Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[barbarian]

People talking about a weekly show neglect to mention we had one for decades, but nobody ever watched it. And it wasn't bad either.

I really couldn't care less about a weekly show, as I listen to three podcasts that all do a better job of breaking down the game. I also listen to the GAGR pods when time permits.

And I know I'm in the majority. I just don't think there's an appetite among rugby fans for this sort of content. Obviously I'd welcome any attempt by 9/Stan to have a crack at something but I'm skeptical it will be a priority for them.
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[Jets]

I think there is. If they can follow the NRL Foxtel model you could have a show on every night and rugby becomes something the house gets around. In my house I put NRL 360 on if my wife's out and I hardly watch any of the games. They don't all have to be about breaking the game down but when normality returns, if it ever does, you could have content on Super Rugby, 7's, Women's Rugby, Club rugby, school rugby the list goes on.

 

[Pfitzy]

People talking about a weekly show neglect to mention we had one for decades, but nobody ever watched it. And it wasn't bad either.

Been a while since I had Foxtel, but was that the Rugby 360 where they had Kearns and Kafe involved?

 

[barbarian]

Been a while since I had Foxtel, but was that the Rugby 360 where they had Kearns and Kafe involved?

It had a few names, but The Rugby Club with Kafe's Chalkboard and Moloney's Top 5 was always a good mix of informative and fun.

 

[Braveheart81]

I think there is. If they can follow the NRL Foxtel model you could have a show on every night and rugby becomes something the house gets around. In my house I put NRL 360 on if my wife's out and I hardly watch any of the games. They don't all have to be about breaking the game down but when normality returns, if it ever does, you could have content on Super Rugby, 7's, Women's Rugby, Club rugby, school rugby the list goes on.

The problem on Foxtel has always been the ratings. Those NRL shows work because the average games rate 5x a rugby game so the audience that then watches the show is still viable.

I reckon there is a strong chance Stan will have one or more of these kind of shows because they are clearly investing in rugby with the purchase but whether they last is another question.

With the Fox Sports rugby shows it was always trying to appeal to everyone and subsequently appealed to almost no one.

 

[sendit]

People talking about a weekly show neglect to mention we had one for decades, but nobody ever watched it. And it wasn't bad either.

I really couldn't care less about a weekly show, as I listen to three podcasts that all do a better job of breaking down the game. I also listen to the GAGR pods when time permits.

And I know I'm in the majority. I just don't think there's an appetite among rugby fans for this sort of content. Obviously I'd welcome any attempt by 9/Stan to have a crack at something but I'm skeptical it will be a priority for them.
.

why in the world would you watch a tv show for the purpose of breaking down a game of footy, talk about snooze fest and not appealing to the masses

A mid week show could be very successful given the right balance of tv personalities and content

 

[Jets]

Also the Fox rugby show was on Thursday nights for most of the 25 years, when most players had training on. They just missed a large part of their audience.

 

[Omar Comin']

I really couldn't care less about a weekly show, as I listen to three podcasts that all do a better job of breaking down the game. I also listen to the GAGR pods when time permits.

They should just do something like the rugby ruckus, which is essentially both a live streamed show and a podcast. As Ben Kimber is working for Stan now maybe even that exact show (with a bit of extra production value) could be brought over.

There's heaps of examples of this now. The new Ausbiz channel is all streaming with a couple of their shows also released as podcasts. And half the guests just appear over zoom (or whatever equivalent they use). It must be a lot cheaper to do all this stuff than it used to be.

 

[Slim 293]

Quickly jumped on Twitter and he is following Sean Maloney, Christy Doran, Georgina Robinson, Lou Ransome, Nick McArdle, Aussie Rugby Show and Ben Kimber. So that is a good start.

Don’t forget that Nine took over Fairfax some time ago, so no doubt their rugby scribes will be involved in some capacity.........

 

[The Honey Badger]

Steal Ruan Simms from League and you kill two birds with one stone, she's semi vying with Allana Ferguson to be the next female former player, commentator/personality anyway

I heard Grace Hamilton being interviewed on ABC 2CR on Saturday morning. She also seems a pretty polished media performer. Code hopper too but said in the interview Real Rugby is what she loves most. Still playing, but could be an option

 

[liquor box]

It had a few names, but The Rugby Club with Kafe's Chalkboard and Moloney's Top 5 was always a good mix of informative and fun.

I am not interested in the fun aspect, I don't really care if a prop can kick a field goal from the sideling or about watching someone get tackled and their shorts being pulled down.

I want analysis of the games that have happened and possible game plans for upcoming games.

I would love a show that had Kafes chalkboard type segments and even looking at someone like Nicholas Bishop from the Roar analysing the game. Bishop at least has no allegiance with Australian teams which would stop accusations of bias. He is very well qualified and does a good job on the Roar that could easily convert to TV.

I am not against entertainment, there is no reason that both technical and entertainment shows cannot be broadcast on the same sport network.

ESPN seem to be able to do both and if Stan can get close to ESPN quality then they will be successful.

 

[Braveheart81]

I am not against entertainment, there is no reason that both technical and entertainment shows cannot be broadcast on the same sport network.

ESPN seem to be able to do both and if Stan can get close to ESPN quality then they will be successful.

It all comes down to the size of the market.

If you have lots of viewers you can make a bunch of shows that cater to different needs. AFL and NRL both have that in Australia. The US sports have it 10 fold with so many shows out there with many different focuses. I am a big NFL fan and there are about half a dozen pretty good podcasts just focused on the team I support (which aren't even a popular team).

