The comparison with the NRL is complete bollocks in the country.
Even before the Warriors started it had been shown in primetime FTA for a decade so there was an identification with the teams and players and Warriors just expanded on that. Chuck in the lack of restrictions on kiwi's and it's an easier product to sell.
Of course selling it is another point.
- Sky have spent a fortune to get NRL rights and to get a return on that investment it is importnant for them to market and sell the league, the players and the names. There is also a fair chance that the NRL chuck some promotional dollars into the local economy to talk it up, including Origin.
- Meanwhile the FFA who spend millions on promotion in NSW alone spend less than 10k a year to promoted the A-League here and let Sky have the coverage at a pittance which means there is no onus on SKy to ptomote it and gain a return on the investment.
Of course no one talking about this 'issue' is making any effort to throw these facts back at the FFA or their trained journalists, they just lap it up as if it's fact.