Damien Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 The NRL has that much value to Sky that the last time they lost the rights they lost them to Premier Sports. They couldn't even be bothered paying the minuscule amount that it would have took to keep them. The NRL is a cheap filler for Sky and does not drive subscriptions to any meaningful degree. For some reason some Aussies think the NRL has an almost NFL like status. It doesn't and most in the UK are blissfully unaware of its existence. Saying Sky would ditch Super League and pay £10 million a year for the NRL is akin to saying Sky should ditch the Premier League for La Liga, obviously on a smaller scale but its all relative to subscription numbers. Its real fantasy stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramon Rojo Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Going back to the original post highlighting that NRL is back on the UK Sky Sports platform, let us rejoice. I realise everyone has their individual preference but I love watching the top class Rugby League from down under. I'm so relieved Sky have kept their package of weekly games. For me the NRL games are the most entertaining high quality sport across the entire televised spectrum. Obviously I still look forward to all the Super League stuff but the sheer professionalism of what you get on and off the pitch makes NRL the jewel in the crown for living room sport. Can't wait for it to begin again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rocket Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 2 hours ago, Rugbyleaguesupporter said: So BARB ratings, which is how we measure tv ratings have a wide confidence level for programmes with small audiences. Simply if they report 50k watched, what they really mean is that they are confident that something between 10k and 90k watched (figures illustrative, not exact) Sky have better data from their customers but it appears from barb that between 30k and 100k people, not households tune in for NRL. So figures not high enough that Sky will particularly care, but good filler content worth having So does that mean at 7.30 a.m. in the morning or whatever ungodly hour it is shown. Wonder how it would go if it was given a decent timeslot. 3 hours ago, gingerjon said: Sky could do this tomorrow and without paying significantly more than the button money they give the NRL now. My point wasn`t about how much money NRL was worth. In fact the cheaper the better for Sky. Sports over here are going through a rationalisation period, you may have heard of Foxtel head Patrick Delaney talking about Tier 1 and Tier 2 sports and how they are no longer interested in Tier 2 sports, soccer can`t even get a broadcast deal over here and union got offered peanuts. Do you think that this sort of rationalisation isn`t going to happen where you are. My point was only that if Sky dumps British League then NRL may be your only alternative. 2 hours ago, gingerjon said: If Sky decided to "pull the plug" (or whatever) on Super League tomorrow - and this ended SL as a professional competition with the knock on damage to the whole of RL here - then the chances are that whatever tiny value the NRL would likely decrease as the number of active supporters of rugby league would drop close to zero overnight. 1 hour ago, The Hallucinating Goose said: This. If RL was completely killed off here people would not start clamouring to purchase sky sports to watch the NRL, they would just watch something else, given the prevelance and easy accessibility of football in this country, most probably that. In the past I've had nowtv to watch SL, if I couldn't watch SL on it, I wouldn't be starting my package up again just to watch NRL. That`s a shame, I think though if the shoe was on the other foot and NRL was suddenly terminated and I had Pay TV I would probably pick an English Super League Team and a Championship team, if it was broadcast, and follow them, especially if they could delay the broadcast and put them on at a decent time. There is no other sport I am interested in following, I think I would definitely start following English Rugby League a lot more closely. One more time though, this isn`t about what NRL is worth to Sky in monetary terms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 20 minutes ago, Ramon Rojo said: Going back to the original post highlighting that NRL is back on the UK Sky Sports platform, let us rejoice. I realise everyone has their individual preference but I love watching the top class Rugby League from down under. I'm so relieved Sky have kept their package of weekly games. For me the NRL games are the most entertaining high quality sport across the entire televised spectrum. Obviously I still look forward to all the Super League stuff but the sheer professionalism of what you get on and off the pitch makes NRL the jewel in the crown for living room sport. Can't wait for it to begin again Obviously the "jewel in the crown for living room sport" is S4C's coverage of Aberystwyth Town but I can forgive your oversight. It is good news that the NRL will be continuing on Sky, not least so I can spend more time not even bothering to check the Premier Sports schedule. Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 2 hours ago, Copa said: With 140,000 Australian born people in the UK, all those backpackers that spent a year on the east coast of Australia and a rugby league awareness in parts of northern England I suspect 1:1000 people could name 3 NRL teams. The numbers would still be a very very tiny proportion of people though. Far far more than 1 in 1000. That’s only 60,000 people ffs. I often admire the lengths some RL fans will go to to convince themselves that RL is a tiny dying sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Just now, The Rocket said: So does that mean at 7.30 a.m. in the morning or whatever ungodly hour it is shown. Wonder how it would go if it was given a decent timeslot. My point wasn`t about how much money NRL was worth. In fact the cheaper the better for Sky. Sports over here are going through a rationalisation period, you may have heard of Foxtel head Patrick Delaney talking about Tier 1 and Tier 2 sports and how they are no