Today’s $1.025 billion TV rights deal is being trumpeted as great news for the code but I believe the newly formed NRL Commission has failed its fan base.
By granting the five year deal jointly to Fox Sports and Channel Nine, the Commission has blown the chance to inject a breath of fresh air into the way the game is covered around the nation.
Both networks do a ‘solid’ job with their respective footy coverage but today’s announcement means that the innovation ship has sailed, leaving Fox and Nine in a holding pattern offering an almost identical product that has left many fans either dissatisfied or angry.
At this stage, I don’t know details of the Channel Seven and Network Ten bids but you can bet a boot full of Steedens they would have offered a fresh new approach to the way league is aired around Australia and many fans would have welcomed a different batch of expert commentator.
While Nine’s camera coverage is second to none, there is a growing sense of staleness about Nine’s commentary team which has created considerable angst from viewers.
We hear that veteran caller Ray Warren is likely to retire from the box at season’s end which may (or may not) help Nine’s coverage for 2013 and beyond. Personally, I’m not a fan of Ray Hadley calling TV league – radio is his best playground – and Peter Sterling comes across better in the role of analyst than as the primary caller.
As for Phil Gould, Fatty Vautin, Freddy Fitler, Darren Lockyer and Co, well, I’m not excited at the prospect of another five seasons on the Nine network.
Will we be subject to Brisbane games every second Friday night? I hope not. Will other clubs such as Canberra and Cronulla get more free-to-air time? I fear not.
Will Channel Nine air its games in HD? I hope so. Will Nine stop the ridiculous one hour delayed telecast on Sunday afternoons? Gee I hope we get it live.
Fox Sports have breathlessly announced they will be airing live games on Sunday night and I guess that’s a plus for viewers but probably a financial downer for the clubs concerned. It’s tough asking families to turn up at the football on a Sunday night and front for work/school the following day.
Overall, I like the Fox Sports coverage of games but I believe the Commission was remiss in not insisting that the network put on a 24-hour, dedicated rugby league channel, a la AFL.
Why isn’t the Commission calling the shots, playing hard ball when they hold all of the trump cards?
No, today’s TV rights announcement wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped for the code and its growing army of followers.
Sure, there’s more money available now for RL but the AFL got considerably more in the biscuit tin for its “product” and will doubtless gloat about it at every opportunity.
I can only say good luck to Channel Nine and Fox Sports on their successful bid. Maybe there is still some loyalty left in our favourite game?
It can only be hoped that those irksome match scheduling issues be sorted out by the Nine bosses and that the guys at Fox look long and hard at providing a dedicated channel for league enthusiasts sooner rather than later.
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August 21st 2012 @ 12:46pm
Boomshanka said | August 21st 2012 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
Every Game: Live and in HD is what we expect in 2012
This deal is firmly rooted in the 80′s.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:50pm
Derv said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:50pm | Report comment
Agreed. Fair enough if not everyone can afford fox and end up watching delayed coverage on 9 (who should be showing all games live as well). But those with Fox should have the option to watch every game live and in hd. The AFL and Super Rugby do it, time for the NRL to get up to speed. I’m pretty sure even the A-League has all games live. (could be wrong, never watched an A-League game before).
The end result is that 9, Fox and the NRL don’t care about producing a product that is on par with the other major sporting codes in this country. Obviously they don’t care about being competitive. Poor form.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:03pm
Bondy. said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:03pm | Report comment
Derv .
Every A League is live thats what your ” paying ” for.
August 21st 2012 @ 12:48pm
turbodewd said | August 21st 2012 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
1. The NRL should only have signed a 3 or 4 yr deal. In light of the NBN and the way the NFL and AFL are moving (toward direct narrow cast via web) we shouldnt have locked ourselves into such a long deal.
2. Why does Channel 9 still broadcast in god-awful low def (576i ??)? We all have big TVs these days, in 2012 why are we not even 720i?
3. Channel 9 sucks!
August 21st 2012 @ 12:50pm
james said | August 21st 2012 @ 12:50pm | Report comment
love the money and some of the other aspects but the same coverage for the next 5 years?
so angry that nine still have the rights that I feel sick.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:02pm
Mark Young said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
I’m with you James, this makes me feel a little sick.
August 21st 2012 @ 12:54pm
Chris said | August 21st 2012 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
That deal is great for anyone with a TV screen the size of a laptop.
Otherwise you will just see a bunch of pixels running around.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:00pm
Bondy. said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:00pm | Report comment
Tim.
Its not realistic to watch live sports on F.T.A.s all the time thats where your billion comes from to play. Overall Rugby League supporters should be somewhat dissapointed that 9 are still involved.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:01pm
Warren said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:01pm | Report comment
So what innovations were you looking for? You seem to want this (what ever it may be) on one hand and then state that the AFL will be gloating that they got more money on the other. As a RL supporter I would expect if someone is going to pay all this money for the TV rights they have some say in the way they feel they can maximise their revenues. Dictating a position is not how business is done and for people to complain about this is simply mind boggling to say the least.