Take for example Rugby Ruckus who put together a great podcast with lots of analysis and good guests. Their average views on YouTube are under 500 per episode and around 3,000 on Soundcloud to just listen.

By all reports Stan are getting them involved and that is great to see but a big part of what we're working against is the overall level of interest and why the Fox Sports rugby show always tried to cater to all markets which pissed off viewers at either end of the spectrum.

 

[Ignoto]

Hopefully whatever they do release, it needs to be timeshiftable. Podcasts have taken off for a number of reasons, but one is, you can listen for 5 minutes or 50 minutes depending on how much time you have. You can pick up where you left off without any hassle either.

The problem I found with the Rugby show is, it was only on a Wednesday or was it Thursday night and from memory, was only shown on TV. While I could record it, I would have to sit in front of the tv to watch it. Unfortunately between work, family and exercise, I don't have an hour or so free to consume the content.

What I and I'm sure a lot of other time poor Rugby fans do have is, X minutes on my way to work, Y minutes at lunch and Z minutes on my way home, A minutes while doing a shop or chores. I could easily fill that time listening to a show and I've chosen to pay for a number of podcasts for that entertainment factor.

I'd love to be able to do it for the RugbyPass stuff with Maloney and Mitchell, but I've only seen YouTube videos which isn't ideal.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

It all comes down to the size of the market.

If you have lots of viewers you can make a bunch of shows that cater to different needs. AFL and NRL both have that in Australia. The US sports have it 10 fold with so many shows out there with many different focuses. I am a big NFL fan and there are about half a dozen pretty good podcasts just focused on the team I support (which aren't even a popular team).

Take for example Rugby Ruckus who put together a great podcast with lots of analysis and good guests. Their average views on YouTube are under 500 per episode and around 3,000 on Soundcloud to just listen.

By all reports Stan are getting them involved and that is great to see but a big part of what we're working against is the overall level of interest and why the Fox Sports rugby show always tried to cater to all markets which pissed off viewers at either end of the spectrum.

Aussie Rugby Show has shown that production costs don't need to be huge. I'd like to think that would lead Stan trying more things.

 

[kiap]

It makes no sense for there NOT to be an equitable distribution of $$s to ALL clubs involved in SRAu.

The WF may be privately owned but so is the Rebels.

Andrew Forrest may be a philanthropist but his support of the WF is a business proposition aimed at ensuring that the WF is eventually, and in an acceptable timeframe, is a profitable activity.

The lack of equitable distribution between the Super Rugby clubs was the problem previously - especially as the club which was axed received the least.

Looks like potential movement in that direction, FF (Folau Fainga'a):

This year, the Force … in Super Rugby AU, accepted a payment from RA to be involved.​

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In recent years, the Force have been funded by billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, who has paid the bills since the side's acrimonious exit in 2017.​

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Super Rugby bosses had been under the impression the Force would pay their own way again in 2021, but sources close to negotiations have told The Sun-Herald a request was made by the Force to split broadcast revenue evenly across the five sides.​

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While Clarke did not want to comment on specific arrangements with the Force, sources have told The Sun-Herald the intention is for the Force to receive an equal share of broadcast revenue.​

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RA allocates extra funding to Super Rugby franchises every year, but that won't be given to the Force in 2021. However, the intention is for that to occur in 2022 where there will be full parity …​

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...ikely-return-to-the-fold-20201128-p56iqr.html

 

[Slim 293]

The Herald understands respected commentator Sean Maloney, who was let go by FoxSports in 2019, is the frontrunner to be the premier caller for Nine and Stan Sport.

One name firming up for a expert comments role is Ashley-Cooper, the former Wallabies great who scored 39 tries in 121 Tests from 2005 to 2019.

Sources close to Ashley-Cooper say the 36-year-old, who appeared at a fourth Rugby World Cup in Japan last year, has been approached by Nine.

.........

Former FoxSports presenter Nick McArdle has also been linked with a role, while dual international Sonny Bill Williams is also in discussions with the network for a cross-code commentary gig.

Sources say two-time World Cup winner Tim Horan, who has been a mainstay of FoxSports's rugby coverage for years, is in the box seat to land a gig on the free-to-air network. All Blacks legend Andrew Mehrtens is also in the mix as well, and Drew Mitchell has been approached.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...s-nine-eye-off-big-names-20201129-p56iwv.html

 

[Adam84]

I think Maloney and McArdle in the commentary box would be a good mix, with someone like AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/Mitchell providing the sideline commentating

 

[Adam84]

In other news(The Australian), Ch 7 CEO has accused 9 of paying too much for rugby union, labelling it a niche sport and is driving up the cost of sports.

 

[dru]

In other news(The Australian), Ch 7 CEO has accused 9 of paying too much for rugby union, labelling it a niche sport and is driving up the cost of sports.

They were creative and provided a (so far) unique package that did push things along. If this has the impact of driving up Ch 7 niche sports then so be it. It is hard to think of a “niche sport” with as much international exposure as rugby. The potential is surely there - as long as we keep our ducks in a row.

 

[kiap]

In other news(The Australian), Ch 7 CEO has accused 9 of paying too much for rugby union, labelling it a niche sport and is driving up the cost of sports.

Any move that perturbs Warburton and Stokes is OK by me. Seven is a dismal debt-laden dog that's overpaying for #NayFL.