Hard yards needed for sports to cash in
Roar Guru By Midfielder, 1 Mar 2010 The Crowd is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- A-League, AFL, Channel Nine, football, free to air coverage, free to air tv, NRL, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Seven Network, Super Rugby
Related coverage
- Football news
- A-League news
- Rugby Union news
- Super Rugby news
- Rugby League news
- NRL news
- AFL news
- Toyota Premiership news
The Commonwealth Government returned to the free to air channels effectively $1.5 billion per year, spread across all the major networks including the country networks like WIN and Prime, by reducing their TV licence fees. The fee reduction is to help fund the extra digital stations currently being rolled out by most networks.
Leaving aside arguments about why the Commonwealth did this, it does provide the ‘free to air’ (FTA) networks with a lot of extra loot. Some say it will help the FTA’s with funding sport products. Fox executives are not amused (that is an understatement).
My understanding is the FTA stations are all in a position to pay a good price for sporting product, which was not the case twelve months ago. Maybe the reductions in fees is helping.
Into the mix come ethical considerations by the FTA stations. Say Seven buy the AFL and Nine buy the rugby league, how much of their other programming goes to cross promotional broadcasting? Do shows like Sunrise interview mainly AFL players, do Nine do the same for rugby league?
As the battle for the major codes expands how does this affect smaller players?
The major codes as I see them are AFL, cricket, rugby league, rugby union and football. Tennis will always have a market for the majors. Beyond these how where do you get promoted?
I did a little bit of analysis to determine what each code had in terms of competition. I should say now I am assuming in the future that football’s under 23 Olympic and under 20 World Cups will each develop a following far in excess than what they currently do and I assume football will be free to air as well to some extent.
My chart assumes the competitions about 7 to 9 years out from now.
|
Sport |
Domestic Competition |
Inter State Competition |
Domestic International |
International |
|
AFL |
20 Team all states. 20 rounds |
Assume Southern |
Nil |
Nil |
|
Rugby League |
18 team competition 24 rounds |
NSW V |
One game per |
Various tests, assume 5 |
|
Rugby Union |
Nil |
Nil |
Super |
School Boy Wallaby Junior Olympic 7’s Olympic 7’s |
|
Football |
14 Team A-League 8 Team B-League
Plus in Time a FA cup style competition. |
At Junior levels |
Asian Champions League Min 24 |
Socceroos Matildas U 23 Olympic
U 23 Olympic U 20 WC U 17 WC
|
|
Cricket |
Nil |
Nil really who watches shield |
20 ODM (50 |
Test 20 ODI (50 |
If you look at the sports, cricket and rugby union receive most of their funding for international matches. Football mainly from internationals but with a developing domestic competition. Rugby league for domestic, interstate and limited international, AFL for domestic and, sooner or latter, an inter-state competition.
The hard yards lie ahead for all codes to get their media deals in place.
Cricket, AFL and rugby league have traditional heartlands and large traditional viewing audiences. Rugby union less so but it does have an extra Super team and the 7’s rugby at the Olympics.
I will let other codes speak for themselves. Football is coming from a long way back in the field and in my opinion will grow in the first instance by the expansion of the international teams, being the Olympic teams and under 20 World Cup.
The A-League will continue to grow steadily but not steeply. The hard yards for football will be surviving until the next round of media deals.
But as we speak there is a lot of cash now available for sport because of the reduction in the FTA annual licences … it will be interesting to see how the various codes turn this to their advantage.
Recommend this story.
The Turkey 10
The Turkey 10 teams have now been selected, as Wild Turkey Bourbon's sport sponsorship kicks into the next exciting phase.
Choose which side you're going to support and get in the running to win $2,500!
Simply visit Wild Turkey Australia on Facebook for your chance to win.
Find out more.
- Explore:
- A-League, AFL, Channel Nine, football, free to air coverage, free to air tv, NRL, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Seven Network, Super Rugby
March 1st 2010 @ 6:30pm
Rod said | March 1st 2010 @ 6:30pm | Report comment
For you domestic international competition, you have A League and S15, yet doesn’t the NRL have the Warriors and could have a second NZ team soon enough, and also, doesn’t the NRL play against the ESL in the WCC?
The WCC has been mentioned over the last few weeks in regards to expanding it, if the top 4 from each comp was put in, we could have a Welsh, French, England, NZ and Australian teams competing straight off the bat, and that’s now, not in the future, yet underneath the teams that are playing now, we have other teams in lower divisions working their way up.
Also, why do you only have one international for RL?
We play the Kiwis every year out here, but we also host the four nations which will have NZ, ENG and PNG this year.
In two years time, it could be NZ, ENG and Samoa or Tonga or any other Pac Island team in the Four nations.
What happens if Wales and France manage to stick it to England shortly and they are the big guns for a while, it’s happened before you know.
March 1st 2010 @ 9:13pm
Midfielder said | March 1st 2010 @ 9:13pm | Report comment
Rod
Accept your point on the RL internationals … whats your guess.. 8 matches …
I also have said that the NRL will have an 18 team comp … I assume it will grow by 2 but you maybe right it may grow by more than two over the next 7 years…
March 1st 2010 @ 9:29pm
elbusto said | March 1st 2010 @ 9:29pm | Report comment
I am still coming to terms with the fact people here were referring to ‘International Rules’ and being serious. The game is a joke and at best a novelty. It only exists for about three hours every two years. Its not played anywhere by anybody at any time apart from this. Now lets get back to being serious please!
