Nine’s NRL decision a gem in southern states
Roar Rookie By msmourad, 31 Mar 2012 msmourad is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- ARL Commission, Channel Nine, NRL, NRL television deal, Stephen Conroy
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Mercurial Billy Slater for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL (Image: AAP)
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Last December I wrote on The Roar outlining the need for action to counter to the lack of rugby league coverage in the southern states by the Nine Network.
Given the advances in capacity for broadcasting – via the internet and extra digital TV channels – it seemed incomprehensible that NRL fans should continue to be blacked out in favour of other programming.
This opinion was echoed by the thousands of perennially neglected NRL fans in the southern state,s and it was most encouraging to see the overwhelmingly positive response to the article.
I also found it amusing that a couple of league haters sprang to the defence of the Nine Network, demanding compensation for the NRL media rights holder if they were to show NRL games at decent hours.
I guess they really like quality shows like Farmer Wants a Wife and Excess Baggage.
Yesterday, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy approved the Nine Network’s request to broadcast selected rugby league games on its digital multichannel GEM.
Nine’s managing director Jeffrey Browne stated that “this is a win-win situation for all the stakeholders – the viewers in these markets, the NRL, the Federal Government and of course Nine, whose joint mission is to bring the game to as many people as possible”.
“We are particularly grateful for Minister Conroy’s positive and prompt consideration of the network’s application to make it a reality,” he added.
Ironically, anti-siphoning laws, which were meant to ensure that Australian sports fans could access their favourite game on TV, were in fact in the way of NRL being shown on TV in the southern states.
So there you have it – no mention of compensation, no mention of inferior ratings.
Indeed the ARL commission, Mr Browne and Senator Conroy should all be applauded for their common sense.
Thank you.
- Explore:
- ARL Commission, Channel Nine, NRL, NRL television deal, Stephen Conroy
March 31st 2012 @ 7:25am
Boomshanka said | March 31st 2012 @ 7:25am | Report comment
Great waking up Saturday morning and not having to have a news embargo before sitting down to waste the first few hours of the day watching sport that should have been played the night before.
Loved it last night! Was great to sit down with the kids at the end of a big week and enjoy entertaining sport.
Despite what Jeff Browne says, Nine have been dragged to this position. It makes little sense for Nine to capitulate (in the middle of a negotiation period), however their position was untenable with other media changes afoot.
Big thank to the Communications department for their effort (they’d been actively encouraging Nine to apply for over a year, before Browne finally applied, despite what Nine would have us believe).
March 31st 2012 @ 10:31am
Westie said | March 31st 2012 @ 10:31am | Report comment
This would never have occurred under a Abbott led Liberal-National government.
How many years under John Howard did the government sit on their hands in every matter regarding communications, from sport’s tv rights to the NBN?
Abbott = Luddite.
March 31st 2012 @ 10:59am
Boomshanka said | March 31st 2012 @ 10:59am | Report comment
Just to bring some balance back and not wanting to start a political code war, Labor and in particular Senator Conroy gave an understanding that he couldn’t follow through (requiring a change in legislation) and them went onto drag his feet (in getting the legislation changed).
We had 16 months of delay, 67 drafts from when changes to the anti siphoning legislation were announced (Nov 2010) to yesterday’s coverage.
Conroy had given a concession to the AFL / FOX when their media deal was sealed. He simply ran out of time and could not allow the hoarding by Nine to continue whilst blindly allowing the AFL to have sold direct to Subscription TV (which is technically illegal – as the law stands today). An injunction (challenging the legality of the AFL/FOX deal) would have been too embarrassing and politically suicidal for this government of “decisiveness & action”.
April 1st 2012 @ 12:42am
Westie said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:42am | Report comment
What I am saying and anyone who is being honest will acknowledge that the Liberal/National/Catter troika would never ever do anything that involves vision or upsetting their paymasters, the oligarchs that run the commercial media in Australia. In other words, NRL would stay where it has for 30 years and that is after midnight anywhere south of Wagga and west of Wagga.
March 31st 2012 @ 8:28am
Ian Whitchurch said | March 31st 2012 @ 8:28am | Report comment
If the Ministers response was a “positive and prompt” shepherding them through a loophole, then the problem wasnt the anti-siphoning legislation.
March 31st 2012 @ 9:20am
Boomshanka said | March 31st 2012 @ 9:20am | Report comment
The anti siphoning legislation was/is still a problem, as Nine used this to justify warehousing / hoarding of the sport for so many years.
The current interpretation of the draft legislation (which sees Fox hold listed and protected sport in violation of the law – as it stands) has seen Nines position untenable given Rugby League fans are/were disadvantaged because of the way this was handled.
Nine will tell the world it was them that “pressured” the minister into approving the exemption, the truth is extremely different.
March 31st 2012 @ 11:04am
Jeff McGinn. said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:04am | Report comment
At the end of last year Nine had to be bombarded by fans to get the finals series shown the same day that the games were played. Gem was and has been since it’s conception the obvious place to show our game. Ch9 did not want to use this option last year despite what their management are now saying.
How many Storm fans got ‘BLOCKED’ from their facebook page for continually requesting that the game be promoted (Some deserved to be blocked by their wording) but the majority were just asking the relevant question albeit repeatedly!.
