Karma bites Nine and Fix big time

[Dr.J]

'Pushing' membership packages isn't as simple as putting an ad on TV.

The culture of attending a game week to week is STRONGLY dependent on having a diary at the start of the season, filling in all of your team's games, booking flights for the away games, 'locking' yourself in for the long haul.

If you have a date for the game at the start of the season, you can make a commitment to attend it. If you want to commit to all games in advance you can buy a season ticket. If you are the sort of person who decides a month out (not six months out) whether you will attend games, you don't need to buy a season ticket. The NRL media deal breeds this attitude, it is so obvious. That is why every other major professional football competition in the world releases the full dates at the start of the season. And that is why all of the teams in these competitions sell far more season tickets than NRL teams do. Putting on an extra TV ad for memberships won't cut it.

The people who want the system to stay the same aren't fans who go every week, they are channel nine watching couch potatoes.

Our competition cares jack sh-t about live attendances and that is why clubs in other competitions that are an embarassment still sell more season tickets than our NRL clubs do.

The NRL won't change because they have all of the Channel 9 couch potatoes addicted to the opium of watching three games a week on TV for free and attending none, sometimes even pretending to support one of the teams but paying nothing towards that team's bottom line.

 

[Timmah]

'Pushing' membership packages isn't as simple as putting an ad on TV.

If you think that's all clubs are doing then you've missed the point entirely.

The culture of attending a game week to week is STRONGLY dependent on having a diary at the start of the season, filling in all of your team's games, booking flights for the away games, 'locking' yourself in for the long haul.

Works for the A-League, huh? :lol:

If you have a date for the game at the start of the season, you can make a commitment to attend it. If you want to commit to all games in advance you can buy a season ticket. If you are the sort of person who decides a month out (not six months out) whether you will attend games, you don't need to buy a season ticket. The NRL media deal breeds this attitude, it is so obvious. That is why every other major professional football competition in the world releases the full dates at the start of the season. And that is why all of the teams in these competitions sell far more season tickets than NRL teams do. Putting on an extra TV ad for memberships won't cut it.

The AFL haven't announced the schedule for Round 22 next year, there goes your "every professional football code" theory.

The people who want the system to stay the same aren't fans who go every week, they are channel nine watching couch potatoes.

I wouldn't mind the full season ahead, but I can see the advantages of the current scenario too. And I attend 30+ games a year.

Our competition cares jack sh-t about live attendances and that is why clubs in other competitions that are an embarassment still sell more season tickets than our NRL clubs do.

:lol: If you think the NRL doesn't care about live attendances, you're a fool. They could definitely be doing more, that's for sure, but suggesting they don't care is laughable. Of course they care - it's a poor image for sponsors to play in front of empty grounds.

The NRL won't change because they have all of the Channel 9 couch potatoes addicted to the opium of watching three games a week on TV for free and attending none, sometimes even pretending to support one of the teams but paying nothing towards that team's bottom line.

Oooh, big bad Channel 9 and NRL! :lol:

 

[Mr Saab]

Membership will always be a problem for league. The problem doesn't lie with advertising or price points, it's biggest problem is that it looks too good on TV. The game adapts well to TV in comparison to sports like AFL and soccer that you miss alot of the action off the ball with a tv broadcast, the inverse can be said about league in that you can miss alot of the little nuances in a game when actually viewing it from the crowd.

It's a hard sell to most casual fans to get a membership when more often than not they'll find themselves looking at the big screen during a game. I think it's a bit optimistic to assume we'll even come close to the membership numbers of the AFL for that very reason, but it's also ridiculous that we're earning less in TV rights for that very reason.

Now this normally wouldn't be a problem in a country where the population could support that mindset. But assuming we have 5 games in Sydney per week and an average ground capacity of around 30,000-40,000 when you factor in ANZ and the SFS you come up with a figure of around 150,000-200,000 vacant seats per weekend, considering Sydney has a greater metro population of only 4 million, you're expecting 1 in 20 people to attend to fill those seats. When many see the game as more watchable on TV, its a very hard sell, especially when you consider, probably not even half of that population actually watches league.

what he said

 

[Billythekid]

Membership will always be a problem for league. The problem doesn't lie with advertising or price points, it's biggest problem is that it looks too good on TV. The game adapts well to TV in comparison to sports like AFL and soccer that you miss alot of the action off the ball with a tv broadcast, the inverse can be said about league in that you can miss alot of the little nuances in a game when actually viewing it from the crowd.

