Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[Strewthcobber]

Doesn’t matter what station it’s on people have remotes you can change the station. It’s about how willing they are to sell the product, I am not a big A league fan but the failing with that deal was you had to find it buried on a secondary station

It absolutely does matter which station it's on. Same product on at the same time on a main channel will be many times higher rating than on nay of the minor channels

Week 7 FTA primetime shares: All channels

ABC 12.8% Kids/Comedy 2.5% ME 0.6% News 1.7% (17.7%)
Seven 17.4% 7TWO 3.3% 7mate 3.4% 7flix 2.5% (26.6%)
Nine 21.9% GO! 2.9% Gem 3.1% 9Life 2.1% (30.0%)
10 11.4% Bold 3.9% Peach 2.4% (17.7%)
SBS 4.6% Viceland 1.2% Food 1.1% NITV 0.2% World Movies 0.8% (8.0%)

 

[Braveheart81]

I encourage all on here to read the article from yesterday by Anthony Bergelin, a chap who knows a thing or two about club rugby:

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https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/02/14/national-club-comp-lacking-a-grassroots-perspective/​

The comments are worth a perusal as well.

It's interesting that he kind of argues against a lot of the things that the Shute Shield has previously argued the exact opposite of.

Part of club rugby's problem is it doesn't know what it wants to be. By virtue of being at the top of the heap in terms of the amateur/volunteer side of the game it views itself as deserving of more funding but at the same time doesn't want step outside that comfort zone as the landscape changes.

 

[Dan54]

I reckon we all need a bit of a reality check as to what FTA is likely to look at. Remembering that the lowest rating Saturday night Channel 10 has ever had in their history was a Wallaby v Argie game.
And based on Fox ratings, that's likely to be 4 to 5 times more popular than any Super rugby game.

No commercial TV station is going to be putting a super rugby game on their main channel in peak time.

You might get a secondary channel at peak, or the main channel at 3pm.

Similar to what A-League get, and that's seen as a massive failure with the league at historically low levels of interest ever since it got on commercial FTA.

While understanding what you saying Strewth, you also have to remember that Wallaby/Argie game was also being telecast live on Fox, and I people like me never watch on 10, simply because of ads. Most other sports that are on FTA have the game delayed on Fox!

 

[Braveheart81]

While understanding what you saying Strewth, you also have to remember that Wallaby/Argie game was also being telecast live on Fox, and I people like me never watch on 10, simply because of ads. Most other sports that are on FTA have the game delayed on Fox!

Likewise though, if the FTA network pays for exclusivity then adding in the Fox Sports viewers still doesn't get them close to a decent viewership.

 

[RedsHappy]

I reckon we all need a bit of a reality check as to what FTA is likely to look at. Remembering that the lowest rating Saturday night Channel 10 has ever had in their history was a Wallaby v Argie game.
And based on Fox ratings, that's likely to be 4 to 5 times more popular than any Super rugby game.

No commercial TV station is going to be putting a super rugby game on their main channel in peak time.

You might get a secondary channel at peak, or the main channel at 3pm.

Similar to what A-League get, and that's seen as a massive failure with the league at historically low levels of interest ever since it got on commercial FTA.

Yes.

We keep talking here re the allegedly 'liberating' effect that placing more Super and club rugby on FTA will have - it's an unthinking self-confirmation bias myth unless and until the core weekly rugby product offering is massively improved to incent FTA's viewers to it, and this would mean:

- a higher standard of skills and team capability of Aust teams​

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- a radically revised and more locally or regionally biassed competition vs the ossified, dilapidated current Super Rugby model of today (that will, it seems, continue on post 2021 as well with only minor or secondary mods to it)​

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- almost certainly some local mods to the laws to 'speed up' the game on Aust FTA​

To me, THE key challenge that R Castle had to deal with head on in Australian rugby was not: new Wallaby HC, handling Folau, trying to enhance post 2021 media $s, etc.

Rather it was and is: radically reform or entirely get out of the current disastrous Super Rugby format. That's simply because this format (combined with some other factors) in and of itself is slowly destroying fan and viewer engagement with the code here. All the lovely post 2021 media $s will not alter one iota the fundamental structural problems this dead format is causing and its preservation will ensure Australia rugby dives further toward a pro version abyss such that by (I'd estimate) 2022 both Super Rugby home crowds and viewership (on any medium) will be catastrophic leading to huge next order negative effects throughout the code.

