Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[LeCheese]

You mentioned earlier a free model with ads, I feel like they won’t do this for Stan sports, we are paying what $15 now? Maybe a $10 version with ads and even then I reckon it’ll turn people off. Paid with ads is very different to free with ads.

Stan sports free with ads is essentially a different product.

It is; however, I was thinking about this earlier in the broader context of the over-saturation we now have of streaming services, and think there could be some merit in offering a free (or very, very cheap) service with ads. A huge part of Netflix' original appeal, along with the on-demand nature, was that it didn't have ads - but during this time, it had basically all the shows/movies anyone wanted.

With the segregation of content that's occurred as more names have entered the market, most people need to choose which streaming service(s) they're willing to fork out for based on both content and price. By offering a free service with ads, it's a no-lose scenario for the consumer (apart from sitting through a few ads), but gets people onto your platform. It was basically Spotify's original model, which panned out pretty well.

 

[KOB1987]

Without trying to be a wet blanket, havent the Olympics lost some lustre recently? I feel like with the amount of global sport available for streaming 24/7, people just don’t really care so much about the lesser events.

I wouldn’t be counting on the decathlon, badminton or table tennis to be pumping up Stan Sport subs.

I reckon they’ll just turn GEM into a 24/7 Olympics channel showing the non medal stuff and all the key events will be live on Nine.

For me personally I get right into the swimming and the rowing because we are good at them. Coincidentally they are both usually early on in the programme. I'll watch the 7s of course whenever they are scheduled. I avoid all the other events like a plague unless we have a known gold medal chance, e.g. the kayaking, Cathy Freeman, and some tennis players now and then. And Tatiana Grigorieva.

 

[half]

Decent read if you are interested its from the USA mostly about Baseball, traditional TV streaming etc and the future.

This quote was interesting from the article.

""" The big question going forward is whether baseball can regain any real relevancy with young adults. They are the future after all.""""

Its a question I think rugby faces in Australia also.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/27/sport/baseball-world-series-viewership-problem-spt-intl/index.html

 

[liquor box]

Decent read if you are interested its from the USA mostly about Baseball, traditional TV streaming etc and the future.

This quote was interesting from the article.

""" The big question going forward is whether baseball can regain any real relevancy with young adults. They are the future after all.""""

Its a question I think rugby faces in Australia also.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/27/sport/baseball-world-series-viewership-problem-spt-intl/index.html

I think Baseball will survive, particularly with people with Latino origins, the demographic make up of the teams is far different that many years ago and Latino and Central American will dominate into the future.

 

[half]

I think Baseball will survive, particularly with people with Latino origins, the demographic make up of the teams is far different that many years ago and Latino and Central American will dominate into the future.

I was not thinking to much about baseball, more the media shifts they are experiencing, falling rating and that young people are looking elsewhere and in nowhere near the numbers they used to.

The parts were the article talks about E-games, same here, the total dominance of American Football [gridiron] and Basketball see AFL & League.

Not that Australian Rugby could ever be compared to US Baseball, however many issues the article points out IMO mirror ours.

 

[Highlander35]

Meatsports and esports all have the same problem. To not lose shitloads of money, you need to either run on the smell of an oily rag, have VC investors with more money than sense (drying up post pandemic as interest rates return to pre GFC levels), sell out to gambling lobbies, or get sportswashed (see the esports world cup the Saudi's have begun organising).

I don't think there are many potential rugby fans who will stay home to watch the likes of "Rub n Pug" and "Gooners" play in the Pacific Valorant Qualifiers on Friday night rather than sit down and watch Crusaders v Waratahs.

 

[half]

Meatsports and esports all have the same problem. To not lose shitloads of money, you need to either run on the smell of an oily rag, have VC investors with more money than sense (drying up post pandemic as interest rates return to pre GFC levels), sell out to gambling lobbies, or get sportswashed (see the esports world cup the Saudi's have begun organising).

I don't think there are many potential rugby fans who will stay home to watch the likes of "Rub n Pug" and "Gooners" play in the Pacific Valorant Qualifiers on Friday night rather than sit down and watch Crusaders v Waratahs.

I suppose your right, Rugby has nothing to fear, all these surveys are meaningly, kids today will flock to watch Rugby.

I get your point, Rugby is special, and all these things effecting other sports who then make plans around the changing world environment, will not effect Australian Rugby and we don't need either to worry about them or develop strategies to counter the effect of.

It shows to in the crowds at Super Rugby matches, over 50% of the crowd under 25.

 

[Slim 293]

Sorry, I'm late to the discussion... has half reminded us how everyone told him he was wrong about something thirty years ago?*

*Requires fact checking.

 

[Braveheart81]

I suppose your right, Rugby has nothing to fear, all these surveys are meaningly, kids today will flock to watch Rugby.

The various things are mutually exclusive.

He's not arguing that rugby has no issues or nothing to fear.

He's suggesting that baseball losing it's place as "America's pastime" probably doesn't have a lot of lessons to provide us here in Australia relating to rugby.

Likewise I think he's 100% correct that the rise of esports isn't really specifically relevant to rugby. My view on esports is it is really just shifting video game usage from being something entirely played yourself to something where people choose to spend some of their time watching others play.

