Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[Set piece magic]

In my experience the best way to beat petty media jostling like this is to make it a fait accompli that they have to mention it by having high quality games and cranking up the crowds. 7 will have to mention the Reds final for example.

9 in Brisbane has been very good for us with Michael Atkinson. Imo most of the coverage issues are in Sydney which is more because it's a brutal contest for sport there, combined with the fact the Horrotahs are just not worth writing home about right now. Would a bottom of the ladder NRL team get a story in the 6pm news? Probably not. The Force, Brumbies and Reds don't have much trouble making the news.

The bigger issue is getting younger demographics back - Rugby actually doesn't do too badly among older generations, it's that younger demo which is tricky. Instagram and social media are hard to break through with.

 

[Sully]

It kinda blows my mind people still watch the 6pm news. Its absurdly bad. I am one of those 'millenials', though.

I'm not and I would only watch it as torture.

 

[Derpus]

In my experience the best way to beat petty media jostling like this is to make it a fait accompli that they have to mention it by having high quality games and cranking up the crowds. 7 will have to mention the Reds final for example.

9 in Brisbane has been very good for us with Michael Atkinson. Imo most of the coverage issues are in Sydney which is more because it's a brutal contest for sport there, combined with the fact the Horrotahs are just not worth writing home about right now. Would a bottom of the ladder NRL team get a story in the 6pm news? Probably not. The Force, Brumbies and Reds don't have much trouble making the news.

The bigger issue is getting younger demographics back - Rugby actually doesn't do too badly among older generations, it's that younger demo which is tricky. Instagram and social media are hard to break through with.

Social media engagement is actually pretty straight forward. Just need someone who knows how the algorithms work and how to market to a younger audience.

A marketing agency springs to mind.

 

[Set piece magic]

Social media engagement is actually pretty straight forward. Just need someone who knows how the algorithms work and how to market to a younger audience.

A marketing agency springs to mind.

I get that, but it costs a lot of money and sport doesn't always do that well on it - younger generations aren't just less interested in Rugby, they're less interested in sport altogether is my understanding. I believe there's some quantitative data on it somewhere

My older brother works in advertising and has some interesting talking points on this. Reckons that Facebook and Instagram have taken all the revenue with targeted ads and data, but that they're actually very overpriced for what they are. Also reckons that the amount of junk on platforms is destroying attention spans and people don't even read content properly, reckons that traditional advertising on TV, radio, newspapers has far better engagement because people are actually paying attention not just scrolling

 

[Derpus]

Do they get paid based on number of clicks on an advertising link or number of views? because if it's the latter it's a complete scam.

I don't think it's accurate to say that our attention spans are shortened and that's why people don't ingest advertising content online. I think people just develop natural filters - which is a particularly necessary skill when trying to navigate the internet and all the possible bullshit that can entail.

My unscientific, baseless supposition is that the whole 'our attention spans are being reduced' thing is crap and we are just more selective about what we choose to engage with because we have greater access to content.

 

[Set piece magic]

Do they get paid based on number of clicks on an advertising link or number of views? because if it's the latter it's a complete scam.

I don't think it's accurate to say that our attention spans are shortened and that's why people don't ingest advertising content online. I think people just develop natural filters - which is a particularly necessary skill when trying to navigate the internet and all the possible bullshit that can entail.

My unscientific, baseless supposition is that the whole 'our attention spans are being reduced' thing is crap and we are just more selective about what we choose to engage with because we have greater access to content.

I'd say that's accurate right - in the old days for example if the footy was going to shit on the tv you'd probably keep it there because there's no other programming you're interested in. THese days you can flick open your phone.

It's usually priced based on the number of "impressions" (views), but these count even if the thing is on your screen for just 3 seconds. Not much of an impression. The problem is that amongst young ad professionals it's seen as very cool to advertise on social media and antiquated to do it on television etc. Combine that with the tech duopoly of google/facebook and the pricing actually becomes very bad for prospective advertising, because people can't go anywhere else for targeted ads.

You're then fighting an uphill battle against incumbents like Betoota Advocate, who just shit on the game (in fact they shit on anyone who actually leaves their home and gets off their phone). In fact, one of the smartest things RA did this year was pay betoota to shut the fuck up by getting them to do a nonsense podcast, which at the very least has cut down the amount of articles painting rugby as an embarassment

 

[Braveheart81]

You're then fighting an uphill battle against incumbents like Betoota Advocate, who just shit on the game (in fact they shit on anyone who actually leaves their home and gets off their phone). In fact, one of the smartest things RA did this year was pay betoota to shut the fuck up by getting them to do a nonsense podcast, which at the very least has cut down the amount of articles painting rugby as an embarassment

Betoota shits on everything. There's clearly fun to be had at rugby's expense like there is against the other sports.

I wouldn't worry about it. No one is turning away from a sport they like because of parody articles on Betoota.

 

[Set piece magic]

Betoota shits on everything. There's clearly fun to be had at rugby's expense like there is against the other sports.

I wouldn't worry about it. No one is turning away from a sport they like because of parody articles on Betoota.

