NRL to ditch digital arm

NRL scales back digital arm following broadcaster pressure​

By Zoe Samios​

October 6, 2021 — 3.53pm

The National Rugby League has bowed to pressure from its media partners and decided to scale down its digital content arm in a move that is expected to result in several redundancies at the organisation.

The shift, led by the NRL’s recently appointed chief customer and digital officer Alexi Baker, is part of an ongoing effort to streamline operations at the NRL to save costs and better serve fans. But it will also be considered a win for the company’s two media partners - Nine Entertainment Co and News Corp Foxtel - which have long expressed frustration about the division and argue the NRL’s own website competes with their digital properties.

Staff at the NRL were informed about the change on Wednesday afternoon and about 10 redundancies are expected to take place over the next few weeks. Staff who appeared at the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they were not given the opportunity to ask questions.

Under the plans the NRL will move away from creating news-focused content and work more closely with Nine (which is the owner of this masthead) and News Corp-controlled Foxtel on joint projects. The NRL website will mainly feature highlights and short-form videos that entertain fans instead of breaking news. The NRL was approached for comment but did not respond by deadline.

The NRL Digital Network officially launched in 2018 after the organisation took control of its digital assets from Telstra, an arrangement formed under the terms of its $1 billion broadcasting rights deal with Nine and Foxtel. The deal was a significant change in strategy for the NRL and involved the clubs investing money in digital rather than outsourcing it to media partners.

The network is currently made up of five parts including NRL.com, and sites and apps for the competition’s 16 teams. As of last year, the digital unit employed about 80 staff, including a product and technology arm with designers, developers and engineers who ensure the digital products work for fans. It has a media services division which handles game archives and images taken at matches, digital marketing and social media, a data and insights team, and employs about eight journalists who cover matches and interview players and coaches.

This is the first major change for NRL digital division since the arrival of Ms Baker (who previously led negotiations at Nine), who has undertaken a review of the organisation’s media arm. In late August, the NRL notified high-profile ex players and coaches such as Jamie Soward, Brett Kimmorley, Anthony Seibold and Robbie Farah that the website would no longer feature panel shows.

The restructure comes as the NRL prepares to propose the Redcliffe Dolphins as the expansion team for 2023 after agreeing to a deal with News Corp to inject at least $75 million into the sport over five years. Sources with knowledge of discussions told the Herald earlier this week that the NRL is providing the News Corp-owned Brisbane Broncos will an increase in exclusive matches, which will ultimately reduce the number of free-to-air games.

The NRL is presenting to the 16 clubs on Thursday and will provide them with details on how they plan to finance a 17th team. Any savings generated by the NRL could help with the justification of a new team.

NRL scales back digital arm following broadcaster pressure (smh.com.au)

 

[baselinepanther]

So the interview with the Parra captains?
Or the Harold Matts and SG Ball highlights doesn't count?

Today alone a Brenko Lee interview
Bailey Simonssen interview too

What news stories are they missing out on during the off season?

don't bother with him , hes a whining halfwit

 

[Perth Red]

Nothing to see here, move on, all is good with the world, Vlandys is our leader....

 

[Iamback]

Nothing to see here, move on, all is good with the world, Vlandys is our leader....

Not that at all.

seems a straight forward question.

what is missing from the NRL website that should be there?

 

[Iamback]

don't bother with him , hes a whining halfwit

seems that way.

Plenty of content on the site. Guess they need to halfwit proof it

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

So the interview with the Parra captains?
Or the Harold Matts and SG Ball highlights doesn't count?

Today alone a Brenko Lee interview
Bailey Simonssen interview too

What news stories are they missing out on during the off season?

Former Parra and Storm player Mitchell Johnson had a go at Pat Cummins about Justin Langer and absolutely nothing on the NRL site. It's f**ken bullshit!

 

[Iamback]

Former Parra and Storm player Mitchell Johnson had a go at Pat Cummins about Justin Langer and absolutely nothing on the NRL site. It's f**ken bullshit!

Lets look at the 3 most recent stories on Fox Sports

2 are taken from WWOS article's
The 3rd is on why Todd Payten should be sacked

Hardly quality content missed by NRL.com

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Lets look at the 3 most recent stories on Fox Sports

2 are taken from WWOS article's
The 3rd is on why Todd Payten should be sacked

Hardly quality content missed by NRL.com

I suspect that for you ''irony' is a bit like 'steely' or 'bronzy'.

 

[Perth Red]

As long as you’re happy with the content after ten media journos employed to push our interesting news stories about the game have Been sacked then all good. Personally I don’t have any interest in hm highlights or another shallow player story.

 

[Iamback]

As long as you’re happy with the content after ten media journos employed to push our interesting news stories about the game have Been sacked then all good. Personally I don’t have any interest in hm highlights or another shallow player story.

