TV viewing figures - League v Union

[G@v]

The rah rah's may be able to get bums on seats at a few internationals, but if you look at BBC TV viewing figures, they are behind League.
This season's Silk Cut Challenge Cup easily drew bigger audiences than Union's Heineken Cup on BBC's Grandstand programme.

But the highest audience figure for a televised Challenge Cupgame came at the fourth round stage, on 10 February, when an average of 3.2 million viewers, peaking at 4 million, tuned in to watch St Helens defeat Wigan at Knowsley Road.

The drawing power of the match between the two old rivals is revealed by a comparison with the figures for the CC final on April 29, which drew an average audience of 2.6 million, also peaking at 4 million.

But even that figure comfortably beat the figures for Union's Heinekien cup final, played between Leicester and Stade Francais and broadcast live from Paris, the second half of which drew only 1.4 million viewers, rising to 2.1 million in the second half.

Rugby Union viewing figures throughout the competition were mostly below 2 million.

And League easily outdrew Union on Sunday Grandstand, despite generally lower audiences on BBC2.

League generally peaked at 2 million viewers for Sunday games, whereas the game between Bath and Munster, the only Heineken Cup game featured on on Sunday Grandstand, achieved just over 1.1 million viewers.

So why, with superior viewing figures, does League continue to be viewed as the poor cousin by those in the media, especially the old boy's network that still infests the Beeb?

 

[ozbash]

if they are national figures,as opposed to regional, then league is in good condition in britain.
here we have union spending mega-bucks promoting themselves and leaving league for dead.a lot of that is leagues fault in nz,they wont push themselves.

 

[G@v]

They are national figures, Tony. To manage 2 million viewers on BBC2 is an amazing acheivement. If the Beeb weren't so full of rugger types, maybe our game would receive a fair go. It's typical bad business sense, something the BBC is famous for.

What other business would treat a signficant number of it's customers in such a poor manner. Then again, they aren't really competitive, thanks to the TV licence fee they don't need to use sound business practices.

 

[legend]

I always thought of the BBC as a stuffy insular organisation who are very old fashioned and pompous. Is that a fair assessment Gav?

 

[G@v]

2001 Silk Cut Challenge Cup
BBC Viewing figures
FOURTH ROUND AVERAGEPEAK
Sat 10 Feb St Helens v Wigan 3.2 m 4.0m
Sun11 FebLeigh v Salford 1.4 m 2.1 m
FIFTH ROUND
Sat 24 Feb Castleford v Leeds 2.0 m 2.5 m
Sun 25 Feb Halifax v Bradford 1.4 m 2.0 m
SIXTH ROUND
Sat 10 Mar Hull v Leeds 2.5 m 3.5 m
Sun 11 Mar Wakefield v Bradford 1.8 m 2.0 m
SEMI-FINALS
Sat 31 Mar St Helens v Leeds 2.5 m 2.8 m
Sun 1 Apr Bradford v Warrington 1.6 m2.0 m
FINAL
Sat 28 Apr Bradford v St Helens 2.6 m 4.0 m

DRAWS 5th round draw 3.0 m
6th round draw 2.0 m
Semi-final draw 2.2 m

 

[G@v]

That just about sums the BBC up legend! They are the British establishment. Strange, but someweirdo's view them as a bit too left wing.

The Beeb prides itself on it's impartiality, that is another myth!

 

[legend]

Impartiality, would they even know the meaning of that word? I suppose they have teletubbies and Bob the builder so they have a great target audience. I like Sky for some reason. They seem to be on the ball as far as technology goes but I don't have digital so I cant press all those buttons to get the sports update.

Still on the U.K, it seems Henry Paul is going to stay with Bradford after all. He seems to have wasted a lot of peoples time when it looks to me like he was never going to leave Bradford all along.

 

[G@v]

Sky are light years ahead of any other broadcaster in the UK and are probably up with the best in the world when it comes to technology. I'm still waiting for them to use Sky Sports extra for League, as they do with soccer, cricket and rugger. I'd love to be able to have two or three different camera angles.

Did you notice Henry Paul during the NZ national anthem? Was he disinterested or what? He looked to me like his mind was somewhere else.