Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[Penguin]

best option is get a tivo or foxtel IQ et al and just watch it when you choose

Not everyone can or wants to afford to pay for Foxtel, just for the Rugby. A lot of punters are missing the opportunity to watch the game because it's exclusive to Fox.

 

[fatprop]

Not everyone can or wants to afford to pay for Foxtel, just for the Rugby. A lot of punters are missing the opportunity to watch the game because it's exclusive to Fox.

I appreciate that but the reality is that rugby is a minority sport that will never get the coverage pay TV provides. Who else would consider that showing each game played live is an option? Where else will you see the 6 nations, the top 14, the itm, the curry cup?

Super rugby just wouldn't exist without it. It can't function on free to air because it offers no consistency of programming or the ratings that an old Bert Newton "best of" can provide. We don't have a game each Friday at 7.30 etc. and FTA works through habit each week/day you know pretty well what is on.

Test rugby is chance as it is marketed as a special event, a random S15 match appearing on the schedule won't be and won't get the ratings to justify FTA prime time coverage.

You don't want/can't afford Fox? Fine, just get used to not seeing much rugby because it ain't going to change

 

[Penguin]

Those are good points Fatprop, but a good highlights package at a decent time would go a long way to getting the sport into the laymans minds. Growing up there was always a 6 nations game on free to air & in the early Super incarnations there was always a highlights show of at least one of the games. This is needed if the game is going to grow & to keep the kids more interested in Rugby than League. I know it got my family interested in the 80's.
As far as my viewing is concerned, I'm content with just seeing the Reds games, I can go & watch it live when it's in town or go to a mates/pub or *gasp* illegal stream (though I'd rather not, sometimes it's the only choice ie: late Saffa games)

 

[wamberal]

There is also the simple fact that half the Super Rugby games played, or more, just would not rate at all here because they are two Saffer teams playing each other, two Kiwi teams ditto, or a New Zealand team against a Saffer team. These games actually bring in a disproportionate share of the revenue, however, so in a way they are subsidising us.


We cannot exist as a professional sport without Super Rugby. Super Rugby exists for the three countries, decisions about television rights are totally driven by the commercial reality that pay for view is the only possible venue for live coverage.

It would be nice to see the occasional replay on FTA here, but again we have to remember that, not only would there have to be an FTA operator interested, but this would diminish the value of the rights to Fox Sports. The only possible way that we could interest TEN (or whoever) to show the highlights package at an earlier time would be to sponsor it ourselves.

 

[Rob42]

Foxtel on Xbox now includes all three Fox Sports channels, so all Super Rugby will be on it. But they've bumped the price to $49.50/month. Could be a good option now for those with the equipment and no appetite for long-term contracts - it appears you can stop and start as you want.

 

[kronic]

Burkey has joined channel 10 for their coverage: http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2013/03/former-wallaby-matthew-burke-joins-ten.html

 

[p.Tah]

Gordon Bray will be TENs lead commentator

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/med...n-bray-joins-ten/story-e6frg996-1226618922395

 

[kronic]

WD Ten. Finally someone that gets it. Hopefully they broadcast it LIVE across Aus. Might help the struggling network and our game.

Bray and ads > Kearns, Martin etc.

 

[qwerty51]

Not in HD though..

 

[p.Tah]

As always, the 2013 competition will be broadcast live on ABC1 throughout NSW and the ACT on Saturdays from 3pm. Interstate viewers can watch a full replay of each week’s Shute Shield game at 3.30am on Tuesday mornings on ABC1 nationally and rugby fans everywhere can catch all the action online at anytime on ABC iView.

Alternatively, rugby fans across NSW can tune in to ABC Local Radio’s new rugby show, Settling the Score with Niav Owens between 2pm and 5pm every Saturday, for all of your country rugby and Shute Shield news. You can TEXT the program with score updates from whichever game you're at on 0467 920 222 every Saturday afternoon. Make sure your team gets a mention each week and keep Niav up to date with the latest scores from your competition.

http://www.waratahs.com.au/News/NewsArticle/tabid/157/ArticleID/9316/Default.aspx

 

[p.Tah]

David Barham, Head of Sport at TEN.

