Parochialism in sport, such as cheering for your team, is acceptable and encouraged, but when the media drives the parochialism, fans from all states and all sports miss out.
Ever tried to watch Rugby League in Victoria or AFL in NSW or Qld and you soon realise that narrow-minded programmers are driving their own personal agendas.
If you wanted to watch the two new teams in the AFL in the NAB Cup you needed pay television. Surely there would have been sufficient interest in the Victoria for one of the commercial stations to show it.
ABC Radio broadcast the first Rebels rugby union game but won’t broadcast Melbourne Storm games.
AFL in Sydney and Queensland is offered after re-runs of “popular movies” that have well and truly reached their use by date.
The only Sheffield Shield cricket news you here is if your state is playing. The rest of the games don’t rate.
It is time the media made common sense decisions when it comes to programming and not treat the sporting public with disdain. It is obvious that the parochial attitude of commentators to their sport and their state is driving what we see and listen to.
Perhaps it is time the AFL and NRL stepped in and took greater control. The recent Indigenous All Stars NRL game was streamed, allowing those outside NSW and Qld the opportunity to watch it live.
Perhaps if we had more of this the radio and television stations might reconsider their childish parochialism and review their programming.
The sooner these people realise that their actions won’t stop the spread of either code, the sooner fans will be able to enjoy a wide range of sports.
MyLeftFoot
Guest
Twatter the discussion is about the value of the A-League TV rights, and which ever way you dress it up, one would have to conclude that they are not worth very much at all. The Socceroos matches, for a ten games per annum (at the most) probably carry a far higher TV value than the whole A-League, consisting of 150+ games.
Twatter
Guest
G'day. M.L.F. Impressive stats just wondering how do the socceroos rate.
BigAl
Guest
. Free sangs ! - that could be the key to A-League renaissance.
BigAl
Guest
So, re, your eartlier post - what are you complaining about ?
MyLeftFoot
Guest
this hope that someone will come along and pay "overs" for the A-League is fantasy land stuff. Here are the latest Fox sports ratings: 1 Live: AFL: NAB Cup Pool 5 Syd V Gc Fox Sports 1 238,000 2 Live: AFL: NAB Cup Pool 5 Gws V Gc Fox Sports 1 228,000 3 Live: AFL: NAB Cup Pool 5 Gws V Syd Fox Sports 1 187,000 4 Live: Rugby League: Charity Shield Fox Sports 3 175,000 5 Live: Super Rugby: Rebels V Waratahs Fox Sports 2 175,000 6 Live: AFL: NAB Cup Pool 3 Haw V Fre Fox Sports 1 162,000 7 Live: AFL: NAB Cup Pool 3 Wc V Haw Fox Sports 1 158,000 8 Live: AFL: NAB Cup Pool 3 Wc V Fre Fox Sports 1 108,000 9 Live: Super Rugby: Brumbies V Chiefs Fox Sports 2 99,000 10 Live: Rugby League: Charity Shield Pre Game Fox Sports 3 83,000 11 Live: Super Rugby: Blues V Crusaders Fox Sports 2 74,000 12 Live: Super Rugby: Hurr V Highlanders Fox Sports 2 68,000 13 Live: Cricket: World Cup Warm-Up Fox Sports 2 66,000 14 Live: Rugby League: Charity Shield Post Game Fox Sports 3 54,000 15 Live: Super Rugby: Post Game Show Fox Sports 2 53,000 16 Selling Houses Australia Extreme Lifestyle Channel 51,000 17 2011 Annual Grammy Awards Fox8 50,000 18 Tinker Bell And The Great Fairy Rescue Playhouse Disney 47,000 19 Live: 2011 Annual Grammy Awards Fox8 46,000 20 Live: Cricket: ICC World Cup: Ind V Bang Fox Sports 3 44,000 21 American Idol Fox8 43,000 22 Live: Cricket: National One Day Cup Fox Sports 1 40,000 23 Live: Football: A-League Finals Week 1 Fox Sports 1 40,000 24 New Tricks UKTV 39,000 25 Cricket: ICC Cricket Show Fox Sports 1 38,000 26 Raceday Saturday Sky Racing 38,000 27 Golf: USPGA Pebble Beach Round 3 Fox Sports 1 36,000 28 Live: Football: A-League Finals Week 1 Fox Sports 3 36,000 29 Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Disney Channel 36,000 30 Alice In Wonderland Movie One 35,000 The Suns/Swans/GWS NAB cup games were 1, 2 and 3, for what are pre-season games (half games at that), incl two teams that have never played an AFL game, one of which consisted of 17/18 year old kids. The A-League finals games - the finals no less, are at 23 and 28 with absolutely woeful ratings. When people dream up stuff about stations paying "overs' for the AFL, they truly fail to understand its reach and that the stations aren't handing out dollars for charity.
