BBC?

[Worzel]

17 hours ago, graveyard johnny said:

so now dave woods has gone to SKY who will be main commentator? Bradley Walsh? hes on every frickin thing else so he might as well be- "is it a try?" "its gotta be- innit?"

Paddy McGuinness 

[Dave T]

This is clearly good news, don't take this as major criticism of the deal, but in reality, we will have pretty much the same amount of live games on terrestrial TV as last year, and we will have less hours overall as the SLS has gone. 

2023 - mainstream tv

Bbc 7 cup games

BBC 3 internationals

BBC x 32 Highlights shows

C4 10 Live SL

Other (BBC streaming cup games 4 or so) 

 

2024 - mainstream tv

BBC - 5 cup games

BBC 3 internationals

BBC 10 live SL

Other (BBC streaming 5 SL, and 3 Cup games or so) 

 

So I'm not sure this is the revolutionary deal some may think, certainly not as big as the others announced so far. I do think the benefits come in the form of the BBC platform having more live content overall will hopefully lead to increased regularity and promotion that comes with it. Plus the online platform, if done well could be a great asset. 

 

I think overall we have a brilliant TV setup, genuinely revolutionary, but I think the biggest change here is the Sky and SL+ stuff. 

 

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Dave T said:

This is clearly good news, don't take this as major criticism of the deal, but in reality, we will have pretty much the same amount of live games on terrestrial TV as last year, and we will have less hours overall as the SLS has gone. 

2023 - mainstream tv

Bbc 7 cup games

BBC 3 internationals

BBC x 32 Highlights shows

C4 10 Live SL

Other (BBC streaming cup games 4 or so) 

 

2024 - mainstream tv

BBC - 5 cup games

BBC 3 internationals

BBC 10 live SL

Other (BBC streaming 5 SL, and 3 Cup games or so) 

 

So I'm not sure this is the revolutionary deal some may think, certainly not as big as the others announced so far. I do think the benefits come in the form of the BBC platform having more live content overall will hopefully lead to increased regularity and promotion that comes with it. Plus the online platform, if done well could be a great asset. 

 

I think overall we have a brilliant TV setup, genuinely revolutionary, but I think the biggest change here is the Sky and SL+ stuff. 

 

BBC is a better platform for sport than Channel 4 and it's not even close.

[RigbyLuger]

1 hour ago, Coggo said:

They are on the app. It’s not clear to me how much Sky involvement has in SL+ but I get a strong whiff of Now TV.

They're nothing to do with it, bar providing the matches.

[Archie Gordon]

37 minutes ago, Dave T said:

This is clearly good news, don't take this as major criticism of the deal, but in reality, we will have pretty much the same amount of live games on terrestrial TV as last year, and we will have less hours overall as the SLS has gone. 

2023 - mainstream tv

Bbc 7 cup games

BBC 3 internationals

BBC x 32 Highlights shows

C4 10 Live SL

Other (BBC streaming cup games 4 or so) 

 

2024 - mainstream tv

BBC - 5 cup games

BBC 3 internationals

BBC 10 live SL

Other (BBC streaming 5 SL, and 3 Cup games or so) 

 

So I'm not sure this is the revolutionary deal some may think, certainly not as big as the others announced so far. I do think the benefits come in the form of the BBC platform having more live content overall will hopefully lead to increased regularity and promotion that comes with it. Plus the online platform, if done well could be a great asset. 

 

I think overall we have a brilliant TV setup, genuinely revolutionary, but I think the biggest change here is the Sky and SL+ stuff. 

 

I was thinking the same - whilst also seeing the BBC as much the better overall platform vs C4.

However, given that the BBC has 15 rounds of SL, the WCC, and 9 rounds of the CC, I would have thought they might have been able to put something on with a regular timeslot, every weekend. That's 6 months of content - why not run it all near continuously, Saturday teatime RL on the BBC? I don't get the sense that they will.

[Fly-By-TheWire]

1 hour ago, Worzel said:

Paddy McGuinness 

“Oof, a big ‘it on Jai Field there. Look and learn, flower…”

We joke, but in reality are Baz and Tez really that different to Max and Paddy? 

Edited February 9 by Fly-By-TheWire

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

BBC is a better platform for sport than Channel 4 and it's not even close.

Agreed - that was meant to come out more strongly in my para about platform. The IPlayer and website platforms are far, far superior to anything that other providers offer.

It will be interesting to see viewing figures, as they weren't huge on C4.

[Dave T]

32 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

I was thinking the same - whilst also seeing the BBC as much the better overall platform vs C4.

However, given that the BBC has 15 rounds of SL, the WCC, and 9 rounds of the CC, I would have thought they might have been able to put something on with a regular timeslot, every weekend. That's 6 months of content - why not run it all near continuously, Saturday teatime RL on the BBC? I don't get the sense that they will.

Whilst I do think regularity is important, it does feel like 25(ish) live RL games a year on TV does mean that we will get load of coverage, so maybe not 100% regular, but plenty of presence. That is absolutely positive

[Fly-By-TheWire]

3 minutes ago, Dave T said:

It will be interesting to see viewing figures, as they weren't huge on C4.

Without me looking for it, can you remember what sort of figures there were? Didn’t Sky once bring in something like 600k for a normal league game, or did I dream that?

Edited February 9 by Fly-By-TheWire

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Fly-By-TheWire said:

Without me looking for it, can you remember what sort of figures there were? Didn’t Sky once bring in something like 600k for a normal league game, or did I dream that?

It was common for C4 to go as low as the 200-300k+ band IIRC. The peak was a bit higher. 

Sky is probably 150k standard, with 200k+ a strong performance. 

From memory, we got over 500k for the Saints v Salford Grand Final, which had a clear run, no competition that night which was a rarity. 350k-400k would be a good result for Grand Final. 

