Newscorp And Rugby League

[RoosTah]

Totally agree with this. I seriously doubt there will be a print version of News Ltd papers in 5 years, the only reason half of them are still printed is because Rupert feels it gives him political influence. Circulations are dropping at 10% p.a. and the News paywall model is completely flawed. Who in their right mind is going to subscribe to the Terrorgraph? Anyway we have 3 years to negotiate, this doesn't need to be rushed just because Rupert is trolling us.

Absolutely. Heck old Rupert will probably be dead by then anyway.

 

[redvscotty]

Watching Kent last night made me feel embarrassed for the stupid kent.

He was carrying on like a f**king 2 year old who had just had his toys taken off him. Talk about a mouthpiece of the organisation. That's all he is.

I think the bleating from the usual Foxtel and media hacks has been outstanding so far. Rupey probably thinks he is winning the battle by getting everyone (admittedly his own employees) up in arms over this deal.

Unfortunately, I think Dave Smith is a bit smarter than that, and knows he can bide his time and work out a deal that is fair to both parties.

Personally, I hope they f**k Foxtel off altogether, can't see it happening this time around though. I'm already debating whether to keep my Foxtel sub or not, it's not looking good for them though.

 

[MarkC]

I don't really care how much money AFL make it is about the NRL getting the best possible deal with or without Foxtel.

Foxtel need the NRL more than the NRL needs Foxtel, I for one will happily cancel my Foxtel subscription and move to another service.

Expanding the AFL into NRL territory is an empty threat, the AFL have been doing or trying to do that for years.

IMO the audience in NSW and QLD is mainly ex-pat VICs, and people who became disillusioned with league for one reason or another.

But again I don't really care about the relative popularity of the games, any theory that the ARL could extinguish the NRL or even put a serious dent in the game is unproven and I don;t think it would ever happen.

In terms on an alternative to Foxtel, the NRL can talk again to 9, to see if 9 can put together a consortium to take all NRL games and show them via a combination of streaming and free-to-air. Channel 9 can certainly do the production end.

I recon there will just be some heat from time-to-time in the media as the negotiation plays out. All the NRL needs is a semi credible alternative to Foxtel and they have the whip hand.

Rupert may not like it as he is a bully boy who is used to getting his own way, I am all for standing up to him even if it means a bit less money in the short term.

Longer term Foxtel does not have a future, where does that leave the AFL?

 

[betcats]

Smith and the ARLC know the value of their product. Fox needs NRL, not the other way around.

News is just sore that they'll have to pay what the product is worth after years of paying unders for the game.

I hope the NRL give Rupert a complete arsef**king before he goes into the ground.

The NRL needs to get as much $$$ for the rights as they can, take fox out of that equation and that figure drops significantly so we do need them.

 

[Eddie Lab]

The NRL needs to get as much $$$ for the rights as they can, take fox out of that equation and that figure drops significantly so we do need them.

with digital and international rights NRL has already matched the last TV deal. there will be no "significant drop" as NRL could accept nothing from ABC and still be ahead of the last deal.

 

[BrisbaneRhino]

Sport is the only thing that can keep traditional pay TV going in the long term. Its the only content where users demand immediate showing.

One thing I never understand is the idea that simply by covering a sport fans of other sports will somehow be 'converted'. Particularly just by increasing coverage. Isn't AFL already on free to air? I'm sure I channel hopped over a game last week. You could add wall-to-wall games on C7 and I'll still skip past it.

 

[Ice_Storm]

Not yet
Our FTA deal is worth $185m a yearcompared to the afl's $140m a year.
Rupert's trying to use bullying tactics to unsettle the nrl in negotiations. Foxtel needs the nrl, it's their highest rating product and the key reason for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. The nrl simply has to call his bluff.
Rupert says he plans to invest in spreading afl into the northern states, the afl has already wasted hundreds of millions in that black hole it won't work.

Doesn't that include Origin though? Pretty disappointing if it does. Whatever happened to the NRL selling if it's showpiece to the highest bidder?

Did the NRL do a quick, secret deal with NINE, or was it the other way round?

