Rugby TV ratings 2015

[hoggy]

Yes, I completely accept that most sporting leagues are domestic.

I don't think rugby is big enough in Australia to fund a domestic competition to the level that would be required to firstly keep our best players here and secondly make the quality good enough to be a product that would hold us in good stead on the international stage.

New Zealand in particular realises they need both us and South Africa and they have much greater depth in players than we do.

Yes but we have to start somewhere. Look Super rugby has had 20 years to build the code up here, and yet you say rugby is not big enough here. So after 20 years with access to the worlds best players and quality competition we are basically just going round in circles.

Look at the A league similar to rugby in support but don't tell me they don't have more potential.

Yes it is important to maintain a competitive Wallabies, but at what cost to the domestic product, so we stick to Super rugby because it keeps our best players here, yet at the same time watch grassroots rugby slowly die and continue to be a slave to pay TV forever. Whats the point of a competitive Wallabies when no one is left to watch.

 

[Braveheart81]

What would you suggest the plan should be to improve the fortunes of rugby in Australia?

 

[hoggy]

What would you suggest the plan should be to improve the fortunes of rugby in Australia?

The million $ question. Look i don't have the answers but i honestly think Australian rugby has to face up to some realities.
Super rugby from day one was always a step to far and suited NZ/SA far more.

We never built the support for the code outside of its traditional strengths of Private schools and expatriates. Super rugby was a convenient tool that allowed us to avoid taking the hard decision from day one. But it was and still is an unsustainable product for Australia.

The code is stuck on pay TV and with a product that sustains the Wallabies but is slowly becoming irrelevant to mainstream Australia. Simply put the code is standing still while the others are moving forward.

Why do i support a domestic league, because that is what works long term. We can stick with Super rugby, but it will still be stuck on pay TV in 50 years time, maybe just maybe with a domestic league in say 10/15 years we can get some decent FTA. And then the code can start to grow.

We have to get the product out to Joe public. It works for the other 3 codes and it will work for rugby.

I will be the first to admit that budgets will have to change. But whats the point in going broke keeping player A here if not enough people care to watch.

My point is we must build support up at a local level through a club based domestic competition, take your 5 super teams add 3 more and start from there. I'm not saying stop playing the Saffa's and Kiwi's but first you have a domestic comp and then look at other revenue products like Heineken cup style comps.

Australian rugby has to stop funding its code through a single entity the Wallabies. The pyramid is upside down. The only way to get more people to watch the Wallabies is to grow the game at a domestic level.

The problem is everyone right now involved in the game here at a higher level are all Beholden in some way to the current set up of Super rugby.

 

[wamberal]

If the Wallabies become a genuinely competitive side again (meaning, they can win the vast majority of their home games - including against the Darkness) the game's popularity overall will increase.


In turn, some of that success will increase funding for the grass-roots. We are up against two very formidable winter football codes, who are basically able to write their own rule-books. Our rule book is governed by a bunch of troglodytes who do not know or care about our particular problems.


The grass-roots have been dying for years. Professionalism is one of the reasons. If a young chap wants to earn money from the game, he has a lot of choice in the various codes and of course in other countries as well.

We have to be successful in our only prime time TV product, that is, the Wallabies.

It is as simple, and as difficult, as that.

 

[Marcelo]

Every Aussie team will play 3 matches against South African opposition and 1 against either the Japanese or Argentinian team. It's not much different.

Really??

 

[Omar Comin']

To me it seems quite likely that super rugby will evolve into something a bit closer to what hoggy is talking about anyway.

Though probably closer to the NFL structure than the European rugby and soccer structure.

I think that a 6th Australian Super Rugby team is fairly likely at some stage in the next 5-10 years. Perhaps the ANZ consortium will make a play for a new team. Then you could always have local matches in the best time slots.

I don't think rugby would do any good trying to copy the AFL and NRL unless you had a Frank Lowy type willing to bankroll it. Even then I just don't think the sport is popular enough for 10+ fully professional teams.

 

[hoggy]

If the Wallabies become a genuinely competitive side again (meaning, they can win the vast majority of their home games - including against the Darkness) the game's popularity overall will increase.


