Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[half]

Bar

That was an interesting article. It will be a test for FFA to get both dollars and on TV if that article is correct.

BH

OK I will use proper names and as for the overall detail on the deal, my recollections was we were told what SANDZZAR had negotiated, maybe it was less complex and actually finalised whereas FFA seem to have followed the NRL in releasing a major part of their deal with other bits yet to be finalised.

 

[TOCC]

But what details are they going to release?
SANZAAR are negotiating domestic broadcast agreements across 5 seperate countries and 3 domestic competitions on top of Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship, complexities of it are a little more complicated then the A-League

 

[TOCC]

Just to clarify, I'm not defending Super Rugby, for the reasons highlighted above it's an inflexible product which served its purposes at the turn of professionalism but has lost its way since 2005.

 

[wamberal]

TBF Soup has changed enormously since its inception. It has had to. By force of circumstances it has grown like Topsy. Unplanned and always imperfect. But its all we have.

 

[half]

I have got caught up in the hype, the to and throw of the FFA, FTA part of the deal.

Its has changed my mind to some degree of how we would get a national rugby team competition funded.

In the FFA deal with Fox, if FFA cannot sign a FTA partner Fox must pay FFA another either 3 or 4 million, both figures are quoted.

Some are saying this will be what the FTA offer, others argue it will be between 8 & 10 million. The street money seems to be with the either 3 or 4 million.

But screaming off the pages has been because the A-League is untested as a FTA product on a commercial network, the FTA see it as a risk and want to pay as little as possible to see the ratings.


The end result of this will be that the FTA bit will almost have to be given away until it proves it can rate.

What this does to my own ideas is come face to face with the reality no broadcaster seems to be willing to risk anything until something is proven.

The big bash figures are mind blowing and beat the AFL and NRL combined. Yet even through they rated over 300k on Fox, 10 only paid 20 million. Today the BBL after proving it can rate will get mega dollars.

The media companies seem very risk adverse. They pay the mega dollars but only after they can be assured the sport will rate.

Its quite sobering to realise how absolutely hard the media companies are on sports until they can prove they will rate.

Meaning the funding of any national domestic competition is as TWAS often posted almost impossible at anywhere near current levels.

 

[Highlander35]

If you're desperate to get back on FTA, you probably need some sort of Sevens format. Short and sharp, plenty of scoring, plenty of chances for ads.

With ~7 weeks between Cape Town and Wellington, you'd get all the Australians in squads. And it'd potentially be the ideal time to pick up an international player or two, particularly the Fijian or Samoan boys.

Would need some serious backing to get it off the ground though. And probably more sides than either the Soup, or the NRC could provide.

Albeit being for a short time, and probably using a traveling carnival format rather than home and away stuff, you could probably pop 4 teams into existence, give them a silly name and a link to somewhere, and let them play with 8 teams that have the NRC names.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

If you're desperate to get back on FTA, you probably need some sort of Sevens format. Short and sharp, plenty of scoring, plenty of chances for ads.

With ~7 weeks between Cape Town and Wellington, you'd get all the Australians in squads. And it'd potentially be the ideal time to pick up an international player or two, particularly the Fijian or Samoan boys.

Would need some serious backing to get it off the ground though. And probably more sides than either the Soup, or the NRC could provide.

Albeit being for a short time, and probably using a traveling carnival format rather than home and away stuff, you could probably pop 4 teams into existence, give them a silly name and a link to somewhere, and let them play with 8 teams that have the NRC names.

http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/08/15/the-wrap-introducing-rugby-sevens-smash/

Something like this might fit the bill. Short, sharp with lots of action. It even allows for use of either Super Rugby or NRC franchises and gives both the mens and womens competitions equal billing.

Eight games each evening its competed to fit into a 3 hour window. I actually think it could also work with just 6 squads. The current 5 plus a 6th. Let's say, Adelaide. Instead of 7 minute halves go with 10 minutes a piece. 6 games an evening still within the 3 hour timeframe.

 

[Highlander35]

I'd prefer the NRC sides used as it would split the talent in a better way, plus 8 games goes into 3 hours, that's approximately the schedule the International tournaments use, Melrose uses it and I think the Melbourne one did too.

Super sides plus one would work. But unless the 6th side is composed of players based out of another state, don't bother naming it geographically: call it the Barbarians or some such name.

And once again, to an even greater extent than the big bash, where a players from doesn't "really" matter as to which team he's signed.