Give me that over the DT garbage any day

 

[baselinepanther]

Nothing to see here, move on, all is good with the world, Vlandys is our leader....

he lead us through covid as well as any leader of any organisation has anywhere on the planet
we posted a 50 million profit in 2021
we have a new franchise starting up under his reign in 2023

just because an agenda driven RL & Vlandys hating moaning twat like you isn't happy doesn't mean he hasn't done an outstanding job

 

[Perth Red]

Give me that over the DT garbage any day

haha thats the point, and why the media arm was set up to drive traffic to the digital assets which then generate revenue through advertising. There's commentary from back when it was set up that the NRL was sick of terrible bad news bagging the game so was going to control it themselves with the new media arm.

We've basically handed all that sht media covg back to the people who we dissing the game in the first place! And for what? We didnt even get any money from doing it! Sht decision all round thats going to hurt the game in many ways and most logical people can see it.

 

[Perth Red]

he lead us through covid as well as any leader of any organisation has anywhere on the planet
we posted a 50 million profit in 2021
we have a new franchise starting up under his reign in 2023

just because an agenda driven RL & Vlandys hating moaning twat like you isn't happy doesn't mean he hasn't done an outstanding job

So you're happy he's closed down one of the most important parts of the NRLs digital arm for no gain, and which it has invested huge sums in to get it to where it was? Righto. Like I've told you before only idiots deal in absolutes.
The vlandys fan club is strong in this one lol.

 

[baselinepanther]

So you're happy he's closed down one of the most important parts of the NRLs digital arm for no gain, and which it has invested huge sums in to get it to where it was? Righto. Like I've told you before only idiots deal in absolutes.
The vlandys fan club is strong in this one lol.

I'll trust his judgement ( his record in 2 sports speaks for itself ) over a whining RL hating NFI soap dodger like you yea

 

[baselinepanther]

. Like I've told you before only idiots deal in absolutes.

you just owned yourself again there drop kick lol

 

[baselinepanther]

vlandys could have turned water to wine, walked on water & fed the masses with 5 fish & 10 loaves of bread

& PR would have found fault with all of that , best no one takes any notice of that morons anti Vlandys agenda . PV has done an outstanding job in running the code through its most challenging period since the super league war , nothing surer

 

[Perth Red]

nope ive said many times and you’ve read many times he has done many good things, most impressively managing the game through covid. the nz tv deal was a good outcome,
but he’s also screwed up all sorts of stuff; the rules, the head high debacle, the closing down of media arm, the accepting less money from fox for next rights, cutting out telstra without giving them opportunity to offer what they pay afl, the accepting no cash increase from nine despite expansion, the slagging off of expansion states, hiding figures in annual report so no accountability, and so it goes on. On balance his ledger is heavily weighted in the red imo.

Like I keep telling you only idiots deal in absolutes and you sir are some kind of idiot!

 

[baselinepanther]

nope ive said many times and you’ve read many times he has done many good things, most impressively managing the game through covid. the nz tv deal was a good outcome,
but he’s also screwed up all sorts of stuff; the rules, the head high debacle, the closing down of media arm, the accepting less money from fox for next rights, cutting out telstra without giving them opportunity to offer what they pay afl, the accepting no cash increase from nine despite expansion, the slagging off of expansion states, hiding figures in annual report so no accountability, and so it goes on. On balance his ledger is heavily weighted in the red imo.

Like I keep telling you only idiots deal in absolutes and you sir are some kind of idiot!

you are a whining halfwit
you only concede hes done anything right when your BS is called by posters who know what you are
And you nearly choke on your own vomit whilst doing it

the forum clown
thats what you are

 

[Iamback]

haha thats the point, and why the media arm was set up to drive traffic to the digital assets which then generate revenue through advertising. There's commentary from back when it was set up that the NRL was sick of terrible bad news bagging the game so was going to control it themselves with the new media arm.

We've basically handed all that sht media covg back to the people who we dissing the game in the first place! And for what? We didnt even get any money from doing it! Sht decision all round thats going to hurt the game in many ways and most logical people can see it.

There is still new content on the website.

Just today I read a nice article on Johnny Rapers death

The Nikorima's playing together

A few All Stars Women stories

So again what is missing from it?

They scraped a couple of shows that had minimal viewers. Hardly the doom and gloom

 

[Perth Red]

There is still new content on the website.

Just today I read a nice article on Johnny Rapers death

The Nikorima's playing together

A few All Stars Women stories

So again what is missing from it?

