NRL races ahead in TV viewers stakes
Roy Masters
October 1, 2010
An AFL bonanza of an additional 4 million TV viewers for tomorrow's grand final replay won't eclipse the NRL's lead on cumulative audience figures, as the codes negotiate with networks for new broadcasting deals.
The NRL's total viewership to date is 120 million before Sunday's grand final, while the AFL's is 112m, despite having already played one grand final.
The release of the federal government's review of anti-siphoning laws is imminent and the AFL is confident of receiving $1 billion from its next deal starting in 2012.
Meanwhile, ARL officials are incensed by a report in a News Ltd publication suggesting the NRL can expect only $850m from its contract starting in 2013. While the AFL will have an additional game each round in 2012 when Greater Western Sydney and the Gold Coast Suns are both competing, senior ARL officials point out the AFL does not have a New Zealand team, such as the Warriors, whose TV rights add a further $12m a year to revenue.
Queensland officials argue rugby league is entitled to the same $1 billion windfall and insist no negotiations be finalised before an independent commission is formed and ratifies the contract. ''Cost per viewer hour'' - a figure that factors the revenue from TV ratings against the broadcasting rights paid - shows the NRL is significantly underpaid on its existing contract. Rugby league overtook AFL in cumulative national audiences for the first time last year, based on free-to-air and pay-TV ratings.
This year, while the introduction of digital multi-channels has reduced market share for all traditional primary stations, rugby league outperformed all other sports year-on-year across free-to-air TV.
Despite the industry-wide drop, Friday night NRL ratings for Sydney rose 5 per cent compared with last year, while overall AFL ratings fell 10 per cent.
The AFL grand final between Collingwood and St Kilda generated the biggest sports audience of the year but the post-match presentation, where viewers sought some confirmation of a replay, attracted more interest than the game itself.
The post-match audience of 4.075m bettered the average match audience of 3.54m.
Rugby league still leads all other sports in the top 20 free-to-air programs this year, with the NRL grand final yet to be played. The code registered six programs in the top 20, with the first State of Origin game bettering the Australian Open men's tennis final and the second and third Origin matches rating ahead of the women's tennis final.
The AFL's only top 20 programs, apart from the grand final, were the two-night presentation of Such Is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins.
But it was pay TV where the main difference was shown with AFL. The NRL premiership claimed 39 of the top 50 programs. The NRL had four of the top five Foxtel programs. An Eels versus Roosters Saturday match at 5.30pm set the record for the highest-rating Fox Sport game in NRL history - 360,633 viewers.
These figures, in an otherwise depressed free-to-air industry, confirms rugby league is still the game in the biggest city in Australia. It seems certain four AFL games will be removed from the anti-siphoning list, allowing pay TV to bid at the same time as free-to-air.
The additional revenue the AFL expects to earn above its present five-year, $780m deal is expected to come from Foxtel, with modest increases from existing rights holders, Seven/Ten.
Because the NRL's $500m over six years contract expires a year later and no change is expected in the existing three games free-to-air and five pay TV games split, the only consideration is the size of the fee paid.
Seven has expressed interest in State of Origin football, while Ten executives have been impressed by Sydney NRL ratings.
While Nine concedes it will have to offer considerably more to ensure it does not void its first and last rights option on the NRL contract, there is also speculation on who will bid on behalf of pay TV.
Fox Sports, half owned by News Ltd, are the rights holders, while Foxtel, a quarter owned by News, are the AFL rights holders.
News Ltd hold the management rights to both companies, although Telstra owns 50 per cent of Foxtel and nothing of Fox Sports.
When the last deals were done, the News Ltd-controlled Fox Sports underpaid for the NRL rights and makes a substantial profit, while the News Ltd-controlled Foxtel paid for the expensive AFL rights, with Telstra footing most of the bill.
