Channel 4 to broadcast the Championship?

[Colin James]

33 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

Loved RLR.

So did I. But we don't need people who already like the sport to watch though do we?

We've never been better served as RL fans for quality content be it TV coverage, OuRLeague, podcasts, Twitter or YouTube. But it's stuck in the RL bubble. The primary benefit of mainstream FTA coverage would be exposure to people outside the bubble. I just feel that an RLR style show won't help us attract sponsors with a bit more prestige than Mushy Peas.

Of course anything is better than nothing and quite frankly we will take anything we can get but I do hope the sport is portrayed as professionally as possible, not as a northern novelty akin to gravy wrestling or coal carrying. 

[Private Baldrick]

20 minutes ago, Colin James said:

So did I. But we don't need people who already like the sport to watch though do we?

We've never been better served as RL fans for quality content be it TV coverage, OuRLeague, podcasts, Twitter or YouTube. But it's stuck in the RL bubble. The primary benefit of mainstream FTA coverage would be exposure to people outside the bubble. I just feel that an RLR style show won't help us attract sponsors with a bit more prestige than Mushy Peas.

Of course anything is better than nothing and quite frankly we will take anything we can get but I do hope the sport is portrayed as professionally as possible, not as a northern novelty akin to gravy wrestling or coal carrying. 

But we are a northern sport, well predominantly. Why should we have to hide our roots and tradition? Why not celebrate our heritage? In this day and age we have marches and movements by people proud to be gay or black or whatever. Why are we so ashamed at being northern?

[bobbruce]

2 minutes ago, Private Baldrick said:

But we are a northern sport, well predominantly. Why should we have to hide our roots and tradition? Why not celebrate our heritage? In this day and age we have marches and movements by people proud to be gay or black or whatever. Why are we so ashamed at being northern?

I have never seen a keep gays in the north march. 

[Private Baldrick]

4 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

I have never seen a keep gays in the north march. 

Read a post before replying. Haven't a clue what you are on about.

[Colin James]

13 minutes ago, Private Baldrick said:

But we are a northern sport, well predominantly. Why should we have to hide our roots and tradition? Why not celebrate our heritage? In this day and age we have marches and movements by people proud to be gay or black or whatever. Why are we so ashamed at being northern?

Firstly I'm not sure you can compare rugby league with the civil rights movement in any kind of seriousness. 

We can have roots, heritage and tradition without being 'a local sport for local people'. You only have to look at the comments on any topic about Toronto in particular to see that a lot of people who purport to be RL fans would rather we kept the game within easy reach of the M62. They don't like outsiders.

My point is a show where every accent is from Yorkshire or Wigan and every other word is a profanity, where the facilities shown are ancient and crumbling and crowds are in the hundreds rather than thousands isn't going to paint a great picture of our sport. That's what I remember of RLR. It was real and that's what the game was (is?) like but that's not what we want to sell to the world.

If we want to grow participation and interest we need to make the athletes the stars rather than whichever coach can make funny quips and shout the loudest. Show the skill, the toughness, the commitment and the excitement first and foremost and not have it as a sideshow.

 

[graveyard johnny]

last night, the plans for a future war

was all I saw

on channel4 

[Ackroman]

3 hours ago, Dave T said:

Rugby League Raw wasn't of it's time. It was unique and would still be unique. 

But my suggestion wasn't necessarily about re-hashing RLW, it was about showing the comp in a different, more unique way. If it is portrayed in the same way as SL or the NRL is, it jars when you go to the action and there are 4,000 rattling round Odsal, or a thousand at a field in Sheffield. We know from experience that the games Sky show at Salford and Huddersfield and similar lack atmosphere and can be a turn-off for the broadcaster - a terrestrial broadcaster showing this every week won't necessarily make for great viewing for non-RL fans. 

Broadcasting with a different angle, getting behind the scenes and giving the coverage a unique selling point could work very nicely. Discussing the game with fans, club officials, hearing the half time team talks - having coaches mic'd up etc. could help with a community feel and get to know the personalities. 

I also support this approach for SL by the way, but this isn't the thread to discuss that. 

I find the idea that the Championship needing to be different a bit patronising.

The reason being that SL looks old fashioned and under supported. Clubs playing in front of cattlesheds and stadiums less than half empty. What's the difference?

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Ackroman said:

I find the idea that the Championship needing to be different a bit patronising.

The reason being that SL looks old fashioned and under supported. Clubs playing in front of cattlesheds and stadiums less than half empty. What's the difference?

I have no idea what you are talking about, but there is nothing patronising about suggesting a USP for any Championship coverage on terrestrial tv.

[Manx RL]

2 hours ago, graveyard johnny said:

last night, the plans for a future war

was all I saw

 on channel4 

Won’t be long before there are too few shops for the shoplifters of the world to unite.

