Dave T

I mean, it's still there in black and white, and that isn't what happened. You actually suggested Championship goes to the likes of ITV4, Quest and Prime, before mentioning C4 in Leeds. And then kept asking about have the negotiators spoken to other providers on the back of the Sky reduced deal - most people suggested yes, they will have. They obviously were. There wasn't anybody making the point that RL wasn't good enough for these channels, but there was some challenge around whether they would see value in SL. You appeared to take the mild disagreement in opinion very personally.

For years, when we have had 'fantasy RL' kind of conversations we have talked about things like terrestrial coverage, quality coverage of every game, video refs at each game, another French team. If the above is delivered and done well, 2022 could be a very important year for SL. Then we also have 40 Championship games on Premier. And 61 World Cup games on BBC. We need to put everything we have into 2022.

I hope that their expectations are realistic as a starting point of 500k-1m per game - but they are determined to grow it through advertising. They generally advertise their own stuff really well and take it seriously, it would be great to have a supportive partner on board.

I think the BBC in general do a good job with their coverage, and Sky get much right, but let themselves down with their pundits. But there is plenty C4 could do to present it in a fresh way. I often feel we don't get the atmosphere of the fans and the event across on TV and I'd like to see them getting in there at ground level and showing off the events. The one very slight worry is that they go down the RU route where it was the same coverage as you got on BT sports (I believe as I never actually watched it fully - just based on what I saw in passing).

Apparently Sky will be lending C4 Baz n Tez for games.

Yes, this needs to be the start of an opportunity that we need to make the most of rather than the end game.

We'll now have around 16 to 17 live club games per year on terrestrial TV each season. Do any other major mens sports get that kind of coverage?

Was just about to post similar. These 10 games should be handpicked and we go all out to make them events. Mind you, the same goes for Cup games and we are happy for them to be on BBC with poor crowds. Seems they won't just be getting the rubbish too if the opener is anything to go by. Showing big clubs like the Wire and whoever they happen to play is great.

I'm interested to know who has the highlights, I couldn't see it mentioned. I think it makes sense to have this on C4 so they have the narrative of the whole season.

Yes. Not happy.

Absolutely lovely stuff. For all the doom and gloom, the new TV deal looks to be an excellent deal from a content point of view. Even if this means a bit of short term financial pain (or badge it as investment), it feels worth it for the opportunities that this presents. If we can confirm things like every game filmed to broadcast standard then it is very, very good. There is a real opportunity to relaunch SL in a very positive manner here.

https://www.totalrl.com/ken-davy-secures-channel-4-deal-to-broadcast-super-league-in-2022/ Outstanding news.

Sounds beautiful. Tell me more...

Newcastle hotels for the opener are very expensive, but I know you can get packages including hotels through the rlwc site. They weren't stupid prices when I looked previously.

It seems to be a phrase that a few people here have started to use that doesn't mean anything tbh.

Whilst Cava has always been around it never became anything like as mainstream and popular. It was always just seen as cheap bubbles in my experience, whereas Prosecco is treated as a credible drink in its own right. When I was younger we used to get free cava from the dj in the pubs if you claimed it was your birthday. God knows what was in that I'm somebody who enjoys trying the different drinks that are on trend. At home I'm happy to drink lager, wine or gin, ales or Prosecco. It's all good. People like what they like. When I go out drinking, I like the effort that goes into making these drinks, although they do come with a hefty price tag.

We are talking different things though here. We aren't talking fine wines or people being experts we are talking mainstream bubbles being available in bars and restaurants at a decent quality as an alternative to champagne. It shouldn't be compared to other whites or reds, it is doing a different job imo. Personally I don't mind a glass or two when I am out, but I find it too drinkable and I drink it like juice, gone in seconds!

The emergence of Prosecco is a good thing. It is quite unusual in that a cheap alternative has become fashionable and that should be welcomed. In many cases it tastes nicer than champagne, and is a fraction of the price.

It setting the tone for the rest of the game.

Let's not go so over the top with absolutely everything.

Just noticed the France v Greece game that was going to be a Monday afternoon game during holidays is now an evening game. Will be interesting to see if those Monday night games do well. Opening weekend for me looks like both Newcastle games, meaning I'll miss the Kiwi opener at Warrington, but Scotlands opener takes priority.

It's weird that they have released the kit with pro photoshoots that distort the shirt to the point that you don't actually know what colours they are. That's really poor.

I'm beyond excited about the opener. It's great that we should have a 50k crowd and a huge event that doesn't feature the traditional giants. Hopefully England will win but Samoa will show enough to demonstrate to the wider public that these nations are well worth watching.

The Home Bargains sponsorship is a far better look than Cash Converters. I thought the announcement was quite clever - it was clear that the sponsorship would get some jibes, but they announced the turnover to give it credibility, and the Saints fans have repeated this in almost every post. It nipped a lot of the negativity in the bud.

I think there's a lot of nostalgia at play tbh, particularly when it comes to Wire. Wilderspool was like a library for a standard game tbh. The Halliwell Jones is far better imho.