Boomshanka is correct in saying that Channel Nine should not take the stance that they have gone out of their way to please us. The complete opposite is true.. But for the ‘rights’ to broadcast our game, Channel Nine would still be telling RL viewers that nobody in Victoria, Tasmania, Adelaide and Perth really want to watch the games.
And wasn’t it great to see English Super league broadcast on Eurosports (for all those lucky enough to be able to afford the exorbitant costs of Foxtel that is!..
April 1st 2012 @ 5:34pm
Boomshanka said | April 1st 2012 @ 5:34pm | Report comment
Watched Jeff Browne on Wide World of Sports earlier.
If one subscribes to the “lying if looking left” science of body language (often glancing towards the creative side of the brain instead of memory recall from the right if telling the truth), then the AFL life member / Nine Exec & Eddie McGuire’s lawyer was struggling to come across truthful and sincere.
March 31st 2012 @ 9:47am
damo said | March 31st 2012 @ 9:47am | Report comment
was fantastic last night in Adelaide i could watch two games og
f NRL and one AFL free! And collingwood and two NSW teams lost! great night
March 31st 2012 @ 1:17pm
JamesP said | March 31st 2012 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
GEM Adelaide audience for Storm game last night = 3k
April 1st 2012 @ 12:10am
JamesP said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:10am | Report comment
My mistake. Adelaide rated donuts. Not sure if it was telecast
Perth rated 3,000 – not a good look for a potential new NRL franchise…
April 1st 2012 @ 1:05am
NF said | April 1st 2012 @ 1:05am | Report comment
JamesP it’s pretty obvious you’re anti-nrl and is content on seen is suffer ain’t you death-riding league hey. Grassroots should be the main focus in Vic,WA & SA which in turn increase ratings, interest, etc.
April 1st 2012 @ 3:08pm
clipper said | April 1st 2012 @ 3:08pm | Report comment
I seem to remember a number of the league fraternity used to make fun of the Iron Chef rating higher than the Swans in Sydney. I don’t think there would be anything that would rate lower than 3,000!
April 2nd 2012 @ 2:17pm
Benny said | April 2nd 2012 @ 2:17pm | Report comment
Except that when the Swans game rated less than SBS when it was shown in Sydney it was a game involving Sydney’s AFL team. A Melbourne Storm v Newcastle Knights match, on an alternate digital channel, without promotion, in Perth would not be expected to get many viewers there. Plus it would have been on at 4.30pm in Perth.
April 2nd 2012 @ 6:02pm
Phelpsy said | April 2nd 2012 @ 6:02pm | Report comment
The wgole Iron Chef thing has grown legs – if I recall right – it out rated the AFL during the half time show – that was all???
April 3rd 2012 @ 8:01am
Benny said | April 3rd 2012 @ 8:01am | Report comment
@Phelpsy – you recall incorrectly, it already had legs. In 2010 up against Sydney v Richmond, Iron Chef averaged 112K and Swans v Tigers averaged 79K, plus got beaten by A Touch of Frost and Heartbeat.
http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/iron-chef-takes-a-slice-out-of-the-swans-again-20100415-shkr.html
April 3rd 2012 @ 12:19pm
Jaceman said | April 3rd 2012 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
Benny,
Hinds was just promoted to the Sydney chief writer at the SMH and needed to show his credentials – Fairfax were annoyed that the AFL bought time on 2SM and 2GB rather than Fairfaxes 2UE so this was their revenge. Saturday night is a poor night for Free TV hence the NRL doesnt show FTA games on that night. Even the mighty NRL dont get more than 200K to Saturday night games Australia wide on pay-TV and it is the only game on at one time. The Sydney numbers wouldnt have included the number watching the other AFL game on pay-TV but admittedly would have been small no in Sydney. This is the problem with both sides in this conversation – they are looking at one week..NRL and AFL will be on minor channels in states where they are not popular because they are niche sports but its the national reach that codes are after and at the moment the AFL is in front but the NRL is trying hard to catch up/…
April 1st 2012 @ 7:28am
Boomshanka said | April 1st 2012 @ 7:28am | Report comment
Because of the differing timezones,Adelaide rated 3k for the storm game, 5k for the broncos on Gem with a further 2k watching on Nine post midnight. Perth achieved 6k +5k for Gem and 5k (post midnight on Nine).
That makes 10k for Adelaide 16k for Perth.
With a reported 20k watching the game post midnight in Melbourne against 26k watching live in HD on Gem would suggest that many fans did not know the game was on.
Late scheduling change (two days notice from announcement to broadcast), first hit out against a big game in the first round of AFL in Melbourne. It’ll grow.
April 1st 2012 @ 9:18am
Whites said | April 1st 2012 @ 9:18am | Report comment
There are 475 panel homes in each of Perth and Adelaide. This means 1 panel represents 3000 people in Adelaide and 1 panel represents 4000 people in Perth. The statistical relevance of the ratings when they are this low is not very high.
April 1st 2012 @ 5:42pm
Westie said | April 1st 2012 @ 5:42pm | Report comment
Yeah saw that. Only 3k. Lithuanian soccer would rate higher if it was SBS. Perth is not obviously the place for NRL.
They should just worry about their heartlands. Gosford, Rockhampton, Brisbane, Toowomba and maybe, as a long shot Wellington.
