MEDIA RELEASE | NRL Broadcast Deal

Addy

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We could have had it so good.

Foxtel, who own a percentage of Ch 10, wanted to make a deal where we would get 4 FTA games live, and 4 FTA on delay via Ch 10 and ONE, and all 8 games live on Foxtel.
 

Capital_Shark

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Is channel nine going to atleast be in HD? If not itll be crap

Hate to be the one to stick up for CH9 here but its actually government legislation that the networks broadcast their main channel in standard definition.

Just on the deal I think its great:
- Regained control of scheduling to hopefully begin to balance crowd-friendly with ratings-friendly.
- An adjustment to SoO to lessen the impact on season proper without ****ing the massive ratings/money earner. Bringing some more international rep games into that Origin weekend should help to boost their profile.
- A dedicated window for international games at the end of the season.
- Half the competition will be live on free-to-air. Thats huge.
- Already got nearly a billion bucks before Fox, NZ, International and Digital rights are sorted.

We should wind up with simulcasting and a dedicated NRL channel on Foxtel which would be fantastic.

We could wind up Foxtel investing enough for an extra game (requiring 2 extra teams) to bank expansion at some stage.

Main thing is there is still 2 seasons till it kicks in, so pressure is on Foxtel. The FTA networks know without doubt their future is in live sport - and even that is limited. AFL will be spewing cause 1 of the 3 FTA networks are out of the race for their rights and TEN is broke as **** leaving CH7 in the drivers seat for their re-negotiation. If Foxtel wait too long they risk a player like Netflix coming into the bidding for those other 4 (maybe 5) games.

NRL has played their hand pretty well I reckon.
 

snowman

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they cant scrap monday night footy, me and 2010 had a romantic dinner and a beer

he ate 3 bowls of pasta, it was like a poodle eating custard
 

ABshark

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Hate to be the one to stick up for CH9 here but its actually government legislation that the networks broadcast their main channel in standard definition.

Just on the deal I think its great:
- Regained control of scheduling to hopefully begin to balance crowd-friendly with ratings-friendly.
- An adjustment to SoO to lessen the impact on season proper without ****ing the massive ratings/money earner. Bringing some more international rep games into that Origin weekend should help to boost their profile.
- A dedicated window for international games at the end of the season.
- Half the competition will be live on free-to-air. Thats huge.
- Already got nearly a billion bucks before Fox, NZ, International and Digital rights are sorted.

We should wind up with simulcasting and a dedicated NRL channel on Foxtel which would be fantastic.

We could wind up Foxtel investing enough for an extra game (requiring 2 extra teams) to bank expansion at some stage.

Main thing is there is still 2 seasons till it kicks in, so pressure is on Foxtel. The FTA networks know without doubt their future is in live sport - and even that is limited. AFL will be spewing cause 1 of the 3 FTA networks are out of the race for their rights and TEN is broke as **** leaving CH7 in the drivers seat for their re-negotiation. If Foxtel wait too long they risk a player like Netflix coming into the bidding for those other 4 (maybe 5) games.

NRL has played their hand pretty well I reckon.

Agree on every count. Smith and his cronies have killed it on this one.

I would have liked to see entirely stand alone Origin but this is a start. Basically with split rounds each team will only lose their Origin players for one game which is, at least, fair.

The NRL getting control over scheduling will leave them open to a lot of criticism if they blow it but at the same time it should be a big boost for the smaller Clubs' sponsorship deals. Also IMO a great opportunity to market a 'match of the round' on the Saturday night or Sunday arvo and more generally to ensure that the biggest drawing games are on at smart times (i.e. no Sharks v Dragons or Parra v Manly on a Monday night).

Hopefully Nein will invest in their coverage a little more and give it a revamp too.
 

HaroldBishop

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Agree on every count. Smith and his cronies have killed it on this one.

I would have liked to see entirely stand alone Origin but this is a start. Basically with split rounds each team will only lose their Origin players for one game which is, at least, fair.

