the broadcast is delayed analysts believe Nine will be able to double its volume of advertising - generating significant revenue during prime time on Sunday nights.

Tournament director Colin Love conceded that then Nine chief executive Eddie McGuire had committed the network to live broadcasts but suggested some contracts were not worth enforcing.

"As far as we're concerned, they are our partners in the event and we both want to make it work," he said. "They believe they'll get the best ratings by screening it when they are. They're the experts - we've got to be guided by them. We don't like to be litigating with our partners even if we have the right to do it. That's really what it's all about."

The RLWC was told several weeks ago that Nine had changed its mind, with only the final - to be played on a Saturday - to stay as a live broadcast.

"The problem we had [on Sunday night] was with the opening ceremony, which caused the actual start of play to begin so late," Love said. "But next week I've been assured the coverage will actually start at 8.32pm - just after they go to air. It's only really a half-hour delay. They didn't want to move 60 Minutes and I can understand the logic of that."

Media analysts such as Peter Horgan, managing partner with OMD, and Steve Allen of Fusion Strategy, estimate Nine can screen double the volume of ads in a delayed rugby league broadcast.

"It's much easier for them to handle a delayed broadcast and they would double their 'minuteage'," Allen said.

He estimated this to be worth more than $300,000 across five capital cities.

"It could be up to half a million dollars," Allen said. "The biggest problem they've got is 60 Minutes and it's more than simply that Toyota sponsor it. They've got a very, very large and very extended relationship with Toyota. It's most unusual for Nine to shift 60 Minutes."

Allen said there was a clear business case for delaying game coverage.

"It's very simple: the network's got to decide how it's best able to compete in the ratings game," he said. "Frankly, the ratings did not seem to suffer."

The match broadcast pulled in an average audience of 1.149 million across five capital cities. "'They've been very smart and I don't think they would have got that audience if they had shown it earlier," Allen said.

But Horgan said Nine was putting its relationship with league fans at risk.

"The risk for networks … is that if you are putting long-form advertising breaks in outside of half-time you are in danger of losing audience," he said.

Nine did not respond to questions.

take note of who advertises in the games and boycott them and boycott 9 unless absolutley necessary

 

[Alehana]

write a list of who to boycott
toyota
channel 9

 

[Perth Red]

Thank god for Fox! One of the few times I saw a game before most of teh East coast!

Anyone who thinks this isn't a case of Ch9 having their cake and eating it is wrong. It's clear;y so they can run more adds during the game.

Hands up all those who want the ARL to run the game again?

 

[Alehana]

me for sure, altho i wouldn't mind ch 7 and ch 10 running the game.