March 1st 2010 @ 10:18pm
Midfielder said | March 1st 2010 @ 10:18pm | Report comment
No being fair it is an event that is carried on national TV… it rates and it sells… table tennis or baseball would love the rating figures and the media coverage and the crowd…
An international is a stretch but it does rate draw a crowd especially in the old country … remember in the old country … when
The whole world smiles …
March 2nd 2010 @ 10:31am
Elbusto said | March 2nd 2010 @ 10:31am | Report comment
Its hardly an international game when nobody actually plays it – that is my point. Apart from two ‘Test Matches’ once every two years (a farce in my view) the game is not played anywhere by any one.
March 2nd 2010 @ 10:39am
Redb said | March 2nd 2010 @ 10:39am | Report comment
This is where your wrong:
“Curiously spent the weekend at Wilsons Prom, on the drive down noticed an International Rules match at Korumburra (deep South Gippsland – more cows than people), but there it was the footy oval transformed into a Int Rules ground for the event. Melbourne Gaelic Athletic Assoc V’s Korumburra Bena Football Club – 3 games, incl Mens Under 18, Seniors & Womens.
There are various International Rules games played here and overseas.
Regardless it is an international fixture that involves both the AFL and GAA.
Just can’t help yourself with the cheap shots eh El busto.
March 2nd 2010 @ 10:49am
Redb said | March 2nd 2010 @ 10:49am | Report comment
Apart from Australia, Ireland and the US, it is even played in France.
http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/2009031505275033
“The first ever season of International Rules games in France is over. This year has seen five IR games being played on French soil.
The main event of the past few months was the inaugural Paris International Rules Cup (PIRC), where the Paris Cockerels (Australian football) competed against the Paris Gaels (GAA). The Cockerels lost 3 of the 4 matches to the Gaels, which proved to be too strong. But each of the games saw the Aussie Rules players gaining more confidence with the round ball and putting more pressure on the Gaels. This would ultimately lead to the Cockerels’ first victory in the PIRC, beating the Gaels 6-2-12 (54) to 2-5-10 (43), under the IR scoring system of 6 points for a goal (under), 3 for an over and 1 for a behind.
But Paris is not the only place where IR is being played in France. The Bordeaux Bombers started their 2009 season with an IR game against the newly formed GAA team of Charente-Maritime. The more experienced Bombers outplayed their opponents and eventually won the game.
“
March 2nd 2010 @ 11:23am
elbusto said | March 2nd 2010 @ 11:23am | Report comment
FIVE GAMES – thank you . I rest my case. Talk about trying to make a mountain out of a molehill!!!
March 2nd 2010 @ 12:34pm
Redb said | March 2nd 2010 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
Your wrong and can’t count either.
I gave you two examples that proved you wrong: Korumburra, and French league . There are heaps of other games that also prove you wrong. Deal with it.
March 2nd 2010 @ 10:52am
Michael C said | March 2nd 2010 @ 10:52am | Report comment
however in fairness, it’s not as if there’s an IR league anywhere.
Most matches played tend to be one off events.
The rules have been pretty fluid to try to run a competitive compromise,
but, the Australian tops were great.
March 2nd 2010 @ 10:57am
Redb said | March 2nd 2010 @ 10:57am | Report comment
The comment was it’s a game played twice every 3 years or something.
it clearly is not. The French League last year had 5 games between local sides.
March 2nd 2010 @ 4:46pm
elbusto said | March 2nd 2010 @ 4:46pm | Report comment
Trying to rationalise with Redb is pointless. The poor fellow is obviously trying to prove that International Rules, the game that doesn’t really even exist, is of even minor significance.
You have to feel a bit sorry for him for hanging his hat on a game here and there but thats what he does.
I find it all rather amusing.
March 1st 2010 @ 10:15pm
Keir said | March 1st 2010 @ 10:15pm | Report comment
I’m a rugby fan but Schoolboy Junior Rugby? I really don’t think it deserves a mention. I’ve never seen it on tv.
I think you overestimate the future of soccer as well midfielder. A-League crowds per match were down this season right? And from what I understand the current socceroos squad is weaker than that of the last world cup and they aren’t expected to do so well. The Sydney public is pretty fickle when it comes to supporting teams.
March 1st 2010 @ 10:28pm
jimbo said | March 1st 2010 @ 10:28pm | Report comment
Kier,
A-League crowds may have fallen a little in the past 2 years, but the A-League games and highlights packages are shown in over 100 countries around the world.
March 1st 2010 @ 10:47pm
Midfielder said | March 1st 2010 @ 10:47pm | Report comment
Jombo
Have a look at mt post a wee bit back to Andy Roo… I have estimated the OS revenue … it comes to a tidy sum…
March 1st 2010 @ 10:23pm
Midfielder said | March 1st 2010 @ 10:23pm | Report comment
Keir
Accept your knowledge of RU … and being as fair as I can … But School Boy rugby is nothing like the U 17 and U 20 world cups.
I could go on but if you read my posts I never said the A-League was going to go gang busters … actually slow but steady growth… what I did say was the Olympic teams and the WC teams when players are coming from the A-League will rate nothing like the Socceroos but will rate…
My request was for each code to put forward their plans … I would be interested in your views on RU future income streams…
March 1st 2010 @ 10:39pm
Working Class Rugger said | March 1st 2010 @ 10:39pm | Report comment
Midfielder
I agree with Keir. Schoolboys really isn’t worth a mention. However, I would replace them with the Junior World Cup and Junior World Rugby Trophy. Both are U20 Championship held annually and both have 12 teams competing. They could provide another option for Rugby.
March 1st 2010 @ 10:48pm
Midfielder said | March 1st 2010 @ 10:48pm | Report comment
WCR
Now your talking … promoted right a rating winner for sure…if you see the chart I have included junior rugby in it…
March 1st 2010 @ 11:34pm
Working Class Rugger said | March 1st 2010 @ 11:34pm | Report comment
Midfielder
Upon looking at it again you have ‘Junior Wallabies’.