Rights expert backs broadcast deal
The Australian
November 12, 2015 12:00AM
Brent Read
Senior sports writer
Sydney
One of Australia’s leading experts on media rights has backed plans to televise two live NRL games on Friday nights, a move that could end the stalemate between the ARL Commission and pay-TV provider Foxtel over broadcasting beyond 2017.
Colin Smith, a director of Global Media and Sports, also suggested the return of Optus to the sports rights market could have played a decisive role in talks between the ARLC and Foxtel reaching a watershed in recent weeks.
Smith, who assisted the NRL in previous broadcasting negotiations, believes the days of telecasting sport on delay are over, hence the desire of the ARLC and Foxtel to squeeze in an early game on Friday nights. It is understood that as part of their plan for the future — which is expected to net the commission upwards of $1.7 billion over five years — Fox Sports would showcase a live game at 6pm on Friday nights.
The game, which is likely to feature the New Zealand Warriors and the three sides from Queensland given their time zones, would replace the delayed game that has been broadcast on Friday nights.
“I think the days of delayed telecast of sport are over,” Smith said. “Live sport is absolutely critical these days. If they think that’s the best way they can do it, that’s a heck of a lot better than the current arrangement.
“Is it perfect? No. But I am not quite sure how you do it if you don’t do it this way. The early game on Friday night will have a bigger audience potentially than an afternoon game.”
News of the advance in talks between Foxtel and the ARLC comes only a matter of weeks after Optus made a shock return to the sporting market by picking up the rights to broadcast the English Premier League.
During the mid-1990s, Optus was a major player in rugby league but its interest waned. While Optus was unlikely to be in a position to bid for NRL rights, Smith has no doubt the company’s move to snatch the EPL from Foxtel played a part in advancing negotiations over rugby league.
“What has changed now is there is another player in the rights acquisition market who hasn’t been around for 10 years,” Smith said. “Now they’re back in — that’s Optus — which makes you think about competitive tension and keeping everyone honest. You now have some true competitive tension. There’s absolutely no doubt about it — everyone would have wanted to get this deal done fast.”
While the ARLC appears to be closing in on a deal that will quell mounting concern among its clubs, the code is set to finish well behind the AFL in terms of the size of its broadcasting rights. Smith believes that is a remnant of the decision to strike a deal with the Nine Network, a move that he believes went a long way towards undoing the good work carried out during the previous negotiations when News Corp’s first-and-last-rights clause was brought to an end.
“One of the brilliant things the NRL did last time was to get rid of the first and last rights,” he said. “By doing the deal early with Channel Nine, they re-created the first and last rights. The huge winner out of this is Channel Nine. They are the massive winner because they hold all the cards.”
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