[Man of Kent]

If we’re worried about what Batley vs Swinton will look like on TV then don’t show Batley vs Swinton.

Pick the games/clubs with the bigger crowds.

[Ackroman]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

I have no idea what you are talking about, but there is nothing patronising about suggesting a USP for any Championship coverage on terrestrial tv.

I'm sorry you don't understand. Maybe you could consider why RL needs a USP for different competitions when no other sport on earth does unless they change the format?

[deluded pom?]

3 hours ago, Colin James said:

Firstly I'm not sure you can compare rugby league with the civil rights movement in any kind of seriousness. 

We can have roots, heritage and tradition without being 'a local sport for local people'. You only have to look at the comments on any topic about Toronto in particular to see that a lot of people who purport to be RL fans would rather we kept the game within easy reach of the M62. They don't like outsiders.

My point is a show where every accent is from Yorkshire or Wigan and every other word is a profanity, where the facilities shown are ancient and crumbling and crowds are in the hundreds rather than thousands isn't going to paint a great picture of our sport. That's what I remember of RLR. It was real and that's what the game was (is?) like but that's not what we want to sell to the world.

If we want to grow participation and interest we need to make the athletes the stars rather than whichever coach can make funny quips and shout the loudest. Show the skill, the toughness, the commitment and the excitement first and foremost and not have it as a sideshow.

 

From what I’ve read of this thread nobody has suggested we show a remake of RLR so I don’t know why you think they have.

[deluded pom?]

Hold the bus. What is a USP and can we not post in shorthand please.

[Private Baldrick]

2 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

Hold the bus. What is a USP and can we not post in shorthand please.

Is it some kind of stick that you stick in a computer?

[Padge]

17 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

Hold the bus. What is a USP and can we not post in shorthand please.

USP = Unique Selling Point.

[wasginger]

To be fair Padge we already have that, where else can you get full-time teams competing with part-time teams in the same division, and in some cases not really know what the score will be. 

[Dave T]

31 minutes ago, Ackroman said:

I'm sorry you don't understand. Maybe you could consider why RL needs a USP for different competitions when no other sport on earth does unless they change the format?

Can you highlight another sport that gets its 2nd tier shown on terrestrial TV? They aren't because they generally aren't that attractive to mainstream audiences. Even football has 2nd tier stuff on Sky and Quest (not sure if they also use C5). 

Unless we can offer something interesting it is unlikely a terrestrial channel will value the product. Sure they may allow the RFL to film it and give us a midnight slot to broadcast it, but I dont see why they would put investment into it, which is what we should be aiming for.

And Cricket has created whole new versions of the sport to get some additional coverage, so I'm not sure why you are so against making the presentation more interesting.

[Dave T]

24 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

From what I’ve read of this thread nobody has suggested we show a remake of RLR so I don’t know why you think they have.

Yes, I can see it was a mistake mentioning RLR in my original post - even though I was critical of the show calling it too raw 

[Dave T]

3 minutes ago, wasginger said:

To be fair Padge we already have that, where else can you get full-time teams competing with part-time teams in the same division, and in some cases not really know what the score will be. 

How is that a unique selling point to the general Channel 4 sports viewer?

If Fev v Bradford are being televised, how do they know who is full time and who is part time?

[Padge]

6 minutes ago, wasginger said:

To be fair Padge we already have that, where else can you get full-time teams competing with part-time teams in the same division, and in some cases not really know what the score will be. 

My post was for the benefit of those wandering what a USP is, nothing else.

[Private Baldrick]

Cue the dual reg dig at Fev! 

[Manx RL]

6 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Can you highlight another sport that gets its 2nd tier shown on terrestrial TV? They aren't because they generally aren't that attractive to mainstream audiences. Even football has 2nd tier stuff on Sky and Quest (not sure if they also use C5). 

Unless we can offer something interesting it is unlikely a terrestrial channel will value the product. Sure they may allow the RFL to film it and give us a midnight slot to broadcast it, but I dont see why they would put investment into it, which is what we should be aiming for.

And Cricket has created whole new versions of the sport to get some additional coverage, so I'm not sure why you are so against making the presentation more interesting.

Quest is on freeview, doesn’t that count as terrestrial?

[Dave T]

Just now, Manx RL said:

Quest is on freeview, doesn’t that count as terrestrial?

Aye, good question, dunno really, is that even modern terminology now? 

Cos I use Sky I'm not even sure what is on freeview nowadays.

[Route66]

Everyone of the championship and league 1 clubs have a story and history worth sharing, would love to see all our teams featured alongside a social history of the northern towns

[Dave T]

2 minutes ago, Route66 said:

Everyone of the championship and league 1 clubs have a story and history worth sharing, would love to see all our teams featured alongside a social history of the northern towns

Yes, that would be interesting, but we should also remember our newer members in London, Coventry etc. and in the future hopefully Ottowa. 

Plenty of interesting stories to tell I'm sure.