The business of the NRL (how to lose a fan)
Roar Rookie By 1GameAtATime, 23 Aug 2012 1GameAtATime is a Roar Rookie
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- NRL, NRL broadcast deal, Rugby League, State Of Origin
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Tuesday 21st August 2012 will be remembered as the day that the NRL signed it’s billion dollar deal and secured the immediate future of rugby league in Australia.
It also will provide a significant financial windfall to the clubs in the competition and hopefully all tiers of the game, right through to grass roots level.
The news has been featured right through the day via social media with delight by the clubs, all extolling the virtues of this wonderful outcome and how great it is for the fans.
Well, not this fan.
Twenty-four years, I have been a loyal supporter of my team. Twenty-four years through hard seasons, good seasons and a few great seasons.
Twenty-four years of trips to the big smoke to watch them play, tickets to games and merchandise purchases…but also a twenty-four year fan who chooses not to have pay TV, just for extra rugby league privileges.
All to the point where I asked the club’s media voice, via Twitter, how the deal was ‘great’ for a regional country fan watching free-to-air TV, in that I stood only to see a handful of live games with them playing.
The three responses I received first doubted that my figures were correct. Secondly I was advised that if I had Fox Sports I would see almost all games live and finished by stating “That’s correct. But this is 2012 and pay TV is a reality no matter what you want to watch on TV”.
So finally, we get to the truth of the matter. No more window dressing or warm and fuzzy niceties…just ‘pay your money to watch your NRL team, matey’.
Cough up boys and girls, no more free lunches here. Free-to-air sport broadcasting is no longer a focus for the NRL or the clubs, only the proverbial poor second cousin.
If you want to follow the NRL, this new five-year deal sees only one live game free-to-air in regional and parts of country Queensland on a Friday night followed by another delayed game and Sundays’ delayed telecast.
Add to that finals if your team is lucky, a few rep. games, State of Origin and an odd Thursday night dabble and that’s about it for free-to-air viewers.
In Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia we will still see limited or delayed free-to-air time slots and these are all potential focus areas to increase game exposure and fan-base.
I’m sorry, but I can’t find any way to say that this is a win for fans of the game, especially when you compare it to another large football competition which offers it’s followers four live matches, broadcast in HD, free-to-air each weekend.
It just underlines the cold reality in this day and age, that support for your game or your club in the NRL will now be measured in dollar contributions.
I know I’m just one person, but I’m one person with a voice and one person who will now consider with more thought where I might spend dollars next time I seek some sporting entertainment.
As for my club, well I’m still here and loyalty dictates that there can be no ‘other’. However, a little, perhaps naive but always fiercely loyal, part of me died today. And it, unlike my club’s chances each season, can never be resurrected.
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The Crowd Says (23) | Page 1 of Comments
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- NRL, NRL broadcast deal, Rugby League, State Of Origin
August 23rd 2012 @ 4:12am
Johnno said | August 23rd 2012 @ 4:12am | Report comment
Wow to quote some of your article below
-”So finally, we get to the truth of the matter. No more window dressing or warm and fuzzy niceties…just ‘pay your money to watch your NRL team, matey’.
Cough up boys and girls, no more free lunches here. Free-to-air sport broadcasting is no longer a focus for the NRL or the clubs, only the proverbial poor second cousin”.
-This is the exact point. Love your no more free lunch word sums it up perfectly,
Pro sport is a business it is not for free. Is a movie for free no.
In Australia though we have a sense of entailment and emotion when it comes to sport unlike a movie. The culture here is that sport should be for free, and in return you will see the best athletes.
-That is so amateur in it’s attitude, i don’t know where to start. To me this deal in many ways is super league strikes back part 2, or the empire strikes back like the star wars movie. Or finally australian rugby league growing up, after resisting the 1st reveloution .
1995.
-Much like countries opening up and having more capitalism and free markets, think England and New Zealand in the 1980′s, rugby league has finally woken up truly to that pro sport is a business and not for free, like a movie is not for free.
-But in USA, and england with soccer, it has been now part of culture and way of life that to see the best in your sport you love you have to be for it and it is all good. Like resisting the GST in the 90′s in OZ, australia has tried to resist pay tv in OZ having a stranglehold over it’s core sports. and both the AFL and NRL deal represent the changing of the guard from free to air to pay tv, and for the better i think. That is why i think this deal in many ways is super league mark 2.
