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.
Socceroo/ Mariner / Whangarei