This thought process underlines Barham’s long term vision for sport on free to air television. He believes it is vital that such telecasts become ‘can’t miss,’ nationally televised events. When the Wallabies play, the nation should stop to watch. He is determined to provide the best sports telecast on free to air television, a cause that should be helped initially by a successful Lions tour.
When asked what goes into making a sports broadcast into a ‘can’t miss event’ Barham indicated it was primarily about hype, about increasing the perceived importance of the event in the minds of the audience.
“It includes building up the event, promotions, advertising on social media and cross promotion from other shows on the network such as The Project.”

It's that cross promotion that is critcial for rugby's growth and underpins why we need a broader offering on Free to Air TV.

http://sportsbusinessinsider.com.au...ail&utm_term=0_0623f98f59-b5435dcc60-68569585

 

[TOCC]

Ch 10 has been trumped by 9 in securing the broadcast rights for Cricket, this leaves Ch10 without any major sporting code except for Wallaby matches..

It's absolutely essential that super rugby gets broadcast on FTA in the next deal, the stagnant growth of ratings on foxtel and the revenue constraints facing the ARU are indicators that the current format isn't the best format.. Conversely the NRL and AFL deals were groundbreaking and the A-League is been broadcast ob SBS FTA next year.

 

[redstragic]

Ch 10 has been trumped by 9 in securing the broadcast rights for Cricket, this leaves Ch10 without any major sporting code except for Wallaby matches..

It's absolutely essential that super rugby gets broadcast on FTA in the next deal, the stagnant growth of ratings on foxtel and the revenue constraints facing the ARU are indicators that the current format isn't the best format.. Conversely the NRL and AFL deals were groundbreaking and the A-League is been broadcast ob SBS FTA next year.

I honestly think the future is in streaming it. Like spotify, netflicks and hulu, sports will find a model where people will pay to watch. One of the blokes at work gets all the NBA for about $12 a month. that's where rugby should go in the next deal.

 

[TOCC]

I honestly think the future is in streaming it. Like spotify, netflicks and hulu, sports will find a model where people will pay to watch. One of the blokes at work gets all the NBA for about $12 a month. that's where rugby should go in the next deal.

Maybe in 2025 that will be the future...
However the next broadcast deal will definitely be with one of the existing broadcasters.

Online broadcasting is an even more niche market then foxtel currently, people's homes aren't equipped to stream directly to their home entertainment systems, most people over 40 wouldn't even know where to start.

Rugby needs to get into the mainstream, online streaming should be used to supplement a traditional broadcaster, not replace it( in the next 10 years at least).

 

[wamberal]

There is absolutely no way that Super Rugby will be on FTA in Australia.


For the reasons, look at earlier posts. But, just to remind you, why would FTA pay for a schedule of games over which they have no control, the structure of which varies significantly from season to season? Even the finals can be anywhere, in any of the three time zones.

Australian sports fans are spoiled, the two major winter codes have full control over their schedules, and contracts with FTA can promise whatever the networks want. For example, NRL games on Nein are scheduled six weeks in advance in consultation between the NRL and the network. We cannot ever compete with that.


The only games that might conceivably be able to get into a FTA schedule would be Australian derbies. Even then, they would probably be delayed to allow the insertion of enough commercials to make it attractive enough to the networks. Plus, any contract would have to be on a year by year basis. Impossible, in other words, in these days of huge media competition.


Why would Foxtel pay big bucks for the "privilege" of showing the rest of the games? Answer, they wouldn't.

 

[TOCC]

There is absolutely no way that Super Rugby will be on FTA in Australia.


For the reasons, look at earlier posts. But, just to remind you, why would FTA pay for a schedule of games over which they have no control, the structure of which varies significantly from season to season? Even the finals can be anywhere, in any of the three time zones.

Australian sports fans are spoiled, the two major winter codes have full control over their schedules, and contracts with FTA can promise whatever the networks want. For example, NRL games on Nein are scheduled six weeks in advance in consultation between the NRL and the network. We cannot ever compete with that.


The only games that might conceivably be able to get into a FTA schedule would be Australian derbies. Even then, they would probably be delayed to allow the insertion of enough commercials to make it attractive enough to the networks. Plus, any contract would have to be on a year by year basis. Impossible, in other words, in these days of huge media competition.


Why would Foxtel pay big bucks for the "privilege" of showing the rest of the games? Answer, they wouldn't.

What makes you think a broadcaster has no control over the structure of the Super Rugby draw? The Super Rugby draw is currently designed to suit the the Australian and Kiwi broadcasters perfectly. Yes the Finals are an issue, but not a complete deal-breaker.

