NRL TV Rights Deal

[DeathMoth]

streaming to mobile is such a povo product. low res, ****ty little images.

this is what Major League Baseball in the US can offer. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp?&c_id=mlb&affiliateId=mlbMENU
$50 a year and that counts for your computer, iphone or android, xbox and i think i saw it up on my AppleTV last time i was using it.

that's what's being offered elsewhere in the world. it took me about 20 seconds to find that info. what the **** are these network dinosaurs doing with their time?

 

[Mark^Bastard]

The NRL already has an Internet based streaming service.

It is restricted using geolocation software so that it can only be used outside Australia.

This is because Telstra currently have the rights to stream it inside Australia.

There is mixed information, but it's been suggested that the NRL may retain the rights needed so they could remove the geolocation restrictions and Australians could subscribe to a 'web streaming' service.

 

[HaroldBishop]

Do you know if that would be a live feed, Mark?

 

[Mark^Bastard]

Yes, it's already 100% live feeds.

I actually used a VPN connected to a server in the USA last year to watch us play Souths in that game where the kick off was 9:30pm in both states.

And I watched it live at 7:30pm.

 

[DeathMoth]

but look at the quality of what they offer with MLB.
the online package is huge!

i'm well aware that the NRL offers a streaming service outside of the country but their stream is no doubt not even a speck of **** on the horizon of what is actually possible. it is no doubt (and this is entirely speculative based on how rubbish the NRL's online presence is) just a live game stream. you can also watch crummy replays of games a couple of days after the fact.

the best product that could be offered would be access to live stream any game, full HD or games on demand as soon as they're done. access with the one membership across a range of compatible devices (xbox, ps3, apple tv, Boxee, various smart tvs, smart phones, iOS), live stats for pc/mac users.

to not offer that product is selling the league short and excluding what is potentially quite a large customer or at least one that will grow over the coming couple of years

 

[Mark^Bastard]

Yeah, you're starting to sound a bit repetitive now.

Everyone that hasn't been living under a rock knows all about that.

The only thing that matters right now is the answer to "Do the NRL own the rights and if they do what limitations are on them?"

 

[DeathMoth]

so what's the deal with the digital rights? who has them and until when?

 

[Mark^Bastard]

There's been mixed reports.

Foxtel have been said to have the IPTV rights and the Tablet rights.

Some articles have said that the NRL have retained the mobile rights, and the web rights. These articles have even specifically mentioned web streaming with the Australian restrictions possibly being removed.

Some people think IPTV means the same as web streaming, though it may mean just the rights to broadcast through something like Fetch TV or say a Telstra T-Hub like service, or XBox or whatever. The 'web streaming' rights may for example be different and only be allowed to be viewed through a web browser, and the mobile rights only allowed to be viewed on non-tablet mobile devices.

A lot of the information seems conflicting to me.

The big question is what rights the NRL currently hold, and whether there's any restrictions (for example restricted to certain devices, certain resolution, certain bit rates, certain forms of Internet connection like excluding fixed connections etc).

The big question for me is, can I pay to watch the NRL the way I want it without having to give money to Foxtel and without having to resort to illegal ways of doing what I want.

 

[DeathMoth]

what they really should have done would have been to seek a tender for an all inclusive package. tv, online, mobile, IPTV all in one, from one high bidder (or collab) or attempting to retain all the digital rights to themselves. it's asinine to have the rights for various digital devices divided among multiple licensees particularly at a time when digital media consumption is becoming so well integrated. the consumer wants flexibility. i don't want a subscription that i can only watch on my xbox for example, when i could be in a hotel room only with my laptop yet i don't want to be tied to my laptop when i'm sitting on my lounge in front of a perfectly good tv with numerous peripherals that currently allow streaming television. even the notion of perhaps lifting the geo restrictions is still a bit lame as we all know it will be a ****ty feed.

it's a real shame, because despite the shadiness of the facts currently being told, we all know they're going to kook it and for at least this coming season the game will be operating in the dark ages.

 

[slide rule]

At the moment the NRL and Telstra can hardly run a decent website that is capable of screening short highlight packages. Their website is so bad that I've stopped visiting it. I hope they get live streming, but then again, I'd expect it to constantly crash. You'll probably still get better quality video through an illegal site based in bagdad.

 

[Mark^Bastard]

The problem is that Foxtel have a monopoly on the content AND the distribution and they use that to enforce people to sign up for their basic package plus their sports package, and to also have their equipment in your home.

