TV Deal to conclude end of June

[Copa]

16 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

And? Since 2018 every URC game was broadcast live too, as was all the European Cup games. 

I explained why football is skewwed, essentially legally. And even then, there are 3 leagues regularly broadcasting more live content than any other sport not one, plus every midweek game is televised. Plus the occasional League 1, 2 and National League game. That is a lot more live football than any other sport in this country.

The Hundred, also new, has every game broadcast on TV.

If you have a competition that you want to be visible, and have matches and clubs as your primary marketing tool, you want every game to be televised to make it as easy as possible to access it. Right now, following and building up an attachment with all but a few clubs is difficult unless you can physically attend because not every game is televised. Shockingly, those televised most regularly have the most name recognition, and the most success.

Doesn’t UK netball’s top competition also have all games broadcast?

[Tommygilf]

14 minutes ago, Copa said:

Doesn’t UK netball’s top competition also have all games broadcast?

I don't know but it wouldn't surprise me.

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, Copa said:

Doesn’t UK netball’s top competition also have all games broadcast?

I don't think it's all - at least not on TV. I think, like county cricket and BBL basketball, every game that isn't on TV is available on streaming (for free).

[Mark S]

Hopefully the delay is due to the amount of time it’s taking to draw plenty of zeros on the end of the total on the oversized cheque. 

[DI Keith Fowler]

1 hour ago, Mark S said:

Hopefully the delay is due to the amount of time it’s taking to draw plenty of zeros on the end of the total on the oversized cheque. 

I'm expecting a kind of Michael Scott Rabies Awareness Fun Run situation where the cost of the oversized cheque impacts on the amount written on it. 

[RS]

Has anyone managed to cancel Viaplay, they make it out as simple when you log in but the options aren’t there. 

[Fevrover]

48 minutes ago, RS said:

Has anyone managed to cancel Viaplay, they make it out as simple when you log in but the options aren’t there. 

There's another game yet, Haven v Barra August 21st.

[Cheadle Leyther]

13 hours ago, Fevrover said:

There's another game yet, Haven v Barra August 21st.

Are they not covering the play offs?

[Fevrover]

1 hour ago, Cheadle Leyther said:

Are they not covering the play offs?

Nowt been announced yet as far as i know.

[OnStrike]

31 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

Nowt been announced yet as far as i know.

If they haven't I wonder could they give the playoffs to C4 or BBC for nothing...just to give the games some publicity

[Fevrover]

9 minutes ago, OnStrike said:

If they haven't I wonder could they give the playoffs to C4 or BBC for nothing...just to give the games some publicity

Be good but doubt it they don't seem that interested in RL if they are binning it,shame really I enjoy the Monday night games.

[Fevrover]

12 minutes ago, OnStrike said:

If they haven't I wonder could they give the playoffs to C4 or BBC for nothing...just to give the games some publicity

Just had a look at Viaplays RL schedule and after Haven Barra there's York v Batley 18th September and one game to be confirmed on the 25th of September, after that nothing mentioned. 

[OnStrike]

3 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

Just had a look at Viaplays RL schedule and after Haven Barra there's York v Batley 18th September and one game to be confirmed on the 25th of September, after that nothing mentioned. 

Whatever happens, hopefully next year we can get the Championship on something a bit more accessible. I wouldn't mind paying a few quid a month for Championship games on Our League

[Derwent]

It’s very noticeable that RL does not feature at all in the current Sky Sports “Greatest Show on Earth” promo video which features just about every other sport they show.

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, Derwent said:

It’s very noticeable that RL does not feature at all in the current Sky Sports “Greatest Show on Earth” promo video which features just about every other sport they show.

We hardly ever do feature in those. Often when we do it seems to be a second wave edited version that has added us in after they "forgot" initially.

We aren't a premium product for sky that drives subscriptions or offers a high value or large national audience. I suspect in the marketing departments (who of course aren't forced to be sport inclined) RL won't even be a well known sport or if it is it may just be as "rugby".

We're reasonably priced filler content at the moment. That's not a terrible thing for an effectively northern regional league to be in, but its not high profile either.

[Harry Stottle]

8 minutes ago, Derwent said:

It’s very noticeable that RL does not feature at all in the current Sky Sports “Greatest Show on Earth” promo video which features just about every other sport they show.

I saw that, disgraceful.

[Rugbyleaguesupporter]

Sky spends: 

£1.2bn plus on football 

Over £200m a year on F1 and cricket 

They have a golf channel and will have a tennis channel from 2024 in all likelihood 

The 5 sports were 5 sport themed channels, is it that surprising we didn't feature? 