It's a hard sell to most casual fans to get a membership when more often than not they'll find themselves looking at the big screen during a game. I think it's a bit optimistic to assume we'll even come close to the membership numbers of the AFL for that very reason, but it's also ridiculous that we're earning less in TV rights for that very reason.

Now this normally wouldn't be a problem in a country where the population could support that mindset. But assuming we have 5 games in Sydney per week and an average ground capacity of around 30,000-40,000 when you factor in ANZ and the SFS you come up with a figure of around 150,000-200,000 vacant seats per weekend, considering Sydney has a greater metro population of only 4 million, you're expecting 1 in 20 people to attend to fill those seats. When many see the game as more watchable on TV, its a very hard sell, especially when you consider, probably not even half of that population actually watches league.

I would say the main reason people attend sports at the ground is for the atmosphere. If the NRL can keep improving crowds it gives the games much more atmosphere and makes it more of an event.

I think as crowds rise more and more people will be encouraged to go to games.

That's the one thing you really can't get sitting at home, the atmosphere of being at the ground.

 

[Big Pete]

I wonder if Channel 9 are doing their part to increase crowd figures?

I mean, their coverage has become so bad lately that you essentially miss half the game looking at injured player #6 because the camera man wants to tell you a 'story' rather than allow the audience at home watch the game objectively.

Best example I can give you is Origin 3.

I don't think I've ever experienced that big a contrast from watching a game at the stadium to watching infront of the television. The amount of issues you guys missed because it wasn't broadcasted was amazing.

 

[Ziggy the God]

Not having the draw announced at the start of the season is a joke.

That is the reason you don't get many fans travelling interstate, how do you know if you need to be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or even Monday night?

Just pick two games on a Friday night, and the broadcaster can then choose.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Not having the draw announced at the start of the season is a joke.

That is the reason you don't get many fans travelling interstate, how do you know if you need to be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or even Monday night?

Just pick two games on a Friday night, and the broadcaster can then choose.

Spot on old mate

Its a joke that fans who live interstate from their teams arn't given ample time to plan trips to see games at their home grounds. Hell, Id even plan a NZ holiday based around when the Knights were playing away to the Warriors if I could do it at the start of the year.

 

[jargan83]

Not having the draw announced at the start of the season is a joke.

That is the reason you don't get many fans travelling interstate, how do you know if you need to be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or even Monday night?

Just pick two games on a Friday night, and the broadcaster can then choose.

I fail to see this point

The draw is announced just not the specific dates. Wouldn't you turn an interstate away trip into a weekend trip anyway?

 

[jc155776]

The floating rounds of the NRL do NOTHING to increase crowd figures.

Noone can argue that not putting the games in advance makes its somehow easier to attend games and make plans to attend games.

As a travelling Sharks fan I am at the mercy of Nein and Fox as to when they wish to schedule games if I take a risk and book flights (when cheapest) outside there 6 week window.

So what if there are so called "crap teams" playing on FTA. Share it around. The Sharks may have been sh*thouse for most of this year, but they played in some very close, gutsy exciting losses, inlcuding the Rabbitohs and Manly game.

Set the DAYS games are playedin stone, then play with the times if the stations wish. That gives everyone the best of both worlds.

 

[jc155776]

I fail to see this point

The draw is announced just not the specific dates. Wouldn't you turn an interstate away trip into a weekend trip anyway?

Not if the game is a Monday night.

 

[Perth Red]

is membership even that good?
i can see why in the AFL where seating preference is an issue.

but in league you'll just be giving discounted rates to the people who would go anyway on full price.

we arent converting any princesses to prostitutes here just preaching to the choir.

it encourages the softc0cks to turn up when the weather is a bit inclement!

 

[Perth Red]

I think the fact many clubs are on set income $'s from the stadium doesn't help motivate the club to get more bums on seats. Why would you spend money on getting people in if you know you are on a guaranteed $100k from the stadium regardless of the attendance? Clubs that are reliant on gate receipts as a major part of their income seem to work harder and getting people in ie Cowboys and Knights etc.

 

[VictoryFC]

My mistake, every single marketing and membership department has been crap for the last decade, but now that there has been a 'push' next year Parramatta will have 30,000 season ticket holders, the Bulldogs and Dragons will get 25,000 and the clubs like the Roosters and the Sharks who had a bad year and have lower supporter bases will only sell 17,000 memberships each.

Or do you think that maybe they won't because a few people will call up the membership departments and enquire about a season ticket and ask fairly basic questions like "how many Monday night games do we have this year, because i can't come Monday nights as I finish work at 6.30pm and that doesn't give me time to get to the ground?", and when the membership assistant can't answer questions like ths, they will decide to watch all of their team's games on TV like everyone else.

