Go back to The KFC BBL three years ago - besides Perth and Hobart, attendances weren't that crash hot, and the broadcast was Fox-only.
But it put a good product together, sought big sponsorships, and pursued it relentlessly despite the roadblocks and financial concerns.
Last season it kicked complete arse in both crowd numbers and ratings. They used every marketing ploy they could - kids get in free etc. etc. and they reaped the rewards with broadcasters clamouring to get a piece of the pie.
Yeah, its cricket, and we're Aussies, so that helps. But there was no guarantee that T20 - which had hardly been embraced by the Aussie public up to that point - was going to win.
Well, they won, and won fucking hard. Rugby has to follow this model, rather than sit around and expect rich old boys to prop the thing up. Because the thing about rich people is they didn't get rich giving their money away.