Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[Crashy]

warriors are playing their ANZAC Day test in Wellington next year, the event was poached from Auckland….

too much demand to watch sport on ANZAC Day

I find it really hard to swallow the fact that Rugby League has jumped on the Anzac bandwagon. We all know the game's disgraceful history in WW1 when they kept their comp going - and rugby suspended theirs so their players could fight overseas. They then pillaged rugby alongside their shocking Union led strikes and other profiteering - whilst the union boys were spilling blood overseas.
A disgrace.

 

[Rebel man]

I don’t disagree with the sentiment.

But It’s not really a revenue sharing agreement as it applies here though. NZRU shifting this match to a lesser value day/time would wear the entirety of the cost/lost revenue.

All match-day income goes to host union, as does sponsorship for the tournament as it applies in that country. There is a funding agreement as it applies to the broadcast agreement where one gives a grant to another but only if there’s a discrepancy between the two.

Yet we do get a grant from NZ rugby to go towards equalising TV revenue from shared products such as super rugby and the Bledisloe.

Both nations are facing issues financially it is incumbent on us to work together to get the best possible return for the sport

 

[Rebel man]

I love the idea of a mid-week Test. You can get non fans tuning in because they would rather it over 'The Voice' . SOO has proven that it works and people will go and watch. I know it has an entire media machine behind it and history now but you lock in for those couple hours on a weeknight when you are generally in a routine during the week and don't have all the potential distractions and plans of the weekend.

Any move we make NZ will block like an ANZAC test in Perth

 

[Braveheart81]

Cool, it’s unreasonable to put a game in a time slot that will draw maximum attention even World Rugby understands this moving the World Cup so it doesn’t clash with the NRL or AFL

I am saying that I think it is unreasonable to blame NZRU for not moving the game to a different day when I doubt there would have been any push from Rugby Australia to move the game to a different day.

Also, a test match kicking off at 6pm AEST on a Thursday night isn't likely to optimize TV viewers here.

 

[Rebel man]

I am saying that I think it is unreasonable to blame NZRU for not moving the game to a different day when I doubt there would have been any push from Rugby Australia to move the game to a different day.

Also, a test match kicking off at 6pm AEST on a Thursday night isn't likely to optimize TV viewers here.

I didn’t suggest they play it Thursday night just gave a comparison of the reach when it had clear air

Sunday arvo provides them clear air away from either the AFL or NRL

 

[Braveheart81]

I didn’t suggest they play it Thursday night just gave a comparison of the reach when it had clear air

Sunday arvo provides them clear air away from either the AFL or NRL

Then there's only a six day break until the next game which neither side is going to want.

This game could absolutely get a moderately larger TV audience in Australia at a different time slot. Is that a high order priority for anyone though? My answer would be no.

 

[Rebel man]

Then there's only a six day break until the next game which neither side is going to want.

This game could absolutely get a moderately larger TV audience in Australia at a different time slot. Is that a high order priority for anyone though? My answer would be no.

Athletes play off a 6 day break all the time

NZ have a history of being very difficult to deal with

 

[Slim 293]

I didn’t suggest they play it Thursday night just gave a comparison of the reach when it had clear air

Sunday arvo provides them clear air away from either the AFL or NRL

Again, I'm not sure why they care about clashing with the AFL GF...

You keep mentioning the shared broadcast revenue, but as Adam mentioned that's completely separate to the money that NZRU and Sky Sports will take in from the match.

 

[Rebel man]

Again, I'm not sure why they care about clashing with the AFL GF...

You keep mentioning the shared broadcast revenue, but as Adam mentioned that's completely separate to the money that NZRU and Sky Sports will take in from the match.

And if they keep being belligerent and hard to deal with it won’t help the game.

If the game makes more money here the grant they pay to us is less potentially non existent. They have financial issues of their own and it is in their best interest not to be paying us a grant out of their TV revenue. They give us 7% of their TV deal. While data is hard to find it has been mentioned on many podcast that the ratings for the Bledisloe are in decline and 20 years ago attracted a way higher viewership in Aus.