ARU/SANZAR could easily guarantee that there would be an Australian team playing in the Friday/Saturday prime time tv slot each weekend.. It happens nearly every weekend already.
No one expects a FTA network to play all the games, the likely scenario is something similar to the NRL deal with Nine, a Friday night primetime game and a Sat night/Sunday afternoon game on FTA.

Yes the Foxtel offer would be reduced, that is to be expected, however the FTA offer would supplement somewhat as well as increased revenue from sponsorship exposure. Like i said, the current scenario isn't working, Rugby is getting swamped by the AFL and NRL and needs to do something to invigorate the professional arm of the game before it falls off the map completely.

Im not sure why you think the broadcast deal would only be 12months long?

 

[wamberal]

What makes you think a broadcaster has no control over the structure of the Super Rugby draw? The Super Rugby draw is currently designed to suit the the Australian and Kiwi broadcasters perfectly. Yes the Finals are an issue, but not a complete deal-breaker.

Are you suggesting that an Australian broadcaster could control the Supe draw? Impossible to believe that, old chap.

The draw suits a potential FTA broadcaster perfectly? Four different time zones? (Forgetting about South Africa). How is that perfect for Australian FTA? (Four, counting the period when part of us are on daylight saving).

At best it might be possible to get one marquee game a week on at a set time on a set night. That would require a lot of cooperation from the other unions, and of course would be cream straight off the Fox Sports cake.

Im not sure why you think the broadcast deal would only be 12months long?

Because of the the nature of the competition, the likelihood of significant changes in World Cup years (e.g, the best NZ players being rested), or Lions tours, and the asymmetrical nature of the conference system. A home game between the Reds and the Crusaders would be considerably more valuable than the Reds against the Landers. If I were bidding, I would want to know exactly who will be playing whom, when and where.

 

[Badger]

I honestly think the future is in streaming it. Like spotify, netflicks and hulu, sports will find a model where people will pay to watch. One of the blokes at work gets all the NBA for about $12 a month. that's where rugby should go in the next deal.

At the Sport Business Club Panel (which was recently mentioned on the Podcast by Gagger), I asked the SANZAR CEO about streaming. It's something that SANZAR is looking into as an option as he was aware that many people don't want a pay TV subscription, but would be willing to get a streaming package instead. With all the various devices available, I reckon it would be an attractive option for rugby fans.

Longer term, it would be great if the IRB could get all the stakeholders together and offer an IRB streaming platform where various subscription options are available depending on which tournaments you want to watch.

 

[TOCC]

Are you suggesting that an Australian broadcaster could control the Supe draw? Impossible to believe that, old chap.

Foxsports already work in conjunction with Skysports to ensure there is a seamless flow of live rugby from 5:30pm - 9:30pm(AEST) on a Friday or Saturday night, no major manipulating of the draw needs to be done, the inter-conference draw already guarantees that there is a ready supply of interstate match-ups. Cross-tasman matchup's against the Blues, Chiefs and Crusaders rate reasonably well to top it off.

The draw suits a potential FTA broadcaster perfectly? Four different time zones? (Forgetting about South Africa). How is that perfect for Australian FTA? (Four, counting the period when part of us are on daylight saving).

At best it might be possible to get one marquee game a week on at a set time on a set night. That would require a lot of cooperation from the other unions, and of course would be cream straight off the Fox Sports cake.

It actually doesn't take a lot of manipulation, every single weekend this year there has been an Australian team featuring in prime-time on either on Fri or Sat night, on most weekends there has been an Australian team featuring primetime on both Fri and Sat nights.

Because of the the nature of the competition, the likelihood of significant changes in World Cup years (e.g, the best NZ players being rested), or Lions tours, and the asymmetrical nature of the conference system. A home game between the Reds and the Crusaders would be considerably more valuable than the Reds against the Landers. If I were bidding, I would want to know exactly who will be playing whom, when and where.

I disagree, the June Test series and Rugby Championship matches are already held by Channel 10 so they aren't going to suffer any-kind of content drop-off during that period, they will still have Wallaby matches to broadcast in prime-time on the weekends. If Super Rugby were sold to FTA the Wallaby matches would likely feature in the package as well, it would offer a seamless transition between the tournaments.

 

[p.Tah]

At the Sports Business Club Panel that Badger mentioned, the Head of TENs sports, David Barham said that his dream for rugby on TEN would be to have a Super Rugby game on a Saturday night.

You got the feeling that there is still a lot of negotiating to do before the new broadcast deal.