Channels Seven and Ten can stop circling cricket and rugby league coverage after Nine boss David Gyngell pulled an Houdini act yesterday to save the station from receivership, and even worse, collapse.
In arguably the biggest day of his life, Gyngell’s Tuesday started and finished with visiting wife Leila McKinnon at Prince of Wales Hospital following the birth of their first child – a son.
In between, Gyngell emerged smiling broadly from a two-day crisis meeting with a rights $3.2 billion debt erased, and to use his words – “We’re ready to rock and roll”.
What a turnaround from last weekend, when Nine was a basket case, with the cricket and NRL television rights decidedly shaky.
Both are safe, and in fact Nine has again become a formidable station thanks to Gyngell’s negotiating skills.
From a purely selfish point of view, that’s a huge relief to both cricket and the NRL.
Had Nine gone belly up, the NRL’s billion dollar plus contract would more than likely gone down the tube, with Ten ready to pounce.
Nine still has this summer to cover the cricket under a contract which expires in March, had Nine not survived yesterday, Seven was ready to pounce there as well.
And icon Richie Benaud would have been cut off at the pass. Now he can call it a time when he sees fit, and deservedly so.
The just turned 82-year-old was one of the strong men with Kerry Packer, when the then Nine owner high-jacked cricket in 1977. Nine took over the official coverage of cricket in Australia in 1979 from the ABC, with Benaud at the helm.
35 years on, and Benaud is still there with Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell, and Tony Greig of the original commentators.
Interest will now centre on Lawry, Chappell, and Greig’s futures after March, when the entire commentary team’s contracts expire at the same time as the television rights are renegotiated.
There has been a lot of viewer criticism of late over the commentary standard, but not from me. I still enjoy the unbridled passion of Lawry, and the on-going spats between Chappell and Greig that goes back even further than World Series Cricket.
And between them a priceless wealth of knowledge.
Whether Englishman Mark Nicholas is worth persevering with is open to debate, other than an Ashes series.
The newer members of the team – Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, and Michael Slater will be OK, all three have improved out of sight in recent seasons, Slater especially as the newest of them all.
Ray Warren is in much the same category with rugby league calling as Benaud is with the cricket. Widely recognised as the voice of rugby league, Warren at 69 has been calling league since Nine won the rights in 1992.
Now Warren can call a halt when he sees fit, also deservedly so.
And the contracts of Peter Sterling, Phil Gould, Wally Lewis, Brad Fittler, Darren Lockyer, and Andrew Johns were shored up yesterday.
Peace reigns, and as the king of tautology, the late Rex Mossop, would have said, “We can revert back to the status quo as it was before”.
Thanks to David Gyngell, the son of Bruce Gyngell, the very first face on Australian television when black and white kicked off in 1956 in time for the Melbourne Olympics.
Bruce died in 2000, aged 71. He would have been very proud of what his son achieved yesterday.
In sporting terms, well played under intense pressure.
Jason Cave
Guest
If Channel 9 wants a indication of what life would be like without cricket, they could go and ask their Channel 7 counterparts what it was like not to do AFL footy in the period 2002-06 after a 45 year run (ironically Nine had the AFL rights that year along with Ten & Foxtel).
DubbleBubble
Guest
Am I the only one who likes Ian Healy? I think he's been a great addition.A great character and fun to listen to. Mark Taylor as a commentator is the inverse of his captaincy-uninsightful, unoriginal,and dull. Slater has something about him and if he gives away the lifestyle programs could take over from Benaud. Benaud can't be replaced so a new direction would be the go and Slater would be just about right.
Skull
Guest
Just stop listening to the TV and turn on the ABC, O'keefe and Harsha Bhogle were indeed brilliant for cricket. Admittedly Harsha was only there for the indian tour.
robbo's rabbit's
Guest
Chop, please tell me you left Gus Gould's name off your list of clowns by mistake...... Surely you can't want the replay expert to continue on with his rubbish comments. If so, you really do need to get a life away from the idiot box.
robbo's rabbit's
Guest
GUS GOULD re-signed.........what a way to upset a man's Friday, the replay expert re-signing for more years of rubbish comments..
