There is an old saying in love that one should find someone who makes you stronger, not someone who tries to break you down.
As Australian rugby stares itself in the mirror during what is clearly something of a mid-life crisis, we collectively need to start examining those in our life that aren’t good for us. We’ve pushed away a coach, a CEO, now even our friends across the Tasman are no certainties to remain in our future.
But one character remains, conspicuous in its immutable presence throughout our decline; the tired old man that is News Corp.
There are countless factors that have contributed to the decline of rugby’s popularity in recent times, but the possessive shielding from public view by the Foxtel paywall is almost universally accepted as, at least, one of the significant contributing factors.
Then, as we began to recognise our self-worth lay in the public consciousness and not Pay TV rights, we attempted to separate ourselves from the relationship no doubt first consummated in a Sydney University Alumni Party in the mid-90s. It was at this point, as is so often the case, the true nature of News Corp was laid bare.
This “corporate partner” which had promised to love and support us immediately resorted to the scorched Earth tactics of a scorned lover. Utilising the full weight of a media empire that determines democratic elections across the free world, it embarked on a policy of destroying the value of Australian rugby until it had so little self-worth it would have no option but to come crawling back, a shadow of its former self and absolved of all delusions of independence.
Political strongmen are routinely brought to bend at the knee from fear of the Murdoch empire. I suspect every man and woman involved in the resurrection of Australian rugby right now fears the fate that was delivered to Raelene Castle for daring to look elsewhere.
But we must walk away. We must absorb the arrows in the back as we do. Now more than ever it is clear this company wants nothing of our success. It wants only to control us as a product.
Like anyone leaving a toxic relationship, the first few steps are the hardest. We don’t know where we will go. Who will possibly love us?
Get back to the mirror. Look at who is staring back. This is the sport that is growing around the world. This is the sport that used to sell out the Olympic Stadium. This is the sport with almost unlimited potential for expansion and international engagement beyond anything other Australian sports can muster.
We are worthy of so much more than every Fox Sports and Daily Telegraph article is designed to convince us of.
We can either believe in ourselves and grow, or we can sheepishly grovel back to the cruel partner that told anyone that would listen we weren’t worth having.
Please, Rugby Australia, for the sake of all of us… find the courage to walk away from News Corp.
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
Reported today: Foxtel numbers continue to plummet. Not reported today: where to find free to air Super Rugby on Melbourne TV. Also in the report today, how the Federal Government uses taxpayers money to subsidisie Foxtel. Another $10m thrown into their big hungry bottomless briefcase. The rich get richer, I guess. [snip] Foxtel’s residential audience fell by almost 200,000 subscribers last year, documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission show. In response to questions from the SEC in February, News Corp’s global chief financial officer, Susan Panuccio, said residential subscribers tumbled by 196,000 in 2019, from about 2.2 million at the end of 2018 to a little over 2 million by 31 December, the documents show. Paid subscriptions to the streaming service Foxtel Now also dropped, from 354,000 to 343,000 over the same period. The number of paid subscriptions to the new sports streaming product Kayo exploded from 42,000 to 350,000, but dropped dramatically when the pandemic hit earlier this year and there was no live sport on television. This week the Australian government added $10m to its previous grant of $30m to the Murdoch-controlled platform to broadcast women’s and under-represented sport, saying: “Fox Sports is well placed to continue its role as a leading sports broadcaster.” “With eight dedicated sports channels, plus the Kayo Sports streaming service and foxsports.com.au, Fox Sports has a strong commitment to promoting sports and events that may not otherwise receive any media coverage,” a spokesman for the minister for communications, Paul Fletcher, told Guardian Australia. [end snip] Paul Fletcher, whoever he is, should not be in a communications role if he does not know how to use the English language. "Strong commitment" is NOT a synonym for "absolute contempt"
Lara
Guest
“ The old man” has his tentacles everywhere, decades of growth, that only the old man knows how deep it goes. We see only the surface, but if you push it ,you can feel the rot..... Castle , could see n smell it......brave lady.
