If you were a struggling TV network and you needed to design a sport to attract viewers/subscribers, what ingredients would you include?
Australian pay TV needs a mid-week winter sport played at night (Tuesday to Thursday) to gain more eyeballs as that is an untapped frontier as most folks are home in the cold watching TV.
Monday night NRL on Fox (and this year Thursday night NRL on free-to-air) are part of this strategy but generally there are three barren midweek nights on TV for sport.
Basketball was allegedly the answer but couldn’t crack it in winter and the Asian Cup for soccer was also going to be a winner, just not yet.
Lets take a look at the US, UK and Australian scene to see what works.
In the US, the NFL football generates the highest ratings per game despite being played generally on a Sunday afternoon.
The toughness of the game result in a short 16-game season with generally one week turnarounds, but games are (sometimes) spread over two or three nights and Sunday afternoon.
The other sports (Baseball, ice hockey and basketball) all have longer seasons and can be played more than once a week but have the benefit of being played midweek when pay-TV cable needs content to fill those (in some cases) long cold nights in the US northern States.
Hence basketball, with a 70-game season and teams playing up to three times a week in deep winter, is also fantastic TV content midweek. The UK, of course, has a plethora of mid week soccer competitions.
In Australia, NRL is arguably the highest rating TV sport, obviously along with the AFL. The reason TV executives like NRL is because (like the NFL) the play is always on the screen, the hits are big and the nature of the game means the scores are close.
Those three ingredients that make NRL a TV success are also its partial Achilles’ Heel.
The closeness of the scores (aside from the salary cap) occurs because its designed to be a ‘my ball, now your ball’ situation so even a team getting beaten heavily will have a chance with the ball for six tackles.
Of course in the other football codes, a team can dominate possession and score heavily (although the difficulty of scoring goals in soccer means teams stay in games longer).
In this sense NRL mimics NFL and basketball.
While this possession sharing does guarantee closer games, some see it as predictable.
This is especially so if despite the sharing of possession, one team gets a long way in front of the opposition and with the sharing possession situation, the losing team has little chance to make up the difference.
Paradoxically then, this sharing equation means that the game is decided early and people will use the remote quickly to find other entertainment and drama.
The NFL has changed the laws over the years to allow teams to take risks to allow well beaten teams to attempt to make up the difference (e.g. the two point conversion).
Teams have developed hurry-up offences and timeout strategies to maximise their opportunities if they are behind on the scoreboard.
Basketball even has the odd occurrence in the scoring system of teams fouling to get the ball back, even though their opponents get a shot at goal.
The NFL last year had the equally odd occurrence of letting an opposing team score to give them enough time to regain possession and end the game with their chance at scoring.
The NRL has also changed the rules to try to make the game less predictable, for example allowing stripping the ball in certain circumstances, the 40-20 rule and the optional conversion.
Apart from the Footy shows migrating to Pay-TV, what else will attract viewers?
Perhaps the hybrid rugby league/union game that Bob Dwyer and the Ella brothers were developing could be summer sport fodder?
It would however be unlikely to have legs in winter and may in any case be only partially attractive to half the country. Mixed martial arts and boxing on midweek nights don’t normally cut it for the affluent punters who can afford Pay-TV and like sport.
So what sport should Pay TV invent to try to lure new customers?
Stevie
Guest
Ice hockey might be the sleeping giant. Fox are to do a game of the week this winter.
Kasey
Guest
I don't think code wars would work if you took away the anonymity of the internet. Angry blokes like our good friend MelbCro might actually have to put a civil tongue in his mouth.:eek:
p.Tah
Guest
Kasey, don't waste your ammo now save it for the season when it's live on TV!
The Bush
Roar Guru
I appreciate that it's not just about me, but I think you'd find most regular, non-Roar reading, Australian's would struggle to watch even half the sport I do and they are even less inclinded to do so when primetime TV is going strong. Australian's will tune in to special sporting events midweek, say the Olympics or the World Cup, but I am confident that Masterchief would destroy sport on a Wednesday night (if that is the night it is on). You also have to remember that the content on during the week is going to be poor compared to the weekend action, so it's a real uphill climb to get viewers. That small market share that payTV in Australia survives on is, in my opinion, unlikely to be grown by showing second rate competitions during the week (I am happy to be wrong) - their market share is kept alive by showing top quaility sport on weekends against the dribble that commerical TV shows then. As to the US, it is a very different beast to us in so many ways. The first one is that with so many people there is always going to be a viable TV market for mid-week sport - I'd suggest that there isn't in Australia (yet). The next thing is that American's have grown up and spent a hundred years following mid-week sports; Baseball has always involved long seasons that had play everyday, as has the NHL and NBA, consequently American's don't have the same culture us. The final point is that we are talking about whole other competitions or sports to "fill" the gap, not showing our favourite sports during the week. For this to have any success like it does in the States, then it would need to be high quality AFL, NRL or Super Rugby, because the Yanks are tuning in to watch the best of the best in the NHL, MLB and NBA. Still happy to be wrong, but me
Dragoon
Guest
Its not about you although nice viewing habits. Its about broadening the approach - Pay Tv channels survive on 3-5% audience shares and people in the US dont watch every mid week hockey, basketball or Baseball match but it maximises the eyeballs with a wide choice to catch as many as poosible. You may live in Philly and catch every 76ers, Flyers and Phillies game whick will require some mid weeek watching or better still live in in LA but are a Philly local and want to catch up with Philly sport on Pay per View or cable TV. There is not quite that equivalent here because of the anti-siphoning rules but expatraite NRL ,AFL people and NZers and Safricans may want to get their home dose of their sport...