-And for those crying about free to air losing some power think about this people
-Does your darling channel 9 and ray warren, and fatty, and rabs, and the old arl boys like ark and George pigigns really care about you, . Ha ha you must be joking they just want a monopoly so they get the cash and laugh at how they bluff you all with statemnt’s like the peoples games, channel 9 think olympics , and think ark and george pigeons during the super league war, just treat you the oft public as suckers why they control the game. So you very naive if you think the ARL or channel 9 really cared about rugby league fans, and it really was a peoples game . they got the monopoly they wanted , so much for free trade , and free market economics.
-And think about this do you want Modern stadiums or the old redfern oval, or old belmore oval, or old lechardht oval, or old brookvale oval, or do you want modern high tech stadiums. Well if you want the modern stadiums you gotta pay big money to build themi$$$. Where are money to maintain big stadiums going to come from if only on free to air.
-And do you want players like money bill wilieams in your code , or are you happy to lose him to french rugby and Japan rugby $$$.
-Do you want to keep Greg Inglis or are you happy to lose him to french rugby or japan rugby.
-You fans who cry and beg for your darling channel 9 to show more free games and be anti pay tv, well i have news for you, don’t complain when the SBW’s, greg inglis’s, thrustons, billy slater’s of this world leave you and play french rugby or japan rugby, and rugby league in Australia represents a amateur style comp played out of tin shed like Leichardht oval, with players far less talented than dollar Bill $$$, greg inglis, and thurston.
-And there Johnno will be saying quietly with a smirk on his face I told you so. Relaity is people this is the year 2012 you can have it both ways, great athletes and for free. These star athletes are in demand and part of a global market and to keep them entertaining you , you have to pay top dollar. You think Micheal Jordan or tiger woods are for free no. Heck tiger woods for 1 of the tournaments out in OZ got paid more in appearance fees than the whole tournament prize money.
-And same with top talent rugby league player , rug league fans they are not for free, and you can call them greedy but the greg inlays of this world and billy slater’s have every right to demand big money for the time and ability to entertain. You have to pay top dollar $$$$ if you want to be entertained by them and rightly so.
-And the market works both ways the fans have the power if they are the majority. If know one is desperate enough to pay for pay tv subscriptions , then next tv deal Free to air may get more topping in other words games. So fans have the power, in englsih soccer enough fans love soccer to pay, and in NZ you gotta pay for rugby league, super rugby, and the Ab’s and enough people are desperate enough. SO you want to be entertained by the SBW’s, Greg inglis, billy slater, no more free lunches and rightly so these are entertainers hungry for big bucks and rightly so, they are not a charity service or amateurs.
-And most players like me if i was a player unlike the writer of this article it seems are only loyal to 1 word , money , jery mcgauire style show me the money. If i was a kiwi I would do a James Tamou every day of the week for the almighty dollar, same if i had the talent of SBW i would take the Japan rugby contract to . So most players are mainly loyal to money and the almighty dollar and i don’t see that as a bad thing i see it as a good thing, it shows rugby league in OZ is making progress. Rugby league has not died now that we have less steve menses and luke ricketson types 1 club men only players. Clearly not and $1 billion dollars to prove it.
August 23rd 2012 @ 8:53am
B.A Sports said | August 23rd 2012 @ 8:53am | Report comment
Johnno
Sorry – but I am so sick to death of your “Pro Sports” rants.
I am all for professionalism – 100%, but;
*What is professional about a bloke hosting a magazine show for 20 years and still can’t read a teleprompter?
*What is professional about a guy making gestures in his crotch and saying “doggies” and trotting that out as the funniest thing since a previous host dressed up as a Air host and a satire of an ex-80’s player?
* What is professional about your high profile commentator who has been in the business for over 30 years, and he does 30 minutes preparation before a game and on a weekly basis insults people of Maori decent by getting players mixed up then saying “they look the same”?
*What is professional about having a former QLD and Australian captain from the 80’s in your commentary team every single week when he is incapable of constructing a sentence?
*What is professional about showing games on delay?
If the NRL gave even the slightest care in the world about professionalism why would they re-instate Channel 9 when they are the coverage providers for 80% of the population and they offer a substandard product (which is only going to be worse now that they have spent overs and will be looking to cut costs)?
And that’s just the channel 9 coverage, don’t even start with the standard of management in the code, the lack of entertainment at match day venues, no strategic plan for growth via expansion or relocation, the general media coverage… etc…
August 23rd 2012 @ 11:06am
Australian Rules said | August 23rd 2012 @ 11:06am | Report comment
I have a sneaking suspicion Johnno is a fan of capitalism AND pro sport.
The glaring point he misses of course, is that the AFL have 4 live High Definition games on Free To Air, and (if you want to pay extra) ALL games live on Fox. And the AFL got more $.
This post is no code-jousting rubbish…but simply saying to Johnno…it is possible.
