I don’t care what code you follow and I don’t care what part of the country you come from. For years we’ve been sold a story by the free-to-air networks.
They’ve lobbied governments, spent millions on advertising and preached from the hilltops that access to high quality sports coverage should be available to all Australians.
Yet it seems they are indeed just words. For when the push has come to shove, Channel Nine has failed its sporting audience time and time again.
Firstly, Nine has failed to fulfill its promise of High Definition coverage of all major sporting events.
When GEM was announced, the promise made to fans was to cater for women’s programming and high quality sporting coverage – a fact it still advertises on its frequent TV spots and website.
Furthermore, Nine were the main network driving the push behind 3D technology. Yet like HD sports coverage, Nine has left fans in static once again.
Could it be that this was just a push, organised in conjunction with a major electronics retailer in order to flog their stock of expensive 3D TVs?
It is officially recognised under the Wide World of Sports flagship that cricket and rugby league are the network’s regular recurring priority sports. Yet this year, Nine’s inconsistent programming policy has seen rugby league fans left in the wilderness.
Times for State of Origin games outside of New South Wales and Queensland altered with every match. The Rabbitohs versus Broncos game was denied coverage in Perth.
When quizzed, Nine officially announced that the Federal Government had turned down their request for digital coverage – a request Senator Conroy’s office later denied receiving.
Nine’s retort? It was the fault of their subsidiary, Win TV.
Again though this still doesn’t explain why Win TV Perth would falsely claim to have made an official request.
The coverage of the Storm games in Melbourne this year has also been substandard.
When a handful of Sunday matches have been aired, they have seemed as a last minute decision (or made to appear as such) with only a few days notice and little to no advertising. In addition, last week’s Storm versus Dragons match-up was also denied live coverage.
Nine’s official response: it affects the home gate, so the game was shunted to 12:30 am (despite promises for Friday games to be played before midnight).
Now this week’s game has also been blocked by Nine. And there’s the rub, for this game shapes up to be a potential grand final preview, a top of the table clash and a Storm away game to boot.
Seemingly having run out of their litany of excuses, Nine has taken the religious route and is maintaining a vow of silence.
However the fans are no longer silent. Having come out of the woodwork, the Channel Nine and Wide World of Sports Facebook and Twitter accounts have taken a major hammering.
Whilst it seems that messages are being deleted and users have been banned from posting, it also appears the growing tide of anger is unmanageable from a public relations’ perspective.
Nine’s plan, at the moment, seems to be to simply let time pass, let this round pass and pray that the anger subsides.
But the fact remains that this has been an ongoing problem with Channel Nine and it won’t be long before the fans are duped once more.
Perhaps they should spend less money on anti-subscription fear campaigns and more on providing access to high quality sports coverage for all Australians.
Boomshanka
Guest
Hang in there Bob. Nine are history at the end of the year. I say good riddance to this corrupt and compromised network (particularly in Melbourne). There is a glimmer of hope this year with the following (spurred on with negotiations and upcoming changes to anti siphoning laws) http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/channel-9-to-show-melbourne-storm-free-to-air-games-live-locally/story-e6frfgbx-1226289805768 "It's believed every network interested in securing the NRL coverage, except Nine, has presented Storm officials with a plan on how it would promote and develop the game locally." and for you guys out west; http://warugbyleague.com.au/c9-perth-backs-nrl-coverage-in-the-west/
Bob Bywood
Guest
Why can Channel 9 in the Eastern States watch the cricket and the Rugby League on both channels and us in the West cannot even get the recorded broadcast at 2am on a Sunday morning, it's easy for channel 9 to put repeated films and other rubbish like The Apprentice and The Avengers on instead, a lot of people do like the Rugby League in the West. I'ts about time Channel 9 thought about people like myself that has to stay up late or if possible to record it and hope to watch it the following day, or should I say if you havn't put other programs on, get your act together Channel 9 and think about the Rugby League supporters. Bob Bywood.
brad
Guest
The cricket coverage is just as bad. Nine constantly cuts their exclusive coverage of the cricket short in order to air news which is on every channel, every radio station, every newspaper and all over the internet. What is the point in taking the exclusive coverage of the cricket, and bumping it for just another news program?
Boomshanka
Guest
Altis We don't seriously expect Channel Nine to do anything reasonable in Melbourne. What we do expect is for them to either on-sell the live rights to sport that they have and stop buying and hoarding sports which they purchase. FYI: The last time a storm game was shown live into Melbourne on a Friday night over 200 thousand people tuned in. Your statement that the "majority of Melbourne NRL fans are first and foremost AFL fans" generally flies in the face of most AFL posters here who swear that the majority are expats not converts from their big game. From what I understand from work colleague and friends in Melbourne is most AFL fans would not have been too interested in yet another lop sided Collingwood win anyway, but then Jeff and Eddie have never given the public what they want, just more of the same.
