Michael Smith

[gingerjon]

9 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

I would say, pure guess,that 50% of pubs were showing the darts final, but how many nationwide show the SL Grand Final?

The darts final wasn't even on Main Event until halfway through as it clashed with Arsenal v Newcastle.

Let me know when that next happens to the SL Grand Final. 

[HawkMan]

7 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The darts final wasn't even on Main Event until halfway through as it clashed with Arsenal v Newcastle.

Let me know when that next happens to the SL Grand Final. 

Is that it? Your comeback point ,

RL grand final is on during international football weekend, no Premiere League. If it was on when Premier League was on,  it'll be on Sky Sports 8 or Mix. 

[gingerjon]

7 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

Is that it? Your comeback point ,

No. It was an observation that darts is smaller than rugby league backed up by the fact that their world title match doesn't even get to be shown in full on Sky's Main Event.

As well as having fewer spectators, less income, less media and all the rest.

[HawkMan]

6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

No. It was an observation that darts is smaller than rugby league backed up by the fact that their world title match doesn't even get to be shown in full on Sky's Main Event.

As well as having fewer spectators, less income, less media and all the rest.

More spectators,  media etc doesn't necessarily mean bigger profile,other than counting pages in newspapers and saying yep, we've got more than them.

That was the point made by a previous poster, and he's right.

But moving on, what has RL done with this media profile,  more money etc., not much it seems because it's got IMG involved,  admitting therefore that previous strategies have failed.

[Griff]

Darts is not a sport.

Nor is snooker.

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Griff said:

Darts is not a sport.

Nor is snooker.

Matchroom is also not very good most of the time and has more failures than successes *even within darts and snooker*.

But people tend to overlook that.

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

More spectators,  media etc doesn't necessarily mean bigger profile,other than counting pages in newspapers and saying yep, we've got more than them.

That was the point made by a previous poster, and he's right.

But moving on, what has RL done with this media profile,  more money etc., not much it seems because it's got IMG involved,  admitting therefore that previous strategies have failed.

Yes. You'll find me elsewhere saying that IMG's input is exactly what's needed right now.

I have also been consistent in mocking anyone who thinks Matchroom would ever be the right fit for rugby league.

[Tommygilf]

42 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The darts final wasn't even on Main Event until halfway through as it clashed with Arsenal v Newcastle.

Let me know when that next happens to the SL Grand Final. 

Aren't we on Arena/Mix/action??

[Dave T]

2 hours ago, HawkMan said:

That's being disingenuous at best, the point previously spouted was that Darts has a higher profile than RL which it certainly does. I expect high numbers of pubs across the land had it on nationwide. Like Boxing an " event " sport has few big mass gathering occasions so the aggregate attendance throughout the year is smaller, possibly tv audience figures too, but recognition of players, knowledge of the game, who the big stars are, darts is bigger. RL's problem is that even if 99% of the population of the Heartlands ate, drank and slept RL  it would mean very little elsewhere in the country. For RL to grow that must change!

Actually, your last bit is just wrong. 

If 99% of the heartlands were obsessives and supported the game well then our crowds, viewing figures, playing numbers and commercial performance would be very strong indeed, and it wouldn't really matter that people in Norfolk don't generally follow RL. 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Dave T

[Dave T]

2 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Aren't we on Arena/Mix/action??

Not the GF, no. 

We are on the same channel as darts. 

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Aren't we on Arena/Mix/action??

We're on Main Event for the final.

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Dave T said:

Not the GF, no. 

We are on the same channel as darts. 

I was being facetious but yes of course. I would like for more of our games to be on main event.

A direct comparison with darts I notice all the time is Thursday night games. Premier League Darts gets main event far more often than we do.

[Tommygilf]

Just now, gingerjon said:

We're on Main Event for the final.

I was being sarcastic, but for a direct comparison, see Thursday night RL.

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I was being sarcastic, but for a direct comparison, see Thursday night RL.

Oh god, we're probably on Sky Sports F1 more than we're on Main Event for that.

There's important transfer gossip to cover on Main Event.

[Dave T]

4 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I was being facetious but yes of course. I would like for more of our games to be on main event.

A direct comparison with darts I notice all the time is Thursday night games. Premier League Darts gets main event far more often than we do.

