Quote Originally Posted by norseman67:
You're not gifting it to the AFL in the long run, this is where the NRL has to bite the proverbial bullet.
Think of it like this.
You're stretching out the NRL week in 4 viewing days. It is NOT an event to watch NRL on TV. A bandwagon fan that misses Friday or Saturday KNOWS they can catch Sunday. Or Monday. A fan of his/her team is more likely to watch a 2nd and third game in a row, but not when they have a choice between 4 days.
The NRL needs to constrict the viewing days - make it an event. Events over 4 days for any occasion is a rarity. Let the AFL fight against Friday night leasure events alone long term. Get those bandwagon fans coming over on the other nights/days.
And when you have two matches running at the same time, give highlights and updates similar to radio.
There is a lot of things, and I know it's cultural, that the NRL doesn't get.
And what they are doing is obviously not working for long term club matches.
I've only been down here for 10 years, but nothing has changed, cept for the 2 refs I have been on about for a few years, and nevermind that one not working out yet
Shortening the Round to 2-3 days just is not going to work in Australia unfortunately. Playing multiple games works in the NFL, as there are several carriers who broadcast at the same time to different regions. Fox even broadcast 2-3 (maybe even more) games simulatenously to different areas even, and get huge ratings in each area I'd imagine. In Australia, if Foxtel, or Foxtel and another broadcaster, broadcast matches simultaneously ratings would simply be spliced out of the current market, delivering poor ratings for each of the matches broadcast at the same time.
Also. At the moment Channel Nine pays in excess of market value to broadcast the NRL (imo). It is part of a sort of "gentlemen's agreement" that ties NRL rights to Nine in the long-term - although with no Kerry Packer this may not continue into the future. But if you were to shift the FNF "event" to Mondays, Channel Nine would walk away. They have no interest in Monday night games. Should Channel Nine walk away competetion for broadcasting rights would dwindle and the NRL's broadcasting rights would be severely diminished. Which would probably be the death knell for the code.
And while Monday Night Football has been successful, by the NRL and Foxtel's conservative expectations (conservative as the concept had tried and failed before here), crowd figures have remained rather ordinary, and this would be the same deal even if MNF became the "event", and would almost certainly be inferior to FNF crowds. FNF crowds incorporate a large family element, as well as younger crowds looking for end-of-the-week entertainment - and both of these elements would be largely lost on MNF. Part of the reason MNF is so successful in the NFL, in terms of crowds, is because each city usually gets only one (sometimes only one every few years), which really does underline it as an event.
Hot Forum Topics
