NRL international streaming: A high price to pay

Chuck a few games on ABC Australia. It's the quickest and easiest of ways to get a few eyeballs on it. AFL has 6 games a week on on ABC Australia. The channel is considered "entertainment" by almost all payTV companies in Asia so it's a standard channel in every basic package. A while ago the NRL did do that. I don't know why they stopped

Pick a bar in Thailand or Bali that is showing rugby league and you are playing a game called "spot the non-Australian in this bar". Move away from the Aussie dominated holiday spots and it's a far different story. In pre-Covid Singapore there would be approximately 3 bars that show league...and two of them are openly Australian expat themed bars. Malaysia is the same. It's pretty hard to find a bar in KL that is showing league these days. And now the situation has changed entirely for the worse since the departure of Fox Sport Asia from screens. There is now no broadcaster on the continent that will show rugby league. The author was quite clearly aiming for the locals who aren't going to expat bars but rather want to watch from the comfort of their home. It's obviously not a big deal for the NRL, but they wouldn't be going into the red if they slashed the cost of the package or even chucked some free hours at the broadcasters. If the NRL were clever, they'd give some games to ABC Australia, who currently show 6 AFL games a week...it's an own goal.

I'm sure in the not too distant future, the NRL will have to look at how to better capture international market share, but right now, I think they're simply trying to maintain what markets they have. I suspect covid has put a dampener on any moves in that direction. Not saying that should be the case. It probably wouldn't take much or cost much to investigate the best avenues to bring the game to more people, but still allow the NRL some sort of control over their product, which is what "watchNRL" allows. I'd have thought it's the sort of thing that could be done form home - or even from the USA. :happy:

I'm in the US, so that's my immediate consideration. Let's say you only get 1 in 30000 Americans to show interest. That's still over 10000 potential fans. Factor in the rest of the world, and the numbers are worth pursuing. Around ten years ago, I was watching the NRL in Asia via a Setanta Sports online subscription, where most of the content was European rugby. If the NRL wants to go the subscription route, they can't just offer their product on its own and just expect people to discover it.

I only pay about $90 stream the full CFL season from Canada for comparison.

I hear about interest in "rugby." There's a market, but it's not enough to just provide the games. There needs to be education too. When Kerry Packer started WSC, he would have his mother watch the coverage and call him whenever the commentators used terminology she didn't understand. Packer would then contact the producers and have them explain said terminology the next time it came up. I'm not sure if new commentators using a 'rugby league for dummies' approach would be worthwhile as opposed to a simplified analysis show, etc, but something needs to be done. There is very little knowledge of rugby league internationally. So we should change that.

By saying there is room for both codes? Acknowledging the ABs global brand? Wake up to yourself. I've read your posts mate - pot and kettle... Melbourne didn't win the GF, didn't even play in it but facts have never been a part of your diatribe.

“Guru” but unnecessarily offensive anyway. Especially when league has so much to offer, like video of the premiership-winning team snorting “white powder” at their party…

Which markets are you talking about Tim? Europe is seriously tough to break into, given the number of channels that provide soccer from all manner of competitions. Even in our footy season, there's still so much soccer being played and shown The obvious one is the US but that's a market saturated with subscription TV. I recently read an article that suggests 78% of Americans have subscription video service, so is it a stretch to tap into that market? I agree in an ideal world, free to air would be terrific, but I'm guessing FTA will be a thing of the past in the not too distant future

Exactly! But some of the blokes here think the locals are interested

But SE Asia bars that are populated by Australians don't need to be sold on subscribing. International markets, where the primary consumers are not familiar with rugby league, will struggle to attract viewers watching out of curiosity if charging a premium price.

This article is not correct. When the NRL season is on, in the UK, people can watch some NRL games on Sky, for example. Yes you have to pay for that service too but it's another option. I;ve also watched live League in Bali, for example. The cost of a subscription is AUD$199, which is USD$143. Prior to covid, I spent a lot of time in SE Asia and never had a problem finding somewhere to watch the footy. This was nearly always in a pub or bar, but that's where I l prefer to watch the game anyway. The owners must have paid up because they were using the app but didn't have any issues with that because they were getting their money back in a big way. I don't see this as a big issue and presumably neither does the NRL.

That's if he could even look his mother in the eye

I have long advocated something like this, Gee, I would even give the rights away to someone like ESPN. Unfortunately we have an "Pure Accounting" approach to most things in this country where only dollars in the short term really matters. Also most NRL fans seem to be focused only on their own club and the domestic competition and care little about overseas. Just look at the attitude we get from clubs about going to England to play the WCC at the start of the season. That attitude percolates throughout the NRL who don't really care about the international scene. You want NRL on ESPN then "Whats in it for me", want to reduce the price of WatchNRL then show us how that increases my revenue (and by the way, where is the Guarantee ?). The ESL has shown more commitment to trying to grow the international game but with funding equivalent to the square root of fresh air then they are pretty limited in what they can do. Sadly as valid as all your points are, I am afraid your best chance might looking at SKySportsNow in the UK who have an internet streaming service. They cover a number of NRL matches each year plus Superleague and of course you should be able to get the World Cup matches this year. I don't use it so it might not be possible but it might be worth a look.

So so true

Hey Fergo! This one definitely suits you, your nose is all bent out of shape as well. Imagine spending your life trolling social media sites. Mum must be so proud.

I live in the States too. A work colleague has become obsessive about AFL after seeing it during lockdown. He watches every game in full for free on the afl's website. If league and other sports took this approach, they could tap into these kinds of fans.

It's not an American i guarantee you it's Rob Burgin from Brisbane Queensland Australia. He is desperate on social media about this. Nobody in The States cares about Rugby League

That's probably true. Although give them some credit, it wouldn't take long to differentiate between the two after watching a game of each. Union can thank the ABs for their US notoriety and the nature of the code may suit larger linebacker types but there are 100s of thousands not- NFL - ready types who like a faster, fitter game. There is room for both codes and enough supporters and potential sponsors for each to find a place.

The NRL won't grow internationally by cutting the price of its streaming service, it will grow if the NRL give the rights to broadcasters for free in some of these countries. A cost based streaming service will only attract current fans, not new oes