Fitzpatrick calls for creative broadcasting deal

[Smudger06]

2 hours ago, roughyedspud said:

I've been saying that for years..

Split it into 2 packages..

Package 1 - Thursday,Friday,Saturday ,1 live game per day plus Easter & magic (aimed at subscription TV)

Package 2 - a live Sunday game plus whole round highlights show (aimed at FTA)

Sky could,in theory,own both packages with package 1 on sky sports and package 2 on pick TV..the sky own FTA channel

Or Challenge TV 

[Just Browny]

1 hour ago, Tre Cool said:

Yes, in the case of a very noisy and highly thought of marketing department I think they are poor.  5% of say 7000 season tickets would be 350 more season tickets.  Sure it's positive but it seems Hull are posting similar results without this super modern smart marketing Wire apparently have.  +1k average on attendances last year was pretty good I guess but it's a big town and their attendances aren't great considering.

Thanks very much mate, just got a b******ing from my wife for not concentrating as I sniggered at the idea of a 'noisy' marketing department being a bad thing. We need to get back to proper RL silent promotion.

5% growth is 5% growth and weirdly I am happy to see that wherever it appears in RL.

[whatmichaelsays]

A lot of the talk around streaming smacks of "shiny new toy" with no real strategy behind it. The core issue is who is paying for the production costs, because it won't be Amazon or Netflix. Their bag is distribution - they leave the production to others. Then you've got the issue of how you get reach through a medium that still commands a relatively small amount of audience attention time - subscription streaming services still command a relatively small proportion of actual "TV minutes" (even amongst younger audiences).

For me, the ideal scenario is a deal with Sky that allows Super League Europe and the clubs to have more freedom with digital content. For me, there needs to be a focus on getting more content online generally - not just reposting Sky content 24+hours later or hastily-edited match highlights to some crappy backing music from a stock library (I've no idea where Leeds get their music from). There needs to be a focused strategy on how the clubs and SLE use social media, YouTube, etc. 

[whatmichaelsays]

56 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

Thanks very much mate, just got a b******ing from my wife for not concentrating as I sniggered at the idea of a 'noisy' marketing department being a bad thing. We need to get back to proper RL silent promotion.

5% growth is 5% growth and weirdly I am happy to see that wherever it appears in RL.

I'd be interested to see how Warrington develop their approach longer-term. 

I've some across a few clients that wanted to do something similar to what Warrington have done on social media and my advice has generally been "don't try to out-Paddy Power Paddy Power". Coming up with funny content for social media is all well and good, but it's often a zero-sum game. At some point, you will need new ideas because at some point, you'll stop being funny. That humour has to be part of a much wider strategy.

It's also interesting that in the recent Mirror article about their marketing, they Fitzpatrick talked about Warrington Wolves being a global brand. That's great - we need more clubs talking in those sort of terms - but how much appeal do jokes about Wigan pies have beyond the Wigan-Warrington-St Helens triangle? 

What they've done is great - let's not detract from that - and many clubs can learn a hell of a lot, but to achieve what they seemingly want to achieve, it will be interesting to see how they develop what they do. 

[Dave T]

5 minutes ago, whatmichaelsays said:

I'd be interested to see how Warrington develop their approach longer-term. 

I've some across a few clients that wanted to do something similar to what Warrington have done on social media and my advice has generally been "don't try to out-Paddy Power Paddy Power". Coming up with funny content for social media is all well and good, but it's often a zero-sum game. At some point, you will need new ideas because at some point, you'll stop being funny. That humour has to be part of a much wider strategy.

It's also interesting that in the recent Mirror article about their marketing, they Fitzpatrick talked about Warrington Wolves being a global brand. That's great - we need more clubs talking in those sort of terms - but how much appeal do jokes about Wigan pies have beyond the Wigan-Warrington-St Helens triangle? 

What they've done is great - let's not detract from that - and many clubs can learn a hell of a lot, but to achieve what they seemingly want to achieve, it will be interesting to see how they develop what they do. 

When you break down Wire's media content, the silliness is a very small proportion of what they do. 

[whatmichaelsays]

6 minutes ago, Dave T said:

When you break down Wire's media content, the silliness is a very small proportion of what they do. 

That may be true, but a lot of the other stuff they do online looks a bit bland and piecemeal in comparison. Their YouTube material is a bit "meh" for example. If they're putting their resources into the silliness, there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I'd argue it will only ever get them so far. 

This isn't trying to put a downer on what they're doing - I'll be genuinely interested to see how the approach develops. 

[Dave T]

2 minutes ago, whatmichaelsays said:

That may be true, but a lot of the other stuff they do online looks a bit bland and piecemeal in comparison. Their YouTube material is a bit "meh" for example. If they're putting their resources into the silliness, there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I'd argue it will only ever get them so far. 

This isn't trying to put a downer on what they're doing - I'll be genuinely interested to see how the approach develops. 