I disagree. I think it painted us as a Sport that's so embarassingly weak structurally it's not worth paying attention to. A lot of people's sole news source is betoota, even though it's satire, so the perception hurts us.

As a political reporter I know betoota scares the Coalition and have heard from staffers it rankles Ministers, it sours their primary vote with younger demographics. Perception counts for a lot and it sours rugby's primary vote too.

Interestingly they have barely shat on rugby all year, in fact one of the few articles was pretty much praising how it's been promoted. Funny what a Commercial deal does for your editorial line hey. Very smart move to shut them up

 

[Adam84]

From RA

Anzac Round capped the last round of Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU regular season with the domestic television ratings up an average of 144% across the season year-on-year

Meanwhile at-match attendance has also surged with the competition seeing the biggest crowd in more than five years for the Round Eight clash between the Queensland Reds and the Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium.

The impact is also being felt at the community level with a 16.4% surge in player registrations from the same time in 2019. This is largely due to the greater broadcast reach as well as dedicated marketing campaigns, further Sporting Schools integrations for Rugby, an increased rollout of Get Into Rugby programs and more Rugby Sevens competition opportunities.

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/ratin...per-rugby-au-prepares-for-finals-2021426-news

 

[Set piece magic]

You love to see it

 

[Derpus]

If we can carry some of this form through to TT that should only improve. Good stuff.

Hopefully the Tahs won't be fucking diabolical next year and Sydney can also start propping those numbers up.

 

[barbarian]

I disagree. I think it painted us as a Sport that's so embarassingly weak structurally it's not worth paying attention to. A lot of people's sole news source is betoota, even though it's satire, so the perception hurts us.

As a political reporter I know betoota scares the Coalition and have heard from staffers it rankles Ministers, it sours their primary vote with younger demographics. Perception counts for a lot and it sours rugby's primary vote too.

Interestingly they have barely shat on rugby all year, in fact one of the few articles was pretty much praising how it's been promoted. Funny what a Commercial deal does for your editorial line hey. Very smart move to shut them up

I disagree. The political comparison isn't valid, as pollies need to be taken seriously. Constant satirical beat-ups may hurt their vote and it's understandable they get anxious about it.

But sport? I think it's fine. Any coverage is good coverage. And the Betoota hits were never about rugby, they were mainly about RA: the marketing pigeon etc. And it's completely harmless. They shit on NRL too, but not about the game, it's the off-field scandals etc.

It shows to me rugby still has a place in the consciousness of a certain demographic. You don't see many BA articles about the A-League.

 

[Set piece magic]

Fair enough. Perhaps I'm just taking it all too seriously !

 

[drewprint]

While we’re on the topic, the Betoota rugby podcast Ruck Me Dead has warmed up and it actually good fun. Light on analysis but strong on humour - I’ve really enjoyed laughing along at the last few episodes. The one with Sean Maloney as a guest was particularly good.

 

[Dctarget]

While we’re on the topic, the Betoota rugby podcast Ruck Me Dead has warmed up and it actually good fun. Light on analysis but strong on humour - I’ve really enjoyed laughing along at the last few episodes. The one with Sean Maloney as a guest was particularly good.

I'll give it another go, listened to the first one and it wasn't flash. Feel guilty because I should be trying to support as much as I can. Don't watch Rugby Heaven either to be honest.

 

[Adam84]

i really enjoy rugby heaven, i think roz kelly is a great lead to keep them on track

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Great news about the ratings. I feel like most things that have happened with the game here in the last 12 months are positive. I have some genuine optimism now.

 

[Adam84]

Wayne Smith broke down true numbers for NSW

Even with the Tahs suffering so badly, player registrations in NSW have risen 26.2 percent on the comparable figure for the last non-COVID year, 2019. Television viewer numbers for Waratahs games are up a staggering 121 percent on last year.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...eak-waratahs-season-20210426-p57mii.html?btis

A 26% boost in playing numbers is either creative accounting or some absolutely phenomenal growth, I’ll be interested to see the breakdown

 

[Adam84]

And to add some context to how the numbers were calculated:

While the numbers don't include those people watching via the streaming service, RA chief executive Andy Marinos said the 144 percent increase was part of even wider positive feeling across the game.

Pushed for clarification of the figures, an RA spokesperson told ESPN the 144 percent increase was calculated by comparing the average of the total match audiences from the two games broadcast on Fox Sports each week in 2020, compared with average of the one game beamed out each week on Nine Gem this season.

While the exact Stan Sport figures remain unknown, sources recently told ESPN they were in the vicinity of 50,000 subscriptions, though the fact that the service's 30-day free trial was extended suggests they may not have hit the targets originally forecast.

https://apple.news/A3NtN3oY5RN2MA88JmAfKEQ

 

[formerflanker]

Wayne Smith broke down true numbers for NSW


https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...eak-waratahs-season-20210426-p57mii.html?btis

A 26% boost in playing numbers is either creative accounting or some absolutely phenomenal growth, I’ll be interested to see the breakdown

I'd be cautious about accepting those numbers as reflecting season-long playing strength.
Short term 7s carnivals and "Try Rugby" programs may be included in the count.
Deeper analysis required.