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Beni Yes it's the same for all sports who have braodcast contracts with Foxtel. Difference is AFL and NRL have very popular and highly valuable products to sell and so will have zero prob's getting new and better contracts than RA. They'll also probably have the brains to cancel out Foxtel before they go belly up. All contracts have opt out clauses. Plus Beni AFL/NRL are on free to air TV also. But the RA puppets will just meekly wait for the hammer to fall. No, I haven't given NRL/AFL this advice as they haven't asked me and they don't need it anyway :thumbup:
Rich1234
Roar Rookie
ho hum…onto the next topic.
Beni Iniesta
Guest
Pretty sure that Foxtel has bought the rights for the NRL through to 2027... So if they're not here in 2023?!?!? How does that add up - have you told them it was silly to sign a contract for four years when they won't be around!
John Paull
Guest
You know I hear this Rubbish about private schools all the time and let me tell you from someone that kno s a lot of the traditional private schools do NOT have Rugby as a No1 winter sport. AFL in fact has taken a huge hold. Today there is a big spread of schools that make up the Australian schoolboys team , which if you did not know beat NZ schools in 2019. And won well the Kiwi Come tarot’s could not believe it you should look at the game. Also keep in mind we did win 2 x RWC when the private schools we strong. Junior Rugby is doing OK unfortunately NRL tends to pick the eye teeth out of them. But that has always been the way. Sometimes you need to take a few steps back before moving forward
John Paull
Guest
Correct he is playing dangerous games in the US he and his son are discus ting individual intent on manipulating the news to suit their own purposes. FTA is a solution even at lower funding. Super Rugby is dead as we know it and probably should be. But a new Australian only comp needs to be established to help build the brand again. It needs to be closely linked to Club Rugby so there is a proper parthway out of club to top level rugby it’s stupid having great young talent that never play club rugby hence often don’t develop properly. Just a thought
Janine
Guest
Foxtel killed basketball in Australia.
John Paull
Guest
Bloody good article and Soo right. They have effectively dismantled rugby. I don’t know who else can step up but Rugby needs to stand tough. It is the only true international sport out of AFL and NRL and Rugby is one of the few sports growing internationally. The US are just now discovering how good it is and the potential is unlimited. :rugby:
Jacko
Guest
COVID
Chimpee
Guest
Actually PeterK the maths in that article is incorrect. They state that it is $35M per year and the say that it was $125M over 5 years. That equates to $25M per year so the Optus offer was $5M per year more than the offer from Fox.
Brett McKay
Expert
Waxy, I don't know and you certainly don't know what kind of conversations took place with FTA networks. Regardless, the outcome was the same: no FTA network was interested enough to bid, same as it ever was..
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Max nice and slowly for you....... if that's your opinion why do you post on this forum?
max power
Guest
this is why your whole article is wrong "Shut Shield is an amateur club sport so naturally it doesn’t have the same market, but as recently as 2014 the games had bigger average attendances than most NRL clubs" if you believe this fantasy then do not write articles
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Brett There was no attempt to find another option. Not good enough to sit back and wait for offers to come in. 2016 was a good time to find a FTA contract after the WB success at the 2015 RWC.
max power
Guest
ok waxhead- nice and slowly for you. not enough people want to watch rugby for it to be on FTA. they would rather put on 10 year old episodes of Big Brother as they will rate better/ no one wants to watch super rugby on tv. even back in 2000
max power
Guest
superb, on the money
max power
Guest
please do not bring truth and reality to the argument. the fact that Rugby does not have sufficient support to get on FTA does not matter the author insists it will work and it is Foxtel fault. i despise Murdoch but without foxtel, super rugby would never have happened. please tell me how a mining magnate will get rugby on TV?
Ad-O
Guest
It's a risk. That's why no other sport has has done it. Much easier to just take your money up front. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/why-bringing-broadcast-production-in-house-could-cost-the-nrl-20191022-p5333w.html https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/industry-voices-sachs-what-would-it-take-for-nfl-to-go-direct-to-consumer
Beni Iniesta
Guest
"I suspect every man and woman involved in the resurrection of Australian rugby right now fears the fate that was delivered to Raelene Castle for daring to look elsewhere." Err, why didn't they sign a better deal elsewhere then?