Pacific Islander owned 18th NRL club.

[The Great Dane]

The articles are behind a paywall, but apparently this is a thing.



It's probably a fanciful nonsense idea, but worth looking into nonetheless.

I hope it's not the same consortium of NFL guys that have been going around trying to buy a pro Union club over the past few years, as their plans for the Union clubs they tried to buy were terrible. The headlines sound like it's just them again though.

 

[Colk]

I can’t read the articles but how would this work logistically? Where would they be based? Where would they play?

 

[Pippen94]

Sounds good

 

[Perth Red]

That'll close the $200mill Australian tv funding gap lol

 

[flippikat]

That'll close the $200mill Australian tv funding gap lol

Yeah, I'm sure the deep pockets of Pacific Island TV networks can easily help us leapfrog that other code's broadcast revenue!

 

[Perth Red]

Yeah, I'm sure the deep pockets of Pacific Island TV networks can easily help us leapfrog that other code's broadcast revenue!

not to mention our sponsors clearly would value PI reach over Australian capital city reach lol

 

[Wb1234]

This can tie in with nz2. It will be the financial muscle they need

obviously with so many pi in nz it’s a no brainer

 

[Colk]

This can tie in with nz2. It will be the financial muscle they need

obviously with so many pi in nz it’s a no brainer

It’s the only way that this would work. Play a game or two in the islands if they need to.

 

[flippikat]

It’s the only way that this would work. Play a game or two in the islands if they need to.

The big question is how much will the Australian networks pay for a 9th game if the 18th team isn't an Aussie club, compared to (say) Perth or another Queensland club, or the Bears?

Further to that, will Sky "pick up the slack" and cover the difference if an NZ and/or PI club is set to earn less broadcasting coin from Australian networks than an Aussie option for team 18?

 

[Perth Red]

The big question is how much will the Australian networks pay for a 9th game if the 18th team isn't an Aussie club, compared to (say) Perth or another Queensland club, or the Bears?

Further to that, will Sky "pick up the slack" and cover the difference if an NZ and/or PI club is set to earn less broadcasting coin from Australian networks than an Aussie option for team 18?

the answers are
not much
and no

It also has to be about a much bigger strategy and where the game wants to be in 10 years, 20 years time.

 

[Colk]

The big question is how much will the Australian networks pay for a 9th game if the 18th team isn't an Aussie club, compared to (say) Perth or another Queensland club, or the Bears?

Further to that, will Sky "pick up the slack" and cover the difference if an NZ and/or PI club is set to earn less broadcasting coin from Australian networks than an Aussie option for team 18?

When I say it might work under those provisions, it definitely shouldn’t be the 18th club. It would only be in consideration once you have all the metro markets done.

 

[flippikat]

When I say it might work under those provisions, it definitely shouldn’t be the 18th club. It would only be in consideration once you have all the metro markets done.

Yeah, exactly - and the point of my "thinking out loud" was to raise that concern. No way is the broadcast money from a PI team going to match a big metro market, heck even a 2nd NZ team would be lucky to get near it.

Perth & Adelaide need to have teams, and that brings us to 19 (assuming no existing NRL club goes broke/merges/relocates to take it to 18 with Perth & Adelaide).

Then that 20th team is wide open.

 

[Perth Red]

Yeah, exactly - and the point of my "thinking out loud" was to raise that concern. No way is the broadcast money from a PI team going to match a big metro market, heck even a 2nd NZ team would be lucky to get near it.

Perth & Adelaide need to have teams, and that brings us to 19 (assuming no existing NRL club goes broke/merges/relocates to take it to 18 with Perth & Adelaide).

Then that 20th team is wide open.

yeh that's what they should do then team 20 is either NZ2 or Brisbane3 depending on how Dolphins and Warriors are going and which will be more lucrative to the competition. Because they have stuffed up Brisbane2 I suspect we will still need a Southern Brisbane club in years to come.

 

[Wb1234]

The big question is how much will the Australian networks pay for a 9th game if the 18th team isn't an Aussie club, compared to (say) Perth or another Queensland club, or the Bears?

Further to that, will Sky "pick up the slack" and cover the difference if an NZ and/or PI club is set to earn less broadcasting coin from Australian networks than an Aussie option for team 18?

Irrelevant really

the ninth game will feature Aussie teams all weeks bar two

 

[Wb1234]

Yeah, exactly - and the point of my "thinking out loud" was to raise that concern. No way is the broadcast money from a PI team going to match a big metro market, heck even a 2nd NZ team would be lucky to get near it.

Perth & Adelaide need to have teams, and that brings us to 19 (assuming no existing NRL club goes broke/merges/relocates to take it to 18 with Perth & Adelaide).

Then that 20th team is wide open.

A Perth or Adelaide nrl team will have zero or close to zero value for tv broadcasters initially

 

[flippikat]

yeh that's what they should do then team 20 is either NZ2 or Brisbane3 depending on how Dolphins and Warriors are going and which will be more lucrative to the competition. Because they have stuffed up Brisbane2 I suspect we will still need a Southern Brisbane club in years to come.

I think it may come down to "who objects more" - will the Broncos/Titans throw a hissy fit at the prospect of a South Brisbane or West Brisbane club? You bet.

Will it be enough to put the NRL off it? Who knows...

 

[Perth Red]

I think it may come down to "who objects more" - will the Broncos/Titans throw a hissy fit at the prospect of a South Brisbane or West Brisbane club? You bet.

Will it be enough to put the NRL off it? Who knows...

yeh probably, but by then you never know we might have an Independent commission doing whats right for the game lol.

 

[Perth Red]

A Perth or Adelaide nrl team will have zero or close to zero value for tv broadcasters initially

AFL just landed a mega deal with Suns and GWS in it lol. Metro city reach is what TV and sponsors want. Seeing NRL in newspapers, local online platforms and nightly news in Adelaide and Perth like we see Sydney and Brisbane AFL clubs in their cities. Thats where our future lies, not in NZ (yet anyway) or more heartland clubs.

 

[Colk]

Irrelevant really

the ninth game will feature Aussie teams all weeks bar two

Yes but the problem is a second NZ side adds absolutely nothing for Australian advertisers. Would an Australian advertiser want to have access to the Perth or Adelaide market and vice versa or to NZ; particularly if they have no customers in NZ. The advertiser traffic also remember goes both ways, it offers a company based in WA or SA penetration into NSW and QLD that they don’t get with fumbleball most particularly.

This is why people asking for more sides where we currently are makes absolute no business sense.

You have to think what do advertisers want?

 

[Perth Red]

Yes but the problem is a second NZ side adds absolutely nothing for Australian advertisers. Would an Australian advertiser want to have access to the Perth or Adelaide market or to NZ; particularly if they have no customers in NZ. The advertiser traffic also remember goes both ways, it offers a company based in WA or SA penetration into NSW and QLD that they don’t get with fumbleball most particularly.

This is why people asking for more sides where we currently are makes absolute no business sense.

You have to think what do advertisers want?

Naming rights
Telstra $12mill a year
Toyota/NAB $21million a year

That alone makes up about 5% of the current revenue gap.

just one example of what I suspect is many. As you say Australian sponsors want Australian reach.