The Las Vegas Thread

[MugaB]

It's a shame they're not sending good teams like yours, and are instead sending teams who can't even make the finals.

Like the broncos hey?

 

[Wb1234]

The ARL Commission is in talks for a five-year broadcast deal to screen NRL matches live on American prime time television in a $200 million coup ahead of the historic double-header in Las Vegas.

ARLC chairman Peter V’landys has revealed one of the biggest broadcast projects in the code’s history as the Broncos, Roosters, Manly and Souths prepare to make history by heading up live sporting coverage on American television.

In a landmark moment, the NRL is going prime time in the US, with a live feed of the Broncos-Roosters and Manly-Souths fixtures on March 3 (AEST) to be delivered to the American public via Fox Sports 1.

Now V’landys is upping the ante, outlining a strategic plan for NRL double-headers to be screened live in America until the end of 2028, in line with the code’s five-year deal to play premiership games in Vegas.

It is a key plank in a broadcasting masterplan that would see select premiership matches shown live in the US every week during the NRL season.

V’landys believes the NRL’s ambitious incursion into the US market can be worth north of $200 million in broadcast-and-gaming revenue - and potentially more if rugby league secures regular prime time slots on American TV.

V’landys confirmed the NRL’s push for prime time prominence in a country of 330 million, adamant rugby league’s NFL-style gladiatorial combat can win over American viewers.

“The double header being shown live is a huge coup for rugby league and it’s important we stay on prime time TV in America,” V’landys said.

“These two games will be shown live on American TV. This is a first for rugby league - but I would like for it to happen for the entire five-year deal.

“We will speak to Fox executives after the event, see what was successful, what wasn’t.

“I’m confident we will have the NRL live on American TV for the next five years.

“We can’t just be there for one week, we want the whole NRL season to be shown live in America if we can.

“Fox Sports is a valuable and cherished partner. They have done everything they can to help us and we’re keen to go to the next level with a greater TV presence in America.”

Fox Sports 1, a Pay Television service, reaches more than 90 million American homes and has broadcasting tentacles in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean – giving the NRL a gargantuan population shopfront of 137 million.

Under the live-broadcast feed, the Souths-Manly game will be screened live to Americans at 6.30pm, followed by the Broncos-Roosters clash at 8.30pm.

That Pacific US time zone will encompass the western region of America taking in markets such as Las Vegas, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles, the latter area where the Broncos and Roosters will train for a week.

Those timeslots represent television prime time, with the Rabbitohs, Broncos, Roosters and Sea Eagles to be telecast live to California – America’s biggest state with a population of 39 million.

While the NRL accepts it will never take over the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, even a small market share in the US equates to a lucrative fresh TV audience.

Aiding the NRL’s Vegas venture, the NFL season concludes with the Super Bowl on February 11, while the 2024 Major League Baseball campaign doesn’t start until March 20.

That gives the NRL a sweet broadcasting free hit on Fox Sports 1 at a time when American sports fans can casually digest new content.

“We’re in talks with Fox in America,” V’landys said.

“The executives there have been unbelievable, they have been a remarkable partner and without their support, we would have been wasting our time in Vegas.

“The negotiations have been fantastic. I consulted Fox as to where the NRL should go in America, so they were a crucial partner and they were supportive of prime time screening of NRL games.

“The Broncos are one of the biggest brands in Australian sport and they will be live on Fox 1 in America.

“We only dream about this - it’s going to be the highest TV profile we’ve ever gained.

“My aim is for the NRL to be screened live in America regularly, that’s what we want long term. We won’t get 100 million viewers, but we have the platform of 330 or 340 million Americans, so there’s a huge audience to tap into.

“You can’t just play in front of a stadium of people in Las Vegas - you want to play to hundreds of millions in America.

“No-one knew UFC and look at it now, it’s one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

“I believe we have the greatest game of all and as soon as Americans understand the rules and see the collisions of the players, I believe rugby league will take off.”

“The Broncos are the NRL’s entertainers and seeing them live on American TV is a real coup for rugby league and Australian sport.

