midfielder
Well-Known Member
It is interesting to read how when NSW & QLD regional figures are used how it totally changes Australia's TV ratings... Remember regional NSW & QLD have a greater population than the combined population of WA , SA, Tassie, NT.. Meaning NSW & QLD regional counter the Southern States leaving a Melbourne V a combined Sydney & Brisbane for the other battle.. Roy Masters (Alas Trueful Jones LOL) ... wrote an article in the smh today discussing the size of this market and how RL plan to launch their code as three separate platforms.. i.e. Sate of Origin, Test Matches (RL calls them that)
With new owners at 7 & 10 these figures could go down a treat for RL ... but have a huge impact on our own Football deal..
There are two very pleasing aspects to this first with RL selling the different levels of their code they will do the ground work for Football to do the same, second will be to put some pressure on the AFL and the hype they put out about their size and thus help spread football as the national code.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/n...708627215.html
NRL splits assets in search of TV gold
TELEVISION rights for State of Origin games will be offered separately to networks, following Wednesday night's record ratings, as rugby league strategists take a pre-emptive grab at the pot of gold the AFL expects to win at its next broadcasting contract.
Rugby league's six-year $500 million broadcast rights deal with Channel Nine and Fox Sports expires in 2012, a year after the close of the AFL's five-year $780m arrangement with a Channel Seven, Ten, Foxtel consortium. Aware the AFL is already talking to broadcasters, the NRL has sent a message to Seven's top executives effectively saying, "Save some of that AFL gold for rugby league's Origin series."
NRL chief executive David Gallop has admitted the code will unbundle its various properties, including club games, Origin and Test matches, at the next contract negotiations and offer them for sale in order to maximise revenue.
"Rugby league is uniquely placed to sell our rights across a number of platforms and networks," Gallop said, pointing to the variety of products and media available. "We've got club, Origin and Test games as distinct properties and, for the first time, after 2012, rugby league will be selling free-to-air, pay TV, internet and major sponsorships at the same time. Plus, inside the club competition, the NRL has built up Super Saturday and Monday Night Football - on Fox Sports - as distinct properties.
"The way of maximising money is to split the game across a number of networks and platforms. We're very keen to have a process where the imaginary auctioneer with a gavel stands out the front and knocks the various properties down to the highest bidder."
TV negotiators value the three State of Origin matches at $10m-$12m a year, yet Channel Nine pays only $42m a year to televise three NRL games a week for 26 rounds, plus finals and Origin. Assuming rugby league wins $12m a year from a network for the three Origin games, it effectively means Nine is currently paying $30m for the rights to three NRL games a week, plus finals, a grossly inadequate fee.
The AFL receives $465m from Seven/Ten for five years for the opportunity to televise four games a week, or a payment of $93m a year, which is three times what the NRL receives for supplying one less club game a week. Yet when Nine and Foxtel chiefs attempt to justify their underpayment of rugby league, they quote capital city ratings, rather than national figures which include regional centres.
Wednesday night's Origin match smashed ratings records with an average of 2.322 million viewers across the five capital cities, 177,000 more than the previous highest Origin television audience, Origin III last year.
But adding to the enormous metropolitan viewing audience was 1.156m viewers in regional NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. TV network bosses argue they sell their advertising in capital cities, conveniently ignoring the fact they on-sell programs to regional networks, such as Prime.
Last year, OzTAM figures for the five capital cities had the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics as the highest rating program, followed by the AFL grand final match, the AFL grand final presentation, the Australian Open men's tennis final, with rugby league first appearing at No.9 with the third State of Origin match. The NRL grand final came in No.17. However, total Australian viewers, which includes the league lovers living in rural NSW and Queensland, had the Olympic opening ceremony on top with the men's tennis second, followed by the third State of Origin match. The first Origin match was fourth, the second Origin match was fifth and the AFL grand final placed sixth. The NRL grand final was No.10.
Gallop argues the TV landscape has changed significantly from an era where owners observed a keep off the grass convention with sports, not bidding against each other, and scheduling was limited.
"The years where a network claimed it didn't have time slots available is gone," he said, pointing to the rise of digital TV. Rugby league's current contract was negotiated jointly with Fox Sports and Nine.
Fox Sports is half-owned by Nine and News Ltd. News Ltd half-owns the NRL.
Queensland Rugby League directors insist they will not take a back-seat role in future TV negotiations, with board members John McDonald, Ross Livermore and John Ribot meeting veteran TV negotiator Lynton Taylor while in Melbourne for Wednesday night's game.
