USE IT OR LOSE IT is officially dead (and other broadcast issues)

[Evenflow]

So my question is, why should News, who is at the forefront of making the only inroads into AFL territory give up it's one single commercial advantage it has in the sport?

Why are we so desperate for the game to get onto free to air. Are Channel 9 going to bankroll the Melbourne Storm?

It's not just about getting it on free to air, it's about showing it live into Victoria (or near live) by any means whether it be on 9 or on Foxtel. The reason why we're knocking Channel 9 is because they're the ones that dictate what time they show the games into Melbourne and they choose that to be the latest time possible, they're the ones who have the power to change it. The reason why we knock Gallop is because he gave them free rein to virtually do as they please.

Nobody is asking Foxtel to give up anything, i and i'm sure the majority of others would be more than happy to see the Friday/Sunday games played live on Fox if 9 choose not to show them. We aren't necessarily desperate to get it on FTA, we just want it on at a decent hour no matter who broadcasts it.

Would it be asking too much in the next tv rights to say to channel 9 if you won't show it at a decent time in the southern states then Foxtel have every right to screen it there live? At least that way the game will be exposed to a sh*tload more people and Foxtel get some return on their investment they've made in the Storm. It's a win win for all.

 

[Jason_(Is_our_King)_Smith]

from this link
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225771296814

A Nine spokesperson yesterday confirmed the Storm's late night scheduling was due to the AFL finals match between the Western Bulldogs and Brisbane Lions running from 8.30pm to midnight on Channel 7.
Saturday night's match between Gold Coast and Brisbane will also screen from midnight so as not to conflict with Collingwood versus Adelaide Crows.

Pretty much what I said elsewhere. Channel 9 does not want to put NRL up against the AFL on a rival station. Why is that? It would obviously rate better than a 1953 movie, so it must be that Ch 9 does not want to upset Ch 7, or AFL, or both.

mmm.... I wonder if the next bid for the AFL will include a joint bid from Ch 7 and Ch 9 ? Reeks of collusion & obviously a breach of contract but yet our lawyer CEO does nothing. Why?

Channel Nine doesn't explain why the rugby league is ALWAYS on in the early hours in Melbourne... they've just plucked the AFL finals coverage excuse out of the air.

Again, the real culprit here is the weakness of the NRL in signing such a contract in the first place. It illustrates the vast gulf in competence between the AFL's administration and ours.

 

[Rockin Ronny]

Again, the real culprit here is the weakness of the NRL in signing such a contract in the first place. It illustrates the vast gulf in competence between the AFL's administration and ours.

It's got nothing to do with competence.
News Limited own rugby league. They and their lackeys (Gallop) do whatever makes more money for News.
The football is on PayTV - you don't watch it there, you don't get it anywhere.

The biggest criminals are the pricks like Arko, Packer and the politicians who let News Limited get the game for nothing and still suck its blood.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Hey Ronny... how did you rate Gallop's performance at the Dally M's??

Did you think he did a good job?

 

[miguel de cervantes]

Someone needs to get onto Gould who needs to get onto Gallop about why he is at least not enforcing the before midnight clause. C9 have a right not to broadcast the game live if they don't want to - we have to face that fact even if there appears to be alternative motives behind - but they have no right to show the game after midnight and it is almost certain that Gallop is up to something if he is doing nothing to enforce this.

Someone needs to put him under the pump. I'd advocate ringing the sports shows on the radio and putting it to them to get Gallop on, they have the clout to do so.

 

[Green Machine]

Some questions for the people who are knocking Gallop and Channel 9

Why would the vast majority of people in Melbourne get behind a team?

Considering the over exposure of the Swans and pitiful ratings, the same question could be asked of people in Sydney.

Who pays for their team?

I think News Ltd spend about $7m on the shortfall and think that also includes extensive development in Victoria conducted under the ARL banner

Who benefits from Channel 9 showing games in the middle of the night?

Its obvious. Channel 9 Melbourne and their buddies, the AFL.

Currently the only reason the Melbourne Storm exist is because Foxtel (News Limited) bankroll them.

That is incorrect. Foxtel is 50% owned by Telstra, 25% by News Ltd and 25 by PBL.

They are the single biggest contributor to our game growing in Victoria. Without their support the game would lose the Storm and that would kill any chance league has of gaining a foothold long term in Victoria.