No, I agree with you. I like some of the video work that they do, and I will watch the wolfie stuff, but there ain't too much else. A few years ago they had a bit better regular content where players would interview each other etc. 

I think they have some way to go, but I am certainly happy to see them making effort. 

[ELBOWSEYE]

2 hours ago, Tre Cool said:

I'm not a 'typical negative fan' at all, I'm making one point about one particular issue.

Maybe not but as most rl fans are always looking for the negative in any story it was easy to come to that conclusion. 

[Tre Cool]

1 hour ago, Just Browny said:

Thanks very much mate, just got a b******ing from my wife for not concentrating as I sniggered at the idea of a 'noisy' marketing department being a bad thing. We need to get back to proper RL silent promotion.

5% growth is 5% growth and weirdly I am happy to see that wherever it appears in RL.

Not concentrating on what? Im happy to see it too but im not sure it warrants the amount of praise wires marketing team gets that's all!!

[Tre Cool]

46 minutes ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

Maybe not but as most rl fans are always looking for the negative in any story it was easy to come to that conclusion. 

Don't be so negative

[Oliver Clothesoff]

I think with a “creative broadcasting deal”, you need to have a “creative, attractive product” and that’s the question that needs asking of Super League and needs answering by Super League. 

A lot of people are expecting a couple of structure changes at least over the next ten years, I don’t think the game can afford to. I think the game needs one vision and a long term plan. It seems that whenever there is a structure change, it’s as the result of short term thinking and only with the next 3-5 years in mind. I’d love, though I cannot see it happening, to see the game outline a ten-twenty year plan at the next TV deal and to stick to it. 

I’d love the game to be innovative and imaginative in the next phase of structure changes, too. 

[Tre Cool]

1 hour ago, whatmichaelsays said:

I'd be interested to see how Warrington develop their approach longer-term. 

I've some across a few clients that wanted to do something similar to what Warrington have done on social media and my advice has generally been "don't try to out-Paddy Power Paddy Power". Coming up with funny content for social media is all well and good, but it's often a zero-sum game. At some point, you will need new ideas because at some point, you'll stop being funny. That humour has to be part of a much wider strategy.

It's also interesting that in the recent Mirror article about their marketing, they Fitzpatrick talked about Warrington Wolves being a global brand. That's great - we need more clubs talking in those sort of terms - but how much appeal do jokes about Wigan pies have beyond the Wigan-Warrington-St Helens triangle? 

What they've done is great - let's not detract from that - and many clubs can learn a hell of a lot, but to achieve what they seemingly want to achieve, it will be interesting to see how they develop what they do. 

What really seems to work is what TWP and Bulls and Cougars did. If you genuinely want a significant increase in attendances (without long term success/silverware). Create a unique and exciting match day experience that people want to experience and be part of.  What im saying is MORE BEER GARDENS!!!

[Mattrhino]

Many people are turning to RedZone to watch NFL where they show all live Sunday games simultaneously but cut from one game to another wherever the action is. A bit like Soccer Saturday but actually watching the action instead of a few middle aged men talking about it like it is the 80's and not 2020 tomorrow. 

[Oliver Clothesoff]

Just now, Mattrhino said:

Many people are turning to RedZone to watch NFL where they show all live Sunday games simultaneously but cut from one game to another wherever the action is. A bit like Soccer Saturday but actually watching the action instead of a few middle aged men talking about it like it is the 80's and not 2020 tomorrow. 

I was told Amazon Prime offered a similar thing during the Boxing Day Premier League matches. 

[Mattrhino]

2 hours ago, whatmichaelsays said:

A lot of the talk around streaming smacks of "shiny new toy" with no real strategy behind it. The core issue is who is paying for the production costs, because it won't be Amazon or Netflix. Their bag is distribution - they leave the production to others. Then you've got the issue of how you get reach through a medium that still commands a relatively small amount of audience attention time - subscription streaming services still command a relatively small proportion of actual "TV minutes" (even amongst younger audiences).

For me, the ideal scenario is a deal with Sky that allows Super League Europe and the clubs to have more freedom with digital content. For me, there needs to be a focus on getting more content online generally - not just reposting Sky content 24+hours later or hastily-edited match highlights to some crappy backing music from a stock library (I've no idea where Leeds get their music from). There needs to be a focused strategy on how the clubs and SLE use social media, YouTube, etc. 

Exactly right, you can go on all you want about streaming being the future and all the rest. But the sport has to put the money up for production and sell it. As you say Amazon, YouTube and Netflix will not be sending production crews to games. 

[Mattrhino]

Just now, scotchy1 said:

It's a great concept, we would probably need a lot more teams though for it to work for RL

I like NFL but RL is much more intense and action packed for it to properly work. 

And to be honest SKY tried putting live replays of other games on the televised game and everyone moaned and it stopped after a a month or two. 

[Just Browny]

1 hour ago, Tre Cool said:

What really seems to work is what TWP and Bulls and Cougars did. If you genuinely want a significant increase in attendances (without long term success/silverware). Create a unique and exciting match day experience that people want to experience and be part of.  What im saying is MORE BEER GARDENS!!!

