Canberra have learned the hard way that success doesn’t always pay, their free-to-air television games slashed from eight to three in the revised NRL draw.
Riding high after reaching last year’s grand final, the Raiders were given their most free-to-air exposure in a decade in the original 2020 draw.
However, the revised schedule has forced a rethink, with the loss of six rounds and broadcasters having slightly more influence given the lack of crowds and competition stoppage.
It means Canberra aren’t guaranteed a game on Nine after round 10, with the possibility of playing no home games on TV at their own GIO Stadium.
Canberra have long been frustrated by a lack of free-to-air time as they fall out of the five-city ratings market, but had been relieved to finally be rewarded last November.
Raiders boss Don Furner claimed at the time that the extra exposure would earn future financial rewards with increased sponsorship value on jerseys.
It comes after the club was handed the toughest travel itinerary in the NRL on the competition’s restart, asked to play their home games in Campbelltown.
The south-west Sydney ground is 230km north of their normal base, with the club weighing up whether they are better off flying to “home matches”.
Manly and the Warriors are among the other big losers when it comes to TV exposure in the draw.
After moving across the Tasman to ensure the commencement of the campaign, the Warriors will appear on Nine just once in the regular season.
And even then those who have jumped on the Warriors’ bandwagon will have to wait until round 17 when the play Parramatta to see them on free-to-air TV.
The Sea Eagles also suffered a reduced free-to-air television schedule, with their games dropping from 11 to six.
In comparison, the likes of Brisbane and Parramatta have 15 and 13 free-to-air games each.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo claimed this year’s discrepancies were also a result of the desire to schedule blockbusters to relaunch the season.
“It’s really complex because it’s made up on a number of factors,” Abdo said.
“This year is really different because we wanted to focus on giving fans blockbusters at the start of the year and we have been able to achieve that.”
Brisbane’s free-to-air games are all on the high-rating Thursday and Friday nights, with the club not scheduled for a day game in the regular season.
South Sydney have 12 free-to-air games and the Roosters 11.
All figures are based only on the Thursday, Friday and Sunday afternoon fixtures.
It is possible Nine could regain its Saturday night simulcast of the 7.30pm game in the final six rounds when a new TV deal is signed.
If that is the case, the Roosters would pick up an additional three free-to-air games.
One of those would be against Canberra, taking the Raiders’ tally to four.
Meanwhile, the NRL has introduced a Sunday night prime time slot for the first nine rounds to replace the 2pm game.
Each NRL club’s free-to-air TV count
Brisbane: 15
Parramatta: 13
Melbourne, South Sydney: 12
Sydney Roosters: 11
Newcastle: 9
North Queensland, Penrith: 8
St George Illawarra: 7
Manly, Wests Tigers: 6
Canterbury: 5
Canberra, Cronulla: 3
Gold Coast, Warriors: 1
* Excludes yet-to-be-confirmed Channel Nine Saturday night simulcast in final six rounds.
Walter Black
Guest
You hit the nail on the head there Moose, well done!
Walter Black
Guest
We need to remember that these numbers are Australian free to air figures. What is important to the Warriors is how much exposure they get on the NZ networks. The Warriors are regular losers on this side of the ditch to the benefit of Australian teams because of this.
Nick
Roar Guru
Alright...perhaps another perspective. Hosting games at Bruce stadium is an additional cost that can and should be temporarily avoided, not to mention may require additional people (in this case any stadium staff required to be at the stadium) to go into some form of quarantine as well. That is both costly and needless if a temporary solution - for the good of the game at large, and not your desire to have the Raiders play at home - can be sought. Let it go Geoff. The Warriors are playing 2000km from home and NZ is in a similar position to the ACT. The Cowboys are playing 1500km from home and there's no virus up in Townsville. You're not the only one. Have some perspective and stop getting so annoyed about it. Would you rather no one plays instead?
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Yes, AFL does have its say in FTA games
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
The ACT doesn't have any border restrictions - thousands of Queanbeyan residents travel to the ACT and back to NSW every day for work - its not the ACT government that is stopping visiting teams its the NRL There are currently no restrictions on cross-border movement between ACT and NSW, beyond those that apply to everyone (ie not undertaking non-essential travel, maintaining social distancing rules etc). The major quibble I guess would be whether we consider sport as essential. I haven't heard the ACT government come out and say they don't want to see NRL teams play here. And how is Canberra any different to Melbourne? Why is the Storm allowed to play at home and not the Raiders? In contrast Queensland does have border restrictions so how can teams play in Brisbane and Townsville?