longer interested in Tier 2 sports, soccer can`t even get a broadcast deal over here and union got offered peanuts. Do you think that this sort of rationalisation isn`t going to happen where you are. My point was only that if Sky dumps British League then NRL may be your only alternative. That`s a shame, I think though if the shoe was on the other foot and NRL was suddenly terminated and I had Pay TV I would probably pick an English Super League Team and a Championship team, if it was broadcast, and follow them, especially if they could delay the broadcast and put them on at a decent time. There is no other sport I am interested in following, I think I would definitely start following English Rugby League a lot more closely. One more time though, this isn`t about what NRL is worth to Sky in monetary terms. This is a useful refresher on what sports are popular in England. It goes, broadly, like this: - Football, international - Football, Premier League - Football, Championship - Football, European competitions - Football, Football League - International rugby union - Football, international women's - International cricket - Football, European leagues - Football, National League - Event sports like Wimbledon, Grand National, Super Bowl (not weekly NFL) - Club rugby union including European competitions - Club rugby league It helps get an understanding of exactly where rugby league is in the national psyche if you treat all the different possibilities of football as different sports. I'm not even sure I can keep going far enough down to get to the NRL. Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 8 minutes ago, Eddie said: Far far more than 1 in 1000. That’s only 60,000 people ffs. I often admire the lengths some RL fans will go to to convince themselves that RL is a tiny dying sport. It is a minority sport with lots of strengths but is also very vulnerable owing to its relative weakness across the country as a whole. I'm really not sure what's wrong with saying that. Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkMan Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 52 minutes ago, gingerjon said: This is a useful refresher on what sports are popular in England. It goes, broadly, like this: - Football, international - Football, Premier League - Football, Championship - Football, European competitions - Football, Football League - International rugby union - Football, international women's - International cricket - Football, European leagues - Football, National League - Event sports like Wimbledon, Grand National, Super Bowl (not weekly NFL) - Club rugby union including European competitions - Club rugby league It helps get an understanding of exactly where rugby league is in the national psyche if you treat all the different possibilities of football as different sports. I'm not even sure I can keep going far enough down to get to the NRL. I broadly agree with this list, but have you noticed the rise of Netball. It's easy on sports forums to forget 50% of the population are woman, and Netball is definitely on the rise. It's being marketed very cleverly, I was watching last night and very impressed by the presentation. In five years it would not surprise me to see Netball on your list sandwiched in between International Cricket and Europe Football Leagues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunbar Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 I think it is probably human nature that you overestimate the value or interest in something that you are immersed in. The NRL is big news in Australia and in some parts of country it dominates the sports news (or overall news) cycle like Premier League football does here. When considering the cultural relevance of Rugby League in Australia we always have to remember that Rugby League games (Grand Finals and SOO) are at the top of the most viewed tv programmes in Australia - not just sports programmes but most viewed tv events of the year overall. Trying to have some empathy for, or understanding of, the position of Rugby League in the UK from that starting point is very difficult. I love the NRL and if I had to choose this season between only watching the NRL or only the Super League I would plump for the NRL as I think it is wonderful entertainment and by far the best standard rugby on the planet. But it is only a national sports league and national leagues will always struggle to find traction in geographies where they are not embedded in society. Outside of the large US leagues (NFL, NBA), I struggle to think of a national league that has any traction in the UK sports psyche... maybe Spanish La Liga and that is probably the second most widely viewed football league in the world and the world's most popular sport. The idea that the NRL could attract significant viewership in the UK is fantasy. People simply don't connect with sports leagues that they have little affinity with. Rugby League in this country caters to a very specific audience and breaks out of that only marginally for the big finals (Challenge Cup Final and Super League Grand Final) and then more so for big games featuring England or a World Cup. Slightly off topic but this is similar to the argument that State of Origin would sell out Wembley. SOO is well known as a great spectacle in RL circles but outside of that it has no traction whatsoever. What would sell out Wembley if promoted properly is England vs. Australia and the sooner we realize that the future of high profile Rugby League is away from intra-country comps and in the international calendar the better. "The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby. "If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rocket Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, gingerjon said: This is a useful refresher on what sports are popular in England. It goes, broadly, like this: - Football, international - Football, Premier League - Football, Championship - Football, European competitions - Football, Football League - International rugby union - Football, international women's - International cricket - Football, European leagues - Football, National League - Event sports like Wimbledon, Grand National, Super Bowl (not weekly