In turn, some of that success will increase funding for the grass-roots. We are up against two very formidable winter football codes, who are basically able to write their own rule-books. Our rule book is governed by a bunch of troglodytes who do not know or care about our particular problems.


The grass-roots have been dying for years. Professionalism is one of the reasons. If a young chap wants to earn money from the game, he has a lot of choice in the various codes and of course in other countries as well.

We have to be successful in our only prime time TV product, that is, the Wallabies.

It is as simple, and as difficult, as that.

The Wallabies have averaged a world ranking of 2 or 3 for the last 20 years, they have won 2 world cups, play the All Blacks the no 1 ranked team in the world on avg 3 times a year.
Yet they according to you they are not successful, so i take it then the only option we have for growth is to be the no1 in the world constantly. Great long term strategy.????

 

[Brendan Hume]

The Wallabies have averaged a world ranking of 2 or 3 for the last 20 years, they have won 2 world cups, play the All Blacks the no 1 ranked team in the world on avg 3 times a year.
Yet they according to you they are not successful, so i take it then the only option we have for growth is to be the no1 in the world constantly. Great long term strategy.????

It's the only strategy that has worked in Australia in the past. Rugby is a complex game and with the AFL and NRL having strong and stable revenue and corporate structures in place, there is really no chance to take the game to the top tier here. The chance we had was through the late 90's early 00's when league was a basket case - that won't happen again.

 

[hoggy]

It's the only strategy that has worked in Australia in the past. Rugby is a complex game and with the AFL and NRL having strong and stable revenue and corporate structures in place, there is really no chance to take the game to the top tier here. The chance we had was through the late 90's early 00's when league was a basket case - that won't happen again.

So you think that rugby has no chance to go to the top level here, i find it strange that everyone thinks rugby is going gangbusters globally, but then happily use every excuse under the sun to justify why it should remain a niche sport in Australia.

Yes AFL/NRL have strong and stable revenue and corporate structures in place. its a pity that rugby union hasn't got the vision or drive to do the same.

 

[Braveheart81]

It's a question of how much revenue can the game generate in Australia and how can that be used to sustain enough teams and players etc.

You can't just decide that we're going to quit Super Rugby, double the number of professional teams and pay players half as much. We don't just compete for talent locally.

Rugby doesn't have enough mainstream interest for non test matches to generate enough viewer numbers to be of interest to free to air TV during prime time.

Rugby union is a long way behind AFL and rugby league in terms of popularity in Australia. A simple change of format isn't going to suddenly make viewer numbers double.

 

[I like to watch]

What would you suggest the plan should be to improve the fortunes of rugby in Australia?

Same as any business,invest in it.
Rugby cannot compete with other codes who are continually visiting Schools with balls this week,jerseys next week and free tickets all the time, by making their grassroots self supporting.
IMO we are better off losing this current crop of players to Europe,rather than sacrificing a generation of possible rep players,and probable supporters.

 

[Brendan Hume]

So you think that rugby has no chance to go to the top level here, i find it strange that everyone thinks rugby is going gangbusters globally, but then happily use every excuse under the sun to justify why it should remain a niche sport in Australia.

Yes AFL/NRL have strong and stable revenue and corporate structures in place. its a pity that rugby union hasn't got the vision or drive to do the same.

We're at - or have been at - the top level of the sport for a long time. Rugby is going gangbusters globally. We're just not at the top tier of domestic sport.

We can still have growth, we can still do well internationally - we just won 2 of the last four Super Rugby titles - but no matter how you look at it, the opportunity to take it to a level similar to NRL or AFL in Australia is highly unlikely to eventuate. The revenue differences are too large and the cultural inertia too great.

 

[Strewthcobber]

A very large portion of rugby watched, money made and relevance gained in this country is the 3 games a year against the all blacks.

Those three games just about outrate the entirety of the Super Rugby season

We don't need to be #1 to be seen as successful, we just need to win the Bled every second year. Win our home games against the darkness and the rest is almost irrelevant except to the small portion of tragics like us

If only that were easy....

 

[Omar Comin']

While rugby is growing internationally, it's not like it's quickly becoming a major sport all over the place. It's really only a significant sport in about 10 nations and those are the same nations it's been a major sport in for decades.

