Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[dru]

I would much prefer to watch Premier rugby via the QRU streaming portal than through Foxtel.

They will need to pick up the National rugby pro comp for my subscription.

 

[The Honey Badger]

I liked the lateral thinking above from Dru about a soccer/rugby package deal. In tough times the good organisations innovate and pivot. Unfortunately RA is not a good organisation but one can always hope.

surely a partnership with a summer sport, eg, Cricket is the place to be.

 

[Quick Hands]

Isn’t the other issue that community sport hasn’t been given the go ahead yet? Other than U18s starting contact training from July 1 that is.

Events are moving quickly. No new cases in NSW for 5 days I think. Mid July start date pencilled in.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I understand your position and I realise that there are many posters here who either aren't interested in club rugby or who have a passing interest at best. Generally these rugby supporters prefer as Super Rugby type product to watch which is fine. But equally, there are plenty of people I know who have the opposite view. There's a sizeable group of rugby people in Sydney who are interested in the Wallabies and club rugby but have little or no interest in the Waratahs or Super Rugby.

Assuming the article is correct, then I would assume that Foxtel would have conducted some market research and made some sort of cost/benefit analyis prior to making any decision.

I should also point out that Foxtel made an offer to broadcast SS only after failing to come to agreement with RA for the other parts of the game, but RA rejected the approach and wanted all levels of rugby bundled into one deal.

It's not a lack of interest in club rugby. I've tuned into the SS broadcast every Saturday since I was 12. It's my a matter of value. I'm not going to outlay $25/month for amateur rugby.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Events are moving quickly. No new cases in NSW for 5 days I think. Mid July start date pencilled in.

No. There were a few cases a couple of days ago.

 

[Quick Hands]

No. There were a few cases a couple of days ago.

All citizens returning from overseas now in 14 days quarantine. No community transmission.

 

[KOB1987]

No. There were a few cases a couple of days ago.

No community transmissions in the last week

 

[Quick Hands]

It's not a lack of interest in club rugby. I've tuned into the SS broadcast every Saturday since I was 12. It's my a matter of value. I'm not going to outlay $25/month for amateur rugby.

No doubt you wouldn't, but again I would assume that Foxtel would have done some research prior to making a firm offer for SS rights separate from tests and Super Rugby which they did a couple of months back. They clearly see some value in it.

 

[Quick Hands]

All COVID-19 cases diagnosed in NSW

supervisor_account Locally acquired​

Locally Acquired​

• 0Last 24 hours​
• 0This week​
• 1,233Total​

ransfer_within_a_station Interstate​

Interstate​

• 0Last 24 hours​
• 0This week​
• 72Total​

Overseas

Overseas​

​

• 0Last 24 hours​
• 15This week​
• 1,799Total​

Based on date of notification to NSW Health, up to 8pm 2 June 2020.

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/stats-nsw.aspx

 

[Quick Hands]

In the whole of Australia there are currently 589 active cases, 25 of which are in hospital and 5 in intensive care.

Not bad in a nation of 25 million, i.e we have a one in a million chance of being admitted to hospital with it and a one in 5 million chance of ending up in ICU.

https://www.health.gov.au/news/heal...s-covid-19-current-situation-and-case-numbers

 

[KOB1987]

The loonies protest marches have created a precedent for the rest of the world, everyone should just completely ignore social distancing rules. Gyms, pubs, sports stadiums, everyone..

 

[hoggy]

It does say it’s only a rumour. The other rumour is that a deal from Fox to broadcast the AU is imminent to fulfil the remainder of this years obligations

No doubt Fox will broadcast the Super comp this year, but if they are expressing interest in BRI/SYD comps it may be a hint of what is desired long term.

They have the NRL and AFL with successful domestic competitions both delivering better results for the broadcaster. They may be hinting to rugby why are you not delivering us a similar product.

If NZ/SA/AUS all go to domestic competitions run along similar dates with some crossover then would that not then be a level of content more attractive to a broadcaster.