 

[Highlander35]

I suppose your right, Rugby has nothing to fear, all these surveys are meaningly, kids today will flock to watch Rugby.

I get your point, Rugby is special, and all these things effecting other sports who then make plans around the changing world environment, will not effect Australian Rugby and we don't need either to worry about them or develop strategies to counter the effect of.

It shows to in the crowds at Super Rugby matches, over 50% of the crowd under 25.

Mate I had an alarm set for 2am on Monday to watch my Spacestation Gaming boys go 11-0.

I like esports, I think generally speaking they're amazing. But I don't buy tickets to events. I don't pay for subscriptions, or watch ads. I don't buy team merch. I stick a video on, I admire the skill difference between them and me, and play the game casually a few hours a week.

I'm not saying there's not something to be learned from observing the most successful esports (league and csgo particularly) but outside the big events the young eyeballs are gaming themselves or on streamers playing ranked or PUGs, not watching or participating in organised play.

 

[JRugby2]

Surely a free tier subscription (with ads) is being considered

My guess here is that Nine will likely put the Olympics on 9Now (or they will put it on both). I know it will fall into the anti-siphoning laws bucket- but unsure how deep (eg: Swimming Finals will need to be broadcast for free, but will heats? And what about the other niche sports?).

 

[JRugby2]

We know from years of being on Fox Sports that merely being on a platform that lots of people have access to doesn't have a meaningful impact on ratings.

The concept that there are lots of potential fans out there who will become rugby union fans through channel surfing isn't supported by the evidence.

Being on Fox gave us more than just ratings - we got consistent news coverage in newscorp papers and commanded more SOV in the sports media cycle.

It would have to be one of the reasons cricket australia snubbed paramount (outside of the general lack of confidence to deliver an audience)

 

[Wilson]

My guess here is that Nine will likely put the Olympics on 9Now (or they will put it on both). I know it will fall into the anti-siphoning laws bucket- but unsure how deep (eg: Swimming Finals will need to be broadcast for free, but will heats? And what about the other niche sports?).

I think they've said everything will be free this year, but haven't been to specific on how that will work. I could see everything being streamed live for free but replays (or replays after a certain point) being behind a paywall on Stan for example.

 

[Braveheart81]

Being on Fox gave us more than just ratings - we got consistent news coverage in newscorp papers and commanded more SOV in the sports media cycle.

They killed that in the final year or two of the final broadcast deal with them though. They turned on the sport pretty solidly and I don't think you can reasonably go back there on the basis that there'll be more rugby coverage in the Daily Telegraph.

 

[John S]

Being on Fox gave us more than just ratings - we got consistent news coverage in newscorp papers and commanded more SOV in the sports media cycle.

It would have to be one of the reasons cricket australia snubbed paramount (outside of the general lack of confidence to deliver an audience)

I don't recall any positive news coverage coming about because it was on fox.

 

[JRugby2]

I think you're mistaking news for propoganda.

It's not like cricket, nrl and afl get a free ride either.

 

[Braveheart81]

I think you're mistaking news for propoganda.

It's not like cricket, nrl and afl get a free ride either.

The latter point of that deal though really featured a trashing of the sport though. I don't think anyone is asking for a free ride but it got to the point where the Newscorp media were effectively an enemy of the sport.

I wouldn't go back there purely on the basis of hopefully getting a little more positive media attention.

 

[John S]

I think you're mistaking news for propoganda.

It's not like cricket, nrl and afl get a free ride either.

I'm not making it out to be an arm of the Rugby AU Marketing Pigeon.

As Braveheart said, anytime they got a chance they stuck the boot in - there was a lot of positive things happening, and they focused purely on the negative. You just need to compare it to the NRL reporting at the time - all their dirty laundry got/gets swept under the rug or laughed off.

 

[JRugby2]

I'm not making it out to be an arm of the Rugby AU Marketing Pigeon.

As Braveheart said, anytime they got a chance they stuck the boot in - there was a lot of positive things happening, and they focused purely on the negative. You just need to compare it to the NRL reporting at the time - all their dirty laundry got/gets swept under the rug or laughed off.

Such as:

- QANTAS pulling out of it's 30yr sponsorship of the game
- a fairly dismal RWC performance the year before (though what I would give...)
- heavy debt and laying off a third of it's staff in covid
- another CEO resigning...
- folau

The latter point of that deal though really featured a trashing of the sport though. I don't think anyone is asking for a free ride but it got to the point where the Newscorp media were effectively an enemy of the sport.

I wouldn't go back there purely on the basis of hopefully getting a little more positive media attention.

Definitely not - key metric is Audience and Attention - ultimately FTA is the only thing that will give us the opportunity to be exposed to a larger audience. But Kayo sub number definitely trump Stan's so if the dollars are similar, I know what I'd chose.

 

[dru]

Definitely not - key metric is Audience and Attention - ultimately FTA is the only thing that will give us the opportunity to be exposed to a larger audience. But Kayo sub number definitely trump Stan's so if the dollars are similar, I know what I'd chose.

That metric would have to be massively skewed to warrant even considering Kayo and their bosses after anti rugby stunts last time round. Starting position with any negotiation is a red line through that option.