Basketball Australia has taken a different path than other sports codes in this country, deciding to embrace digital platforms and the demand for live sport.
BA has announced an NBL.TV service where every NBL game will be broadcast live for mobile, tablets, PCs and IPTV. For $79 a season, hoop fans will able to watch every NBL game on all digital platforms.
Boomers and Opals games will also be show on NBL.TV but these may not be live and will be subject to TV deals.
Still, I think this is an impressive, gutsy move by BA and the NBL, and could be a real coup. As Kristina Keneally, the head of Basketball Australia, said this is a landmark deal for Australian sport and could become a moneymaker for the NBL.
The question is – how much? At this stage it is hard to say. The NBL is a competition struggling for fans, dollars and corporate support. If it could get tens of thousands of people to sign up for a season pass, it could be on to a real winner.
But by having every game live and available of all digital platforms, they have sought to increase their visability and their attractiveness to sponsors. It could actually start a surge in the NBL’s popularity, as well as helping their coffers. Having a Sunday TV game live back on Network Ten is a plus to this deal and gives it some balance.
As I’ve written before – especially concerning Nine’s Olympics coverage – fans want their sport live. An hour delay or five minutes delay, it doesn’t matter, it’s now too late. In this digital information age sports lovers want it live and on the platforms they use.
This means smartphones, tablet devices, laptops and the like. Giving consumers – basketball supporters – want they want is a good move. This is something the NRL has recently not taken into consideration enough.
Recent moves by the ABC to cut back on coverage on the WNBL and W-League shows that TV broadcasters are out to shed their costs, and that ratings (even on public broadcasters) are all-important. The sports themselves need to get their own houses in order, get with the times and embrace the digital era. They need to take control of their own destinies.
Rumours surround the future of the ABC’s coverage of Sydney’s Shute Shield rugby competition, that it is headed for the axe.
Whether it’s dumped or not, this should be wake-up call to the likes of the ARU to start offering rugby fans a digital option to consume their games.
The NRL has just picked up a billion dollar deal to go with the AFL’s billion-plus arrangement. At the same time media owners, especially the TV networks, are losing money hand over fist. While the dominant sports might be now rolling in cash, it means the amount of dollars available for other codes is dwindling.
There is not a bottomless pit.
If the likes of FFA and V8 Supercars can’t get top dollar for their own content from pay TV and free-to-air networks, they need to think out of the box and heed the demand for live, digital sport. Basketball Australia has done it and should be applauded.
Twitter: @johnnyddavidson
Vic
Guest
They have enthusiasts doing the Australian Ice Hockey League for free, live over the internet. As I understand it the Geelong Football League is also going to do something like this. The AFL just upped its media department to 120 odd people over the last year to get ready for the move to using the full power of the NBN. The media landscape is changing by the day. That NRL deal was a 1990s style deal. Good for the money to the league but lousy for the fan. I cannot see the NBL getting 100,000 fans straight off the bat. Maybe 20,000 if they are doing really well. That is not the point of the exercise. Really wish they still had 2 or 3 clubs in Melbourne, Geelong, western Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. Too few a clubs.
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
The Northern Pride RLFC offered live streaming of all their home games this season. They ended up covering all away matches too. It cost $25 to get a sesaon pass to watch all of their home games, with away games costing $5. The coverage wasn't great, but it was better than nothing. All action was shot on one camera. The commentary was amateurish. I'll definitely get it again next year.
Midfielder
Guest
I just ran the numbers .. its not a lot of money ... @ $79.00 per year .. 100, 000 fans is 7.9 million... 10, 000 is 790 K.... the cost to broadcast these matches in not inexpensive .... Wonders aloud how many need to be sold to break even with the broadcast costs...
BigAl
Guest
What about commentary ?
Stefanov
Roar Pro
The lack of interest in the game will kill this digital pass deal...They need some 'stars' as most players are unknown. I couldn't name more than 10 NBL players as a casual sports fan. You attract an Allen Iverson or someone along those lines, then you will get subscribers, world-wide subscribers. Hopefully some more money will be given to clubs, they need a marquee rule similar to A-League, it works in the NBA, well big names are common in the States, it seems basketball thrives on egos and self promotion, we need a few of these selfish guys down under, to get the viewer numbers up. At the moment, too little people care, which is sad, considering the popularity of the Boomers.
Junior
Roar Guru
This appears to be a very positive spin on a fairly dire situation. The "All Games Live" headline, while strictly true, is also misleading. A "decision" to retain the digital rights? Bit like a person's "decision" to breathe oxygen. Rather than being a sign of a forward-thinking operation, this digital-only model is only happening because BA can only get limited interest from the FTAs or Fox Sports to pay to broadcast basketball games. The TV execs are not mugs. If nobody is interested in the sport they will not pay for the sports' rights. I seem to recall a few years ago, BA (or the equivalent) offered to pay the networks to show basketball on TV and still got no takers. This sort of digital deal should be seen as a nice complement to an FTA deal, not a substitute.
Cam Larkin
Roar Guru
Not new - NBA do it as mentioned in a reply above. Should've been done a long time ago.
Siege of Perth
Guest
Risky, they need more than 1 game a week on TV to attract people to the Online Pass as well as to the actual games.
ChrisCantatore
Roar Rookie
This is going to be excellent! I’m a long time user of the NBA League Pass and that is a fantastic set up, especially with the time difference in the states. To be able to watch your team play every game is something the NBL hasn’t had for years (could be over a decade). As a long time Perth Wildcat fan (and season member) this will give me the chance to watch all away games which haven’t always been shown in the past and sometimes when they are it is at an obscure time. With this, I’ll be able to watch them live or when I want to. Being able to come home and have the option to watch telecast of the game I’ve just attended is also appealing. Well done NBL! It’s this line of thinking that will continue to grow the league and the game in Australia.
Swampy
Guest
The NBL will still need cameras at every game to broadcast over the net. So while the digital package is good they will still need someone to turn up with a camera. Could it end up being a handheld digi cam at half court being the lone angle? -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Johnno
Guest
Good deal for the NBL, and Asian market. And they are going to get into the chinese market too with this 1 billion chines who are rich and love basketball, . And in singapore to and iran, where 2 other countries love b-ball. The axis is booming. Plus the euro basket tail and wow, the NBL is going to get massive. a great landmark win today for australian basketball. justice has been done, and the NBL will flourish. now for a brisbane team and a west sydney team, hoop dreams people, hoosiers people basketball is back. Ray Borner said he thinks it's a good deal for the NBL, and Ray Borner knows best if any aussy does. Good win for basketball, .
Matt_S
Roar Pro
Brave move, hope it works well for them. Know some NBL tragics and they would love to see the sport flourish and have been through rough times.