The NRL getting control over scheduling will leave them open to a lot of criticism if they blow it but at the same time it should be a big boost for the smaller Clubs' sponsorship deals. Also IMO a great opportunity to market a 'match of the round' on the Saturday night or Sunday arvo and more generally to ensure that the biggest drawing games are on at smart times (i.e. no Sharks v Dragons or Parra v Manly on a Monday night).

Hopefully Nein will invest in their coverage a little more and give it a revamp too.

Yeah agree with everyone Cap and yourself have said.

My only bugbear is the channel 9 coverage/commentators, the continued push to the lowest common denominator drives me insane. I'd like to see it revamped as well but I think we all know it won't be.

Other than that it's a cracking deal. I will seriously consider dumping Foxtel when this commences.
 

ABshark

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Yeah Nein's coverage blows but at some point soon Rabs will move on and I think that will be the catalyst for them putting some money into improving it. Its got better with the half hour build up on a Sunday afternoon.

Fox Footy (AFL) isn't perfect but its miles ahead of any NRL coverage. You'd think with four games across a whole weekend that Nein could put together some sort of programming that makes sense and does some decent previewing/reviewing. A Sunday night round-in-review show on Gem or whatever would be good.
 

slide rule

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Other than that it's a cracking deal. I will seriously consider dumping Foxtel when this commences.

Yes, I'm sure you're not the only one. It's a bit of a Foxtel killer really. Between Home games and FTA you probably aren't going to miss much and a trip to the pub isn't a major inconvenience when you do.

Live sport is probably the only thing they have going for them over someone like Netflix and the NRL is a biggie. They're going to have to adjust their subscription prices (which might be viable if they aren't paying big bucks for the footy) because it's currently about between about 3 to 5 times the price of Netflix for a decent package.
 

slide rule

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Yeah Nein's coverage blows but at some point soon Rabs will move on and I think that will be the catalyst for them putting some money into improving it. Its got better with the half hour build up on a Sunday afternoon.

Fox Footy (AFL) isn't perfect but its miles ahead of any NRL coverage. You'd think with four games across a whole weekend that Nein could put together some sort of programming that makes sense and does some decent previewing/reviewing. A Sunday night round-in-review show on Gem or whatever would be good.

The problem that I foresee is the pre-game etc. Foxtel are happy with the big pre and post game shows because they are a sports Channel. Nine on the other hand will still want to show things like the news, ACA, the lastest cooking show and 60 Minutes to appeal to the broader audience. I guess it depends how many idiots are still tuning into that rubbish in two years time. A lot of these people might finally move over to Netflix etc by then.
 

egg

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Source : Sydney Morning Herald

The NRL will consider bringing broadcast production of its matches in-house for the next television rights deal to maximise revenue in a move that would have huge ramifications for its traditional media partners.

The existing deal with Foxtel and Nine Entertainment Co – the publishers of the Herald – doesn’t expire until the end of the 2022 season. However, the governing body is already planning for the next rights negotiations to ensure all options are considered in a rapidly changing media landscape.

The NRL extracted $2 billion from Nine, Foxtel and Telstra to provide coverage of the game over a five-year period, a figure 70 per cent higher than the previous deal. However, changes in technology and viewing habits could result in the value flatlining or even decreasing when the rights are next up for grabs.

Rugby league has long gone with a two-partner model of a free-to-air and subscription provider, with Fox and Nine paying top dollar for a property that has been a sure-fire ratings winner. However, the emergence of streaming service Kayo and a shift to fans consuming sport on mobile devices has further fragmented the market.

The NRL will give its current broadcast partners every opportunity to retain the rights before exploring alternate options. However, according to sources with knowledge of the approaching negotiations, the NRL could produce the broadcast content itself and then look to sell off the properties to interested parties if it isn't satisfied with the price broadcasters are willing to pay.

For instance, there could be a scenario in which the Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday and Sunday games could be sold as separate entities to individual networks, such as Nine, Seven, Ten and Fox Sports. Money would be saved by centralising all of the production costs while bidders could be prepared to pay more given it is an expense they wouldn’t have to bear.