April 1st 2012 @ 6:14pm
NF said | April 1st 2012 @ 6:14pm | Report comment
Well Westie you said and I quote ‘In other words, NRL would stay where it has for 30 years and that is after midnight anywhere south of Wagga and west of Wagga.’ With that in mind, and the fact RL never see the light of day in WA compare to AFL in QLD/NSW what ratings did you honestly expect. Just because it’s live doesn’t mean magically WA ratings will grow.
Perth has a place for the NRL it just time & effort something the NRL administration lacks but it’s people like yourself with your insular, backwards thinking which has set back the code 20+ years with your type of thinking. Compare to the AFL who is willing to risk it and help out there expanison sides in QLD/NSW.
Along time ago before the Lions become successful they were near death finacially and no-one gave a damn about them here til the AFL intervene and save them, now look at the benefits it brought them.
P.S: I wonder what type of ratings AFL drew before Lions/Swans entered the competion, I’m sure it be just as bad as the 3k rating in WA but once the teams come in ratings & interest drew. So connect the dots Westie and open your eyes.
April 2nd 2012 @ 7:19am
Crosscoder said | April 2nd 2012 @ 7:19am | Report comment
Judging by the consistent crowds they have been getting in Perth fror NRL games,the time zone opportunitiesadn the numbers of Easterners mvoing there Westie,it is no wonder Perth is at the top of the list when it comes to expansion.
You may not like it,but you can put your hard earned on it.
April 3rd 2012 @ 8:21am
Benny said | April 3rd 2012 @ 8:21am | Report comment
@Westie – If only the AFL thought like you for the past 30 years, then they would have died out long ago.
Perth have got crowds of over 15K to the last two NRL games played there and had 87K viewers for the 2011 NRL GF (see: http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/10/05/the-afl-and-nrl-grand-final-ratings-game/), so there is interest. A Storm v Knights game on a digital channel without promo on at 4:30pm, aint gonna get much interest in Perth. Rockhampton only got 6K to a RLWC game in 2008, and only has a total population of 80K, in fact the whole of Central Qld (incl Bundaberg, Gladstone etc) only has 190K Perth is a fast growing capital city with 1.8 million, the 4th largest city in Australia, with many ex-NSW & Qlders and ex-NZers. Perth need a team to increase their share of the metro TV audience and increase revenue.
April 4th 2012 @ 11:59am
Jaceman said | April 4th 2012 @ 11:59am | Report comment
The problem with the West as the Force have found out its a long way to travel, there are few home grown players so they will have to pay more and they dont have a compliant newspaper (Stokes daily and News Ltd Sunday paper). NRL payers would have to live in perth – I think the Force players from eastern states spend only part of the year there
March 31st 2012 @ 10:45am
Maximus said | March 31st 2012 @ 10:45am | Report comment
Nine only felt pressured by the TV rights negotiations, the fact that links are now available to allow different programs in different cities on the minor channels (they probably dragged their feet on this one), they have 3 times the capacity so they have room to show niche content. In their defence, they were not legally obliged to show it (otherwise Gallop would have had them in the courts) on their main channel (no excuse though on a Sunday afternoon when there was no local Melbourne AFL teams playing). I am sure they had a deal with Fox (common owners at the time of the TV deal) not to show it live in Melbourne because News was throwing $6m at the Storm (at least in the public view) to generate Pay-TV subscriptions. So all yuo southern league fans can stop complaining and watch the footy and be sure that all parties were at least partly to blame for the delay, Nine, Fox, NRL…BTW i dont recall people were defending the Nine network per se demanding compensation – they were pointing out that the NRL signed an agreement for extra dough (as gallop now admits) and had hoped public pressure would make Nine show it in melbourne while still ngetting the extra cash.
March 31st 2012 @ 11:06am
Bearfax said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:06am | Report comment
The predelection for Australian Rules football on TV stations both free and paid has always made me wonder if there are people of influence behind the scenes trying their best to convert us all to that game. Great game but it doesnt deserve the coverage it gets compared with Rugby League.
In Sydney we have Oz Rules played consistently on some stations, and on occasions more frequently than League. Check out the comparative coverage in Melbourne. Then look also at the newspapers.
Pay TV now has an Australian Rules exclusive station, while League has to share with Union and other sports. Fox’s FoxSports is dominated by Australian Rules in the winter months. An average coverage of news items reveals Australian Rules at times occupies up to three times more time than any other code durring the winter months…at one time the news items had almost ten minutes of Oz Rules and a total of 7-8 minutes of League, Union, Soccer, Basketball and swimming together…frequently you have to sit through deep analyses of each Oz Rules game coming up followed by a short run down of coming League and Union games.
To me its not just NINE that’s causing a problem for league supporters and its about time media organisations in general started to give League the respect it deserves. Oz Rules may be a good game and well run, but it isnt that much better than what League has to offer and the media outlets should be taken to task about it.
March 31st 2012 @ 12:05pm
The Greatest Game Of All said | March 31st 2012 @ 12:05pm | Report comment
“The predelection for Australian Rules football on TV stations both free and paid has always made me wonder if there are people of influence behind the scenes trying their best to convert us all to that game.”
Its starting to appear that way isnt it, secret handshakes and blood oaths? Nah! Thats just silly.
As Paul Kent from the Dialy Telegraph said, AFL as a sport and culture is extremely insular and arrogantly dismissive of anything un-AFL.
But Rugby League cant blame everyone else for its problems, we only have ourselves to blame for becoming a pawn for the media.