News Ltd has stated that once the Storm move into the new stadium, the shortfall would be a lot less. They may break even. The AFL has spent a bucket load of cash over the last 20 years (also with the generous help of 7, 9 and 10) to establish the Swans in Sydney. They are about to do the same for their fabricated Western Sydney Team,

Wayne Bennett spoke last week of the AFL attempting to kill the NRL by having long term objectives, a 20 year plan in place. The Melbourne Storm, which is financed by News is the only long term goal the NRL has come up with in the past decade outside of our current NSW/QLD heartlands.

The only other two realistic markets are Perth and Adelaide. Over the last 10 years, the NRL has increased its decisive advantage over the AFL in Canberra, Wollongong, Newcastle/Hunter, Gold Coast and North Queensland regions, not to mention Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. And not mentioning the future markets of the Central Coast and Sunshine Coast,

So my question is, why should News, who is at the forefront of making the only inroads into AFL territory give up it's one single commercial advantage it has in the sport?

How is News Ltd giving up a commercial advantage? News Ltd has hinted that they may sell the Storm once they move into the new stadium

Why are we so desperate for the game to get onto free to air.

Why are the rules different for us than are for the AFL? Why is alright for Swans games to be a ratings disaster on Channel 10 on a Saturday night, but its not alright for Storm matches to be shown on Channel 9 Melbourne?

Are Channel 9 going to bankroll the Melbourne Storm?

Channel 9 Melbourne couldn’t give a sh*t about Rugby League. Channel 9 Melbourne want the AFL rights back,

I'm sure Mr Gallop has been told in no uncertain terms by News to shut his mouth re Free to Air coverage in Victoria and the other non core States as there isnt sufficient public outcry to get games televised on FTA and Foxtel is wanting a return on their investment.

That is ridiculous. If Channel 9 increased the Storm exposure on FTA TV, it would encourage more people to watch Rugby League on Pay TV. Pay TV and FTA games do not compete against each other. I think it is totally hypocritical that anyone would attack David Gallop over TV exposure when John Quayle said when he was CEO that Channel 9 had purchased the rights and they were free to do what they wanted with them. Even the ARL’s Colin Love said the same thing in regards to the recent World Cup rights.

Yes it's not fair on the fans of the game in Victoria that they cant see the game for free - and I really do feel for them. But the reality is, News is paying for our game in Victoria and they arent going to threaten their income stream just to be nice.

How is News Ltd threatening their income streams? Channel 9 Melbourne threatens not only the Storm’s revenue and growth, but they also threaten the ARL investment in Victoria when they refuse to show games in low rating periods like Sunday afternoon. Channel 9 Melbourne threaten income when they cut away from State of Origin games at fulltime because feel they think they have fulfilled their part of the deal in showing certain games in Melbourne.

 

[andrew057]

Someone needs to get onto Gould who needs to get onto Gallop about why he is at least not enforcing the before midnight clause. C9 have a right not to broadcast the game live if they don't want to - we have to face that fact even if there appears to be alternative motives behind - but they have no right to show the game after midnight and it is almost certain that Gallop is up to something if he is doing nothing to enforce this.

Someone needs to put him under the pump. I'd advocate ringing the sports shows on the radio and putting it to them to get Gallop on, they have the clout to do so.

Agreed. Someone should email Gould.

 

[hutch]

Well the game is at Etihad so every Storm fan in Melbourne can all attend and get premium seating, no need for a telecast before midnight which will be perfect for them all to watch and relive the nightmare

not the point! our spineless leaders should be threatening nine, nine shouldnt be dictating terms to us! they have the top rating sport in australia because of rugby league, they are lucky to have rugby league and should be trying to spread our sport around australia. david gallop should be enforcing this. our leaders are weak!

 

[El Diablo]

Agreed. Someone should email Gould.

Gould never bags his employers

 

[pcpp]

On a brighter note Storm are on the front page of the Herald Sun according to Nine's late news... and it doesn't seem to be negative.

 

[Perth Red]

Wouldn;t be so bad if Fox actually showed the Firday Nine games at a decent times but on numerous occasions this season they have also been shifted to the early hours or not shown until Saturday morning.

If you don't understand that FTA covergae of our game into non heartlands is absolutely vital to getting new kids interested and playing, raising awareness of the code and our teams and attracting sponsosrs to these clubs then you are a spanner short of a toolbox!