“I hope this (prime time TV coverage) opens the door for bigger and brighter things.

“This venture can be worth hundreds of millions of dollars if we get this right ... and I’m confident we will.”

@Perth Red what were you saying about pvl

 

[final say]

Does anyone have access to this article?

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_MRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fnrl-2024-sydney-roosters-to-arrive-in-usa-fresh-on-boeings-7879-dreamliner%2Fnews-story%2F03c21fffa3e6023595c82d89dc0e91bd&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE

 

[Maximus]

It seems Vlandys understands time zones about as well as some people here. We have 1 game a week that kicks off in prime time on the west coast, and that 2pm Sunday slot doesn't even exist for the first 6 weeks.

 

[Wb1234]

Does anyone have access to this article?

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_MRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fnrl-2024-sydney-roosters-to-arrive-in-usa-fresh-on-boeings-7879-dreamliner%2Fnews-story%2F03c21fffa3e6023595c82d89dc0e91bd&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE

Check the Las Vegas thread it’s on there

 

[Wb1234]

 

[yakstorm]

It seems Vlandys understands time zones about as well as some people here. We have 1 game a week that kicks off in prime time on the west coast, and that 2pm Sunday slot doesn't even exist for the first 6 weeks.

I doubt Fox US would give us that 7pm timeslot even if there were games in those first 6 weeks.

It's one thing for us to get prime time when we're playing over there & it's in-between big sport seasons, they wouldn't hand it over the rest of the season.

The later games, so 4pm Sunday (9pm PST), 3pm Saturday (8pm PST) & 5:30pm (10:30pm PST) are still solid spots ratings wise and would make the NRL far more accessible in the US.

If we could get one of them weekly on FS1 that would be huge, especially when the lowest drawing programs at that timeslot are equal to what a lot of NRL games draw on Fox Sports here.

 

[Iamback]

I doubt Fox US would give us that 7pm timeslot even if there were games in those first 6 weeks.

It's one thing for us to get prime time when we're playing over there & it's in-between big sport seasons, they wouldn't hand it over the rest of the season.

The later games, so 4pm Sunday (9pm PST), 3pm Saturday (8pm PST) & 5:30pm (10:30pm PST) are still solid spots ratings wise and would make the NRL far more accessible in the US.

If we could get one of them weekly on FS1 that would be huge, especially when the lowest drawing programs at that timeslot are equal to what a lot of NRL games draw on Fox Sports here.

US TV usually go later anyway. 9pm for them isn't a problem

 

[Harry O]

So what if I put shit on a sport I don't like? Even some Rugby League fans put shit on the game they grew up watching. So what's worse?

 

[final say]

It seems Vlandys understands time zones about as well as some people here. We have 1 game a week that kicks off in prime time on the west coast, and that 2pm Sunday slot doesn't even exist for the first 6 weeks.

You're obviously not a rugby league fan. Just trolling. Surely there's better ways to spend your time.

 

[abc]

I doubt Fox US would give us that 7pm timeslot even if there were games in those first 6 weeks.

It's one thing for us to get prime time when we're playing over there & it's in-between big sport seasons, they wouldn't hand it over the rest of the season.

The later games, so 4pm Sunday (9pm PST), 3pm Saturday (8pm PST) & 5:30pm (10:30pm PST) are still solid spots ratings wise and would make the NRL far more accessible in the US.

If we could get one of them weekly on FS1 that would be huge, especially when the lowest drawing programs at that timeslot are equal to what a lot of NRL games draw on Fox Sports here.

I think the one thing many people outside the US miss, is that there is very little downtime here when it comes to sport on TV options with the domestic competitions alone. (i.e. there are games on Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). This also means gambling options for those include to bet on sport.

Early March (and prior) on Saturdays is huge for College basketball in the lead up to March Madness, which arguably is second only to Super Bowl and NFL playoffs as second largest tv view sports period domestically. Games are day and evening. You can just Google to see how many games are on March 2 (over 30)

College basketball is also one of the few sports that crucially also attracts casual sports and large number of female fans which could otherwise have potentially been a target. This also is akin to the Melbourne Cup in terms of how much casual people bet on it culturally each each year in US, which also diverts attention.

