Australian Rugby / RA

[The Honey Badger]

I never make a claim that I can't substantiate. There's always been an FTA partner, they've just declined to show super rugby:

I dont think the FTA partner has ever had rights to a Live broadcast in prime time, its only been replays.

We need a match of the round (or 2) shown live on FTA.


Am I right in saying that more people watch the Channel 10 coverage of the Wallabies than watch it on Fox??

If so, we lock ourselves out of so much of the market, and limit the growth and potential of the sport,

 

[Quick Hands]

I disagree. The FoxSports commentators know who their daddy is and act as another mouth piece. Have a look at how much Kafer has been in the news. He's the same idiot who was brought by RA in to assist with developing the coaching ranks, did SFA and is now moaning about the state of affairs.

You seem to be arguing against your own point here. Kafer as an RA employee on Fox blatantly ran the RA line at every opportunity.

I disagree again. How can we expect to grow the game if we constantly do the same thing? The change in broadcasting rights gave/gives Australian Rugby the opportunity to try something new to get more Rugby in our time zone for people towatch.


.

The only change in broadcast rights at the moment is from something to nothing. Not sure how having no broadcast deal will allow rugby to grow.

Or you know, rugby could grow to be something more and allow for a truly national club competition to be put in place.

For rugby to get any sort of FTA deal which has reasonable $$$ attached would require a complete change in the RA business model. FTA networks require regular prime time fixtures which can be broadcast live. Ideally this would involve a Friday night, Saturday night and a Sunday afternoon. For this to occur you need a minimum of 8 teams playing out of Australia. It doesn't work for FTA to have teams disappearing for 2-3 weeks.

But this type of competition isn't even on the RA radar, they remain bound to the SANZAAR pan-continental model. Such a model reduces the value of the product to the point where it's only viable on pay TV.

Like many on these threads you're becoming emotional about the TV rights deal. Emotion doesn't come into it, it's a business deal pure and simple. Rugby went with Fox all those years ago and have remained with them purely and simply because Fox would pay more $$$ than any FTA network could or would. It was open to ARU/RA at any point to give a FTA network more super content, but none of the FTA networks would have paid that much for it and it would also have meant that Fox would have paid less as it no longer had exclusive rights to live games. So rugby would have lost a significant amount of revenue.

 

[Quick Hands]

I dont think the FTA partner has ever had rights to a Live broadcast in prime time, its only been replays.

We need a match of the round (or 2) shown live on FTA.


Am I right in saying that more people watch the Channel 10 coverage of the Wallabies than watch it on Fox??

If so, we lock ourselves out of so much of the market, and limit the growth and potential of the sport,

They only haven't had the rights to live broadcasts because they would have had to pay more for those rights and they weren't willing to do so. It's all economics pure and simple. Fox has deals with AFL and NRL where 7 and 9 each have rights to live telecasts, but the FTA networks have to pay significantly for that right. It means Fox pay less than they would for exclusive rights, but that loss of revenue to AFL and NRL is made up in the money that 7 and 9 tip in..

I don't think any of the FTA networks want to spend money on Super Rugby.

Not sure about channel 10 v Fox for tests. I can't even remember which one I watch, but I think it's 10 because I prefer the commentators they have to the boofheads on Fox.

 

[Ignoto]

You seem to be arguing against your own point here. Kafer as an RA employee on Fox blatantly ran the RA line at every opportunity.

But now that he isn't a RA employee any more, he's spouting nonsense for FoxSports.

But this type of competition isn't even on the RA radar, they remain bound to the SANZAAR pan-continental model. Such a model reduces the value of the product to the point where it's only viable on pay TV.

But RA have stated they want a national club competition which will fit the 8+ team model. Now, with COVID, it's looking like Aus and New Zealand will most likely be playing rugby against one another and there could be 10 teams (4 Aus Super + Force + 5 Kiwi teams).

Rugby went with Fox all those years ago and have remained with them purely and simply because Fox would pay more $$$ than any FTA network could or would.

But now Fox are lowballing and its reported that Optus submitted a deal worth more than what Fox sent through. Which explains why the hounds have been released by Fox in the last month or so.

 

[Slim 293]

Foxtel............

- Their services are overpriced
- Their format is a dinosaur in the current media landscape
- They're losing content
- And for all of these reasons they're rapidly losing subscribers

......... and ultimately they've offered RA less than Optus for the rights.