For starters, the ARL Commision need Perth and another venture,OUTSIDE of QLD and NSW, take your pick from Adelaide, NZ or even South Africa. Lets bring something more to the negotiating table, make them an offer they cant refuse.
Then, like AFL, maybe we can have our own secret boys club.
.
March 31st 2012 @ 12:12pm
JVGO said | March 31st 2012 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
The smh has obviously changed its policy away from an AFL/Union friendly one to an all out RL blitz. We have always had a subscription which I would have dumped after Magnays attacks on the Sharks in 2008 if i hadn’t been living overseas. But this means I don’t have to buy the Tele at all anymore, which I used to simply for the league. Even Richard Hinds has to write articles about RL and today there was just one article on AFL, re Ben Cousins no less. I guess they’ve recognised that consciously pissing of RL fans in Sydney is a dumb commercial move.
March 31st 2012 @ 1:38pm
clipper said | March 31st 2012 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
The SMH, like most papers are ‘dumbing down’ in order to survive in this digital age – I even saw and ad which went along the lines of ‘Afganistan, Pakistan, Khardasian”!
March 31st 2012 @ 11:28pm
Maximus said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:28pm | Report comment
JVGO
At last you have seen the light. The SMH is P$$$sed that the AFL is spending heaps of money with the teleegraph and bought radio programs on 2SM and 2GB rather than the SMH sister radio satation 2UE. The Only way they can get back is to give them negative publicity buut if you start seeing AFL ads in the SMH, the AFL coverage will improve – you get what you pay for in Sydney…
March 31st 2012 @ 4:07pm
Plotter said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:07pm | Report comment
There’s just a massive demand for Australian Rules news and opinion nationally. The rugbys and soccer have fewer people interested in them, so local media outlets are more sensible outlets for coverage of them.
And it also cuts both ways. Here in Brissy, there’s a “secret club” at the Courier-Mail that relegates Aussie Rules to low coverage. It forces me and a lot of mates to buy the Melbourne papers, or to head online for our fix. Particularly when you want coverage other than of the Lions or Suns.
March 31st 2012 @ 4:26pm
The Greatest Game Of All said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:26pm | Report comment
Boo hoo, at least AFL fans get a good share of AFL coverage in Brisbane, how much space/time do you think 5 time grand finalists the Storm get in Melbourne? Not nearly as much as they deserve, but you already knew that.
April 1st 2012 @ 6:31pm
Goannajack said | April 1st 2012 @ 6:31pm | Report comment
Blame your ex bosses for not signing a better contract…
March 31st 2012 @ 8:34pm
Queensland's Game is Rugby League said | March 31st 2012 @ 8:34pm | Report comment
Aussie rules may not be a minority sport in Brisbane, but it isn’t one of the more popular ones, either. Most of the people who play it in Queensland are southern ex-pats. Few Queenslanders bother to even keep an eye on the AFL ladder, let alone an entire match.
If I ran the Courier Mail then I wouldn’t give AFL any more space than is awarded to field hockey and basketball.
Aussie rules fans should count their lucky stars that the Courier Mail gives it so much coverage.
March 31st 2012 @ 11:30pm
Maximus said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:30pm | Report comment
Has a lot to do with the news Ltd Pay-TV deal for AFL and News slightly at odds with the NRL over a few issues…like having to subsidise the Storm in the new ALRC deal…
April 3rd 2012 @ 12:21pm
Jaceman said | April 3rd 2012 @ 12:21pm | Report comment
Media outlets play one off against the other for their own vested interest – to say they favour one over the other is ludicrous – competition between the codes means they will get advertising from both…
April 4th 2012 @ 6:21am
Boomshanka said | April 4th 2012 @ 6:21am | Report comment
Or no competition between the codes means they have a monopoly and with the target audience not split, they can maximise their revenue stream.
As you say Jaceman, its got nothing to do with favouring one sport over the other. The days of hoarding sport for this purpose are now dead.
March 31st 2012 @ 11:14am
Jeff McGinn. said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:14am | Report comment
Maximus. — There was always a clause in thelast TV agreement that Nine were to show their games i Vic etc: at a ‘reasonable timeslot!. David Gallop and his Muppets were too indifferent to ensure that this would happen.
You are correct in saying that all parties were at fault for our lack of coverage across Australia and yes we will sit back and enjoy the coverage, starting fro last night!, (the first time I have been in bed before 2am (In NRL Season) for 10 years.
March 31st 2012 @ 11:31pm
Maximus said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:31pm | Report comment
In that case Gallop should be sacked – what sort of contract is that????
March 31st 2012 @ 11:42am
oikee said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:42am | Report comment
Not much you can do about it, except put it behind you, same as Gallop running our game, all behind us now.
What we can look forward to is being able to watch the game anywhere, if you travel down South, you can see the game.
Plus from here on, hopefully with fox and Austar joining if they do, get proper tv ratings, not this 5 city garbage. And we will also look forward to for the first time, new fans from every where to the game. They only have to look at the speed of our game, last night was a great show.
If i was new to the game last night and seen these 2 games, i would be like WOW, how long has this been going on.
These are just club games, wait until we turn it up a notch or 2 with Origins and test matches, all live, all power all passion.
The new dawn has arrived, this is why nine is bending over like a stuffed pig to please.