The Bush
Roar Guru
The Test players are on duty in England, India, West Indies, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka during our winter - in fact they'd be even less accessable than during the summer...
The Bush
Roar Guru
To be honest, not a good idea. The reason that sport can be played mid-week to good ratings in Summer, is because that is when prime time television is at its worst (i.e. all the good shows are on a break). Once they start up again, you'll find that most sports will struggle, especially when they aren't putting forward their best content mid-week anyway (at least our dominant sports wouldn't). I love my sport, I am obsessed, but even I need to take a break during the winter after watching (usually) at least two (2) Super Rugby games, an NRL game and a Premier League game (except for the brief break in July/August, which is when I am watching a lot of Test Rugby). That's a tame weekend and assumes I didn't watch back-to-back NRL games Friday Night (because I have something of a life) or there was a crazy triple header on Saturday for the Super Rugby (that I had to see). To be honest if you aren't sported out between Friday Night and Sunday Afternoon you need to see a doctor. Usually come Monday I am ready to watch normal television for a few days, digest last eekend's sport and get ready for the next weekend (via The Roar!). Having said all of that, I am always annoyed that Foxtel doesn't show mid-week games by the Super teams, for example the Brumbies -v- Wales game last year, as they are unique one off things. If Foxtel doesn't show every British and Irish Lions game this year, including the mid-week games, I'll flip out.
Rixy
Guest
Move the Big Bash to winter? Could have all the test stars involved. Although I doubt it would get anywhere near the same support outside of the cricket season.
King Of Swing
Guest
Flick over to Eurosport once in awhile. They have heaps of European champions league volleyball and handball as well as the occasional game of field hockey.
old codger
Guest
Like free to Air Television on Horse Racing. If it Was Televised. more People would Watch and Bet. Turnover goes up. The Pundits can`t see this.
The Greatest Game Of All
Guest
Not a fight fan? I dont see how this would be the same as watching the Jim Beam Cup, what im suggesting is an elite level organised national boxing season, will it attract viewers? alot more than handball or table tennis put it that way.
Dragoon
Guest
Yeah but the point is would it attract viewers - same as regional RL comps - I watch NRL but struggle with the JIm Beam Cup etc but thats just me...
The Greatest Game Of All
Guest
Id like to see more regular Australian boxing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Feather, Light and Welterweights on Tuesday Super Welter, Middle and Super Middleweights on Wednesday Light Heavy, Cruiser and Heavyweights on Thursday 6 round fights, 9 fight cards (3 per division), 3 hours of fight action. A dozen or so fighters from each division, each fighter will get at least 1 fight a month, up to 8 fights a year, will allow fans to familiarise with fighters. Divide along State or Gym lines, giving fans a "team" to follow also. Build up to a "Grand Final" end of year event, with the Australian Title for each division up for grabs for top 2 ranked fighters. Could even have a "Test" series after that, Australian Champions vs United States Champions or European Champions, ratings gold!
Kasey
Guest
Q1. the A-League is one league. Rugby is a whole sport. If your question is: Is football (Soccer) more popular than Rugby? then you’ll need to define which characteristics you are judging it on. On participation numbers football is easily the most popular sport in the land. On crowd figures the AFL is king with League in the silver medal posn. If you are talking about financial turnover/media interest. I’m not sure it’s a valid comparison to compare a ‘league’ like SupeRugby that spans three countries and numerous timezones with one that only has 2 countries and is a domestic league only(HAL). If you are asking is football growing at the time that it appears that Rugby is either stagnating or plateauing, then I think an argument could be made either way. Q2.If it were my money, I’d bet no. Q3. Not knowledgeable enough to comment.
cliffclavin
Guest
I agree Jay. Whilst i missed the champions trophy late last year (holidays) I love watching international and euro club hockey on the telly. I think if there was a proper semi-pro comp it could attract a few thousand people to games regularly and would be good for tv, otherwise, basketball back in winter would be good.
pogo
Guest
Cheese rolling under flood lights. thrills, spills and tie-ins with the cooking shows.
midfielder
Guest
Roller derby ..
Terra Dactyl
Guest
The ARLC has some options for a Wednesday night tv ratings product. The QRL Cup, the NSWRL Cup and the NYC are all options.
John
Guest
Sports on PayTV is very one dimensional - The only sports I see on there are sports that Australia or USA excel at (add boxing to that list as well). Maybe if they showed some Indoor Volleyball, Field Hockey, Table Tennis and Euro Handball I may be interested. Apart from Hockey, these sports are never on Pay TV (Olympics excluded).
Mantis
Roar Guru
fuel tv has a lot of that stuff.