I think it would be fantastic for RA to find themselves ahead of the trend for once, before all of the other major sports desert Fox for their own superior streaming models.

 

[kiap]

I think RA will secure some loans/funds going cap-in-hand to WR (World Rugby) and/or government.

Hmm, I might've misspoke.

'No handout possible': SANZAAR won't get virus bailout, says Pichot​

Vice-chairman Augustin Pichot says World Rugby won't bail out SANZAAR nations that hit the financial skids, making it critical they extract themselves quickly from the coronavirus pandemic.​

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...irus-bailout-says-pichot-20200415-p54k39.html​

Either that or Pichot has done the voting numbers and Sanzaar won't get him over the line

 

[KOB1987]

Hmm, I might've misspoke.

'No handout possible': SANZAAR won't get virus bailout, says Pichot​

Vice-chairman Augustin Pichot says World Rugby won't bail out SANZAAR nations that hit the financial skids, making it critical they extract themselves quickly from the coronavirus pandemic.​

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...irus-bailout-says-pichot-20200415-p54k39.html​

Either that or Pichot has done the voting numbers and Sanzaar won't get him over the line

How does one ‘extract themselves quickly from the Coronavirus pandemic’? Particularly an organisation that spans 5 countries.

 

[Quick Hands]

But now that he isn't a RA employee any more, he's spouting nonsense for FoxSports.

He's made a living out of spouting nonsense. If Foxtel are his employer, then discerning people will see through it. I've never placed any stock in anything which Kafer has ever said, so I'm generally inclined to think he's wrong. He's made a living out of mediocrity but for some reason many in Australian rugby hang on his every word.

But RA have stated they want a national club competition which will fit the 8+ team model. Now, with COVID, it's looking like Aus and New Zealand will most likely be playing rugby against one another and there could be 10 teams (4 Aus Super + Force + 5 Kiwi teams).

I've never heard them say that they want this. I'd welcome it if they did, but it involves freeing us from the SANZAAR millstone. Not sure RA have the stomach for that.

Not sure how a Trans-Tasman will work as both countries have a 14 day quarantine period for new arrivals. By the way, this isn't a national club competition and it's hard to imagine NZRU agreeing to it given their consistent line that they want to play regular fixtures at provincial and test level against SA teams. Personally, I'd oppose any Aus/NZ competition - let them go through with their oft stated threat to fly over us.

Personally I would have a competition involving:
Sydney
NSW Country EDIT or Western Sydney (the second being my preference)
Melbourne
Canberra
Perth
Brisbane*
Fiji
Tonga
Samoa

*I'm open to the idea of a Qld Country team if those closer to Qld think it's a goer

Tonga to play all home games at Cambelltown (with one in Tonga)**
Samoa to play all home games in Brisbane (with one in Samoa)**
Fiji to play all home games in Townsville (with one in Fiji)**

** Gate takings from all home games played in Aust go to the PI team

But now Fox are lowballing and its reported that Optus submitted a deal worth more than what Fox sent through. Which explains why the hounds have been released by Fox in the last month or so.

You're completely misunderstanding what I am saying. I couldn't care less whether or not RA goes with Foxtel or not. I understand the agenda of Fox. If Optus is offering them more money for the same product then clearly they should go with that. But you need to understand that this is just a commercial arrangement and just like Foxtel, Optus will only promote rugby to the extent that it is in their commercial interest to do so. No broadcaster of any sport will do otherwise and it's fanciful to think they would.

I'm also assuming that the Optus deal is linked to Australian involvement in SANZAAR and all that this involves - Super Rugby and TRC. i.e. no room for the domestic professional competition needed to save the game in Australia. Although as we are yet to see the Optus 'deal' it's hard to tell what it involves.

 

[RugbyReg]

Brett Robinson (RA) has seconded Pichot's nomination it would seem

 

[Quick Hands]

Either that or Pichot has done the voting numbers and Sanzaar won't get him over the line

Yes, I think that this is what's happened.

EDIT: He's actually made a lot of sense in what he said.

I like this bit in particular:

Pichot said the sport's enforced break should prompt SANZAAR to assess the ongoing profitability and viability of its competitions, even in the short term.

 

[The Honey Badger]

I dont think the FTA partner has ever had rights to a Live broadcast in prime time, its only been replays.