August 23rd 2012 @ 4:24pm
mushi said | August 23rd 2012 @ 4:24pm | Report comment
I actually cringe that someone might read johnnos rants and think he has a vague handle on the concepts he bandies about.
It’s like the people who believe him when he lies about his chicago bulls
August 23rd 2012 @ 5:00pm
Australian Rules said | August 23rd 2012 @ 5:00pm | Report comment
Johnno’s message is delivered in similar fashion to the guy on the milk crate who points to people with a bible and shouts that they’re going to hell.
I described Craig Foster the same way recently… maybe they could do a double act…or have one at Circular Quay and one at Darling Harbour to cover more ground.
August 23rd 2012 @ 4:35pm
Johnno said | August 23rd 2012 @ 4:35pm | Report comment
AUssy rules, B.A sports, and mushi, every the rcounty in the world expects to pay or there sport, they accept entertainment is not for free, they don’t have a nanny state , welfare state mindset or socialist attitude, what are you guys a bunch of soicliasts or just a bunch of free loaders. You want to watcha movie at a cinema you pay for it, you want to watch sport on tv you pay for it. I cant stadn the anti-siphoning laws a restraint on trade, imagine if cinemas had to give people on the 2nd movie they watch a free ticket, a constraint of trade.
August 23rd 2012 @ 8:13pm
B.A Sports said | August 23rd 2012 @ 8:13pm | Report comment
In the words of the principal Mr Olaski, from that fine piece of American cinema, Billy Madison;
…”what you’ve just said … is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”
August 23rd 2012 @ 5:08am
Morotti said | August 23rd 2012 @ 5:08am | Report comment
Another extremely negative thought about the new deal. I was surprised that there wasn’t more live games online. If you want live games then stream it online on the internet. I do and yes it’s illegal but it’s free.
There is a lot to like about the deal. It more than doubles the money they currently get for one. And the F&L rights is gone forever.
It was never going to go from mediocrity to absolutely stunning overnight. But I think they made huge strides. I woud expect that the next deal would make even more strides and I would expect surpass the AFL in terms of revenue.
August 23rd 2012 @ 9:14am
Renegade said | August 23rd 2012 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Your talking too much sense mate….
August 23rd 2012 @ 2:33pm
Blaze said | August 23rd 2012 @ 2:33pm | Report comment
Very true….. Just the other week I was unable to get to somewhere with fox to watch the tigers, and watched it live thru a pommy website. Took the mrs 5 mins to find it cause she was sick of my whining that I wasn’t at home for the game…. (sorry for your download limit in laws)…. Picture wasn’t the best but hey, I got to see the game live, and she got to her way too. If there is a will there is a way…. I guess complaining about it does make a change…. Lol
August 23rd 2012 @ 5:29am
Bob Anderson said | August 23rd 2012 @ 5:29am | Report comment
I’m in the US and completely agree with the sentiments of the writer. Its the same thing with baseball over here. The only games left on free-to-air are one national game a week, the All Star Game, and some (not all) post season games. The local team has absolutely no games on free-to-air. Combine that with their move to a new fancy pants “state of the art” stadium (and the correspondly overpriced tickets) a few years ago, and they might have moved to the moon for all I care. All over the world the average fan is getting the shaft from pro sports teams.
August 23rd 2012 @ 9:51am
B.A Sports said | August 23rd 2012 @ 9:51am | Report comment
And Bob Major League Baseball was known as America’s game. It was the most popular sport in the US by far. It is now passed by the NBA and the NFL and its probably fair to say college Football has also past it.
August 23rd 2012 @ 6:11am
Roarsome said | August 23rd 2012 @ 6:11am | Report comment
Yes, Internet streams are fantastic. I like the MLB model. I pay $100 a year for all games live, plus highlights, archives and more. The best part is i you live within 50km or so, you don’t get that game live and must wait for the replay/archive which is released immediately after the game finishes. This encouraged people living close to the game to support it at the ground. The ARL have missed the point here and The Nine Network will continue to deliver poor coverage.
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August 23rd 2012 @ 6:55am
Matt said | August 23rd 2012 @ 6:55am | Report comment
This is what no-one else could understand when I said it the other day. Other codes do it (hell, even hulu does it for $10 a month for tens of thousands of show), but somehow if I want to watch ONE product I need to pay $700 a year to foxtel, and still can only watch 5 out of 8 live?!
Hoping to god the IPTV rights are done well.
NRL already sell the live games online for $100/year, just not to Aus or NZ.
August 23rd 2012 @ 6:55am
oikee said | August 23rd 2012 @ 6:55am | Report comment
I might be wrong, they pay for tv in America, Cable, and inEngland you get charged to watch TV, pay a licience.