NFL) - Club rugby union including European competitions - Club rugby league It helps get an understanding of exactly where rugby league is in the national psyche if you treat all the different possibilities of football as different sports. I'm not even sure I can keep going far enough down to get to the NRL. I think that list unfortunately illustrates my point, English Rugby League is definitely Tier 2 ( probably worse ). The other thing I didn`t mention, for the sake of brevity, is that linear TV is going through a shake-up, once considered staples and a safe bet, news, sport and reality TV is failing to stem to the drift away to streaming services amongst younger demographics, recently released figures over here are stark. Sports broadcast valuations are going to crash especially for sports down the pecking order. Another interesting stat was people who watch sport on linear TV on average watch 55 minutes out of a full game, people who get their sport from streaming services watch on average 10-15 minutes, that`s consistent with people watching highlights packages. Either way it means less time for ads and sports right s are worth less. When I read the shambles in the article on the TTRL news page about Elstone leaving, and the fact that Elstone is leaving, especially a bloke who apparently was hired to negotiate the next deal and he leaves the year it`s up, what does that say, bloody chaos at the top. My original post was more about how many more TV contracts does British League have and what are the alternative for League lovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleD Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 3 hours ago, Eddie said: On the contrary, quite a few people I know (in Norfolk, so not hardened RL fans) watch it. It’s no surprise, it’s the best sport on TV. Really? Do they have electricity in Norfolk yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 48 minutes ago, HawkMan said: I broadly agree with this list, but have you noticed the rise of Netball. It's easy on sports forums to forget 50% of the population are woman, and Netball is definitely on the rise. It's being marketed very cleverly, I was watching last night and very impressed by the presentation. In five years it would not surprise me to see Netball on your list sandwiched in between International Cricket and Europe Football Leagues. Netball's a really hard one to judge - and I've been following it with varying degrees of interest now for about ten years. The clubs are so new that you wonder just how much interest there is away from the very immediate groups involved in them directly. But I think that will change, not least because the standards in the VNSL are now getting to the point where even one-sided games are worth watching. International netball I'd still put below club rugby league but that could very easily change, certainly if England do well in another Commonwealth Games or World Cup. Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 48 minutes ago, The Rocket said: I think that list unfortunately illustrates my point, English Rugby League is definitely Tier 2 ( probably worse ). It's Tier 13 on my list, I think. You really do have to treat all the footballs separately. I don't think unless you live here you can really understand just how dominant it is. Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunsletgreenandgold Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 47 minutes ago, Dunbar said: I think it is probably human nature that you overestimate the value or interest in something that you are immersed in. The NRL is big news in Australia and in some parts of country it dominates the sports news (or overall news) cycle like Premier League football does here. When considering the cultural relevance of Rugby League in Australia we always have to remember that Rugby League games (Grand Finals and SOO) are at the top of the most viewed tv programmes in Australia - not just sports programmes but most viewed tv events of the year overall. Trying to have some empathy for, or understanding of, the position of Rugby League in the UK from that starting point is very difficult. I love the NRL and if I had to choose this season between only watching the NRL or only the Super League I would plump for the NRL as I think it is wonderful entertainment and by far the best standard rugby on the planet. But it is only a national sports league and national leagues will always struggle to find traction in geographies where they are not embedded in society. Outside of the large US leagues (NFL, NBA), I struggle to think of a national league that has any traction in the UK sports psyche... maybe Spanish La Liga and that is probably the second most widely viewed football league in the world and the world's most popular sport. The idea that the NRL could attract significant viewership in the UK is fantasy. People simply don't connect with sports leagues that they have little affinity with. Rugby League in this country caters to a very specific audience and breaks out of that only marginally for the big finals (Challenge Cup Final and Super League Grand Final) and then more so for big games featuring England or a World Cup. Slightly off topic but this is similar to the argument that State of Origin would sell out Wembley. SOO is well known as a great spectacle in RL circles but outside of that it has no traction whatsoever. What would sell out Wembley if promoted properly is England vs. Australia and the sooner we realize that the future of high profile Rugby League is away from intra-country comps and in the international calendar the better. So many great points in there. It is hard because I like you hold the NRL as priority, in terms of viewing, higher than SL - so sometimes easy to forget that even in heartland RL areas in the UK it really doesn't make much of a ripple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunsletgreenandgold Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 1 hour ago, gingerjon said: This is a useful refresher on what sports are popular in England. It goes, broadly, like this: - Football, international - Football, Premier League - Football, Championship - Football, European competitions - Football, Football League - International rugby union - Football, international women's - International cricket - Football, European leagues - Football, National League - Event sports like Wimbledon, Grand National, Super Bowl (not weekly NFL) - Club rugby union including European competitions - Club rugby league It helps get an understanding of exactly where rugby league is in the national psyche if you treat all the different possibilities of football as different sports. I'm not even sure I can keep going far enough down to get to the NRL. Not trying to suggest the above isn't accurate (it looks about right), GJ, but do you have a source for this or is it just your take? Either way, RL very much falls outside the top 10 sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerjon Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 16 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said: Not trying to suggest the above isn't accurate (it looks about right), GJ, but do you have a source for this or is it just your take? Either way, RL very much falls outside the top 10 sadly. It’s my best guess Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whippet13 Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 Here are the upcoming NRL fixtures, I think it's great sport and will be watching it even if (almost) no-one else is: https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/nrl-to-return-to-sky-sports-on-march-11-all-stars-game-live-this-weekend/ I'm sure NRL will become a lot better known in the UK once they buy Super League and rebrand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man of Kent Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Has anyone seen a voucher code for Watch NRL this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rocket Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 15 hours ago, Dunbar said: . I have WatchNRL but I much prefer watching the games on Sky From someone who has an interest in the progress of WatchNRL why do you prefer the Sky coverage to WatchNRL. BTW I watched the 1990 Test match you referred me to on the GOAT thread, it gave me goosebumps on and off the whole way through. What do we have to do to get back to that, I hope I am around long enough to see those days again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunbar Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Just now, The Rocket said: From someone who has an interest in the progress of WatchNRL why do you prefer the Sky coverage to WatchNRL. For me it is just a matter of convenience and usability. You get it direct on your TV and don't have to worry about streaming direct to the TV or casting from another device. Then in game the options for pausing, rewinding etc are just easier. Similarly, any connectivity issues don't cause nearly as many problems. Recording and replaying (at the point you left off) is also easier. WatchNRL is a great platform for what it is but I would watch through the Sky (or Virgin) platform as a choice every time I could. "The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby. "If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunbar Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 And I have no hesitation in renewing my subscription to WatchNRL this year as having access to every match of every round in the NRL is absolutely worth it. "The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby. "If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunbar Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 48 minutes ago, The Rocket said: BTW I watched the 1990 Test match you referred me to on the GOAT thread, it gave me goosebumps on and off the whole way through. What do we have to do to get back to that, I hope I am around long enough to see those days again. While it was a great occasion, we have to remember that there was 'only' 55,000 at Wembley that day. The UK sporting public like events and we have many great stadia to host internationals. You will see with the World Cup this year that there is demand to see international sport that greatly exceeds club competitions. We will get to what you (and I) want by committing to international League. I am convinced that the Kangaroo test series, should it be rescheduled, will get us to those type of gates and beyond. "The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby. "If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrewxi Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 I only really watch WatchNRL these days, i.e. no SuperLeague. Looking forward to watching some live avec un beer though! Whenever that may be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave T Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 21 minutes ago, Dunbar said: While it was a great occasion, we have to remember that there was 'only' 55,000 at Wembley that day. The UK sporting public like events and we have many great stadia to host internationals. You will see with the World Cup this year that there is demand to see international sport that greatly exceeds club competitions. We will get to what you (and I) want by committing to international League. I am convinced that the Kangaroo test series, should it be rescheduled, will get us to those type of gates and beyond. Indeed. The hope is that we will see over 50k for an England game versus Samoa when the World Cup is staged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjonn Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 I know on this forum many watch the NRL here in the UK... fine but to be perfectly honest with respect to myself... I couldn't give a toss about the NRL... I'm just one obviously but in relation to some of the posts... if NRL was the only option I wouldn't be going to see or watching any RL. In fact I'd properly go and watch RU games if that was the only professional rugby on offer rather than watch NRL here - it just doesn't offer any interest above RU despite what many would say about the contrast in the type of rugby played. I guess its because the team I'm going to watch has to have some geographical aspect I care enough about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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