All in all a great day for our great game and lets hope the players get the money they deserve and the clubs grow and prosper because of this. It will be interesting to also know how much more money can go into the grass roots of the game and international development especially in the Pacific region. As I say a great day.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:13pm
@Mo_mackie said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
The AFL have four live games in every market across Australia. LIVE footy. Live footy on a Saturday/night and a Sunday arvo. This deal will not put rugby league in the spotlight. Out of sight out of mind is Rugby league on a Saturday.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:15pm
me, I like football said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:15pm | Report comment
Not every FTA game is live in Victoria, only about 50% of the afternoon games are but we can watch it live if you have Foxtel.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:14pm
DingoBob said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
Innovations? Um Free to air HD coverage, more live games. I think you’ve missed the point of the comments above. No one is disputing that the money isn’t going to be a good thing what almost everyone seems to agree to is that the new deal has failed to fix the issues that have frustrated consumers of the coverage for the last 5 years.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:11pm
B.A Sports said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:11pm | Report comment
Innovations: How about something simple like not promoting other codes during your game of the week like Nine did last Friday night? Fox don’t promote other codes during their League coverage (and they don’t promote AFL during their A-League coverage, etc..), why does the NRL accept this?
Sunday Night football will fail on Fox, it would have been a roaring success in Nine. The old chestnut is Nine won’t move 60 Minutes, well guess what the lead in is for 60 minutes in the USA – NFL Football!! Sunday night blockbusters! Instead Fox will be left with Titans v Canberra which will have a poor crowd and no TV viewership – hopeless.
As for the actual Nine coverage – They persist on putting names on their coverage, not orators. The only person who has kept a regular gig who isn’t an ex-player is Warren and he should have retired 5 years ago. The actual coverage has not improved and if the if the ARLC think they have achieved something that Gallop couldn’t they are kidding themselves. Sure the money is ok, but this will cost the game in other ways.
The AFL will be high fiving today.
August 21st 2012 @ 9:50pm
gawa said | August 21st 2012 @ 9:50pm | Report comment
I have seen many AFL and Union ads run during A League coverage.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:01pm
Christo the Daddyo said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:01pm | Report comment
Yet again the AFL shows up the NRL when it comes to forward thinking and innovation. I’m not passing comment on the sports themselves (they’re both great), but the AFL’s administration runs rings around the NRL.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:08pm
MAJB said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
Hi Chris, I think the AFLs publicity machine is far better than the NRLs. From what is coming out of Melbourne papers there are real question being asked about the administration. However, although the stale 9 crew are with us again, the ammount that ARL will finally realise will boost the exposure of Rugby League. I have not seen any word about broadcast right to Europe or South Africa, where there is large interest in the NRL.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:17pm
oikee said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:17pm | Report comment
Really, yet our 2 little state code got a billion plus and we still have the NZ deal and the Telstra deal to finalise.
We only paid Gallop 750 thousand, we just appointed a commish this year, we have some real breathing space for future deals.
We have expansion to annonce, we have wages to increase, juniors to get a leg up finally.
No matter what happens you still have to give FTA and Paytv a fair deal, So just having 8 or 9 games on Pay is not really growing the code, you also need to keep growing the fta veiwers, and you wont do this with saturation, it will just annoy people.
The game was under pressure to deliver a pay tv deal, well now we have the pay. It is now up to the game to grow, next deal will tell weather or not the game is incompitent.
We will not be looking over our shoulder any more, worrying about AFL, that is a huge bonus.
All this and we still are waiting for a CEO, lets hope it is the AFL guy, that will really put the AFL on red alert.
Not that we care, we just want to grow the game into the other states.
August 21st 2012 @ 7:04pm
The Link said | August 21st 2012 @ 7:04pm | Report comment
A likely $20k a year more in TV rights is not ‘running rings’ around anyone. This is a good outcome for RL.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:06pm
Neil said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:06pm | Report comment
Back to the 7.15pm kick off for the GF. Rejected overwhelmingly by the fans but Channel 9 gets their way. Guess that counts the little lids, the future supporters of the game, out of the equation. The Commission clearly has not taken the fans into account when signing this deal. No doubt Grant got rid of Gallop as he wanted to change the cosy arrangement with 9/Fox.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:08pm
AGO74 said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:08pm | Report comment
More of the same – with a few steps backward for good measure (night GF, continued disruption of middle of season due to SOO on wednesday and even more nighttime NRL in family unfriendly Thurs/Sun night timeslots).
Ho hum.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:09pm
steve b said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
Tim have to say i think the only one’s that will benefit from this deal is the NRL AND FOX channel nine ..The fans should be upset because their is bugger all for them especially if they are FTA Viewers ,Nothing for the players in the way of a break seeing that SOO is still on wed .And to be told this was a purely marketing decision because of advertising is a slap in the face for players …
August 21st 2012 @ 1:28pm
Johnno said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
stev b rugby league should not be for free you want it you gotta pay for it, that is pro sport money is no 1, a movie is not for free and neither should rugby league steve b.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:39pm
steve b said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:39pm | Report comment
Johnno i can afford PTV alot cannot what about them ,pockets !!