Muzz
Guest
Who cares. It's a nothing season.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Fair point - and now that I think about it it's the Sunday arvo games that suits the Raiders as well - its so fricking cold in the middle of Winter that Thursday and Friday night games are almost out the question. Shouldn't stop the administrators and Ch 9 scheduling FTA Raiders games earlier and later in the season. And for some reason 6 pm games on Friday nights are popular in Canberra. You can leave early from work - not much traffic - get there in time for the start - and be home with most of the Friday night game left to watch. I prefer Sat and Sunday afternoon games to watch myself so as a member I can't complain how the NRL have scheduled home games in the past few years in Canberra. Hardly a night game to be seen in Winter. Different kettle of fish with this season of course which everyone hopes won't happen again.
Rellum
Roar Guru
The thing is the Broncs and a lot of their fans don't want all these Thur/Fri night games, we want more Sunday arvo games. So even the Broncs are not happy with the draw. Yes that might seem a bit rich but we would draw bigger crowds with more Sunday day games.
jamesb
Roar Guru
I do feel sorry for the Warriors because they are making huge sacrifices. Due to the circumstances, I reckon they would've rated well on FTA. They are my second team this year, and many will feel the same way
jamesb
Roar Guru
I agree with your last two sentences. However if you have a team that has been out of sight, out of mind for a long period, then it will be hard for them to get good ratings, due to a lack of frequency on FTA.
Big Daddy
Guest
JamesB, your last line probably sums it up. I just think it would have been a great opportunity to even things out. I'm a Broncos fan but I'm not altogether happy that we are getting so many matches. Considering the sacrifices some teams are making for the good of the game it's about time there is a change but the NRL knew that when they got into bed with CH 9 that something like this would happen but now we're stuck with it so some things never change.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
I'm going to have to eat some humble pie here - just looked at the average ratings per game for matches played on FTA and Pay TV between 2017 and 2019 and the rankings are in order (some might surprise): Broncos Storm North Qld South Sydney Eels Cronulla Roosters Warriors Tigers Panthers St George Titans Bulldogs Raiders Manly Knights https://pythagonrl.com/2020/04/06/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-nrl-tv-ratings-but-were-afraid-to-ask/
Nick
Roar Guru
It isn't. You're just upset cause they aren't playing in Canberra. It's similar logic being applied by the WA government with the AFL. You have a virus free zone...you do what you can to protect it. Despite all the protections and systems in place, it is mathematical fact there is more risk the NSW players will get infected than the ACT ones. So keep the higher risk people out of the virus free territory.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
I'm sure the AFL has some say in how their FTA games are distributed which enables teams with lower profiles to get some coverage. But I could be wrong. It amazes me with the Raiders though. Its not like they have been languishing at the bottom of the table. They were in a Grand Final for Christ sakes last season and almost had a fairytale win. And were within a held pass by Edrick Lee to reach a Grand Final in 2016.
Nat
Roar Guru
I've Sub'd to Kayo Geoff. $15p/m through Telstra if you use them. It had plenty of sport and old footy to get through ISO and better now footy is back (5hr Tyson marathon one night - just brutal). Yes, I'm Brisbane and have no right to complain (and I'm not) but there's plenty more and better games than just the Friday night specialists. I wish they would include C/Cup and ISP next season. My Misses disagrees.
Nat
Roar Guru
I agree it's not fair (not that i'm complaining or patronising anyone else as a Broncos fan) but if you looked at the ratings for each team, the ones that get the eyeballs get the FTA. Melbourne has been such a dominant force for a decade yet very few FTA games historically. When V'landys say "it's for the fans", technically that's right because the most amount of eyes will watch these games but as a collective of the rest of the team's supporters it is higjly unfair. If someone says they are buying dinner, you can't really complain about the location. Their money, their choice.
jamesb
Roar Guru
Big Daddy The fta tv schedule favouring a small group of teams has been going on for the last 15 to 20 years! Nine has helped the branding and appeal of teams like Brisbane, Parramatta, Souths, Roosters etc by having them on FTA. While a team like Canberra loses appeal over a period of time due to their lack of fta presence. It's easy to point the finger at V'landys, but this has been going on for a long time. Maybe what the game needs is a new FTA broadcaster.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
The only time frame for the Warriors would be for a Sunday afternoon game on FTA and even then it would be an early start in NZ.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
The Raiders have always bought the rough end of the pineapple. A few years back they had been leading the comp but never got an STA game until round 11. The NRL needs to step in here. Too late now this season but next season the NRL has to ensure that clubs get a reasonable share of FTA games. Sadly, the Warriors will miss out except for maybe a Sunday afternoon game.
Big Daddy
Guest
What gets up my nose is V'Landys coming out and saying it's all for the fan's is utter BS. This TV schedule clearly demonstrates that the fans have been completely forgotten. It's ok to pat yourself on the back and say I got the game back on track means nothing if you ignore the fans and jointly the NRL and CH,9 should be ashamed.