The inaugural chairman of rugby league’s independent commission claims November 1 shapes as the logical date for the game’s new regime to take control.
While NRL chief executive David Gallop labelled the date as a goal rather than a deadline, commission chairman John Grant said work was well under way to ensure the timetable was met.
“We had a very significant and important meeting yesterday with all of the stakeholders … and the agreement was we need to be targeting the first of November,” Grant said.
“It’s a logical handover date. Everything is now focused on doing that.”
November 1 represents the turnover of the rugby league calendar, with playing contracts expiring each year on October 31.
Grant joined six of the other eight commissioners in a briefing at NRL headquarters in Sydney on Tuesday, when they were given a rundown of the day-to-day operations.
The new commission will be charged with tackling some of the biggest issues facing the game – with the first cab off the rank likely to be the negotiating of a possible $1 billion broadcasting rights deal.
Grant insisted the commissioners – who were all present on Tuesday bar Leighton Holdings chief financial officer Peter Gregg – would approach the task with the game’s best interests at heart.
“Speaking to the other commissioners, they are of the same frame of mind, that it is a very exciting time for rugby league … we’ve got a great game, we’re very lucky to be in this position,” Grant said.
Gallop said he expected the commission’s impact to be virtually instant and was confident they would inherit a healthy product.
“We’re going to collapse three boards that are currently in place and replace them with one. That’s a big step and you’ll see an impact from that almost immediately,” Gallop said on Tuesday.
“… It’s a unique and exciting change for the game. It’s been in the pipeline for a long time.
“The good news is that the game is in a position of strength to make that change.
“The key strategies the game has employed over the past decade are producing results but we need to set an overall strategical direction for the game.”
Gallop said there were still “about 20 issues” to resolve before the commission could officially take control.
The commission also includes Chris Sarra, a director with the Queensland Government’s Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership, former Qantas and Billabong chairman Gary Pemberton, former Australian Test forward Wayne Pearce, Harris Farm markets founder Catherine Harris, advertising executive Ian Elliott and CSR director Jeremy Sutcliffe.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
And GOGWS we are still trying to figure out your points,and the basis for their formulation.Because nothing has been substantiated to date,only agenda driven assumptions,only darts being aimed at people involved at the coal face,who apparently haven't a clue.Pretty shaky ground on which to work.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
I've touched many a heart?...shucks...
GoGWS
Roar Guru
yes you have missed the point...totally...again
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Jaceman." "Keep on saying ".I am quoting what was stated.Why should I change course.Nothing has changed. I can only go on the comments by ch7 (leckie)ch 9 Gyngell and ch10 spokesman(who stated at the right price.>According to my calculations there are 3 commercial Tv stations operating in the country.I just named them oops!.Ask yourself which code sells on FTA in the east coast nthn markets where 55% of the pop resides. Yes that is correct as Gallop has stated( and if this sinks in to the head of another AFler I will be very much surprised)that if necessary to achieve maximum value the offering will be split.He warned 9 that could be the case.Just as he warned foxtel not to take rl for granted ,and would be prepared to look elsewhere if need be. In fact the i.C not the NRL BTW,may not break up the offering.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
We won't say no to the bevy of marching girls.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
GOGWS LOL of course its beside the point,when you stuff up,it's called change course. For crying out loud man,get some glassesThe figure is around $1bn.Do you need a brass band ,a bevy of marching girls to get the message across. You say you don't care ,then proceed to waffle on post after post.For someone who doesn't care ,I give you the Marcel Marceau award for miming,for someone who does. . Why don't you admit it,you do care.The very thought of rl achieving a big increase ,seems to make you uncomfortable.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
And GOGWS we will await your applause,with great anticipation.Your deep concern for what the NRL may or may not get in the next round of Tv negotiations,has touched many a heart of a rl fan.Your reams of assumptions would do Big Footy proud. Will you be applauding should the code achieve $1bn,or will you disappear back to AFL threadland ,awaiting another opportune time,to push your agendas. You can call me whatever you wish GoGWS,And you my friend have been brainwashed by the hype that your code inflicts us with in the northern states,and base your assumptions,your calculations on your anti rl obsession. Look into that shiny object called a mirror,and admit you have as much idea to what the code will do as to the structure,expansion,allocation of Tv stations,as someone stuck in Tripoli. You are the same gent who accuses someone of falling for media hype,yet quite regularly and proudly,and have no qualms in quoting the very same media sources you bag in supporting your views.The hypocrisy is astounding,from someone who has the lack of intestinal fortitude to admit he incorrectly quoted me.Your credentials are shattered. I repeat I place more reliabilty in the people at the coal face,than some AFL keyboard jockey,who is as close to the action as I am to Liz Hurley.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
jaceman Well unfortunately quotes have also come from non NRL writers.The same adviser that secured the last AFL deal.I mean what would he know.The guy is obviously clueess based on your analogy.Chessell is not a NRL writer.Neither is Neil Shoebridge. You have cautioned me,gee that will set me straight.If you bothered to spend a little time in checking smiths comments ,he stated no actual figure,just the parameters. Ironic the flag wavers from the deep south,come on board with their spread sheet like calculations,with absolutely no inside knowledge as to expansion or split up,or addtional ad space. You guys have also been warned about making assumptions ,without knowing what the I.C will do,but continue to ramble on without a care. There is also a school of thought,that talking up something can bring you down like a stack of cards,and I am sure the lek consultant would be fully aware of that situation. If you haven't heard the don't make promises you can't keep notion,then you haven't lived in the real world.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
mate it was so unimportant when you first brought this up i didn't even bother checking whether or not I actually made any claims about $1.4bn...it's important and totally beside the point which I said at the time but which you seem incapable of comprehending,..... 1.4bn, $1.2bn or 1bn...who cares?!...I don't... what matters are reasons you think you'll get such a massive increase...and those reasons just don't stack up...that's the point...