August 21st 2012 @ 1:42pm
Johnno said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
wel bad luck steve b to the ones who can’t. that is just how capitalism and pro sports work. sport is a business not a charity. Players have as much money to earn as much as possible and should not have a constraint on there earning capacity just coz some can’t afford the luxury of pay tv. To bad is what i say just reality sport is a business and money is no 1.
-Steve B
-Modern stadiums, high performance centres, players wages so they don’t run off to french rugby, it all costs money and players are greedy and will go to the highest bidder so we want to keep the best talant eg greg inglis or and SBW we have to pay them top dollar SBW ran off to french rugby, i want to keep players like SBW in our game he costs a lot dollar bill and if we want to keep him we gotta pay big $$$.
August 21st 2012 @ 1:53pm
steve b said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
And what about growing the game to the masses we keep hearing about, you think by making every one pay this will grow the game ,,i suggest your logic is dodjy !!
August 21st 2012 @ 2:32pm
Blaze said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:32pm | Report comment
Can’t grow the game without money Steve….. Unfortunately, johnno has a a good point… Lol sorry johnno.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:37pm
steve b said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
Blaze yes you cannot grow the game without money thats logic ,but what has changed in regard ptv NOTHING how much more are they giving grassroots …
August 21st 2012 @ 3:04pm
Blaze said | August 21st 2012 @ 3:04pm | Report comment
I’m just guessing, but isn’t the fact that they are paying more for the rights to the nrl, mean its up to the nrl to direct some of those funds through to grass roots? I mean it’s not my works problem to feed my kids… But it is my problem to use the money they pay me for my services to feed my future…
August 21st 2012 @ 4:10pm
mushi said | August 21st 2012 @ 4:10pm | Report comment
Agreed Blaze but there are trade off between money and the quality of the agreement it si why the highest bidder on a particular contract sin’t always the best.
August 21st 2012 @ 4:08pm
mushi said | August 21st 2012 @ 4:08pm | Report comment
Nice sentiment Johnno except several of the clubs are community organisations – to suggest they should be purely capitalist in approach is a fundamental misunderstanding of their role
August 21st 2012 @ 1:28pm
AGO74 said | August 21st 2012 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
SOO on Wednesday is a joke. It has to be standalone. the NRL goes into hibernation for six-seven weeks because of SOO. Play it on a standalone w/e. Clubs get byes on SOO w/e and players in SOO don’t have to back up 2,3 or 4 days later. You can’t tell me that it wouldn’t rate as well on a sunday night as a wednesday night. The players and coaches are all in support of it. Continuing on Wednesday’s defies logic.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:23pm
oikee said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:23pm | Report comment
SOO on Wednesday night is huge business for the code. If you swapped these games to a Saturday, they would go against the local code and open up a market for that code while ruggy league only has 1 game that weekend.
This would be like giving away a complete market for a weekend, no one would be this foolish.
They are getting sellout crowds and the game gets a free market day all to itself, and nothing will ever convince me to change this. you be mad. If people were not turning up, then i would consider it, but they live and breath these games, dont kill the goose.
I get annoyed now when their is only 5 games to watch over the weekend, imagine if i only had 1 game to watch.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:29pm
AGO74 said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
Sunday night oikee. not saturday night.
August 21st 2012 @ 2:33pm
AGO74 said | August 21st 2012 @ 2:33pm | Report comment
“I get annoyed now when their is only 5 games to watch over the weekend, imagine if i only had 1 game to watch.”
So you’d rather put up with 7 weeks of NRL x 4-5 sub-standard matches where players either aren’t available or ar rested because they’d be forced to play 2 or 3 days after SOO. This is opposed to only 3 weekends of SOO only (but what a game to have as a 1 and only game) and 24 rounds of x 8 matches.
Have you noticed how the NRL is generally pretty rubbish during the SOO? Most NRL fans switch off during SOO because of the unavailability of players and dysfunctional nature of the comp at that time.
August 21st 2012 @ 3:56pm
Agree said | August 21st 2012 @ 3:56pm | Report comment
I agree AGO74. STAND ALONE IS THE WAY TO GO ….
Why did NRL had to sign with NINE … WHY!!! I can not stand the commentary team …. please sack them all and bring in professional callers.
August 21st 2012 @ 4:09pm
oikee said | August 21st 2012 @ 4:09pm | Report comment
They could move the game to Monday night. No need to give other code a legup.
Plus during the week is huge business, why destroy something that took 30 odd years to build.
Look, Gallop took things nice and easy, the game did not make a billion sitting idle.
Plus he never made rash decisions, like some people would make if in charge.
I dont care if it is rubbish, it is my rubbish thank you.
If they switch off, they must be watching something, if you give them only 1 game on 3 weekends, they will watch something.
No, big no, i want my league and i dont care if they wheel them out in chairs, just get me some ruggy league to watch, dont kill your audience.