It'd be for 3 weeks, 4 at most, and with a traveling carnival sort of thing going on, you'd really just be going from place to place and playing with a team rather than having a home and away structure.

Who knows though. It'd need fleshing out by people who care a lot more/will pay a lot more/will do a lot more market research than me.

 

[wamberal]

As much as I hate to say it, any made-for-tv product will be worth a lot more if it appeals to the sport betting demographic.

 

[Braveheart81]

Eight games each evening its competed to fit into a 3 hour window. I actually think it could also work with just 6 squads. The current 5 plus a 6th. Let's say, Adelaide. Instead of 7 minute halves go with 10 minutes a piece. 6 games an evening still within the 3 hour timeframe.

I tried working out some numbers on a 7s tournament before and it is really hard to make work.

2 games per team within a 3 hour timeframe is already too short a turnaround and if you made the games 10 minutes per half you would be absolutely smashing the players.

In terms of an overall product I just don't see how it could work unless there were mega dollars involved (which there clearly won't be). 6 teams is still 72 players. It's an awfully large number of ways to slice a pie.

 

[TOCC]

Eight games each evening its competed to fit into a 3 hour window. I actually think it could also work with just 6 squads. The current 5 plus a 6th. Let's say, Adelaide. Instead of 7 minute halves go with 10 minutes a piece. 6 games an evening still within the 3 hour timeframe.

World Rugby just cut the length of the GF from 10mins to 7mins because they found a disapprotionate number of injuries was occurring in the final 3mins.. think fatigue and physical exhaustion

I think there's ways to make it work without changing the rules and durations of the game.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I tried working out some numbers on a 7s tournament before and it is really hard to make work.

2 games per team within a 3 hour timeframe is already too short a turnaround and if you made the games 10 minutes per half you would be absolutely smashing the players.

In terms of an overall product I just don't see how it could work unless there were mega dollars involved (which there clearly won't be). 6 teams is still 72 players. It's an awfully large number of ways to slice a pie.

Under the proposal teams would only be playing one game a night. Eight mens and 8 womens squads. Four mens games and four womens games. For a total of 8 games in the 3 hour block.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

World Rugby just cut the length of the GF from 10mins to 7mins because they found a disapprotionate number of injuries was occurring in the final 3mins.. think fatigue and physical exhaustion

I think there's ways to make it work without changing the rules and durations of the game.

Well, the link calls for seven minute halves. I was just suggesting 10 minutes for the sake of competition as players would only be playing a single game an evening.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Whether seven or ten minute halves you'd have to get rid of the Law variations that cause halves to rung long if you want it all done & dusted in 3-4 hours. I love the concept FWIW & haven't done any calcs whatsoever but would a 6x men's- & 4x women's team comp fit within that timeframe? Men's being the Super Rugby entities plus a scratch team of some sort, women's ACT, NSW, Qld & a scratch team.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Whether seven or ten minute halves you'd have to get rid of the Law variations that cause halves to rung long if you want it all done & dusted in 3-4 hours. I love the concept FWIW & haven't done any calcs whatsoever but would a 6x men's- & 4x women's team comp fit within that timeframe? Men's being the Super Rugby entities plus a scratch team of some sort, women's ACT, NSW, Qld & a scratch team.

Probably vould work with 6 mens and 4 womens. But ideally if you were to go with 6 mens teams would go for 6 womens as well.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^^^^^^ absolutely but I think 6M & 4W is do-able right now & you could look to expand it from there.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

^^^^^^^^^^^ absolutely but I think 6M & 4W is do-able right now & you could look to expand it from there.

Watching the Nationals recently I actually think you'd be surprised with how much talent is available in the womens game at present. They could easily do four and probably 6 fairly competitive squads.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Watching the Nationals recently I actually think you'd be surprised with how much talent is available in the womens game at present. They could easily do four and probably 6 fairly competitive squads.

I also think such a proposal as this could be presented to the likes of Alisports as they look to establish both mens and womens leagues in the 7s and 15s format. A 'Super' Sevens Smash with the 5 Aus franchises plus Hong Kong, the Sunwolves and a Chinese mainland squad to start in both mens and womens could be quite interesting to them.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

I don't doubt that the talent is there, I'm just not convinced that "the suits" would go for the women having equal content to the men's comp. Exhibit A: Dubai 7's coverage where they cut away from a women's SF to show a replay of the 2016 Sydney 7's final. Shit, I'd love to see stand-alone men's & women's circuits but I just don't think it's gunna happen any time soon.

 

[wamberal]

The tv ratings. That's all that counts.