It's this lack of flexibility that drives their business model, taking choice away from the consumer and screwing them over.

If the NRL tries to compete with them, Foxtel may be less likely to pay as much. Don't get me wrong, I still would love the NRL to do it.

IMO the NRL should retain all web rights (ie anything where the traffic goes over the Internet including mobile, web, iptv devices, smart tvs etc).

They should then outsource whatever parts they need to in order to make it work. Whether that's a big tender to a big company, or they get some companies to make apps, some to make websites, etc, I don't care.

The end goal would be:

- Website with live streaming, delayed downloads, and historical 'catch up' streaming.
- Android and iOS apps with live streaming and catch up.
- Smart TV apps
- End user set top box device plugins/apps
- Plugins/apps on software based devices like Windows Media Center etc.

 

[DeathMoth]

i know. look how pro all the US sports' websites are...and then go to the NRL site. it's like some high school kid made it.

 

[DeathMoth]

The problem is that Foxtel have a monopoly on the content AND the distribution and they use that to enforce people to sign up for their basic package plus their sports package, and to also have their equipment in your home.

It's this lack of flexibility that drives their business model, taking choice away from the consumer and screwing them over.

If the NRL tries to compete with them, Foxtel may be less likely to pay as much. Don't get me wrong, I still would love the NRL to do it.

IMO the NRL should retain all web rights (ie anything where the traffic goes over the Internet including mobile, web, iptv devices, smart tvs etc).

They should then outsource whatever parts they need to in order to make it work. Whether that's a big tender to a big company, or they get some companies to make apps, some to make websites, etc, I don't care.

The end goal would be:

- Website with live streaming, delayed downloads, and historical 'catch up' streaming.
- Android and iOS apps with live streaming and catch up.
- Smart TV apps
- End user set top box device plugins/apps
- Plugins/apps on software based devices like Windows Media Center etc.

spot on

the hassle is with Fox creating and owning the content, even if NRL owned the rights to broadcast online etc, they'd need the content which fox has created. they've set themselves up for a fall with a particularly poor business model (the NRL has) and are totally at the mercy of Foxtel and it's only to the detriment of the game.

 

[Mark^Bastard]

the hassle is with Fox creating and owning the content, even if NRL owned the rights to broadcast online etc, they'd need the content which fox has created.

Yeah that's probably another area Fox would have them by the balls.

I know there's a sort of unbranded stream that is created because that's how the current system works, but no doubt the NRL would have to pay to access it because the cameras would be owned by Fox.

 

[DeathMoth]

Yeah that's probably another area Fox would have them by the balls.

I know there's a sort of unbranded stream that is created because that's how the current system works, but no doubt the NRL would have to pay to access it because the cameras would be owned by Fox.

yeh NRL have a terrible business plan. Rather than retaining the rights and outsourcing the production then licensing the content they have pretty much done the exact opposite which leaves them little control, if any, over the final content. Obviously there are many factors at play such as whether the NRL could afford to produce the content through outsourcing and how much more a broadcaster would pay for ready-to-air content (considering they don't have the expense of producing) and whether that model is more profitable for the NRL.

at a guess, considering the NRL could do more with the content than Foxtel would, i assume they could probably make a bit more money than they do under the current model while increasing the game's profile through wider and digital access.

 

[gando2230]

Sorry to butt in and tell me to get lost but I'm a kook at all things tech but reading all about the streaming.
and the network is crap compared to the USA , but in Australia were maybe 1 million viewers downloading or streaming games

were in the USA there would be be about 20 million viewers downloading or streaming games highlights

So maybe its not big on the agenda of Foxtel or Telstra cause they want you to scribe to Foxtel on a package
That's why Foxtel have paid so much for the rights that we have to buy into a contract

 

[HaroldBishop]

One thing I'd like to see next year now we'll have a fixed schedule is to ensure there is never a case where a team has to back up after five days. It should be possible to ensure every team has a minimum of a six day turnaround.

Of course we all know Brisbane will have a seven day turnaround every week

 

[Lumpy]

The Sharks will still get screwed each week. Nothing will change at all next year, just more Ads!

 

[creg]

you can sign up with www.bet365.com.au if you want to stream live games... all league games are live and you just need to have at least 1cent in your betting account to get the stream

 

[DeathMoth]

**** streams