.
August 23rd 2012 @ 8:04am
Rob9 said | August 23rd 2012 @ 8:04am | Report comment
Cable is much cheaper in the States.
I’d like to see Foxtel offer a cheaper pure sports package. Say $30 a month for year long contract. That’s cheaper than most mobile phone plans (and most families have at least 2 of those despite not needing them 2 decades ago) and that sort of price would open up pay to many more people. Sure some might downgrade their packages to this but seeing as only one third of the population has pay, there’s a lot of room for growth in this market. Surely something like this would be a win/win for news ltd and fans alike.
August 23rd 2012 @ 11:21am
AGO74 said | August 23rd 2012 @ 11:21am | Report comment
and the reason they don’t do that is because if they did they’d shred a large portion of their revenue.
August 23rd 2012 @ 7:03am
steve b said | August 23rd 2012 @ 7:03am | Report comment
Yes i have to agree with the author i think a lot of fans thought their might be a bit more in for them other than the same old ,,,but not to be ..So old mate everyone who is not on fox will have to dig into their pocket amd get it on unless your happy with the FTA coverage..
Gyngal made it quite clear cough up or shut up , i would have loved to have seen what the other guys were offering ,, however thats a mute point for the next five years ..I noticed on the Telegraph opinion poll that it seems not to many people were happy that 9 got it again , many were hoing to see something fresh and different well thats wishful thinking now ..But thats the negative side and on the positive ihe dollars should help at the grass roots were god knows its needed the most , i just hope its divided up with plenty of thought before writng the cheque’s
August 23rd 2012 @ 10:15am
Alan Nicolea said | August 23rd 2012 @ 10:15am | Report comment
I know how you feel 1gameatatime. Personally, I would much rather have money bill Williams out of the code if they continue to ask for more pay and fail to deliver on the field as a result. Look at Jarryd Hayne. He always complains about his pay packet and he has done nothing since the second half of the 2009 season. If you want a pay rise, at least produces performances that reflect your high wages aka Slater, Cronk and Smith who really are the only three world class players that continue to produce great performances week in week out for the past six years or so.
August 23rd 2012 @ 5:41pm
Clyde said | August 23rd 2012 @ 5:41pm | Report comment
Jonathan Thurston has also been playing at an extremely high level since the mid-2000′s.
August 23rd 2012 @ 11:19am
Gareth said | August 23rd 2012 @ 11:19am | Report comment
On the flipside, it would have been nice to have the three channel 9 games simulcast on Foxtel. It wouldn’t be a problem if Channel 9 was willing to show live sport.
August 23rd 2012 @ 2:22pm
Ken said | August 23rd 2012 @ 2:22pm | Report comment
The response you got was a little less than polished ‘corporate speak’ but otherwise I’m not really sure where you’re coming from. They’re absolutely correct, it’s 2012, pay-tv is an established part of the landscape and if you want good sports content that’s what you need. I’m not sure what you do for a living but I bet you don’t give it away for free.
Yes the AFL get more live FTA games – and it would be great if the NRL had matched that – but you can’t have everything. By shedding News, the NRL made huge strides in their negotiating power but coming from their lower base and with the first and last rights still hanging over their heads it wasn’t as strong a position as the AFL. With those f &l rights gone and 5 years of good consolidation being them (hopefully) they will be in a very good spot next time the rights are up for grabs for whatever distribution model is ideal at that time.
Besides the online rights agreements haven’t been finalised yet, I wouldn’t hold my breath about major changes in that space at the moment but with the rights now fully in the ARLC’s hands they can work on these options.
August 23rd 2012 @ 2:27pm
JD said | August 23rd 2012 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
Positives
– the money received is good for the code, allows it to have money to invest in grass roots and growth of the product
Negatives
– Status quo on free TV stays the same (I know a couple extra Thursday night – big deal???)
– Pay TV coverage – little change, except losing a Saturday arvo game and gaining a Sunday evening game.
What I would of wanted
– 1 Friday night game live FTA
– Saturday arvo game, Twilight game, – live Pay
– Saturday night game live FTA
– Sunday arvo game – live FTA (Start game at 3.45 to lgive a lead in to news if needed)
– 1 Sunday early game (12pm or 1pm), 1 Sunday night game (6.30pm) Pay TV
– 1 Monday game – Pay TV
That means 4 FTA, 4 Pay TV, with the 4 FTA games simulcast on Pay TV Live.
In QLD/NSW FTA games on channel 9 main channel
IN rest of country on 9s secondary channell.
At present the deal doesnt deliver any Saturday arvo or even FTA coverage on saturday, which is a black spot for the NRL.