It would be good to see some stats on that, because, I agree that is the perception, but as we stage games on Fridays and other days throughout the year, I suspect we get far more coverage on Main Event. I suspect as part of agreements there are minimum Main Event commitments. 

But, Darts does very well for viewing figures, it is a very watchable TV sport, I think the are things we can learn - their final last year for example peaked at 1.5m on Sky, which is 3 times higher than our record figure, and they have done a good job of cultivating figures in overseas markets. 

But we shouldn't overstate other sports' positives and understate ours. 

[gingerjon]

4 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I was being facetious but yes of course. I would like for more of our games to be on main event.

A direct comparison with darts I notice all the time is Thursday night games. Premier League Darts gets main event far more often than we do.

Yes. Premier League Darts has a mostly regular slot. They have had to jiggle the evening and season format - whilst also noting that a huge chunk of the PDC tournament calendar is now not as high profile on Sky/ITV as it was a few years back.

Reckon most people in the country know who won the Darts Premier League last year?

(I should say, by the way, that I think it's a very good link up by St Helens/RFL/SL/Sky/whoever to harness Michael Smith's obvious enthusiasm and passion for RL - just that there's not much more RL can 'learn' from darts at all.)

[SalfordSlim]

14 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

When I saw the thread title I thought , RL player , CAS wasn't it , Kiwi 

Yes I knew the bloke who won the darts was from St Helens but didn't know his name 

Who I their right mind watches fat blokes throwing little spears into the same little box over and over and over and over again for hours on end ? Bonkers 

Dare you to call Gerwyn Price a fat bloke....

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, SalfordSlim said:

Dare you to call Gerwyn Price a fat bloke....

With those ear defenders on, you can call him whatever you like

[SalfordSlim]

With regards Smith being a Saints fan, Sintellins is one of the darts "hotbeds". Smith, Chisnall, Bunting & Alan Tabern are all Sintellins born & bred. Bunting is a Saints fan by all accounts as well. All plazzy Scousers that lot so no doubt big LFC fans as well.

I'd imagine, behind Stoke (Taylor/Lewis/Hamilton/Hanley/White), it's probably produced the most top-level "dartists" in the country.

AFAIK Peter Wright has no links to Leeds so prob just a glory hunter fan. Born in Scotland and now lives in Suffolk.

 

[Madrileño]

14 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

When I saw the thread title I thought , RL player , CAS wasn't it , Kiwi 

FWIW, so did I. 

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, Griff said:

Darts is not a sport.

Nor is snooker.

Correct , it's a pastime , like fishing

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

Matchroom is also not very good most of the time and has more failures than successes *even within darts and snooker*.

But people tend to overlook that.

So did Alan Sugar and Richard Branson ( probably crazy Donald as well )

[Niels]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

Yes. Premier League Darts has a mostly regular slot. They have had to jiggle the evening and season format - whilst also noting that a huge chunk of the PDC tournament calendar is now not as high profile on Sky/ITV as it was a few years back.

Reckon most people in the country know who won the Darts Premier League last year?

(I should say, by the way, that I think it's a very good link up by St Helens/RFL/SL/Sky/whoever to harness Michael Smith's obvious enthusiasm and passion for RL - just that there's not much more RL can 'learn' from darts at all.)

The premier league has play offs between the top 4. So like us, the league winner isn't necessarily the champion.

Michael Van Gerwen won the title this year. 

[GUBRATS]

39 minutes ago, SalfordSlim said:

Dare you to call Gerwyn Price a fat bloke....

I'm 62 years old and he'd still not catch me 

[GUBRATS]

22 minutes ago, SalfordSlim said:

With regards Smith being a Saints fan, Sintellins is one of the darts "hotbeds". Smith, Chisnall, Bunting & Alan Tabern are all Sintellins born & bred. Bunting is a Saints fan by all accounts as well. All plazzy Scousers that lot so no doubt big LFC fans as well.

I'd imagine, behind Stoke (Taylor/Lewis/Hamilton/Hanley/White), it's probably produced the most top-level "dartists" in the country.

AFAIK Peter Wright has no links to Leeds so prob just a glory hunter fan. Born in Scotland and now lives in Suffolk.

 

So there's loads of fat lads in St Helens and Stoke