(I am genuinely not stalking you).

I like a beer garden, but it has to be horses for courses. A beer garden is a great idea for a Toronto home game with few away fans, or for a York game where they are attracting RL fans from far and wide for a fun afternoon. You have to be a lot more careful with them for Warrington v Widnes on a Good Friday afternoon, it just is what it is.

I don't think Fitzpatrick is a genius or has cracked anything yet; he has just made a very decent start for a bloke I initially thought has got a 'job for the boys' after being recruited from the coaching staff. There has been a genuine attempt to beef up the matchday experience with a new Wolfie and the Wire Flyer, but they will need to keep working away to keep things fresh.

[Dave T]

57 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

(I am genuinely not stalking you).

I like a beer garden, but it has to be horses for courses. A beer garden is a great idea for a Toronto home game with few away fans, or for a York game where they are attracting RL fans from far and wide for a fun afternoon. You have to be a lot more careful with them for Warrington v Widnes on a Good Friday afternoon, it just is what it is.

I don't think Fitzpatrick is a genius or has cracked anything yet; he has just made a very decent start for a bloke I initially thought has got a 'job for the boys' after being recruited from the coaching staff. There has been a genuine attempt to beef up the matchday experience with a new Wolfie and the Wire Flyer, but they will need to keep working away to keep things fresh.

Agreed. There is credit for just doing *anything*, but plenty of work to do. 

[Barry Badrinath]

5 hours ago, whatmichaelsays said:

That may be true, but a lot of the other stuff they do online looks a bit bland and piecemeal in comparison. Their YouTube material is a bit "meh" for example. If they're putting their resources into the silliness, there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I'd argue it will only ever get them so far. 

This isn't trying to put a downer on what they're doing - I'll be genuinely interested to see how the approach develops. 

When you say YouTube stuff, what exactly are you referring to?

[GUBRATS]

The beer garden thing is fine if your stadium suits it , most modern UK stadiums don't , so which do we want good quality modern stadiums catering for inclement weather providing refreshments ? , or old stadia making do with gazebo's which are great if the weather's good , but a financial disaster in the rain ?

Bottom line is Lamport doesn't have good facilities by UK standards , but it works for them , doesn't mean it works over here 

[ghost crayfish]

12 hours ago, Mattrhino said:

Exactly right, you can go on all you want about streaming being the future and all the rest. But the sport has to put the money up for production and sell it. As you say Amazon, YouTube and Netflix will not be sending production crews to games. 

How do you know this though? All streaming platforms are now investing heavily in creating their own original content. Unique content is actually what they look to for a competitive edge. As they move into sports coverage, why wouldn't they want to invest in making sure it's quality? 

[Dave T]

4 hours ago, ghost crayfish said:

How do you know this though? All streaming platforms are now investing heavily in creating their own original content. Unique content is actually what they look to for a competitive edge. As they move into sports coverage, why wouldn't they want to invest in making sure it's quality? 

Because most major sports create their own content and distribute it to broadcasters. Why would they touch us who are behind on this.?

[Dave T]

9 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

The beer garden thing is fine if your stadium suits it , most modern UK stadiums don't , so which do we want good quality modern stadiums catering for inclement weather providing refreshments ? , or old stadia making do with gazebo's which are great if the weather's good , but a financial disaster in the rain ?

Bottom line is Lamport doesn't have good facilities by UK standards , but it works for them , doesn't mean it works over here 

The beer garden thing is overstated. It doesn't matter whether it is a beer garden or what, it is about making it a decent experience and that can take many forms. 

I know at Wire they have live bands on in the stands and have improved beer and food offerings, it is the same thing - but all the while heartland clubs are knocked as backward and needing to catch up when many have been doing these things for a while. 

That said, the offering can still often be way behind other events that you may attend with 10k attendees. 

[aj1908]

9 minutes ago, Dave T said:

The beer garden thing is overstated. It doesn't matter whether it is a beer garden or what, it is about making it a decent experience and that can take many forms. 

I know at Wire they have live bands on in the stands and have improved beer and food offerings, it is the same thing - but all the while heartland clubs are knocked as backward and needing to catch up when many have been doing these things for a while. 

That said, the offering can still often be way behind other events that you may attend with 10k attendees. 

That's good to see wire doing that.  I myself had assumed English clubs didn't.do stuff like this 

[Dave T]

Just now, aj1908 said:

That's good to see wire doing that.  I myself had assumed English clubs didn't.do stuff like this 

Why? I think we have gone backwards a bit recently, but with the advent of SL in 1996 it was one of the big changes in RL, more clubs took the match day experience serious, after the likes of Keighley led the way. 

We have had cheerleaders, live music, kids entertainment, mascots, pyrotechnics, food, beer, light shows etc. for years. 

Contrary to popular belief things ain't that bad. 

Plenty improvement in us, and some better than others, but what you'd expect as a starting point.