But that's the point. The one thing you would all agree is that big business loves making money and they don't care how they make it, who they make it from and in what form it comes. Conversely they hate losing money as it effects executive salaries and bonuses, stock options and everything else that goes with it.
Thus a media company whether it owns subscription or FTA properties will only spend if they think it will return more money than they outlay. Ultimately they want to pay the lowest possible amount they can to maximize their return.
So as it stands now it doesn't matter what a survey says or what individual fan's opinions are. Big business and media determine the cost and that cost is based on their ability to make money. They are not going to spend more money than what they think they will get in return either from advertising or subscriptions.
The NRL have a long way to go to convince them to pay more that they pay elsewhere.
Correct no company wants to pay more than they have to,in fact SFA if given the opportunity.Neither does any consumer in his right mind.
The whole point is ,if the market and the bulk of the paying market for the Tv station is rugby league,it would be foolish of them to play silly b...s this time.Ch9/7,and 10 know it.
In fact subs TV have paid more money for AFL in comparison to the NRL.Why? The NRL and rugby league leaves the AFL in its wake .
Fox paid overs based on the assumption that there will be a huge surge in take up subs for the AFL.Yet the bulk of their most popular programmes still remain rugby league.The Pay TV mob,now have facts and figures to show Rugby league rates its proverbials off.QED the NRL don't have to go anywhere,as the market has spoken,by demand.
The FTA ratings for AFL are down,(yes crowds are up),but TV stations don't pay for crowds,but for eyeballs.