Rugby to Ch 9

[RugbyReg]

The high-rating Bledisloe Cup matches appear certain to have found a new home in Australian lounge-rooms, with Channel Nine likely to replace Seven as the broadcaster for the next five years.

Nine has already been confirmed as Australia's free-to-air broadcaster for next year's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, with pool matches to be shown on Fox Sports, and the 2015 World Cup in England.

Fox Sports will continue televising Super 15 matches that involve Australia's five teams, including 2011 newcomers the Melbourne Rebels, as negotiations for TV rights to the SANZAR competition and Wallabies Test matches near completion.

While Nine values Bledisloe Cup matches, it also prizes the hype and ratings associated with the British and Irish Lions, who tour Australia in 2013. It has a sporting vacancy on Saturday evenings, with NRL broadcasting partner, Fox Sports, showing three matches of rugby league, Nine's main winter sport property.

The close relationship between Nine and Fox Sports, which also share coverage of Wimbledon and international cricket, including the world cup, is a significant factor in the deal, to be announced in three weeks.

News Ltd half owns Fox Sports and holds management rights, along with rugby union broadcasting rights in Australia and New Zealand.

Channel Seven, which is expected to televise Bledisloe Cup matches for the final time this season, was unhappy with a deal in which Fox Sports stole viewers by showing internationals at the same time, without advertisements.

Sources also insist News executives haven't forgotten the Federal Court action Seven owner, Kerry Stokes, took against News and others, claiming they had conspired to close his C7 pay-TV network. Relations between Fox Sports and the other potential free-to-air broadcaster, Ten, are poisonous.

News Ltd is expected to pay 30 per cent to 35 per cent more for the 2011-2015 rights, despite poor ratings for most Super 14 games during past seasons. But a change in the format of Super 15, with Australia's teams playing each other twice and the best-performed team winning a place in the finals, has encouraged News to pay more.

Furthermore, the draw will be scheduled in more viewer-friendly hours, avoiding scenarios, such as the Waratahs effectively disappearing from Australian screens for three weeks while playing in South Africa.

Australia's share of the SANZAR deal is expected to be $40m, signalling a jump in broadcasting income to the NRL, which has more games and considerably higher ratings.

While Tri Nations matches, involving South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, will continue, there are moves to include Argentina. The International Rugby Board will finance Argentina's place in a Four Nations competition from 2012 at $US2.5m for each of four years.

I assume it's not JUST the Bledisloe? That all Wallaby tests will be on 9? The Bundy series, the South African tests and the End of year tour?

 

[DPK]

It better bloody well be all of the Tests...

Will this mean a decrease in the Channel 9 league dickheads trying to diss Rugby?

 

[waratahjesus]

i cant wait to see gordon bray sitting next to fatty. epic television in the making.

 

[RugbyFuture]

bad news in terms of how much money they're getting and not giving a match to ten too. Might get better coverage though, we're losing some great callers at channel seven though, well one, in gordon bray. hopefully rugby will pick up by 2015 and then the 2016 olympics might help too, so next contract may be bigger.

 

[DPK]

Gordon might go to Channel 9, he did used to be on the ABC. Maybe they'll take the whole Channel 7 Rugby Circus with the rights to the Bledisloe.

 

[fatprop]

Why would the ARU want the leading abusers of rugby in Ch 9 (through their NRL "commentators") having anything to do with rugby.

 

[James Buchanan]

Why would the ARU want the leading abusers of rugby in Ch 9 (through their NRL "commentators") having anything to do with rugby.

Money.

As long as it means I get to see Tests on in Prime Time, I'm all for the idea.

Which given that 9 is the only channel without rights to the AFL down here, is fantastic for me

 

[fatprop]

Why would the ARU want the leading abusers of rugby in Ch 9 (through their NRL "commentators") having anything to do with rugby.

Money.

As long as it means I get to see Tests on in Prime Time, I'm all for the idea.

Which given that 9 is the only channel without rights to the AFL down here, is fantastic for me

until they stick a test on delay so they can replay funniest home videos instead

 

[Aussie D]

I would have been a lot happier if ten had gotten the rights. I think they promote their "sports" better than anyone. My Dad is a bit of a rev head and loved watching the racing on 10 on Sunday afternoons, a while before that they promoted basketball in its halcyon days here in Oz. Would be great if they did that for rugby.

With nine they will probably try to fit it in with the rest of their TV schedule... wonder what Kerry Packer would think?

 

[Blue]

I'd put money on:

Delayed broadcasts
Crap buildups
Poor commentary
Missed kick offs due to ad overruns
Ads at every stoppage

Maybe they'll report rugby on Channel Nine "News" now (bwahaha, news, that's funny, they call it news).

 

[DPK]

Seeing as 9 dont have any league on Saturday nights, they shouldnt clash.

 

[Moses]

Why would the ARU want the leading abusers of rugby in Ch 9 (through their NRL "commentators") having anything to do with rugby.

Money.

As long as it means I get to see Tests on in Prime Time, I'm all for the idea.

Which given that 9 is the only channel without rights to the AFL down here, is fantastic for me

until they stick a test on delay so they can replay funniest home videos instead

Wasn't that a strange decision..
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20565315-23214,00.html

 

[waratahjesus]

bad news in terms of how much money they're getting and not giving a match to ten too. Might get better coverage though, we're losing some great callers at channel seven though, well one, in gordon bray. hopefully rugby will pick up by 2015 and then the 2016 olympics might help too, so next contract may be bigger.

the money situation is actually a minor miricle, there is no product to sell and ratings have declined to levels were fox cuould have probably just replaced the comp with there own for the same money if they wanted to. the increase covers the money the ARU spend on grants for the teams including the new team with a bit left over meaning that tests matches etc will all account to profit margin at the end of the day. its not a bad result at all.

 

[The Chosen]

i cant wait to see gordon bray sitting next to fatty. epic television in the making.

II'm sure Ray `Rabbits' Warren will be the main man- you say he doesn't know anything about Rugby. Well he doesn't know anything about swimming either & 9 had him there for years boasting about `tjhe best in the business'
Spare us please!!!!!!

 

[DPK]

i cant wait to see gordon bray sitting next to fatty. epic television in the making.

II'm sure Ray `Rabbits' Warren will be the main man- you say he doesn't know anything about Rugby. Well he doesn't know anything about swimming either & 9 had him there for years boasting about `tjhe best in the business'
Spare us please!!!!!!

If we want to convert some neutral sports fans or league fans to supporting our code, using some of the commentators could be a good way of getting them on side (thats if we want to convert them)

 

[chief]

It's a shame Ten won't get it. Would have liked to see a few replays on ONE HD after the match. I hope Tune becomes a commentator, I like him, maybe even Gregan?

 

[Pfitzy]

Rabs can understand swimming. its pretty easy, like league. Rugby he'd be completely lost at.

Wasn't that a strange decision..
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20565315-23214,00.html

If it was Toni Pearen nude, licking ice cream off Kimberley Davies, I guess it makes sense.

 

[Sully]

i cant wait to see gordon bray sitting next to fatty. epic television in the making.

II'm sure Ray `Rabbits' Warren will be the main man- you say he doesn't know anything about Rugby. Well he doesn't know anything about swimming either & 9 had him there for years boasting about `tjhe best in the business'
Spare us please!!!!!!

At least Ray does some research AND actually calls the game. I'd have no problem watching if he called them.

 

[RugbyFuture]

mungo alert

 

[Sully]

I am insulted :'(