We need a match of the round (or 2) shown live on FTA.


Am I right in saying that more people watch the Channel 10 coverage of the Wallabies than watch it on Fox??

If so, we lock ourselves out of so much of the market, and limit the growth and potential of the sport,

Sorry to reply to myself, but found the numbers from last years thread for the Aug Bled in Auckland I think.

FTA viewership is over double Pay . We need these FTA eyes


554K channel ten
248K Fox

Wallabies vs all blacks.

 

[Quick Hands]

Sorry to reply to myself, but found the numbers from last years thread for the Aug Bled in Auckland I think.

FTA viewership is over double Pay . We need these FTA eyes


554K channel ten
248K Fox

Wallabies vs all blacks.

Indeed we do. $$$ is the issue.

 

[hoggy]

look some of the stuff this guy rights is waffle, but theirs a lot to like about this one, isn't this all about the top down approach of the game here.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/ne...gby-rebuild-link-to-fans-20200415-p54k5c.html

 

[Mr Wobbly]

I watched the Rugby Nation show today on Facebook. Locky Mccaffrey was the guest, interviewed by Sean Maloney and Beth Newman (obviously doing their own makeup). It was mostly horrible, painful Brumbies propaganda but, when asked, Mccaffrey seemed in favour of a domestic comp. I realise it's a survey of one person but you would expect the players to be thinking about it. I reckon a lot of them would be right behind a local comp.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Yes, I think that this is what's happened.

EDIT: He's actually made a lot of sense in what he said.

I like this bit in particular:

Pichot said the sport's enforced break should prompt SANZAAR to assess the ongoing profitability and viability of its competitions, even in the short term.

Pichot saying right things as was driver behind argies admission to super rugby and RC but now publicly saying need to look at alternatives for jaguars as cost of travel likely no longer makes sense.

All I read is admission covid 19 hastened the more rapid decline and indeed the end of super rugby. Gosh I hope that is true as like having that very old relative in terminal decline and in pain but kept on life support for years. Just let super rugby go and let’s move on as this death by a 1000 cuts has been incredibly painful for all fans to be a part of over last 5 years

 

[Braveheart81]

Sorry to reply to myself, but found the numbers from last years thread for the Aug Bled in Auckland I think.

FTA viewership is over double Pay . We need these FTA eyes


554K channel ten
248K Fox

Wallabies vs all blacks.

The problem is that a Super Rugby game doesn't rate anywhere remotely close to that. If we were getting anywhere close to those sort of ratings for Super Rugby games on Foxtel then FTA broadcasters would be keen to buy the product.

 

[cyclopath]

Brett Robinson (RA) has seconded Pichot's nomination it would seem

In return for Argentina seconding Robinson's nomination to WR (World Rugby). Who'd have thunk it?

 

[Pfitzy]

In return for Argentina seconding Robinson's nomination to WR (World Rugby). Who'd have thunk it?

CIRCLE JERK!

 

[The Honey Badger]

The problem is that a Super Rugby game doesn't rate anywhere remotely close to that. If we were getting anywhere close to those sort of ratings for Super Rugby games on Foxtel then FTA broadcasters would be keen to buy the product.

BH, its all self fulfilling. Super Rugby doesn't rate because the masses don't know anything about it. Its been locked behind a paywall.


Womens sport was assumed to be of no value.

It wasnt until it was promoted and given some FTA airplay - they found there was interest and it can rate.


Perhaps, and the point I have been trying to make in these posts is that maybe IF Super Rugby WAS PROMOTED and put on FTA maybe a broadcaster might be pleasantly surprised.

How do we know, its never been tried.

RC was trying and I am led to believe had channel 10 in the deal with optus for a live broadcast .

 

[Quick Hands]

The problem is that a Super Rugby game doesn't rate anywhere remotely close to that. If we were getting anywhere close to those sort of ratings for Super Rugby games on Foxtel then FTA broadcasters would be keen to buy the product.

You're 100% correct and I'd add that not all games are necessarily of interest in all markets. For example would Channel 10 in Brisbane broadcast Melbourne v Canberra in prime time? The evidence from league is that they wouldn't, it was why the Broncos in league used to play almost all their games on a Friday night. It meant that Channel 9 could televise a Queensland team in the 7.30pm Friday slot every week. It outrated games between 2 Sydney teams by over double.