 

[dru]

If NZ/SA/AUS all go to domestic competitions run along similar dates with some crossover then would that not then be a level of content more attractive to a broadcaster.

The devil is in the detail - but yes.

 

[KOB1987]

The devil is in the detail - but yes.

however the winning broadcaster is then making the assumption that they are going to be the broadcaster in the other 2 markets. What happens if they aren't?

 

[Dctarget]

Imagine selling Raelene down the river, installing all your fox-friendly cronies at the top and then still getting stiffed by foxtel on a deal, what's the fucking point

 

[The Honey Badger]

No doubt you wouldn't, but again I would assume that Foxtel would have done some research prior to making a firm offer for SS rights separate from tests and Super Rugby which they did a couple of months back. They clearly see some value in it.

I think that was a back door strategy to take over the game if they lost Super Rugby.

News/Fox would then have a comp, add money and would compete against the Optus held Super Rugby.

Raelene Castle smelt that rat and bought all the clubs back in - which the SRU unanimously agreed too.

Might have been really interesting had Fox secured it, we will never know

 

[Quick Hands]

I think that was a back door strategy to take over the game if they lost Super Rugby.

News/Fox would then have a comp, add money and would compete against the Optus held Super Rugby.

Raelene Castle smelt that rat and bought all the clubs back in - which the SRU unanimously agreed too.

Might have been really interesting had Fox secured it, we will never know

I actually think it was a poor decision for the SRU to agree to this. We've had a game every Saturday on FTA since TV began - first on the ABC and more recently on 7Two.

I don't know why the SRU would give this up for a few extra dollars and then get put behind the pay TV wall with the rest of rugby. Very short-sighted thinking IMO.

 

[Slim 293]

I actually think it was a poor decision for the SRU to agree to this. We've had a game every Saturday on FTA since TV began - first on the ABC and more recently on 7Two.

I don't know why the SRU would give this up for a few extra dollars and then get put behind the pay TV wall with the rest of rugby. Very short-sighted thinking IMO.

They save a lot of money, and they get national coverage.........

They're only on FTA is because they pay Channel 7 to air it, which is not something they could sustain long term.

In 2015, Murray and new business partner Nick Fordham brokered a 10-year deal with the SRU and NSWRU to broadcast the competition on the Seven Network's digital channel 7mate. It required the Sydney clubs to find $300,000 a year between them to pay Seven and Club Rugby TV, a burden that placed the SRU under financial stress if the final could not deliver the gate takings to cover the fees.

And as part of RA's broadcast package they were going to receive a new competition with the top clubs from SS and Qld.

In the end the SRU got the better end of that deal.

The monetary value of the competition in itself is not huge, with limited television audience numbers for club games. But RA saw it as essential to have the country's main grassroots competitions marketed as part of a whole-of-game pitch to broadcasters.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...e-shield-rights-imminent-20200210-p53zi6.html

 

[The Honey Badger]

I actually think it was a poor decision for the SRU to agree to this. We've had a game every Saturday on FTA since TV began - first on the ABC and more recently on 7Two.

I don't know why the SRU would give this up for a few extra dollars and then get put behind the pay TV wall with the rest of rugby. Very short-sighted thinking IMO.

I am sure the FTA 1 game per week was still going to happen.

Fox wanted every game for broadcast.


I would have liked either option to have played out.

1) Fox takes SS and walks from Super Rugby

or

2) The whole lot ends up with Optus

But sadly the sabotage killed off both and now just a mess

 

[Quick Hands]

They save a lot of money, and they get national coverage...

They're only on FTA is because they pay Channel 7 to air it, which is not something they could sustain long term.

Not really. The deal is that they can pay in cash or kind, so if they organise $250,000 in advertising during the telecasts then they don't pay. They've got the advertising in every year so they haven't had to pay anything. The advertising has paid for the coverage.