Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[half]

Kinda off topic but ch 10, put an Australian Basketball ball team v a not great USA Basketball team on an exhibition match, last night.

I think they came in at number 16, in the overall rating, an as you went down it kept increasing and by the time you got to the under 35s they were in the top 10.

Basketball in Australia is also enjoying over 90% crowd capacity across their ten teams backed up by an increasingly competitive national team.

This is also being backed up by as I understand it the Australian competition being broadcast in the USA when the USA is in off season. Over time if this exposure continues government support especially given USA politics today will rapidly increase.

Just another code or sport fighting for a place in the sporting landscape.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Larry Kestleman did a great job with the NBL. It’s family friendly and a very good level of competition on a global scale and amongst the sides in the comp.

It’s a booming youth sport. I will be surprised if Netball has an elite comp in 20 years with how Basketball will attract female athletes.

 

[Major Tom]

Larry Kestleman did a great job with the NBL. It’s family friendly and a very good level of competition on a global scale and amongst the sides in the comp.

It’s a booming youth sport. I will be surprised if Netball has an elite comp in 20 years with how Basketball will attract female athletes.

Yeah my wife has followed netball her whole life and didn’t even know the diamonds played today. But she’s been all over the WNBA finals.

 

[jason08]

Kinda off topic but ch 10, put an Australian Basketball ball team v a not great USA Basketball team on an exhibition match, last night.

I think they came in at number 16, in the overall rating, an as you went down it kept increasing and by the time you got to the under 35s they were in the top 10.

Basketball in Australia is also enjoying over 90% crowd capacity across their ten teams backed up by an increasingly competitive national team.

This is also being backed up by as I understand it the Australian competition being broadcast in the USA when the USA is in off season. Over time if this exposure continues government support especially given USA politics today will rapidly increase.

Just another code or sport fighting for a place in the sporting landscape.

Didn't even know there was a game on until I saw it on the news. Surprised there wasn't more noise around it with there being a NBA team playing.

The NFL game at the MCG next year will be huge. I think they AFL will be getting something out of it too, otherwise I doubt they would allow a NFL game to be played there during September.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Didn't even know there was a game on until I saw it on the news. Surprised there wasn't more noise around it with there being a NBA team playing.

The NFL game at the MCG next year will be huge. I think they AFL will be getting something out of it too, otherwise I doubt they would allow a NFL game to be played there during September.

$$$$

 

[The_Wookie]

Saturday #AUSportTV
#Bledisloe
Nine 893k (BVOD 126k) Reach 1.769m

#AustraliaCup
Final
Ten 131k (BVOD 13k) Reacxh 506k Data: VOZ

#Bledisloe 893k rating on Nine last night easily the best rating on FTA since COVID for a Wallabies test, and the third one this year to pass 800k.

#Wallabies Rugby Union Tests this year have an aggregated audience of 3.939m at an average of 656,000 per match. (3.458m at 691k for AU hosted matches)

Consolidated+7 (27/9)
#AFL Grand Final
Seven 4.187m (BVOD 985k) Reach 6.41m (last year 4.055m)

#Bledisloe G1
Nine 495k (BVOD 67k) Reach 1.193m

Data: VOZ (consolidated)

2025 Wallabies Attendance & FTA TV

2025 Australian Rugby - SportsIndustryAU

The British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia was attended by 453,237 at an average of 50,360, using 86% of available capacity - this includes all tour

footyindustry.com

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

So the Wobs need to fixture without direct FTA competition.

Suprised that many watch the Soccer

 

[Adam84]

So a dead rubber Bledisloe that isn’t scheduled to directly compete with the AFL attracts an extra 450k viewers…..

shows how bloody dumb/missed opportunity last weeks scheduling was

 

[Adam84]

No actual Stan figures, but they’ve highlighted the growth in Stan Sport ratings:

These numbers do not include Stan's broadcast numbers, but the streaming service confirmed that the Perth Test achieved the largest audience ever for a Bledisloe match on the platform.

The streaming platform revealed a double-digit percentage increase in the previous highest audience for a Bledisloe Test match with the Auckland Test, only for that record to be broken the following week in Perth.

Bledisloe Cup a ratings smash for Wallabies as 'golden decade' begins with record breaking domestic Test season

The Wallabies may have gone down in frustrating circumstances in their final home match of the year against the All Blacks - but in every other aspect, the Perth Bledisloe Test proved a worthy end to a record year for Australian rugby.

www.rugby.com.au

 

[PhilClinton]

Anyone see Nick Frisby post on social media during the Bled on Sat?

Looks like he has deleted it but it was rinsing all the Stan Sports commentary team by name and saying we need better commentators. Was very well written and long, didn’t seem like something done off the cuff.

Pretty awkward as Nick has been involved in some local rugby commentary for Stan.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Few schooners or has he been given the flick from the team?

I don't mind the group as a whole except for SBW is awful but feels a forced play mate. Turinui is also sounded very jaded recently and needs to step back a bit regardless of people screaming bUt HeS RiGHt. Harrison also offers nothing except superlatives and bs.

The relatively new faces like Naiqama and Hooper a gems in coverage.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Turiniui absolutely needs to stop telling us all what the ref has to do, before they've made a decision, and then whingeing when a different decision is made. Even if he's right. It's insufferable.

Shut up while the ref is talking and explaining a decision, then explain why the ref made that decision, even if you disagree with it, and we will all be better informed.

 

[Rob42]

Yes, there's been a definite change in tone around the refs this year, prior to that Stan was very deliberate in their tone, almost always positive. Sure there's been frustrating decisions, but too much whining about it now from the comms.

But otherwise, the Stan coverage is excellent, I'm not sure what more people actually want (aside from less SBW, obviously).

 

[Adam84]

Anyone see Nick Frisby post on social media during the Bled on Sat?

Looks like he has deleted it but it was rinsing all the Stan Sports commentary team by name and saying we need better commentators. Was very well written and long, didn’t seem like something done off the cuff.

Pretty awkward as Nick has been involved in some local rugby commentary for Stan.

Nick Frisby wasn’t know for making the best decisions when he was a few beers deep…

There might be some truth, but for someone leaning into rugby podcasts & broadcasting, this isn’t the appropriate way to message it

 

[Dan54]

We obviously only get Aus commentary in games not involving ABs, ie super and tests other than NZ. I not keen on Turunui, but not overly worried about others. Like any country (NZ included) there are some that will annoy me a bit.
But one thing I do enjoy that Stan does is the shows, Between The posts, Inside Rugby, Rugby Heaven. I consider us fortunate to get them over here, I don't agree with all points etc, and ok the Aus centric as they should be, but I do think they are worth watching.

 

[PhilClinton]

I don't mind the group as a whole except for SBW is awful but feels a forced play mate.

SBW has essentially come out and said he doesn't even want to commentate and should be hanging up the boots. The whole narrative around it was he was only doing it to provide a voice for the pacific islands people but now he feels like his time could be better spent elsewhere.

I saw a soundbite of him saying that on a podcast about a week ago.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Hopefully. So many better PI speakers IMO but I get he brought a level notoriety early days but even amongst the youth now he's not remembered as a player to the level older fans remember him.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Wasn't he just rolled out because Nine only had to pay one person for league and union work?

 

[PhilClinton]

I am sure that is part of it.

They did the same with Alana Ferguson.

 

[PhilClinton]

I actually don't mind most of the Stan Sports commentary team aside from Justin Harrison.

I don't find his input to be overly stimulating, and I really have an issue with someone in his corporate position being one of the main media faces for rugby in Australia.