Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[TOCC]

Yep, Super Rugby will never make it to FTA, as a package its not designed for FTA Tv.. FTA needs a set number of games in a set timezone each week which Super Rugby just doesn't allow for.

NRC is the best we can hope for but that won't happen for a long long time, the initial deal was for 2 years with Foxtel retaining the option to extend longer if they want.

 

[Braveheart81]

If there was an appetite for Super Rugby on FTA then the competition could easily ensure there was a game at the same time slot for broadcast every single week of the competition that featured an Australian team.

It just isn't popular enough to fill a primetime slot on a main FTA station.

On the flipside, it's worth too much to be sold for nothing to be shown on a secondary channel.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Yeah - can you image what Foxtel's response would be to a suggestion that they'd be losing exclusivity for Super Rugby. They wouldn't be handing over more money, that's for sure

Catch every 2014 Super Rugby match LIVE and EXCLUSIVE in HD with no ad-breaks during play

 

[I like to watch]

Yeah,exclusivity is just about a non negotiable for Foxtel.
They know it's the driver for plenty of subscribers.
Look at what they spent on Mungo to get the TV rights.
I'm sure there are plenty here,that wouldn't subscribe to Foxtel if there was a game a week shown live on FTA.
Let's bear in mind that TV rights are negotiated on an all in basis,not a country by country basis.
The other guys are not going to take a haircut,to help in the development of the game here.

 

[Pfitzy]

I don't subscribe because the pricks choose to rip me off. I pay for memberships to watch games live at my chosen clubs. At least I know its going to the club as well as Uncle Rupes.

 

[Brumby Runner]

It's clear from this thread and others that a lot of GAGR posters don't subscribe to Foxtel. They just get on here and bitch about the rugby not being on FTA. Maybe if they opened their wallets a little and took out the minimum Foxtel package to include the Sports channels. the product might become a little more attractive to alternative providers. I will add that I am on a tight pension but make allowance for Foxtel and my Brumbies memberships as essential expenditure.

 

[Braveheart81]

With the new Foxtel packages the basic package is $25 a month and you can add sport on for $25 I think.

$50 a month for a rugby nut is not that much.

 

[Highlander35]

NH rugby is down the Shitter though, with Setanta seemingly not renewing contracts.

Still get the Soup, most Tests, ITM, Bledisloe, Currie Cup, Top 14 and NRC though.

 

[Wilson]

NH rugby is down the Shitter though, with Setanta seemingly not renewing contracts.

Still get the Soup, most Tests, ITM, Bledisloe, Currie Cup, Top 14 and NRC though.

My understanding was that that was more an issue with setanta being down the shitter then anything else.

 

[Highlander35]

True, loss of the GAA hurt them pretty bad.

 

[Omar Comin']

Seems to be some bad reporting by Fairfax. I understand that the rights were $25m a year and are going to $40m a year which is a massive increase albeit from a low base. The only disappointing thing is that FTA didn't bid tho they are showing the wallabies which seems to be all anyone cares about widely. So if it's not on FTA, that sucks, but beyond that who cares how the money is split. ARU now has over 50% more tv revenue. That is a great result.

Though there were reports earlier in the year that the Super Rugby CEO's felt it needed to be $50m a year for ongoing financial sustainability.

But hopefully it's enough to keep their heads above water. Then by the next deal perhaps rugby will have taken off in Japan and Asia due to their super rugby team and especially the 2019 world cup, there are bids for new Asian based teams coming out of SANZAR's ears, and there's a bidding war in several Asian countries for the rights to Super Rugby.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

NH rugby is down the Shitter though, with Setanta seemingly not renewing contracts.

Still get the Soup, most Tests, ITM, Bledisloe, Currie Cup, Top 14 and NRC though.

I'm going to say that's got a lot to do with Bein Sport buying out Setanta sports Australia and changing there focus elsewhere.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[wamberal]

It's clear from this thread and others that a lot of GAGR posters don't subscribe to Foxtel. They just get on here and bitch about the rugby not being on FTA.

That's a pretty simplistic assertion. I know that this will come as a surprise to a Bunglies supporter, but some of us actually care about the health of the game as a whole.