Back then the Bledisloe didn’t go head to head with finals in the afl or NRL it was played in July and August. While I accept the international calendar has changed just throwing up your hands and accepting commercially shit results isn’t a way forward

 

[Slim 293]

And if they keep being belligerent and hard to deal with it won’t help the game.

If the game makes more money here the grant they pay to us is less potentially non existent. They have financial issues of their own and it is in their best interest not to be paying us a grant out of their TV revenue. They give us 7% of their TV deal. While data is hard to find it has been mentioned on many podcast that the ratings for the Bledisloe are in decline and 20 years ago attracted a way higher viewership in Aus.

Back then the Bledisloe didn’t go head to head with finals in the afl or NRL it was played in July and August. While I accept the international calendar has changed just throwing up your hands and accepting commercially shit results isn’t a way forward

They sure can be, but they're not in this instance...

It's unfortunate for us where the game lies on the calendar but since it's in New Zealand it is completely reasonable for them to schedule it where it fits best for their stakeholders as we would do over here.

 

[Rebel man]

They sure can be, but they're not in this instance...

It's unfortunate for us where the game lies on the calendar but since it's in New Zealand it is completely reasonable for them to schedule it where it fits best for their stakeholders as we would do over here.

Yet it is a very short sighted decision

 

[Braveheart81]

While I accept the international calendar has changed just throwing up your hands and accepting commercially shit results isn’t a way forward

I think you are overestimating the commercial impact of (let's say) an extra 200k viewers for one game.

 

[Rebel man]

I think you are overestimating the commercial impact of (let's say) an extra 200k viewers for one game.

It’s about growing interest overtime and turning the casual observer into fans of the game. It’s not about just the one off difference

Put it this way I was a young kid in 01 when I first watched the Lions coming from a Melbourne family that was purely AFL but from that moment I have hardly missed a wallabies home test and ever since I became an adult and have had a job have supported the game financially, through memberships, pay TV subscriptions to watch the overseas tests that I couldn’t as a kid, buying tickets, being involved at my local club as a player and volunteer.



It is about getting as many eyeballs on the game as possible to win new fans it’s not about a few extra viewers

 

[Slim 293]

It is about getting as many eyeballs on the game as possible

I'm sure that NZRU and Sky Sports are thinking the same thing...

 

[dru]

I think you are overestimating the commercial impact of (let's say) an extra 200k viewers for one game.

Really? Surely you'd prefer the +200k than not?

 

[Braveheart81]

Really? Surely you'd prefer the +200k than not?

Sure, but at the same time, it's not a hill I'm going to die on if I'm Rugby Australia in terms of negotiating with NZRU. The timing of a single away test match is a low order priority in relation to where I'm going to use up my credit with NZRU.

We're not going to get paid a single cent more by our broadcast partner if the game is moved to a higher rating timeslot.

Rebel man is acting like the missed viewers for this game who are watching the AFL Grand Final might never watch another rugby game again because they couldn't watch this game live.

 

[Rebel man]

Sure, but at the same time, it's not a hill I'm going to die on if I'm Rugby Australia in terms of negotiating with NZRU. The timing of a single away test match is a low order priority in relation to where I'm going to use up my credit with NZRU.

We're not going to get paid a single cent more by our broadcast partner if the game is moved to a higher rating timeslot.

Rebel man is acting like the missed viewers for this game who are watching the AFL Grand Final might never watch another rugby game again because they couldn't watch this game live.

It’s about missing an opportunity to convert viewers into fans

Say this is not clashing with the GF and we win that builds serious momentum for the wallabies and you will get a lot tune in next week in Perth to see if we can break the drought

We lose and you didn’t watch game one the series is over you probably won’t bother the next week

 

[Slim 293]

The game is still in New Zealand, right?