plugger
Guest
Another attack on the poor old cash-starved ABC. Melbourne Storm is owned by News Limited isn't it? Why blame free-to-air broadcasters, government or commerical? We know the real reason: the control exerted by pay TV, particularly FOX. They hold the whip hand because they have the money and influence over the codes.
Ted Skinner
Guest
Fuss If you include the Regional Audience the NRL's average audience increases by over 50%. The AFL's audience would also increase but by a much smaller percentage. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/rugby-league-claims-viewing-win-over-afl-20091220-l7gc.html The AFL & NRL games on FNF are shown in prime time in their respective stronghold states. For instance the NRL goes up against Better Homes & Gardens one of Australia's highest rating program. Often BH&G get 1 million plus viewers. If a program rated 300K or even twice that number nation-wide in that timeslot it would get slaughtered in the Ratings. This would be a financial disaster for the TV Channel & its shareholders & advertisers.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
you realise that the entire income - tv rights included of basketball and netball australia combined comes to less than 15 million a year? Buying rights for these things is chump change. Then again there was a newspaper report in sydney that said that the local NBL team was getting better crowds than the A-league teams.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
The A-league might be 6 years old, but soccer has been played here since the 1880s.
jamesb
Guest
Hey Ian, I work on the theory You pay peanuts in broadcast deals, you get peanuts in interest levels like ratings and crowds. Also to use your phrase " aspiring media tycoon", how are you going to attract decent players to the A-league on a tv deal worth $17 million a year, which includes the socceroos on pay tv. Also Ian where are you going to get the money as far as grassroots is concerned. The game of football in this country needs money, if it ever has a chance to reach its potential If 7,10 and pay tv, (with Kerry Packers forced bidding) paid "overs" for the AFLs tv deal 5 years ago, maybe its footballs turn .
Twatter
Guest
U.K. Steve. You suggest that you have lived in Australia but now don't and casualy observe, though you feel compelled to count figures and toes at an A League game in Australia but again you don't live in the country A League games aren't shown in any other country than Australia though you heavilly patrol a small sports website in Australia to degrade a sport. Have a think about what you have written and what people are reading about you're comments.
Twatter
Guest
To Banana. The article written is about shutting sport's / people out of a market and thats excactly whats happening with the Gold Coast Football club,i've been monitoring the local Gold Coast papers online and their is maybe one article about football every now and then not even major european football such as the E.P.L grace their sports section. An intersting observation when Palmer the owner opened the gates up for free it was a news worthy story subsequently 13,000 turned up on a rainy day and play was cancelled 5 minutes into the match due to the heavy rain on the surface (the ball wouldn't move) thats not a too badder crowd for an A League fixture in atrocious conditions, when it's not free and publicised they don't show up what do those people expect to go to a sporting contest for free every week who's sh###### on who there. Im under no illusion that Football is incredibly popular on the Gold Coast it isn't but there is a market there if supported and promoted properly remember apart from surflife saving their is no real other summer sports there. But their are greater vested interest's in making sure it is destroyed ( be given no oxygen) by the media who cant stand other sports really existing which is sad but thats the commercial realities of modern sport (SOME SPORTS BEING IN BED WITH THE MEDIA)is a very powerful and destroying force for others. They will be back again next season raring to go with another three thousand supporters and although geographically i don't live in the area i'll back them. In watching the game on Sunday the Gold Coast are a very tight nit group their doing it for themselves and a few thousand football fanatics it was great to see a real sports team struggle through one could say extremely trying circumstances unlike other sports that get bankrolled to the hilt by the media. By the way the team that the general sports media laugh at to bolster their own sport and confidence could just possibly go all the way and win the title. The team that nobody wants, the team the locals and media won't support could win the bloody thing a great Australian Story.