Gallop concedes that selling properties of the ARL, NSWRL and QRL separately will raise their profiles, although the rights will be sold centrally. Gallop is aware Channel Seven is more cashed up than its free-to-air rivals and has been informed the network is negotiating with the AFL but says all rugby league properties will go on the block around the same time.
"By the second half of 2011, I'd like us to be well advanced with negotiations," he said.
With new owners at 7 & 10 these figures could go down a treat for RL ... but have a huge impact on our own Football deal..
There are two very pleasing aspects to this first with RL selling the different levels of their code they will do the ground work for Football to do the same, second will be to put some pressure on the AFL and the hype they put out about their size and thus help spread football as the national code.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/n...708627215.html
NRL splits assets in search of TV gold
TELEVISION rights for State of Origin games will be offered separately to networks, following Wednesday night's record ratings, as rugby league strategists take a pre-emptive grab at the pot of gold the AFL expects to win at its next broadcasting contract.
Rugby league's six-year $500 million broadcast rights deal with Channel Nine and Fox Sports expires in 2012, a year after the close of the AFL's five-year $780m arrangement with a Channel Seven, Ten, Foxtel consortium. Aware the AFL is already talking to broadcasters, the NRL has sent a message to Seven's top executives effectively saying, "Save some of that AFL gold for rugby league's Origin series."
NRL chief executive David Gallop has admitted the code will unbundle its various properties, including club games, Origin and Test matches, at the next contract negotiations and offer them for sale in order to maximise revenue.
"Rugby league is uniquely placed to sell our rights across a number of platforms and networks," Gallop said, pointing to the variety of products and media available. "We've got club, Origin and Test games as distinct properties and, for the first time, after 2012, rugby league will be selling free-to-air, pay TV, internet and major sponsorships at the same time. Plus, inside the club competition, the NRL has built up Super Saturday and Monday Night Football - on Fox Sports - as distinct properties.
"The way of maximising money is to split the game across a number of networks and platforms. We're very keen to have a process where the imaginary auctioneer with a gavel stands out the front and knocks the various properties down to the highest bidder."
TV negotiators value the three State of Origin matches at $10m-$12m a year, yet Channel Nine pays only $42m a year to televise three NRL games a week for 26 rounds, plus finals and Origin. Assuming rugby league wins $12m a year from a network for the three Origin games, it effectively means Nine is currently paying $30m for the rights to three NRL games a week, plus finals, a grossly inadequate fee.
The AFL receives $465m from Seven/Ten for five years for the opportunity to televise four games a week, or a payment of $93m a year, which is three times what the NRL receives for supplying one less club game a week. Yet when Nine and Foxtel chiefs attempt to justify their underpayment of rugby league, they quote capital city ratings, rather than national figures which include regional centres.
Wednesday night's Origin match smashed ratings records with an average of 2.322 million viewers across the five capital cities, 177,000 more than the previous highest Origin television audience, Origin III last year.
But adding to the enormous metropolitan viewing audience was 1.156m viewers in regional NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. TV network bosses argue they sell their advertising in capital cities, conveniently ignoring the fact they on-sell programs to regional networks, such as Prime.
Last year, OzTAM figures for the five capital cities had the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics as the highest rating program, followed by the AFL grand final match, the AFL grand final presentation, the Australian Open men's tennis final, with rugby league first appearing at No.9 with the third State of Origin match. The NRL grand final came in No.17. However, total Australian viewers, which includes the league lovers living in rural NSW and Queensland, had the Olympic opening ceremony on top with the men's tennis second, followed by the third State of Origin match. The first Origin match was fourth, the second Origin match was fifth and the AFL grand final placed sixth. The NRL grand final was No.10.
Gallop argues the TV landscape has changed significantly from an era where owners observed a keep off the grass convention with sports, not bidding against each other, and scheduling was limited.
"The years where a network claimed it didn't have time slots available is gone," he said, pointing to the rise of digital TV. Rugby league's current contract was negotiated jointly with Fox Sports and Nine.
Fox Sports is half-owned by Nine and News Ltd. News Ltd half-owns the NRL.
Queensland Rugby League directors insist they will not take a back-seat role in future TV negotiations, with board members John McDonald, Ross Livermore and John Ribot meeting veteran TV negotiator Lynton Taylor while in Melbourne for Wednesday night's game.
Gallop concedes that selling properties of the ARL, NSWRL and QRL separately will raise their profiles, although the rights will be sold centrally. Gallop is aware Channel Seven is more cashed up than its free-to-air rivals and has been informed the network is negotiating with the AFL but says all rugby league properties will go on the block around the same time.
"By the second half of 2011, I'd like us to be well advanced with negotiations," he said.