 

[Valheru]

I am not sure why you are all surprised by this, not Rupert’s comments but the way things have panned out. It is a carbon copy of what happened last time and the time before that. For 5 years I have heard how channel 10/7 are hugely interested in NRL (especially origin) and how a split FTA model will annihilate any AFL deal, yet the same old happens, Channel 9 retains the rights with no bidding war taking place. Either the other broadcasters aren’t interested as we are told they are or the NRL like pandering to channel 9.

For 5 years I have heard our the NRL is the lifeblood of Foxtel and that the NRL leaving will be doomsday for them and how we should hold off and bleed them dry, yet the same thing keeps happening and it will happen this time. Foxtel will retain the PTV rights without the NRL so much as looking at anyone else.

 

[Perth Red]

Still too early to call if nrl has screwed up or not by freezing fox and Telstra out of the early negotiations.

You can only really compare the fta component and all in all I'd say they are on par.

Afl 3.5 games $140mill a year cash
NFL 4 prime time games plus digital plus SOO

For NRL; SOO has been estimated to be worth $30mill a year or more on its own so including that the actual club games are probably a little under valued when you consider they are the prime time games. Nine also got digital rights which may impact on tne Telstra deal. Very big increase on previous deal though. Also some level of scheduling control returning to nrl.

For AFL; games go longer have more adds and have a better capital city presence. Not necessarily prime time gamEs, detail not released on the schedule slots, they obviously accepted a bit less from 7 to get a bigger slice from fox.

 

[docbrown]

Sport is the only thing that can keep traditional pay TV going in the long term. Its the only content where users demand immediate showing.

One thing I never understand is the idea that simply by covering a sport fans of other sports will somehow be 'converted'. Particularly just by increasing coverage. Isn't AFL already on free to air? I'm sure I channel hopped over a game last week. You could add wall-to-wall games on C7 and I'll still skip past it.

Because when you delude yourself into believing your sport is a religion you convince yourself of its infallibility.

The reality is the Swans have had decent F2A coverage in NSW for over 30 years. It's a similar story in Queensland.

Yet for the majority of their home games there's more people watching at the stadium than on F2A. Imagine if when St Kilda played only 60k were watching on TV in Melbourne.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Why, Pay TV has never had SOO before so it shouldn't matter one bit.

Just for info, State of Origin games are on the anti-siphoning list. As such pay TV could never have them exclusively anyway.

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

I think it's actually Rupert who has made the mistake here.

Foxtel is the organisation with the most at stake and Rupert has now come out and officially declared which side he is on.

Companies like Netflix and Google are already snapping at the heels of Foxtel and they have pretty deep pockets. It would only take someone with a bit of nouse in one of those organisations to realise that taking league away from Fox would put a massive dent in that organisation and potentially, it could be the new jewel in the crown of one of these streaming services in Australia.

I mean, I've had Fox for about 15 years now... Only ever got it in the first place to watch the Footy and if league went elsewhere, I'd drop Fox like a hot rock. I know that thousands of subscribers in NSW and QLD are just like me.

As for AFL... It could have a dozen dedicated channels on Fox and I still wouldn't watch a minute of them. If Rupert thinks that AFL is going to sell subscriptions in the largest state in Australia, he has another thing coming...

 

[betcats]

with digital and international rights NRL has already matched the last TV deal. there will be no "significant drop" as NRL could accept nothing from ABC and still be ahead of the last deal.

Im not talking about the last deal im talking about what the new deal would be worth if Fox wasn't bidding compared to what it is worth with them bidding on it. There is no denying FOX need league but to act like we could just bar them and not suffer for it is silly, maybe one day but not yet.

 

[RoosTah]

I think it's actually Rupert who has made the mistake here.

Foxtel is the organisation with the most at stake and Rupert has now come out and officially declared which side he is on.

Companies like Netflix and Google are already snapping at the heels of Foxtel and they have pretty deep pockets. It would only take someone with a bit of nouse in one of those organisations to realise that taking league away from Fox would put a massive dent in that organisation and potentially, it could be the new jewel in the crown of one of these streaming services in Australia.

I mean, I've had Fox for about 15 years now... Only ever got it in the first place to watch the Footy and if league went elsewhere, I'd drop Fox like a hot rock. I know that thousands of subscribers in NSW and QLD are just like me.