It's now certain that Castle has not risen to this admittedly daunting and painful challenge as above. No one could say that challenge was simple or easy. But it was essential and she and RA have not delivered the collective strategic courage to do what they simply had to do (but that is nothing new, RA is just playing to its poor code leadership form since c. 2003).

 

[Dan54]

Likewise though, if the FTA network pays for exclusivity then adding in the Fox Sports viewers still doesn't get them close to a decent viewership.

I sure it doesn't , I was just remarking on the fact that Channel 10s figures for that match!!

 

[Rebel man]

It absolutely does matter which station it's on. Same product on at the same time on a main channel will be many times higher rating than on nay of the minor channels

The Ashes and World Cup rated well when it was on Gem as they advertised the product and everyone knew where to tune in. The secondary channels normally get shit ratings as they hide stuff on there

 

[Rebel man]

It's a reality though that the main channels attract more viewers.

It's also very unlikely that a FTA broadcaster is going to dedicate much airtime to promoting a low rating show on their secondary channel.

RA and any broadcaster are going to use their limited promotional budgets on test rugby because that's where there is a greatest opportunity of upside in terms of viewers and the dollar values of everything are higher (ticket prices, ad revenue in prime time on a main channel etc.).

Look your second paragraph hit it on the head. The secondary channels go poorly as broadcasters don’t invest in them in any way

 

[Braveheart81]

The Ashes and World Cup rated well when it was on Gem as they advertised the product and everyone knew where to tune in. The secondary channels normally get shit ratings as they hide stuff on there

Cricket and particularly Ashes Cricket is also wildly popular.

I think the incorrect assumption here is that the TV audience for an Australian rugby match outside of the biggest few fixtures a year will be good if people are aware it's on.

 

[RedsHappy]

Cricket and particularly Ashes Cricket is also wildly popular.

I think the incorrect assumption here is that the TV audience for an Australian rugby match outside of the biggest few fixtures a year will be good if people are aware it's on.

AND cricket is our only national sport and is just vastly bigger in every respect than rugby. Rugby is niche by any standard having a comparatively small winter sports following within (mostly) 2 States only.

 

[half]

Cricket and particularly Ashes Cricket is also wildly popular.

I think the incorrect assumption here is that the TV audience for an Australian rugby match outside of the biggest few fixtures a year will be good if people are aware it's on.

Agree

I would also add that, Castle was given "Mission Impossible" in what was expected as against what was achievable.

Me thinks the RA board, hhhmmm eeerrr cough cough, the RA is not well respected by many within rugby. In fact many consider the current board inept, lazy and out of their depth.

Castle's current position or should I say new position will be greatly enhanced if new board members have the respect of both the business and rugby community. My gut tells me the broader business and broadcasting community also don't respect the current RA board and that has a lot to do with our current position.

Anyone dealing with RA needs to be confident in the boards ability. I don't think Fox respect the current board and that is a problem.

 

[Rebel man]

Cricket and particularly Ashes Cricket is also wildly popular.

I think the incorrect assumption here is that the TV audience for an Australian rugby match outside of the biggest few fixtures a year will be good if people are aware it's on.

Look I get what you are saying and I am not disputing that the Ashes has more of a widespread appeal. I am just saying that there is a difference between a network purely treating a secondary channel as secondary or actually promoting the content to try and attract viewers.

I do think that any sport will hold appeal over running movies on a Saturday night as the rise of streaming platforms as well as the saturation of dvds and blu rays will threaten the entertainment side of FTA business model more than it will the sport side of things.

We have already almost seen the death of scripted drama in prime spots as reality TV has taken over and for the life of me I don’t know why anyone would sit down to watch a 10 year old movie full of ads on a Saturday night especially as streaming platforms will only continue their growth

 

[Braveheart81]

Look I get what you are saying and I am not disputing that the Ashes has more of a widespread appeal. I am just saying that there is a difference between a network purely treating a secondary channel as secondary or actually promoting the content to try and attract viewers.

I do think that any sport will hold appeal over running movies on a Saturday night as the rise of streaming platforms as well as the saturation of dvds and blu rays will threaten the entertainment side of FTA business model more than it will the sport side of things.

We have already almost seen the death of scripted drama in prime spots as reality TV has taken over and for the life of me I don’t know why anyone would sit down to watch a 10 year old movie full of ads on a Saturday night especially as streaming platforms will only continue their growth

I'm just skeptical how many potential rugby fans there are who would spend their Friday or Saturday night watching a match between the Queensland Reds and the Auckland Blues because it was on FTA television who aren't already engaged with the game.

A similar situation exists with attendance at the matches. You can make tickets free and it still doesn't shift a lot of people to attend who otherwise wouldn't have gone.