March 31st 2012 @ 1:16pm
JamesP said | March 31st 2012 @ 1:16pm | Report comment
Melbourne TV audience on GEM last night for the Storm game: 26k
Looks like this was big mistake…everyone knew this game was going to be on FTA Articles in both Melbourne papers. Unbeaten Storm…Friday night…and 26k
Almost the same audience that watched the non Swans game in Sydney last night on 7 mate (23k)
Meanwhile 806k 5 city FTA ratings last night for Haw v Coll. Add Foxtel and FTA regionals and that will be 3 from 3 million plus tv audiences in a row for the AFL…
March 31st 2012 @ 3:08pm
NF said | March 31st 2012 @ 3:08pm | Report comment
JamesP you being pretty harsh on the Storm, you expected 50-100k but at the same time the live game wasn’t know to some who didn’t know of the live announcement, once it becomes more consistent a live audience can be build up over time. By the sounds of it JamesP you content with the Storm not having the chance to build a niche audience. Plus it was against Collingwood so of course it wasn’t going to end well, give it the entire season before you judge live coverage in Vic as a ‘mistake’. You mention james the GWS/Syd rating of 110k but considered the non-stop advertising & marketing it got in Sydney it’s pretty disappointing compare to the Storm who would be overshadowed by the AFL so it be pretty low key media down there in Vic.
March 31st 2012 @ 3:18pm
Cman said | March 31st 2012 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
AFL 40 year of FTA coverage and promotion in Sydney 23,000
NRL zero year of FTA coverage and promotion in Melbourne 26,000
March 31st 2012 @ 4:03pm
jamesb said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:03pm | Report comment
hit the nail on the head Cman
March 31st 2012 @ 11:47pm
Ian Whitchurch said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:47pm | Report comment
Camn,
Then I guess the NRL needs to pull it’s finger out of it’s bum and do a better job.
For a start, I’d suggest a TV contract that *requires* footy to be shown at a decent hour – you know, like the ones the AFL signed.
Yes, this will require accepting less money, but if you want to grow the game, then you need to cop these things.
April 1st 2012 @ 8:37am
The Greatest Game Of All said | April 1st 2012 @ 8:37am | Report comment
I dont agree with accepting less money, but maybe a performance based clause, similar to a players contract, where if the ARLC achieves a certain amount of viewers out of VIC, SA, WA in the first season, the game will recieve a bonus, and new viewer targets, for the following season.
April 1st 2012 @ 6:28pm
Goannajack said | April 1st 2012 @ 6:28pm | Report comment
What>??
April 1st 2012 @ 4:26pm
Crosscoder said | April 1st 2012 @ 4:26pm | Report comment
I affirm your comment jamesb and endorse that of Cman.
March 31st 2012 @ 4:34pm
Boomshanka said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:34pm | Report comment
Two days notice for the NRL into Melbourne.
As with last year when Nine showed live games into Melbourne on a Sunday afternoon it took time to grow the audience.
Round 6 Panthers vs Storm 37k
Round 13 Rabbitohs vs Storm 50k
Round 15 Tigers vs Storm 87k
Given time and promotion, and if people know that the games on it will grow. By the time the Storm hit the semi final they attracted an audience of 274k (which eclipsed the 263k that watched the AFL Grand final in Sydney the following week).
As Oikee mentions below, its a start – there’s no backing out now!
March 31st 2012 @ 11:34pm
Maximus said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:34pm | Report comment
Storm in NRL – no Sydney team in AFL Grand final so bad comparison but like a lot of these things you cant make conclusionsafter one week….
April 1st 2012 @ 7:48am
Boomshanka said | April 1st 2012 @ 7:48am | Report comment
OK, lets use 2011 Grand Final Figures
The parochial factor that so often clouds the debate between AFL and NRL over grand final TV ratings was well and truly missing here.
NRL: Metro 2.16m (Syd 1.08m Bri 567k Mel 363k) + Regionals 1.097m + NZ 514k (Subscription TV) + NZ FTA (177k) All in 4M across Australasia.
NRL 363k watching in Melbourne (no Melbourne club)
AFL 258k watching in Sydney (no Sydney clubs)
I suppose what I’m out to demonstrate is that rugby league promoted and played into a decent hour into Melbourne, will outrate the AFL into Sydney. This is the fear that has seen Channel Nine executives warehouse NRL outside NSW / QLD.
April 1st 2012 @ 8:06am
The Cattery said | April 1st 2012 @ 8:06am | Report comment
Channel Nine is warehousing League outside of NSW/Qld because it would be too successfull – is that what you’re saying? Doesn’t make any sense.
April 1st 2012 @ 8:13am
Boomshanka said | April 1st 2012 @ 8:13am | Report comment
TC
There are only two real motivations in life. Decisions such as these are made on either Greed or Fear.
With Mcquire and Browne calling the shots in Nine Melbourne, I’m sure you can connect the dots.