You have the right idea, but figures for memberships will nowhere near that. That stuff builds over time, not after a one year push.

 

[Goddo]

The culture of attending a game week to week is STRONGLY dependent on having a diary at the start of the season, filling in all of your team's games, booking flights for the away games, 'locking' yourself in for the long haul.

If you have a date for the game at the start of the season, you can make a commitment to attend it. If you want to commit to all games in advance you can buy a season ticket. If you are the sort of person who decides a month out (not six months out) whether you will attend games, you don't need to buy a season ticket.

He has a point... I love being a Dragons member, but I am pretty safe to assume when I buy my membership each year in the knowledge that they probably won't play on a Monday night at home all year.

Imagine being a Raiders member. its clubs like Canberra that will cop it in the balls with memberships.

David Gallop has said that with the next tv deal (2013), the aim will be for a fixed schedule (watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iruJkhy6Ipk).

 

[backdoor]

I still dont understand why everyone whinges so much about them not realeasing the draw. As Saab pointed out, it works out well for us because we are saved from having to watch whoever was good last year occupy the marquee games. If you honestly think knowing exactly what day your team is playing 4 months from now will help increase ticket sales significantly than you are kidding yourself.

People just complain for the sake of it, and this issue is proof of it.

As someone who regularly travelled interstate to watch my team play and making a weekend of it I would say that you are full of it.
If I knew more than 5 weeks in advance which actual day my team was playing in places like Townsville (especially due to the limited flights), Melbourne and Auckland I would make the effort to travel away at an affordable price and have the time to lobby the wife and make a weekend away out of it etc.
Having said that, if you think it would make any difference to people wanting to travel to your toilet of a town then you are right, you are kidding yourself.

 

[Cockadoodledoo]

Spot on old mate

Its a joke that fans who live interstate from their teams arn't given ample time to plan trips to see games at their home grounds. Hell, Id even plan a NZ holiday based around when the Knights were playing away to the Warriors if I could do it at the start of the year.

Maybe news travels slowly to interstate fans but the full 2010 draw was released a long time ago. The Knights play in NZ in Round 23. Weekend of Aug13-16..

http://www.nrl.com/news/latest/tabid/10874/default.aspx?newsid=56836

 

[milchcow]

Maybe news travels slowly to interstate fans but the full 2010 draw was released a long time ago. The Knights play in NZ in Round 23. Weekend of Aug13-16..
http://www.nrl.com/news/latest/tabid/10874/default.aspx?newsid=56836

And how does having 4 potential days for the game to be played help fans when they are looking to buy flights? Or should people take 5 day trips for every interstate game?

 

[Hass]

The thing is that people's lives don't revolve around football. Many people actually have a social life.

If you know the schedule at the start of the year you can make a commitment. You can say, "I'll keep those days free".

But if you only know the dates your team is playing five weeks out it is extremely hard to make a commitment unless football is your first priority. People go to birthdays, dinner parties, barbecues, picnics. Some people work late or on weekends. Some people need to work out when they're sharing the kids with their ex. Some people play gigs with a band, some people go to concerts etc. All these can be locked in well before five weeks in advance. When these things get locked in, football risks getting locked out.

We need to be getting more semi-serious fans interested in going to the games. It's not good enough to say "If they really care they'll make an effort". It's up to people involved in the game to make it more attractive for others to come along.

It's also worth pointing out that if more games were on a Sunday Channel 9 could wait until as late as possible before deciding which match to show. With two matches on a Friday night there is less chance that they'll both be duds.

 

[Evenflow]

Maybe news travels slowly to interstate fans but the full 2010 draw was released a long time ago. The Knights play in NZ in Round 23. Weekend of Aug13-16..

http://www.nrl.com/news/latest/tabid/10874/default.aspx?newsid=56836

That post was ridiculous on a number of levels.

 

[Doug2234]

Cut Nine out of the loop all together - that will fix everything.

They have there fingers in too many pies and are too worried about how many ads they can squeeze in between try and conversion, between kicking the bomb and a player catching it, the ref moving the whistle to his mouth and blowing the whistle.

Why would Nine want people to go to the games for??? Less people watching means companies are less inclined to pay for advertisement during games, so Nine will always steal the better match ups and put them on Friday nights, thus f**king up crowd attendance and membership.

Should start blacking out games if the stadiums arent full. NFL anyone!!!