NRL increasing its TV airtime. Finally!

I am a very big supporter of NRL shows like nrl foxsports and the new "one week at a time" good one ch 10. To be short n sweet the panel on both shows talk footy, I only want to know about footy not silly sideline sketches that turn the game into a comedy hour like ch 9 and the recent matty johns show.. sorry matty as a serious comentator all good but as the funny man, nup.. But certian comentators on these shows either keep me interested or not... two ex footy players and one other who knows nothing about the intensity of the game bore me bad, they are ben ikin wizz and terry kennedy. ben ikins comments are shallow he appears to be on a hugh ego trip and will make me turn off, similar to wizz, for god sake wizz i like to listen to gordie and juniour if you would only stop and let them have their say, their opinions and thoughts are important to me. Terry well, your just boring.

Very happy about this, I think RL is going to be highly competitive in the market for TV rights next time around, and even more so after that.

Exactly, James. The AFL footy show was ambitiuos but proved that not only could you deliver such a show with no match footage, but also that the show could come to be the reference for the weekly AFL premiership, looking and sounding like the authoritative source of AFL opinion (with the mandatory Aussie stupidity thrown in for ratings). But the AFL footy show committed to the format by having an extremely solid format - a host with no opinion (Eddie), some ex-legends and a sidekick at the bar - and brought in multiple players or coaches each week to discuss the games - with some seriously good questioning from the panel. The Matty Johns show has had trouble because the side-kick is the host and, troubling for One HD, they were unable to secure the player and coach talent each week because of existing contracts to Nine (not even a personal appeal by co-host Shane Webcke could get his friend and coach Wayne Bennett to appear. It will take a big cheque book and commitment over several seasons to erode Nine's strangle-hold over player interview contracts. Whatsmore, the show's format will need to be a vast improvement of the multiple versions of adlib yobo comentary present on all the current rugby league shows. But while it will take a good production team and some commitment, it shouldn't be hard to attract a rugby league audience desperate to hear some serious rugby leaague commentary. Passionate subscribers to TheRoar, for example, are probably disappointed in the current rot being billed as rugby leage shows.

channel 9 have not performed as they should for a sport's Tv right's holder.I find ch7 in its nightly sport gives rugby league invariably some coverage,in contrast with 9 who seem to do it when it suits(ie not often in th off season). Dare I say ch10 has been a td more forthcoming with rl news.. I hope the next Tv negotiations end up with ch7 and or 10 getting the rights.10 now wtih board members J Packer and L Murdoch may repeat may, have some influence. You have a better chance of securing national coverage ATM ,than the current right's holders. Further I am hoping the new makeup of the I.C.working in tamdem with Lek (who will be doing the actual face to face negotiations ),will achieve far better results,than the disappointed ones achieved by Gallop & co ,last time. ch9 are in debt to their eyeballs,so one feels if they are going to float the business,they will need a decent sporting ratings and advertising producer(AFL/NRL),in the stable,else they will have hard time selling the float.

Bilbo We ban Channel Nine in our house because of the lack of RL coverage and their commitment to hoard the game in Melbourne. Its not hard when they fill schedules with two and half men and other US trash. Channel Nine are hoping to float the business soon and it's time they woke up to the fact they have the keys to Australia's number one sport.

Crosscoder Well said. I live just outside Melbourne and enjoyed the Matty John Show coverage during last years final series which was shown live (and therefore - topical). It was a great shame Channel Nine (Home of Hoarding) couldn't do more for the game in the so called AFL states.

Thats what the stations need to recognise - I watch nine news, as well as some other nine programs, but only because of RL. The only show that I tune in to watch and plan ahead to watch, is RL (maybe cricket). So whoever has the league, will get my the rest of my TV watching as well!

If 10 and/or 7 won the NRL rights, I'd stop watching 9 altogether. The only programme 9 has worth watching is Rugby League. Same goes for Foxtel. If they ever lost the right, you can bet there'd be a mass exodus.

2 of 6 states, but the two states that account for 53% of Australia's population.

those 2 states account for over half the population of australia. tasmania ,SA and WA combined are less than the population of NSW by quite a long way

Any idea when the new show starts and when it will be shown?

AFL footy show had no game footage for its first decade or so...and thats when it got its best ratings!

As NRL has not regularly been tested on FTA at decent hours in those states,there is no real precedent.Doesn't stop the other code in the 2 larger states,where history has shown there is not much interest there ,even after decadeds of pushing and promotion. Time will tell and trying to start a code war proves nothing.

Lack of rugby league has always been the one gap in one hd's sports coverage. Good to see they are finally making an effort, and very timely considering the upcoming broadcast negotiations. Hope the MJS returns, got better with every episode, as they tried to get a good format. Does anyone know if one hd broadcasts different programs in different states? Ie would the show be on at the same time all around aust? The nrl footy show and MJS were only on after midnight in the southern states. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.

aww dont be like that, Im South Aussie and love the Rugby League. Nice try at a code war or should I say it slower, Nice ... Try ... On ... A ... Code ... War. get it?

RL is not really followed outside of 2 of the 6 states. Not sure there will be too much interest. There should be more AFL.

you ripper ONE HD is a great sporting platform and I would love to see games on that Channel!