The subject of TV networks controlling the game is the one thing that is holding our sport back, I'm sick of hearing about how much money 9 have put in and how they have to get their money back, simply if they couldn't afford it they shouldn't have paid for it! Living in WA I get the AFL shoved down my throat, in paying attention to it though you realise how crap our TV deal is. They have 1 game on a Friday night and pad it out nicely with a quality coverage, their other weekend game coverage is on par with our SOO coverage. On Fox they have their own channel where all games are broadcast live, even if they are delayed on FTA. Fox 3 was even blocked out yesterday to show a game, with a massage on the screen saying the game cannot be shown on this channel because it was on fox footy!! This afternoon I watched the delayed Sunday coverage, as I have since the 80's!!! An absolute epic game and Jason Kings last at brookvale, and as usual the coverage finishes straight after the full time siren. The scheduling is built around TV and it is a disgrace, and if anyone doesn't think crowd numbers doesn't effect the TV audience they are kidding themselves. Most casual fans are more likely to be drawn to a game that has a great crowd with atmosphere rather than turning over to see empty stands and echoes. I don't have the answers but I do know a turd when I see one, and if the TV deal isn't focused more on scheduling etc next time rather than just money the game is in danger of disappearing up its own arse.
At least you got today's game live You need an IT degree in Sydney Buy VPN blocker Disguise your IP as in Sweden Log into international broadcaster Stream it via chrome cast Watch blocky SD coverage that freezes every 3 seconds All while paying $130 \ month to fox. Plus $8 a month for NRL app Its like bizarro world. That they make it this hard
Don't need to buy a VPN blocker nor watch a SD coverage. The NRL provides HD streams for countries that don't have a TV deal. We needed the money from this TV deal. The next one we need to take back a shit load more control.
The harsh reality is TV is paying the players a living from the game. No TV = No (Star) Players = No Game
Surely a 3.30 pm live game with a 20 min half time break that finishes at around 540 with a 20 min weekly wrap would be an OK compromise
Channel 9 is turning me off watching the game. I will watch most of the first Friday game but if it's a forgone conclusion I'll switch it off at 1/2 time and put the radio on. I don't watch the second game on Friday and if I ever see the Sunday one it's only for a few minutes at a time after I have checked out the result. I have the NRL app so I get my fix watching the Fox coverage which just shits over 9's padded out pre-game coverage and the bickering commentary team of 9. If the advertisers think people are tuning in to watch 9's entire coverage from the start to the finish including the ads then they are seriously been mislead and are not getting value for money. One thing I have really enjoyed since late last year is the return of Saturday arvo footy
FTA coverage sucks, worse thing about this TV deal is Fox didn't go for all games live like they did with AFL. I'd never watch FTA if they had done. That conversation about some players headgear today must rate as one of the shtest pieces of sports commentory ever recorded!
NRL really needs to step in to tell channel 9 to stop talking the game down throughout the broadcast. Surely this is in the broadcast deal, that while the broadcaster can air opinions they can't talk about the game in a derogatory manner, which mainly Phil Gould does pretty often He has a genius football brain. But he is to it to close to call games I haven't seen any sport in the world that does this so consistantly if ever You would never hear an american sport talk down the product during the broadcast These broadcasts go around the world with channel 9 commentary on them and are kept in a vault for replays for the next 30 odd years
They should sit them in a room and make them watch Vossy's commentory of Warriors games. Geez that guy loves RL and takes you with him.
And was slated to take over from Rab's this year if the whole ray Hadley defamation case thing hadn't come about Realistically nine needs to sign warren smith and Andrew Voss And other than sterling sack the rest of them
I wonder for the next TV deal if it would be worthwhile to produce the coverage internally (like the EPL's international feed) and then sell it to the network.
exactly we got rid of 9's first and last rights option for the next deal as well as getting rid of Fox's which they had until 2027 Fox also refused to deal with Ten in the last rights deal which would have seen more live games it ended up costing Kim Williams his job http://www.smh.com.au/business/williams-walks-the-news-plank-20130809-2rngo.html
It would be great to see some sort of opportunity cost analysis i.e. if the lesser $800m deal had been taken, would the crowds and and fan interest (due to better scheduling) have been increased in such a way that it would have covered the $300m shortfall?
SMH said it wasn't even $800 million http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...cept-shield-in-tigers-den-20120830-253cg.html
