Monday Night Football - stay or go?

[Nerd]

Keep Monday night footy. Just get Fox to pay more for it.

 

[Sunshine Coast Tiger]

Richo made a good point on radio today, the clubs were asked by Fox to put a game on Monday and agreed to it. it was apparently not part of the orginial deal. Richo said the clubs were never told that the 3rd best game (2nd if you take out the fact that 9 always chooses 1 QLD game no matter how good/bad it is in it's first 2 choices) would be on a Monday night.

This is a massive disadvantage to the clubs in attracting fans and corporates on a Monday night and the compensation they get is not good enough to play on a Monday night (he mentioned $40,000is paid to the home team per game and estimated lost revenue of $300,000 plus to the home team in lost revenue by having the match on Monday night).

He also pointed out that it is not a preffed timeslot for the ever increasing membership base.

I think the season must be fixed scheduled at the start of the year to allow the fans/sponsers to be able to get to as many games as possible.

Heres a thought for the independent commision, sell the Monday night rights seperately to the highest bidder out of Fox/Free to air and pay the clubs a fair match fee. If not scrap Monday Night Footy all together.

 

[smithie]

Heard on Triple M last night that Ten/OneHD are desperate to get MNF.

 

[applesauce]

I don't see why the NRL keep the rolling schedule but fix 1game/day each Round. We get the best of both worlds. EVERY major rivalry and big game will be fixed at the start of the year, maximising crowds, giving club sponsors security and ensuring the best TV ratings. The other matches on a rolling schedule allowing the TV networks safety in the programming.

No matter how bad the clubs are going the Bulldogs V Parra will rate, same for Broncos v Titans, Manly v Wests, Roosters v Souths etc.

There is certainty already there for the networks but it isn't taken advantage of by our current deal. The even bigger bonus for the networks is each club can get their minimum FTA TV slot given to them before the season starts, allowing the networks even greater flexibility in their rolling schedules as most seasons we see for example the Sharks play North QLD towards the end of the year when 9 realise they have to show them at some point.

MNF needs to stay, it is another unique prime time slot and it will be worth too much in the upcoming deal.

 

[Teddyboy]

Be nice to see crowds grow for MNF.

 

[juro]

Another reason the clubs might not like MNF is that it precludes them from playing on the following Friday night, the premier game of the week and only live FTA game of the week.

 

[SEAT 1A]

I hate MNF. Especially when it's at Shark park when it's pissing down.

 

[applesauce]

Be nice to see crowds grow for MNF.

Notice they didn't bother to show Saturdays average...:roll:

Take the Broncos 35-45k out of every 2nd Friday night and suddenly Monday isn't looking that bad.

Add as many Broncos games to Monday nights as to what they get on Fridays, and Monday is the biggest drawing night of the week...

Pretty deceptive stats.

It would be extremely successful given time for crowds to adapt, less Canberra in the middle of winter on a Monday night and more Broncos at Suncorp, plus a season with a fixed Monday night schedule for clubs to advertise the crap out of giving fans time to plan.

 

[gUt]

I don't get this argument about sponsors not liking MNF. Surely if it's rating 300k+ every game, that's gotta be a good thing.

 

[Packy]

Heard on Triple M last night that Ten/OneHD are desperate to get MNF.

This would be brilliant. If One wasn't being scrapped?

 

[Frailty]

I don't get this argument about sponsors not liking MNF. Surely if it's rating 300k+ every game, that's gotta be a good thing.

The game is still shown on Fox, which means it isn't getting the wide exposure at a FTA game.

Furthermore, it is shown that clubs don't make nearly as much on a Monday night with lower crowds - this reduces advertisement dollars on game day, and revnue from the lower crowds.

 

[smithie]

This would be brilliant. If One wasn't being scrapped?

It is still only speculation that OneHD will be axed. I think a decision will be made after the rights for the NRL & AFL have concluded. If Ten/OneHD haven't secured rights to both NRL & AFL games, the channel will be scrapped.

 

[Danish]

I'd like to see Richo's break down of this supposed $300K+ worth of losses on monday nights.... somehow I think that is just SLIGHTLY inflated.

Monday nights simply have to stay. TV loves them, and they will pay through the nose for them. Once that happens club's grants will be increased, and then club CEOs can stop bitching about small potatoes like they always do (although I'm sure they'll still find something to bitch about)

 

[docbrown]

I don't see why the NRL keep the rolling schedule but fix 1game/day each Round. We get the best of both worlds. EVERY major rivalry and big game will be fixed at the start of the year, maximising crowds, giving club sponsors security and ensuring the best TV ratings. The other matches on a rolling schedule allowing the TV networks safety in the programming.

I've been saying that for about five years now. We need combination of fixed & floating with about a quarter of the season's games (about 2-3 a week) fixed before the season starts - and as you've said - make these games the big rivalry matches. Lock in a 7:30pm Friday game every week (most weeks the QLD game) and leave the other 7:30pm slot for a top of the table clash. Then lock in one of the Sunday afternoon double header games.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

I'd like to see Richo's break down of this supposed $300K+ worth of losses on monday nights.... somehow I think that is just SLIGHTLY inflated.

Monday nights simply have to stay. TV loves them, and they will pay through the nose for them. Once that happens club's grants will be increased, and then club CEOs can stop bitching about small potatoes like they always do (although I'm sure they'll still find something to bitch about)

That's like saying Richo is SLIGHTLY overweight. MNF is a cross that RL has to bear. Its a timeslot purely driven by TV ratings. What needs to be ensured by Galloping Dave and friends is that in the next deal fox or whoever pays big (and I'm talking Rooty Hill RSL big) $$$$$ for it.

 

[Doug2234]

Im all for it.. Im guessing those against it don't have Fox Sports as the coverage is second to none...

 

[hybrid_tiger]

Im all for it.. Im guessing those against it don't have Fox Sports as the coverage is second to none...

It's sh*t for people who want to attend games. Great for couch potatoes though.

f**k it off.

 

[Tigger Madness]

Keep it but give the host club $200,000 for loss of revenue.

 

[Scarves]

Monday night footy is a raging TV success and should stay. But by the same token it should be a fair split for all clubs instead of Manly and Canberra being involved in plenty while the Broncos and Saints get hardly any.

The way to sort this out is at the very least the Monday night Football schedule should be worked out for the entire season before the season kicks off, and it should be split between all the clubs fairly.

The bottom line from reading this is that most people either begrudgingly or happily do enjoy Monday Night Footy when they are a neutral fan (if they have access to Pay Tele). People don't want to see their team on the Monday night game, or worse still, see their teams home game on a Monday night. Therefore, Monday footy should stay, but it should be a pre planned even split for all teams of both home games and total amount of times Monday night appearances. This way we still have it but no one team is over burdened with the bonanza.

 

[NRLMad]

I would keep Monday night football as it's great coming back from work on Monday to watch a game of footy. It alsoo bviously rates extremely well, switch it to be on a slight delay on Free to Air - this will increase crowds.

If it were on Free to air it would probably get as much viewership as Friday night 7:30 games!