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The NRL scheduling in 2014 is ludicrous, inconsistent and needs to be heavily re-shaped for 2015.
Two out of the three free-to-air games each week are delayed, the Brisbane Broncos have played ten Friday night games in a row, and teams have played each other twice by Round 6.
While the NRL would be nothing without the supporters and the players, it seems that the scheduling of the draw has been fixed to solely accommodate ratings and profit for the Channel Nine network.
Two games on Friday night has caused the Brisbane Broncos to play on Friday night 10 weeks in a row, due to the fact that one of the games gets broadcast live in Queensland, and the other in New South Wales.
This means that a Brisbane Broncos fan living in New South Wales would have to watch their team on delayed coverage for ten weeks in a row.
The Sunday afternoon game that Channel Nine broadcasts is also delayed by one hour. The reason behind this is so Channel Nine can advertise more, and therefore gain more revenue.
This is not what the fans want. The NRL should move this game from 3pm to 4pm so that the game is live, and there is a good lead into the Channel Nine news.
It is understood that Network 10 bid for the NRL rights last year. They promised four games per week, all of them live. The other four would go to paid television network Fox Sports, who already show all of their games live.
Instead, the NRL chose to go with Channel Nine, who promised three games, but only one of these games live.
Last weekend was representative round, and Channel Nine did not even show City versus Country live, it had a one-hour delay, as per usual. If you sit down to watch these Sunday afternoon games, you spend more time watching the excessively long advertisements than actual rugby league.
No rugby league fan wants to watch delayed coverage of an NRL match.
Perhaps Channel Nine can compromise by broadcasting one Friday game live, and the other one live on GEM, so fans can choose which game they want to watch. That way they can actually watch a game of rugby league in HD.
The NRL has clearly been taken over by television rights and ratings, and somebody needs to answer why some teams have already played each other twice by Round 6.
The Roosters and the Eels played each other in Rounds 2 and 6, as did the Raiders and the Knights. In Round 6 the Bulldogs played the Warriors, and they are about to face off again this Sunday in Round 10. Although you won’t be able to watch the game live, as it is on Channel Nine on Sunday afternoon.
The NRL draw, and the television rights is a complete mess. Sure, the billion dollar TV rights deal ensured a future for the great game, but where do we draw the line?
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