Nathan of Perth
Guest
My guesstimate would be that $1b would definitely be the starting point of the range of final values. Unless Ten/OneHD is planning to either forgo sport altogether or just be the home of bargain sports leagues (ABL/NBL/AHL/AIHL/ANZC/etc) they *have* to make a run at NRL (Well, actually, they might be saving for the A-League rights in the next year or so?) With Nine and Ten in the mix, there should be a sizeable bump, OR Live FTA coverage required. If signs are good from Telstra's $100m deal witht he AFL then they might be willing to offer a more lucrative deal to the NRL for those rights, $150/200m maybe. $1b-$1.3b dependant on economic factors, state of the league, expansion team announcements, Ten/OneHD, etc. Would be a very good result. If they get the guaranteed Live FTA all capitals without Ten/OneHD bidding than that might knock it below $1b but the payoff would be worth it. I'd still be expecting any deal to start with a "$1," though.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
there'll be no blame just applause.....I'll applaud anything north of $750m/5yrs.....Gallop has essentially brought nothing extra to the table as I have been saying all along, and as the Foxtel representative pointed out the other day..... I'm going to start calling you Cross - 'double for nothing' - coder....mate you seem to swallow the RL media hype whole....you were sucked in by RL media sources rubbishing the value of the AFL deal and now you're being seduced by more garbage about the NRL deal.....doubling the value of the NRL deal with what it bring to the table just isn't going to happen.... you've bought into the fairytale that RL was robbed last time..it wasn't...
Jaceman
Guest
CC You keep on saying there will be 3 FTA bidders - you dont know that and whether they will be serious bidders is another qn..It depends on how the NRL breaks up the asset...
Jaceman
Guest
CC NRL writer quoting an adviser to the NRL - what else are they going to say. We have cautioned you before about quoting in-house consultants who make a living talking up the value to their clients...
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
The fact is the Tv stations work on the basis of ratings,reach,popularity,growthThe figure whatever is the result of negotiations and it is the result of those negoitiations that determine the worth of a player.. All this caclculating into what each player is worth is superfluous.as evidenced by the last round of negotiations,which bore no such resemblance to the reality. The most watched sport on Fox is fact not problematic,at least that what Fox states.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Jaceman. The head honcho of 9 not Gyngell on media week,has stated the Newcastle market is extremely important to his network. Again it does not have to be ch9 nor WIN.It could well be a network like 10,with representation in all cap cities,thereby sidestepping the affiliates issue..
Jaceman
Guest
CC WIN pays affiliation fees to Nine which are renegotiated every X years. I assume there is a deescalator clause if certain ratings arent achieved or the programming changes significantly and there may be a non-NRL content fee clause but I doubt it...
Jaceman
Guest
CC Seven paid $475m despite according to you there were no other bidders. The other two FTAs pulled out when it got too hot...
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Ian Wait till the I.C is in place and the deal is done,and you can fire your darts every which way,if the deal does not meet your expectations. News as part of the NRL is out of the negotiating equation,not working both sides of the table..They(news) also own the Storm.No one suggested News were not players in the next deals,but neither the broncos nor Storm will be fronting the negotiating table,News will have to face an i.C(with no News ties) .Their position is nowhere near as strong as the last occasion.Plus the NRL has TV ratings figures to bolster their argument.and there are 3 FTA stations bidding this time. Gallop will not be employed by a 50% newspaper owner,and he is finally acting like a leader with balls. IMO News will not have it all their own way,and the CEO delany has stated he was keen to ensure the Pay tv NRL offering kept pace with the new AFL deal'so long as it makes sense". My view i don't care if they secure the game til 2027 as long as they pay the right price. As far asd the D.T is concerned, Ii haveseen enough damaging crap emanating from that source to fill a library.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Yes, I will be blaming the SL clubs is the great game of rugby league gets another below-market TV deal - and that includes *anything* with a first-and-last bidder clause for the next contract. "The SL war is over,News will be out of the equation". News own Brisbane, and they own 25% of Foxtel, and they own the Daily Telegraph. News are very much players in all this. Expecting News Corp to be out of the equation is wishful thinking. And, unfortunately, they have much deeper pockets than the NRL have and some rather neat clauses in their existing contracts.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Ian I am well aware of the cross ownership with Packer,Telstra ch7 & co. What must be considered,each is operated as a separate business and each business has to of itself be profitable anTv ratings have a hell of a habit of securing decent advtg monies.It is the bottom line of each ,that is the concern of the owners.ie they must all perform,and you can't perform without decent content. These various group and part owners,are fully aware of the impact of rl subscriptions.Hell they formed the basis and results emanating from the SL war.. As far as negotiations are concerned,if you listened to leckie from 7 re the AFL negotiations ,stated they were taxing ,aggressive all the words used to describe it.You can bet there were threats of going elsewhere. I did suggest and it is after all hypothetical,if they told Foxtel to nick off,they would have to bear the brunt of an intial lesser deal for the short term.Gallop hinted at that.Not a case of going to war,just letting the Pay Tv honchos,know the product is to be treated at real market value,else there are other options.There are other options. You are correct there is not much money in the NRl coffers, however they have a product for which there is demand. Depends on how much is available with the 3 FTA stations.And I also remind you Foxtel has to be a profitable business,and losing a swag of rl subs,is hardly going to help the bottom line.Rupert is going to ask questions. Look I don't believe it will come to this.But it is fair to say the figure paid by Foxtel last time was unders,else the Tv ratings for Pay are BS.