The General 'Toronto Wolfpack' Discussion Thread

[Harry Stottle]

6 hours ago, Omott91 said:

RL Fans

Under what pseudonym? Still Parksider

[Harry Stottle]

5 hours ago, frank said:

Being in debt to the govt may influence the decision in regard to the WP being readmited.

What!

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, TIWIT said:

Streaming is the way of the future.

It may well be, but does it carry the suitability for the Rugby League audience? If Sky left after this current contract finishes and the revenue was soley dependent on fans paying to stream games I am afraid we would be very poor very quickly.

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Harry Stottle said:

It may well be, but does it carry the suitability for the Rugby League audience? If Sky left after this current contract finishes and the revenue was soley dependent on fans paying to stream games I am afraid we would be very poor very quickly.

That's one of the fundamental problems of the sport hit nail on head there H, and I bet you didn't even know it!

[Man of Kent]

5 hours ago, ojx said:

How realistically can TWP be allowed back into SL?  Covid19 will still be here in 2021, they will not be able to play.

These are desperate times for any sport that relies on spectators, having TWP in the competition is unrealistic. The best they might hope for is a delayed decision, or sabbatical until 2022 due to exceptional circumstances.

Aces will also be a no go. In fact, the entirety of the League 1 and Championship seasons are questionable at best. The sport needs to plan to the new normal, not wait for some day when the virus magically disappears.

Indeed. These are the important questions but all the bandwidth is currently being taken up by Toronto.

The good prof Tony Collins on the latest Beeb podcast said he expects the game below Super League to revert back to where we were 20-30 years ago, i.e. part time at best. Also seems certain Sky will reduce their TV deal due to the economic climate. 

[TheLegendOfTexEvans]

5 hours ago, ojx said:

Indeed, the sports value now is pretty much only as a TV product. Semi-professional sport is untenable.

SL need to develop a broadcast-able entertainment product that can be sold for enough to maintain the professional game. The trouble is that Sky wouldn't even televise all games at the best of times.

Leadership is needed to take the sport to a new model for the next few years. Is Mr. Elstone the man to do it? It is a big ask of anyone. In the NRL V'landys tied up a broadcast deal for the next several years. That might be the only the only deal that keep this sport professional.

We need to move past the mentality that this is just for one season, and then everything will be back to usual.

I think the new reality is outside of Super League nothing will return until mid/late 2021.

Like most things its now a question of surviving the best we can as a sport.

I cant realistically see any deal that can be put in place for TWP for next year.

You have to factor in the air transport deal not being on the table.

It would be better to give London a guest season.  To maintain some kind of foot print that it is not confined to the M62.

 

[yipyee]

19 hours ago, Dave T said:

They bring in no commercial money directly. Where are our sponsors and tv deals from? 

Not France, we give it away or pay them. 

I love Catalans and would have them in every day of the week BTW. 

They bring in commercial money from France though, ok that may be kept local but this takes a club away from a small potential sponsorshop pool.

Additionally the commerical aspect of the league is enhanced as the reach of the sponsorship extends to french markets.

Football clubs regulaly quote global followings to boost sponsorship

[ATLANTISMAN]

29 minutes ago, yipyee said:

They bring in commercial money from France though, ok that may be kept local but this takes a club away from a small potential sponsorshop pool.

Additionally the commerical aspect of the league is enhanced as the reach of the sponsorship extends to french markets.

Football clubs regulaly quote global followings to boost sponsorship

As I have said on here many times before France will ONLY work in terms of a TV deal if Toulouse are in (Perpignan is sadly considered a backwater by 90% of France and nothing will ever change that as much as I personally love the area:)

 

Paul

 

[Man of Kent]

'Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that Canada is in a second wave of COVID-19 and warned the country is on the brink of a fall season that could be much worse than the spring.'

[tuutaisrambo]

I wonder what sky think in all this?

Lets face it RL will only exist to fulfil the sky contract for the rest of this season and hopefully in 2021.

The signs are covid will get worse through winter so it's hopeful thinking that we'll be back to normal by next summer.

From a marketing point of view I think sky would want TWP in SL however from the viewpoint of as many games as possible going ahead they may think otherwise.

TWP could of course be completely based in the UK in 2021........ not too sure what their new prospective owners view on that would be?

[TIWIT]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

It may well be, but does it carry the suitability for the Rugby League audience? If Sky left after this current contract finishes and the revenue was soley dependent on fans paying to stream games I am afraid we would be very poor very quickly.

If Sky doesn't renew wouldn't there be enough of an RL viewing audience who'd drop Sky and pay for a proper professional streaming service?

The NFL streams games. More significantly, MLB runs a very successful subscription streaming service that delivers every baseball game, up to 15 a day.

All part of the future that RL has to start looking at if they are to survive.

[TIWIT]

1 minute ago, tuutaisrambo said:

I wonder what sky think in all this?

Lets face it RL will only exist to fulfil the sky contract for the rest of this season and hopefully in 2021.