 

[Wilson]

I'm just skeptical how many potential rugby fans there are who would spend their Friday or Saturday night watching a match between the Queensland Reds and the Auckland Blues because it was on FTA television who aren't already engaged with the game.

A similar situation exists with attendance at the matches. You can make tickets free and it still doesn't shift a lot of people to attend who otherwise wouldn't have gone.

I don't think there are many right no, but if it was 2010 - 2012 and the reds were at the height of their powers then there definitely would've been some interested new people to catch. The same goes for the Tahs around 2014.You also get the kid from a non-rugby background who has just started at a private school and signs up to play rugby because that's what all their friends are doing. Giving them a weekly opportunity to see top flight rugby then can help turn them into a fan.

FTA is never going to be a silver bullet for interest but the value in it is the opportunity it provides for someone with rising interest to start engaging with the game. That said a free trial from a streaming service might have just as much value in these situations, that's something that until very recently our broadcasters have never really offered. Reducing that barrier to entry is where the value lies, as long as we can generate the initial interest.

 

[Dan54]

I'm just skeptical how many potential rugby fans there are who would spend their Friday or Saturday night watching a match between the Queensland Reds and the Auckland Blues because it was on FTA television who aren't already engaged with the game.

A similar situation exists with attendance at the matches. You can make tickets free and it still doesn't shift a lot of people to attend who otherwise wouldn't have gone.

True FTA is not a silver bullet, ie; you could have any League game on FTA, or in fact offer me free tickets and I would not watch it, so you have to have some interest in the sport!!

 

[Braveheart81]

True FTA is not a silver bullet, ie; you could have any League game on FTA, or in fact offer me free tickets and I would not watch it, so you have to have some interest in the sport!!

That's the thing.

I'm firmly of the belief that if there were a lot more rugby fans out there who just aren't engaged because they can't access the game due to Pay TV then the ratings for Wallabies tests on FTA would be much higher than they are.

 

[RedsHappy]

That's the thing.

I'm firmly of the belief that if there were a lot more rugby fans out there who just aren't engaged because they can't access the game due to Pay TV then the ratings for Wallabies tests on FTA would be much higher than they are.

That's the thing; the whole rugby boat has been sinking in very significant part because product quality and product relevance and code competitiveness (vs other winter codes) have all been sinking.

The Super Rugby format is a bust (here, anyway), the Aust Super teams are getting slowly worse and we win or get very close to winning Super Rugby all too rarely (and the NZ teams are getting further and further ahead of us), the Wallabies are a pale shadow of their last glory days, there are very few truly exciting players in the main teams, the mainline sports media is saying to millennials 'that code is dead man, why bother'.

Each of these decline ramps is now feeding all the others; the vibe of an emerging death spiral for pro rugby in Australia is starting to feel real.

Thinking that as crucial to all this is more FTA exposure is getting the whole strategic diagnostic terribly wrong - instead we have to heavily prioritise developing a product of sufficient quality that excites an identified market niches or niches, executing on that, and then and only then worry hard re what media channels such as FTA make the most sense to present it on.

 

[Derpus]

I still reckon FTA is ded or dying as badly as Rugby and i can't see how a dying medium will save a dying sporting code. Future is streaming - that's why i hope Optus bid. That and i hate Rupert.

 

[Rebel man]

I'm just skeptical how many potential rugby fans there are who would spend their Friday or Saturday night watching a match between the Queensland Reds and the Auckland Blues because it was on FTA television who aren't already engaged with the game.

A similar situation exists with attendance at the matches. You can make tickets free and it still doesn't shift a lot of people to attend who otherwise wouldn't have gone.

I played all my junior rugby and never watched it as it was never on TV. Didn’t really get into super rugby until I got Foxtel as an adult. I paid for a rebels membership and didn’t really go in the early years of being a member. I think there would be a fair few who get drawn into watching it.

Also with the timing of super rugby you would get blokes check it out in the early season as there is no AFL or NRL

 

[Rebel man]

True FTA is not a silver bullet, ie; you could have any League game on FTA, or in fact offer me free tickets and I would not watch it, so you have to have some interest in the sport!!

FTA helps grow the game. Yes we need to address the quality issues and start putting better performance out there but look at the growth the Melbourne Storm has has since their games have become accessible on FTA TV. Granted they have performed to a high level to help turn casual observers into fans. When the only NRL games were broadcast in Melbourne at 3am they use to come to the primary schools give away a shit load of free tickets and still struggle to get 10k to the games. Now they average over 15k.