UK Steve
Guest
I've lived in Australia before so still show an interest. I feel sorry for some of you Aussies. Why are you bothering with soccer when you have other more exciting sports to follow?
Twatter
Guest
Every sport pushes their own agenda and lets face it nobody give a s### about anybody else's fact. Case in point you could have watched the indigenous all star game at a rather compliant time in Hobart and Perth at 9.30 pm where lets face it they don't play the sport there and juniors are nonexistant, though in Melbourne the game went to air at 12.15 am after when Harry met Sally, as Roy Masters likes to think it's a anti-siphoning issue its got nothing to do with anti-siphoning it's down to the station (ch9) as to what time it chooses to put it on, and its heavy political bias towards A.F.L. in Melbourne ,thats made Rugby League not gain a foothold in Melbourne despite N.E.W.S. L.T.D.s millions it's pumped into the Storm year after year. Another case in point A League Football can somebody seriously tell me there is a greater interest in showing German Football to the Australin public on One H.D than our own National Comp?. Would the A League rate better when promoted proparly by the F.F.A.and by One H.D and Ch 10 than say a non sensical Swim meet at North Sydney pool or Basketball and for that matter Netball ?. That where is the highest ORGANISED participated sport in the country Football it's shoved on Foxtel and it's staying their. Finnally do you know what makes your sport of choice so great it's because others are forced out of the market.
Harrison
Guest
UK Steve. I find it incedible strange that somebody from england would be constantly be on an Australian sports website where in which most sports on this website don't involve england.
Brendan
Guest
Is that you buzz or The Angry Housewife.
Nathan
Guest
90k? Hot damn, good job W-League! Sounds like a good start for them.
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
well there was a rumour a certain fijian got kicked out of rugby for something like this. same with a certain tiwi who was kicked out of rugby for doing coke.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
AFL TV rights: $156m per annum Average FTA TV ratings per match: 550k NRL TV rights: $100m per annum Average FTA TV ratings per match: 540k A-League TV Rights & potential FTA TV ratings??? We do have actual FTA TV ratings of 90k for the W-League, which has one match broadcast on ABCTV live on Saturday afternoons. And, we know the average crowd at W-League matches is less than 1k. We also know the average crowd at HAL matches over the past 6 seasons is 11.5k and for NRL: 16k So, it would be reasonable to assume the HAL would attract FTA TV ratings that are: a) greater than the W-League b) less than the NRL So, it would be quite reasonable to speculate that the HAL could reasonably attract ratings of 250-300k per match on FTA TV, which is 50% of the FTA TV ratings of NRL (& AFL). Additionally, the HAL tv rights will include rights to broadcast all Australian National Team matches (men, women, u17, u20) that are not on the "anti-siphon list". I'm not involved in the TV industry or the sports industry, but have done valuations in many other industries and it would appear the full football package (HAL & National Team) could provide 50%-60% of the annual viewing audience numbers compared to NRL & AFL.
Jiggles
Roar Guru
Didn’t they already try this with the Fox Footy channel on Foxtel? Turned out to be a complete failure as two of their largest three Market – Sydney & Brisbane – was not interested and hence they lost a fair bit of coin.