As for AFL... It could have a dozen dedicated channels on Fox and I still wouldn't watch a minute of them. If Rupert thinks that AFL is going to sell subscriptions in the largest state in Australia, he has another thing coming...

To add to that, but publicly declaring war on Rugby League and saying he'll try and destroy it through the support of AFL he's just made an enemy of every League fan north of Victoria.

Pretty dickish move in my view... almost makes me want to cancel my subscription now.

 

[docbrown]

To the doomsday preppers, AFL trolls & News Hacks, I think a good question to ask is --

For what the NRL sold so far (4 F2A matches, 4 non exclusive digital rights, Finals, GF, State of Origin, Event Games) for $925 million, how much more do you think they should have gotten for that?

$1 billion? $1.5 billion? Fiftyquadrillionbazillion?

Yes the NRL sold State of Origin to F2A but it always has. Nothing's changed.

If you believe News Corps own press, if the deal would have been done as per News' shitty terms the F2A valuation for these components would have been significantly lower.

In effect by splitting the negotiations the NRL have extracted a better/fairer value for the F2A components.

And you can whinge that there are no other bidders to compete with Fox. But before the 9 deal was signed, what did you think the alternative was?

Nothing's changed. If you think the alternative was F2A, that's still available. The 9 deal doesn't forbid rival F2A parties or even prohibits 9 itself from onselling or purchasing more content. If you think the alternative is a different streaming/subscription choice, the deal with 9 doesn't affect that as their digital rights are non-exclusive. If you think there was no alternative, than like I said - nothing's changed.

 

[Tinkler]

Actually with all the streaming devices at $10 a month..

NRL and AFL have huge leverage as that would be the only reason why most people would keep foxtel / paytv and pay $50 to $100 a month.

NRL should take its time and make a short term deal..... as in 5 years ..... NETFLIX, Google and Apple will will dominate tv as content providers and makers as they are billions dollar international companies.

 

[RoosTah]

Agree Doc.

In my view News Corpse have one play, and that's to offer for all games simulcast.

If they say they just want the last four games and won't pay much for them, then the NRL may as well sell them to another FTA and watch as Foxtel hemorrhages subscribers for 5 years and people stop buying the Tele and Courier Mail.

Support for Rugby League in NSW and Qld isn't going to suddenly switch allegiance to the AFL because of their shitty newspapers. What's more likely is we'll see a lot of redundancies in both publications and over at Fox as the Rugby League public gives them a big F##K YOU for trying to hurt our game.

All I can say to Rupert is bring it on you old c##t.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Its all part of the game

Rupert wont walk away from the NRL

remember its all about the game and how you play it, its all about control and if you can take it

TIME TO PLAY THE GAAAAAAAME!!!!













...Hey yo Jimmy hit me wit that Triple H.

 

[betcats]

Still too early to call if nrl has screwed up or not by freezing fox and Telstra out of the early negotiations.

You can only really compare the fta component and all in all I'd say they are on par.

Afl 3.5 games $140mill a year cash
NFL 4 prime time games plus digital plus SOO

For NRL; SOO has been estimated to be worth $30mill a year or more on its own so including that the actual club games are probably a little under valued when you consider they are the prime time games. Nine also got digital rights which may impact on tne Telstra deal. Very big increase on previous deal though. Also some level of scheduling control returning to nrl.

For AFL; games go longer have more adds and have a better capital city presence. Not necessarily prime time gamEs, detail not released on the schedule slots, they obviously accepted a bit less from 7 to get a bigger slice from fox.

How could the top line be a good thing for the NRL? Like how does freezing out certain bidders make sure you get the best deal? Gallop would of been crucified on here for that. You could argue that AFL has benefited from it.

 

[Nerd]

To add to that, but publicly declaring war on Rugby League and saying he'll try and destroy it through the support of AFL he's just made an enemy of every League fan north of Victoria.

Pretty dickish move in my view... almost makes me want to cancel my subscription now.

With Rupert slowly stepping away from running Newscorp and his sons Lachlan and James being groomed to take over I'm sure their just ecstatic that dad has just alienated 60% of Australias sporting population with his ill considered comments.