Alitis
Guest
Melbourne NRL fans cant seriously expect channel nine to televise NRL up against AFL in prime time.I would have thought that the majority of Melbourne NRL fans are first and foremost AFL fans. So what's thepoint.?The stations has to answer to its shareholders and they'd probably get more people to watch repeats of "The Sullivans".
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
In a nutshell undersold.
benz
Guest
Look no further than rugby to see how limiting the shift to pay tv can be.
Jaceman
Guest
The last NRL TV rights deal signed in July 2005 when Packer owned Nine and part Foxtel/Fox Sports but he was readying the Network for sale. Stokes took him top court on matters including the fact that the NRL ignored a counter Seven bid which was much higher. They got in early allegedly so as to undercut the AFL but the AFL got a good number in mid 2006 which meant the NRL $$ looked poor by comparison….
Jaceman
Guest
Bakkies
Guest
Reminds me of their Wimbledon coverage. The first set would start and you log on to the BBC website and the scores for the second set are up. You can't do that these days. Might as well watch it on a justin.tv feed rather then on CH 9 if you don't have Foxtel
code 13
Roar Guru
Just further signs of the deep seeded conflicts of interest.
code 13
Roar Guru
Noticed that too. Yet again it was advertised by Nine as 'Live'.
code 13
Roar Guru
No doubt about it - the new NBN is going to put existing broadcast monopolies on alert and shake things up the way they need to be. The "old boys club" is going to get the rug pulled out from underneath them if they don't change their poor attitudes.
Boomshanka
Guest
Not saying there's a breach of contract but the contract was hardly negotiated in good faith and at arms length when one considers the incestuous parentage of the NRL. It is hoped the IC will remove these. The anti siphoning laws where set up to ensure Australian's had fair and decent access to their sport. Channel Nine have abused their privileged position and deserve little sympathy. Remember these guys also cut to the news in the last half hour of each Ashes cricket out of Adelaide and Perth (with no alternative). Three ex Melbourne Storm players this weekend played for Wigan in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley. Again Channel Nine have the rights to the ESL so Melbourne fans miss out again. Free to Air networks such as Nine would be the first to winge if they lost their privileged position to play sports broker. I look forward to the day when they loose this privilege. As the title of this article says, "Channel Nine have failed all sports fans". Time for them to feel the heat.
Horatio
Guest
You need to produce the terms of the contract to see if they are abusing it - as Jaceman said Gyngell is a Rooster s board member so Gallop doent have to go far to sue for breach of contract if there is one....
Boomshanka
Guest
I said "their was no debate with me" with respect to channel nine not approaching the minister. I also went on to agree with you that "Channel Nine are not wanting to show the support for rugby league in Victoria" and that Gallop is equally culpable so again no argument there. However; "there was nothing to stop Channel Nine showing the Storm game last week live or near live. At the very least, a showing on one of the digital multi channels would have sufficed (with approval from the Minister aka Bledisloe). Instead they awoke Melbourne to the farce that is the anti siphoning legislation and the two faced nature of Channel Nine programming (who can forget -”every ball of the ashes series” – what happened there?). Remember Nine chose the game, and then went on to hoard it." Fact: Nine have the rights, and abuse the rights!
Jaceman
Guest
Boom, BTW from your own link "McGuire said he was happy to leave the executive decisions to Mr Law and Mr Browne". that was 2007 and since then David Gyngell (a Roosters board member) is now CEO of the Nine network..... So Gyngell doesnt run the network????? He obviously would run strategic directions incl whether the Storm gets on live TV as it effects the wider NRL TV deal. So please stop blaming Nine melbourne for every problem...
Siva Samoa
Roar Pro
Maybe you can tell us why you started a thread about every roar articals on leagueunlimited forum and making fun of it with your rugby league friends?
Jaceman
Guest
If he wasnt approached, its the same problem that occurred before the anti-siphoning rules were changed. Obviously Nine and the NRL have a problem otherwise Gallop would be complaining. BTW Nine HO (Sydney) would have to approach the Minister as the govt relations/strategy are in Willoughby.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Boomshanka
Guest
There's no debate with me. The Minister was not approached by Channel Nine. I agree with you that Nine are not wanting to show the support for League in Victoria. Gallop's silence is equally disturbing.