April 1st 2012 @ 6:40pm
Goannajack said | April 1st 2012 @ 6:40pm | Report comment
Twilight on a Sunday night with the Warriors playing for the Melbourne GF rating (melbourne were there the previous week) with no sport opposition up against Saturday afternoon AFL with Australia playing RWC up to first bounce in opposition. saturday arvo is so poor that the NRL doesnt play games there anymore…So you comparison is odious of course. BTW you were unaware of the NRL spine last week – heres some education
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/fullbacks-on-the-rise-in-the-modernday-pecking-order-20120331-1w544.html
March 31st 2012 @ 11:54pm
JamesP said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:54pm | Report comment
So many holes in this (and subsequent arguments). Where do I begin
1. Sydney TV audience was for a game that contained no NSW team.
2. Sydney TV audience does not include Foxtel figures.
3. Sydney TV audiences for Swans are always on a Saturday night – proven time and time again to be a poorer timeslot that weeknights, esp Friday night
4. 40 years of FTA coverage in Sydney? Really? Ten started showing games in 2002. Tv for swans games in Sydney frequently hit >100k when Swans were on top mid decade. Storm have been on top all decade and still no one cares.
Sorry to blow your bubble. 3 from 3 so far for the AFL in terms of million dollar audiences. Live Friday nights for the first time ever will continue to increase the gap with the NRL, as has improved penetration rates of Foxtel in the southern states.
April 2nd 2012 @ 11:36am
JVGO said | April 2nd 2012 @ 11:36am | Report comment
VFL has been shown on Sydney TV Ch 7 since about 1970
April 2nd 2012 @ 1:41pm
Bearfax said | April 2nd 2012 @ 1:41pm | Report comment
Point take….my memory is a little wanting lately. But doesnt change the basic argument that Oz Rules strategically left League for dead especially in the past 20 years as far as promotion of their game is concerned. Whether its a better game is conjectual but their administration makes Leagues bunch of yobboes, in particular Gallop, look like second class amateurs.
April 1st 2012 @ 12:03am
JamesP said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:03am | Report comment
EDIT – in terms of million+ audiences
March 31st 2012 @ 3:47pm
jamesb said | March 31st 2012 @ 3:47pm | Report comment
JamesP
you can rattle off ratings of FTA in southern states all you like, whether its 3k or 26 k.
The point is, now it allows the sport of Rugby League consistency on a week to week, and year to year basis in the southern states. Also we now have digital channels in place. The time for hoarding is over.
As time goes by, eventually those ratings will build.
Lets see how those ratings in the southern states go in 10 years time with promoting and advertising to go with it.
March 31st 2012 @ 4:33pm
Meesta Cool said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:33pm | Report comment
Let’s not lose track of the fact that last nights Storm game, Clashed with probably the BIGGEST Aussie Rules game possible for a eason opener = Collingwood v Hawthorn.. that must have drawn 2/3rd of Melbourne viewers. and the promotion for this game was outstanding. One thing the AFL do so well. Sometimes I think it’s a pity I don’t like watching it…….
Had I not followed NRL web articles so closely, I wouldn’t even have known that Gem were televising the two games on Friday night!
I am proud to say that I was 1 of 26.000 that thoroughly enjoyed the long awaited experience of ‘LIVE’ NRL on a Friday night! without having to sit through huge ad breaks featuring call girls and the ilk.
March 31st 2012 @ 5:17pm
Whites said | March 31st 2012 @ 5:17pm | Report comment
It also would have been difficult retaining the channel flickers to the NRL game. The lead must have changed a dozen times in the first half of the AFL while the Storm blew the Knights away in the first half.
April 1st 2012 @ 4:30pm
Crosscoder said | April 1st 2012 @ 4:30pm | Report comment
That happens in both codes Whites,forgetting of course the knights comeback in the second half.
April 1st 2012 @ 6:42pm
Goannajack said | April 1st 2012 @ 6:42pm | Report comment
Quite right – till then enjoy the footy and just be pleased you have freedom of choice.
April 2nd 2012 @ 7:16am
Crosscoder said | April 2nd 2012 @ 7:16am | Report comment
That we can now do Goannajack,as rl fans in other states now get the opportunity to see their code in brilliant HD,provided there is publicity it is in fact on.The other code has been able to enjoy nationwide FTA for mnay years .
March 31st 2012 @ 5:10pm
Whites said | March 31st 2012 @ 5:10pm | Report comment
Excluding last Saturday night(Swans vs Giants) both the NRL and the AFL started their respective seasons with a Thursday night game. One of these games was broadcast nationwide on either free to air or Fox Footy, in SD or HD, add-free or with adds. The other was not.
Newcastle Knights vs St George Illawarra Dragons.(Consolidated Ratings)
Sydney and Brisbane-729,000
NorthernNSW-211,000
SouthernNSW-153,000
Regional Queensland-187,000
Regional Victoria(delayed)-9,000
TOTAL= 1,289,000
Richmond vs Carlton(Preliminary Ratings)
Fox Footy(5metro+4regional)-245,000
Melbourne-444,000
Adelaide-117,000
Perth-104,000
Sydney-40,000
Brisbane-51,000
TOTAL= 1,001,000
March 31st 2012 @ 5:44pm
oikee said | March 31st 2012 @ 5:44pm | Report comment
Good rugby league won again. No more hiding figures, good thank you.
March 31st 2012 @ 11:52pm
Ian Whitchurch said | March 31st 2012 @ 11:52pm | Report comment
This will clearly prevent the AFL from getting a decent TV contract. Oh. Wait.
Richmond/Carlton’s 78 000 crowd probably netted the AFL sides involved about $1m net cash from the gate. The crowd at Newcastle vs St George was 23 184, and so probably netted about $320k.
The AFL’s salary cap is covered by seven such crowds. You need about 18 to cover a NRL clubs cap.