Leaving aside the NHL and NBA games that day, another potential audience being Premier League fans (so globally minded), have 7 games during the US daytime to watch on TV/streaming when they are live here. Now while these don’t directly clash because will be slightly earlier in day, that person may be less likely to stay watching at home or sports bar if they have already spent some hours watching sport.

If that’s not all hard enough there is 15+ spring training MLB games that day in daytime including the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Cubs.

I say all this not to stifle potential and ambition, but just to reiterate again how competitive the US domestic TV (and gambling) market is just for sports alone. It can be hard to appreciate if you are not exposed to it directly living here.

 

[Maximus]

I doubt Fox US would give us that 7pm timeslot even if there were games in those first 6 weeks.

It's one thing for us to get prime time when we're playing over there & it's in-between big sport seasons, they wouldn't hand it over the rest of the season.

The later games, so 4pm Sunday (9pm PST), 3pm Saturday (8pm PST) & 5:30pm (10:30pm PST) are still solid spots ratings wise and would make the NRL far more accessible in the US.

If we could get one of them weekly on FS1 that would be huge, especially when the lowest drawing programs at that timeslot are equal to what a lot of NRL games draw on Fox Sports here.

Push all of them back 2 hrs. Daylight savings ends here and starts there, so that 2pm game actually kicks off 9pm.

 

[Valheru]

I doubt Fox US would give us that 7pm timeslot even if there were games in those first 6 weeks.

It's one thing for us to get prime time when we're playing over there & it's in-between big sport seasons, they wouldn't hand it over the rest of the season.

The later games, so 4pm Sunday (9pm PST), 3pm Saturday (8pm PST) & 5:30pm (10:30pm PST) are still solid spots ratings wise and would make the NRL far more accessible in the US.

If we could get one of them weekly on FS1 that would be huge, especially when the lowest drawing programs at that timeslot are equal to what a lot of NRL games draw on Fox Sports here.

These aren't the time zones though.

Daylight savings time in the states starts 10 March (Generally round 1 in the NRL) so that pushes those times back 1 hour and then we exit daylight savings beginning of April pushing it back another hour so for the vast majority of the season the typical NRL slots equate to the below in the states:

2PM - Midnight EST, 9PM PST
3PM - 1AM EST, 10PM PST
5:30PM - 3:30AM EST, 12:30AM PST
6PM - 4AM EST, 1AM PST
7:30PM - 5:30AM EST, 2:30AM PST
8PM - 6AM EST, 3AM PST

That does not hit the east coast at anything close to prime time and on the west coast, it is just the two day games which are decent slots.

 

[Wb1234]

These aren't the time zones though.

Daylight savings time in the states starts 10 March (Generally round 1 in the NRL) so that pushes those times back 1 hour and then we exit daylight savings beginning of April pushing it back another hour so for the vast majority of the season the typical NRL slots equate to the below in the states:

2PM - Midnight EST, 9PM PST
3PM - 1AM EST, 10PM PST
5:30PM - 3:30AM EST, 12:30AM PST
6PM - 4AM EST, 1AM PST
7:30PM - 5:30AM EST, 2:30AM PST
8PM - 6AM EST, 3AM PST

That does not hit the east coast at anything close to prime time and on the west coast, it is just the two day games which are decent slots.

They could eventually bring back Sunday midday which the wahs used to fill

9 pm in California is ok as well

 

[Valheru]

I think the one thing many people outside the US miss, is that there is very little downtime here when it comes to sport on TV options with the domestic competitions alone. (i.e. there are games on Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). This also means gambling options for those include to bet on sport.

Early March (and prior) on Saturdays is huge for College basketball in the lead up to March Madness, which arguably is second only to Super Bowl and NFL playoffs as second largest tv view sports period domestically. Games are day and evening. You can just Google to see how many games are on March 2 (over 30)

College basketball is also one of the few sports that crucially also attracts casual sports and large number of female fans which could otherwise have potentially been a target. This also is akin to the Melbourne Cup in terms of how much casual people bet on it culturally each each year in US, which also diverts attention.