They scraped a couple of shows that had minimal viewers. Hardly the doom and gloom

Again its the general juicy news stories, and lots of them, that the journos were writing and pushing through social media which then drove people to the website. Both the number of stories and type of stories has changed significantly since they sacked the media arm. Its mostly now about players stories that have been regurgitated from that players clubs website they then link into nrl.com. That isnt going to drive big numbers to nrl.com, fans want to be reading about Walsh and where he might end up if he leaves Warriors or if the Roos will be playing in the RLWC or if Origin is moving from Perth. These sorts of stories are what is of interest to the masses, not how some all stars dance came to be or how someones great niece is carrying on the family name in making a debut in NRLW that they've already read on the Roosters website.

And who led these changes that are costing the game with no return? yep the newly appointed Snr exec Alexi Baker who we picked up from Nine, who where one of the main complainers about the NRL's media arm! Talk about putting foxes in charge of the hen house!

'Under the plans the NRL will move away from creating news-focused content and work more closely with Nine (which is the owner of this masthead) and News Corp-controlled Foxtel on joint projects. The NRL website will mainly feature highlights and short-form videos that entertain fans instead of breaking news.'

NRL scales back digital arm following broadcaster pressure

The National Rugby League’s online website NRL.com will move way from publishing breaking news.

www.smh.com.au

'Nine Entertainment Co has expressed interest in taking over the NRL’s digital arm as part of cost-cutting measures in a revised broadcast deal.
Sources close to the negotiations say Nine’s proposal for an extended deal until the end of 2025 includes the code’s digital arm, led by NRL.com, which the free-to-air network believes currently runs in direct competition with its two broadcast partners.'

Nine targets NRL's digital arm as part of revised broadcast deal

Channel Nine has expressed an interest in taking over the NRL's digital assets in return for a new, extended rights deal until 2025.

www.smh.com.au

 

[Perth Red]

Why are broadcasters threatened by NRL Digital?​

byELLIOTT RICHARDSON​

​

If there is something that deserved more attention but was quickly covered over thanks to COVID and the many on/off field controversies, it has been the gradual shrinking and cutting of NRL Digital.

The NRL stood up its own media outlet at the end of 2017 combining in-house journalists and external journalists with current and former players and coaches.

It’s seen NRL.com transform into its own news service alongside regular web shows.

And according to NRL chief digital officer Alex Alderson, its weekly audience grew by one million during 2020 and 2021, jumping from 3.5 million to 4.5 million people.

Well, thanks to the whingeing of Fox Sports and Channel Nine, some of the web shows will be booted off NRL.com simply because the broadcasters see them as competing with their own content.

Never mind that NRL shows such as The Game Plan or Inside the NRL don’t run parallel to any of Nine or Fox’s flagship shows. They both run during the week at 4pm.

But why do the NRL’s broadcast partners see these shows as competitors?

Ever since the outbreak of COVID in 2020, Nine and Fox have been gunning for the digital arm of the NRL. They’ve labelled it as a monetary drain on the game but its finances tell a different story.

A 2019 audit stated NRL Digital could double in value in the next two years to just under $1 billion.

Now, it’s become pretty clear why Nine dislikes NRL Digital.

It wants full digital rights to rugby league in Australia like it does with the tennis.

And unfortunately, Peter V’landys has now backflipped on his March 2020 position of,

“We are focused on improving and expanding the digital services that we provide – enabling and supporting the game and the businesses of the game’s partners. Our digital network can help us grow our fan base, improve our engagement with fans and ensure our game is sustainable and growing.”

NRL Digital suffered heavy cuts last year under the guise of COVID cuts. Again, that was despite it being very clearly a financial success.

Now it’s preparing for further cuts as Fox and Nine turn up the heat leading into a new round of TV rights negotiations.

But all of this is occurring to the detriment of fans and their overall experience of rugby league.

As briefly mentioned above, Channel Nine’s coverage of the game outside actual match broadcasts, is pathetic.
As much as I have attacked the NRL and the V’landys administration over its running of the game in the past two years, NRL Digital was one of the few good things to be happening and now it’s being gutted.

If there is one thing that could be run worse than the NRL, it’s the NRL media.
Nine’s TV ratings have reportedly been falling off a cliff in the past two seasons, while many choose Fox as the lesser of two evils.

Sure, you may score Braith Anasta on commentary, but you have no ads during play.

But there remains a large subset of fans who simply tune into games and that’s it. They’re not engaging with the sport outside of matches and that becomes a problem over time.

Nine and Fox have no one to blame but themselves on this front. They certainly don’t have NRL Digital to blame.

Fox’s Tales from Tiger Town showed what happens when you invest in a high quality product.

It’s time for less outrage cycle, pundits yelling over each other and commentators creating controversy, and more informed commentary, interesting documentaries and insightful analysis.

Why are broadcasters threatened by NRL Digital? - Rugby League Monthly

Fox and Channel Nine should put their money where their mouth is instead of asking the NRL to pull its digital shows.

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