April 1st 2012 @ 8:57am
Emric said | April 1st 2012 @ 8:57am | Report comment
wasn’t the Newcastle V St George game more like 29,189
NZ TV ratings for this game = 54,270
April 1st 2012 @ 9:04am
Boomshanka said | April 1st 2012 @ 9:04am | Report comment
But then Kiwis can watch the rugby league live & uninterrupted.
People who have the misfortune to live in Melbourne, even those with Foxtel, still had to endure a delay for the first match.
April 1st 2012 @ 9:14am
Emric said | April 1st 2012 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Ian
Lets put this back into perspective because the AFL loves to play the numbers game.
the NRL pays a lot less for hiring hunter stadium which has a max attendance of 33,000
The AFL play at the MCG which has a max attendance of 100,018
Which do you think pays more for hiring of the facility?
78,000/100,018 * 100 = 77.98% Full
29,189/33,000 * 100 = 88.45% Full
Its hard to know how much each side will truly make without knowing the figures for ticket pricing (I understand the NRL tickets are expensive) and how much the cost of the facility to hire is worth.
April 2nd 2012 @ 4:56pm
Ian Whitchurch said | April 2nd 2012 @ 4:56pm | Report comment
Emric,
Actually, Im wrong.
Check page 7
http://mm.afl.com.au/portals/0/2011/finals/club_funding_presentation_260911.pdf
The 78k crowd should have netted $650k to the clubs.
April 1st 2012 @ 12:09am
JamesP said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:09am | Report comment
So where are the Consolidated AFL figures? – They are missing the regional FTA figures….
Andrew Demetriou was on radio this morning and mentioned a 1.4m tv audience last night for haw v Coll.
April 1st 2012 @ 12:09am
The Cattery said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:09am | Report comment
Oh, oh – it’s those dodgy regional numbers again. How is it that you could find 9k in regional Victoria watching League but you couldn’t find a soul in regional Victoria watching AFL ?
April 1st 2012 @ 9:34am
Whites said | April 1st 2012 @ 9:34am | Report comment
Maybe it was because the NRL started over 4 weeks ago and consolidated ratings are released over 7 days after the end of the ratings week. TC, you normally seem to make more intelligent comments then this.
http://www.regionaltam.com.au/?page_id=19
http://www.thinktv.com.au/SiteMedia/w3svc371/Uploads/Documents/Weekly%20Ratings%20Report%20-%20Week%209%20&%2010%202012.pdf
April 1st 2012 @ 11:13pm
JamesP said | April 1st 2012 @ 11:13pm | Report comment
So why would you compare consolidated figures on a game played weeks ago, to preliminary figures of a game played a couple of days ago?
April 2nd 2012 @ 11:24am
Whites said | April 2nd 2012 @ 11:24am | Report comment
Can you read?
“Excluding last Saturday night(Swans vs Giants) both the NRL and the AFL started their respective seasons with a Thursday night game.”
They were both basically standalone season starting games on a Thursday night.
April 2nd 2012 @ 1:24pm
Jamesp said | April 2nd 2012 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
Totally missed my point
I am saying why don’t you wait until the consolidated figures (those that include regional FTA audiences) become available for the Car v Rich game, before you do a like for like comparison?
April 2nd 2012 @ 2:29pm
Whites said | April 2nd 2012 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
There’s not much difference with live sport anyway. Preliminary numbers for Knights-Dragons were 1,278,000.
April 2nd 2012 @ 2:44pm
Jamesp said | April 2nd 2012 @ 2:44pm | Report comment
Did you even read my post? I said wait for the Regional FTA figures. This is what you provided. No regional FTA here:
Richmond vs Carlton(Preliminary Ratings)
Fox Footy(5metro+4regional)-245,000
Melbourne-444,000
Adelaide-117,000
Perth-104,000
Sydney-40,000
Brisbane-51,000
TOTAL= 1,001,000
April 2nd 2012 @ 5:18pm
Whites said | April 2nd 2012 @ 5:18pm | Report comment
The Friday night game had 204,000 for the regionals(probably only regional Victoria as it was on 7mate elsewhere) and rated higher in the metro markets then the Thursday game. We’ll probably never know the actual figure but can assume it would have been about 180,000. Add another 150-200,000 for 7mate in NSW/QLD plus the numbers for Tasmania/regionalWA and in all the ratings areas with people meters there would have been a measured audience of about 1.4million.
I chose these two games because it’s rare to have an almost direct comparison as the codes have different broadcast structures. In this case it was 2 NSW teams in the NRL, 2 Victorian teams in the AFL, both games on a Thursday night at roughly the same time and no other competition from another sport. The big difference was that anyone could watch the AFL whereas the NRL was restricted to the northern states. The main point is that given all that the ratings were very similar.
Now you can than go into debates about the length of each game, the opportunity for adds, spurious arguments about the validity of regional ratings etc etc. The end result is that roughly the same number of people watched both games.
April 2nd 2012 @ 4:36pm
The Cattery said | April 2nd 2012 @ 4:36pm | Report comment
Whites
this will be my last post on this thread because at the end of the day, I actually agree that GEM should be showing NRL games into the Southern states.
But as for your comparison, well, it deserved to be critiqued because you are comparing numbers that have clear gaps on one side, and then you are presenting those numbers as if the reader should be drawing a conclusion from the totals presented.
