NRL plans to drop draws

[legend]

Midas, like RL, the Cricket will only ever go over it's scheduled timelsot if there is a chance of a result or it's a ODI. There is really no need in a test but we usually get a few once the one dayers start. Also, the opposition have left us with no doubt about the result in the first two tests. They haven't exactly been cliffhangers. Both of the Cricket scenarios would be as likely to happen as a draw in RL. They will be few and far between. Last season there were 182 games with nine draws which represents less than 5% of all matches but i'm not sure how many were shown by channel nine. I know the draw between Canberra and Saints was on Foxtel.

If any show was going to be affected by RL going into OT, it would be either Backyard Blitz or Location Location and RL would outrate both combined in NSW and QLD. We will still get the full half hour of national nine news.

 

[legend]

Again, when there is a chance of a result in the one dayers, not day night matches and they are running overtime, the ALWAYS stick with the cricket until the game is finished. The same goes for test matches. If it is day five of a test and a resut is imminent, channel nine ALWAYS stay with the Cricket.

Fair dinkum, it's like hitting your head against a brick wall sometimes.

 

[Willow]

Re Trials.

It's been suggested several times by myself included that we will see how the proposal goes in trials.
It just occurred to me that this isn't really possible.

How can the NRL reproduce the conditions fora draw and subsequent extra time?
It seems that its a matter of simply implementing the rule and crossing our fingers that it doesnt stuff everything up.

 

[Willow]

"Fair dinkum, it's like hitting your head against a brick wall sometimes."
I know the feeling... must be hard for the brick wall.

You're forgetting time zones, daylight saving etc. I don't believe everyone is on Sydney time.

 

[legend]

Yes, this is from a Sydney, Melbourne and Tassie perspective. Anyway, for all you non believers, ring this number 02 9906 9999 and ask the people in programming what happens on day five of a test match and one day matches when a result is imminent prior to 6:00 pm ADST. They ALWAYS stick with the cricket. They will only cut to the news if the game is massively over time and then they will come back to the cricket. If we are talking 10-20 minutes, channel nine will ALWAYS stick with the cricket (About the same as RL).

The likelihood of this happening would be about the same as a drawn match covered by channel nine.

 

[El Duque]

legend, if you think back to '97 channel 9 didn't even show the full extra time in a finals game of the ARL between theSydney Cityand Norths. They showed a bit then cut it off and said the Roosters ran away with it.

 

[legend]

No offence intended El Duque, but that was the year of the SL war so RL wasn't really at the top of anyones agenda, especially channel nine. If they tried that stunt in 2003, I think their would be public outrage. I also said earlier, the NRL could accommodate channel nine by starting the matches 30 minutes earlier if need be then edit appropriately.

 

[legend]

BTW El Duque, the match you speak of would have been played under the old rules of ten minutes each way in extra time, not golden point. If the same game had been played under the golden point rule, it's probable even likely that nine would have stayed with the match considering the Roosters scored on several occasions. By starting the games earlier, channel nine then have the chance to to calculate how much extra time was used and adjust their coverage accordingly.

 

[Willow]

In regional areas, (eg, Gold Coast), Channel Nine cut to the regional news and then the national news... at which point the Cricket always disappears and I put the radio on. To my knowledge, its been that way since I moved here in 1998.
I dont know ifCricket is even a good example but the point is that we're living in fantasyland if we're to think Ch 9 are smart when it comes to looking after RL.

 

[El Duque]

But this was a finals game and 9 had ample time to edit it. I don't trust the buggers for second.

 

[imported_midas]

Legend
One significant difference is that one-dayers are played in the Dec/Jan period which is non-ratings time.I can,t remember too many occasions when they let ANYTHING run into their news in a ratings period.

 

[legend]

Not wanting to offend you with regional bias again Willow, I don't think channel nine have regional areas at the top of their programmingpriorities. I think the major markets such as metro Sydney and Melbourne will always come first and considering nines RL ratings on a Sunday afternoon and admissions from channel nine that RL coverage in the afternoon helps them win the Sunday evening programming battle, I think it would be of paramount importance for nine to cover RL, especially heart stoppers where extra time is involved. My opinion is channel ninecannot afford not to show matches that go into extra time. They would be shooting themselves in the foot by leaving fans in limbo until 6:20 when the sport results are displayed on the news.

 

[legend]

Midas, Willow mentioned this earlier in the piece and seeing as it will only be Sunday afternoon games that will be most affected and Sixty Minutes being the Sunday evening flagship, Backyard Blitz and Location Location can easily be shunted to accommodate the league when you consider the difference in ratings figures between the two programs, with RL being way ahead in Sydney.

 

[legend]

Potentially worse for channel nine, would be forone of the other FTA networks to gazump them and read out the result of the match as soon as it was completed, therefore robbing channel nine of exclusitivity (is that a word?) of the match in question.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

exclusiveness

Why cant they just start the bugger a bit earlier? Besides, most games this year i can remember finishing between 540-545. That leaves 15mins til the news. They usually crap on for a bit, go to another ad and then show some crap about cooking tips for 10minutes before the news. Could we live without that? I think so. Anyways, it will only be on Sunday night, so as Legend said, they can just move everything back 10mins. Will it kill them? i think not. And it will only be 10mins if what the paper said is actually true

Cheers,
Moffo

 

[legend]

Excellent point about the actual finishing time of the match Moffo. Every Sunday afternoon match finishes at least 10 minutes before the news so there is ample time to cover extra time if needed. It's a feit accompli IMO.

 

[legend]

I think Willow's summary is going to take a little longer now Moffo.

 

[Willow]

"Not wanting to offend you with regional bias again Willow, I don't think channel nine have regional areas at the top of their programmingpriorities. "
No, that doesnt offend in the slightest. I'm well aware of regional priorities when it comes to programming. I'm just glad that we got the electricity connected last month... running those gaslights was hell.

"I think the major markets such as metro Sydney and Melbourne will always come first and considering nines RL ratings "
I'm sure you're right about the larger market places of Sydney and Melbourne but when it comes to looking after RL, Ch 9 wouldnt know if their arse was on fire.
They have to be the biggest bunch of snobbish, dim-witted, scum in the known universe.
Lets not kid ourseleves, Ch 9 simply do not have much of an interest in looking after viewer's interests when it comes to League. You only have to look at the struggle RL has in getting recognition in Melbourne.

If there was extra time in a delayed Sunday match, it would be cut to fit in with programming.

 

[Willow]

What I mean by 'cut' is editing. If there was extra time of say ten minutes then the matchg would have ten minutes edited out somewhere else to accomodate the time slot.
Thats the way how Ch 9's editing room works...it been that way forever.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

lol Legend,

Willow, but why would they need to? Cut out the cooking crap and hey presto, 10 extra minutes. im sure it could be re-jigged. They only used to edit the games when it went right up to news time and they knew there was going to be extra-time. You could always tell about 10mins in, and it gave me the shits! They shouldn't find a need to do this

Moffo