 

[fourplay]

Well the game is at Etihad so every Storm fan in Melbourne can all attend and get premium seating, no need for a telecast before midnight which will be perfect for them all to watch and relive the nightmare

you forgot about something. how are melbourne meant to attract new fans to the sport?

Storm fans will attend/watch the games regardless.

but if the game is not exposed to the uninitiated then it hinders rugby leagues ability to attract new fans in Melbourne.

 

[bobmar28]

Do you know in England you can not watch any of the english premier league on free to air tv, you have to buy skysports package if you want to watch the games.

The only games aired on free to air is half the champions league games and the league and fa cup matches.

Sport is a product, unfortunately you need to pay for products these days. If the NRL was smart in negotions they'd only negotiate with foxsports, and demand twice as much as what they are getting now, foxsports would be able to pay for it because they'd get an influx in subscriptions of people wanting to watch league, players and clubs would be happy with the extra money, the only people complaining would be the fans...

I do pay, every time I buy a product that has been advertised during a game of league.

Also this issue should be resolved soon. The government are considering allowing sports on multi-channels without first showing on the main channel. League could be shown on GO! while another program is showing on ch nines main channel.

 

[Cammo]

Todd Greenberg for CEO, he knows how to promote a game

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

I do pay, every time I buy a product that has been advertised during a game of league.

Also this issue should be resolved soon. The government are considering allowing sports on multi-channels without first showing on the main channel. League could be shown on GO! while another program is showing on ch nines main channel.

Knowing Channel 8, they still wouldnt.

 

[joel caine number 1 fan]

game will be shown at 11pm

btw if anyone rings them make sure u tell them even america gets it live and its not even in the top 15 sports over there,it will shut them up and they will not knowwhat to say

 

[El Diablo]

game will be shown at 11pm

btw if anyone rings them make sure u tell them even america gets it live and its not even in the top 15 sports over there,it will shut them up and they will not knowwhat to say

also tell them if you live overseas the NRL has live streaming http://www.nrl.com/newsviews/latest...g-overseas-watch-the-finals-live/default.aspx

People from other states should ring the NRL and ask why they can't watch games live on the net like those overseas

National Rugby League Ltd
ABN 23 082 088 962
Driver Ave
Moore Park NSW 2021
Phone: (02) 9339 8500
Web Site: www.nrl.com

 

[Lambretta]

It's not just about getting it on free to air, it's about showing it live into Victoria (or near live) by any means whether it be on 9 or on Foxtel. The reason why we're knocking Channel 9 is because they're the ones that dictate what time they show the games into Melbourne and they choose that to be the latest time possible, they're the ones who have the power to change it. The reason why we knock Gallop is because he gave them free rein to virtually do as they please.

Would it be asking too much in the next tv rights to say to channel 9 if you won't show it at a decent time in the southern states then Foxtel have every right to screen it there live? At least that way the game will be exposed to a sh*tload more people and Foxtel get some return on their investment they've made in the Storm. It's a win win for all.

It does amaze me that if Channel 9 does not want to show the league, that they dont allow Foxtel to show it in Victoria. Hell, sell the rights back to Foxtel for a nominal fee if money is the only hurdle.

I agree with you 100%.

The agreement between Nine and Foxtel needs to be more flexible to allow for Foxtel to pick up broadcasting rights if Nine doesnt want to show the games.

 

[Green Machine]

There is no agreement between Channel 9 and Foxtel. Foxsports (not Foxtel) has the PayTV rights to the NRL. I have no problem with the AFL being shown at a reasonable time in NSW and QLD. I think the same should be afforded to the NRL in the Southern States. I hope the Federal Government lifts the current legislation and allow sport to be shown first on any of the multi channels.
The trouble with Rugby League is that it has too many fans and commentators who still think they are fighting the Super League War. The AFL all sing from the same hymn sheet.
I was listening to 2UE last night and Brandy read out well constructed email highlighting Channel 9 Melbourne’s lack of support of Rugby League. At the end of it John Gibbs just said that Channel 9 is justified in not showing the final series because it doesn’t rate in Melbourne. This is the same guy who loves to promote the Swans on his show. The same Swans who don’t on Sydney FTA TV.

 

[Billythekid]

I just don't understand how AFL can get their game shown at 8.30pm in Sydney and regional NSW against the NRL finals when it isn't even involving a team from NSW. It's going to get absolutely slaughtered while the NRL is on and i doubt many people will be staying up late to watch it.

Seriously the storm game would put up much better figures than this.