Leaving aside the NHL and NBA games that day, another potential audience being Premier League fans (so globally minded), have 7 games during the US daytime to watch on TV/streaming when they are live here. Now while these don’t directly clash because will be slightly earlier in day, that person may be less likely to stay watching at home or sports bar if they have already spent some hours watching sport.

If that’s not all hard enough there is 15+ spring training MLB games that day in daytime including the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Cubs.

I say all this not to stifle potential and ambition, but just to reiterate again how competitive the US domestic TV (and gambling) market is just for sports alone. It can be hard to appreciate if you are not exposed to it directly living here.

The dead zone of American sports is mid(ish) June once the NBA finals finish through to early September when the NFL regular season and College Football starts. In between all they really have is regular season MLB and pre-season NFL.

The timezone in July is not ideal though and nor is the weather for actually playing games in the states at that time of year.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Perhaps you just don't understand the sport?

Look, we’re talking about a guy who went to to US and Mexico and couldn’t wait to be home again, but thought Vegas was awesome. He is clearly a man of taste and culture

 

[SpaceMonkey]

These aren't the time zones though.

Daylight savings time in the states starts 10 March (Generally round 1 in the NRL) so that pushes those times back 1 hour and then we exit daylight savings beginning of April pushing it back another hour so for the vast majority of the season the typical NRL slots equate to the below in the states:

2PM - Midnight EST, 9PM PST
3PM - 1AM EST, 10PM PST
5:30PM - 3:30AM EST, 12:30AM PST
6PM - 4AM EST, 1AM PST
7:30PM - 5:30AM EST, 2:30AM PST
8PM - 6AM EST, 3AM PST

That does not hit the east coast at anything close to prime time and on the west coast, it is just the two day games which are decent slots.

I actually think the 9pm to midnight timeslots are probably better for us. The reality is as a niche sport we’re simply not going to get a look in in primetime. More chance of getting some air in those later timeslots. I’d be aiming at the west coast and Hawaiian market with its larger Polynesian population first.

 

[Munky]

These aren't the time zones though.

Daylight savings time in the states starts 10 March (Generally round 1 in the NRL) so that pushes those times back 1 hour and then we exit daylight savings beginning of April pushing it back another hour so for the vast majority of the season the typical NRL slots equate to the below in the states:

2PM - Midnight EST, 9PM PST
3PM - 1AM EST, 10PM PST
5:30PM - 3:30AM EST, 12:30AM PST
6PM - 4AM EST, 1AM PST
7:30PM - 5:30AM EST, 2:30AM PST
8PM - 6AM EST, 3AM PST

That does not hit the east coast at anything close to prime time and on the west coast, it is just the two day games which are decent slots.

You're not a real rugby league fan.

A real NRL fan knows that 7.30pm kick off in Sydney is also 7.30pm in LA and New York.

Time zones are a conspiracy of big jet lag.

 

[Munky]

Look, we’re talking about a guy who went to to US and Mexico and couldn’t wait to be home again, but thought Vegas was awesome. He clearly a man of taste and culture

I went to Mexico followed by New Orleans almost a decade ago.

Mexico was awesome while New Orleans was super disappointing. The main area of the city felt a massive tourist trap (and you don't want to walk too far from the main city) and the outskirts on the way to the Bayou looked like something out of the post apocalypse with abandoned shopping malls and theme parks.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I went to Mexico followed by New Orleans almost a decade ago.

Mexico was awesome while New Orleans was super disappointing. The main area of the city felt a massive tourist trap (and you don't want to walk too far from the main city) and the outskirts on the way to the Bayou looked like something out of the post apocalypse with abandoned shopping malls and theme parks.

I find almost everyone’s experience of the US is a mixed bag, some cities are great, some are experiences like you describe. Most people hate LA for example. I actually don’t mind it, but the first time I went there I definitely thought it was tacky shithole. It IS a tacky shithole, but it’s a tacky shithole you can have fun in once you work out how.