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Goanna, The losses were huge - equity holders wiped out, and in a liquidationpeople were probably looking at single-digit cents on the dollar. Therefore, they swapped debt for equity. It is probably going to *raise* the bid for cricket's rights, as Nine absolutely must hold on to cricket if the new owners are going to be able to manufacture an exit ...
Chop
Guest
Do you have an interest in Channel 9? I don't mind most of the cricket commentary, Mark Taylor and Ian Healy are difficult to list to, they also need to get rid of Mark Nicholas he's annoying. The Rugby League needs to get rid of the good players who are dud commentators, Vautin, Fittler, Johns, Lewis and Lockyer. Hadley needs to go as well, it's like he's commentating a 40min horse race....
Ballymore
Guest
The quality of broadcasting of Australia's overseas cricket tours on Fox is postcodes ahead of the tripe served up for the domestic summer. Evem greater gap in RU. Is there a concenus amongst RL fans about whether Nine's survival is a positive? Does the $1B TV rights outweigh their poor broacasts? -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Goanna
Guest
A bit of a gamble by the investors. Instead of taking their losses, they have doubled down in an age when things are changing rapidly. The NBN is a major game changer as an example. Personally, I would have carved it up and gotten something back rather than even more losses down the track. You can see with Ten, they are going back to the market asking for more money so they can buy programs that people will actually want to watch. The TV business is a bit like the horse business in the 1920s you feel.
Jason Cave
Guest
While everyone seems to focus on Channel Nine's 'Great Escape', however, the real focus should be on Ten. Ten is more trouble than ever before. Because not only is Ten is under greater financial pressure and also doesn't have a major sport (ie rugby league), what chance Ten have of surviving in a few years time?
David Lord
Expert
crip, we have different opinions. I have no problem with that, obviously you do.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Slats is good? Does that mean fans commentate about Nin'es next "hit" program all summer? Its all personal opinion of course, but Slater is the worst of the new breed for mine. I'm not sure that being saved will mean Nin retain the cricket after this season anyway. The new owners will most likely be looking to cut back the spending, and a large rights deal for somehting shown in the non-ratings period might just be one of the things that they look to cut.
Ryan Eckford
Roar Guru
The cricket and rugby league commentary teams are the very best in the world, and are on free-to-air television, not like in other places around the world. Everyone should be grateful about what we currently have.
Whites
Guest
Fittler uses words. Who knew?
Nostradamus
Guest
Its not over by a long stretch...
Pollock
Guest
Love that Rex Mossop quote.
Jay
Guest
Absolutely agree. They've appeared to write off their debts and learned nothing. This will rear it's head again very shortly as they continue to be a blight on the television landscape.
Lost Earthling
Guest
I was watching the 2003 league grand final on the weekend and was amazed at how much more the commentary flowed with Ray Warren, Sterlo and Fatty in the box and Vossy on the sidelines. It was so much more of a pleasure to not have to listen to the ranting of Gus Gould or the johns and fittler rushing their words to try and be heard and get a joke in at the same time. Though perhaps the most weird thing was not once did I hear them plug one of their upcoming channel 9 shows, they just focused on the footy. Hard to believe there was such a difference less then 10 years ago.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
"Both are safe, and in fact Nine has again become a formidable station thanks to Gyngell’s negotiating skills. From a purely selfish point of view, that’s a huge relief to both cricket and the NRL." Let's not forget the fantastic job Nine does for Union too. I'm sure Rugby fans will be delighted to learn that Nine's coverage of the 2015 World Cup, the upcoming Lions tour, and all Rugby Championship matches will still receive the amazing blanket coverage that Nine have already given to past events. Oh, wait...
crip
Roar Pro
Thanks for that text book example of how out of touch with fans and in love with itself the Australian media is Lordy.