I think BBC Cup games get between 650k to 1m for big games. 

[Coggo]

I wonder if this is somewhat a return to the 90s and a dominant Wigan and their stars are seen by millions on the Beeb.

That would be the ideal.

Edit: An ideal for visibility, recognition and cut-through, not just for Wigan!

Edited February 9 by Coggo

[Just Browny]

4 hours ago, sam4731 said:

You say hidden away but I think the crucial thing is the matches placement to a lesser extent on BBC Sport but to a greater extent on BBC iPlayer. Obviously not as good as telly but that platform draws a fairly big audience.

I hear what you're saying but I don't really buy it because I think live sport is quite unique. I will happily watch The Traitors or Gladiators (giving too much away here) on iPlayer after it has first appeared on TV, and if I've missed a rugby game during the day I will happily go and watch it 'as-live' after the fact, but the number of non-RL fans who are going to stick on a game on-demand has to be close to zero. So I don't think there is any mitigation for this not being on live telly where you might stumble upon it.

There is a wider problem with my argument of course, which is that fewer and fewer people flick through the channels to see if somethings on that they fancy watching. There's no real answer to that as people's viewing patterns become based more and more on what they already like or have recommended to them.

[Just Browny]

Duplicate, sorry

Edited February 9 by Just Browny

[sam4731]

2 hours ago, Just Browny said:

I hear what you're saying but I don't really buy it because I think live sport is quite unique. I will happily watch The Traitors or Gladiators (giving too much away here) on iPlayer after it has first appeared on TV, and if I've missed a rugby game during the day I will happily go and watch it 'as-live' after the fact, but the number of non-RL fans who are going to stick on a game on-demand has to be close to zero. So I don't think there is any mitigation for this not being on live telly where you might stumble upon it.

There is a wider problem with my argument of course, which is that fewer and fewer people flick through the channels to see if somethings on that they fancy watching. There's no real answer to that as people's viewing patterns become based more and more on what they already like or have recommended to them.

I think you're underestimating the power of a TV providers 'home screen'. If you have prominence on iPlayer, the likes of Sky and Virgin Media will present it front and centre.

[graveyard johnny]

8 hours ago, Worzel said:

Paddy McGuinness 

its thrrrrrrre

[Worzel]

3 hours ago, Just Browny said:

which is that fewer and fewer people flick through the channels to see if somethings on that they fancy watching. There's no real answer to that as people's viewing patterns become based more and more on what they already like or have recommended to them.

The answer though is precisely what the IMG media strategy is designed to do: Own your content production, and distribute short, action-packed clips and teasers of it where people are (which is permanently on their smart phones, consuming social media). You can then direct them to places where the full matches are - including games that are currently live on broadcast media. 

That's why the structure of this deal was so important. RFL now have all the content, and can use it to proactively generate audience. The NBA in the US has massively increased live TV viewership through this type of strategy. 

Exciting times. 

[N2022]

8 hours ago, gingerjon said:

BBC is a better platform for sport than Channel 4 and it's not even close.

I don't watch much TV, but BBC would be more visible to me, and I suspect many others, than C4.

[JohnM]

22 minutes ago, N2022 said:

I don't watch much TV, but BBC would be more visible to me, and I suspect many others, than C4.

For me, that's an important factor in attracting new viewers. I believe the BBC has in general a much bigger sports fan constituency than Channel 4 for example....and you can set up notifications, too: Get news notifications for your favourite sports - BBC Sport

Edited February 9 by JohnM

[N2022]

9 minutes ago, JohnM said:

For me, that's an important factor in attracting new viewers. I believe the BBC has in general a much bigger sports fan constituency than Channel 4 for example....and you can set up notifications, too: Get news notifications for your favourite sports - BBC Sport

Yes, the app, website and iPlayer catch lots of people who are generally into a range of sports, even if there are times they underpublicise some live coverage. I honestly couldn't tell you what sport I last watched on C4.

[Futtocks]

20 minutes ago, N2022 said:

I honestly couldn't tell you what sport I last watched on C4.

I can. Oval ball, Helen Skelton presenting, "H" shaped goalposts...

[N2022]

25 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

I can. Oval ball, Helen Skelton presenting, "H" shaped goalposts...

How would you know what sport I last watched on C4? Bit creepy, the thought that a real person is watching me watch TV, and keeping a record of what programmes I've watched...

[Hopie]

11 hours ago, Worzel said:

Paddy McGuinness 

Too busy doing Question time....

 

However, I'd feel better about the BBC showing the games if any of them made it on to BBC1. The World club challenge would be a good pick...

[DI Keith Fowler]

1 hour ago, N2022 said:

How would you know what sport I last watched on C4? Bit creepy, the thought that a real person is watching me watch TV, and keeping a record of what programmes I've watched...

How do you think they work out viewing figures?

[N2022]

2 minutes ago, DI Keith Fowler said:

How do you think they work out viewing figures?

Probably by some automated mechanism. Not by posters on this thread listening through my window, although Futtocks may be able to clarify if I'm mistaken.

[ATLANTISMAN]

9 hours ago, Dave T said:

It was common for C4 to go as low as the 200-300k+ band IIRC. The peak was a bit higher. 

Sky is probably 150k standard, with 200k+ a strong performance. 

From memory, we got over 500k for the Saints v Salford Grand Final, which had a clear run, no competition that night which was a rarity. 350k-400k would be a good result for Grand Final. 

I think BBC Cup games get between 650k to 1m for big games. 

Thats pretty much spot on BUT

* BBC audience is considered pretty much old and dead (Half asleep after the pub)

* SKY one gets GLOBAL coverage  for me its SKY/FOX all the way