Taking over entrenched national sports in any country happens very rarely.

 

[hoggy]

It's a question of how much revenue can the game generate in Australia and how can that be used to sustain enough teams and players etc.

You can't just decide that we're going to quit Super Rugby, double the number of professional teams and pay players half as much. We don't just compete for talent locally.

Rugby doesn't have enough mainstream interest for non test matches to generate enough viewer numbers to be of interest to free to air TV during prime time.

Rugby union is a long way behind AFL and rugby league in terms of popularity in Australia. A simple change of format isn't going to suddenly make viewer numbers double.

READ MY POST I NEVER SAID IT WILL HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

" A simple change of format isn't going to suddenly make viewer numbers double".

As i said maybe in 10/15 years time if the proper structure is put in place then the game has the opportunity to grow and potentially earn a greater share of the market.

It is all about whether the code is willing to take a step back to possibly go forward.
It's okay we can stick with Super rugby and remain a niche sport.

 

[Brendan Hume]

As i said maybe in 10/15 years time if the proper structure is put in place then the game has the opportunity to grow and potentially earn a greater share of the market.

It is all about whether the code is willing to take a step back to possibly go forward.
It's okay we can stick with Super rugby and remain a niche sport.

What if it doesn't go forward after taking a step back? I don't disagree with your sentiment, I want Rugby to be the number 1 sport in Australia, but the reality is it's probably not going to happen - there is just not the base level of support in Australia to allow a partner FTA network to generate enough revenue to make it work. You'd be looking at an operating budget in the tens of millions for a much weaker competition.

For mine, the best way to forge ahead with a domestic product is via the NRC with some trans-Tasman end of year product to increase interest and boost the quality. I also think opening some opportunities for NZ or SA players in the NRC would be a positive development tool for the sport.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Hurricanes v Blues 43k
Force v Rebs 33k

Another shocker of a Friday night.

Pretty embarrassing numbers for an all Aussie game even if it was on late.

 

[TOCC]

It was on at a stupid time...

They've done a really bad draw this year, this is the second week this year where there hasn't been a match during prime time on a Friday


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Strewthcobber]

Reds v Brumbies 81k
Highlanders v Tahs 71k

 

[Gnostic]

The million $ question. Look i don't have the answers but i honestly think Australian rugby has to face up to some realities.
Super rugby from day one was always a step to far and suited NZ/SA far more.

We never built the support for the code outside of its traditional strengths of Private schools and expatriates. Super rugby was a convenient tool that allowed us to avoid taking the hard decision from day one. But it was and still is an unsustainable product for Australia.

The code is stuck on pay TV and with a product that sustains the Wallabies but is slowly becoming irrelevant to mainstream Australia. Simply put the code is standing still while the others are moving forward.

Why do i support a domestic league, because that is what works long term. We can stick with Super rugby, but it will still be stuck on pay TV in 50 years time, maybe just maybe with a domestic league in say 10/15 years we can get some decent FTA. And then the code can start to grow.

We have to get the product out to Joe public. It works for the other 3 codes and it will work for rugby.

I will be the first to admit that budgets will have to change. But whats the point in going broke keeping player A here if not enough people care to watch.

My point is we must build support up at a local level through a club based domestic competition, take your 5 super teams add 3 more and start from there. I'm not saying stop playing the Saffa's and Kiwi's but first you have a domestic comp and then look at other revenue products like Heineken cup style comps.

Australian rugby has to stop funding its code through a single entity the Wallabies. The pyramid is upside down. The only way to get more people to watch the Wallabies is to grow the game at a domestic level.

The problem is everyone right now involved in the game here at a higher level are all Beholden in some way to the current set up of Super rugby.

I look at the ratings and think more and more that we don't have another 10 years. The game is dying here at professional level. My worst fear has always been that the game here will be like soccer, a small domestic comp by semi amateurs with the car majority of wallabies based OS. Test matches become friendlies. That was before the A League, now we would be lucky to have a domestic comp of that standard. So you say the current system is not working for growth in Australia, even if our sides are maintained by outside interest and media sales, the end result is the game is contracting and that means more talent to Soccer, AFL, and League.