You either have to chase down regionals for both sides of the equation, or you leave them out entirely.
Personally, I would leave them out, because they have been discredited many times over and at the end of the day, they hold little sway for the people that pay the bills.
That’s not to have a go at the game of League or League fans, it’s my honest opinion about how the ratings work.
April 3rd 2012 @ 8:21am
Crosscoder said | April 3rd 2012 @ 8:21am | Report comment
They have been discredited Cattery by those who don’t like the results.Shoot the messenger is one of the worlds fastest growing sports.I can therefore understand why ,you would personally leave them out.It accentuates the positive for rl perhaps?
Regional areas in this coountry in the states of Qld and NSW have very large populations .They tend to be rl viewers.That provides some impetus and basis for the survey results.
April 1st 2012 @ 3:58pm
jamesb said | April 1st 2012 @ 3:58pm | Report comment
Dissapointed by some of your comments on this thread Cat
April 2nd 2012 @ 2:35pm
me, I like football said | April 2nd 2012 @ 2:35pm | Report comment
nice spin. where’s the regional ratings for the AFL
April 2nd 2012 @ 3:48pm
Jamesp said | April 2nd 2012 @ 3:48pm | Report comment
Thank god its not just me! Whites must be on something…lol
April 6th 2012 @ 2:04pm
Andrea said | April 6th 2012 @ 2:04pm | Report comment
Did not know it was on but chanced on it when flicking through the channels to find something decent on. It was fantastic to see it live. Love NRL and have done for many years. It’s great to be able to finally watch it at a decent time, (awesome when you have to get up early to look after the kids) It definitely didn’t get enough advertising that it was going to be on.
March 31st 2012 @ 1:42pm
clipper said | March 31st 2012 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
Last nights viewing numbers taken from TV tonight:.
AFL: 7mate 62,000
NRL: Gem 29,000
Both in 2 cities.
March 31st 2012 @ 4:29pm
Whites said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:29pm | Report comment
In Sydney and Brisbane the AFL had a possible audience of 7.75million people. There would also have been people watching add-free on Fox Footy.
In Melbourne and Adelaide the NRL had a possible audience of 6.0million people.
March 31st 2012 @ 8:09pm
oikee said | March 31st 2012 @ 8:09pm | Report comment
7.7, come-on, it is more like 13 million, Letas face facts, rugby league is coming to get ya.
March 31st 2012 @ 2:49pm
Ned said | March 31st 2012 @ 2:49pm | Report comment
Wouldn’t get too excited by the initial number of viewers as I know at least 5 league fans who didn’t know it was being shown on Gem on friday night (me included), had only heard the initial whispers of it being possible. Even the tv guide in todays local paper for sunday says Gem is showing movie from 3.30 so how are league fans and anyone else who loves their sport supposed to know. Typical Nine to do things by half measures.
I tend to agree with those that think that perhaps the staff who run Nine in melbourne have their own agenda going which is very pro-AFL and anti-NRL given their tendancy not to promote it in the media or even on channel Nine either in the news or in their own ads promoting the screenings.
March 31st 2012 @ 3:33pm
Australian Rules said | March 31st 2012 @ 3:33pm | Report comment
Ned
Ch.9 have the NRL rights. Do you really think that after paying millions of dollars for them, they then set out to minimise their viewing audience because they (apparently) prefer AFL? I mean, I enjoy conspiracy theories too, but…really?
For the record, the Storm game rated 26k in Melbourne. Only 3k in Perth but I guess it’s a start.
April 1st 2012 @ 12:50pm
Ned said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:50pm | Report comment
Well the evidence is there from their past lack of promotion of NRL in victoria, have you watched nine in NSW or Qld there are actually ads promoting the games, seems to me you want to argue it both ways but have dug yourself into a catch 22. The “they” that paid the millions are not the same “they” that control the victorian programming.
As further evidence can you remember the number of times Nine choose to show “willy wonkers chocolate factory” in victoria instead of the State of Orgin live, or the time it choose to show a whole lot of AFL oldiies in some charity match than show the State of Origin live in victoria even though “they” had paid millions for the rights. Nine has done nothing for the NRL in victoria.
March 31st 2012 @ 4:18pm
The Cattery said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:18pm | Report comment
Five people? Stop the press!!
March 31st 2012 @ 4:36pm
Meesta Cool said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:36pm | Report comment
weak reply Cattery, If EVERYONE knew 5 people it amounts to a lot of people.
April 1st 2012 @ 12:00am
The Cattery said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:00am | Report comment
Meesta Cool
It’s a reminder to us all that our first hand knowledge is no match for properly collated statistics taken from a broader population.
April 1st 2012 @ 12:53pm
Ned said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:53pm | Report comment
But is seems you do not know anyone who follows the NRL so your comment is puffery at the best.
March 31st 2012 @ 4:39pm
oikee said | March 31st 2012 @ 4:39pm | Report comment
I can now walk into a hotel in Melbourne and ask them if they are showing the National rugby league live. If they tell me no, i can then with indulgence tell them i will watch it live in my room.
Stop the press on that Cattery. My posts are being deleted, well i tell the roar, and i tell you, soon to be no more. You have held our game back long enough.
April 1st 2012 @ 12:52pm
Ned said | April 1st 2012 @ 12:52pm | Report comment
Pull your head in Cattery.