Such a model would bring free-to-air broadcasters including Seven and Ten into the mix, raising the prospect of rugby league being spread across several channels. Platforms such as Google, Facebook and Netflix – often dubbed as "disruptors" to traditional media – may also emerge as rights bidders in the future.

There is also the possibility that the NRL could sell off various properties – such as State of Origin, the World and club 9s tournaments, international matches and the All Stars fixture – separately in a bid to extract maximum value.

Several other Australian sports including V8 Supercars have already taken their content production in-house. Tennis also uses a similar model for major events such as grand slams, on-selling the rights to broadcasters who then provide their own commentary teams.

The NRL has already made a $150 million investment in a digital strategy that includes a huge injection in nrl.com. It opens up the possibility of games potentially being delivered directly to subscribers, effectively taking out traditional television broadcasters as the middlemen.

The Origin matches, currently shown exclusively live on Nine, remain the biggest television events of the year. The NRL grand final between the Roosters and Raiders returned the lowest viewing figures on the network since 2003, attracting 1.866 million across the five capital cities. The decline was more alarming in the AFL grand final between Richmond and Greater Western Sydney, which attracted 2.19 million viewers – a 20 per cent drop on the previous decider.

Traditional TV figures are down for the NRL, although industry analysts believe the numbers stack up relatively well given the trend towards watching content on other electronic devices.

The NRL is expected to provide its strategy for the game’s footprint in coming months. The addition or relocation of teams could result in more value being added to the broadcast rights, particularly if Queensland gains a franchise.
 

HaroldBishop

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The NRL couldn't organise a root in a brothel, imagine them handling their own broadcast production.

What a laugh.
 

Gards

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pretty sure their media team would outsource the broadcast operation itself to another party. in-house just means they have the rights and responsibilities, they don't have to physically hold the cameras and direct though they might still manage the overall production and editing aspects.

I love the idea of a camera man getting sent to the bin for 10
 

HaroldBishop

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pretty sure their media team would outsource the broadcast operation itself to another party. in-house just means they have the rights and responsibilities, they don't have to physically hold the cameras and direct though they might still manage the overall production and editing aspects.

I love the idea of a camera man getting sent to the bin for 10

Probably outsource it to channel 9 and pay more for production.
 

Mark^Bastard

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I would love to pay the NRL directly via an app / streaming service.

I have no interest in paying for other sports (Kayo) let alone other mandatory content (Foxtel).

Even if it were the same price I'm paying now for Kayo ($25 a month) I'd be happier knowing the money was going to the NRL instead of ****ty middle-men getting their cut and using it to influence global politics.
 

Gards

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Probably outsource it to channel 9 and pay more for production.
SBS could do some sick subtitles and accents over the pre-game deco rub session...

or just slip some bloke on the hill a 50 and some pies to film on his 2MP Nokia flip phone and $3 mic

I would love to pay the NRL directly via an app / streaming service.

I have no interest in paying for other sports (Kayo) let alone other mandatory content (Foxtel).

Even if it were the same price I'm paying now for Kayo ($25 a month) I'd be happier knowing the money was going to the NRL instead of ****ty middle-men getting their cut and using it to influence global politics.

even better just pay for Sharks games for a nominal fee and pay less each week if you're team is going **** and not in the 8 haha
 

HaroldBishop

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I would love to pay the NRL directly via an app / streaming service.

I have no interest in paying for other sports (Kayo) let alone other mandatory content (Foxtel).

Even if it were the same price I'm paying now for Kayo ($25 a month) I'd be happier knowing the money was going to the NRL instead of ****ty middle-men getting their cut and using it to influence global politics.

I get what you're saying. Personally I'm very happy with Kayo though as I love AFL so works out well for me.

$25 for 6 months is ideal in my situation.
 
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I would love to pay the NRL directly via an app / streaming service.

I have no interest in paying for other sports (Kayo) let alone other mandatory content (Foxtel).

Even if it were the same price I'm paying now for Kayo ($25 a month) I'd be happier knowing the money was going to the NRL instead of ****ty middle-men getting their cut and using it to influence global politics.

Who is going to provide the footage? Produce the content etc? You think the NRL are capable of basically running a tv channel?
 
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