The signs are covid will get worse through winter so it's hopeful thinking that we'll be back to normal by next summer.

From a marketing point of view I think sky would want TWP in SL however from the viewpoint of as many games as possible going ahead they may think otherwise.

TWP could of course be completely based in the UK in 2021........ not too sure what their new prospective owners view on that would be?

Perhaps if he could take on a local partner that would get them a stadium deal. I hear there's a big empty stadium in Bradford looking for a tenant.

[yipyee]

7 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

As I have said on here many times before France will ONLY work in terms of a TV deal if Toulouse are in (Perpignan is sadly considered a backwater by 90% of France and nothing will ever change that as much as I personally love the area:)

 

Paul

 

Im not on about a tv deal?

[Tommygilf]

15 minutes ago, tuutaisrambo said:

From a marketing point of view I think sky would want TWP in

That's 100% true having seen Sky's (and indeed Super League's) marketing campaign this season. TWP are the sort of club they want to build the profile of super league.

[tuutaisrambo]

19 minutes ago, TIWIT said:

If Sky doesn't renew wouldn't there be enough of an RL viewing audience who'd drop Sky and pay for a proper professional streaming service?

 

No

RL doesn't have the expertise or media interest to generate enough content to run something like this.........not even close.

Without a broadcast partner we'd just disappear. 

[tuutaisrambo]

Most RL fans also like soccer and pay sky to watch both

[Kayakman]

8 hours ago, Tex Evans Thigh said:

I understand the symbol for four, but thanks.

What is the precedent for a 4 point deduction after a club goes bus. Bradford got 12 points and they at least carried on playing. Toronto dropped out without any consultation. The precedent would be 12 points minimum and that's taking corona into account.

How would I know what the club does after they go on the bus?..well Okay I have an idea but the busing thing is yet another straw man.   Try to focus on 'helping' rather than 'punishing'.

[Kayakman]

8 hours ago, SL17 said:

I stopped at the word “prevails” .. That’s the word that carried under Argyle with you. The circus either continues or is lost under the current demands.

The RFL will follow protocol. No Ferrari T Shirt will save that. 

One should never limit themselves by absconding from an acquisition of knowledge.   I have no idea what circus you are referring to.  Of course the SL and RFL should follow protocol...the lack of this from  SL helped cause the current conundrum (e.g equal funding etc.)...I'm sure your opinion would change if it was in the form of a golf shirt? 

[Kayakman]

1 hour ago, Man of Kent said:

Indeed. These are the important questions but all the bandwidth is currently being taken up by Toronto.

The good prof Tony Collins on the latest Beeb podcast said he expects the game below Super League to revert back to where we were 20-30 years ago, i.e. part time at best. Also seems certain Sky will reduce their TV deal due to the economic climate. 

The solution is obvious....put Ottawa into SL.  

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, TheLegendOfTexEvans said:

I think the new reality is outside of Super League nothing will return until mid/late 2021.

Like most things its now a question of surviving the best we can as a sport.

I cant realistically see any deal that can be put in place for TWP for next year.

You have to factor in the air transport deal not being on the table.

It would be better to give London a guest season.  To maintain some kind of foot print that it is not confined to the M62.

 

If as you say will happen, and I see no reason to doubt it, those on the outside of SL could suffer badly so is it fair to just nominate a team as you have chosen to do with London, if any team from the Championship goes up it could result in them recieving a much needed lifeline, the only fair method would be to decide the 'promotion' on the field of play.

That could be scheduled in for Sky to broadcast, and I am sure it would create much interest.

[Gooleboy]

5 minutes ago, Kayakman said:

The solution is obvious....put Ottawa into SL.  

Hands Up if you want Ottawa in SL!

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

That's one of the fundamental problems of the sport hit nail on head there H, and I bet you didn't even know it!

Why would that be Tommy? 

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Harry Stottle said:

Why would that be Tommy? 

Because the sports future on traditional broadcast like Sky is clearly short term, medium term thinking at best. 

If streaming is the future, then Rugby League currently isn't part of it, by your own admission.

[Harry Stottle]

58 minutes ago, TIWIT said:

Perhaps if he could take on a local partner that would get them a stadium deal. I hear there's a big empty stadium in Bradford looking for a tenant.

No disrespect but if we do get back to some form of normality as far as spectator's are allowed back, a big empty stadium won't be nessacary a very small stadium would surfice somewhere, anywhere. 

It may be that TWP have some sympathisers over here who wish to see them carry on but if it comes to those getting along and putting their hand in their pockets it won't happen, there will be a very few but the majority will be any of the 'away' teams fans who get along.

[Tommygilf]

8 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

No disrespect but if we do get back to some form of normality as far as spectator's are allowed back, a big empty stadium won't be nessacary a very small stadium would surfice somewhere, anywhere. 

It may be that TWP have some sympathisers over here who wish to see them carry on but if it comes to those getting along and putting their hand in their pockets it won't happen, there will be a very few but the majority will be any of the 'away' teams fans who get along.

That generally is how games away from your home country work...