I am a Foxtel subscriber. I want the game to be on FTA. I always choose to watch the TEN telecast because I am sure that behind the scenes the viewership is counted in parallel with the official ratings.

Get your head out of your horse's bum.

 

[boyo]

NH rugby is down the Shitter though, with Setanta seemingly not renewing contracts.

Atm it's wall-to-wall soccer/diveball.

 

[Pfitzy]

With the new Foxtel packages the basic package is $25 a month and you can add sport on for $25 I think.

$50 a month for a rugby nut is not that much.

Does that include HD and an IQ2?

 

[matty_k]

It's clear from this thread and others that a lot of GAGR posters don't subscribe to Foxtel. They just get on here and bitch about the rugby not being on FTA. Maybe if they opened their wallets a little and took out the minimum Foxtel package to include the Sports channels. the product might become a little more attractive to alternative providers. I will add that I am on a tight pension but make allowance for Foxtel and my Brumbies memberships as essential expenditure.

Not every rugby fan has room in their budget for $25-50 a month despite what the stereotype is.

 

[boyo]

Does that include HD and an IQ2?

No

 

[TOCC]

If there was an appetite for Super Rugby on FTA then the competition could easily ensure there was a game at the same time slot for broadcast every single week of the competition that featured an Australian team.

It just isn't popular enough to fill a primetime slot on a main FTA station.

On the flipside, it's worth too much to be sold for nothing to be shown on a secondary channel.

I think the root of the issue is that the price required to offset the loss in the Foxtel broadcast rights makes it an unattractive option for any broadcaster.

Quantity
NRL and AFL have 8 games a week to manipulate for prime time TV, Super Rugby typically only has 2 or 3 games been played in Australia on any given weekend. Foxtel is really paying for the 2 or 3 games that it can play in the 7:30pm AEST time slot. The kiwi games boost the value as it provides back to back content, but once again the prime time slots is what Foxtel is really forking out the money for..

Value of time slots
If you were able to weight the value of each of the time slots in the the broadcast deal(which I'm sure Foxtel have done) you could argue that 50% of the deal is for the prime time games, 30% is for the 5:30pm games, 10% is for the finals, 5% for the occasional 9:30pm game and 5% is for the South African time-slot games. Thus taking 1 prime time game from Foxtel and moving it to FTA has a proportionately large impact on the overall broadcast rights.

Control of content
On top of all that, it comes back to an issue of been unable to control the content, broadcasters want to be able to dictate the teams who are playing. Its no secret that the Reds and Waratah's rate significantly higher then the Rebels and Force and this complicates the issue for deconfliction when selling the product, the ARU can't guarantee 'X' number of Reds or Waratahs game and this undermines the financials of the deal.

Weeknight broadcasts
One key reason for recent jumps in the value of AFL/NRL broadcast rights has been the move to broadcast on Monday and Thursday nights which offers up to 4 nights of prime time product a week, Super Rugby is unable to do this due to the different markets it caters to but also the issue of travelling and turnaround times.

All of those points listed above harp back to my initial comment that Super Rugby isn't designed for FTA, it suits Foxtel as it provides the prime time games as well as plenty of live content.

NRC is a comp which could be manipulated for FTA Tv requirements, Super Rugby isn't.

 

[Pfitzy]

No

Then its just not worth my money. Foxtel can shit themselves with happiness over their "standard" package, but it does NOT represent value for money in any form for the sports consumer.

And the current package is $49 for the "Essentials"
+ $25 for Sport
+ $10 for HD
= $84 a month.


What SHOULD be on offet is FoxSports package - in HD - with an appropriate recording device. I will pay $50 a month for that. I've told them that repeatedly, but they're not listening.

So instead, I give them $0 a month and find other ways to watch - Foxtel is cheaper than match tickets, but pub is cheaper than Foxtel.

 

[Braveheart81]

They've lowered the basic package to $25 from November so you can get sport and HD for $60 per month.

I completely accept that many people are not going to pay that but it's a good move to make it more reasonable for someone only wanting pay tv for a singular purpose (or close to).

They definitely need to find a way to attract new customers at a lower entry level whilst not alienating existing customers on $100+ per month packages. I think this is a good way to do it.