[Harry Stottle]

3 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

We hardly ever do feature in those. Often when we do it seems to be a second wave edited version that has added us in after they "forgot" initially.

We aren't a premium product for sky that drives subscriptions or offers a high value or large national audience. I suspect in the marketing departments (who of course aren't forced to be sport inclined) RL won't even be a well known sport or if it is it may just be as "rugby".

We're reasonably priced filler content at the moment. That's not a terrible thing for an effectively northern regional league to be in, but its not high profile either.

We have a few pro marketeers and a good number who seemingly know everything about it on these pages.

I am not one of those but I do know if you don't tell people about something that you want to sell it will not sell.

Sorry Tommy but I think you are cutting Sky to much slack with your interpretation here.

Where's @Hull Kingston Bronco when he is needed.

[Tommygilf]

8 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

We have a few pro marketeers and a good number who seemingly know everything about it on these pages.

I am not one of those but I do know if you don't tell people about something that you want to sell it will not sell.

Sorry Tommy but I think you are cutting Sky to much slack with your interpretation here.

Where's @Hull Kingston Bronco when he is needed.

I'm not cutting them slack H, I think Sky's declining approach to RL over the past decade or so leaves much to be desired. To the extent that I would absolutely insist on non-exclusivity of their TV rights going forwards unless there was a significant cash uplift.

However, they are also a commercial enterprise, and make decisions based on those commercial opportunities and what their data tells them. It wouldn't surprise me if it said that their audience for RL was small, hyper regional and not particularly high income (something also reflected in our sponsors).

 

[Cheadle Leyther]

Look at the way BT Sport has covered the rugby Union club game. Always included in the promotion of their sports content. Often advertised when other sports are being shown, and a dedicated weekly rugby club show.

Yet Sky audience figures for Superleague always trounces theirs.

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, Tommygilf said:

I'm not cutting them slack H, I think Sky's declining approach to RL over the past decade or so leaves much to be desired. To the extent that I would absolutely insist on non-exclusivity of their TV rights going forwards unless there was a significant cash uplift.

However, they are also a commercial enterprise, and make decisions based on those commercial opportunities and what their data tells them. It wouldn't surprise me if it said that their audience for RL was small, hyper regional and not particularly high income (something also reflected in our sponsors).

 

I fully understand that Sky's audience for RL will be relatively small, but it will remain so as long as they wish to keep it a secret and choose not to market it properly.

Totally agree get Sky's exclusivity rescinded unless they want to pay for it, but will the RL/IMG have big enough dangly bits to excersize that option if maintaining exclusivity is the best deal on the table?

Edited August 14, 2023 by Harry Stottle

[Fevrover]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

I fully understand that Sky's audience for RL will be relatively small, but it will remain so as long as they wish to keep it a secret and choose not to market it properly.

Totally agree get Sky's exclusivity rescinded unless they want to pay for it, but will the RL/IMG have big enough dangly bits to excersize that option if maintaining exclusivity is the best deal on the table?

They wouldn't dare,imagine if sky said get lost we've finished with RL and SL couldn't get another broadcaster. 

[Harry Stottle]

1 minute ago, Fevrover said:

They wouldn't dare,imagine if sky said get lost we've finished with RL and SL couldn't get another broadcaster. 

So you consider that our options will not have many financial considerations to contemplate.

Do you consider it will be the highest bidder who will win it being Sky? and the collective amount offered by other sources will not be greater than Sky's offer even if it is much less than than the present 25M/year?

[Fevrover]

12 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

So you consider that our options will not have many financial considerations to contemplate.

Do you consider it will be the highest bidder who will win it being Sky? and the collective amount offered by other sources will not be greater than Sky's offer even if it is much less than than the present 25M/year?

No idea who will bid ,hopefully channel 4 will sign up for more games.

[Dave T]

48 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

So you consider that our options will not have many financial considerations to contemplate.

Do you consider it will be the highest bidder who will win it being Sky? and the collective amount offered by other sources will not be greater than Sky's offer even if it is much less than than the present 25M/year?

I think it's an interesting one, I don't think there are many examples of sports that have moved away from Sky and thrived really. RU has probably done ok at BT/TNT and maybe that's the best we could have hoped for - but the risk is that we ended up like URC and being shown on Premier/Via, or even worse on a tiny digi platform.

In the past it always felt like we had a bit of a safety net with Sky, but it does feel like they have been prepared to allow sports to move on that a few years back would have felt unthinkable. 

They get plenty of cheap content, and they get plenty of top-end premium content - unfortunately, we sit somewhere in the middle, and I think that makes us attractive for somebody who is looking for cost savings.